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Claude/Hannah Infodump time letsgo
I hate Season 2 of Black Butler with a passion. It has good parts (introduced me to love of my life Ronald Knox and little middle school me would play his scene for 30 minutes at a time. totally neurotypical behavior right there), it has...the rest of it. I have essentially made the Trancy demons my OCs and I'm not sorry lmao.
Let's start with Hannah Anafeloz: She grew bored of her position in Hell, bored of being royalty, bored of the same mundane battlefields day after day after day. Hannah, along with her favored guard, 'vanished' into the realm of the living after centuries of waiting for her time, leaving the Prince-Reagent in charge. Hannah is ancient power made manifest, so the journey left her basically unscathed. Her guard, however, was split into three different people- the Triplets. She enjoyed bringing her power and havoc into the human realm! She enjoyed seeing what souls were capable of: Human greed, human wrath, human pride are much different than their demonic counterparts. Unfortunately, she grew bored of this too, and the Triplets searched far and wide to make their Queen-Reagent happy. They found a nice ruin for her to stay in, and would act as worker bees to her. Hannah, however, would sneak out on her lonesome to observe humanity, to understand why she was bored when they never were. That lead her to Luca, and eventually, Alois. Ms. Anafeloz began to regret such a demonic existence. --- Claude Faustus. So much is potential greatness, so much is garbage. I've turned him into my fixation instead :D Claude, for better terms, was taken in by Hannah not long after his own kingdom was destroyed. The only reason he is alive right now is because he tried to stab Hannah in the back, and succeeded but didn't kill her. He was interesting. He was clever. Hannah always wanted a younger sibling. Claude took that new role with pride, striving to be better than everyone Hannah surrounded herself with for his own survival. This drive to be superior lead him to becoming Prince-Regent and High General of Hannah's armies. When she disappeared, the entire kingdom turned on its head. Claude, who had experience in ruling an army but not an empire, was grasping at the strands to take power into his own hand. He ruled for a few decades, horribly, and was usurped by a different Sin family to 'free' the demons under his control. Claude, an exile from one kingdom and heir to another, found himself desperate for basic needs- Food, shelter. He tried to lure humans into summoning up, for centuries while he struggled to regain any of his former power. He was almost summoned by a desperate occultist, but the ritual failed and killed her. His actual summoning, his return to greatness, his empire being rebuilt? All in the hands of a child who had no idea what power truly was. Claude hated that. Claude hated the child for humiliating him, hated the child for trapping him into this mortal realm with vermin and filth like reapers and lesser demons. But the child lead him back to Hannah. He wasn't sure to be thankful, or spiteful, for the fact they reunited. Or for the fact Hannah was happy to see him, and welcomed him with open arms. ---
#kuroshitsuji#black butler#kuroshitsuji headcanon#black butler season 2#Claude Faustus#hannah anafeloz#hannah annafellows#archivist rambles#they are zant and midna/luna and celestia coded to ME#the trancy demons can be summed up like this:#Hannah learning that human love comes in several different forms and has chosen familial/motherly love as her favorite#The Triplets were inspired by Cerberus/Worker bees and all they want is for Hannah to be happy#Claude wants to go home but is beefing with a child who's forcing him to play the role of 'Daddy Dearest'
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I hate being mentally ill I hate it
It makes just existing feel God awful and terrifying
Takes all my passion away
Things suck!! Things really suck a lot!!! Aaaa
#bug speaks#vent#all my passion for kingdoms of seasons disappeared#just gone#lol what a way to spend the past three years#i just want to feel happy again that's all i want i hate feeling so desperate and scared constantly#it's all the time#every second of the day the thoughts in my head are just telling me I'll never be happy again and it's terrifying and i hate it#i can't stress enough just how like. difficult it feels to just exist#to be battling with my own brain every day all the time like what the heck#id give ANYTHING to be normal#normal people don't have to do this constantly#why did this have to happen to me lol#bruh#god really did just nerf me huh#could really use some stat boosts rn
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Rewriting Sonic Characters into other Continuities: Cosmo The Seedrian
With the 18th anniversary of Sonic X not too long ago, many fond memories of the anime started to resurface, as a question begun to ponder...
What if Cosmo The Seedrian was in other Sonic related media?
She was one of the most memorable parts of the show in my opinion, mostly due Season 3 of Sonic X being an original story. With that out of the way, let's get started!
These are just rough ideas and I would love to see some feedback!
Classic!Cosmo: About a month after the events of Sonic CD, Little Planet appears above Never Lake for its monthly visit to Earth. Sonic and Tails decide to visit and are surprised to find a growing population of plant people known as Seedrians.
As it turns out, Dr. Robotnik used the power of the Time Stones to reverse the Seedrians into the Miracle Planet flowers and seeds, before they had a chance to fight back.
Now that Dr. Robotnik is gone, they live in peace and praise the blue hedgehog that saved their people.
As Sonic is enjoying the festivities, Tails bumps into a shy Seedrian known as Cosmo. They become quick friends, bonding over sciences (Cosmo is more a botany genius in this continuity) and Tails even takes her for flight on the Tornado.
Sonic and Tails promise to visit her every time Little Planet comes back to Earth, to see their new friend.
This Cosmo is more quiet and keeps to herself, but the moment you get to know her she talks all the time.
Modern!Cosmo: The Cosmo of this era is a lot older and more independent, as she now leaves Little Planet on her to explore the Earth more, fascinated by this planet.
I'm addition to other Seedrians being NPCs in any open world Sonic games.
This becomes a running theme for Sonic games where she's off exploring and being in awe of the planet's flora, or just hanging with either Tails, Cream or Amy.
During Sonic Heroes, she would form a team with Might, Ray and herself. Since the three of them love nature so much and would be known as Team Naturals. Mighty being Power, Ray being Flight and Cosmo being Speed. The Team Blast involving the three of them homing attacking a series of giant seed bombs.
In Sonic Riders, she has an extreme gear board called "Mother Nature's Embrace", when you unlock her.
During Sonic Unleashed, her and Tails were testing Gaia energy on the local flora and fauna, to see if stopping Dark Gaia was the only cure to possessed people.
With small lovey dovey moments between her and Tails in the games, since we all know about the mandates. Or just a friendship if they're that strict and carry over to other characters.
During Sonic Generations, she's the NPC for the stage "Tidal Tempest" from Sonic CD and remarks if Sonic found the Time Stones again, if Classic Sonic saved her.
During Sonic Forces, she's in charge of food production in the Resistance, due to her power over plants.
The Cosmo of the Modern Sonic games is more akin to her in Sonic X, except with higher self esteem and doesn't have motion sickness. She can be rather clumsy, very kind, gentle and quiet, with a preference for not fighting unless necessary and a bit of a temper. She has a huge passion for botany and medicinal sciences, with gardening being a hobby of hers.
Unfortunately, she doesn't always know her own strength, as Seedrians are born with tremendous strength for housework and helping environments.
SatAM!Cosmo: A ship full of an alien species is soaring through the galaxy, with one mission in mind: find a new home.
They are known as Seedrians.
Once they arrive on a planet that reminds them of the a Mobius Strip in its composition, only to be attacked by robots.
Dr. Robotnik intercepted the space ship transmission and plans to roboticize these innocent aliens.
The Freedom Fighters intervene later on and are only able to save the kids, as the adults are all roboticized into robots. That destroy nature, ironically enough.
Cosmo becomes quick friends with the Freedom Fighters, relating on being orphans and absent parents that are now robotic slaves.
She doesn't really get out on the field like the rest of them, but she does help liven things up for the other kids at Knothole.
Underground!Cosmo: A forest spirit that takes a liking to music along with her sisters, as Sonic Underground makes their trek through Mobius.
I can see a single episode where Robotnik wants to use their powers as ornaments for a fancy gala... only for Sonic, Manic and Sonia to show up and save the day.
Fleetway!Cosmo: There is a legend of a race of warriors that travel across time itself collecting the finest flora, knowing of their extinction in the present day.
They are known as Seedrians.
These legends are found on Miracle Planet... a home to them for a couple of centuries.
Dr. Eggman of course desires this time travel technology for himself and for better use than "flower collecting."
Unlike the time Eggman gained control over all time via the Omni Viewer, he uses the time traveling alien technology to make up a fake history of him as an ancient, prophesied warrior to all of Mobius.
(It's also revealed that the Seedrians disappeared mysteriously and Cosmo has been working like crazy to carry on their work and find her people)
Only for Cosmo and the Freedom Fighters to put a stop to Eggman.
The Cosmo of this continuity is a lot more business oriented and moves from one task to the other, with little time for not following a structure. Underneath it all, is a scared girl that just wants to see her family again, that would never wish anything like that on others.
She bonds with Knuckles over losing your people and spends most visits with him.
Archie!Cosmo: In the Pre-Super Genesis Wave Universe, The Seedrians are seen as a myth to all of Mobius. Mostly due to Little Planet only appearing above Never Lake once a year every month.
The people Albion know of their existence, due to the Time Stones and The Seedrians both being a closely guarded of theirs.
The Seedrians of this continuity are more of a race of peace keepers and warriors, training under Nicholas O'Tyme and the mysterious Knights of Kronos.
Cosmo's father, Lucas develops a curiosity for Mobius and leaves with many other Seedrians to discuss alliances. With Lucas and his wife Earthia meeting the Acorn Kingdom.
Which goes as well as you would think.
Only for Dr. Robotnik to show up he seizes his grip over the planet.
Cosmo and her sister Galaxina go into hiding, along with many other children of the Seedrian adults. Earthia calls upon the powers of nature to to create an entire island, that exists outside of time.
Dr. Robotnik picks up the strange energy waves and attacks the island. With The Freedom Fighters showing up and turning the tide of battle on Robotnik.
Cosmo and Galaxina join the Freedom Fighters, with Cosmo becoming quick friends with Sally due to looking up her confidence and being in a similar situation, but choosing to stand for what's right.
Galaxina is more a mathematics genius and becomes good friends with Rotor and doesn't always get along with Antoine since he always wants play hero and she prefers a more grounded approach to things.
The Cosmo of this universe loves to explore, is a botany and medicinal genius and has a habit of casually mentioning random historical events, due to expose to the Time Stones. She's very kind to others and comes off as very quiet, but doesn't stop talking when you get to know her.
Due to her plant like nature and physiology, she loves Rock and Roll music, leading to her bonding with Sonic.
Her and Tails have a bit of thing going on, but are both shy around it and Tails doesn't have the best experience with relationships. The two of them hookup during Sonic's voyage/"death" in space with Tails' parents being in full support.
A rift is formed between her and her father, as him and many other Seedrians want to keep and redesign Robotnik's technology, while she sees it as ghosts of a rather scary past.
She also discovers the Krudzu and her kind nature surprising leads to her quelling the Krudzu, turning it on the side of the Freedom Fighters.
After the Super Genesis Wave, Cosmo is a resident of Little Planet that leaves to help the Freedom Fighters fight Dr. Eggman. Her personality is more or less the same as the old universe. Her parents stay back and organize Seedrian-Earth relations.
Nicole causes her to remember various events from the old universe like helping prepare for Bunnie and Antoine's wedding, the disagreements with her father, when she first kissed Tails, "befriending" the Krudzu and almost dying by saving most of Knothole and turning into a Chaos energy filled Tree.
#sonic the hedgehog#sonic x#cosmo the seedrian#classic sonic#modern sonic#satam sonic#archie sonic#sonic underground#taismo#tailsmo#miles tails prower#dark oak#the metarex#long post#terrific togekiss
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Starker - Reward
It’s a world rife with magic and monsters. Full of fantasy and witches and fate.
Tony cares little for those. He’s an inventor. A mechanic. An artist. He hones his skill, his craft, every day for twenty years, and then another twenty years. Worn and scarred, fingers thick and nimble, tremble-less. He knows little of magic and monsters. Of fantasy and witches. Those things that change and shape the world.
He uses his craft and he earns his power.
He’s a court favourite. The King likes him well-enough. That’s as much as anyone really likes Tony. Well-enough.
“You’re too tough. Too sharp. People don’t like that.” His mother had warned, even as she smoothed her fingers through his hair.
He hadn’t heeded her advice. His eyes had been on her loom. “There must be a better way,” he had said, “for that to work. So you don’t have to weave the cloth yourself.”
There is little to be said of gallantry. Heroes who have slain monsters come into the golden halls. They show King Brock the latest head of some nymph, or some great, long lost treasure, but in the end they must go on other adventures.
Tony, a court favourite, has a place in the palace always. A little wing to call his own. When he asks for iron, he is given iron. When he asks for silence, people hush.
Of course, when Rumlow demands an invention, or a maze to house some monster, Tony has to stop the whirrings on his mind to tend to those whims. He does not fight that. HIs mother was right, he’s rough and sharp, but he is no fool.
So, when he’s summoned for the King, he sets down his welders tools and follows the guards. He chatters at them, trying to see them rile, but they only smile tightly. Something weighs on them.
“Stark,” Rumlow beams, too encouraging, “men, leave us.”
The guards disappear. Smoke in the wind.
“My lord.” Tony doesn’t get down on one knee. But he inclines his head and Rumlow lets him have it.
“I have a task for you.”
“Name it, sire.”
“Years ago, I was shipwrecked across the strait.”
Tony nods. A sea-farer, perhaps a boat, a new oar. He can design something. Plans start to form in his head.
“I was given refuge upon a tiny island. It housed a demi-goddess. I lay with her.”
Tony waits. It doesn’t click. He doesn’t understand.
“It has become apparent that she had a child. My son. His name is Peter. He is mortal, but his blood, I believe, carries some trace of the gods. Because of this, they give him favour. My heroes have not been able to slay him. The seas that should kill, full of sirens and monsters, give him way. I have sent assassins and witches, and they fall prey to his charms.”
“Magic?” Tony asks, intrigued and a little disgusted. The petty foulness, the ease of magic. The fact the King is trying to kill his own blood, that is of little consequence. There are at least a dozen princes and princesses that flit about the kingdom now. Bloodshed will come once Rumlow dies as they battle for the throne. One less contender should shorten the battle.
“I had hoped it was magic.” The King sighs. “I fear it is him. He is…” the King sneers. “Beloved. They fall to him. Pledge their allegiance as if he were already their King.”
“I don’t understand.” Tony confesses, a hardship. “What would you have me do?”
Here, Rumlow smiles. Like the monster that prowls beneath the palace. “I would have you kill him, Tony. Don’t you see? You’re the only one who could. Who would not fall for his doe-eyes or sweet words. You are hardened. Use your mind, that cunning tool, or any of your inventions, and slay him. I can promise you rewards.”
Tony nods, already exhausted. This is not his domain, but the sooner it is begun, the sooner it is done. “What about the ire of the gods? You said they have given him favour. Will this not beget their anger?”
“Gods are fickle.” The King waves him away. “I have a hundred lambs all ready to be slaughtered for them. Pilgrims ready to visit their temples. I have had a boat prepared for you to leave this evening. I have heard from Cleo that Peter dwells on an island off her shore. My men will guide you.”
Tony grits his teeth a little at the lack of control, but it is a familiar ache. “And what proof of his demise? His heart?”
The King laughs at that. “You speak like a solider, Stark. I do not need proof. I will trust your word and the darkening skies.”
It goes unsaid, of course, that failure means death.
***
Tony likes sea-travel. The allusion of freedom on that endless horizon. The rough work of rigging. The smell. He used to pour over his father’s atlases, used to dream of travelling the world.
He has made himself content with Rumlow’s palace. The golden walls. His inventions.
They reach the island swiftly. The seas are much calmer. It must be Peter’s presence.
“We can go with you no further.” The men say. “Rumlow forbids it. He believes Peter would affect our minds.”
Tony wades through the water to the craggy edges. Rocks black with wet, gulls screaming.
“Sailor, let me help.” Comes a voice, soft as a siren, and Tony looks up and sees- him.
For it must be. Gold eyes. Eyes of a god. Traces of that divine lineage, but so devastatingly mortal. And it’s devastating, because Tony knows he cannot kill such beauty.
There’s no magic, but it feels like it. Carved like one of Romanov’s marble statues. It’s hard to believe such a thing could be part Rumlow.
He takes the lily hand, bronzed with sun, and lets himself be pulled up.
It’s but a boy. Not old enough to command armies. Barely a man.
“Peter.”
Peter smiles at him. “It never fails to surprise how many know my name. Where do you travel from?”
“From your father.”
Peter nods. He helps Tony manoeuvre the slippery rocks onto the sandy beach. There, he stoops to collect perfect white shells. “He would see me dead.”
“Yes.”
“I do not desire his throne.”
Tony smiles a little at that. “I don’t think it much matters.”
“Maybe not.” Peter’s eyes appraise his form. Tony puffs like a bird. “You’re no sailor. What are you?”
“An inventor.”
“An inventor.” Peter breathes, looking up at him in awe. He says the word with sacrilegious reverence. “What a gift my father has given me. I have been searching for an inventor my whole life.”
Tony itches to touch him. His skin prickles with a strange desire to taste. He’s had lovers in the past, in the endless escapades of youth, but Peter would be the only one that Tony would remember. “Hardly twenty years then.”
Peter laughs like music. “Will you help me?”
“Do you command me?”
“Of course not.” Peter humms, his eyes sparkle. “The God’s command. King’s demand. I am neither.”
“You are both. Son of a king and a goddess.”
“Bastard son of a king, and of a demi goddess.” Peter bows his head. “For some reason people help me. I cannot say why. I appreciate it, but I do not expect it. Your king would have you kill me.” Peter looks up at him. Eyes glazed like honey. Lips like wildflowers. “Will you?”
Throat dry, Tony croaks: “No.”
“I would ask for your help. Will you?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Peter whispers, genuine, artless. He is pure, an unwilted flower. He could command strangers. Unite enemies. “I need a boat that would withstand the river of the underworld.”
Tony recoils from this. Unnatural. “I deal with inventions, not magic.” He spits.
“They are one.” Peter insists gently, but sees Tony’s face. “You build. I’ll do the magic.”
“You can command magic?”
“Barely. Basic charms. The ingredients are kind to me.”
“As is all of life, it seems.” Tony quips.
Peter’s smile is indulgent. “If that were true, I would need no ship.”
“Who are you collecting from the underworld?”
Peter’s eyes scan over the horizon. In the distance, the boat Tony came on bobs. Peter tilts his eyes to the sky: the countless, silent, watching Gods. “Later.” He vows.
Tony believes him.
…
He seems older than his face suggests. In the same way Gods that saw the beginning of the earth have scarce a mark of time upon their face.
Tony wonders if it is his divine blood.
A ship to withstand the underworld needs to be very slim indeed. The rivers below are narrow, sharply turning. Tony cuts and shapes the wood, methodical in his work.
Peter, meanwhile, gathers roots and strange plants, grinds them into paste, spreads them onto the wood planks and whispers. They glow under his touch, seep into the wood. “Protection,” Peter will say after one, “courage,” after another, “safety”, “resistance”, “resoluteness”, “fierceness”.
In the evenings, Tony is led to Peter’s home. It’s a small castle, grand in it’s own right, teeming with treasures but empty of attendants. They sit before the hearth and Peter brings out salves, and rubs Tony’s hands; eases out the splinters and sprains of the day’s work.
“There is no need.” Tony insists, though the sight of Peter on his knees before him is one that will haunt him.
“There is every need. You do me a great kindness.”
“This is my reward?”
“No.” Peter hums, “this is my reward.”
His fingers unfasten the belt of Tony’s britches, the hot, wet mouth tight and stomach-lurching. It’s all Tony can do to breathe, jerking in his chair, sparking with pleasure.
When he’s finished, Peter tucks Tony away. Cleans him up. “Is there a deity you worship?” He asks, and Tony wants to say you but knows the gods would scorn him for it.
“Hermes is well-travelled.” He says instead.
“I will ask him to give you favour.”
“There is no need-”
“You say a lot about need.” Peter laughs, airy, nymph-like. “I suspect you understand very little of it. Your own are so tightly bound within you. I do not need, but would very much like you in my bed tonight. How is that?”
Tony’s throat is dry, blood already hot. “That is well.” He whispers.
*
A smarter man would delay the building of the ship. Spend more seasons with Peter on this island.
But the only thing that can rival Tony’s passion for the boyy, is his desire to work and invent.
As he sands the boards, he notes the cove they take shelter in. The shadows that hide them from the gods of the sky. “Who,” he says quietly, the waves lapping at their toes, “do you seek to bring from the Underworld?” A parent, who has died? A dear friend lost in battle? Worse- a lover. Tony almost could not bear it.
“I will bring an army of the undead,” Peter says, and Tony drops the block of cinder from his hand. It clatters to the deck. Peter continues to hum, binding rope with moss for strength.
Tony must be deceived. But there is no lie anywhere in Peter’s body. Just slim, muscled, beauty.
“Do not look so shocked, mortal.”
“Mortal?” Tony croaks.
Peter laughs. Musical. “I confess to you then. My mother was no demi-god. She was Zeus’ first born. I am no human. I’m more powerful than that.”
“You are not a god.”
“And grateful for it. Gods cannot go into the underworld.”
“You want war. Against who?”
“Rumlow. I will take his city. I will rule Attica.”
Tony laughs in disbelief, trembling with fear. He has been taken here for a fool. This is no kindness. This boy is vicious and cruel, like any God. “Attica cannot be united-”
“An army of the undead will unite them. The fates have written it. Led by me.”
Tony turns from him, shaking, eyes stinging. “I thought you good. I loved-”
Peter is before him, hands gentle on his face, smoothing through the inventor’s beard. “You love me with your mortal heart, dear sweet, Tony,” Peter whispers, kissing him. Melting into him, seeping into him, taking him over. Tony feels the eagerness against his thigh. Wants to jerk away but cannot bring himself to. He clutches Peter tighter. “I will reward you for it.”
Peter’s hand slips into Tony’s trousers. Tony is hard. Throbbing. But he resists. “I want no reward from you who brings such bloodshed.”
The boy, not a boy at all, laughs. Even as his hand works at Tony, spreading wetness, teasing, touching all the right ways. “This is not your reward. Your reward is much greater,” his teeth find Tony’s ear, nipping. “I will make you a god.”
Tony moans, Peter works him harder, he’s shaking, closer, trying to resist. “M-mortals cannot be made-” he gasps for breath, “-into gods.” He knows little of magic, but he knows that. Peter is pressed flush against him, hand moving between them.
“It must be written in Fate. I chose you, Stark. I had Rumlow choose you. I orchestrated it all. You are fated to be a God. Inventor who trapped the Minotaur, it is your destiny. You will be powerful and eternal and you will be mine.”
“I will be a god, and you not- you will die.” The thought is arresting. “I will have to continue without you.”
“There are tricks,” Peter grins, “Goddess of beauty is charmed by me. She will keep me young and beautiful forever. I will do a favour for the Underworld harpies. They will not take my soul.”
“What is this favour?”
“Do not fret,” Peter coos, licking Tony’s lips, grip merciless, taunting, Tony’s so close. Hips thrusting. “I have taken care of you now, have I not? I will give you all you desire. Every invention to make, all the means. I will care for you and not ask much in return. Let me do so for eternity. You can release, god.”
Tony cries out, does as he’s commanded.
An eternity. Ruled by Peter. A mystery wrapped up like a kindness. He’s hungry for it. He is no fool, Peter will ask for few, but terrible, things in return. Inventions that will turn Tony’s stomach. Wings of wax to trick a father and a son. A sea-spider to eat good sailors. A poison sword and arrow to destroy demigods. And he’ll make them all. Just like he’s made this ship. He’ll obey.
And if he’s good, Peter will reward him.
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“The throne had disappeared, but the charm remained”
An excerpt from Countess Potocka regarding her visit to Trieste in 1826, where she stayed for several weeks as a guest of the widowed Caroline Murat. She details her observations of Caroline’s manner of living, her relationship with rumored second husband General Macdonald, and her reminiscences of Napoleon.
[As a side-note; Countess Potocka met Joachim Murat in Poland twenty years earlier, in 1806; suffice to say she was not a fan of him. I’ve posted her less-than-flattering, but highly entertaining, accounts of him here and here.]
Anyway, the following excerpt is from the Countess’s Voyage d’Italie (1826-1827), 1899 edition, pages 5-13. Any translation errors are my own.
***
Trieste can only be interesting for those who, like us, have seen some personage there, because the city does not offer great attraction. We encountered Caroline, one of the sisters of Napoleon.
She was living in 1826 in a pretty country house adjoining the city. This charming villa was called Campo Mars; the queen had bought it from a merchant from Trieste and had arranged it with infinite taste. The care and the activity she brought to directing the work of this small property seemed to have made her forget that she had once owned the most beautiful of kingdoms. An alley planted with vines--à l'italienne--led to a small arbor which had a view of the sea and gave onto the very busy road; it was there that we spent the hours of the evening, so beautiful under the Italian sky; this is where I heard the anecdotes that I am going to tell.
The cascine, of an irreproachable architecture, contained, apart from the elegant apartment of the Queen, a large salon devoted to memories. A magnificent portrait of Murat on horseback made up its main ornament; Caroline never showed off this room, where were gathered the portraits of the whole family, marble busts or paintings. The general (Macdonald) alone did the honors.
It was not easy to assure oneself if a visit might be agreeable to the queen, and one could not know how to go about it so as not to lack in etiquette, the only possession of fallen kings; I urged my husband to come with me to see the garden, which was not closed to the curious, hoping that luck would come to my aid. Indeed, at the moment when we were going to retire, the porter asked us to write down our names; we lectured him so well that the next day we received an invitation which we eagerly accepted.
I had seen the Queen of Naples in Paris, at the time of the wedding of Napoleon with Marie-Louise; she'd had the effect on me of a pretty woman on the throne. I found her with a still pleasant face, as before. One felt that she needed to endear herself to everyone who came near her. The throne had disappeared, but the charm remained, contrasting in a sharp manner with an uncommon fortitude, a serious mind, a kindness, an equality of temper, which such great misfortunes had not been able to sour, or even trouble. Fate, by robbing her of all the favors with which fortune had showered her, could not take from her the most precious of all. A loyal friend remained. The qualities of this man, like his attachment, were superior; the elevation of his soul was reflected on his noble face. An infinite sweetness was found in exploring the character of a man whose existence was composed, so to speak, of devotion and delicate feelings. Such was General Macdonald, who was said to be secretly married to the Queen.
During the six weeks that I saw them daily, I perceived nothing which could make me adopt or reject this idea; on one part, the most frank friendship and well-founded esteem; on the other, the most sustained respect and the most complete abnegation. Such were the relations that existed between them. It is probable that love had passed by them, and what remained did honor to them both.
One can easily divine that, seeing the Queen a lot, we spoke often of the events of her life and of the extraordinary man to whom she belonged so closely. I regret not having noted down daily everything she told me; I especially remembered the anecdotes concerning the childhood and life of Napoleon; they had a stamp of truth and simplicity that enchanted me. We transported ourselves to Corsica often; the Queen liked to evoke those early days of life, so precious as one advances in age.
Each of the children had his nurse, and all of them remained at home, according to the custom of the country. Napoleon's nurse, far above the common class, read and composed songs. She had made one for her child, the prophetic refrain of which was:
Voyez mon petit roi! Mon souverain sera le votre, prosternez-vous en l'admirant!
She would sit in the window with her beautiful child on her arms, thus singing to passersby; they stopped to listen to her and went away delighted with the nurse and even more with the toddler, who already seemed to take part in what was happening around him.
When he grew up, he governed the house, though he was not the eldest. Everyone obeyed him, everyone consulted him. He led the oldest and protected the youngest. He was loved, because he was good, but he was respected, because he was serious. Never was seen from him the natural childishness in the first age. Pain never drew tears from him; nor the desire to possess, a prayer. His mother loved him with passion; he was the only one of her children to whom she showed a vivid tenderness. However, they were all good and spiritual. Later, Napoleon's relationship with his family became that of a noble and generous benefactor; but what was charming in this business was that Napoleon like to be given small gifts in return; he seemed enchanted when his sisters brought him some on his birthday.
Queen Caroline was the one of the sisters whom he preferred for a long time; he spoke to her with abandon, and often she dared to tell him great and useful truths. It was necessary only to choose her moment, then he would never get upset; more than once even he even gave in to her advice, which tended only to enlighten him on the intrigues of those around him who willingly sacrificed the interests of the State to their own.
When an observation was made to him, he always listened with patience and attention. But he did not suffer contradiction; when he gave an order, it needed to be obeyed without hesitation. It was thus when in 1810 the Queen of Naples was charged to go and receive Marie-Louise, or rather to go and find her across the Rhine, which then marked the borders of France. Caroline perfectly mimicked the Austrian accent of her august sister-in-law. Rarely have I heard such curious details told in such an interesting way.
I will never forget that in the midst of her intimate confidences she came to tell me about her flight from Naples on an English vessel at the moment when the Austrians were about to become masters of the city; having made her conditions with the captain, she had made him swear that if she was about to fall into the hands of the enemy, he would blow up the vessel; she always preferred extreme parts to transitional means, and maintained that the most spontaneous and energetic resolutions are easier to take than half-measures.
The season was advanced, it was necessary to put an end to a stay that had become so pleasant. Our farewells were sad, and the memory of the benevolence shown us by the Queen will never be effaced from my memory. She gave us some letters for all her family. Her eldest daughter was the one we would meet first in Bologna.
#Caroline Murat#Caroline Bonaparte#Joachim Murat#Napoleon#Napoleon Bonaparte#Francesco Macdonald#Countess Potocka#Memoirs of Countess Potocka#memoirs#translations#19th century
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The Elephant in the Room
In my previous essays, I have covered how the Kingdom Hearts narrative follows Maureen Murdock’s template of the Heroine’s Journey, as well as how various characters and story elements tie in with the overarching themes of the framework. Before I can continue to dig further into other themes and archetypes, there is something I need to address first. While I have avoided directly touching on the topic in my previous essays, I have now reached the point where it is no longer possible to talk about the Heroine’s Journey in full without acknowledging the elephant in the room:
Romance.
In ongoing serialized stories such as TV shows and video games, conversations about potential relationships in canon are often treated as inconsequential to the overall story. Something that is separate from the main plot. At worst, I have seen fans who openly center a ship in their analysis and theories be dismissed and criticized as biased - or worse, delusional. They are treated as being so obsessed with their pairing that they try to make everything about their ship and jump on any excuse to declare that it’s viable in canon.
Among the Kingdom Hearts fandom in particular, this has often taken the form of someone trying to dismiss other fans’ hope for a ship to be canon by saying that the series is about friendship, not romance.
While friendship is absolutely an important theme in the Kingdom Hearts series, to insist that this is mutually exclusive from depicting the development of romantic relationships ignores the continued presence of canon Disney romances in almost every game in the series. In each “main” game where Sora is playable, he has directly or indirectly been involved in getting those Disney couples together in the KH universe. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the series to turn the tables and give some attention to his romantic interests for a change.
A story having other major themes is not mutually exclusive from showcasing the development of a romantic relationship. There are many popular movies, shows, books, comics, and video games in which a romantic relationship plays a central role in the narrative but there are still other plotlines going on that are equally as important as the romance. This is especially true for Disney and Square Enix.
The reason why it’s impossible to fully talk about the Heroine’s Journey without acknowledging romance elements is best encapsulated by this quote from She-Ra showrunner Noelle Stevenson about her show’s endgame pairing in an i09 interview after the release of the final season:
“The show’s not a romance show. It is about a lot of things. It’s about choice, destiny, fighting, tyrants, you know, all of these other things. I grew up with so many stories—like sci-fi and fantasy—that I was so passionate about. And it would be considered no big deal to have the hero get the girl and to have a kiss at the end, without it suddenly becoming a romance or ‘Oh, the shippers got what they wanted.’ It was just a part of the story. And to actually see it be a central part of the plot and to fulfill the arcs of the characters in a way that felt satisfying. I really want to take it beyond ‘Oh, the shippers got what they want.’ Like, it’s not just a ship for me. It is a plot point. It is the necessary conclusion of each character’s arc, separate and together.[1]”
While not every story known to follow the Heroine's Journey features a romance for the main protagonist, those that do make the romance an integral part of the narrative. It’s not something thrown in at the end to please shippers, but a central component of the story. Therefore, when analyzing a Heroine’s Journey story, it is vital to acknowledge and discuss textual support for potential romantic relationships in order to have a full understanding of the narrative.
Even if one is not aware of the Heroine’s Journey, Sora’s repeated interactions with Disney romances indicate that there is a high probability that he will be in a romantic relationship himself by the end of the series. Every story I know of that follows the Heroine’s Journey broadly adheres to a pattern in regards to how the romantic relationships of a main character are set up.
By examining the series through these patterns, we can narrow down who Sora’s endgame romantic partner will be.
Because the themes and character dynamics emphasize resolving internal conflict through balance, the Heroine’s Journey lends itself extremely well to Beauty-and-the-Beast, rivals-to-lovers, and enemies-to-lovers relationship dynamics. A major component of the Heroine’s Journey is the main character learning to accept themselves, and since the Animus as a Shadow figure can represent the parts of themselves that they haven’t accepted yet, it is simpler to symbolize that self-acceptance via a romance with the Animus rather than attempting to build a separate relationship on top of the existing story framework.
For these reasons, the Animus is more often than not the main character’s endgame love interest, their feelings for each other made into critical aspects of their respective character arcs. The only Heroine’s Journey stories with romance that I know of where this wasn’t the case are ones where executive meddling resulted in the finale being rewritten to kill off the Animus despite established narrative set up for them to have a happy ending together[2], while the protagonist was either forced into a relationship with a different character or left single.
And like I said in previous essays, the one character in the series who fulfills all criteria for the Animus role within this storytelling framework….
Is Riku.
[Image Description: Sora supporting Riku as they walk toward the ocean on the Dark Margin at the end of Kingdom Hearts II. End Description.]
As mentioned in my earlier analysis, this narrative framework emphasizes the importance of balancing contrasting attributes, which fits in extremely well with Kingdom Hearts’ focus on balance between light and darkness. For stories that follow the Heroine’s Journey in a visual medium, that dichotomy is often incorporated into the characters’ look. Height differences are common, while their color schemes and outfits are designed to make them complement each other. Further adding to the focus on balance between light and darkness, the visuals of the story frame the romantic leads with imagery associating each one with light or darkness to create Yin-Yang symbolism when they are finally in balance.
In Re: Chain of Memories, Vexen openly calls Riku the “Hero of Darkness[3]” as a counterpart to Sora’s role as the “Hero of Light”, and their combination attack in Kingdom Hearts II utilizes moves that reflect both elements. In the Ultimania for the original game, Tetsuya Nomura said that Riku’s look was intentionally designed to balance Sora’s[4], and the contrast between their respective color schemes is maintained in each of their new outfits. In Kingdom Hearts II and Dream Drop Distance, Riku wears white and blue, while Sora in those same games wears black and red. Two different pairs of contrasting colors. Kingdom Hearts III has them both in outfits that are primarily black and grey, but still emphasize the blue and red that have been part of their respective outfits since the first game.
In a Heroine’s Journey, the love interest is typically an active character in the story and usually serves as the deuteragonist. This fits with Riku having been a mandatory playable character in multiple games since 2004. In addition, series producer Shinji Hashimoto said before the release of the HD 1.5 Remix collection[5] that the main focus of the series is how Sora and Riku develop both as individuals and as a pair, which fits with how the central conflict of the Heroine’s Journey revolves around the dynamic between the Protagonist and their Animus.
A common viewpoint held by many fans of the series is that Kairi is Sora’s love interest, and it’s not hard to see why people get that impression. He has sacrificed himself to save her in two separate games now. He’s charged enemies head on in order to rescue her whenever she’s been captured. He even got down on his knees and begged for her freedom when Saix demanded he show how important she was to him. Multiple characters have talked about how special she is to him, and Roxas refers to her as “that girl he(Sora) likes.”
However, there are multiple elements in the narrative that point to them not being the endgame romance. Kingdom Hearts III foreshadows the final shot of them sitting on the paopu together at the end of the game with Sora disappearing from the cover of the 100 Acre Wood storybook, textually framing Winnie the Pooh as a parallel to Kairi. While many fans regarded their sharing paopu fruits in the base game as the beginning of a relationship between them, he still only refers to her as a friend in Re:Mind, and even compares his bond with her to the bond between Ventus and Chirithy.
Sora also does not treat his promises to her with the seriousness he would if they were going to end up together. The promises to return her lucky charm and to come back to her that he makes in the first game are never treated as anything urgent when he awakens in Kingdom Hearts II. Instead, he declines the opportunity to return to the islands and check in with her in favor of searching for Riku. When Kairi says in The World That Never Was that they’ll be together every day, Sora agrees, yet he was content to spend the rest of his life on the dark beach at the end of the game as long as he was with Riku.
Meanwhile, the most consistent theme regarding Kairi in relation to the Destiny Islands trio is the idea of childhood friends drifting apart as they get older[6][7]. This is particularly highlighted in Kingdom Hearts III, with Kairi writing letters to Sora that she never sends, thereby keeping her thoughts to herself. Merlin also emphasizes this when he talks about forging new connections after Sora’s visit to 100 Acre Wood. This parallel frames the ending of Re:Mind as the two of them recognizing they’ve drifted apart and choosing to put in the effort to renew their friendship by spending time together.
On a structural level, her portrayal does not fit with how love interests are typically depicted in the Heroine’s Journey, both as an individual and in relation to the main protagonist. There is no contrast between her and Sora’s designs or roles the way there is between his and Riku’s. Her color scheme is predominantly pink, which does not have the same contrast with Sora’s red as Riku’s blue. Because she’s a Princess of Heart, there is no dark and light contrast, and the combination attack she shares with Sora in Re:Mind only utilizes light-based moves. It took 17 years after her first appearance in the series for her to be made a playable character, and even then, playing as her is not mandatory. They are never portrayed as equals, and she is not an active force in his emotional growth.
The Heroine’s Journey was crafted for narratives revolving around identities that have been Othered by society for one reason or another. Murdock designed her template as a tool to help women deal with being shamed by society for expressing and pursuing their desires. In a similar way, LGBTQ+ people also face stigma from society for expressing and pursuing their desires. So it makes perfect sense that a framework for narratives of people overcoming internalized stigma against important parts of themselves would be ripe for stories featuring LGBTQ+ protagonists of any gender.
As mentioned in previous essays, stories that follow the Heroine’s Journey challenge the biases and blind spots of the audience. A relationship between Kairi and Sora does not challenge anything because she has largely been regarded as the endgame love interest by default since the beginning. Meanwhile, a romantic relationship between Sora and Riku challenges players to recognize heteronormativity within themselves and in the media around them. It challenges people to examine the lens through which they perceive the story and rethink how they look at what’s happening in the narrative.
In summary, the portrayal of Kairi and her bond with Sora is not consistent with how love interests are commonly depicted in the Heroine’s Journey, while the portrayal of Riku and his bond with Sora is. If Sora’s story is going to continue on this storytelling formula to the end, the structure of the Heroine’s Journey narrative leaves Riku as the only thematically viable candidate for the role of endgame love interest.
Now, as some people bring up in conversations about Soriku, there is a potential obstacle in the form of corporate executives. It is entirely possible that Disney will drag their heels and try to force the development team to downplay or remove any open same-sex relationship the series may try to depict. They do not have a strong track record of LGBTQ+ representation that isn’t a minor character who only appears for one scene. Given that their last IP to follow the Heroine’s Journey - the Star Wars sequel trilogy - crashed and burned at the end, executive meddling is my greatest fear for this franchise.
But the thing to keep in mind is that Tetsuya Nomura is stubborn as hell. One of the reasons the long gap between Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts III was because he was holding out for permission to include Pixar movies in the game, outright refusing to start work on KH3 until they were given that go ahead[8]. If you want further proof of how stubborn he can be, this is how he described the meeting where he first pitched the series to Disney in a 2012 interview with the late president of Nintendo[9]:
Iwata: Their ideas were different from yours, naturally…
Nomura: Yes. They appeared to believe that we would make whatever they wanted us to make and came up with rather specific requests such as, "We'd like the game to feature this character." They were really excited, explaining their ideas... To be honest, though, I wasn't really interested in any of them. (laughs)
Both: (laughter)
Iwata: You wanted to borrow Disney's characters in order to make a new game that could compete with Mario 64, and you already had a vision of what this game would look like. I suppose their ideas didn't fit in with this vision.
Nomura: They didn't, no. In the end, I actually stopped a presentation halfway through. We didn't have that much time, and it looked like it was all going to get taken up by various Disney presentations. So, I interrupted them and told them the conclusion by saying, "I won't make such games."
Talk about nerves of steel. This man basically said “we do this my way, or we don’t do it at all” TO MOTHERFORKING DISNEY, AND. HE. WON. If there is any human being with enough force of will to make the Mouse House cave in and allow the depiction of an openly LGBTQ+ relationship in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is Tetsuya Nomura.
I cannot say with 100% certainty how things will go. But everything I know about storytelling patterns and narrative structure is telling me that Kingdom Hearts is a textbook Heroine’s Journey with a romance between Sora and Riku at its core. A relationship between the protagonist and the Animus does not truly begin until the “Integration” stage at the end of the Journey, and we are rapidly approaching the point in the narrative where the two leads traditionally become aware of and acknowledge their feelings in order to be on the same page for the finale.
Sources:
[1] “She-Ra's Noelle Stevenson Tells Us How Difficult It Was to Bring Adora and Catra Home” May 18, 2020
https://io9.gizmodo.com/she-ras-noelle-stevenson-tells-us-how-difficult-it-was-1843419358
[2] “Death of a Dark Youth, Desecration of the Animus”; December 20, 2018. https://www.teampurplelion.com/death-of-a-dark-youth/
[3] Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories. Square Enix, 2007.
[4] “A Look Back: Kingdom Hearts Ultimania Gallery Comments Part 1″; August 30, 2019;
https://www.khinsider.com/news/A-Look-Back-KINGDOM-HEARTS-Ultimania-Gallery-Comments-Part-1-15519
[5] “How Kingdom Hearts III Will Grow Up With Its Players;” September 24, 2013.
https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/25/how-kingdom-hearts-iii-will-grow-up-with-its-players.
[6] “E3 2018: Tetsuya Nomura on If Kingdom Hearts 3 Is the End of Sora's Story”; June 14, 2018.
https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/14/e3-2018-tetsuya-nomura-on-if-kingdom-hearts-3-is-the-end-of-soras-story
[7] “Character’s Report Vol. 1 Translations”; Jul 16, 2014
https://www.khinsider.com/forums/index.php?threads/characters-report-vol-1-translations.195560/
[8] “Edge Magazine Features Kingdom Hearts III Cover Story”; January 9, 2019. https://www.khinsider.com/news/Edge-Magazine-Features-Kingdom-Hearts-III-Cover-Story-14331
[9] “Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS: Third Party Game Developers, Volume 12: Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], Part 2: It’ll definitely be fun”; April 2012.
https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/creators/11/1
#kingdom hearts meta#kingdom hearts theory#kh speculation#kingdom hearts analysis#kingdom hearts and the heroine's journey#soriku
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The Phoenix and the Dragon
Yet again we've arrived at Ulquihime week! Gotta confess I'm not much of a Christmas person but I do look forward to December for my OTP week. Everyone puts so much love and effort into their entries that it's hard not to be excited. Okay so today's theme is Crossover and I wanted to pick something that wasn't likely to be repeated by someone else, so leave it to my nostalgic mind to go 'What about a Winx Club crossover?' Thus here we are! This little one-shot is based on one of my fave childhood shows and one of the first villain ships I ever had. (Yes, my 10-year-old self hardcore shipped Darkar & Bloom) 😅 Hope you like it! (Spoilers for some aspects of season 2 of Winx Club. I'm taking from the 4kids version of the show and Nickelodeon special btw. And some mild spoilers for the second movie.)
Also for those who do know the winx cast and want to know who is who in the crossover here it is.
Orihime- Bloom
Ulquiorra- Darkar/Avalon
Tatsuki- Stella
Shizuka- Layla
Ichigo- Prince Sky
Isshin- Errendor
Sora- Daphne
Unohana- Faragonda
Okay now that's all set, here's the fic!
@ulquihimeweek
Ulquihime Week- Day 1 Crossover
The Phoenix and the Dragon
Orihime awoke in a dimly lit room. She didn't remember much, just going into Professor Schiffer's office and then...'And then he changed and turned into the Phoenix.'
"I can sense you. Just come out of the shadows already." She muttered.
Ulquiorra obliged, no longer looking like a human but in his true form as the Shadow Phoenix.
To her he didn't look much different, his skin was paler but his other features remained the same. He had large dark wings and a tail, along with tear markings.
"I should've known it was you. We get warmed about a Shadow Phoenix and next thing we know a new professor shows up at our school."
He chuckled. "Yes well, that didn't occur to you as we bonded, Ms. Inoue."
She lowered her head in shame. Since Ulquiorra arrived at Alfea he had become her favorite teacher, and even offered to teach her about her home kingdom, Sparx, which had been destroyed when she was just a baby.
"Is that why you brought me here? To taunt me?!"
"No, darling. I have other plans for you. Or should I say us?"
"I'll never collaborate with you!"
"You say that now, but you might change your mind after I explain my plans to you."
She frowned, but at the moment there was nothing she could do. Orihime sighed. "Fine. I suppose I can listen to you for a while."
"I appreciate it. First I must ask you something. What do you know about me, Orihime Inoue? Who do you think I am?"
"Headmistress Retsu told us you were once human. That you came to the underealm to try and find the shadow fire, but that it's power consumed you and that now you're seeking to take over the magic universe.
I also know that you came to our school and posed as a professor until now..."
"The headmistress is a wise woman, studious too since she appears to know my origins well, the one commonly excepted that is."
"What do you mean?"
"Indeed, I was once human, that I came here to study the Shadow Fire, but it's power didn't overtake me. For you see, I willingly submitted to it. I'm the one in control, always have been. And while I do wish to take over the magic dimension it is not for my own gain."
"Why else would you want to take over?"
"I want this dimension to change. I want to tear down the structures that bind its kingdoms. I've wanted that since I was a human.
You see, darling, the structures of this dimension are so very ancient and so very obsolete. The squabbles between kingdoms have led to so much war, to destruction, to sadness... Just look at what happened to Sparx."
"My kingdom was destroyed by the ancient witches. Not by war."
"You're right, but your kingdom had a close ally. An ally that should've saved you from the witches, yet instead bargained to have them take your kingdom and spare them. The king of Eraklyon made said bargain."
Orihime grew dizzy. 'No, no it can't be! Ichigo's father wouldn't do that! This is a lie!"
"You think I'm lying, don't you?"
"Of course you're lying! King Isshin wouldn't do that, neither would Ichigo!"
"Analyze the situation, darling. Eraklyon was your closest ally, and yet they didn't suffer any damage as Sparx was destroyed. Your parents vanished, your brother died saving you, your planet is now an icy wasteland. Yet Eraklyon stands as the richest land in Magix. As for your little prince, he was merely a child when this took place, but I don't doubt he'd keep it a secret from you, he has done so before."
Orihime felt as if her skin was catching fire. She hated to be reminded of that lie, to think back when Ichigo had hidden his royal lineage and engagement to a princess. She'd forgiven him, of course, and they were a couple once again, but deep inside she still distrusted him. And a part of her did think Ulquorra's words were true.
'Maybe that's why his father disapproved of us. Not because I'm a princess of a destroyed kingdom, but because my kingdom's destruction was partly his fault...'
"You see, darling. That's only one example of plenty I can give you. All of these realms need someone truly wise to rule them."
"Even if I believed you, that doesn't mean I'll join you. I don't want to kill anyone."
"Who said anything about killing? There are plenty of ways to dethrone a ruler. That's what I crave to do darling. Imagine it, a dimension without destroyed kingdoms, without arranged marriages, without squabbles for the throne. We'd be the only rulers, the royals would be our regents, they'd have to abide by what we demand."
Ulquiorra's eyes glowed green as he spoke. She had seen him like that before in his humanoid form. His eyes always sparkled as he thought her class about History and asked them to be part of the change.
"Ulquiorra, I think it's wonderful that you're trying to make the universe better, but I fail to see why would want me to join you. I'm no leader."
Orihime felt Ulquiorra's cold hand gently lift her chin. "Orihime, you're the only person I've ever met worthy of wearing such a crown.
The reason I posed as a teacher at Alfea wasn't to further my plans, or to steal the codex but to observe you. In just a few months you made such great progress that I couldn't help but be convinced you were worthy of sharing my crown, of carrying the dragon flame, of ruling over Magix.
You came from Earth yet quickly adapted to this dimension, to its power and its costumes. You're kind, fierce, strong, I couldn't ask for a better queen."
He noticed Orihime's pale skin turn bright red, and her sliver eyes grow misty. "No one's ever really praised me like that. Thank you."
He smirked. "I'll be sure to do so more often in the future then."
With a snap of Ulquiorra's fingers, her bounds disappeared. Orihime stood up, directly facing Ulquiorra.
He took her hands in his and directly stared into her eyes, silver meeting emerald. "Orihime Inoue, will you join me in my quest to bring peace and order to the magic dimension?"
It wasn't easy, she didn't want to leave her friends, her school, or even Ichigo. Even after what she learned it felt wrong to vanish without a word.
'But it must be done. Tatsuki-chan will be free to choose who she marries, Nemu-san won't be forced to follow the path her father wants for her, Shizuka-chan won't have to take the throne of the harmonic nebula...even Ichigo would now be free to make his own choices. This would be for the best.'
With a beautiful smile and newfound determination, Orihime finally responded. "Yes, I will."
"Then it is done, our power is now bound."
She could feel a surge of dark magic taking over, but it wasn't unpleasant. Her characteristic blue fae dress was now black and her fairy wings had turned grey. Orihime also noticed Ulquiorra's form slightly changed, his dark wings now had accents of green and he resembled his humanoid form a little more.
"It's the bond." He told her after noticing her confusion. "Light cannot exist without dark and vice versa. As such my darkness had to take some of your light and your light had to take some of my darkness."
Shadow Fire & Dragon Fire were united at last. Orihime was certain that now she and Ulquiorra would be unstoppable. 'We'll fix everything soon.'
"What shall we do now?"
"Since I've acquired all the pieces of the codex, I was thinking we could go to the Relix dimension. Your parents might've vanished there after the destruction of Sparx."
"My parents...I never thought it'd be possible to reach them."
"It is, my darling. We'll bring them back and then return Sparx to its former glory. After that, we can finally reshape the magic dimension into what it should've been from the beginning."
For the first in a long while, Orihime felt like she was doing things right. It would take her friends some time to forgive her, but she knew in time she would join them again. 'I'm doing this for all of us. For me, and for him.'
She gently kissed Ulquiorra's cheek, he blushed at the gesture. "I was not expecting that."
"I'm still a little miffed at you for pretending to be a professor but if we're to be in harmony as rulers this is a good place to start."
"Then I guess I should do my part too."
Ulquiorra wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a passionate kiss. Orihime quickly blushed and playfully shoved him as he let go of her.
"Show off."
"Guilty as charged."
"Y'know, I remember seeing paintings back on earth with dragons and phoenixes together as a couple. Do you think that was a prediction?"
"It could be, after all, the most enduring romances are likely to echo through many universes."
#uhweek2020#ulquihime#orihime x ulquiorra#Ulquiorra Schiffer#Orihime Inoue#Day 1: Crossover#Winx Crossover AU
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Correlation Doesn’t Imply Causation
Another Zelink Oneshot
Commissioned by @truffeart :)
Post-BOTW fluff with needless angst mixed in
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It took time for the people of Hateno to warm up to the presence of the Princess with the blood of the goddess. They were folks of the countryside where the strangest occurrences had been the occasional Goron traveller or the time a youngster swore up and down that one of the cattle could speak. Miffed hadn’t covered their wonder when the mysterious young man who had brought the decaying house by the cliffs brought home a wide-eyed blonde who suspiciously met the description of the fabled princess.
The man had only stayed in the house for short periods of time, typically buying out Pruce’s stock of arrows and visiting the odd scientist at the peak of the village. A wild, insatiable heart for adventure was something to be expected and the older gossip mongers suspected he would bring back a woman from his travels. What they hadn’t expected was his bashful admittance the day after to Ivee and her mother that he was last century’s fallen hero, that Calamity had been vanquished, and that Princess Zelda was resting in his house.
When one person knows something in Hateno, everyone does.
Initially, it was something Zelda worried extensively about. One-hundred years. Would she be out of touch? Even worse, would they see her as a monster? During her excessive ramblings, the latter question made Link do a double take and immediately steer her off the topic. He had been awake for a little over a year and reassured her that the people of Hateno were harmless, but for the first couple weeks he didn’t dispute her flimsy excuses to stay in the home when he went out on short errands.
Actually, he was very supportive of her. Link’s love for cooking had turned into more of a passion and he had easily taken the mantle of the house chef. She could tell he allowed her to do menial tasks like dicing onions so she could feel helpful, and it worked. While out to gather ingredients for meals, he brought back gardening and sewing supplies to supplement her time; even taking her measurements and returning with three colorful Hateno dresses.
And Zelda was thankful, so thankful that after two weeks she let Link introduce her to the people he knew. She had slinked a couple paces behind him, uncomfortable by the stares once they reached the main road. Amira, the wife of the general store owner, had laughed during their brief introduction, “Nack was going around spreading rumors that you glowed in the dark. I don’t suppose that’s true?”
With a wobbly smile, Zelda affirmed that it hadn’t been true. The day got easier after that. People realized they weren’t going to witness anything other than a socially anxious girl and went about their chores as if nothing happened. Of course, she also dissuaded formal titles and told them she wanted to be a normal person for as long as possible before piecing together the kingdom that had already been underway by the Sheikah.
The days went by slow, but the months sped by her. Before she knew it, Link had woken her up to the smell of herbal tea and fruitcake - sweets in the morning had always been her guilty pleasure.
“Happy three months,” Link said with a hum as he set out some plates.
Blearily, she smiled and took a seat at the table to watch him work. “Has it really been that long?”
He barely nodded. “Official this evening.”
She observed him from behind. A soft hum smoothed over their silence and she allowed herself to enjoy this less guarded Link. He talked more often. It seemed to come naturally to him now.
Zelda let herself melt into the wooden chair and thanked herself for making patterned seat cushions. It wasn’t uncommon that she took in her surroundings, comparing what she lost to what she has now. Materially, it was a deficit but never did she feel so complete. There was no real goal other than to just be.
They ate in a comfortable silence, both still wearing what they slept in.
When noon rolled around, she disappeared upstairs to pull on a deep green dress with sewn in flower patterns and jotted down a list of items to pick up from East Wind.
“Do you not wish to accompany me?” she asked, tying a rupee pouch to her belt. There wasn't any accusation in her voice, merely simple curiosity due to his affinity to keeping by her side. And, admittedly, she did enjoy his company.
“As much as I do,” he grumbled shortly as he tapped the Sheikah slate repeatedly. “Impa sent a letter last week that travelling merchants were having bokoblin issues in the mountain pass.”
Link wore his riding trousers and a simple Hylian tunic. Without words, they had both understood that she had claimed his Champion tunic to sleep in after days of mending. Her heart sank, it meant the shrines weren’t working today and he would need to ride horseback.
He seemed to read her mind, reaching to thread his fingers passed her ear and through her shortened locks. A commonality after she decided thigh-length hair wasn’t practical anymore.
“I should be back at nightfall. Will… you be okay?”
It was a question born of genuine concern despite the knowledge that she was fully capable of cooking and caring for herself, but he needed that affirmation for himself and she was fully willing to allow him that. When she nodded, he pulled away and she mourned the loss of warmth. Zelda forced the corners of her lips upward. The sight reassured him.
“Be careful,” she chided once he packed a small bag and swung onto his horse. Link looked down at her, grinning as if he knew something she did not. “I mean it. Don’t do anything rash.”
“I know,” he breathily said, “I won’t.”
The manner in the way he spoke sounded like her nagging had caused him great exhaustion, which elicited a playful swat at his leg.
“Tonight?” she said, sounding more like a statement than a question.
Unwavering cobalt eyes fixated on her. A chaste nod. They didn’t say much more by the time he secured the reins in one hand and urged the horse into a slight trot. Soon he was over the bridge and down the road. By the time she retrieved her basket, he had long disappeared into the Hateno woods.
Autumn made herself known in the tree leaves that were displaced by Zelda’s steps and the chill that bit her cheeks. She fell in love with the season all over again. Ivee’s voice was clear as day once she stepped on the village road. Two people on horseback road passed her towards the inn up ahead. They politely nodded to the woman as she shouted out today’s discounts and carried on their way.
Ivee grimaced at their backs and stiffened at Zelda’s footsteps. Suddenly, with a bright smile, she twisted around to ring out a warm invitation.
Zelda offered a weak wave when the greeter’s face fell. “Sorry.”
The store owner’s daughter waved her apology away with a sigh and continued sweeping away fallen leaves from the doorstep. “Don’t be. Dad’s been on me more about getting newcomers in before the first snow.”
“Is business bad?” she asked, taking a glance about the area. There were more people than usual.
“Quite the opposite, it’s our busiest season,” Ivee pursed her lips in thought before gesturing towards the door with a scowl. “He’s always like this. Thinkin’ we’re missing out on customers if I don’t lose my voice by sunset.”
Zelda’s shoulders bounced with silent laughter as Ivee leaned back on her heels to wipe sweat from her brow.
“I saw Link leave not too long ago,” the brunette raised her brow. “Seemed to be in a hurry.”
A shrug was Zelda’s answer as she said, “I suppose Kakariko is having a monster problem and, well, you know how he is.”
She grinned wryly, “Can’t ignore a damsel in distress?”
The basket swung with Zelda’s idle swaying and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, no,” she considered, then remembered why she came by. “Have the truffles been restocked?”
“I’m afraid not,” Ivee pouted, “I tried to save some yesterday before they sold out again, but Dad nearly lost his head.”
“I appreciate the thought, Ivee,” Zelda hummed in contemplation. She’d have to do something else for dinner.
The woman looked down, then hazel eyes shot up to hers with an idea.
“Nikki’s daughters go truffle hunting down in the lower forest. Such troublemakers, those girls,” Ivee mumbled the latter notion under her breath. “But now that moblins aren’t as much of an issue, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you tagged along.”
“I’d love to, but Link has still been wary about me straying too far from the village. I’d rather not give him a heart attack.” And Zelda wasn’t too keen on wandering far without him; the Yiga were still active on the roads outside the village. Until now, they were careful to keep a low profile.
Ivee sighed and leaned on her broom. Wistfully, she smiled, “I wish I had a protective husband like you. You would think I could find a respectable man already, but everyone our age in this town has the maturity of a child.”
The basket in Zelda’s hands froze mid-sway. “I beg your pardon?”
She didn’t seem to notice the change in the blonde’s body language and went on to stare off, “Link is so protective of you. Zelda, you’re lucky to have snatched up a man like that early on. I’m starting to think I’m either horribly unlucky or Calamity Ganon made them extinct.”
Surely her ears weren’t mistaken.
Husband?
Snatched up?
The woven wood splints of the basket handle dug into her palm, but she carefully guarded her expression - a testament to her upbringing.
“There’s plenty of agreeable men in the village garrison,” she said, trying to shrug off the odd feeling. “I can make Link put in a good word for you.”
Ivee quirked her lips to the side, “I don’t know, Zee… but honestly I have nothing to lose. Will being into soldier types make me as smart as you?”
They laughed it off and Zelda politely excused herself with a slight stiffness. From East Wind, she picked up grains and milk while making sure to leave a good report to Pruce of Ivee’s behalf. On her way out, Pruce chuckled.
“Send my regards to your better half!”
Her brows scraped the highest reaches of her forehead, but Zelda quickly reeled herself in and sent a bright smile behind her. As she walked down the road with the sales shouting of Ivee behind her, she felt the shock of their assumptions settle into a stark warmth against the chill air.
There were several variables that insinuated… a very misconstrued aspect of her relationship with Link. The tips of Zelda’s ears flared. But, no, she was a scientist and understood that correlation did not mean causation. It could simply be an assumption drawn from Amira and Pruce’s household only.
“Zelda!”
She jumped at the hiss, spinning towards its direction and coming face to face with Nikki. The woman gripped her wrist and dragged her around the corner of a house. Then, Amira popped up from behind a barrel.
“You’re good!” she loudly whispered. “He didn’t notice.”
“Who didn’t notice?” Zelda said, making Nikki momentarily panic when her voice was too loud for her liking. The antics of the two women were fairly normal, but this situation was entirely new.
Amira, who was glaring around the bend, appeared again with shifty eyes. “There’s a man going around asking nearly every woman on a date.”
Nikki puffed out her chest victoriously. “You’re lucky. He got distracted by the innkeeper’s daughter. He kept going on about boots. His boots this, his boots that. My goodness, he’s fortunate he didn’t pull that on me. My Nacky would have let him have it.”
“O-Oh,” Zelda exchanged glances between the two of them. “Thank you.”
“Absolutely, darling,” Amira proudly declared. “We wouldn’t want Link running around trying to find the man who wanted to steal you from him, now would we? It’d be bad for business.”
Before Zelda knew it, she was nodding vehemently. “Yes, I know what you mean.”
She most certainly did not know what they meant. At all. Quickly, she bid them a good day and began her way up the slopes to the Sheikah lab. Despite Amira and Nikki’s warning, the boot man never appeared to steal her away.
Purah’s squeaky voice was heard above the ticking of gears as Zelda pushed open the doors. Calculating brown eyes met hers, “I was wondering if you’d ever visit me.”
“I was here yesterday.”
She still appeared to be a child, but Zelda noticed she was taller than the prior day. From her stool, she squinted down into the cavernous body of a small guardian. It had long been deactivated by Link before he defeated Calamity Ganon, and Zelda was set to use it for a better purpose than rotting in a junkyard.
The Sheikah waved her off, “Did your potion make only my mind older because I distinctly remember Symin being the only one here.”
Symin barely looked up from a diagram, “She was here for four hours, Purah.”
All the scientist did was hum a tune. Zelda helped herself to the desk space she had occupied a day before. Scattered across it were miscellaneous notes in Zelda and Purah’s handwriting. Small illustrations were more prevalent in Purah’s more recent studies. At least her physical form was growing older and the blonde was quick to scribble down her observations.
Beyond that, however, Zelda grew relentlessly distracted. Any progress was dashed when she remembered how they referred to Link. Three desperate attempts to read through the same paragraph were thwarted by the time she slammed the book shut, unable to get the notion of being married out of her head.
Husband. Husband? That would make her his wife, logically. But what wasn’t logical would be the ability to fathom this idea in the first place.
“Symin,” she suddenly said, catching the larger man’s attention. He swiveled a bit in his stool to face her.
“Do you need another reference?” He was referring to the Guardian mandible in his lap.
Zelda shook her head before choosing her words carefully.
“What are your thoughts on marriage?”
“Um,” Symin wrinkled his nose and gazed up at the ceiling above. “Uh, I have very little on the subject. Why ask me?”
“Don’t hit on my assistant, Zelly,” Purah’s voice echoed from within the Guardian body she was dismantling. “I’ll tell on you to Linky.”
That made Zelda place her hands on the table and partially stand. The metal parts lying on her skirt clattered to the ground.
“So, you think we’re married too?” She was louder than she usually was with a tone of finality.
Symin nearly gawked, “You aren’t?”
“No!”
“You aren’t?” Purah echoed, popping her white head of hair out of the sea of wheels and cogs.
“Purah you should know this!”
“Zelly, you must know old women don’t poke their noses into other people’s business! Consider it an educated guess.”
Zelda groaned, falling back into her seat with her head in her hands.
The researcher’s assistant beside her shifted awkwardly in his seat.
“Well,” he started, then stopping and starting again. “It must have been another dramatization when the story began spreading across Hyrule.”
“What’s the story say then?” she said, defeat in her stature and embarrassment on her cheeks. “I might as well know how it was told.”
Purah had fully reemerged now, her clothes stained from oil. She wriggled onto the table. “Something something, before the Princess’s birthday,” she sang, “the goddesses something something and under the watchful eye of Hylia they eloped or whatever.”
“We eloped?”
“I don’t know!” Purah threw up her short arms. “That’s what the bird said!”
“Look,” Symin steered her away from his mentor. “Maybe it’d be best if you got home and explained it to Link before he hears it from someone else.”
She considered it. He was right. Zelda should rip the bandaid off early on, then the awkwardness could pass faster.
Right?
“I will say, I was hurt that I wasn’t invited,” Purah pouted, handing Zelda her basket. “But remember that when there’s a real wedding.”
She didn’t have the emotional energy to argue at that point.
It had been hours since she had ascended the cliff and now the impending sunset brought dropping temperatures. The clouds over the sea hadn’t lightened her mood either.
By the time Zelda returned home, night had fallen outside and it caused her to assume that Link was wise enough to spend it in Kakariko. He knew she didn’t like the thought of him riding past dusk.
She waited until small bubbles manifested over the sea of oil and melted the butter for her mind to wander. It wasn’t… imposterous to make inferences based on their interactions. After all, they had known one another for over one-hundred years (with all minor happenstances abiding). Perhaps it was only natural that they developed their familiar bond.
Zelda had difficulties with darkness and he, with sleep, so it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence that she made herself a space amongst his makeshift pallets by the hearth, nor him in her bed in the loft. How many times has that happened?
Many times. Most nights.
The heat on her face was quickly blamed on the simmering risotto base. Gradually, she stirred in the rice and spices, copying the movements she’s seen Link do before.
Besides, sleeping together - no, merely sharing the same proximity - was born of necessity. There were plenty of activities a married couple performed that they didn’t. Nikki and Nack called one another the most egregious nicknames. Zelda nodded to herself, stirring the contents of the pan with fervor. That was something they never did.
They were comfortable roommates. Who slept together on the occasion.
And who shared lingering touches when words didn’t suffice.
She was wary to confess the feelings she harbored for those small moments when he’d brush the side of her cheek and down the length of her hair; the only times she regretted her dubious haircut. And maybe she did enjoy the opportunities to remind him to shave by cupping his cheek in her hand. Thrill wedged itself in her heart when he leaned further into her touch.
Discomfort sat at the bottom of her stomach. Zelda frowned deeply. The familiar sensation of impending disappointment ebbed at her.
The door at the head of the room clambered open, revealing the sheets of rain falling from the heavens. Boots stomped a couple steps on the hard-wood and the door shut more gently than it opened.
“I’m sorry,” a chilled, but deeply familiar voice said. “I’m late.”
Zelda sat back on her haunches, taking Link in as he peeled off his sopping cloak. His shoulders shook as the rain had long set into his clothes.
“Link,” she whined. “Hylia above, what have I told you about riding in the rain? Especially in this weather!”
“I know,” he grinned wryly at her from across the room. “And I nearly rented a room, but then goddesses told me you were cooking tonight.”
She would have chastised him further and ran to grab him an extra change of clothes, but her previous thoughts pounded in the back of her brain and the steady bubbling of risotto kept her in her place.
“You’re too much for me,” she huffed, barely looking at him. “Can you check to see if this is done?”
Suddenly, his breath was right next to her ear. “I’ll move out anytime you want me to.”
A pause.
“It’s perfect, Zel.”
Her hand stilled in its stirring. There went the nickname criteria.
Zelda caught his eye and his amused expression deflated slightly. She blinked, “This is your house.”
A small crease formed between is brow. “And?”
“And,” she emphasized, “you’re going to catch a chill in your own home if you don’t change.”
Link didn’t move immediately and she could feel his stare, but eventually he relented to her nagging. She could hardly hear him shuffle about the room once his boots were removed. When Zelda pulled the pan from the fire, he was descending down the loft in a simple cloth shirt and trousers.
“Did I do something?” he said, idling by the foot of the stairs.
That had made her brow furrow and her frown to deepen.
“No,” she nonchalantly answered, throwing down a potholder on the table with more force than needed.
He eyed her from the cabinet and pulled out a couple plates.
“I am fine,” she copied his stare and could tell the question was on the tip of his tongue. Still, he held her gaze from across the room. Zelda pressed the appropriate silverware onto the placemats.
“Link, stop that. I’m fine.”
When he closed the distance to put the appropriate plates on their mats, he hadn’t yielded to her reassurances and took note on the way she stepped away to give him extra room.
Annoyance wormed into Zelda’s chest and she dimly noticed that this manner of interrogation was used before.
“Have I done anything?” Link asked again, genuinely this time. “Because I’m sorry if I worried you.”
It was a wonder how this was the same man who could take on three lynels at once. She only knew because she’s seen it. The fire was there when he stared down Ganon after a year of waking up from a century of slumber, it hadn’t stifled the flame in his eyes. But now, he was careful with her. The blue of his eyes was soft, gentle and fully willing to apologize when there was nothing he did wrong.
“No,” she said, forcing herself to match his demeanor because it wasn’t fair for her own troubles to affect him. “No, you haven’t.”
His follow up question didn’t need a voice.
“I heard something in town and,” she stopped to let her stiff shoulders sag. “I don’t think you’ll like it.”
Gods, she sounded like she was a child about to admit to breaking something. As she said the words, she realized that the idea itself hadn’t bothered her. What had bothered her was his potential reaction.
Zelda could say they were friends, even close friends, but lovers? Spouses? The pull of her heart at the thought scared her.
Disappointment. There would be disappointment in his eyes that would leave her to hurt.
“They think,” she paused. He tried to take her fidgeting hands in his, but she pulled away and left him dumbfounded. Zelda didn’t like that expression at all on him, only making her more flustered in what to do.
“Who?” His tone was gentle, like calming a spooked horse.
Zelda breathed in a large breath, “This morning. Ivee and- and Pruce and… Nikki and Nack...”
She trailed off, searching the floor and Link for words.
“The townspeople?”
Tentatively, she nodded, not quite able to spit out what she needed to say.
Now, he was fully confused. “What do they think? Zelda, I promise you they don’t judge you for what had happened.”
The Calamity. Of course he would be thinking she was worried about that with how aloof her mannerisms suddenly were. Assuming he guessed right, his small frown upticked to sympathy.
“They’d never pin that on you. If anything, they warmed up to you more than they did to me.”
He began to tell her about the odd stares he got when he began reconstruction of the house. All the stories that would typically make her laugh, but all she could do with stare at their feet.
“They think we’re married!”
The words that flew from her were unequivocally hers yet her ears could hardly believe it. Link’s lips fell into a small “o” as he took a step back. Shock barely registered on his features, and it made her regret saying anything at all. She hated the way his eyes left hers.
Unsure of what to do, she watched him pace to the opposite wall and back. Never did he meet her gaze in turn for the rafters above. A hand brushed through his damp hair.
He swallowed the remnants of his tales, more softer with a certain disbelief, “Married, huh?”
Her quiet response affirmed him.
If this had been any other situation, she would have poked fun at the way he was behaving. Nothing about him exuded the certain confidence he so often employed in front of her. Lucky was a word she would have used if she managed to confound him like this.
“Ivee was the first to mention it in passing,” Zelda placated. “I thought it was a simple misunderstanding until Pruce then Nikki then Amira until…”
“Until it wasn’t so simple,” he finished for her. She smoothed a piece of hair behind her ear with a nod.
They fell back into a quietness. Some of Link’s shock gave way for, what she assumed, a reluctant acceptance.
The risotto was growing cold and neither had the stomach to point it out.
Zelda wasn’t ignorant about her feelings. However, she knew she was a coward. Before the Calamity, she had an understanding of why his name suddenly filled up the pages of her diary. Back then, Link had a silent charm to him that let her be herself for a short moment. It enraptured her. But she also had an excuse to never admit it.
Now, she had nothing to hide behind. No Calamity Ganon was going to drag her away from the man who was obviously embarrassed to be seen as her husband.
“Married?” he asked again, as if she hadn’t confirmed it for the umpteenth time. He was leaning against the table with his hand rubbing his neck.
“Yes, Link,” she was growing frustrated. “They think we’re… you know.”
Then, he looked up. “Is that a bad thing?”
Link’s eyes swept the room at her startled reaction. “Well,” he said with a raised brow and a small shake of his head. “If you’re completely against it then I am too, but-”
Then, to her absolute surprise, he shrugged. “It’s not horrible.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” there was defensiveness in his voice, “that other people assuming I’m married isn’t the worst rumor in the world.”
Now Zelda was thoroughly convinced he had stumbled upon a pub on his way home. “You do realize that it would mean I would be your wife.”
His shrug was more grandiose this time. “And I would be your husband.”
By then, the room was much dimmer. The fire lacked wood and Zelda hadn’t had time to think about lighting candles. She could make out his features, but could hardly read them.
“So, you’re not mad?”
Link wasn’t leaning on the table anymore. The action made her feel closer to him.
“Why would I be mad at you?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not at me. The rumor.”
There was hesitation in his movements, but he crossed the little amount of space between them. “Honestly? It makes sense why more people haven’t outwardly hit on you.”
That comment made her let out a short laugh.
“But no,” he said; she could hear his smile. “I’m not mad… not at all.”
Link’s approach was slower than usual, but she opened up to his enticing pulls that evolved into a gentle embrace.
There were many doubts Zelda harbored. Most old, some new. To her, they were indistinguishable. Yet, all were forgotten, if only for a little while when he held her close in his arms.
When she bunched the cloth of his shirt in her hands, she felt him shiver.
“You’re going to catch a cold,” Zelda muttered.
All he did was hold her closer.
#i LOVED writing this#i actually wanted to write more but you know theres always a point where too much of something spoils the rest#loz#zelink#loz fanfiction#zelink fanfiction#ashleyswrittenwords#zelda#link#legend of zelda: breath of the wild
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“Whatever happened to superwholock?”
is a question that I’ve seen bouncing around here for a while. It also happens to be one I can answer! I know that for some there has always been confusion over how an incredibly active and central fandom can disappear overnight and that heritageposts has been airing all the dirty laundry is making people curious again. I’m hoping to clear up any confusion and help put many of those heritageposts into some context, so let’s get started!
First and foremost hi! I’m mookittens dot tumblr dot com and I was a Superwholock. That’s right lads I was THERE during the height of it all 2013-2013. The reigning years. I saw it all go down as it happened. It was really two big things that made the kingdom collapse. The first of which was the quality of the shows.
Now as we all know, fandoms don’t start from nothing and they don’t end after peak popularity so I will be opening up the timeline we’re looking at to run from 2010 - 2015. First we’ll look at quality by show and then how they all fit together to form the Downfall.
Supernatural
Going in Superwholock order we start off with SPN. The odd man out. The one american production in a sea of union jacks. I always considered this to be the last one to join superwholock regardless of the name as it has basically nothing in common with the others besides just being on at the same time but this could just be personal bias as supernatural was the last of the three I personally watched.
Now I just want to say now this isn’t even opinion, this is objective fact. The only possible bias is labeling season 6 as good instead of okay because I liked Balthazar. The timeline speaks for itself, and if like me you look at this and go “wait what even happened in season 8, 9, or 10?” I feel ya. I watched em all and had to look up the wikis so let me save you some time. season 5 Lucifer, season 6 last of the cool angels, season 7 leviathans season 8 closing gates of hell, season 9 ended with Dean becoming a demon. By season 10 supernatural was just a name whispered on the wind, but you might have heard about the fanfiction musical episode.
Supernatural really faded away during season 9 after many of the most beloved characters were long dead, and though the hype of Dean turning into a demon seemed like it could lead to a revival, ultimately when it became clear there would be no follow through at the beginning of season 10 the fandom packed up and moved on to greener pastures.
Doctor Who
Out of all three, the one with the most staying power. Even today, there are a few posts here and there about 10 floating around. There are just as many posts about Steven Moffat too. This one was the first one of the group I watched and objectively I wanna say the best. The few good seasons it had are still good.
Being British television, most seasons only ran within the one year, meaning less content in general compared to supernatural. Also, the sheer drop in quality happened much more quickly and dramatically than supernatural. Everyone loved 10, and by the end of 11’s first season everyone was hype for more. Unfortunately, Moffat started to rule the scene. Slowly encroaching to become head showrunner and giving us all Clara.
Sherlock
OH BOY HERE WE GO. Sherlock. Wow. This will go beyond our scope but I feel it’s worth it since this is Sherlock in its entirety. I’m just gonna ignore the special cuz I don’t even remember it.
PLEASE keep in mind these aren’t my opinions but what I remember the general fandom consensus being at the time. Sherlock was the perfect storm of having to wait YEARS for episodes to come out and then being hit by some of the worst TV I have ever seen. There was even the scene in the first episode of season 3 (which I swear was THE most anticipated episode of a television show I have ever SEEN on my like 8 or whatever years on this website) where Moffat (yep him again) and Gatiss make fun of the fandom. They have the most hated character on the show seem crazed and obsessed with making theories on how Sherlock could have lived with his fellow fanatics. Nothing like taking the fun fans of your show were having during the off season and showing them how stupid they were for even thinking about it! If you’re reading this and thinking “okay season 3 was bad but I remember season 1 and 2 being good!” then I highly recommend watching Sherlock is Garbage, and Here’s Why by hbomberguy on youtube. It made me rethink how I felt about the show entirely.
When you put these timelines all together it looks like this:
Makes it pretty clear why it seemed to disappear, huh? It is worth noting, however, that besides sherlock, 2012-2013, despite being the height of superwholock popularity, was when the shows were Bad. I theorize it’s because the fandom was still riding the high of the earlier seasons and its passion pushed it forward, but it can only push for so long.
The second big contributing factor to the Downfall of superwholock is that a huge chunk of the fandom were young. I was in high school at the time, and so were most of the rest of the fandom. That’s why a lot of the heritageposts posts are so cringey or school centric. It was just kids having fun. This isn’t to say there weren’t fandom moms and the like in the superwholock fandom, there were, but chances are if you were following them for superwholock content then they’re still making superwholock content now. What happened in 2014 - 2015 is that a lot of the high school kids graduated and went to college. Now all of a sudden they don’t have time to watch TV so they have to be choosy and with how bad the shows were they weren’t making the cut, or they didn’t have cable at all and wanted to pirate better shows. It was a perfect storm that ended superwholocks reign. Now even the shows themselves are ending. Supernatural is ending its 15th and final season this year, hopefully we’ll never get a 5th season of sherlock, and Doctor Who is actually good again but with the new doctor feels like it did when it was good back in 2010. Doctor Who may never be over, but the end of a whole chapter in our history is about to close.
TL;DR Due to a significant drop in quality and a lot of superwholock kids going to college and realizing there are better shows out there superwholock basically dissolved as an internet superpower over the course of 2014-2015.
#superwholock#heritageposts#look i know this is wordy and long but im not about to proofread it i wasted enough time making the timelines and graph by hand#listen i was there gandalf and it is my duty to answer this question to the best of my ability#long post#supernatural#doctor who#sherlock#spn#dw
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When the ceremony was over Goewin hid herself, disappearing as quietly and completely as this season’s infant bats asleep in the box hung under the eaves. I found her in the dark end of the porch, where the old, disused masonry and broken columns lie piled out of the way, waiting patiently for the rest of the villa to catch up to them in decay. Goewin huddled against the far wall behind the last pillars, sobbing passionately. Embarrassed and ashamed to see me, she hid her face in the hem of her smock and mumbled incoherently, “The Romans have gone from Britain forever.”
I said gently, “Goewin. Come here.” I led her out into the garden, and stood with a hand on her shoulder, as I had stood by Lleu not long before. “What do you mean?”
“Father’s kingdom, this unity, it won’t last—Lleu’s not like him, and even if he were, too much is changing too fast. It can’t last. Father would have me marry Constantine, the son of the king of Dumnonia in the south. It won’t be bad, it’s important, with all the tin mines and fishing towns. But he may as well marry me to one of my cousins and exile me to the Orcades, as he has his sister, because you can be sure I won’t sit by as queen of Dumnonia and watch Britain trickle through Lleu’s fingers. If I have to I’ll take the kingship from him by force.”
“Princess!” I exclaimed.
“If you don’t destroy him first,” she finished. “I hate living at the end of things!”
“Look.” I pointed toward Elder Field. We gazed across the fields to the trees growing on the Edge, bright green with young leaves. The red stone of the bare cliff was fierce and strong and joyful in the spring sun, and two magpies sat preening themselves on the grass verge before the wall at the bottom of the garden. “There is no end,” I said. “Only the beginning of something else.”
from the winter prince by elizabeth e. wein
#the lion hunters#elizabeth wein#words#captain's reading log#idk man this just hit me differently today
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We used to be friends
To catch up : One decision.
Book: The Royal Romance (half AU/half canon or my HC anyway…)
Pairing: Drake x Mc Drake x Liam (friendship?)
Disclaimer: Drake, Liam and Valtoria belong to Pixelberry.
A/N: This is Prompt #32 “I’ve never lied to you” from @emceesynonymroll Wacky Drabbles (Thank you for hosting this!)
Word count: 1500 (Sorry! I really tried)
This is my personal opinion on the reasons that drive Liam and Drake to act as crazy as they are acting in TRH.
Tagging: @emceesynonymroll @mskaneko @pedudley @burnsoslow @princessleac1
Liam and Drake usually met on his personal quarters but when Drake had called, the solemn tone in his voice had made Liam set the meeting at his royal office. He didn’t know what Drake wanted, but something told him he wasn’t going to be pleased about it.
He sighed thinking about their friendship, it definitely had taken a toll since the day Drake had finally come clean about his feelings for her.
Well, come clean was not really the best way to describe it, after all, he had discovered their relationship when he was on one knee, proposing. He could still feel the pain, not only because of her rejection but because of his best friend’s betrayal. Months and months of lying and deceiving from the person he trusted the most in the world.
Their friends didn’t judge Drake because they only saw one lie, one deception. But they both knew it was much more than that. It was the hundreds of nights drinking whiskey in his bar while he talked hours about her as Drake listened and nodded without once hinting that their friendship had become something else. It was all the times he had confided in his best friend after she had canceled on him once again, and Drake had comforted him while knowing that he was the reason behind it. It was the day he had told him he was going to propose, and Drake had congratulated him without admitting the truth.
So no, it wasn’t one lie, one time. It had been hundreds of them, months of them.
Of course, he was aware of how emotionally crippled Drake was. Liam knew how difficult it was for him to admit he was capable of feeling anything at all, let alone falling in love for someone, and accepting that that someone loved him back. He knew about all the women that had thrown themselves at him only to get close to one of the princes. And he was grateful. Drake had always been there for him and had dropped his life no questions asked to support him when he had needed him the most, he also knew that Drake would give his life for him. They were brothers and Liam would never forget that.
All those reasons had allowed him to forgive Drake and try to move on. Except he hadn’t. Giving her Valtoria and naming her child heir of the kingdom had been both a blessing and a curse. As he had intended, it had allowed him to spend time with her, but also to be a sad witness of how in love with Drake, she was.
After a while, he had tried to get her out of his system by dating numerous women and focusing on Cordonia’s future. He had even been the best man at their wedding. One of the worst days of his life, he didn’t wish on his worst enemy the pain of seeing the love of his life marry his best friend. He had done it, but it hadn’t been enough to forget her or to mend their friendship. Even if they saw each other regularly, they were with Max and Leo, or watching a horse race or a football match. Their conversations never ran very deep, he didn’t want to hear how happy they were together, it was painful enough to see it written on both their faces. At least until recently. Lately, he had noticed that Drake was almost as bitter as he was before her. And Alexis wasn’t happy anymore, her contagious laughter had almost disappeared and the passion he loved so much about her was gone. He wondered if that was the reason Drake wanted to meet him. Had he lost her already and now he came to him for comfort? Could it be…?
Drake parked the car at his usual spot in the Palace and stop the engine. He stayed inside the car a few minutes to collect his thoughts, he didn’t doubt their decision for one second, but he knew it would be a shock to Liam. Again.
He sighed thinking about how much he had hurt Liam in the past years. It hadn’t been their intention, they had even tried to ignore the strong pull they had for each other, but their relationship had seemed unavoidable. From those early days when he had doubted her intentions and tease her incessantly, to the strong friendship they had built during the social season, and the consuming passion that had started with that kiss on the Beaumont’s study, every moment of their relationship had been a step closer to each other. He hadn’t lied to Liam intentionally, Drake had truly believed that Alexis was going to choose the king at the end. So, he decided to keep quiet about her because it would hurt less when she’d finally left him.
Nonetheless, the truth was that he had hurt Liam so deeply that his friend seemed unable to move on even after all that time. And the last year had been torture for the three of them. Drake knew his best friend was a good, generous man, but he couldn’t help but doubt his intentions behind giving her Valtoria and naming their daughter the heiress.
Finally, he got out of the car and went to meet Liam who was already waiting for him in his office. He was sitting on his desk with a scotch lost on his thoughts.
Drake entered and they greeted each other with a nod of the head, as Drake poured himself a scotch from the bottle next to Liam and took his usual place across the young king.
“Well, here we are, Drake. Why was it so urgent that we meet?” Liam asked in a commanding tone.
Drake cut to the chase, there was no point in delaying it anymore “We want to leave Valtoria, Liam. We’re not made for the noble’s life. Either of us”
Liam furrowed his brows “Helena cannot be the heir of the kingdom if you are not nobles Drake, you know this”
Drake looked at him knowingly.
The realization hit Liam. “Oh, you don’t want her to be the heiress anymore either,” he said as he leaned back on his chair.
“I’m sorry, we didn’t realize the amount of sacrifice it would be for us, and especially for Lena. She’s barely one and already engaged, Liam!”
“I told you we were going to get out of it, just give me a little more time,” Liam said tiredly.
“It’s not only that. We simply don’t want to be nobles anymore. This can’t be a surprise for you Li, you know that I’ve always hated this stuff. We both do”
“We? You keep talking for the two of you, but I don’t see Alexis anywhere. It looks like it’s you who want to quit, and you are using her as an excuse. You’re only thinking of yourself but she deserves-”
Drake raised his hand interrupting him “What? More than I can give her? The life of a queen? Believe me, I know that,” he gulped his drink. “I also know that for some fucked up reason she doesn’t want any of it. She’s miserable there”
Liam stood up holding his glass. “Maybe that is what you want to think. Maybe she’s quitting to make you happy.”
Drake didn’t take his eyes off of his friend. “That has always been the problem, Li. You don’t know her”
“Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Drake, but I think it was made perfectly clear that I didn’t really know either of you.”
Drake raked his hand through his hair. “It’s been two years, you have to let it go. Let her go.”
Liam walked towards him “Oh, Drake, I have. That doesn’t mean that I had forgotten what you did to me. She came here for me. Did you forget I was the reason she left New York to come to Cordonia?”
Drake felt the old pang of jealousy at Liam’s words, so he stood up angry as well.
“No, I haven’t, but she fell in love with me while you were engaged to Madeleine. Have you forgotten that? You’re rewriting history, Liam”
They stood a few inches from each other. “You’re right Drake, I made a lot of mistakes concerning her. I shouldn’t have chosen Madeleine at the coronation or let the guards take her, and it was certainly a big mistake to ask her to be my mistress. So, I’ll admit it, when it comes to Alexis I can see where I failed. But you?” He cocked his brow “I’ve only been a brother to you. You deceived me for months, and I’ve never lied to you. You stole my only chance to be happy” He was so angry he barely realized he was shoving Drake.
Drake raised his hands bawling at him “You have never lied to me? Do you really think I don’t know why you gave her that damned duchy seconds after proposing? Do you really think I can’t imagine why the hell you named our daughter, her daughter the heiress?” He pushed Liam back “Don’t say you have never lied to me because you’re fucking doing it right now, Liam. You might be entitled and oblivious but I’m not. You’re still in love with my wife”
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Analysis the relationship of Cassunzel 2
Hi there. It’s my third article of Tangled the Series and it’s a follow-up for my last article.
MY PREVIOUS ARTICLE
Rapunzel
As I mentioned Cassandra, it's impossible for me not to mention Rapunzel.
So, let's start with how they met. In the novel, Rapunzel met Cassandra because she was sketching and Cassandra was training at the same time in a open place near the castle.
Rapunzel was cited by Cassandra because she's unlike the other girls. After leaving the tower and the 18 years, Rapunzel felt she's missing something and she wanted to fill the empty and a girl appeared in front of her. She's Cassandra.
She's so happy and excited about being friends with Cassandra, so she always tried get chances to hanging out with Cass after they first met.
Rapunzel was trapped in the tower for 18 years, she didn't know a lot of common sense of conduct. She didn't know how to act like a princess, how to manage with different people.
Rapunzel needed someone to lead her into the society, and Cassandra, as a handmaiden, would be the one.
Why isn't that one Eugene?That's a simple question. As Eugene has been a thief for many years, he doesn't really have the sense of being a royal, it's also a hard topic for him to turn over a new leaf and socially reintegrated. That's why Cassandra would be the bridge to connect Rapunzel and Eugene with the society.
Cassandra was the first one other than Eugene to show Rapunzel the world.
Actually, Rapunzel felt their relationship would go on. She and Cass were very good friends. But when times goes, their problems started to emerge.
Cassandra felt she has been overlooked but Rapunzel can't notice it. She thought they'd getting well. And she can't notice the change of their relationship.
She and Cass have been together for years and not doubt that they were good friends. After all this years they spent, their relationship should be strengthened and that's why the betray of Cassandra was such a slam for Rapunzel.
It's the third time of betrayals for Rapunzel, a people she trusted and loved. She wants Cassandra back. It's like a mix version of the betrayals from Gothel and Varian, isn't it?
Gothel was the one Rapunzel ever trusted and loved, but she never want her back ; Varian is a new friend for Rapunzel (compared with Cass and Gothel) and Rapunzel wanted him back.
We could see lots of scenes about Rapunzel doesn't want to lose Cassandra, even now Rapunzel still call Cassandra as "Cass".
So we could feel how sting is it when Cassandra stops calling Rapunzel "Raps" and called her as "Blonde", a name came from Eugene, the other one Rapunzel loves to satirize Rapunzel and to keep the sense of alienation. I have to say, that was a strong move.
We could also see Cassandra are trying to tell Rapunzel that they are different. As she knew that Rapunzel doesn't notice it.
But is Rapunzel really unable to notice that?In the episode " Rapunzel and the great tree", we could find the scene of Cass called Rapunzel as "your highness". And Rapunzel realized her and Cassandra's identities.
But, is that so?We could also see Rapunzel knew their differences when they're first met although she wanted Cass call her name.
Although Rapunzel doesn't shows to know their differences, we could see she actually had a strong awareness of being a royal, she was trying very hard. So, would it possible that Rapunzel just tried to ignore it but from the bottom of her heart, she knew it all along?What if she just pretend to not notice it?
Well, Rapunzel wants an actual friend and no matter what their positions are. She wants to treat everyone she loved equality. She doesn't want her identity as a princess would has any burden on their relationship.
However, the wall always here. She forgot it sometimes and Cassandra reminded her again. Not only Rapunzel's behavior but also the difference between Cass and Raps.
In season one, "The challenge of the Brave", Cassandra told Rapunzel there's always a distance between them ; in beginning of season 3, Cassandra told Rapunzel that they're different ; in the episode "Cassandra's revenge " , she kept the distance from Rapunzel.
It's like Cassandra is now forcing Rapunzel to get a clear understanding of the gap between them, even Rapunzel doesn't want it.
Rapunzel has lots of things to concern about, her destiny, her kingdom, her future......And that pulled her mind away.
Rapunzel is sharer, she loves to share her happiness and everything interesting. However, she never proactively share her negative feelings. Sometimes, she would pretend she's fine.
In the episode "Freebird" she looked just fine until she and Cass being catch, and to reply Cass, she talked about her fear to the unknown of her destiny.
In the episode "Keeper of the Spire", she was still pretending to not being annoyed to Calliope.
In the episode "Be very afraid ", people were surprised to the red rocks didn't had any effect on Rapunzel. But the truth is, she saw the fall of Corona, destroyed by the black rocks and as she said,
“And you know what the weird part is? What I’m most afraid of is losing Cassandra as a friend. Forever.”
Remember what Rapunzel said to Varian before?I'm quite sure she's also trying to tell herself too.
Yet, we could see she has been changed a bit after the left of Cassandra.
She started willing to show a little more her negative feelings, like the episode "The Lost Treasure of Herz Der Sonne" and “The King and Queen of Hearts",etc. Or maybe I should say, she's changed ,not as soft as she used to be. She started to show her annoyed, becoming more "edgy". I mean, she could also make mischief very well now and that's a good change for her.
I believe that is what Rapunzel learned from Cassandra. But Cassandra is left, it seems like she started to replace the edgy girl role of Cassandra.
In a scene of "The Girl Who Has Everything", we could see, Rapunzel drew everywhere in her room to show that she has everything, but except one place. She left a blank on her wall, which is really odd. If she was trying to tell people that she has everything by painting she shouldn't leave a blank area on her drawing.
Then there's only one reason, this scene is trying tell us that she wasn't the girl who has everything and I believe she knew it deep down, and she was trying to ignore the empty part on the wall, so as her heart.
As Cassandra is the one who filled the empty space of Rapunzel after being trapped in the tower for 18 years, the empty appeared again after Cass left and Rapunzel was trying to ignore the emptiness once again. At the end of "Cassandra's revenge", she knew she couldn't refuse to acknowledge it anymore.
That's why Rapunzel has a very complicated feeling about meeting Cass again, she wants her back to her life but fear to unearth her emptiness and the possibility of losing Cass.
Rapunzel and Cassandra are like the opposite girl to each other, one of them is the sun, another one is the moon ; one of them is soft, another is edgy ; one of them is an optimistic person, another one is a pessimistic person. They're so different but they become best friends, something special gained between them. They looked so different but their have some point so similar, they don't love to talk about their negative feelings, they're the first female friend to each other. Or maybe, just because they are so different from each other, they're so attractive to each other.
Perhaps the dependence of Rapunzel on Cassandra is not that obvious, she doesn't want Cass to leave and it's not only because of they're friends, but also because she afraid of losing something again.
First, she lost her real parents when she was a baby. Second, she lost a mother(Gothel ) she thought she could trust and loved. Third, she almost lost Eugene. And finally, she might have lost Cassandra as a friend again. She afraid, she afraid of losing someone she loved again and that's why she doesn't want to let go of Cassandra in the novel. Everytime of someone left is a bad memory, painful and obsessive for Rapunzel.
If Cassandra will leave Corona at the end, this time, their separation would be by their faith. Rapunzel is about to understand letting Cassandra go doesn't really mean the end of their relationship. Even she still hate to let Cass go, everything is going to be fine, she is fine. Because she knows they will meet again some time in the future.
Maybe Cassandra couldn't be the one staying besides Rapunzel forever, both of them have been changed because they knew each other and their experiences would become the treasure of their life and a milestone of their growth. It would never disappear easily.
Cassunzel
If New Dreams is a Fairytale style Love Story, Cassunzel would be a ordinary but true relationship that we could see in the real life.
They didn't start with a dramatic haphazard. Their relationship could be start with a frail reason, they could be so different from each others, they could be not mature enough on their relationship, their spending times and using their heart to keep their relationship. Very similar to the first love or puppy love, passionate but immature.
They could quarrel together, laugh together, misunderstanding. They helped each others to grow, to become a better person. Even there's one day, they aren't as passionate as they used to, they become more mature than they used to be, their sign would stay with each others forever. And their memories would treasured even years gone.
I don’t know if there are more follow-up article, but I would probably continue if I got new ideas. SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH
#tts#tts cassandra#tts rapunzel#tangled the series#rapunzel's tangled adventure#RTA#rta cassandra#rta rapunzel#cassandra#cassunzel#rapunzel
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Royal!Bucky barnes x reader
Masterlist / Series Masterlist
Word count 2.1k
Warnings: kinda sad, kinda fluffy, kinda bucky finally receiving his long awaited plums
The castle at day was a sight to behold. After being built over centuries handed down from one architect to another, the design and structure couldn't be compared to any other castle in the continent. People from all over the kingdom would come to see its magnificence in person and after viewing it nothing could describe the beauty of the structure they had the blessing of witnessing.
However, the best time to see the castle was at dusk where the sunset directly behind the towers standing tall and proud. The rays of orange, yellow and red shone brightly, making the building stand out even more. It truly is a sight to behold.
But during the night, the town of NorthTrade was pitch black, even with the help of candles located outside on the walls, ceiling, and floor of not only the castle but the huts and houses, it seemed more for decoration than of physical use.The guards walked around the stone walls with lamps in their hands that barely illuminated five feet in front of them.
While this night progressed in particular, a figure dressed like the night made its way through the halls of the humongous castle, avoiding anybody that may find it and take it away to the dungeon. Like a clumsy assassin, slowly but steady, it reached the stable where it bumped into something or someone.
The man grabbed the figure firmly by the shoulders pushing it against the wood walls of the stable.
The figure let out a small yelp before the man pulled the hood of the black cloak it wore off its head.
“I’m sorry for startling you my love, a guard was passing,” The man whispered gently, ”Was the journey alright Wini?”
“It was going great until you scared me, my prince, ”Wini responded, looking up at the handsome, young man in front of her.
“Okay, okay one I told you to stop calling me by my title, it's george and george only,” George said moving his hands from Wini’s shoulder to her waist, ”and two, is it so wrong to make sure the love of my life is safe?”
Wini’s smile quickly faltered, tears filled her eyes as the reality of the situation she was in struck her harder than ever before.
“Don't say that George, please don't say that,” Wini whimpered looking down at her feet, ”Its what got us into this mess in the first place.”
“Hey, hey, hey look at me sweetheart,” george said, taking her chin between his fingers and kissing the tears falling down on her cheeks,” I promise, we will find each other again, be it next month, next year, next decade, hell in another life, we will be together again.”
His face was so close to her that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her own. Without a moment to lose, he pressed his lips against hers making sure to take care in every movement that he made. He wanted to remember what holding her felt like, what kissing her felt like. What knowing what it felt like to know that he was hers and she was his.
The kiss lasted longer than it should have to get hotter and more desperate until the clearing of a throat interrupted the passionate lovers.
“Sorry to barge in but we don't have any more time my lord, we must leave and settle in before daylight,” Joseph Rogers said from his position near a saddled and prepared horse, munching on an apple then feeding the rest to the animal beside him
“Were you standing there the whole time joe?” Geoge said, turning around to greet his long time friend.
“For about a minute or two, didn't want to interrupt the almighty highness and his lover. God knows what might happen if I ever deface the future king.” Joseph joked walking up to the couple.
Slapping a hand on his friends back, George let out a soft chuckle, ”You’re lucky you’re my friend joey, or else I could have your head with you speaking to me that way.”
George pulled joseph into a tight hug then pulled away, holding him at arm's length by his shoulders.
“Thank you for doing this, I owe you everything,” George said somberly
“You owe me nothing,” Joseph responded, walking back to the horse and grabbing the lead by its head, ”its time to go, Winifred, your chariot awaits.”
Wini turned to George, holding her stomach with one hand and grabbing his hand with the other, “I love you, George, I love you so much.” she said giving him one last kiss before walking over to Joseph who helped her mount the horse.
“Stay safe my love, and remember I will see you again,”
Wini nodded before bringing the hood of her cloak up around her head. Joseph mounted the horse in front of her. Nodding at George he turned the horse around then rode off into the night, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
Wiping away a tear, George walked back into the castle with the taste of his love still lingering on his lips.
21 YEARS LATER
“And these plums are from the town over?” Bucky questioned, stroking his chin were his beard use to lay. He still hasn't gotten used to his smooth jaw after having a thick beard for so long.
“Yes sir, hand picked from the fields, it’s there season this time of year,” the salesman said, picking up a plum from the display in front of him and holding it up to his face as if to admire it like a piece of jewelry.
“I’ll just take these, how much will it be?” Bucky mumbled, fiddling with the pouch containing the money he was gifted by his mother to buy food for tonight, he nearly dropped it before centering himself and moving with more care.
“5 coins sir. In a hurry I see?” the salesman chuckled noticing the man's frantic movements.
Bucky handed the salesman the money before responding, “Just a big day ahead of me”
“you got a girl at home sir?” he snickered, giving bucky a smug look.
“uh no not exactly,” bucky muttered looking away from the stall and shifting his stance, clearly uncomfortable and eager to get out of the conversation. He couldn’t just walk away, his mother taught him better.
“ah! You know a man with a face and build like you can get a wife easily,” the salesman rambled turning away to grab a clean clothe from the counter behind him then turning back to continue, “you know there’s a lady who lives in the house besides me, you’d love her. Slim, fair and gorgeous eyes quite like yours and a monster in bed from what I hear every night. I can get you too together in a heartbeat. She works at the bar down the road if you are interested. I would take her up but unfortunately, I must stay loyal to my wife”
Bucky gave an uneasy smile and the man chuckled loudly shaking his head, “uh, yes, of course, I’ll um check her out?”
“I expect an invitation to the wedding,” the salesman winked before turning to accommodate another customer.
Bucky let out a harsh blow of breath he didn't even know he was holding before turning away and walking back home. While taking step after step on the dusty, rough streets of Glendale he felt stressed and nervous to get back home.
Bucky wasn’t exactly a well known person throughout the town. People knew his face when they see him walk around town and work in the back at the local bakery, but he never spoke to anyone unless necessary, he usually kept to himself most of the time. The only people he would talk to on a regular were his parents, his best friend steve and you.
You were one of the town’s healer at the nearby med hut, learning everything you knew from your mother about caring and tending for people at a young age and decided to continue in her legacy after her unfortunate passing. Despite the miseries of your own life, you still treated everyone with kindness and hospitality no matter who they were.
Even outside your job, you still cared for the children of the town whether it be a simple walk in the park or telling stories about silly stories gossiped by the women outside in the garden, you never failed to make them smile.
Sometimes bucky would stare from the window right next to the oven he was given to work with, just to get a glimpse of you passing by, bending down to tuck a fresh flower behind a little girl’s ear before kissing her nose and walking off hand in hand followed by the rest of rowdy kids fighting for your attention.
If he wasn't quick enough, he would end up burning the bread he set in the oven while getting lost in your beauty.
Yes, it may have seemed creepy, but he promised himself that wasn't his intention. You were different from all the other girls he’s meet and It was no surprise as to why steve befriended you in the first place and boy was he glad that he had a special place in your heart outside of all the thirsty, greedy men in the town. Maybe not as special as he wanted it to be but he would always take what he got.
Before he could get more lost in thought about you, large, muscular arms made it way around his head. He knew exactly whose they were when he was tugged into a massive hug, almost dropping his bag of plums.
“well what do we have here, a wild buckaroo!” the voice happily boomed, letting bucky out the hug keeping an arm around his neck.
bucky huffed in annoyance at his older bother’s antics, “this is why mom was so eager to get you out of the house steve, and yet you still attack me like a baby cub hunting for the first time,” bucky responding sarcastically pushing his brother away playfully.
“sorry little brother, I tend to get excited on special days like this,” steve said happily crossing his hand over his biceps, stopping in his tracks, “you’re going to tell her today right?”
Ah yes, bucky thought, today was the day that he was going to confess his undying love for you. Despite your intelligence in your field of healing, you were quite oblivious to any man's intentions when it came to love.
When the topic always came up between conversation you two had, you always responded with the same line, “maybe later, not now but later.”
You never took care in getting a husband anytime soon. It was never a top priority of yours. But bucky couldn't help but think about the prolonged stares that you would give him or the light touches on his hands and cheek that stayed a moment too long for it to be a friendly gesture, not that he minded. He obviously talked to steve about it and with much convincing, he decided to invite you to dinner tonight.
He could've only hoped that actions spoke louder than words when it came to your love language.
“of course, everything is already prepared, it would be stupid to not go through with it,” bucky mumbled, his insecurities getting the best of him as he looked down to the ground, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
Steve sighed heavily before placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“bucky, there’s no way hell that she’ll pass you up. You’re the only man that she actually tolerates in this bloody town, well besides me and I already have peggy which leaves room for you and really only you,”
Bucky huffed, “but what if-”
“no no no, no buts, no ifs. She’s going to enjoy it. She does love you more than you think buck but I ca’t be the one to tell you that, you got to figure it out yourself. And if not she’s an even bigger idiot than you, and that says quite a lot,” steve responded, shaking bucky’s shoulder lightly, “ and no matter what happens, just remember ill be with you till the end of the line pal, or if this works out, just until you and y/n walk into the bedroom.”
Bucky shoved steve’s hand off his shoulder with a chuckle. Looking at his brother with hopeful eyes, he took a deep breath and looked up at the sky before back at him, nodding and silently telling him okay.
With that, the two brothers walked back home side by side, one giddy with excitement while the other quietly worried about the night to come.
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#bucky barnes#bucky#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x y/n#king!bucky#king!bucky barnes#king!bucky barnes x reader#prince!bucky#prince!bucky barnes#prince!bucky barnes x reader#royal!au#royal!bucky#royal!bucky barnes#royal!bucky barnes x reader#king!bucky barnes x you#king!bucky barnes x y/n#prince!bucky barnes x you#prince!bucky barnes x y/n#platonic!stucky#platonic!steve rogers x reader
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Second edition of Cadence, in her fairy robes; with Fallow deer familiar Freya. Why have slice of life, when you could have slice of life with terrifying magical deer?
Tale 10: Cadence Bucflowen & Laserline (chapter 1 - Children of Spring 1/4 ) part 2. Stories of Fey
none
Cadence was the first prophesized child of the King Mage, who was presently Morgan Cynedom. Cadence had been born when her parents were, perhaps a little too young to start a family, yet she was anticipated and loved all the same. Morgan and Emilia were destined to have four children; Which they would love with all their hearts. There was to be one child for each quadrant of the table of fours. Because Morgan was the King Mage, he was like a human brother of the Beast King’s; and the metaphorical King of magic men. Thus, allotting him many unique abilities. One of which, was the Beast King’s considering it an honour to name their only human brother’s children.
When Cadence arrived, she was the child of spring; the first quadrant. Each quadrant had a colour, metal, direction, element, season, and two to three fey kingdoms accosted with it. One Fey King associated with the quadrant the child was born in, was able to give that child a new magic house. The fey say the King Mage has no house, and thus has all of them. His children would be the same if their magic is not properly housed; And humans need houses, blessing from a beast king, to use magic. The Beast King that had the honour of naming Cadence, was the Stag King, who gave her the magic stag house of Bucflowen. Along with a name, as a destined to be a mage, Cadence was given her own Fairy robes; in the stag kingdom style. All mages were given, or inherited, robes made by the Fairy King to protect them from any form of harm. Mages are too important to the balance between the veils, and fey saw them worth protecting.
A year before Cadence was born, Stag Queen Estella came to visit. She was once head paladin of the Grand West, and Morgan’s mentor. Estella was quite fond of Morgan, and visited. The reason she was no longer a mentor, was because Estella Celestine was destined to become the next Stag Queen. When Morgan opened Tiberius Gate, she went to it, and into the shadow veil and became reunited with her true love; The Stag King. It was with much joy, that when Estella came to visit that spring, she had the one and only newborn Dominion Deer by her side. An heir to the Stag Kingdom at last. The main job of the Beast Queens was to be the second parent of their kingdoms fey, represent the union of magic and men, and make royal fey children. The Daminion Deer are the royal half human-half magic children of the stag fey kingdom; something only Estella could provide. The Stag King was desperate for princes and princesses, as Dominion Deer had been whipped out within Estella’s lifetime. Wizards had been hunting them for their warm white fur, and ornate golden crystal antlers; which both genders wore. Just as hos heirs started to disappear from the Ealden Cynedom, his queen vanished. The reunion of the Stag King and Queen, aided by Morgan’s quests, gave him in a special place in Estella’s heart. Therefore, she still loved checking on him.
The day Estella visited Morgan and Emilia, a year before Cadence arrived, was a normal day: some school, some magic, some friends, and some daily life. Estella barely got a word in. She stayed patiently, holding her little stag prince, while the teens argued about their next quest. Eventually, Estella managed to relay the important information that was forgotten, due to the lengthy conversation. Morgan’s new life was full of excitement. Esttela’s words came off as something that seemed unnoteworthy at the time:
“In one year, I will bear the Stag King a second heir. Stag children do not leave their mother’s sides until the next child is born. But, when they go off on their own, they will still be quite young, though they grow quite fast,” Estalla said in her soft voice. the new prince Estella swaddled in her arms would need a home next spring. “The Stag King, my husband, requested that our eldest prince, Laserline, is to dwell on Tiberius Gate. Each King wants one royal heir by your side Morgan. I will bring him to your pastures, on the dawn of the next vernal equinox; when your first child is born.” Estella finished. Under normal circumstances, a magical heads up would be memorable; such as the fact your first born will arrive in a year, regardless of your family planning, and an incredibly valuable fey joining your forest home. Which is exactly why Morgan felt stupid when he found Laserline, a half-grown Dominion Deer, on his gate’s unicorn pasture, a year later. He wanted some fresh air after becoming a dad, but instead was reminded he was magic pawn. When the Stag King came to name Cadence, he failed to mention his own son was eating grass outside the tower. That day, Cadence wasn’t just given a name by the Stag King, but also a childhood fey friend just outside her window.
Cadence grew more beautiful with time. She had long wavy hair as pale as cream, olive eyes like her father, and her mother’s fair complexion. Cadence, as a mage, learned to use magic very early. Her passion was nurtured by her father’s vast collection of magic resources. She could soon run as fast as any fey, and had poise and grace like any stag king’s child. The fairy robes Cadence was gifted, were of a white silk dress, cloak, and flats that laced from the ankle to the knee. The protective robes glistened like pale spring. Under her soft appearance, Cadence was quiet and shy; a necessity when dealing with three younger siblings, and social anxiety. Before Cadence was of age for magic school, she had already summoned a white fallow deer familiar; named Freya. Of whom she would ride around their magic forest home of Pepperidge. Cadence was as talented as all the mages of Ealden Cynedom, and one of the most unmistakable children of the tinny town.
But like her siblings, Cadence was beginning to become lost in magic, and turning a bit feral among fey. Cadence was becoming incredibly weary of human children her age; if not all other people. She preferred the fey who did not judge her for good or bad. Cadence’s avoidance of people was not even eased by a public education. She had been raised on Tiberius Gate, where magic was her greatest comfort. But in spite of her feelings about being outside the gate, and meeting people, Cadence was excited to get her school uniform, and study magic at the same school as her parents. She desperately wanted to be a heortmann; magic users who specialize in healing. Cadence even dreamed she might be a healing Meadre mage, like her grandfather, Odysseus. As mentioned, Cadence was sent to the same local academy her parents attended, which by then, could teach and handle young mages. It didn’t only specialize in mages though; it also aimed to aid troubled magic youths and international students. If Pepperidge Academy couldn’t expose Cadence to people, and help her cope with anxiety around them, her parents feared nothing would.
When Cadence finally put on her uniform, for her first day at the new school, she decided to ride Freya to campus all on her own. The school wasn’t that far. But as she stood at the main entrance, a wave of anxiety struck her: ‘what if they hate me? Or I fall in love and do something stupid? What if I stand out, and they judge me because of my parents? What if I underperform in class, when they expect too much of me, as I am a mage? What if I get lonely because my siblings and fey friends aren’t here? What if no one understands? What if I don’t belong?’ Cadence became flustered and panicked. She was a deer in the headlights the entire day; frozen in fear. She didn’t even know how she managed to attended all her classes. Cadence didn’t remember anything about that day. Cadence spoke to no one, did not introduce her self, nor retain anything taught in the introduction lectures.
“how was your first day of magic school?” Her mother asked. Followed by her siblings asking the same thing on repeat. Cadence did not respond, and walked absently up the tower to her room.
“Morgan, you don’t think we may have pushed her too hard, do you?” Emilia asked. Morgan was preparing for a conference.
“If I survived magic school, when I was like that at that age, I’m sure she’ll be ok. One of our kids was bound to inherit my anxiety, and prefer the company of fey over that of people…” Morgan said with a nervous smile. He felt like was reliving a dark period in his life; vicariously through his offspring. Emilia and Morgan would independently check on Cadence later, when she didn’t come downstairs that evening. She had gone to bed early. Which is too say, and Morgan to correctly assume, she stayed up past midnight with unrelenting panic attacks, waiting for the relief of REM that would not come soon enough.
NEXT--->
#art#tales of ealdan cynedom#story 10#short stories#fantasy#laser#estella#morgan#emilia#freya#cadence
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January March update of my wishlist!! I try to update this list every month/every few months, and I delete stuff as I get the plots, so if you see something you wanna do, just yell and we can do it!!
I. PRINCE ERIC
We all know the arranged marriage plot. Classic. But I don’t think it fits Eric exactly, but you know what would fit -- trapped into marriage plot! Let’s plot something out -- a family member schemes to get them together, they get caught in a compromising position (but they weren’t actually doing anything!)
I would love to write something a little more political? To deal with Eric’s two main passions — his love for his people, his love for the sea.
II. CHRISTOPHER PIKE
Season 3 but with Christopher Pike: for reasons (we can plot) he went with Discovery and is now having to adapt to the future with the rest of the crew.
Season 2. Honestly, gimme some discovery muses and we can add a little plot in the middle of the season, let them discover planets and be a science vessel (for once!). Let’s do some old fashioned adventures, away team misadventures, classic Trek stuff!
Can someone please talk to him about Vina and make him face the facts that he never loved her, that there was nothing he could have done to save her, that he is putting it all on his shoulders?
III. Mary Quinn & Eugene Fitzherbert
Small universe thread (aka we all bunch a play of different characters)
A string of thefts have been shaking Regency London. The Agency, an all female spy agency sends Mary Quinn, one of their youngest recruits, to discover who is behind all of the thefts.
Flynn Rider, formerly known as Eugene Fitzherbert, has mastered the art of slipping into parties undetected and stealing the most precious jewels in the middle of the dance floor.
I was thinking — it starts with Mary trying to figure out who Eugene is, and Mary is acting as a Lady’s companion to Muse A (young, rich, has a very big and valuable necklace that must be protected at all costs). Eugene, who has been trying to get that necklace for a while, starts fake courting Muse A as well.
And all is dandy, we have these three circling around each other, Muse A catching on or not to what is happening, and then boom a murder happens and another necklace is stolen but it’s not Eugene. Which is where Muse B comes — a detective (a proper Scotland Yard one) who thinks the original thief and the murderer are the same person.
And these four have to come together to solve it? (and if there is love and friendship along the way... yeah, that would be great)
IV. CLARA STAHLBAUM
I’d love some classic disney connections for Clara? I’m thinking -- The Four Realms were once connected to the other Disney Kingdoms but when the fights began, the borders were closed. Clara opens up the gates and visits other kingdoms, trying to get to know other royals, understand this magical world she inherited!
Someone from the real world who follows Clara into the four realms? Preferred family connections or close friends (would need to plot as Clara is not very outgoing!).
V. ELLA PERRAULT
Governess!Ella? Ella is hired to take care of a few young girls, teach them how to play the piano, how to sing, french, history, geography. It’s a way to run away from the Tremaine family but she starts to really care for the family?
This self indulgent list of Austen aus
Ella as queen threads! There is a lot of fun to be had here, especially because Queen!Ella is incredibly warm and happy, so I’d love to write with other royals (disney royals! Come on, they all know each other and are incredibly close, we all know this!) and with other people who have a reason to be at court!
VI. THE PRINCE
When the castle is cursed, all humans who were staying there are frozen in place, unable to leave. Except… for one human, who for reasons is able to maintain their form. The Prince (in his beastly form) and this human form a friendship. This human can leave the castle and they keep the Prince in contact with the outside world (and his sanity tbh).
Gimme like an older sister relationship forhim??? Someone who constantly mocks him but would kill someone if they hurt him? Someone the prince can lean on for comfort and love?
A spin on the first plot -- but instead of their relationship staying platonic, they start to fall in love. Except, they don’t meet the requirements to break the curse (the Prince is supposed to act stupid and ugly, he isn’t supposed to be charming and nice). So, this person has to leave and find someone who will fall in love with the Prince in his beastly form, and there is a lot of angst and unrequited love (also…. ot3??). angst??
A prior engagement. The Prince was engaged to a Princess from another kingdom and they were very much in love (probably a secret engagement. And then he gets cursed and turned into a Beast and hidden from the world. She is unable to find him during those months. When she hears that happens, the Princess rushes to see the Prince again and finds him engaged to Belle (if she got married during this time???? more angst?). But they are both still in love, their bond was never broken! So yeah, once again, angst.
When the curse is broken in the Villenueve version, his mother at first complains that Belle is not of royal blood and therefore should not be allowed to marry him. The fairy then reveals that Belle is the secret child of another kingdom. BUT WHAT IF SHE WASN’T??? this applies to Belle and any other muse of no royal blood that could fit – the Prince is forced to marry a princess (after all, the kingdom’s heir disappeared for months, they need to show strength now), but he keeps his relationship with the woman who broke the curse in secret??? Let’s say it again… yeah, angst.
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Winter’s Song (1) - Bucky Barnes x reader x Loki
(A/N): I have written this long time ago and have decided to post it here. I know I am not active at all on Tumblr, but I am trying to live a better life and find my passion for writing... and so on. I hope you will like this.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader x Loki
Warnings: none
Words: 3500+
Part 1
"The princes will arrive soon, your highness," said one of the maids while she was trying to dress up a young woman in front of her. She, as well as other three maids, were putting pieces of clothing on the princess, getting her ready for the biggest occasion that happened in the kingdom. The last celebration was when the youngest daughter of the king was born.
"Your highness?" the voice brought the girl out of her thoughts.
"Why do I have to be there?" she asked silently, upset with the thought that she was forced to attend the event where no one will notice her. All eyes will be on her older sisters who were about to find a husband. "This does not concern me if I am correct."
The older woman raised her eyes, staring at the youngest princess. She was with her ever since she was a baby, barely walking. Her dedication and love helped her raise the princess into a kind-hearted woman. "I know, your highness, but you have to be there to support your siblings. One of them might become the future Queen of Asgard, while the other will become our new Queen," she explained.
"And what will happen to me?" she questioned, scared of the near future. That was a difficult question even for the maid. "You know my sisters are not very fond of my presence," she sighed. It was the truth – her older siblings never treated her as if she was their blood. "Once they become queens, they will try to get rid of me because I am different, as they said – a witch."
"No, my princess, you are special, not different and not a witch. Your parents were blessed with a child that can do remarkable things. There was a reason why you were the chosen one and not your sisters," she gave her a reassuring smile and made her turn around to see how they dressed her up.
This was a new piece for her, turning her into something magical and unique that could be heard only in stories. Her hair was braided multiple times, decorated with white and blue flowers. Her dress was made of the finest fabric. They chose for her white and light blue with a silver cape. It made her heart skip a beat and held her breath for a long second.
"Beautiful," the maid said proudly, patting princess's shoulders. "You will be the most beautiful girl in the room, and anyone will fall to your knees. Maybe even a prince."
"My sisters are going to hate me even more."
"Let them. You deserve a moment of your own. You have been in the shadows for too long."
A knock on the door interrupted them and a man came inside, instantly bowing. "Princess Y/N, your presence is requested in the main hall," he informed her and left the room, still bowing and not looking at the woman.
One more time, she looked at her reflection. As beautiful as the dress was, a feeling of insecurity came straight through her chest. "I cannot do this," she shook her head, already stepping away from the mirror. "Let them have everything," and with that, she ran from the room, from the maids, not listening to their calls. No one could stop her at the very moment.
She knew that there will be consequences later that day but right now, she didn't want to focus on that. Her heart wanted to escape from the castle and the people. Her soul wanted to be outside, running through forests and meadows, to be free and not care about the princess duties. She needed to help others and with the magic flowing in her veins, she was able to do that.
Y/N was able to sneak out of the castle through the gardens and a secret gate that was built in the castle walls. She knew that the guards will keep their mouth shut and not tell anyone if they saw her. It had a reason – she was treating them well, unlike her sisters who were spoiled and focused on materialistic things. They were mean to the servants; mean to the peasants; mean to the animals, and mean to nature.
She went down the pathway, around the edge of the forest until she came to a vast meadow that was on a hillock, spreading above a village. There were no flowers, the grass was yellowish, and the weather was becoming cold. The seasons were about the change and the land would rest for a while.
Yet, the people were still enjoying being outside, living lives to the fullest. Children were playing some games while running through the meadows, laughing and dancing. One of them noticed the princess slowly walking to them.
"Princess Y/N! Princess Y/N is coming!" a little girl started to shout, ecstatic. A second later, the whole pack ran towards her, happy that she was able to visit them once again.
No one from the royal family visited the village when unnecessary. Mostly they passed by or once a year decided to appear to do their duties, but not Y/N. She loved her people and wanted the best for them. A true king or queen should be adored by the people. Though her parents did have some respect, it was no secret that they did not like the older princesses.
As one man once said: "We are terrified of what will happen if the throne will fall to the hands of one of your sisters, your highness."
Don't let them take the throne, princess.
Winters would become longer and summers harder. The happiness that was in the faces of the villagers would disappear and they'd know nothing but work and paying taxes.
Each hand became preoccupied with a little boy and a girl while the rest of the children were surrounded by the princess. They were admiring her new dress, pointing at the flowers in her hair and gave her a lot of compliments. They wanted to have a word with her, tell her what was happening in the village. Last time she visited them; it was almost a month ago.
"Please, one at a time," she laughed, trying to calm them down as she took the youngest little girl into her arms. She could be around three.
"Why are you here and not in the castle?" asked an older girl. She was around thirteen.
"Isn't there supposed to be a big occasion?" another boy asked. "Princes are coming to the palace and you are not there. Why?"
As they were slowly walking towards the first cottages, she spoke. "They are coming here to meet my sisters and not me. One of them will become the future Queen of Asgard and the other one will become your new queen. Though it is true I should be there to support my two sisters. However, when did they support me?"
"What if they chose you?" another child asked. "You are the most beautiful princess the realms have seen."
"Yes! You are not only beautiful on the outside but also the inside."
"You should be our queen."
"We will fight for you."
"Even the people are saying it."
Y/N stopped in tracks, sighing. As much as it sounded flattering, these words were dangerous. "Be careful. This is treason, as you all know," she reminded them. "Do not speak these things out loud. You never know who might hear you."
This made the children stop talking for a moment and they continued walking, slowly coming to the rest of the villagers. Those who have noticed her became cheering her name, glad that she was able to come to them again. Almost everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around the princess, welcoming her.
A woman brought her a freshly baked bread; another man gave her a rummer filled with red wine. Young men brought a wooden bench so she could sit on it. The people treated her well because she had done more for them than the rest of the royal family. The gathering created some form of warmth and Y/N didn't feel cold anymore. She was happy to see the smiles on people's faces, and most importantly, she felt safe.
Y/N noticed a lot of roses on the ground. Some of them were trodden down by horses. She knew what it meant.
"We saw the whole Asgardian royal family coming to the palace," said an older man who was smoking a pipe. "Queen Frigga was very delightful, smiling brightly and greeting us almost with opened arms. King Odin, on the other hand, reminded me of your sisters. His face was stone cold, and he barely gave us any attention."
While he was talking, the rest of the people were listening, nodding.
"Prince Thor was very charming," a girl of her age shouted from the crowd. "Golden hair and muscles do make him charming," she giggled.
"Why are you not in the castle, my princess?" a woman asked, rocking a baby in her hands. "This should be a big day for you."
Biting down her lower lip, she lowered her head. "I believe my presence is not that important, my friends. They brought their sons for my sisters, not for me."
"How can you say that, my princess?" an old woman, leaning against a stick, asked. "Do not think for a second that you are not worthy. You are far more worthy than your sisters."
"You have a kind heart, beautiful face and a gift from the greatest gods," said another woman who might be already someone's great-grandmother. "You are equal to the Asgardian gods."
"But am I wise enough to be a queen?" the princess asked, looking around herself, scanning the faces of the people who believed in her. Young, old, children or mothers – they all rooted for her. Even though they did not wear fancy clothes and had dirty faces, she never thought less of them. "I do not wish to be engaged to a prince. My heart has been given to someone else."
Somewhere in the crowd, her eyes met with a piercing green one. They were staring at her while there was a tiny grin forming on the man's lips. She did not see him in the village before but yet she sensed a hint of mischievousness in him.
"Princess Y/N?" one of the children came to her, taking the woman's hands into their small one. "Because the winter is approaching us, will we sing Winter's song as we always do?"
With a smile and a simple nod, the princess started to sing the song everyone knew. Her soft song was reverberating through the cottages. One by one, the people joined the song, making it even more beautiful. Some of them took their hands, bonding more through the song. The princess was swaying with a child in her hands while it tried to sing the song too. The cold wind surrounded them, caressing people's cheeks in a welcoming way. As if nature was blessing them for the upcoming winter.
While singing, there was another person in the crowd that never took eyes off her. He was smiling the moment he heard the princess came to the village. It almost jumped from his chest when he heard her say those wonderful things. It was music to his ears. When the princess noticed the ocean blue eyes, her heart started to beat fast and she had a lot to do to hide her blush.
The peace was wonderful, uniting the people. It caused the weather to listen to the song and let fall first snowflakes from the sky. The moment could not be any more magical than it was.
It was until the guards from the castle interrupted their gathering. The horse tramping was loud enough to get their attention. The people ran away from them, forming an entrance into the middle of the group, stopping in front of the princess. She was immediately on her feet, shielding some of the children behind her.
"Princess Y/N," one of them said loud, frightening the villagers. His heavy armour was clanging when he took off the horse. "You are requested at the palace, immediately. We are taking you with us. It is the king's order." He grabbed her forearm with force, yanking her forward.
She yelped from pain, not being fond of the way this guard was treating her. He was forcing her up on the horse even though she tried to resist him. "Let me go!"
A man stepped out the crowd of people, immediately pushing the guard away from the princess. "How dare you treat the princess like this?" he asked, mad at what he was seeing. His green cape hid the princess behind him.
"And who do you think you are? Step aside!"
The man with raven hair snickered, standing up straight. "I am Loki of Asgard, son of Odin," he replied to his question. The villagers gasped, letting whispers circle around. "I demand you to let the go of the princess and treat her with respect. If not, the king will be informed about your behaviour."
Y/N eyes widened, not believing what she was hearing. Those green eyes that were watching her from the crowd belonged to a prince, to Odin's son. Her breath hitch in the middle of the throat and it made her blink a few times in disbelief.
The villagers started to bow in front of him. It was disrespectful not to do so. No one knew who he was until he revealed his identity.
Loki turned around, taking a good look at the princess. "Are you alright, my lady?" he asked politely.
"Yes," she whispered.
"She needs to be brought back to the castle," said the guard. "Now."
"Very well," Loki nodded. "Give her and me a horse. We will be going back to the castle as requested."
They listened to his orders. Two guards took off the horses and brought them closer to the prince and princess. Loki, as a true gentleman, helped her up on the horse. When she was seated well, she turned to him. "Thank you," her voice being soft.
Her eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for the only person that could carry her away from the situation. Unfortunately, he was not there anymore.
Once the prince was seated upon the horse, together, they went towards the castle, followed by the guards. All eyes of the serfs were on them, watching as they were leaving the village. They remained quiet, silently praying for the princess.
The first snow that was falling on them stopped. The magical moment was ruined. Now, she had to face her parents, both sisters and King Odin with his family. His younger son was silently riding next to her. She could feel his eyes on her back – watching her as prey, never leaving her out of his sight.
There were two options in front of her – follow the guards and prince Loki back to the castle or...Her heels spurred the horse and it immediately started to run away from the group, going straight to the forest. Before they were able to register what happened, she was far ahead from them, giving her a massive advantage.
"Don't let me down," she said to the horse, trying to make him go as fast as possible. She knew the forest as if it was her second home. There was only one place she would rather be now – the only place she felt safest. When the blue eyes discovered what happened, they knew what to do and where to go. He knew what she would do.
"Stop the princess!" the screams were echoing around her.
There was no time turning around the shoulder to check where the guards were. She hoped that a miracle would happen, and she would get to the place she wanted to be the most.
They almost got her. The guards with prince Loki appeared from two sides, ready to encircle her. That was when a golden portal opened in front of her and she went right through it. It closed before they had a chance to witness the magic in front of them.
Y/N appeared at the end of the village, near a wooden cottage where were several people. It belonged to the local old smith whose son took the business.
"She's here," said a voice that belonged to a woman.
Y/N stopped the horse, almost falling from him. There was mud on the ground, and it made it too slippery. Luckily, she was able to remain on the horse's back.
"Easy there," a tall man jumped to the horse, taking the cord. "We do not want the princess to fall, do we?"
Y/N looked down at the man. A bright smile tugged at her lips, eyes sparkling with nothing but adoration and love. She reached for the man who took her into his strong hands and twirled them around. Then his lips ended on top of her, kissing her passionately. They did not care that some eyes were watching them.
"My angel," he whispered into her ear and then kissed her cheek. "It's been so long."
"I am very sorry," she said with the same tone with a hint of sadness. "After this stunt, I will not be able to see you for a long time, James."
"We will always find a solution."
Their conversation was interrupted by the others. "Princess Y/N, long time no see," said a woman. When she turned her head to the voice, she noticed her friends Wanda and Vis standing next to each other, grinning. Instantly, they bowed. Not out of respect but to humour her. They were friends in secret for a long time. There was a reason.
"I have noticed you are becoming better with your abilities, my friend," the princess turned to the two people standing afar.
Vis smiled at her, nodding. "I have been learning with my dearest one," and he pulled Wanda closer to him. "She is a wonderful teacher."
Vis was a cook in a local pub and Wanda was a waitress there. The pub belonged to her father. He agreed to a union between his daughter and the cook. James, on the other hand, was a smith's son who took care of the business and he was Y/N's secret lover. What they had in common was the uniqueness that united them all.
Y/N smiled at them; fingers still entwined with James's. "Unfortunately, we do not have a lot of time," she turned back to the man standing so close. "They want me back at the castle. There will be consequences for what I have done."
"And what have you done?" he questioned, pretending as he did not know about anything.
"I was not present for the arrival of the Asgardian royalty and decided to run away. I did not obey the order of my father to be brought back to the castle. Instead, I had turned my horse and escaped into the woods. Now, they are looking for me," she explained. "Even a prince."
"Which one?" he asked again.
"Prince Loki."
Wanda came closer to them, not being sure if she heard properly. "Did you say Loki? The God of Mischief himself?"
"Yes," she nodded. "He came too, with his brother Thor. He was in the village during the Winter's song."
"Is that bad?" Vis asked.
She shrugged. "I do not know. You never know what it can cause. Luckily, he was not able to see the portal; he was not able to see me disappear. The Asgardian family does not know about... magic in our realm. Or at least about you. I believe my parents have told them something about me."
"Queen Frigga might know it, as well as Loki," said Wanda. "They both use magic."
"Different kind of magic," James added.
"Yet, it is still magic. They will know."
"Loki is also the God of Mischief and lies. You have to be careful with him, my angel," James brushed a piece of Y/N's hair behind her ear.
She nodded. "Luckily, both him and his brother came for my sisters and not me. I am would not let them betroth me to someone else than you."
"That's good," he smiled lovingly. "Because you are mine, angel."
"Honestly, this is funny," Wanda started to laugh. "Apologies, your majesty, for my laugh, but to be honest, even though you are a princess, they do treat you like air."
"You are not far from the truth," Y/N nodded. "Royal princess that lives in the shadows."
"That is more powerful than any of those sitting on the throne," Vis added.
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