#and YOU that STILL tells people that your physician daughter ‘gives up on everything!’ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ur-urmom · 3 years

Text

my very first request from @nifflersravenclaw

i hope this lives up to your expectations!! :D

Good Morning - Arthur Pendragon x Reader

Genre - fluff

Warnings - none, but if war is a sensitive topic for you, then yes

Summary - When Arthur returns home from war, his lover Y/N is nothing but ecstatic. Going so long wondering whether or not their darling dearest would come back safely, Y/N is finally greeted with Arthur’s warm and affectionate embrace, and neither of them care to let go anytime soon.

They should be back by now.

They should have been back by now, is what my mind kept telling me.

I knew I was just worried, I need to have wishful thinking. Wars can last for so long, but I yearned for this one to end so my beloved could come back home safely to me. So our friends and his trusted comrades could come back home to their families and sleep peacefully in their own beds.

In every war there are always casualties, always good people who are lost — on both sides — and I was scared, so scared, that Arthur would be one of those people.

Or Gwaine, or Percival, or any of the other knights, or everyone for that matter.

It was inevitable, death was just something that followed war, my wishful thinking would only undoubtedly cause me more pain in the end. I was getting my hopes up.

Even Merlin and Gaius went, so I was left behind to take Gaius’ place as the physician until they came back. I had been learning and shadowing the both of them for a while now, so Gaius thought I was ready to do his job for the time being.

It had already been about a week and a half, and the palace just felt so empty without everyone here.

Without Arthur.

But he’s strong, in more ways than one, so I know he’ll win this battle... or he’ll die trying.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when a mother and her young daughter stood at the door with a gentle knock to the threshold’s wood. I looked at them with a small and welcoming smile on my face. Gesturing them in, I stood from my seat and made my way towards the middle of the floor.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” I asked, my gaze going back and forth toward the older woman and her child.

I could tell it was her little one that needed help. She was clutching her stomach with a frown while dribbles of sweat dripped here and there.

“Um, my daughter. She has a fever and she says her abdomen isn’t feeling well. She’s weak.”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ve got just the thing for you, though.” Stepping towards the counter with all of the different medicines and herbs, I began to grind and blend a few things that would do the trick. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Rennie, and this is Blythe...” The mother smiled at her daughter, her hands on her shoulders. I glanced at them, Rennie lovingly stroked her child’s hair. “Say hello, Blythe.”

The little girl shyly looked up, exhaustion in her features, but she still put on a tiny grin with a small wave.

I did the same, but more enthusiastic.

After mashing everything up and draining it into a vial, I kneeled to Blythe.

“Here you go dear, drink half of this okay?”

She nodded, pouring the liquid into her mouth. I stood back up, getting ready to explain what it was to Rennie.

“This tonic mainly consists of ginger, elderflower, and peppermint. This will help bring her fever down and settle her stomach.” I watched as the girl handed the half drunken potion to her mother. “She needs to drink the rest of it tomorrow morning. It’ll also give her a little energy boost, so don’t be surprised if by tomorrow afternoon she’s bouncing all over the place.” I finished with a light hearted laugh.

“Thank you!” Rennie grabbed Blythe’s hand, appreciative of what I gave her. “Gaius was right to let you take over.”

I smiled, genuinely happy to hear that I was doing well by the people.

As the two of them were walking out, someone yelling could be heard from outside the palace. I furrowed my brows in confusion, because once one started a few more were shouting, then what sounded to be like claps erupted right afterwards.

Curious, I followed the noise, making my way outside and stopping at the top of the stairs. I saw men and women beaming with joy, others sobbing, but most importantly I saw our army arriving, trotting on their horses through the gates.

“It’s over...” I muttered, my mouth agape. I ran down the stairs, waiting at the bottom as I scouted for Arthur. I knew others were missing, their lives lost, the families that cried their heart out told me that they didn’t come back. Men and knights were jumping off their steeds, eager to find their own loved ones that have been waiting for them. More and more were crossing the line to enter the kingdom, though evidently less than what they originally left with. Some were injured worse than others.

My eyes widened when I saw Arthur’s most trusted knights, my heart swelling with warmth. They were safe, thank the heavens they were safe.

Gazing at the last few, my joy only heightened when I saw Gaius, and Merlin...

And Arthur.

He was the last one, and when the people saw him all they could do was cheer with triumph.

Me, on the other hand, I stood there, tears forming with my hand gently placed over my lips.

It hadn’t been that long, but it felt like years since I last saw him, and under the circumstances that we were in, it almost felt as though I was seeing a ghost. It felt too good to be true.

His eyes found mine, and a tired yet loving smile formed on his features.

He slid off of his horse, quickly pacing towards me.

The closer he got, the more tears threatened to spill down my cheeks.

“Y/N...” He whispered, his arms stretching out as he reached me. He crashed my body into his, pulling me into his embrace. His right hand held my back, while his left rested on the baseline of my head, holding it to the nape of his shoulder and pressing the side of my cheek against his armor.

I didn’t care how cold the metal felt, all I cared about was the man wearing it.

“Arthur!” My arms snaked around him, clutching him tightly in an attempt to make sure he didn’t leave again. “I was so worried.”

To my dismay, he let go, and instead cupped my face in the palm of his hands and studied me. I held the back of his hands in place with my own.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“You’ve just come back from war and you’re asking if I’m okay?” I let out a soft chuckle.

His thumbs wiped the stray tears away. Ignoring my response, he leaned towards me. His lips met mine with passion and longing, and I eagerly followed his action. When he stopped my eyes were still closed, but he rested his forehead on mine without ever letting go of my face.

“You need to rest.” I said softly, moving away from him but still close.

“No, no I only need you.”

“You’ve got to rest, Arthur. Come on.”

I took his hand in mine, leading him up the stairs and into the comfort of his castle. I was taking him to his room, and when I opened his chamber doors I let him walk the rest of the way while I went further into the room to start a bath for him to help him relax.

“I’ve missed you.” He spoke, now beside me as I got everything ready. The water was nice and hot, the perfect temperature to his liking. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“As have I...” I turned towards him, helping him take off his heavy armor. We were close, so as I worked with taking off the pieces near his neck, I placed a gentle kiss on his jaw, then his cheek. He leaned into it with a tired sigh.

I stopped when I got most off his weighted items off, not wanting to cross any boundaries.

“You can get the rest?” I asked, and he nodded. I have a him a sweet and small smile as I moved past him. “I’ll be outside the doors.”

Arthur turned abruptly, almost in an attempt to get me to stay, but he reluctantly closed his open mouth and agreed to my actions.

I didn’t want to leave him either, but I’d only be a few feet away and he could let me know when he was done, he needed this time to himself after everything that he’s been through. Stepping out, I closed the doors behind me and sat to the side of them. I wondered how Merlin and the others felt, what they were doing right now. I would have gone to look for them, but I knew I couldn’t leave Arthur just yet, and I didn’t really want to either.

At this point it was already after dark, and I had been waiting for a little over an hour, smiling and waving at any guards or others who passed me in the corridor.

My knees were held up to my chest with my chin resting in the palm of my hand, the other playing with the fabric that covered my legs. I had been lost in thought when I heard the creaking of the heavy boards open beside me. Arthur walked out, first glancing to the other side of me, then in my direction. His eyes lit up when they met mine.

He was dressed in his night clothes, but he looked fresh and clean.

I got up and followed him in his room with a bright grin. He closed the doors behind us, and walked over to his bed where he sat down.

I stood in front him, grabbing his hands in mine as I fiddled with his fingers.

“You should get some sleep.” I broke the comfortable silence, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “Goodnight, love.”

As I went to leave, he gripped my hands tighter so I couldn’t.

“No, please stay. Stay with me.” Arthur pleaded. He let go and scooted farther onto his mattress, patting the spot next to him. I lovingly gazed at him, whispering, “Okay”.

Turning out the light, I crawled beside him and the both of us got situated under the sheets. Facing each other, we studied the features on our faces. I moved closer to him, resting my hand on his chest while my head lied near his shoulder.

“I want to hold you like this for eternity.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I snuggled deeper into his body. I could feel him breathing beside me, I could feel the beating of his heartbeat and I could feel the warmth of his skin on mine, and that was enough to put me to sleep, and him as well not long after.

Sweet dreams greeted me for the first time in a while as I lied in his touch, ones that you never want to wake up from, but I didn’t mind waking up if it meant I was still next to Arthur. When I squinted my eyes open, the sun was peeking through the windows. This illuminated the room with a beautiful golden hue, and when I saw the sleeping man beside me his face was lit up by the warm rays, accentuating all of his handsomely sharp features.

I raised my hand up to his forehead, moving a little strand of hair out of the way. Leaning forward, I placed a gentle peck on the top of his nose, and to my surprise I saw his lips tug into a sly smile before quickly going blank again. I let out a soft giggle, of course he’d be pretending.

“Good morning.” My voice was raspy from sleep.

I didn’t get a reaction, so I poked each side of his mouth up into a grin, about to squeeze his cheeks. I didn’t get to do the last thing though, because he finally winked an eye open, then the other when he realized I’d caught him.

“Good morning, my love.” He replied, another cute toothy smile appearing. “It certainly is with you next to me.”

I laughed at his flirting this early in the day, a tiny blush creeping it’s way to my appearance.

“I’m so happy you’re back.” I said. “And if you need to talk to me about what happened there, I’m always here to listen... whenever you’re ready, darling.”

His finger traced my cheekbone, and his thumb met my bottom lip.

“I only need you.” Arthur whispered. I felt the pace of my heartbeat speed up and a little flip of my stomach occur. “I want to wake up next to you every morning, and I want to fall asleep next to you every night.”

I felt a little emotional by his sudden romantic statements, out of love of course, and I kept listening to him when he continued.

“I love you, I only want you for the rest of my life. I want you for forever, Y/N, my forever and your forever.” He said. “Am I selfish?”

“Of course not, Arthur. My dear, I love you too.” I replied. “If you’re selfish then what am I?”

“Beautiful.” Arthur blurted. “Lovely, amazing, kind, smart, gorgeo—”

I cut him off with a loud giggle, “Okay! Okay...”

He laughed with me, and when both of our noises died down he took my hands in his and freckled little kisses all over my knuckles.

“Do you have anything to do today?” Arthur asked, and I shook my head no in response.

“Good, cause I think we should stay like this for the rest of the morning, and afternoon, and evening, and night... and maybe the rest of our lives.”

“Oh really?”

“Mhmm.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Wonderful.”

And somewhere within the next hour, I fell back asleep in his arms, finally back in his arms after the time he’d been gone.

Arthur was the once and future king, and I had no doubt that our futures were definitely going to be spent together, for the rest of our lives.

For forever.

#arthur pendragon #arthur pendragon x you #arthur pendragon x reader #bbc merlin #merlin #merlin imagine #arthur pendragon imagine #arthur and the knights #arthur and merlin #bbc merlin imagine #x reader #reader insert #bbc gaius #bbc arthur #sir gwain #sir lancelot #sir leon #sir are you okay #merlin x reader

433 notes · View notes

darkdevasofdestruction · 3 years

Text

My Little Physician Empress ~ Yin Zhen x Reader

Just a story in which reader, a regular girl, was allowed since very young to aid her father in being a Royal Physician, and helped the princes through the years without asking for anything in return.

Since ancient times, views on physician women have been distorted times and times again - Sometimes they are shamans, other times they are witches, and oftentimes, they simply don't deserve to live, no matter how many lives they save, or how capable they are.

Even now, in Qing dynasty, there is stigma, and all the physicians in the palace are men.

But that will soon change when, one day, a Physician from outside the palace is able to come up with a proper cure for the plague that was rampaging the people and somehow, found its way inside the palace too, and he was rewarded handsomely - He was awarded a wish granted - Any wish he wanted.

And that was to have his daughter allowed to aid him in his work inside the palace. He explained how his daughter played around with concoctions one day, and somehow gave him the brilliant idea for a revolutionary cure, and with this story, the Emperor indulged the old man and got them both in the palace.

They didn't earn a lot of money, but it was enough for them to dress appropriately with living in the palace. The girl never got any kind of accessory, so she mainly held her hand in a simply braid, occasionally put some flowers in it, and was ready to go on with the day in aiding her father.

But she was always a curious little girl, and very often, she went outside to play and discover every nook and cranny around the palace - Which is when she met the fourth prince - Not that she knew, though.

She held some struggling and splashing in the water one night, and saw a eunuch running away. Upon investigating, she saw a child who wasn't trashing around anymore, and he was about her age. She jumped in the lotus pond, getting him to the surface and, after opening his jacket, she pressed on his chest between his lungs and leaned in to give him the kiss of life.

As expected, the boy then jolted in a sitting position and started coughing, before falling into her arms once again, exhausted.

"How are you feeling?" she asked in a gentle voice, her hand on his cheek to get his attention. "Fine...I'm better now...Whoever pushed me is going to get killed, I'll make sure of that." the boy was angry, and rightfully so. He tried to get up, but was still wobbly, so the girl helped him go back to his room, letting him lean on her side. "It was an Eunuch. I saw him running away from the pond after you got underneath the water." she told him what she saw. "Now that I think about it...Who are you? I've never seen you around the palace, have I?" he asked suspiciously. "Don't be suspicious of the person who saved your life. I am Y/N, daughter of the Royal Physician who came up with the cure for the plague." she explained in a gentle manner. "Figures. Then, that means you know who I am, don't you?" he scoffed lightly. "Uh...No, not really. Should I?" she tilted her head a little to the side. "You don't? They why did you save me?" he asked, even more confused now. "...Because you were dying?! Did you notice that? Was I supposed to let you die there? Tell me, I can quite literally drag you back to the pond and throw you back if you want? I will ask for you name first and only then rescue you." she scolded him in disbelief at his ungratefulness. "No. No, you're right. Anyway, thanks for saving me. How did you save me? I know I blacked out as some point, right?" he said, and with all the nonchalance in the world, she answered. "I gave you the kiss of life." this answer made the boy stop in his tracks, yelling at her. "YOU DID WHAT?! That’s... That’s improper! I will have you flogged and caned for that! You’re a woman, and I’m a man, and we are both unmarried, it’s... It’s...!" he gaped at her in horror. "You do realise you stopped breathing, don't you? And if I didn't get you breathing again, your heart would have stopped. If your heart stopped pumping, blood wouldn't have gone everywhere in your body, to all your organs, therefor you would have gotten a total system failure in less than 10 to 15 minutes. That means, for idiots like you who don't value life, that you would have died if I didn't do that." she rolled her eyes at him, dragging him inside the pavilion, where lots of eunuchs and maids fussed over him. "Su Peisheng! Reward this maid handsomely, she saved my life." the little boy said - He must be one of the princes, the girl thought, amused. "No thanks. I saved your life, that's all. You yelled enough at me, I don't want anything from you anymore. Next time I try to save your life, remind me to ask you your name first and only then ask consent to save your life." the girl rolled her eyes at him, thinking him hypocritical, and turned around to go home, only to have the boy catch her wrist immediately. "Then, ask for anything, and I'll give it to you." he said, very seriously. "Fine. I'm not a maid, I'm a Female Physician, therefor you must address me properly from now on. Physician Y/N. Got it?" her voice was authoritarian, but she didn't inspire malice or evil, and it quite amused the young prince. "Very well. Until we meet again, Physician Y/N." and thus, making her smile softly, she left the place with a nod of Goodnight. "Su Peisheng." the boy called out his eunuch one again. "What do Physician girls like?" he asked, almost innocently. "Forgive me, Your Highness, this one does not know, for there have not been female physicians in the palace before. However, girls usually like feminine things like clothes and accessories. Miss Y/N wasn't wearing any, as far as I saw." the eunuch provided the young prince with the information. "I see...Very well. Tomorrow, you will send some red agate earrings to her. Make sure you give them to her directly." the boy ordered his slave, who nodded in agreement.

However, the next day, the eunuch returned as he left - With the gift box in his hands and endless apologies. "Miss Y/N wanted me to inform you never to gift her...To quote her...Useless things. Pardon my rudeness, Your Highness, I am merely telling you her words. She said that expensive earrings won't help her save lives. I tried to convince her, but she threatened to throw them in the pigstry." the eunuch kowtowed to the ground in front of the young prince, only for him to raise him up and chuckle in amusement. "Don't worry, it's fine. I'll just bring them to mother and ask her for advice. This is no ordinary girl I'm dealing with."

And this way, his mother advised him to find rare healing-related books, even more so, from the West, and gift them to her. She immediately accepted them, and Yin Zhen often found the mysterious girl reading by the wisteria tree, unbothered by anything and anyone.

The 4th prince often looked at her and got reminded of his annoying 3rd prince brother, but at least she wasn't so obsolete and dissolute like him.

He would find her occasionally swinging in the Apricot garden, where it was mostly quiet and very few people visited, and even so, he would often hear her practicing flute-playing.

The next Prince she met was, to Yin Zhen’s entertainment and slight jealousy, was the 3rd Prince, Yin Zhi, as she was delivering medicine to one of the Imperial Concubines, the foreign melodious tune of an instrument she has never heard of before, and as expected, her curiosity led her directly to this Prince who seemed just a bit older than her, standing under a tree and practicing said instrument.

The girl could only stay there in awe, the wonderful melody taking over her senses and imagination, only for a sudden screech to destroy everything, making her yelp in shock. The jerk of a Prince made the bow unceremoniously scratch the violin’s strings, making a God Forsaken ear-bleeding noise.

“Hope you enjoyed that as well, stalker.” the prince sneered at her, but to his surprise, she merely chuckled. “Wonderful how such an elegant instrument can create hellish sounds in the wrong hands. Only someone hardworking, dedicated and with grace can play this instrument. You are a Prince, aren’t you?” she leaned on the tree, a knowing smirk on her face. “If you figured that out, then why aren’t you bowing to the ground right now?” the aggressiveness displayed in his voice and words seemed to contradict his actions as he sat down at the table, where neatly drawn blueprints and parts to be engineered with. “I can accept the consequences of my mistake and I even won’t protest, should you want to take my head off, should you be so kind as to explain to me the process of building this wonderful instrument. It is a Western one, is it not?” she sat down next to him, analysing the papers carefully. “What would some lowly maid like you know of Western technology? Why should I waste my time on you?” he scoffed, looking down at her. “Do you not find sharing such groundbreaking information with someone genuinely interested to be rather... Enlightening? From my short stay here, in the Palace, I have found out that the 2nd Prince is rather dissolute and promiscuous, but at the same time, a very intelligent and lonely person who cannot interact with others. From the looks of it, you simply have completely different aspirations and interests, while your brothers are solely interested in this Game of Thrones, and you cannot possibly have a proper, intellectual conversation with them. Correct me if I’m wrong, however, and I will leave you alone.” that vixen-like smile on her face made the Prince want to strangle her and wipe that stupid smirk off her face for daring to figure him out so well. At the same time, however, he hasn’t felt so challenged in his life and frankly, this little maid could prove to be more interesting than expected. “I’ll have you thrown to the Office of Punishments should you dare bore me at any time after the cheeky, daring stunt you pulled. Now, you better be paying attention to every word I am about to tell you, I hate repeating myself for dumb airheads, understood?” his voice was serious and mature, especially for someone his age, but that only meant that Y/N had what to learn from him, and for that, she was grateful. “I swear to do my best and keep up with your intellectual explanations, so please, do be patient with me for I am very grateful for the time you are taking out of your schedule to teach me.” she bowed her head to him, and thus, with a soft huff, the Prince began explaining the to the girl about the peculiar instrument in his hands. “This is called a Violin, and this is called a Bow. As you guessed, this instrument was created in the West, from a country called “Italy”, in an unknown date from the 16th century. Although paintings from back then show the Violin had 3 strings, now, as you can see, it has four...” and so, he continued by showing her the component parts of the violin both on the instrument, and on the blueprints, only for him to, in the end, gift her the ink drawing he made of the original blueprint, as a way for her to promise to continue studying on her own too.

There were many other Royal Princes and Princesses, but many weren’t as interesting as the 3rd and 4th Prince who, quite frankly, were a force to be reckoned with. While Yin Zhi would teach her how to build a clock, or show her interesting literature, Yin Zhen would be adamant in taking her horse-riding and, surprisingly, he was rather interested in her healing knowledge, thus why, he would always acquire the rarest books from all over the world and, instead of giving them for the Physicians to learn, he would gift them to this lovely maid whose company he loved so much.

Time passed quickly, they got older, both Y/N and her father rapidly advanced in their ranks thanks to their revolutionary treatments that cured every illness, and the princes all grew into fine men - Which meant that the true Game of Thrones began for everyone in the palace, not just them.

The first to go down was the Crown Prince who, as Y/N discovered, had ricing powder put in his food. “It is quite simple, and unfortunately, incredibly deadly, even in small doses. All you need is the beans from a castor oil plant, you make them into powder and... You’ve got one of the deadliest poisons there are. My only guess is, it would have to have been someone from the Imperial Kitchens who could do such a feat because, if the powder was put on the dishes after being prepared, it would still be mildly visible, whereas if it was put in a big pot, it would get homogenized and thus, leave no visible or taste trace.” Y/N explained in front of the Emperor, standing poised and ignoring all the other many eyes staring at her. “I have heard many times of ricin, but none was ever brave enough to dare bring it into the Palace, especially after I have forbidden any dish to be made with Castor oil! For the poison to act, one administration was enough?” Emperor Kangxi asked, rage and sorrow evident on his face. “No, Your Majesty. I imagine that the culprit played it smart and only added small doses of ricin powder in His Highness’s food, but regularly. I have read the Medical Files from the Bureau of Imperial Physicians and I have noticed that His Highness was complaining of an upset stomach, difficulty in breathing, occasional coughs that turned bloody over time and spiking fevers - Again, all over a rather long period of time. If the culprit were to use a large dose of powder, the Princes wouldn’t have been able to finish all the food from the plate and, therefor, the Ricin would have been tenfold easier to detect. In this situation, however, small doses meant nobody would believe His Highness got sick because of the food, because of his healthy appetite, hence why he was treated symptomatically for unrelated, yet very possible diseases.” the Female Physician went on further with the deduction, which angered the Emperor even further. “These jackals won’t even allow my sons to eat anymore! From now on, every meal will have to be tested before any person from the Royal Family eats it. Find the culprit immediately!” the Emperor thundered, his voice echoing throughout the Hall of Mental Cultivation. “Your Majesty, if I may... Ricin cannot be detected with silver, and if it is put in hot meals, it wouldn’t be traceable anymore. There is no way to detect it. While ingesting the poison is admittedly the least toxic pathway into the human body... Even with a small dose, it starts to cause internal damage in as little as 6 hours after ingesting. In regular doses, death can occur in a maximum of 3 days, which means, to my understanding, that His Highness may have started being poisoned a week ago at most.” the girl spoke confidently, but also with a tint of reticence. “Are you trying to tell me there is no way of detecting the culprit?!” the man rose up from his throne, pointing his finger at her. “On the contrary. With the grace and cooperation of His Highness, the 4th Prince, a small pouch of herbs mixed with ricin powder was found in the pockets of one of the eunuchs helping at the Imperial Kitchens. That is to say... If the truth comes out that this eunuch was the one who put the powder in the food... We need a testimony and evidence that would point towards the mastermind behind this operation of regicide. His Highness was the Crown Prince and a mere eunuch wouldn’t be affected in any way by the future Emperor, however that may be, but someone who could benefit in having another candidate on the throne would get actively involved in working from the shadows...” she didn’t dare move her sight from the furious Eye of Heaven, no matter how much she wanted to avert her eyes and look at the Prince, begging to be taken away from there because the tension was crushing. “Yin Zhen!” calling out his son’s name, he stepped next to Y/N, bowed and knelt next to her. “The two of you did good in solving this crime. From now on, the two of you shall continue unmasking the truth of this mystery and bring justice to my son, the Crown Prince, got it? No matter who it is, I will have them punished!” the Emperor’s last command was abided by the two of them bowing to the ground and calling out their responses - “Yes, Your Majesty!”

And thus, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was cleared and the two people in cause walked away, looking at each other and letting out sighs of relief.

“Let’s not do that again.” the girl managed to mutter, putting the back of her hand to her forehead, exhausted from the trial. “You’re tired just from this? I was expecting a lot worse.” the Prince smirked at her, seeing her roll her eyes. “Yes, well, the Royal Family business isn’t for me. I’m fine just healing people and studying. It’s actually relaxing, you should try that once in a while.” she nudged him softly, only for him to stop in his tracks. “What if I tell you I want you to join the Royal Family.” he crossed his arms, looking at her with a playful expression. “I’d tell you... You’ve lost your mind... And that nobody would agree to something like this. I suppose I should remind you that... I am a commoner and you are, and I hope it doesn’t come as a shock to you, not only the Prince but... A very strong candidate at being the next Crown Prince.” she shook her head in amusement. “Father wants to promote you to Noble Lady Shuyu.” he refuted immediately. “Having ‘Noble’ in a title does not make you of noble birth. Don’t make it difficult for either of us, Yin Zhen. Not to mention, you would be doing me a great disservice by marrying me.” she explained, cautiously looking around for any prying eyes. “How is giving you a life of unlimited luxuries means I’m doing you a disservice?” he stepped closer to her, holding her hands to his chest. “I am jealous, first of all. Even if I am to be your main wife, which, by the way, is impossible, you would still need to have a huge amount of concubines because that is the life of a Duke and/or the Emperor, should you actually get the title. That doesn’t exactly sit amazingly well with me to begin with... And that also means I’m not exactly the most Virtuous, Selfless and King Empress that everyone would want the woman holding this title to be. That and... If I marry into the Royal Family, I won’t be able to continue my Physician work, and I will only have to stay inside a stupid, but nicely furnished palace, with tons of servants to do whatever the hell I want and many more other women who will be jealous of me and will plot to kill me. Ah, yes and the unfortunate case of you getting bored of me for a younger girl, when we get older, but that’s just that.” she got her hands back, and smiled at him sarcastically. “You’re an impossible woman, you know that, right? If you do, you should also know that, for you, I would give up the title of Crown Prince. If I am a duke, then it shouldn’t matter if I marry one woman alone, and whether or not she continues her hobby of healing people in a palace far away from the Forbidden City, where there would be no envious eye that would wish you harm. How does that sound.” his words were soft and gentle, and with every sweet word, he could see the girl’s defenses lowering down, bit by bit. “You would be an idiot to turn down the title you worked so hard for, especially after this perfect opportunity has just knocked on our doors. Don’t be stupid, Yin Zhen. I can still love you even if we are not legally married. Listen, we both know the 2nd Prince is the culprit, right? Him and his lousy mother of his, who wants to become the next Empress. I have a plan to take both of them down, and if we succeed, your place on the throne is automatically... But we have to be very smart about it. Very, very smart. Are you in?” she turned to look at him, as he stepped very close to her, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. “Since when have you become so scheming?” he asked, proud and amused. “Since I have a reason to win.” she winked at him, putting her hand on his face so he could lean down and hear the plot.

Months passed, and Y/N has been as busy as ever taking care of the women of the Harem since Imperial Concubine Yu was pregnant and the Empress, the late 1st Prince’s mother, protectively took her under her wing, while the sole Female Physician was to take care of her.

Thankfully, every plan was set in motion and time flew so fast, it was unexpected that 9 months already passed and the Concubine was ready to give birth already. Unfortunately for her, the Empress, along with the Empress Dowager, were away to pray for Buddha, and thus, the Noble Consort was now the most powerful woman in the Harem, and able to take decisions in place of the Empress.

As Y/N helped the Concubine give birth, to her shock, she realised the baby was very much yellow - But not only the little prince’s body, but his eyes as well. It caused a lot of shock and stir ups... But the unfortunate timing of arrival of the Noble Consort was enough to grab the baby from the midwife’s hands and toss is carelessly to the eunuchs who was digging a hole in the backyard of the Empress’s palace, to bury the infant alive, while the poor Concubine mother was frantically trying to escape the grasp of the eunuch keeping her away so she could rescue her baby.

But it was in vain, and no matter how much the mother begged, the Consort was absolutely ruthless. She was digging into the dirt, trying to rescue her child, but all of the Empress’s maids were uselessly staring, frightened and very much afraid for their lives.

Smartly, Y/N went inside the Empress’s palace and took her seal - As she ran back to the scene of the crime and yelled at the Consort to end this mess.

“The golden seal of the Empress is here! Enough of this mess! Yes, the infant has golden eyes, but the truth is, this might just be a medical problem, and we cannot know for sure if it is not investigated! Under such context, we must wait for Her Highness the Empress to make the decision! Noble Consort, I have begged you again and again to cease your actions, but I have no other way of stopping you. Seeing this golden seal is like seeing Her Highness the Empress herself, whether the 17th Prince is indeed sick, and how Noble Lady Yu should be dealt with, we must all wait for the decree of Her Highness the Empress. Any other person isn’t allowed to take any arbitrary action!” as Y/N glared angrily at the Noble Consort, showing off the Imperial Box that was hiding the Empress’s seal, the well known voice of the Eunuch announcing his Majesty’s arrival resounded through the place. “What happened?” the Emperor asked, followed by the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Princes. “Greeting His Majesty. Your Majesty, the little prince was born with golden pupils. His whole body is yellow. The Empress isn’t in the palace. I’m enforcing the palace law on her behalf. I was just about to punish the mother and child, but who knew that the servants of Changchun Palace would publicly stop me.” the Consort threw a shady look at the Physician. “Your Majesty, I dare not hinder Noble Consort in implementing the law. It’s just that Her Highness the Empress repeatedly instructed that we all must protect Noble Lady Yu. Before the Empress returns, no one is allowed to make punishments without permission. Moreover, whether the little prince is indeed sick or not, as a Physician, I must advise everyone not to make conclusions based solely on what we see. There was no time for me, or any of my colleagues to check the health of the little prince, therefor, this may all just be an unfortunate misunderstanding, not a bad omen. The action of Her Highness the Noble Consort is too hasty.” Y/N confidently explained the problem for the Emperor. “You wench, how dare you speak ill of my mother?!” the new Crown Prince, the 2nd Prince, rushed forward to slap the girl’s face angrily. “Father, there is nothing impossible in this vast world. I, who has been studying various Western practices would know that what we may consider impossible or strange, other would deem normal, and vice versa. It may just be as the Female Physician says - That the 17th Prince’s golden pupils are just because of some strange illness that, if treated, will disappear.” the 3rd Prince stuck up to the girl. “Your Majesty, my child surely has some weird illness! I beg you, Your Majesty, I beg you to immediately have him treated.” the mother’s pleas melted the Emperor’s heart. “Li Yu.” the Emperor called out his head eunuch. “Call the Imperial Medical College for a consult. And find out if Physician Y/N’s father returned from his trip abroad.” and thus, the Emperor called everyone in cause once again to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to hear the testimonies and make a decision.

Two elder doctors came inside the Palace and reported their explanations to the Emperor, while the poor, desperate mother was thrown out of the room so she could calm down and stop shrieking.

“I’ve seen a lot of babies with yellowish faces, but I’ve never seen a case where the pupils are also golden yellow.” one of them explained. “Is there no way to cure him?” Yin Zhen asked the Physicians. “This is not an illness, so there is no way to cure it. There is no such thing as a child with golden pupils in this world.” Physician Zhang answered adamant. “I know Your Majesty is unwilling to do it, but if we don’t resolve it today, if the sun rises tomorrow, the news that a Noble Lady of the Forbidden Palace has given birth to a child with golden pupils will spread to the empire as if it has wings. I fear that people will be in panic and it will be hard to handle the consequences. Hence, I hardened my heart, all for Your Majesty’s sake, for the Qing Empire. Even if everyone will blame me for it, I won’t mind. Your Majesty, why are you still hesitating?” the dead silence that followed was, as if on cue, disturbed by the baby’s cries. With a hurried smile, Y/N hurried to take the baby in her arms and kneel in front of the Emperor. “Your Majesty, look! Although the little prince is yellowish all over, his cry is very strong! Your Majesty, he is a live person and he is connected with Your Majesty by blood! How could you kill him so easily?!” Y/N spoke quickly, hoping to appeal to the Emperor’s soft heart strings. “Isn’t the Empress to kind? Indulging a mere physician to act like this? When your masters are talking, how could you interfere?!” the Noble Consort harshly reprimanded the girl. “I recognize my mistakes, however, as a Physician myself, while it is true that I do not know everything in this world, I can also say that I had my fair share of travelling, albeit, not as much as my father. The yellowing of the body may as well be jaundice, especially if we take into account the severity of the colour. In some texts that I have read, it is said that, on rare occasions, if the jaundice is severe, it may even affect the colour of the eyes. Your Majesty, I have no reason to work against anyone. My work is to heal people, which is why I am fighting so hard to save this child - Not only because he is Your Majesty’s child, but because all lives must be treasured and treated with great importance. If this child is sick and I can cure him, than I have done my purpose in life.” the girl gritted her teeth, trying to control herself. “Father, can’t you see you’ve been indulging this wench for far too long? You give a common wench a helping hand, and now look how unruly and disruptive she is! Speaking back to her superiors! Shameless!” the Crown Prince growled at the girl who was incriminating his mother. “Father, if I may - As Physician Y/N said, all of our Imperial Physicians have been working only inside the palace for so long. If a strange illness occurs, they may have no knowledge of that, perhaps even outside of the usual textbooks. If I understood correctly, Y/N father has returned to the palace just yesterday, perhaps his opinion will be of use, should this simply be a case of misdiagnosis.” the 4th Prince quickly defended her. “Nonesense! Could a distinguished Imperial Physician of the Imperial Medical College have less knowledge and experience than a common maid like you with no proper training or education?” Physician Zhang scoffed at her. “Your Majesty, although I’m well-versed in children’s illnesses, there is nothing truly impossible in this vast world. Maybe there are still a lot of strange illnesses that I’ve never had a chance to be in contact with. Many Physicians tried to get rid of the plague, but only Physician Liyue was able to do it, a common man from outside the Palace with no former education. Just because we haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it can’t exist.” Physician Yang spoke modestly. “Physician Yang, are you old and muddled?! A matter that you yourself isn’t sure of, you dare report it to His Majesty?! If a problem indeed occurs, a natural calamity or a human-made disaster, can you bare the crime? No. Your Majesty, this concerns the fortune of the Qing Empire. You mustn’t be soft-hearted.” the Noble Consort quickly responded as harsh as ever.

However, just as she said that, Y/N’s father clumsily stepped inside the room and knelt next to his daughter, greeting the Emperor who, in haste, told him to check the child.

In doing so, he merely smiled and said the same diagnosis as his daughter did.

Jaundice.

“Can’t be. Not like I haven’t seen jaundice in children before.” Physician Zhang refuted immediately. “That’s because you are lacking in knowledge. Your Majesty, this jaundice, even if it’s not treated, the little prince would recover within 7 days. This illness is pathological and related to the bile of the expectant mother. It is usually connected with the pregnant mother having too much accumulation of bile.” the father explained. “Your daughter gave the same diagnosis.” the Emperor muttered. “Can it be cured?” “Your Majesty, don’t worry. If I prescribe a formula to reduce the jaundice, in less than 2 weeks, the 17th prince’s jaundice will subside.” and thus, the Emperor ordered to have the child be treated with care...And the Consort changed sides as much as her face changed instantly.

And thus, the Emperor forgave the Consort and had this matter be banned from being talked of...Until the 4th Prince spoke up.

“Father, before we leave, I had urgent news to speak to you about, and they concern the Noble Consort.” the Prince left his father’s side and stepped in front of him, next to Y/N. “Is this about your brother’s death?” the Emperor’s face became grim as soon as he saw the nod of the prince’s head. “Very well, speak.” “Su Peisheng, have the body brought in.” the Prince ordered. “Noble Consort, you are not afraid when you kill a man, so why are you afraid when you see a corpse?” the Prince asked, simply, as he took off the sheet to show off the man’s face. “Do you not recognise him? Or perhaps, your son does?” the Prince interrogated the indignant woman. “What are your implications, Yin Zhen?!” the Crown Prince stomped in front of his brother. “Your Mayesty, this is the Mongolian chef from the Imperial Kitchen. While he is also the one who cooked food for Noble Lady Yu, he is also the one who prepared the daily Mongolian treat that the 1st Prince enjoyed so much.” Yin Zhen spoke up confidently. “That’s right... Your Majesty, I have taken care of Noble Lady Yu since the beginning of her pregnancy, and pretty early on, Noble Lady Yu was gifted Mongolian scones from her hometown. She loved them so much, I imagine she ate quite a lot. She said she had no idea there was a Mongolian chef in the Palace and she was incredibly happy to see that she could eat her home food after so long. She would eat three pieces every day - At least that’s what I saw, if she ate more when I wasn’t supervising her, I cannot know.” the Physician girl explained as she stood up, tall and ready for action. “Your Majesty, I had these scones be brought here as well.” the 4th Prince spoke and a scone was given to Y/N’s father. “Do you know what they are made of?” her father asked as he took a bite. “I believe milk was added to the dough, or ghee to the skin. She also ate assorted confectionary to replace staple food.” Y/N told her father. “Yes, I understand. Your Majesty, the child contracted jaundice mostly because the mother’s body is moist and hot, so the bile gets accumulated. I usually advise pregnant women to watch their food intake and not to eat too much sweet, hot and unpleasant smelling food, to prevent damage to the spleen and stomach.” Physician Liyue explained. “Ah, I understand. I didn’t give it much thought because Mongolian women are used to eating these things, but since she’s been away from home for so long, her body adjusted to our food, so naturally, getting a large intake of food from home again made her body react as ours would.” Y/N nodded in understanding. “Very well, so we have found out the truth behind the Prince’s illness. Now, Yin Zhen, tell me about the body. Who killed him.” the Emperor urged his son to speak. “We just have to look at who wanted the 17th Prince buried alive the most and we will know. And on who benefits the most in having our 1st Prince brother killed.” Yin Zhen explained. “That man is dead, brother. On what bases are you accusing me and my mother?” the Crown Prince sneered at his younger brother. “Your Majesty, the 17th Prince was just born, he is just an innocent child. Why would anyone want him dead? Unless... Someone didn’t want him to be born safely to begin with. Carefully thinking about it, since Noble Lady Yu got pregnant, Her Highness the Noble Consort has repeatedly made things difficult for her. First, using her dog to cause her trauma at the Imperial Gardens, and then repeating the same feat at the Lychee banquet organized by Her Highness the Empress. When Noble Lady Yu gave birth, the first person to charge in Changchun Palace was also Her Highness the Noble Consort. She insisted on having the 17th Prince buried alive. To say that this matter has nothing to do with her, it’s really hard for anyone to believe that.” Y/N accused the Consort, only to be, once again, slapped by her son. “Father, this is a conspiracy, don’t listen to the lies of this servant! It is a plot made to frame me and my Royal Mother!” the Crown Prince desperately tried to defend himself. “Father, if this is a conspiracy, why then everyone else asked for a Physician to be brought and inspect the 17th Prince’s condition, while only the Noble Consort alone was so adamant in killing the child?” Yin Zhen struck again. “Not to mention, even when Noble Lady Yu went up to her to stop her, she didn’t spare her. Instead, she ordered her to be killed along with the child. If she truly had no intention to kill, why was she so hasty and resolute?” Y/N chimed in quickly. “Your Majesty, you cannot sentence myself or the Crown Prince merely just based on a corpse and some speculations! This person is dead, who knew if someone else forced him to kill himself as to frame me and my son?” the Noble Consort shrieked desperately. “Father, when I sent my men to the Imperial Kitchen, they discovered one letter written in blood and 20 taels of gold. It shows that this person had sensed that something bad would happen to him. Father, look for yourself at the evidence left behind.” and thus, the eunuch brought forth a messy letter and the Prince showed it to the Emperor -” 'The person who will silence me will surely be the Crown Prince’ - And with this, father, we found a small pouch of Ricin laying on top of it. It means that the culprits behind these two crimes that we thought unrelated are, in fact, mother and son.” the 4th prince explained, picking up the pouch as well. “Wh-What?! What is this madness? I would ever use such a stupid servant to kill my brother!” the Crown Prince yelled out, but it was in vain. “Not only that, testimonies from the Office of Punishments came out. The men from the Imperial Kitchens that were involved in either of these crimes, all ratted out their mastermind and all point out towards either Noble Consort or the 2nd Prince.” the Prince continued, and the atmosphere in the place was harder and harder to bear. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, it really wasn’t like this! I really didn’t know! I’m being framed! Framed! Me... My son...! We’re being framed!” the Consort tried to beg, plea and weep, but nothing worked. “ENOUGH! I don’t want to hear any more explanations from you. You killed my beloved son out of greed, just for you to become the next Crown Prince. I have overlooked so many of your mistakes and evidence of a possible coup... You were already the Crown Prince, what more did you want?! Shameless, both of you! Men, take them away! Both of them shall be thrown into the Cold Palace until further notice!” the Emperor’s rage seethed fear into everyone, as they bid his order, uncaring of the two’s desperate pleas. “Yin Zhen, you did well. Although a tragic truth, I was expecting this. As the matter of a new Crown Prince has to be instilled, I will make the final Imperial Edict tomorrow... However, you must know that you are the chosen one. I only wish that you do not act as carelessly and shamelessly as your brother did.” the Emperor sighed, feeling older than ever. “Father...I...! Your Majesty, you are magnanimous, I do not know how to thank you.” the Prince kowotowed to the ground, only to hear a weak chuckle from his father. “Rise, no need for that. Physician Y/N, you and your father once again saved us with your vast knowledge and expertise. I shall grant you both the title of Noble Officials of the Third Rank and shall enjoy all the benefits and luxuries that come with it. You have served me well and I am sure you will continue to do so in the future as well. You are all dismissed.” the Emperor said as everyone bowed to greet him off. “That worked better than expected.” the Prince smirked, looking down at the stunned girl. “Am I a genius or what?” she spoke breathlessly before starting to laugh in glee. “Dear, I have no idea what silly thing you plotted while I was away, but... I have to say, you pulled quite the stunt.” her father patted her hair lovingly. “I suppose once in a while I do like to have some dangerous fun, huh? Good thing I have two Royal Helping Hands to take me out of the water should I suddenly forget to swim.” she grinned carelessly, only for her father to shake her head, smiling. “Just be careful. Although... I am sure you will be protected. I will take my leave now.” and with a small bow, the left the three alone. “Was any of that true?” the 3rd Prince eyed the two carefully. “Well... She really did want to kill the baby by burying it alive. The rest was... Induced or fabricated. But nobody has to know, right? It’s all our dirty little secret.” the girl winked at him and, taking the 4th Prince’s hand, pulled him outside. “How does it feel being a Noble Lady?” the Prince chuckled, pulling her close to his chest and smiling warmly. “None the wiser.” she snorted in amusement. “Honestly, Yin Zhen, it’s just a title. It’s not like anyone is going to care in any way. I am still going to be just a common girl with no right to stay anywhere close to you. Besides, you know as well as I do that, in the very small chance that the Emperor does accidentally impregnate a common maid and he wives her, she is still going to be treated poorly and will be bound to the Back Palace alone. You know as well as I do that nobody is allowed to enter the Back Palace so freely. I don’t want any of that.” she spoke, cautiously. “If I am going to be the Emperor, that mean the whole China is going to be mine. It doesn’t matter which woman is my Empress, as long as all the other concubines are there for political reasons. All they care about is wealth, fame and luxuries for their families, but none care for me the way you do. You saved me from drowning when you had no idea who I was, and you rejected any gift I gave you that wasn’t useful for your education. I know you don’t want to be pretentious or have me think that you love me solely for luxuries but that does not mean I should be forbidden from pampering you whenever I feel like it. Just accept it. I do not want any other woman to stay in the Empress’s throne besides me other than you. Don’t deny me that, Y/N.” he cupped her face, making her look up at him, his eyes tender and filled with love. “I can’t do it, Yin Zhen. I can’t. I can’t let you damage your image. You will be the best Emperor China’s ever had, you cannot have a common peasant woman be the Mother of the Nation. You will found a woman to genuinely love you and care for you as much as I do, and she will be worthy of you, and of noble blood... And you will forget about me, and I will no longer inconvenience you. You will be just fine without me, Yin Zhen.” her eyes gleaming, close to tears, as she spoke those painful words, but the prince had none of that. “I will have none of that modesty and selflessness of yours. Keep that to yourself. I am going to be the Emperor. The Eye of Heaven. If I cannot even choose the woman I love to be my Empress, than what’s the point in being diligent in everything else? No matter how hard working you are, at the end of the day, you need to have clarify and peace from your confidante, and for me, that is you. I will hear no more of your excuses, I will solve all of them. In fact, I know just how you can get the ultimate approval from my father, as if everything you’ve done so far over the years hasn’t been enough. In a month, the palace will hold a banquet for the Princess of Western Liang and her Diplomatic Corp. I trust you and you alone to accompany me to this. I know it’s not something you are used to, but I will prepare people to teach you the basic according skills needed. This is all you’re going to need to do, and it will impress Father without a doubt. Please, Y/N. Do it for me. Do it for us. I want to marry you and love you. I want to see you dressed in the most gorgeous Empress dress, to have you by my side at the coronation, to see you smile as I put accessories in your hair. I want to see you happy, and I want to see you by my side every day and every night. Screw the rules, the Emperor can do as he pleases in his private time.” the fire inside Yin Zhen’s heart seemed to reach the girl for she merely smiled and, with an unexpected turn of events, she threw her hands around his neck and pulled him down into a deep kiss. “You better abide your own words, otherwise this Empress is going to drive her new hair pin into your jugular vein and have you assassinated in your sleep.” she muttered with a teasing smirk. “That’s the Y/N I love.” and with that, he pulled her into another, and yet another kiss, with as much fire, love and passion as the previous ones.

For the whole month, the girl, getting used to servants and new luxuries in her home, trained in all the skills Yin Zhen’s servants thought necessary, as to become a proper Noble Lady and, as he would always say, His Empress.

As she was practicing her walking on heels through the palace, her maid, Shi Lian, seemed to be in quite the mood for chatting, telling her that the Western Liang delegation came by just earlier that day and that they are carrying this beautiful, exotic precious unique hairpin. However, unexpectedly, a huge crowd started gathering all around the two and the people started pulling and pushing around aimlessly, creating a huge commotion, making her fall on the street. Thankfully, just as she was about to get crashed by an incoming carriage horse, she felt lifted up.

“Are you injured?” the sweet voice of the man who so heroically rescued her called out, brushing a strand of hair from her face as he protectively held her waist. “Thanks to you, I am. Are you my guardian angel or what? I can’t believe how perfectly you arrived to save me.” she put her hand to her chest, trying to calm down. “I had orders to greet the corp. You silly... It’s great fate that I’m here. I’ll bring you back and send for an Imperial Physician to look after you.” he spoke strictly, only for the curtains of the carriage to be harshly drawn away and a glaring woman to stick her head out of the window. “4th Prince, are you going to leave me and the envoys of Western Liang behind?” she scolded in an evil way. “...Yin Zhen, I am alright, I promise. Shi Lian is with me. You said it yourself, this banquet is important, you cannot leave. Go attend your business. I insist.” the girl looked him deep into his eyes, knowing that they always understood each other from their looks. “Fine. But I will leave a guard behind to escort you home. Take care, Y/N.” and thus, with one last look, he left, as Y/N could only smile at how caring and attentive her hero is.

The silly man, however, as expected, dotted so much on her that he called her own father to care for her.

“Miss, looks like 4th Prince really cares about you! Ah, before I forget, the Matron has a massage for you. This afternoon, the Princess of Western Liang will be visiting the Imperial Palace and you are designated as her retinue.” Shi Lian’s sweet and innocent smile quickly disappeared. “Oh... Great. I have to take care of a bitch. May the Heaven watch over me.” Y/N muttered as she leaned her head on her father’s shoulder. “I heard she is pretty aggressive. She’d bully maidens without excuses. She’s fearsome... Miss, you have to be more careful.” the maid held her master’s hands, looking worried at her. “Don’t worry, I can do it. If this is the last step towards success, not even all the torture Wu Zetian went through can stop me.” Y/N’s voice was low, dark and dangerous. She was like a fearsome lioness ready to strike and maul anyone approaching her cub.

The next afternoon, after dressing is soft and demure looking clothes, Y/N went to show the Princess around the Imperial Palace. The load of exotic jewelry would blow away anyone’s mind, but she wasn’t interested in anything except for the fine craftmanship and the great detail put into everything.

“Ah, it’s you who was saved by 4th Prince yesterday morning outside the palace! To think 4th Prince would ignore me because of a slave girl!” the Princess stared at her condescendingly. “I am but a humble Palace maid. Surely 4th Prince would pay his undivided attention to you, Princess.” the girl bowed respectfully in front of the Princess. “I’d love to see what you’ve got! I heard the Tea ceremony of the Great Qing is extraordinary. Blow away my mind!” the Princess ordered immediately.

Thanking Yin Zhen for having all his servants meticulously teach her every art needed, Y/N proceeded in preparing the Tea Ceremony in such an elegant and graceful manner that the Princess was greatly jealous.

“She’s just a slave girl! In what position is she compared with me? Somebody drive her away, I don’t like her!” however, just as she was throwing her tantrum, Yin Zhen’s eunuch came by to invite Y/N to the banquet.

With a smile on her face, she went back to her home to change in the outfit prepared by the 4th Prince himself, and at dusk, when the glowing sunset brought out Yin Zhen’s most handsome features, she saw him. Tiredness was painted on his face.

“Yin Zhen... You look exhausted. Will you be alright?” she asked softly, cautiously raising her hand to caress his face. “I will be, yes. I am merely worried about you... But seeing you like this lifted all my worries. You are the most beautiful woman in the world.” saying so, he caressed her hand, kissing it. “I have to look my best when standing besides the most handsome man in the world, correct?” she winked cheekily at him, and thus, they went together inside the palace where the banquet was taking place.

There were songs, and dances, and just about anything you could expect - And there, on display, the precious hairpin of Western Liang, the jewel inlaid to it glistening mesmerisingly.

Seeing her confused look, he explained that the envoys are willing to part with the hairpin as a tribute only if they pass several tests. As it was a matter o Great Qing’s reputation, His Majesty couldn’t possibly refuse.

“Three tests and the hairpin is ours? How arrogant. No matter, I’m sure we can beat them.” the girl scoffed, standing besides Yin Zhen’s seat.

The first test, as expected, was Music. Western Liang sends out an envoy adept in music. The test is rather prompt to the palace and no one is prepared for that, so no one responds. Truly, perhaps she was a master at playing Pipa, and she was beautiful too, but that was not to say some intimidation wouldn’t work on the arrogant and prideful Western Liang.

“How do you like this song, Your Highness?” the girl asked, a proud smile on her face. “Very well. Your pipa is superbly crafted.” the Emperor spoke, making the girl frown, indignant. “You only complimented the pipa. Does that mean you don’t like the song?” the girl asked, offended. “That is an understatement. Though I am not an expert, I can tell the song you played was ingenious. However, and pardon me for being blunt, your skill is quite ordinary.” the 4th Prince commented, making Y/N bite her lip to stop herself from chuckling. “This is the Number 1 ancient tune from Western Liang. Few people in Qara-Hoja can play it. The way I play it is considered sound from Heaven.” the girl was angrily gripping her pipa. “Sound from Heaven? That’s an overstatement! I might as well tell you, a song like that, any Palace maid in the Qing Empire can play.” and thus, Y/N walked forward, holding the beautiful wine pot, as if to serve the pipa player. “Any? Any maid at all? Fine, can YOU play it?” the girl asked, volcanic-like. “No really... But the song you played... I’ve been practicing it since childhood.” and thus, Y/N sat down in place of the Western Liang pipa player and played her own tune with perfect dexterity. “If a Palace Maid can play it, why am I here?” and thus, the first win was awared to the Qing Empire.

With a modest bow, Y/N went back by Yin Zhen’s side, and to the trained eye, it was obvious the both of them were radiating with pride for one another.

The second test is about Poetry. Western Liang’s envoy is rather accomplished in literature, however, no one can defeat Yin Zhen’s outstanding talent.

“Y/N, you write for me. You have beautiful calligraphy and can write fast enough. I trust you.” and thus, the two of you sit down at a table in the middle of the banquet - Yin Zhen pours out elegant line after line, as Y/N carefully writes down the love poem that, no doubt was dedicated to her. An hour elapses and neither admits defeat. No one dares to even breathe heavily, fearing they might disturb the two poets.

Despite everyone’s concentration, the ink maid’s hand trembles just enough to pour ink all over Y/N’s paper and clothes. “What’s your problem?!” Y/N gasped from shock at being covered by the black liquid. “Pardon me, I didn’t mean it!” the maid nonchalantly says as she bows to the groud. “I saw it perfectly. That maid didn’t mean it... But the maid that writes has got such a temper!” unable to say anything, Y/N looked at the Prince who allowed her to quickly go change into another outfit, just as beautiful and chosen by him, and return. That Princess was going to be roasted pork very soon. “Careless as that maid is, this one is only too stupid. They both should be punished, or that’s unfair for 4th Prince.” the evil Princess sneered. “Western Liang is nowhere near the sea, but I have a feeling the Princess of Western Liang lives by the sea.” Yin Zhen retorted immediately. “What does that mean?” the Princess asked, confused, only for Y/N to smirk at her beloved’s silver, witty tongue. To think that this Bitchy Princess would trouble herself with a sea of trivials, despite her affections for him. “Your Highness, I am willing to make up for my mistake and write down what 4th Prince just composed, not missing a single word.” and so she did, shocking the Princess with her fantastic memory and even more, her elegant calligraphy. And thus, Yin Zhen gets easily the 2nd win.

The two then needed a break and went outside, to look at the beautiful moon and feel the chilly breeze of Spring. Y/N, without a care, leaned on Yin Zhen’s, sighing content.

“I know I’m amazing, but to think some bitchy Princess would get jealous of me... That’s something else.” Y/N muttered, clinging lazily on his sleeve. “I know she has ill-intentions towards you. That maid, my men have been tracing her. She is working for the Princess to frame you.” the Prince spoke, aggravated. “Well, good for her. She couldn’t beat us. We are the true perfect match of Heaven and Earth. Nothing can keep us apart.” Y/N scoffed at the lame princess’s intentions, making the Prince chuckle. “Fearless as always. You are incredible.” he commented, simple, but effective. “Oh, you should see yourself, my darling. Do you know what the 3rd test is about?” she asked, only to see him shake his head. “Not sure yet, no. But whatever it is, I fear the Princess would want to be the one to compete against you. She’s just that petty.” the Prince explained, only for a servant to call the two inside.

Apparently, the Princess decided that the last test would be, lo’ and behold, Dancing. It was perfect. She knew just what to do.

“I am just a maid. Never have I thought I’d have the privilege to compete against Her Highness, the Princess of Western Liang.” Y/N bowed in front of the Princess gracefully, only for the Princess to sneer arrogantly. “You don’t deserve it! However... You played a part in the two previous tests. I’d like to see if you really have what it takes, or you are just borrowing help from the 4th Prince. So? You dare not?!” the Princess raised her voice aggressively. “I do have nothing that’s worth mentioning... However, I do believe that dancing should be one of my strengths. Allow me to change into the appropriate outfit for dancing and I shall show you, Your Highness.” and thus, Y/N quickly left the banquet to change into a beautiful Tang dynasty pink outfit the flowed like water around her, highlighting her featured delicately. Her hair, she had the top part in a bun, with beautiful golden hair pins decorated with agate and pearls, and wore agate earrings as well. On her face, despite the gorgeous make up, she had a half mask, outstandingly embellished with different precious gems that would sparkle brighter than the whole Western Liang.

Y/N watched the Princess dancing first - A rather basic dance, beautiful, yet, but of no fantastic feat. Despite all this, all envoys seem to think very little the little Physician girl, and even His Majesty and his Ministers seem to show little faith in her. Understandable, she thought, considering that all her life she strayed away from luxuries and feminine arts and studies.

“Do you see? Looks like you are just a slave girl to everyone! You don’t deserve the competition against me!” the Princess laughed, taunting the girl, who merely smiled. “Then, Your Highness might want to be careful... Because losing to me... It’s really mortifying.” and thus, hearing the Prince reassuring his father that she will win without a doubt, Y/N proceeded in dancing the most beautiful dance.

Lanling Prince in Battle.

Throughout the month, she has been perfecting this dance in front of Yin Zhen, and it was his favourite. Such a tragic love story, of two lovers, their hearts and souls united in life and in death, no matter what. A love story of a woman loving a man so much that she would even march to war to bring him back. A love story of a man so tormented by his wife’s death that he goes insane and destroys everything in his path.

The half mask, symbolizing the beautiful features of the man, and the beautiful face of the woman, a dance that symbolizes their feelings, their love, themselves, the fate, their life - A single dance, a single person, symbolizing two soulmates.

It was the perfect dance, and it was to no wonder that this was their favourite dance... To dance together. Although it was a dance for one person alone, Yin Zhen could never resist embracing her and dancing with her. He couldn’t resist touching her and holding her up in his graces as if she was a Goddess.

It took every ounce of strength the Prince had not to join her in the dance, but as she finished, everyone was so in awe that they forgot to breathe, only to then burst into cheerful and loud applause.

“I... Lost? No... No way... How...?” the Princess was shocked as if by lightning. Absolutely horrified that a slave girl was infinitely better than her. “Do tell me how the Prince helped me here.” Y/N smirked condescendingly at the Princess who started growling. “Y-You...! How dare you?! A stupid slave girl, speaking back to me?! You deserve to be punished!” the Princess started wagging her finger accusatory at her. “Like you wanted to punish the maid who deliberately threw ink on the poem paper, realizing that Western Liang cannot, in this world, beat the Prince’s genius? Is this what Western Liang has to do to win? Cheat and frame? How ridiculous and disappointing.” Y/N shrugged simply, walking by the 4th Prince’s side. “Your Majesty! She wants me to call white black and even sow discord between the two nations! Justice be served, Your Majesty!” the maid shrieked, pointing at Y/N, as the girl sighed, taking off the mask. “I’m the bad guy now, huh?” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I got my people, and you don’t have the right to an opinion here. You are from Western Liang.” the Prince, having made a secret investigation earlier, seemed to have enough evidence to get those two into trouble, but now enough to actually create a war. “As virtue rises one foot, vice rises ten. Prince, you are incredible. The maid was going to make you trip. If you had, no matter how beautiful you danced, there was no way you would have won. Still, you were as beautiful as ever. Congratulations, you are the reason behind Qing’s wins. I told you I know why I have faith in you completely.” he praised as he poured her a cup of wine, making her seat next to him and celebrate their win, as the Princess is taken out of the palace to receive punishment when she returns home.

And thus, Western Liang not only lose all 3 tests, but they are also completely humiliated by their Princess’s cheating, and present the hairpin, shamefully.

“Son, you earned this hairpin, I will confer it upon you!” the Emperor handed the hairpin to his son, who bowed his head as a thanks. “I thank you, Royal Father. However, may I ask for another grace? To give it to someone else?” he asked, as the Emperor laughed. “Now that I’ve given it to you, it’s totally up to you.” and thus, as Yin Zhen opens the delicately embellished box, he takes out the hair pin, walking in front of Y/N. “Come here. I promised I will be the one to put accessories in your hair. You earned this, my love.” he said as he put his hand on her waist, kissing her forehead. “U-Uh... Yin Zhen... Everyone is looking at us.” Y/N muttered bashfully, unable to look at him. “Good. I want them to know that you are my wife, and my future Empress, and that if anyone even dares to think of laying a finger on you, they are going to be brutally disposed of.” he smiled sweetly, lifting her chin up with his finger. “Very bold, doing that in front of even your Father. Very good. What a wonderful husband I have.” she chuckled lightly as she was guided outside, to watch the fireworks show. “I already told him I want to marry you. Wasn’t much he could say after today’s wonderful wins. I have to say, you are really good at making people do what you want.” Yin Zhen chuckled lightly, bringing the girl to his chest. “You know what I think? That you talk too much and that you should kiss your wife more often. How’s that sound, My Darling Emperor?” Y/N smirked like a vixen. “I love the sound of that... My Little Physician Empress.”

155 notes · View notes

its-deputy-caleb · 3 years

Text

Four Lord’s with a ftm!S/O

a lot of ppl requested a ftm reader with the four lords so i tried to incorporate them all together here, i know everyone’s experiences are different and for people who are trans everyone is at different stages of transitioning so this may not be for everyone: to try and be as inclusive as possible the four lords talk about different areas of transitioning! As always pls enjoy!!

Alcina Dimitrescu

One would simply assume that because Alcina openly shows her distaste for men that she wouldn’t give you a second glance. But you’d be wrong about that.

She’s extremely overprotective of people that she loves and as a member of her family you hold a special place in her heart.

Alcina has been by your side the whole time you’ve transitioned, making sure you’re comfortable everyday and complimenting you every chance she gets.

She has the maidens make you the finest suits with all the expensive accessories like ties, pins and brooches. Everything has a gold inlay and while it may be overwhelming at times she says that you deserve to be treated like a king.

Alcina makes sure the maidens cut your hair every few weeks so that you’re always looking sharp for when you’re at family dinner with her and her daughters.

If anyone is transphobic or misgenders you she will not hesitate to cut them to ribbons on the spot, her long claws ready to kill whoever could’ve hurt you. She’ll never stand for anyone who offends her family.

“Here in House Dimitrescu, we support trans rights!”

The Castle is your sanctuary where you’re allowed to be yourself. Not only does Alcina love you for who you are but the girls adore you and see you as a fatherly figure to them, you’re the perfect addition to their family and they’d change nothing about you.

Donna Beneviento

Donna is your number one supporter. The minute you told her she wrapped her arms around you and said just how proud she was of you.

She’s quite the seamstress herself and so she always finds time to make you clothes for you to wear. Some of your favourite things to do together is explore the old Manor for fabrics that you might like.

It took her a few weeks to perfect but eventually she made you a binder that you could wear. She spent ages finding the right fabrics and threads to use, even taking trips to the duke to make sure the binder she made was safe for you to use.

She never forgot the smile you had on your face when you had it on for the first time looking in the mirror, a brand new shirt over the top. It was the first time in a long time where you saw yourself for who you are.

You and Angie get on like a house on fire, causing mischief where you can and Donna can’t help but smile when she sees you both return from some adventure in the lycan den, covered in blood and chuckling. Donna and Angie couldn’t be happier to have you in their lives.

Donna loves you so much and is always there for you through your dysphoria. She’s always patient and will listen to you for hours while you get everything off your chest. She’ll sit with you and rub slow circles on you shoulder, an arm wrapped around you as she tells you how amazing and handsome you are.

If Donna so much as hears someone misgender you or provoke you, Angie is coming at them with a pair of scissors and a mini army of dolls behind her. Hearing those things about you makes her blood boil and it’s one of the few times she gets truly angry.

What you love about her is how she sees you for yourself and doesn’t define you for being trans but instead sees it as something that builds to someone who she already loves regardless.

Salvatore Moreau

Salvatore has the biggest heart when it comes to you. He understands what it feels like to be rejected and to feel like you don’t belong anywhere but he could never imagine what it’d feel like to be a stranger to your own body. That’s why he’s always thought you were so brave for being who you are, no matter how hard it can get sometimes.

He does a lot of research, trying to find ways that he can comfort you and support you. Of course as a physician he’s got some medical background and that’s why he’s never failed to support you through your medical transition, whether it’s hormones or surgery it’s something Sal can understand and wants to be there for you.

If you have scars, he loves them. He’s constantly complimenting your body and telling you just how perfect you are to him knowing that it helps with your dysphoria. If you don’t have scars it’s still the same, he’s still your biggest supporter and doesn’t love you any less.

You love taking walks together or doing activities on the lake like fishing or swimming. There’s been times when you’ve protected him from lycans and other creatures to which he always refers to you as his “knight”, a nickname which has stuck with you.

One thing Salvatore hates is when people are transphobic towards you. He hates to yell and get angry but he won’t hesitate to turn into a giant fish and spit venom back onto anyone who tried to do it to you. Maybe he loses his cool from time to time but you mean the world to him and you bring out his protective side.

Salvatore just wants to see you happy at all costs and he’ll do anything to make you feel more like yourself. Sometimes that involves running to the top of the hill behind the reservoir and announcing to all who’s near that you’re the man and that you’re the most amazing person. And sometimes it means you’re curled up on the couch in front of the television with a warm cup of hot chocolate in your hand and a cheese platter for you to share and cuddle up together afterwards.

Karl Heisenberg

Karl is super supportive and understanding when it comes to you being trans. He’s always chill and makes you feel comfortable but in his softer moments will make you feel loved beyond imagination.

He makes you armour, teaches you how to fight, lets you pick out weapons you like until you’re more skilled and cunning to defeat even him. He’s so proud of you and is always by your side through all your transitions.

The two of you often get up to a lot of mischief together, sneaking into Alcina’s castle for good wine or taking on the giants near House Beneviento. It’s a way for you to be care free and allows you to be who you are without judgment.

If he sees you’re feeling dysphoric about your scars, he won’t hesitate to show you the array of scars he’s obtained from the battlefield. He’ll tell you about how you should be proud of them; they show how far you’ve come and how much you’ve fought for who you are. Of course Karl will also boost your ego by telling you just how tough scars make you look.

You and Karl spend your nights working away on new designs for armour and weapons, welding long into the night and modifying the machinery on Strum. It ends up with you both passed out on the couch, covered in grime and sweat far too exhausted for a shower.

Alcina called it the behaviour of “man-things” and that you and Karl could at least make the effort to bathe but it ended up with you both bursting into laughter and getting right back to work, wearing your boyish behaviour with pride.

Regardless of the fun you had with Karl, he truly cared for you and understood what it was like to have bad days. That’s why he’s always been supportive and does his best to show you that he loves you no matter who you are.

#alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitrescu x reader #karl heisenberg #karl heisenberg x reader #donna beneviento #donna beneviento x reader #salvatore moreau #salvatore moreau x reader #resident evil headcanons #resident evil 8 #resident evil village #resident evil #asks #prompt #🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

306 notes · View notes

autumnleaves1991-blog · 4 years

Text

The Next One’s on You 5/5

A/N: This is it my loves, the end of our tale. Thank you so much for supporting my small idea and coming back each time to read more. I have loved reading every single comment and it means the world to me that you loved this story as much as I have. Thank you.

Pairing: Maxwell Lord x F! Reader

Warning: 18 + for language, violence - assault, attempted murder. Mention of abortion.

Taglist: @josepedropascal @mrschiltoncat @mrsparknuts @ghostwiththemostbitch @zannemes @oldstuffnewstuff @yespolkadotkitty @heythere-mel @justanotherblonde23 @artsymaddie @anetteaneta @maxlordsgf

My Masterlist

Chapter 5: Decaf Coffee

You jump at the sound of knuckles rasping sharply on the back door. No one would be knocking at the back door if they were customers. Which left you with only a few choices; your family, Giselle, or…. You slowly rise. Feet chilled against the tiled floor, as you walk closer to the door. The knocking gets more insistent as you get closer. Hand shaking you reach toward the handle and flick the lock, pulling the door open slowly. Heart pounding so hard you worry it’s going to jump out of your chest.

The alley is dark and…empty. Your heart sinks and you can faintly hear footsteps walking back toward the street. A muffled curse from far away and you clear your throat and let out a hoarse “hello?” The footsteps stop and then come pounding back on the pavement toward you. Louder and louder until a figure appears in the dark and stands in the shadows watching you. “Who are you?” you ask exhaustedly.

He steps into the light and your breath catches in your throat before your heart turns cold. “What the fuck do you want?” you hiss, lips turning down, and defenses rising.

“I come with a message for you,” Tom steps out of the shadow, “Mrs. Lord sent me this for you,” he hands out a check and you step further into the shop moving to slam the door.

“Why would that devil woman want to give me money?!”

His hand shoots out to grab the door as you move to close it and he wedges a foot to keep it ajar. “Just fucking listen to me you bitch,” he grunts as you try to shut the door. But it’s to not avail he shoves the door open and stands their panting.

“What else?! What else could she possibly want with me? She took the love of my life away, ruined our wedding, and slandered my name in front of hundreds of people!” you shout angry tears pooling in your eyes. “If she thinks she can pay me off and I will go away quietly, she is fucking crazier than I thought she is!”

“She’s wants you to get an abortion! She paid all of those people to lie for her, this shouldn’t really come as a shock. You're just the last loose end she needs tied up. Can’t have you walking around with a kid that looks just like her son.”

The blood rushes from your face and you feel cold. The audacity of this woman is unreal. You quietly reach for the outstretch check and the air from the door wafts inside chilling you to the bone. You rip it in half then again and again until the pieces fall like confetti onto the ground. You look Tom in the eyes and sigh, “You can tell her I said to fuck off.”

You’re so exhausted from today and you turn from the door. Tom doesn’t leave but instead walks into the room, you can feel him behind you as you lean down and reach for your shoes. You turn around suddenly when you hear a loud grunt and Tom falls to the floor hard, Maxwell is beating the shit out of him. His knuckles turning bloody as he lands blow after blow on Tom’s face. “Maxwell!” you scream stepping closer and in the corner of your eye you see the gun on the floor.

Fuck. Tom was going to… You grab the gun and point it towards Tom as Maxwell goes feral. “Maxwell,” you gasp as Tom loses consciousness, but he doesn’t stop, landing blow after blow. You drop to your knees next to him and place a hesitant hand on his shoulder. “Maxwell, baby, you got him.” He stills under your touch breathing heavy, a sheen of sweat upon his brow. His eyes wild, one of them blackened as he turns to you.

It’s like the whole day was some awful nightmare as he runs his hands and eyes all over your body, checking for any injury. “Are you ok?” he pants pulling you into his chest.

His arms feel like the home you were so sure to have lost today and you nod. You’re tears sinking into the lapels of his jacket. “What the?” a voice asks behind you and you turn in his arms to see your father standing there looking down on the scene.

“He was going to kill her,” Maxwell’s arms tighten around you, “I heard everything…he confessed to all of it. My mother paid this fucker to kill her. He was...he was…” Maxwell tightened his grip around you to the point of discomfort, but you didn’t dare let him go.

“Watch her, I’m going to go call the police,” your father took off towards the desk in the back corner and his voice muffled as he pressed the phone between his cheek and shoulder and spoke quickly into the receiver.

“I’m sorry,” you heard Maxwell cry against your neck, “I’m so fucking sorry. I let all those people…I let her get in my head and when she brought up the baby…I…I’m so sorry.” His tears soaked the fabric of your dress as he sobbed into your neck.

You pulled away and held his cheeks, brushing away his tears, “I can’t forgive you right now,” your voice cracked on the end, “but we will talk about this. You don’t get to just walk away from me and get away with it.” He nods through blurry eyes, taking in your features.

“I can do that….I know…I know I hurt you and I don’t expect you to forgive me right away, but I have to know, do you still love me?” The CEO behind the infomercials, the money, the press is standing before you as nothing more than a man. His insecurities shining through and blinding you. You tremble in his arms.

“You’re an idiot…” he hangs his head, “Of course I still love you. It will take a lot more than your psycho mother to take me away from you.”

His head snaps up, he surges forward and kisses you deeply holding your cheeks like they're made of precious glass. Breaking away as the sounds of sirens blare out around you, he puts his forehead against your own, “I love you, so much. I promise no one will ever take me away from you again.”

The police come barreling through the door and arrest Tom. The EMT takes you out to the ambulance and checks over your blood pressure, heart rate, and for any signs of shock. Your father stays with you while the officer takes down Maxwell’s statement, another officer taking down yours. When they leave you an EMT wraps Maxwell’s hands up and tells him to follow up with his physician.

“Did he tell you what happened?” your father asks holding you against his chest, a warm arm around you. You shake your head no and he sighs, “Well I won’t reveal too much but…I did get a good punch in on the son of a bitch.” You gasp and look up at him.

“You punched him in the face?” He smiles and nods.

“You bet your ass I did and I would do it again in a heartbeat, he hurt my little girl. No one hurts my little girl, that Tom’s a lucky bastard that I didn’t get to him first or else they would be loading him into a body bag and not an ambulance.”

You look at your father with wide eyes and go to ask, but Maxwell comes over interrupting the moment. “They said we are free to go, they need us to come down to the station in the next few days and write out our statements.”

“Sounds like a plan,” your dad turns to you, “Do you want to come back to the hotel with your mother and I?”

You look over and Maxwell who is watching you with apprehension, shaking your head no. “No, I want to go home with Maxwell. We need to talk, I don’t want to go to sleep with everything that happened today hanging over us.”

“Ok honey,” he pulls you close for another hug before glaring at Maxwell, “take care of my daughter,” he warns and Maxwell nods reaching for your hand.

You let him take it as you both watch your dad walk off. “Let’s go home,” he pulls you toward the black town car idling on the sidewalk. Opening the door himself and sliding in beside you. Jeeves looks at you and smiles before pulling away from the curb and heading home. The press are at the gates and luckily the windows are tinted and you can get safe into the house.

No one greets you when you get to the house and you feel relieved. Maxwell leads you both to the kitchen and you sit at the table in the corner. The table that held so many memories for you both and he puts on a pot of coffee. Silent as he moves around the kitchen and pulls out a plate wrapped with sandwiches. He brings both over to the table and you push the coffee away reaching for the sandwich and taking a tentative bite.

“It’s decaf,” he pushes the cup toward you again, “I remember reading once caffeine isn’t good for pregnant women.” Enveloping his own cup with his hands and lowering his gaze to the table.

You reach for the cup and feel it warm you up as you watch him. He’s putting himself through hell. His head bent down and shoulders sagged, he has the look of a man defeated, and that is not the Maxwell Lord you know. “Maxwell,” you sigh reaching for his hand, “what happened after I left?”

He clasps both hands around yours and strokes patterns over the skin. “After you...left,” he swallows, “everything fell apart. People who were silent before stepped forward saying my mother had tried to bribe them and that they told her no. I confronted her and she cracked admitting nothing aloud but everything in her eyes. When I went to leave to follow you, your father decked me in the face and told me I had better fix everything. He told me that a blind man could see how much you loved me. We left together and Jeeves refused to tell us where he took you.”

“Why?”

“When I ordered him too, he snapped at me and asked if I hadn’t already done enough. Wouldn’t even tell your father. You have more people that support and love you then you think.”

He gets very quiet and looks down again, “I failed you, baby.”

He gets up and paces around the kitchen and you watch him, letting him sort out his emotions. He moves toward the fridge and pulls out a paper cup like one from the coffee shop, bringing it over to the table and placing it in front of you.

“What’s this?” you move to grab it and open it seeing a creamy white liquid, smelling sickly sweet. “Is this...is this a latte?”

He nods, “I bought it after I left the church and I carried it around for hours while I searched for you. I...I know you can’t forgive me right now because the way I treated you today was...fucked up. But, maybe we can start over. Do you remember how we met?”

Tears swell in your eyes and your voice cracks, “You were a complete asshole...and I threw a latte in your face.” He gives you a watery chuckle.

“Well I have been a complete and total moron again, and I think I deserve a lot more than a latte thrown in my face but…”

You take the cup in your hand and open it, getting up and walking over to the sink and pouring it down the drain. Turning to him, “I forgive you. I love you. And if you ever pull some shit like that again, we are gone.” He walks over to you and drops to his knees before you. Reaching forward and tracing his hands over your barely visible bump raising your shirt, and placing his lips on your bare skin.

“I will never let anyone ever hurt you again, especially me.” He looks up into your eyes and you fall to your knees before him getting swept into his arms.

“You promise?” your voice trembles.

“I promise.”

Would you be interested in me continuing this series?

I think they need a redo wedding, maybe some pregnancy fluff, baby stuff?

Let me know and thanks for reading.

#maxwell lord #Maxwell Lord x reader #female reader #Pedro Pascal #Wonder Woman #Wonder Woman 1984 #ww84 #The next ones on you series #Autumn Writes

163 notes · View notes

ashdoesfandomarchieved · 3 years

Note

I hear you like prompts? Well I am well known for. The List. *unrolls scroll* sick fic, jealousy, fighting suitors, hostage situation, hypothermia, use of safe word, spa day, ruddiger v Hugo

AO3

It’s midday by the time Hugo finally deems his companions worthy of his company.

They’ve been staying at a small estate in Galcrest, with some friends of Nuru’s family who were kind enough to put them up for the weekend.

The last few trials have been grueling--if Varian’s being completely honest--what with the cave of mirrors and the hall of memories haunting Nuru’s nights and Yong’s smiles and Varian’s everything. So a break in what their gang was affectionately nicknaming “the air kingdom” seemed in order.

The first few days go by fine--Nuru drags Hugo out to the marketplace, talking shop about swords and armory to her heart's content, while Varian and Yong scour the countryside and set off fireworks in the clear skies.

It’s exactly what their group needs to get back on track--a little rest and a lot of free time to relax and get to know one another better.

Then Hugo shows up for breakfast one morning and all of Varians’ optimism flies out the window.

“Whoa, are you sick?” Yong says, popping his head out of the pantry. “You look terrible.”

Hugo sends him an irritated glance. “No,” he says and then immediately sneezes. “I’m not sick,” he says, peevishly when they all continue staring at him in silence. His voice sounds like he’s been gargling rocks.

Nuru places a hand on his flushed forehead that he immediately swats off. “You’re burning up,” she says with a frown. “Did you leave your window open last night?”

“More likely that he got it from town,” Varian mutters. He seems to remember a kindly merchant lamenting about his daughter coming down with a spring cold. Dammit Hugo.

“I’m going to heat up some soup,” Yong says decisively, already making a bee-line for the cupboards.

“I don’t need soup.” Hugo literally cannot sound any more like a sulky pre-teen right now. “What I need is for you all to stop ganging up on me.”

“What you need is a doctor,” Nuru mutters.

Hugo turns his scowl on her.

“How about this,” Varian says, once again playing diplomat between his two best friends, “Hugo eats the soup, and Nuru doesn’t make him see a doctor.

Hugo and Nuru continue to eye each other for a moment before Hugo mutters out an annoyed “fine.”

Varian has a feeling that today is going to be an exercise in not dumping his best friends.

____

About three hours into the “Hugo is pretending that he’s not sick” fiasco, Nuru has decided she’s had enough.

“I’m taking Yong to town,” she says, wrapping a scarf around the younger boy. “If the idiot won’t see a doctor, than I’m at least going to get him some medicine.”

Varian, who was the person who had to deal with Hugo throwing up in the bathroom half the afternoon, privately agrees.

“Is there anything I should do?” he asks, not exactly sure what to do with sick people. His dad never got sick and Rapunzel had about a million physicians taking care of her whenever she contracted some illness or another.

“Try and keep him in bed. I also left some tea leaves in the kitchen, if he feels up to drinking anything.” Nuru adds, halfway out the door. “I know you want to kill him most of the time, but it would be most inconvenient to hide his body.”

Varian rolls his eyes. “I’ll do my best,” he says, dryly.

He doesn’t actually plan to antagonize Hugo--let alone kill him. Despite the fact that the blond still manages to annoy him on a daily basis, he’s also kinda friends with the guy now.

They’ve fallen into an easy companionship with mutual banter and annoyed antics that usually have their friends up in arms, but it works for them.

Besides, the guy just looked far too pathetic, dry heaving in the sink this morning, to give him a hard time.

A few minutes after Nuru and Yong leave, Varian makes his way to the room Hugo is staying in. At first glance, the place appears empty--bed unmade, small sitting area absent of life--but after a quick scan of the large room, Varian finds him.

Hugo sits on the window seat. His legs are drawn up under him and his head rests against the wall. The breeze filtering through the open window brushes his hair back from his forehead and makes the open collar of his white, unbuttoned shirt, fluttering slightly.

Something about the sight of him--flushed, exhausted, unguarded--twists something in Varian’s stomach.

“Hey,” he says, voice cracking too loudly in the quiet.

Hugo doesn’t turn his head, but his shoulder inch up slightly. “Hey,” he says back, eyes glued to something outside the window.

Varians’ eyes narrow in on the gooseflesh raised on the skin of his neck. With a sigh, he snatches a blanket off the bed and goes to Hugo, draping it over his shoulders.

Hugo turns his head at that, blinking up at him owlishly through round glasses. “Oh,” he says, like he’s just noticing Varian’s here. Which is concerning. “Thanks.”

Varian shrugs a shoulder, throwing himself on the other side of the window seat. It’s a large enough space--or maybe Varian’s just short--for the two of them to sit without touching. Not that Varian’s thinking of touching him.

An uneasy silence--on Varian’s part, at least--falls over them as Hugo continues to stare blankly out the window. His usually brilliant green eyes are glazed over, enhancing the flush that’s spread from his face, down his to his neck.

He sniffs a couple of times, nose wrinkling.

“Nuru wants you to drink some tea, I think,” Varian says, tapping his fingers against his knee nervously. “I can go get some for you if you wa-”

“It’s fine.” Hugo’s voice carries no intonation. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” Varian says, in a very measured voice. The last thing he wants to do is upset the guy right now.

Hugo’s eyes shut. His lips press together tightly, but not out of anger. He looks like he’s just barely holding it together, and Varian doesn’t understand why.

Or, maybe he does. Varian used to be very open and free with his emotions, but over the past few years--since everything in Corona with his dad, the amber, Cass--Varian has gotten used to putting up shields around his heart. Vulnerability was a very scary thing, especially with those you cared about.

Hugo didn’t seem to be the type of person who liked to show weakness.

A particularly chilling breeze brushes through the window. It’s enough that even Varian is shivering at it’s touch.

He reaches out slowly and gently pulls the blanket around Hugo tighter. Hugo’s eyes open at that, watching Varian with an unreadable emotion.

“I think you should lie down,” Varian says.

Hugo shakes his head. “Can’t.”

“Hugo-”

“The bed’s too soft,” Hugo exhales, sounding embarrassed.

Something in Varian’s stomach twists painfully. The year after prison hadn’t been easy, but most of it was just getting used to being able to walk around without having the entirety of Corona’s military breathing down your neck. The other half was getting used to how soft his threadbare bed in Olde Corona felt.

Varian gets it. He doesn’t know Hugo’s story yet, but he gets it.

“Lie down here then,” he coaxes, one hand coming up to cup his neck. It’s warm--too warm. The worry simmering in Varian’s gut flares.

“What, on you?” Hugo snorts, sounding--if for a moment--a bit like himself.

Varian feels his own face flush about as badly as Hugo’s face is right now. “Would it make you feel more comfortable?” he asks, voice pitching up high.

Hugo’s stares at him hazily, the fever most likely getting in the way of his higher processing powers. “Yeah,” he says, looking not quite all there. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

And then he flops face first into Varian’s lap.

Varian lets out a surprised laugh, one hand going to his hair. “Okay then,” he says, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart.

“Mmphf.”

Varian snorts, coaxing Hugo into rolling over so that he can at least breathe. “Why do I put up with you?” he mutters, more amused than exasperated for once.

Hugo blinks a couple of times at him. “It’s weird,” he says at last. “You’re weird. I’ve never had someone who’s wanted to put up with me before.”

Varian’s hopes Hugo can’t tell his heart just shattered into about a million pieces. “Well, you do now,” he says, easing Hugo’s glasses off his face and delicately placing them on the nearby end table. “You have three people, in fact, who are willing to put up with your dumb ass.”

The blond squints up at him. “But you were first. That’s-” he gestures gracelessly with one hand, “-that’s important.”

Varian smooths his hair back from his forehead, mentally taking note of the amount of heat coming off his flushed skin. “Yeah?”

“Mmm.” Hugo’s eyes close. “You keep doing that. Surprising me.”

“Well someone has to knock your ego down a few notches.”

A ghost of a grin. His eyes open again, almost as if he’s worried Varian has left in the few seconds he stopped looking.

“Hugo, go to sleep,” Varian chides. He runs his fingers through Hugo’s hair again, hoping it will draw him into sleep. “I can continue to surprise you tomorrow.”

“You’re surprising me now,” Hugo mumbles, but he’s becoming more and more pliant with each pet of Varian’s fingers through his hair. “Don’t go anywhere, ‘kay?”

Varian swallows. “I’ll be right here when you wake up,” he promises. “Now go to sleep.”

Hugo’s eyes finally drop shut, breath evening out. Varian leans back against the wall, one hand in the blond’s hair. The weight of the other boy is both grounding and sends strange flutterings to Varian’s stomach that he doesn’t understand.

Hugo lets out a small snore in his sleep. It’s adorable. Hugo’s adorable, Varian realizes, much to his horror.

Another breezes brushes in through the window, setting the white, transparent curtains afloat in the air. Hugo shivers slightly, curling up closer around Varian.

His face is pressed somewhere between his thigh and stomach, one arm wrapped loosely around his torso. Varian runs his fingers through Hugo’s soft hair again and comes to two realizations simultaneously.

Varian has feelings for Hugo. Positive feelings. Fluffy, mushy, fluttering feelings that reside somewhere between his aching heart and the butterflies in his stomach and Varian wants to cry or throw up or maybe kiss the dumb blond until those feelings settle themselves.

Hugo might--a very, very tentative might, because Varian isn’t great at reading other people at the best of times--just might have feelings for Varian. Maybe.

That’s important, he had said, eyes glazed, pupils dilated, lips parted. You keep doing that. Surprising me.

Varian shuts his eyes. Yeah, he’s totally and utterly fucked.

#varigo #hugo vat7k #varian #nuru vat7k #yong vat7k #my fic #my fanfic #tts #vat7k #writing prompts

28 notes · View notes

speechlessxx · 4 years

Text

Bring Him Light - x (King!Steve Rogers x Reader)

Chapter Summary: The truth finally comes out.

Warnings: brief mention of sex, mentions of death, really shitty writing tbh, dialogue driven. (NOTE: when concerning the flashbacks, he’s actually explaining to the reader what happened)

Word Count: 2.5k

Note: Feel free to send me any questions because I know this is a really crappy chapter. (of course, I’m not going to reveal the rest of the plot)

<- Last Part -=+=- Next Part ->

You could still taste the salt from the sea on your lips. The memories of what happened aboard that ship still fresh like a wound that you’d carry forever. You stared at your hands that were conjoined with your husband’s. The wedding bands glistened in the dimmed room.

“Will you believe me if I told you everything?” Steven asked. His thumb drew soothing circles on the back of your hand. His grip tight as if he were afraid you’d disappear again.

“Everyone’s lied to me.” You whispered. You looked towards Wanda’s body, still covered with the bloodstained tarp. “What would make you any different?”

“This is the truth,” he promised. “The complete truth.”

When Steven was young, his mother doted on him because he was a sickly child. He grew up to have her compassion, optimism, and idealism. He was sixteen when his father unexpectedly died, and he was hailed King of Brooken. He wanted to carry his mother’s ideals into a new age for Brooken, but he underestimated what it meant to have a crown on his head.

The sacrifices he’d have to make, the betrayals he’d have to face, the blood he’d have to spill. He’s told more lies that he could count – all in the name of protecting his reputation and his power. A cruel king is respected after all. The lies were like storm clouds that poured hard. He drowned in them and got lost in the darkness those clouds brought. The lies burdened him more than anyone would ever know.

You squeezed hand, breaking him away from his thoughts. “Steve?” Your tone was soft, coaxing him back into reality. He welcomed the calm you brought. It eased the storm inside of him. You were ready for the truth – perhaps, you’ve always been ready. “Unburden yourself, my love.”

“I don’t know where to start.” He said, honestly. It was true. There was so much to the story. He wasn’t quite sure where it began.

“Start with Margaret, perhaps?” You suggested.

“I was young,” he began. “Twenty-one years old. Five years on the throne. They told me I needed a wife.”

“They?”

“Pierce and the old council.” He answered. “Brock’s father had just died, so he took the vacant seat. At first, I thought having my cousin on the council would alleviate the tension. The lords on the council were nearly twice my age, if not more. They saw things differently than I did. They wanted different things. Sometimes I felt as if I were their puppet. I was young when I took the throne. Sixteen. I didn’t know what to expect, so I leaned on their counsel. I depended on them,” he scoffed, remembering his earlier years on the throne. “They told me I needed to continue the line succession. Thanos was beginning to make a name for himself by this time. He had lovers and spawned two daughters. His line was growing, and the Rogers’s wasn’t. So, I asked them to find me a match. Pierce brought in Lady Margaret of House Carter. I was smitten when I first laid eyes on her.”

Steven sat tall upon his throne. The room was empty. Brooken had a tradition that detailed that those in royal betrothals must meet for the first time in private. He was giddy with excitement. Lady Margaret’s portraits were presented to him a month ago. She was easily one of the most beautiful creatures he’d ever seen. Lord Pierce made the arrangements and they were to marry within a week. “House Carter is a respected house in the Old World,” Pierce advertised.

The doors opened wide and a young woman walked through. Her hair was dark as night. Her lips painted a bright red. She smiled at him and bowed. “Your grace,” she greeted. “I am humbled to make your acquaintance and, of course, honored to be your betrothed.”

“I didn’t know her, truly. I didn’t realize how manipulative she was from the beginning. She charmed and enchanted me to do her bidding. We were married for nearly a decade. No children. She didn’t want children. I didn’t want to lose her, so I agreed.

“She had many faces. A face she’d show the people that made them love her. A face she showed me that hypnotized me. And the face she’d show my allies, which were her foes. She fought with James incessantly – even tried to make me banish him. I refused. He was my oldest friend. I promised the moment I took the throne, my riches, my blessings were his to share. She was trying to isolate me. She banished my allies from court. James warned me she was a devil. I refused to listen. I thought her a gift from the gods themselves. Until I caught her poisoning my mother.”

“What?” You gasped.

Steven nodded. The haunting memory pained him still.

He woke up alone after a long night of making love to his queen. It was early in the morning; the sun had barely risen. Orange streaks painted the sky. He searched for Margaret, wanting to jest her for allowing him to wake up alone. He found her whispering to his sick, elderly mother who was bedridden due to a broke hip.

“You won’t get away with it. My son will find out,” his mother croaked.

“Not from you,” Margaret gave her a wicked smile as she slathered arsenic-riddled paint on his mother’s toast. The thick substance looked like jam, but Steve knew better. She force-fed the queen mother the poisoned bread.

“What are you doing!” Steve boomed into the room, pushing his wife aside as his mother choked. “Guards! Get a physician!”

“She died later that evening.” Steven shook his head. It was your turn to console him. You released one of your hands from his grip and rubbed his arm. He took a shaky breath. “I stabbed Margaret in the heart in front of Rumlow, Pierce, James, and Sam’s father. I didn’t know, yet, that her betrayals were much deeper than the murdering my mother.”

“Enter Sharon?” You asked.

“I was widowed for a year. Pierce brought her in. The younger cousin of Margaret.” He continued. “Married two days after her arrival in Brooken.” He chuckled humorlessly at his naivete. “I should’ve never marry a stranger.”

“We married in two weeks.” You noted. “We were practically strangers, too.”

Steven shook his head in disagreement. He didn’t feel that way. In the two weeks he grew to know you, he learned the innerworkings of your mind, your soul. He knew he was in love with you, truly, even before he wrapped the cloak around your shoulders during the wedding ceremony.

“We weren’t strangers.” He said. “Far from it. Sharon was distant. Defiant. We never consummated our marriage, not that anyone would know. She refused to sleep in my chambers, refused to be held, or anything, really. It felt as if I had married a ghost that everyone could see. I couldn’t touch her, but she still haunted these halls.”

“You beheaded her.” You said. Steven bit his lip as he nodded. “Pierce said you beheaded her out of spite.”

Steven cocked his head to the side, brows raising, as if he entertained the idea. “Well, she was spiteful.”

“The men in the prisons… They preferred her over you and you imprisoned them, correct?”

Steven sighed. He was disappointed that you were so quick to believe rumors and lies about him, but he blamed himself for not being completely honest from the start. “Sharon plotted a coup on behalf of the Mad King.”

“How can you be certain?” You asked.

“She admitted it when she was caught.”

Steven stared down at the blonde. Her eyes wide as he finished reading her encrypted letter. “You’re not subtle. You’re not discreet.” He spat at her, crumpling the paper and throwing it at her feet. “You work for the Mad King. You’re here to topple me. Rip the crown from my head and give it to him. The game’s over, Sharon. You’ve lost. Your followers all caught and imprisoned. I will get a confession and you will die for treason.”

She recomposed herself, rolling back her shoulders with confidence. “You think you can just kill off another queen? What will people think of you, Steven.”

“I am pulling the weeds from my kingdom.” He snapped. “You Carters are all the same. Traitors. Liars.”

“Margaret was good.” Sharon complimented. “She had you wrapped around her finger for a decade. If she hadn’t been caught killing your mother, then she would’ve convinced you to ally yourself with Thanos.” She turned her head to the side and gave him a smirk. “Then, she would’ve killed you along with your mother. Such a shame, she was caught.”

“You admit. You’re a traitor.”

“Of course, I admit it. But mind you, your grace, your enemies are all over Brooken. You cut me down today, someone else will cut you down tomorrow.”

“I beheaded her for treason.”

“You didn’t tell people that your queens were committed treason. You allowed rumors to spread about your cruelty to your wives.” You frowned.

“As I told you before, a cruel king is respected.” Steven muttered. “But I never wanted you to be afraid of me.”

“Isn’t it odd?” You asked. “Both queens chosen by Pierce were traitors.”

Steven nodded. “They pushed me to get married once more, but I told them, this time I’ll choose my bride.”

“Me.”

“It’s three years after the War between the North. Tony and I were close before. I fought alongside your father when York was invaded ages ago.”

“You fought over a disagreement over land.”

“More than land. He wanted James dead. James’s father killed your grandfather. Since James’s father had died long before, your father asked for my friend’s head. I refused. So, a war erupted.”

“You traded blows with my father on the battlefield.” You recalled. You remembered your mother’s cries and pleads with the gods, asking for them to protect your father’s life. “He returned to my mother bloodied. You cut through his armor. But you looked him in the eyes and called the war off.”

“No one won.”

“No one.” You agreed. “Three years later, you ask my father for a wife.”

“I needed a wife I could trust. Although we had our differences, I trust your father with my life. I know Tony’s blood. I know how you would’ve been raised to be loyal. You took after your father and your mother.” Steven explained. “I didn’t trust Pierce to find me a wife that could slit my throat in the night.”

“You trust me?” You asked.

“The moment I stared into your eyes and saw fear… I knew you knew the rumors. I knew you thought of me as cruel – our first encounter made that clear.” He smiled at you softly. His fingers lightly traced the scars of your wrist. He brought your wrist to his lips and pressed a light kiss onto the skin. “But, truthfully, my trust in you waned when I saw you with Brock and Pierce leaving the dungeon. I began to think you were conspiring with them.”

“I – I – I wasn’t.”

“I know that now.” He said. “I realized you were afraid of disappointing me because you didn’t … you weren’t –“

“Pregnant.” Your voice wavered, immediately brought back to the painful memory of losing your baby alone on the boat. “I should’ve told you I was, though. But I was afraid. I thought you were going to kill me. You struck me.”

“I’m terribly sorry.” Steven shook his head. No amount of apologizes could ever make up to the faded scar on your cheek.

“I was afraid for my life and the child’s. They manipulated me because of my fears. They prayed upon it and convinced me to trust them. And I did. In turn, I – I lost my best friend and my baby.”

Steve pulled you to him. Your head rested in the junction between his neck and shoulder as you cried softly into him. He rubbed your arm, comfortingly.

“They tried to turn you against me.” Steven whispered. “They tried to weaken me by trying to kill you on that boat. I thank the gods that you’re safe now.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth.” You muttered.

Steven nodded and kissed the top of your head. His arm around you tightened a bit. “You should sleep. Get some rest. You need it after what you’ve endured.”

You agreed. Steven untangled himself from you before he leaned down to press a kiss to the scar on your cheek and a kiss on your lips. He began to walk away when you felt panic begin to settle. Your hand shot out and grabbed onto his arm, preventing him from taking another step.

“Please stay.” You begged. “I… I don’t want to be alone.”

He gave you a soft smile and nodded. You scooted over the cot to make room for your husband. The positioning was a bit awkward considering his massive build, but you immediately felt safer once his arms wrapped around you once again.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

You woke up alone in Steven’s bedchamber. The sun had already set, the full moon up in the sky. The pain had subsided after nearly a day of rest. The truth settling in inside your mind.

At least now you knew everything.

The doors opened suddenly to reveal your husband. He smiled at you as you sat up on the bed. “You’re awake.”

“You left me alone.”

Steven’s smile faltered. He couldn’t register if there was sadness in your voice or not as he walked over. “I – I hadn’t meant to upset you.”

You shook your head. “I understand. You’re a king. Your duty is to the people, not to me.”

“I am your husband, first.” Steve argued. “My duty will always be to you, my love.” He took your hand in his and helped you off the bed. “Come. There’s something I must show you.”

He led you to the balcony doors, opening it and allowing the air rush into the room. You breathed it in. The mixed scents from the gardens below overtook your senses, washing out the pained sea salt smell that still haunted you.

Steven guided you out onto the terrace and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in front of him. You gasped as you looked up to the sky. Along with the bright moon and the stars were lanterns that floated into the air and painted the dark sky.

“For years, I stumbled alone in the darkness. Feigned love with false queens who sought to destroy me. And here you are. The true gift the gods bestowed upon me. I truly believe you were crafted to be my soulmate, (Y/N).” He murmured in your ear. “I wish I could take away the pain you’ve endured, but I cannot. I can only tell you whatever comes next, we will face it together as husband and wife.” Tears swelled in your eyes and cascaded down your cheeks as you stared up into the bright sky. “I love you, my light, my love.”

You smiled and turned to him, cupping his bearded cheeks in your hands. “I love you, Steve.”

#bring him light #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #king!steve rogers #king!steve rogers x reader #king!steve rogers imagine #chris evans #chris evans imagine #chris evans x reader #captain america x reader #captain america #captain america imagine #marvel au #marvel royalty #royalty au #medieval au #avengers medieval

631 notes · View notes

aelin-queen-of-terrasen · 4 years

Text

𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 | 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 - 𝐎𝐧𝐞

full masterlist - fic masterlist

Rowan glanced at his pocket watch and attempted to swallow his irritation.

How was it only nine-o-clock still? He had already suffered through enough social niceties to last a lifetime.

Now, he listened with but half a mind to his cousin drone on about the night's guests. His head was filled with all the tasks he needed to see to, including searching for a new governess for his sons. His boys kept chasing away every woman he employed and he was hesitant to hire a tutor, because he believed they needed a woman's influence too, now that his own wife was too ill. The physician had done all he could but there was not much hope she would wake, loathe as he was to admit it. Perhaps he should have accepted his mother-in-law's offer and send the boys to their her after all?

"--and Arobynn's here too—"

That caught his attention. "He is?"

"Mhmm. Look, over there, no, no, to the left—besides the pretty redhead, yes, just so."

A man stood by the entrance with a red-haired woman on his arm, tall and muscular, with a fine-boned face. His auburn hair were pulled back into a bun, offsetting his pale skin and the fine cut of his suit was a stark reminder of his prominent position in society, despite the whole stigma around tradesmen.

"I knew he was fond of flaunting convention but escorting his mistress to a ball?"

"You haven't heard?" James approached them with a drink in his hand. "She is not his mistress but an adoptive daughter of sorts and his apparent heir."

Fenrys choked on his drink.

"He named a girl heir to his trade empire—and not even his own blood—stupid!"

"Spoken like a man," said the gentleman and shook his head. "He raised her himself, is introducing her to all his associates and she doesn't look dumb either."

James nodded towards the redhead he had seen earlier, dressed in the finest black silk with a neckline low enough, it bordered on scandalous. Her copperish-red hair were pinned into an elegant coiffure with pretty, gold hair combs and a simple, pearl necklace completed the striking picture she made. Her sharp, defined features were barely beautiful until she laughed—a musical sound in itself—and he wondered whether he had seen anyone prettier.

"If hers was the last face I ever saw, I'd die a happy man." Fenrys sighed and walked off.

James rolled his eyes. "He's about to seek an introduction to her, isn't he?"

Rowan's lips twitched up.

He had always liked James. The man was completely without artifice and his enthusiasm for everything was so infectious, no one could remain angry with him. He had spent a few summers with the Galathynius children, until their youngest daughter was abducted and the visits stopped.

"I say you must frown a little less, sir, unless you wish to give offense."

Rowan looked up, startled at being addressed by the object of his thoughts. She looks even lovelier up close, thought he.

"I detest these events."

"So do half the people in this room and yet, appearances must be maintained."

"Deceit is not in my nature."

The lady frowned. "It is not deceitful to pretend you are interested in an event in order to spare your host's feelings."

"Your motive may be charitable but it is no excuse for dishonesty."

The lady looked amused but did not pursue the topic further. "I hope you will forgive me for speaking without a proper introduction, sir. I am not a fan of convention."

Rowan smiled.

An unmarried woman, not even of age, and already a heiress to a trade empire—by all accounts, she did not seem like one.

"I will, if you allow me to remedy the situation now." He bowed with exaggerated formality. "I am Mr. Rowan Whitethorn of Harcomb, in Doranelle."

Her cheek dimpled. "Miss Celaena Sardothein—my father—"

"Mr. Hamel, yes, I know." He almost cringed at how rude he sounded. "He and I, we are—"

"—business associates, yes, I know," she teased with an impish grin, replying in a poor imitation of his own deep voice.

Her eyes twinkled with amusement, filled with laughter and mirth—turquoise orbs, ringed with brilliant gold.

All of his resolve flew out of the window. "Miss Sardothein, will you allow me the pleasure of leading you into the first set? The dancing is about to commence."

"The pleasure will be all mine."

In hopes of starting a conversation, he said, "You are a fine dancer."

"I would have believed you to be a liar if we hadn't already established that deceit of any sort is your abhorrence."

He smiled. "And if I were being insincere?"

"I would take it as a compliment to myself, for it will mean that you are acting on my advice from earlier about lying for the sake of appearances."

They fell silent again.

"We must talk some, you know," said Rowan. "For someone who claims to be concerned with appearances, do you not think it would look odd for us to spend a half hour together but in silence."

She startled at the sudden statement. "Introduce a topic then and I will do my poor best to maintain the conversation."

Rowan complied and was pleasantly surprised to find her lively and good-humored and well-informed on most subject from current fashion disasters to books to political bills and movements. Her arguements were passionate and far from taking offense at his dry humor, she matched it with witty quips of her own; and to top it alll off, she was as skilled a dancer as a conversationalist.

Rowan was almost annoyed when the song came to an end. He could not recall the last time he had been half as well entertained.

"You will be the death of me, you foolish, foolish chit!" screeched the old matron.

Fenrys had allowed himself to be dragged into a bookstore, which happened to be one of his least favourite places, by his cousin, James—the second son to his uncle, Lord Rhoe, the Earl of Narrowcreek—and was now eager for any sort of amusement. He turned towards the high-pitched shriek with interest.

A young lady stood near the shelves, tall and proud, even in the face of her mother's ill-bred manners.

Her blonde hair fell down in waves, half pinned by dragonfly-shaped hair combs. The fabric of her dress was fine enough for her to belong to the first circles and yet, he could not recall seeing her—or her mother—anywhere.

"Ungrateful child! Wait until I tell your father what you did; he will be most displeased."

She bit her lip to contain her mirth, though her cheeks flushed with embarassment. Her eyes flitted to the door and back, as if she was looking for some escape.

"Poor girl," the bookshop owner murmured.

The following words had the unfortunate attention of drawing the mother's attention towards the owner.

Lord Fenrys almost laughed at the alarmed look on the owner's face when she began lamenting to him instead and then looked over at the lady who was staring at the door with a thoughtful look, as if wondering whether or not to attempt an escape.

She must have decided in it's favour because she gathered her skirts and made a mad dash towards the door.

Fenrys realised he was standing in her way and hastened to move but it was too late—

"Darn!" cried she.

The commotion drew her mother's attention and upon spotting her wayward daughter lying on the floor with a grimace, she rushed over with a whole new litany of complaints.

Fenrys could have sworn the lady cursed under her breath.

"Stubborn, stubborn child! I told you not to run off without me but oh, how you love vexing me," shouted her mother in her high-pitched voice. "And what are you doing, bothering this fine gentleman over here? You had better not to talk to anyone if you are determined to refuse them all. You broke that poor man's heart—"

Fenrys quirked an eyebrow in interest, looking thoroughly entertained.

Her cheeks flushed further.

He frowned.

Up close, her face looked awfully familiar. He searched his brain for an answer.

A memory flashed in front of his mind. A highly unconventional black dress, a tinkling laugh and a ballroom.

Realisation dawned.

"Miss Sardothein! Fancy seeing you here," said he. "I almost didn't recognise you because of the hair."

"The hair? Oh, yes, I am very fond of dyes, but you have caught me in my natural state."

"I find you lovelier than ever. If you will forgive me for prying, I could not help but observe you haven't bought a thing yet, even though I know you to be a great reader! Is the reading material not to your taste, Miss Sardothein?"

Celaena answered wryly, "As a matter of fact, the books here suit my tastes very well—It is only that I am not allowed to buy books for a month—as punishment."

"No books! And what awful crime did you commit to merit that?"

"I rejected a marriage offer."

"A capital offense!"

Celaena smiled, "Indeed."

"I hope you are appropriately ashamed of yourself!"

"Horrified at my own audacity, really."

The lady looked up at him and grinned; Fenrys' own face turned pale and his mouth fell open in surprise. Ashryver eyes! She had ashryver eyes—like James, Aedion, and their mothers Helen and Evalin and—gods. The little poem his cousins had made up in childhood came to the forefront of his mind.

"The fairest eyes, from legends old,

Of brightest blue, ringed with gold."

But how...?

He looked at the woman again: her eyes bright and mirthful and thick eyelashes resting on her cheek, the face tugged at his memory; and she smiled so impishly, he had seen that smile before—

"Aelin," he blurted out.

He was startled when her smile dropped and recognition flickered in her eyes.

Fenrys shot an alarmed look towards the shelf behind which James had disappeared. Aelin was here! But how could this be? His heart thumped loudly inside his chest.

"Aelin?" She inclined her head in question.

He smiled uncertainly.

Was she really his little cousin? Aelin had been five year old when he last saw her.

But if he was wrong about this, could this come to bite him in the ass? She was certainly as old as his cousin would have been, had she been alive and she had the same unruly blonde curls and those ashryver eyes, teeming with life.

It couldn't be...

Arobynn's adoptive daughter.

"Yes, Aelin was my favourite cousin—you, uh, you remind me of her."

"If she is your favourite, then I am inclined to take that as a compliment." Celaena—Aelin?—smiled again, though her eyebrows remained drawn still. "The name does sound familiar. Perhaps I would have heard of her in the newspaper? The society column is a great source of amusement to my father. He reads it aloud to us from time to time."

Father? He wondered if she was talking of Arobynn or Mrs. Rhunn's husband.

Fenrys smiled sadly. "That is not possible for you see, my cousin died when she was five."

At least I thought she died.

"I am sorry for your loss." Then, with an arch look on her face, she asked, "If she was like me as you say, she must have been delightful."

He chuckled. "An absolute troublemaker."

"Definitely like me then," said she, sparing a look towards her mother. "I should leave now, before my mother lists you off as yet another suitor!"

And before he could think to stop her, she curtsied and scurried off.

Fenrys stared at the door, somewhat dumbfounded. Aelin is alive. He marvelled at the thought and then wondered how on earth he would inform her family—James would be ecstatic and his father would have to be informed, and Edward would have to be called to London, gods. Edward!

Aelin had been missed by all but no one grieved her as the poor man had.

Edward would be ecstatic; everyone would.

Fenrys ran towards his cousin out of breath, who was still examining titles in one corner.

"Fenrys, god, slow down, man! Whatever happened? You look like you saw a ghost."

He blinked.

Then, without any attempt at tact or discretion, he blurted out: "Aelin is alive."

"Aelin, Aelin, stop that—no, look at your frock, mother will be so angry, no, Aelin! You will hurt yourself like that."

The man watched, concealed behind the ridge as a little girl skipped from one mud puddle to another, blonde curls bouncing up and down as she moved. Her elder brother followed at a more sedate place, calling out admonishments and threats, not that they had an effect on her.

Aelin grinned over her shoulder and ran, leading her brother on a merry chase.

The man was still debating how to go about abducting the girl when fortune smiled upon him; she twisted her leg and fell down, prompting the boy to run towards her.

"It hurts," she whimpered, refusing to stand.

The man smiled maliciously and waited as the boy looked around. "Very well," he said finally. "If you promise not to go anywhere, I will fetch papa. Do not move, Aelin."

The boy rushed towards the manor house, ignoring the twisted knots in his stomach and burst into his father's private study. In his panicked state of mind, it took a few attempts for Rhoe to make sense of his garbled words.

A foreboding feeling rose in his stomach.

She will be fine, he tried to reassure himself. Aelin, troublemaker that she was, had had a lot worse than a twisted ankle.

But his alarm grew the nearer they came to where she was supposed to be and his heart pounded inside his chest. All colour drained from his face when they didn't find Aelin where she was supposed to be.

"Are you certain this is where you left her?"

Edward nodded.

Rhoe suddenly felt dizzy, his knees buckled and bile rose up in his throat.

He reined himself in and with admirable composure, organised search parties to search around the estate and the neighbourhood.

The search carried on until late that night, when an express rider from the nearby magistrate arrived with a letter: a nearby warehouse had burned down earlier that day and two bodies were found: a man in his forties, who could not be identified and a seven year old girl who had on a silver anklet bearing the word fireheart and requested Mr. Galathynius' presence tomorrow at the warehouse to confirm the girl's identity.

Rhoe folded the letter, excused himself from company and sent his sons to their beds.

Then he entered his study: the study no one was allowed to enter without permission—except his Aelin—slumped into the armchair by the fireplace and wept.

note: ...and it's here. I have so many drafts of this chapter lying around, I'm surprised I actually finally posted it lmao.

@thesirenwashere // @courtofjurdan //@little-crow-corvere // @the-dark-swan-writes // @queenofgreenbriar // @clockworkgraystairs // @julemmaes // @mymultiversee // @queen-of-glass // @strangely-constructed-soul // @mijaldraws // @http-itsrebecca // @aesthetics-11 // @lord-douglas-the-third // @flowersinvegas // @cool-ish-nerd // @faerie-queen-fireheart // @sad-book-whore // @hizqueen4life // @booknerdproblems // @annejulianneh111 //@aelinfeyreeleven945tbln // @b00kworm // @mysweetvillain // @curlyredqueen06 // @curlyredqueen06 // @thesurielships // @witchling-leonor // @ladywitchling // @amren-courtofdreams // @ifinallygavein //@jlinez // @faequeenaelin // @df3ndyr // @in-love-with-caramel-macchiato // @superspiritfestival // @xx-fiona-xx // @stardelia // @maastrash // @miihlovesnoone // @sanakapoor // @abookishfreak // @maddymelv // @ireallyshouldsleeprn // @morganofthewildfire // @bellamyblakru // @theilliumbluebell10 // @jesstargaryenqueen // @woollycat22 // @chieflemming

if you'd like to be tagged, let me know.

#throne of glass #rowan x aelin #rowaelin fanfiction #tog fanfic #throne of glass fanfiction #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #sarah j maas #rowaelin #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fluff #rowaelin regency fic #valiant #aelin-queen-of-terrasen

152 notes · View notes

the-badger-mole · 4 years

Text

Happy Birthday

"I'm bored!" Toph complained. "Why do I even have to be here?" Katara rolled her eyes as she rubbed her distended belly. The young heir in her womb was in a mood today.

You are your father's child, she thought as a tiny foot connected with her kidney. She turned to Toph and smirked.

"You're here because my husband is paranoid, and Uncle wasn't able to get here before Zuko left."

"But you're so boring!" Toph groaned. "You can't even spar with me because of that kid!”

"You mean your little niece or nephew?" Katara winced as her baby kicked her again. She ran her hand over her stomach. "Settle down in there."

"What's wrong with you?" Toph asked. She frowned as she turned towards Katara. "Are you hurt?"

"The baby is kicking today," Katara explained. "Hard."

“I can't understand why you would willingly put yourself through this," Toph scoffed. "What's the upside? After the kid is born, it's all long nights and stinky diapers." Katara waddled across the room and lowered herself carefully onto the sofa beside Toph.

"Well, I've always wanted kids," she said. "I've had enough experience delivering them to know what I'm getting myself into. Plus there's the whole line of succession thing."

“I would have let the monarchy end with Zuko and made the Fire Nation vote for their next leader." Toph folded her arms across her chest. At nineteen, she was absolutely certain she would never experience the maternal urges her friend had apparently harbored since she was old enough to understand the concept of motherhood. Katara just threw her head back and laughed.

"That's not a terrible idea," Katara chortled. "I'll run it by Zuko when he gets home. But I would still want to have his babies regardless." Toph shuddered in disgust.

The few men she had dated in her life were fun while they lasted, but she hadn't regretted the end of any of those relationships. She certainly wouldn't want to be tied to any of them by a child.

"If you say so, Fire Lady Sweetness." She stretched her arms over her head and leaned towards Katara curiously. "When are you due?" Katara reached around and rubbed the base of her spine, suppressing another groan.

"About four weeks," she said. "That's why Zuko asked Aang to take him. He wants to get back from Ba Sing Se as quickly as possible."

“And why did I get stuck babysitting, again?" Toph asked. Katara grabbed a cushion and threw it at her friend she missed by a lot, but it didn't matter.

"Stop whining!" she chided jokingly. "You know you missed m-eeeoooow!" Katara doubled over in pain. In an instant, Toph was at her side, all business and worry.

"What's wrong?" she asked frantically. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

"I'm fine!" Katara waved her off. "It’s been going on for a couple of days now. This happens when you get close to birth. Your body has practice contractions sometimes." Toph frowned at her unconvinced.

"I am never having kids," she swore.

"It's definitely not for everyone." Katara chuckled. Then she let out another low groan."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Toph asked. Katara nodded and pulled herself off of the sofa. Sitting was too uncomfortable at the moment.

"I'm fine," she reassured her friend. Then she doubled over and let out a sound that reminded Toph of the lowing of a goat-cow.

“You do not sound okay!" Toph jumped up and tried to guide her friend back to the sofa to lie down. "Katara, you're scaring me!"

“I'm oka-oh no!" Toph heard the sound of something splashing on the ground. She frowned. She hadn't heard a glass tumble over.

“What?" she gasped. "What happened? Katara, what's going on?" There was a silence long enough for panic to settle over Toph before she heard a reply.

“Um...my...my water just broke," Katara said quietly. Toph's brow furrowed in confusion even as relief settled over her.

"Okay...” Toph said. “So we'll have someone bring you another."

"No, Toph," Katara took a deep breath, and Toph thought it sounded like she was trying not to cry. "I mean the baby is coming. Now."

"WHAT?" Toph shrieked. She clamped onto Katara's arm, unsure of what she needed to do. Normally, when something like this happened, she would turn to Katara. But who did Katara turn to when she was the one who needed help?

”ZUKO! Toph called. "ZUKO!!!"

"Toph, he is thousands of miles away," Katara reminded her. "He can't hear you."

“You're having his baby!" Toph said frantically. "He has to hear me!"

In spite of herself, Katara actually laughed a bit before she was cut off by another contraction

"Have someone send for a physician," she instructed Toph. "And then tell a servant I need someone to take me to my room." Toph nodded, glad to have some direction.

"Right!" she breathed. "Got it. Tell...someone to come help." She turned and ran off before Katara could say anything else.

Fortunately, the entire palace was on alert for this. The Fire Lady was giving birth to the heir to the Fire Nation, after all. There was a well practiced protocol in place. Before long, the physician followed by a couple of the palace staff had arrived with a rolling bed and were loading Katara on to it. Toph breathed a sigh of relief that her friend was in the hands of people who actually knew what they were doing.

"Wait!" Katara cried as they began to wheel her off. She reached back for Toph. "Aren't you coming?" Toph shook her head.

"What do I know about childbirth?" she asked. "You'll be better off without me." Katara shook her head.

"Zuko isn't here," pain and pleading mingled in her voice. "I need you!" Toph shook her head.

“I'm no good with stuff like this!"[

"Please, Toph!" Katara begged. That shook Toph to her core. Katara didn't beg. "Please, Toph. I'm scared! I can't do this alone!"

That did it. Toph straightened her shoulders and went to take her friend's hand.

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'll go with you. But you had better not splash anything gross on my feet!"

At first, Toph found the whole birth process a bit anti-climactic. After all the drama of Katara's water breaking and her contraction pains, the kid was still not ready to come out.

Toph sat dutifully at Katara's bedside, cracking jokes and keeping her water glass filled. After a while, she began to wonder if Katara was even in labor after all, but the periodic groans of pain testified that she was.

"At this rate, Zuko will be home before this kid is born," Toph said. Katara sighed as she froze a bit of water to chew on.

"Spirits, I hope so," she sighed. "I'm glad you're with me, but I really, really want Zuko here right now."

"I'll try not to take offense," Toph deadpanned. The truth was, though,Toph was sure that Katara couldn't be wishing harder than she was that Zuko would miraculously show up ahead of schedule. He'd only be a day or two early, after all...

"Ooooooooooh!" Katara groaned. That was happening more frequently, Toph noted. The physician and her assistants began fluttering around the room with more urgency.

"What's going on?" Toph asked nervously.

"The baby's coming," Katara told her. She was trying to keep her breathing steady, but Toph could feel Katara's pulse quickening.

"The baby's been coming for four hours now!" Toph couldn't keep the complaint completely out of her voice. Childbirth was boring!

“No, Toph," Katara grabbed Toph's hand and squeezed. Hard. "It's time."

"Ow!" Toph tried to pry her fingers free, but Katara's grip was vice-like.

"I can't do this!" Katara sobbed through the contraction. "I can't do this. I need Zuko here!"

"He's too far away!" Toph reminded her. "I had someone send word, but I don't think it'll get to him in time." Katara shook her head vigorously.

"I'll wait!" she declared. "I can't have this baby without him!"

Toph balked, momentarily distracted from Katara's grip on her hand. She had never seen Katara so...so...frightened. This was the same woman who had ended a century-long war and defeated the prodigy fire-bender princess of the Fire Nation. The same woman who had decided to move across the world and faced the impertinence of the Fire Nation's snobbiest royals in order to be with the man she loved. And she had reigned benevolently and wisely over those same snobs for two years! She couldn't do this without her husband?

"So, what's the plan here, Sugar Queen?" Toph demanded. "Just postpone giving birth? I'm pretty sure that's not how this works!" She tilted her head towards the physician for confirmation. The older woman nodded her head. In spite of the pain of Katara's grip on her hand, Toph smirked to herself. There was nothing to this child birthing stuff.

"I don't care!" Katara sobbed, squeezing her knees shut. "I have to wait for Zuko! We are supposed to do this together!" Toph suppressed a groan.

"I'm sure he's going to be sad he missed this, but Katara, you're having a baby!"

"I'm a healer!" Katara snapped. "I can hold this baby in until my husband gets home!"

At any other time, Toph would have made fun of Katara's stubbornness, but she had been at Katara's bedside for hours, her hand hurt and she really, really needed to go to the bathroom!

"Your majesty, I'm afraid that might hurt the baby," the physician said, bowing and scraping as if Katara wasn't just the scrappy daughter of a barely noble family from the frozen south. Katara had experienced more in her nearly twenty-two years than this namby-pamby doctor had in all her life. Toph gritted her teeth until she was sure one of them had cracked. The physician was going to be useless here.

“Katara, stop being a brat!" Toph ordered. "You always have to have everything your way! Well, guess what? Zuko isn't here and you are having this thing whether you're ready or not!”

"Is that...supposed to be...be comforting?" Katara gasped.

"It's supposed to be accurate!" Toph snorted. "Look, you have two options. You can either put on your big girl pants and let this happen naturally, or you can be a bigger baby than the one you're pushing out of your white lotus, and make this harder than it has to be. Either way, that baby is coming out! So, what are you gonna do, Sugar Queen?"

Katara, still crying softly, slowly let her legs fall open. The physician let out a sigh of relief and went to work.

Toph had been blind from birth, but she had never really regretted not having that sense. Sure, she had no concept of colors, and she would never really be able to see the smiles of her loved ones, but she had been just fine without that stuff. This, though...this was the first time she had ever been glad not to be able to see. As long as she lived, Toph knew she would never be able to forget the traumatic sounds of Katara’s agonized screaming. She would never forget the pain of the bone crushing grip on her hand. And she would never ever forget the fear she felt witnessing Katara go through what Toph knew had killed so many women before them. The birth of the heir of the Fire Nation throne was possibly the worst thing Toph had ever experienced.

After what felt like an age, the sounds of Katara's screams were replaced by the wailing of a baby. Katara finally released Toph's hand, and before the gore and viscera had even been cleaned from the tiny body, Katara had pulled her daughter into her arms and cooed as if she had never experienced a moment's pain in her life. Toph shook her head. She would never understand this part of the human experience.After a bit, the physician carefully pried the baby girl from Katara's arms so both mother and child could be cleaned up. It was done quickly and soon, the baby was returned to Katara.

"You did good, Sugar Queen," Toph sighed. Katara turned in her direction, and Toph knew she was smiling.

"You did good, too, Auntie Toph." Katara reached out and took Toph's hand, gently this time. "Thank you."

“Welcome," Toph grumbled, extracting her hand. She wasn't quite ready to forgive Katara for that just yet. Katara just laughed, sounding tired, but happy.

"What's her name?" Toph asked quietly.

"I'm going to wait for Zuko to get back so we can decide together," Katara told her. She shifted a bit towards Toph. "Do you want to hold her?"

Toph started to say no, but Katara had already guided her hand under the infant princess' head. She waited until Toph had a firm grip before pulling back.

Toph had been blind since birth, but she never really regretted not having that sense. Not really. She had been able to compensate in other ways. She would never know what her little niece's eyes looked like. Toph would never understand what it meant that the baby took after her mother's skin tone, and had her father's smile, but she knew that few people would understand what it was to know what the baby's heartbeat felt like or truly understand the soft warmth of the baby's skin. Toph would never forget the awfulness of witnessing the baby's birth, but it paled in comparison to the memory of holding the first child she would ever love for the first time.

Part 1, Part 2

#atla #zutara #katara and toph #first born #auntie toph has A DAY!#happy birthday

132 notes · View notes

shabre-legacy · 3 years

Text

I abandoned this original story a while back, might be worth dusting off

Darkness surrounds the palace as people crowd the courtyard, silent and somber in the late hours of the night. The moon couldn’t be seen through the clouds, the stormy black sky adding to the dreadful atmosphere surrounding the palace as the people in the courtyard waited, candles their only source of light, for news of their king.

Inside the tension sat heavy through the halls, thick enough to choke on. The king had been ill for years and had taken a turn for the worse days ago, and the Council of Lords and the Queen were at odds. Every knight and guard in the royal court were on watch to ensure peace and safety during this stressful time and Vanora was no different. She was one of the most trusted of the Queen’s Knights. She took pride in being one of the best. Vanora had been knighted 6 years ago, not long after Queen Kalliste had married King Reynar. Within a year she had been selected for the Queen’s personal guard and had been there for the last 5 years. Guarding the royal family was an honor she was quite proud of and a responsibility she took seriously.

Tonight Vanora stood guard with 2 members of the Royal Guard at the entrance to the hall to the royal chambers, ensuring that no one could enter or leave without permission. The others were leaning on the wall dozing. With most of the palace staff standing vigil and the physicians and Council of Lords with the king, the palace sat quiet and still, easy enough to fall asleep at this late hour. Vanora wasn’t going to relax tonight though. She tended to be quiet and pay attention and she had noticed the growing tension between the Queen and the Council and the Council’s manipulations had increased since the King had fallen ill, giving them even more power than the vast amount they already had. No one was going to get in without killing her first.

She scanned the hall in front of her and tensed when the sound of quiet footsteps echoed from behind her. She turned half-around to look at the girl standing behind the other guards, they stirred and straightened to face her. The young woman was one of the Queen’s handmaids, she bowed her head in acknowledgment of Vanora’s rank and stated in the clear, precise manner that Vanora had come to expect from the girl, “The Queen requests the presence of Ser Vanora in her chambers immediately.”

Vanora nodded, she hadn’t planned to leave her post tonight, but who was she to deny the will of her queen, and she would never pass up an opportunity to see her anyways. She looked to the other guards. “Watch the hall and don’t let your attention fade for a moment. I’ll return as soon as I am able” Vanora stepped away as the others moved to take her place. She followed the maid through the halls towards her Queen. As she entered the queen’s chambers, she paused and took stock of the room as the maid announced her, The handmaids were crowded the baby princess and her nursemaid in a corner of the room. The princess wasn’t quite a year old and she was already the pride and joy of her parents. It was no suprise to Vanora that on a night like tonight, with the king so close to death, that Kalliste would choose to keep Syletra close. She turned slightly and bowed low to her queen. Kalliste sat on her bed, blonde hair curled around her shoulders and her green dressing gown pooling gently around her.

Kalliste smiled softly and reached a hand toward Vanora. She moved across the room and leaned down to gently kiss Kalliste, before sitting next to her. Kalliste smiled and took a breath before drawing herself up. Vanora could tell she hadn’t been summoned to provide comfort to the queen, but because there was something that needed doing. Kalliste finally spoke “Vanora, my love, I’ve been quite worried the last few days… The council has been gaining power for several generations and have accelerated that in the last few years since Reynar took ill. I’m afraid that if Reynar dies tonight, I will not live to see the morning”

Vanora grasped Kalliste’s hands tightly, everything in the background fading to a grey fog, present, but unimportant in the face of Kalliste acknowledging what she already knew. The world faded until nothing but Kalliste was in focus. “I will protect you, my lady. No one will hurt you. I won’t allow it.

Kalliste raised one of her strong, yet delicate hands and gently cupped vanora’s cheek, Vanora leaned into her touch like it was a lifeline. “I know you’ll defend me, my love, but I need to to instead protect something far more precious to me.” She looked over to the corner of the room. “If something happens, my daughter may be the only hope the kingdom will have. She is the most important part of my life and I NEED her to be safe” Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she swallowed deeply, staring into Vanora’s eyes. “ I only trust you with this task, my love.”

“ But, my lady, I wish to protect you. I don’t want… I can’t live in a world without you. You are my entire world.”

“I know darling, and I love you so much, you have become so very important to me. But Syletra needs you more than me now. She needs your protection and I need to know if I die, my daughter is safe. Please,, be the knight I know you are tonight and protect my daughter.”

Vanora gazed back into Kalliste’s eyes….The love and fear for both Vanora and her daughter were reflected in the blacky depths through to the depths of her soul. She sighed knowing this battle had been lost as soon as Kalliste had made the request, Vanora would do anything for her. She wasn’t just her Queen. She was also her lover. Anything Kalliste asked, Vanora would do. She lifted Kalliste’s hands and pressed a gentle kiss to them, resigned to the choice she was making. “As you wish, your majesty.”

She hated this, hated that this was the position she was in, but… she understood. Kalliste wasn’t only a mother afraid for her child’s life, she was also a queen and had to think of the future of the kingdom and do what it took to protect it and ensure the future of Vraeria. Vanora had made this choice years ago when she had pledged herself a knight,when she had become one of the Queen’s knights, when she first became the queen’s lover. This was what being the Queens Knight meant and she was going to see this through, she would not fail Kalliste.

Kalliste leaned forward and pressed a love-filled kiss to Vanora’s lips, pulling back, kalliste centered herself. “Thank you,darling. Now I must go and deal with the Council. While I attend to that, I need you to take Syletra to the Atrium. There is a passage out of the castle, hidden under the large chest by the eastern window. It leads to the river. I took the liberty of having your horse saddled and in place, right outside the tunnel. If you have to run, take Syletra to the Temple Divine. I have made arrangements with the priestesses there to take care of her”

Vanora nodded, still leaning in towards her queen, stealing another quick kiss. “ I understand, my lady. You can rest easy. I will protect the princess as I would you.”

A small sigh of relief escaped the queen as a fraction of the tension left her face. “Oh my Vanora, who am I that you should love me so”

Vanora managed a weak smile, “You are my queen” she stated clearly. As though that one phrase held all the answers of the universe.

#this is just a bit of what I've got written

9 notes · View notes

thelovelyghostwriter · 4 years

Audio

(via https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52aFxZiF6IhgLaj8Zzj3hU?si=2HFVzdSQT0WZ_fxe4gNniQ)

1. Million Dollar Man by Lana del Ray

You're screwed up and brilliant Look like a million dollar man So why is my heart broke?

We all know Kurapika is now the Nostrade Family Young Boss. He provides the money for Neon now by revamping their business model. He literally saved her family from financial crisis, he can provide her anything, she likes him a lot no matter how messed up he is - but why is she still “broke”.

2. National Anthem by Lana del Ray

Money is the reason we exist Everybody knows it, it's a fact (Kiss, kiss)

This song talks about the excess of materials, drugs, drinking, wealth and sex. A girl having a rich handsome man that gives her everything and he can’t keep her hands off of her. Sounds like Kurapika being in the mafia underworld and making tons of money; Neon bathing materialism as both gets drunk in love and sex? Heck yeah.

3. Young and Beautiful by Lana del Ray

Will you still love me when I'm no longer Young and beautiful? Will you still love me when I got nothing But my achin' soul?

This is the theme song for movie The Great Gatsby. @anotherworldash always paralleled the relationships between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan with Kurapika and Neon. Gatsby desired Daisy because she represents the old money wealth that Gatsby longed for as a child. He became rich through illegal activities. Kurapika desired adventure and for their eyes to be appreciated (and not called a demon for it), which Neon appreciates their eyes as beautiful (even though now it’s in a twisted way. Daisy and Neon are very similar characters who bathes in materialism because they are despondent.

4. Dress by Taylor Swift

Only bought this dress so you could take it off.

Her wedding dress on their wedding night when they finally consummate their marriage. Duh.

5. Daddy Issues by Demi Lovato

Addicted to love with the wrong one Lucky for you, I got all these daddy issues

100% Neon and her daddy issues. She’s always with insane messed up men like Kurapika and also Chrollo because she never had a good upbringing to begin with.

6. Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding and Earned It by The Weekend

Are we going to put more saucy 50 Shades of Grey OSTs for this hot pairing? Heck yeah we are.

7. A Little Death by The Neighbourhood

I want you to touch me there Make me feel like I am breathing Feel like I am human.

She sought death on a queen-sized bed And he had said, "Darling, your looks can kill, So now you're dead."

This one’s interesting. So the title is based on the French phrase La petite mort to describe post-orgasm. The song describes two people having sex, finding solace in one another and “experiencing death”. Kurapika and Neon are two wounded souls - Kurapika’s tragic past and Neon’s lack of love from her father.

Also, Nostrade is from Nostradamus - a French astrologer, physician and reputed seer. I can totally see Neon speaking to Kurapika in French. OOF sexy.

T’as d’beaux yeux, tu sais? (You have beautiful eyes, you know?)

8. Requiem Arena, The Phantom Elegy and Kurapika’s Theme aka Hiiro no Hitom (Hunter x Hunter OST)

I know the first two are the Phantom Troupe theme songs, but this also reminds me of YorkNew City arc and Kurapika so yes it’s gonna be here.

9. Afterglow by Taylor Swift

I lived like an island, punished you with silence Went off like sirens, just crying Why'd I have to break what I love so much?

This gives me imagination if Kurapika and Neon ever gets into quarrels, and Neon feels guilty about her petty tantrums because she doesn’t want to lose him.

10. Run To You by Whitney Houston

OMFG. This song is 100% KuraNeon bodyguard-boss situation. So this song was actually from this movie called The Bodyguard (1992). It’s a story about a celebrity in danger, so she hired a bodyguard to protect her. Both don’t really like each other at first, but they eventually fall in love. Sounds like Kurapika and Neon? YES! This was actually the movie that made me think KuraNeon is possible.

The first verse describes Neon:

I know that when you look at me There's so much that you just don't see But if you would only take the time I know in my heart you'd find A girl who's scared sometimes Who isn't always strong Can't you see the hurt in me? I feel so all alone

Neon is actually a really lonely girl and locked up in the bubble. She may be smiling, but deep down she’s not okay.

The second verse describes Kurapika:

Each day, each day I play the role Of someone always in control But at night I come home and turn the key There's nobody there, no one cares for me What's the sense of trying hard to find your dreams Without someone to share it with Tell me what does it mean?

Kurapika always appear calm and stoic, but really, he has a sad past. His sole purpose now is to collect his brethren’s Eyes, and to take revenge. But does that make him happy? No, he’s lonely too. Don’t worry Pika you can collect the Scarlet Eyes with Neon.

11. Love Theme and Apollonia (The Godfather movie OST)

What’s a KuraNeon song without a mafia-themed love song?

12. California King Bed by Rihanna

So confused wanna ask you if you love me But I don't wanna seem so weak

I always have this headcanon (and also some other shippers) that their relationship will start off as something physical attraction first? Then it grows from there when both of them starts blurring the lines.

13. Pavane for A Dead Princess

Okay, this is classical music is just... we don’t really know if Neon is dead in the current arc (although I believe that she’s not dead and Chrollo’s speculation is only a false narrative).

But if Togashi does decide to kill her off, I think this song is so fitting for her. Given that she has Princess Syndrome.

Even if Neon’s alive, I don’t think she is living the best life. Personally, I think she’s a princess-sy girl with a dead soul. She collects dead body parts because she has no sympathy for the dead, partly because of her upbringing. Very interesting.

This classical music is actually my inspiration for Melody’s music box gift for Neon in Chapter 4 of my KuraNeon fanfic https://archiveofourown.org/works/27963668/chapters/70030809

14. All Too Well by Taylor Swift

Okay, this is the one song I always think of if I’m going to write about Kurapika leaving Neon for the Dark Continent.

Maybe we got lost in translation Maybe I asked for too much But maybe this thing was a masterpiece Till you tore it all up

This is a very powerful breakup song, and one of Taylor Swift’s best! (I’m a Tay fan actually).

15. King of My Heart by Taylor Swift

Is the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending With all these nights we're spending Up on the roof with a school girl crush Drinking beer out of plastic cups Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff

We all know Kurapika is the King of Neon’s heart. <3

16. Lucky by Britney Spears

If there’s nothing missing in her life, then why do tears come at night?

Not really a KuraNeon song, but more for Neon. She seems like a rich girl, but she’s lonely and incomplete deep down. Her father is using her as a cash cow, much like how Britney Spear’s situation is right now.

17. For the Love of A Daughter by Demi Lovato

Don't you remember, I'm your baby girl? How could you throw me right out of your world? So young when the pain had begun Now forever afraid of being loved

This song... gets me so sad. Not really a KuraNeon song but I think it describes Neon’s situation with her father a bit, particularly this verse.

Okay, I will continue explaining the rest soon.

#kuraneon #kuraneo

24 notes · View notes

swifteforeverandalways · 3 years

Text

Notes: I was honestly not planning on this being as long as it is, but somehow it ended up really long. The disease is real, but is rare. Any questions can be sent to my inbox!

@lilmissriottbliss

“Hey, where’s Raya? Isn't she meeting us up here?” Will asked Natalie as they packed up their stuff from the lockers.

“Yeah, she’s supposed to be. But she did seem pretty quiet this morning and told me she was worried about meeting Owen,” Natalie replied.

“Let’s head down to the lab,” Will suggested as he grabbed his coat. Natalie nodded and grabbed her’s, the two heading to the elevator. A few moments later, the two doctors were in the lab.

“Hey Nancy, is Saraya still here?” Natalie asked the lab desk woman, Nancy Gilman.

“She’s in the back, Dr. Manning. You can come back,” she replied.

“And let me guess, I’m still ‘banned’?” Will asked with a wry smile. Nancy laughed.

“I think for once, Saraya won’t enforce her ‘no boyfriend in lab’ rule,” the older lady said. Will laughed and him and Natalie headed into the lab. Nancy pointed to the lab locker/lounge area and the two headed in. They found Saraya pacing, looking stressed.

“Raya? Everything okay?” Will asked. Saraya’s head snapped up and she sighed, sitting on a bench and rubbing her face.

“Sorry, I just….I guess I’m just worried,” Saraya sighed. Will sat next to her, Natalie on her other side.

“Why?” Will asked.

“Meeting Owen, and Helen. I just….I Dunno,” Saraya sighed and shrugged. Natalie nudged her slightly.

“Owen will love you, I know he will,” Natalie assured her.

“I just…..both of you are doctors and what if he doesn’t understand what it is the lab does?” Saraya said.

“You can always bring stuff from here, at least something, right?” Will asked. Saraya frowned briefly before nodding and standing.

“I’ll be right back,” she said before heading out to the supply closest. Saraya returned a few minutes later with a box in hand.

“Pipettes?” Natalie asked, raising an eyebrow. Saraya nodded, “Yeah.”

“Is it okay to take them? I mean, don’t you like need them?” Natalie asked

“We got extra in with our last shipment. I know Nancy took some for her grandkids to play with, so I’m sure I’ll be fine to take them,” Saraya assured her. Natalie frowned still looking worried. Saraya sighed, though smiling, as she poked her head out.

“Hey Hanna, C’mere for a moment!” Saraya called to her boss. Hanna entered the locker room.

“What’s up?” She asked.

“Mind if I take this extra box of pipettes home?” Saraya asked.

“Today’s the day you’re meeting Dr. Manning’s son, isn’t it?” Hanna recalled. Saraya nodded.

“Go ahead, we have plenty,” Hanna said.

“Thank you,” Saraya said, putting the box under her arm before going to her locker, grabbing her coat.

“Let me,” Will reached for the box. Saraya rolled her eyes fondly but let Will take the box.

“Thanks,” she pecked his cheek. Will smiled and the three headed up and out to their car. A little while later, they arrived at Helen Manning’s house, still in their scrubs. Natalie walked up to the door and knocked on it. It was opened and an older woman stood there.

“Natalie, hi, it’s so good to see you again,” Helen said, pulling her daughter-in-law into a hug.

“Hey Helen. You remember Will?” Natalie said. Will waved awkwardly.

“Dr. Halstead,” Helen nodded. Will gently placed his hand on the small of Saraya’s back, leading her forward.

“This is Saraya Grant. She Uh….she lives with us,” Will said. Helen studied Saraya intensely and Saraya just kept eye contact with the older woman.

“Do you work at the hospital too?” She asked, noting the scrubs. Saraya nodded.

“I work at Chicago Med too, but in the lab,” she replied.

“What exactly does that involve?” Helen asked. Saraya internally rolled her eyes at the question she had received so many times before. Instead of seeming annoyed, she just gave the same answer as usual.

“I perform all the tests that need to be done. So when Nat or Will order like a CBC or CMP, the blood gets sent to the lab and we test it and report the results to our docs,” Saraya replied.

“We couldn’t do it without them,” Natalie replied with a smile. Helen nodded and looked at the box.

“What’s in there?” She asked.

“Pipettes. We use them in the lab. They’re all disposable and I thought that maybe Owen would like to play with some?” Saraya said, her voice turning unsure.

“Well Will and Natalie have bought him doctor’s kits…” Helen said.

“Can we please come in now, it’s a bit chilly out,” Natalie said.

“Oh yes. Of course,” Helen said and ushered the three in. Tiny footsteps approached and a child’s voice yelled out.

“Mommy!” A small boy ran to Natalie, who knelt down and pulled him into a hug.

“Hey sweetheart,” Natalie smiled, a look of pure adoration on her face that Saraya had never seen before.

“Hey Big Man,” Will knelt by Natalie.

“Mr. Will!” Owen released himself from Natalie and threw himself into Will’s arms. Will hugged the young boy tightly as Natalie stood, moving to stand next to Saraya.

“Hey Owen, Mr. Will and I wanted to introduce you to our really, really good friend. This is Saraya,” Natalie said. Saraya knelt down as Owen looked at her.

“You’re pretty,” he blurted out. Saraya smiled.

“Thanks Owen,” she replied. Owen smiled back shyly and pointed to the box.

“What’s that?” He asked curiously.

“These are pipettes, see I work with your mom and Mr. Will at the hospital, but I work in the laboratory to help them make people feel better by giving them facts that will help them find out what makes people sick. Pipettes help me in the lab and we had some extra so I was thinking you could have them,” Saraya explained carefully.

“Can I play with them?” Owen asked. Saraya smiled.

“Of course!” She exclaimed. Owen beamed and hugged her. Saraya laughed fondly and hugged back.

For the next hour or so, Saraya sat with Owen in the living room showing him how to use the pipettes while Will sat on the couch, watching. Natalie helped Helen with dinner in the kitchen, talking in low tones. As he sat, Will noticed Owen blinking a lot and rubbing his eyes. Frowning, the ginger haired doctor checked his phone. It was only six thirty and he knew Owen was always full of energy. He also noticed a light sheen of sweat on Owen’s.

“Hey Big Guy, you okay?” Will stood from the couch and crouched near Owen.

“My head kind of hurts and I’m really hot,” Owen said, his voice small.

“Can I check out your neck for a moment?” Will asked softly. Will nodded and felt Owen’s lymph nodes, frowning when he could feel they were swollen.

“Ow!” Owen cried. Panic began rising in both Will and Saraya but they clamped it down.

“Nat, can you come in here?” Saraya called. Natalie and Helen walked into the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Natalie asked. Will ran a hand through his hair.

“His head hurts, he’s feverish, his lymphs are swollen. We need to take him in,” he replied.

“What’s going on?” Helen demanded.

“We think Owen might be sick,” Will said as Saraya lifted Owen’s arm, noticing something on it.

“Is this a bite? When did it happen?” She asked.

“Owen’s class went to the zoo last week and he got bit by an insect, why?” Helen replied. Instead of answering, Saraya looked at Natalie and Will.

“I know it’s worse case scenario but all the symptoms fit, zoo could be the source of the tick….” She began.

“Do you really think it is?” Natalie interrupted. Saraya ran a hand through her hair, letting out a rough breath.

“I don’t know Nat. I know some local vets have reported it in animals, so it could be but it’s rare and, and we won’t know without a blood test,” Saraya replied.

“Then we need to take him in and get tested,” Will said.

“Will someone tell me what’s going on!” Helen demanded. The three medical professionals looked at her.

“Tularemia. It’s a very rare disease caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis and it’s caused by insect bites amongst other things. You said he went to the zoo and got an insect bite, if it was a tick it could have transferred. The symptoms fit and it usually takes three to five days for them to show up. But we need to take him in to know for certain,” Saraya replied. Helen pressed a hand to her mouth.

“So we need to get Owen to the ED, now,” Will said, standing. Everyone grabbed their jackets and headed out.

“If it is tularemia, we likely caught it early and it’s easy to treat with antibiotics. There’s no evidence of it being transferred person-to-person so you guys are all safe,” Saraya said as she sat in the backseat with Will and Owen, Natalie was driving with Helen in the passenger seat.

“What about you?” Helen asked. Saraya exchanged glances with Will and Natalie (the latter through the rear view mirror).

“I think Nat and Will will both agree with me on this but even though I’m off shift, I want to be the one to culture his specimens and run the testing. To make sure that nothing is missed. Owen means a lot to both Natalie and Will, and I love them both,” Saraya replied. Will took her hand, squeezing it tightly as Helen nodded.

“Dad? I’m scared,” Owen said in a small voice. Will swallowed at being called ‘Dad’ by Owen again. Back when him and Natalie were first dating, Owen called him ‘daddy’ all the time. But then they broke up and he became ‘Mr. Will’.

“You’ll be okay, Owen. We will take care of you, I promise,” Will said in a thick voice. When they arrived at the Chicago Med Emergency Department, Natalie threw the car in park and jumped out, Will and Saraya doing the same. Natalie got Owen out while Will hopped into the driver’s seat, Saraya yanking open the passenger seat.

“C’mon, Will is gonna park. We are going to take Owen in,” she said to Helen. Helen nodded as Natalie held Owen in her arms, the three adults rushing in through the employee entrance.

“Maggie! Page Dr. Grant and tell her that I need her for Owen. I know she’s not an emergency physician but she’s the one I trust,” Natalie commanded. Maggie looked up.

“Oh my god Nat, what happened?” She demanded.

“Owen is sick, please. Page Dr. Grant,” Natalie pleaded. Maggie nodded and grabbed some admission papers and a clipboard, thrusting them into Helen’s hands.

“Take Treatment Two,” she said. Natalie nodded and rushed into the room, setting Owen on the bed as Monique rushed in. The young nurse instantly began hooking Owen up as Dr. Deidre Grant rushed in.

“Deidre, I know you don’t do emergency medicine but-” Natalie began only for Dr. Grant to shake her head.

“I know, Natalie. It’s okay,” she said.

“We think it’s Tularemia, Dee. He was at the zoo last week and got bit by an insect, has a fever and swollen lymph,” Saraya looked at her cousin. Dr. Grant nodded and looked at Monique.

“We need blood cultures and a lymph biopsy stat,” she said. Monique nodded and went about collecting the samples as Helen filled out the admission paperwork, Natalie took a seat next to the bed, Will rushed in, and Saraya paced.

“I’ll take the samples to the lab and run them myself,” Saraya said. Monique looked up.

“The elevators are down, being worked on,” she said unsure.

“Then I’ll run them down myself dammit!” Saraya snapped.

“Monique, just let her take the samples down,” Dr. Grant said. Monique looked at the doctor and nodded as Natalie nudged Saraya.

“Raya, please don’t actually run,” she said. Saraya smiled wryly.

“I wasn’t planning on it, Nat,” she replied, “Or at least not my full-speed ‘hospital was hacked so I need to deliver this critical results by hand’ level.”

“I almost called your mother for that by the way,” Dr. Grant said.

“Oh I was expecting you to, Dee. I was 100% expecting to get a call from my mom.” Saraya laughed. A few minutes later, Monique had collected the samples and Saraya headed down to the lab. The night desk woman, Elenie Basen, looked up.

“Ms. Grant, I thought you went home?” She said. Saraya nodded.

“I did but uh…..is Hanna still in?” Saraya asked. Elenie nodded and motioned Saraya back. Saraya rushed back and popped her head into Hanna’s office.

“Hanna, I know I’m not on shift or even on call but Natalie’s son got sick and I think it might be tularemia and I want to run the samples and….” Saraya began rambling when Hanna held up a hand to cut her off.

“Go, but take all precautions,” Hanna replied. Saraya nodded and hurried off. Taking all the precautions, Saraya set upon performing the cultures and tests. It was nearly midnight when the tests and culture were finished and Saraya taped the plates, setting them into the incubator while setting the PCR and MALDI-TOF tests to run.

“Hey Lou, let me know when they’re done?” Saraya said, nodding to the tests running. Her coworker Lou nodded and Saraya checked her phone, seeing a text from Will saying that Owen was being held in the pediatric wing under observation. Stifling her yawn, Saraya headed out of the lab and to the pediatric wing.

Owen was asleep in the bed, Natalie sitting in a chair next to the bed with Helen on the other side. Will sat on the couch in the room, head resting on his hand. Helen and Natalie looked up when Saraya slipped in.

“Preliminary results will be in in a few hours,” Saraya said, yawning. “Culture takes a few days but PCR and MALDI-TOF will be done in a few hours.” Natalie nodded.

“Get some rest, Raya,” she said softly. Saraya stifled another yawn, “Plannin’ on it. If my phone goes off please wake me, though.” Natalie nodded again as Saraya set her phone on a table before making her way to the couch. Will stirred briefly, opening up his arms. Saraya settled onto the couch, cuddling into his side. Will kissed her forehead as Saraya drifted off.

#will halstead #Natalie manning #Saraya Grant #Owen manning #raynatstead #my writing

4 notes · View notes

darkdevasofdestruction · 4 years

Text

Sibling Protection Squad ~ Arthur Shelby

He may be a dummy, but he’s so cute c’:

There weren’t too many words to describe the eldest Shelby sibling - Aggressive, maybe kinda dumb, clearly a drunk, an ex-soldier still majorly plagued by the horrors of the war - And it’s true, most of these sound incredibly negative, and it almost seems like there was no redeeming quality for him.

But only God knows how big his heart is, and how he’d give his life for his family, especially for Tommy, because that’s how much he loves them, but in this dark and cruel world, only filled with death and smog, there’s no place for such warm feelings...

Or so he thought, until one cold and snowy winter, where Arthur was walking down the streets of Birmingham with his brother, and suddenly, a honey-coated voice ripped them away from their business talks, and as they looked up hill, he noticed a lovely young woman dancing in the snow with a little girl who looked a lot like her - The little one was playing around with the falling snowflakes, giggling gleefully, while the older one’s hands were freezing as she was making a flower crown from the prettiest winter flowers there were.

The eldest Shelby didn’t even realise he stopped dead in his tracks to gaze at the h/c woman, mesmerised by her...Her everything, really. But was that her sister or her daughter? And, moreover, he’s ugly as hell, a drunk, he talks loud and he’s rough, how could someone as soft and delicate ever even think about staying within a 10 kilometer radius from him?

“Brother, why do you look so upset? Go talk to her.” Thomas put both his hands on his brother’s shoulders, smiling encouragingly at him. “I can’t, Tommy, I can’t. Look at ‘er, she’s...She’s perfect! I’ll just scare her away. And that kid, what if it’s hers? What if she’s married? I can’t just intrude in her life like that.” Arthur sighed, hanging his head and sighing. “Go after her, brother, otherwise, I will, and I will wife her, and she will become a Shelby, just not the you’d wish her to be.” Tommy smirked slightly, provoking his brother, knowing very well how he can be. “Don’t you dare, Tommy! You can’t do this to me!” the elder one pursed his mouth, getting flared up by his brother, who felt like a winner, as always. “Then go there and talk to her! It’s that simple. Now go along. I’ll go home, and when you’re done here, I want to know how it went.” Tommy pushed his brother towards the girl, winking and giving him thumbs up to get the courage to proceed.

Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me too. Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true. Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you.

She sang like a beautiful nightingale, putting the flower crown on her hair, picking her up and twirling around together - It almost seemed like the most blissful, domestic dream, the one that without realising, he wished for the most. However, as he got enchanted by her mermaid-like voice, he noticed another man approaching them, and he tensed up, thinking it was her husband, and his heart sank in disappointed, his dreams completely ruined.

“Hello, little lady. Why are you here, alone, when the sun is going down?” the man asked, scaring the girl and pulling the little girl behind her, getting in a protective stance...This man clearly wasn’t her husband, Arthur thought, as he watched carefully the interaction between those two. “Just enjoying this beautiful winter day with my little sister, hoping for no outside disturbances.” she held a smile on her face, but it was clear her voice was passive-aggressive enough, as the man was screaming DANGER with his mere presence. “Well, I’d say it’s getting late. How about I escort you home, safely, and you sing for me all night long, sweet songbird.” the man chuckled, stepping closer to the girls, and Arthur could see how uncomfortable and scared the girl was. “Sis, this man is creeping me out. Can he leave us alone?” the little girl asked innocently, tugging on her sister’s long coat. “He WILL leave us alone...If he knows what’s good for his life.” Y/N’s voice became lower, more threatening, as she slowly letting her chin down, looking like a lioness ready to protect her kin. “Aww, don’t be like that, toots, c’mon, I’ll treat you well!” the creep walked quickly in front of her, grabbing her arm violently, only to get slapped and pushed away. “Go away, if you don’t want to get hurt even more. I warn you now, before I slit your throat.” looking closer, Arthur noticed the glint of metal in her hand, but he was going to intervene before she could get her hands dirty. Just then, the man got visibly angry, his face scrunching into an ugly mug, and he violently grabbed her by the arms, and thus, it was his time to act.

Arthur rushed to save her, dragged the creep away from the woman, punching him in the face enough to scare him to run away from there - But now, he was the violent creep who stalked her and heroically saved her... And looking at her sheepishly, he realised that she was awkwardly shifting on her feet, hiding the knife back in the sleeve of her coat.

“Thank you, Mr. I and my sister thank you. Some people can be really...Bad.” she chuckled awkwardly, letting her sister come out from behind her, and surprisingly, despite her shy demeanor, she went to the Shelby and took off her flower crown, gifting it to him. “Here, Mister! It’s a thank you for protecting us! Y/N did this for me, and now, I’m giving it to you! But you have to tell us your name first! Mine is Stephanie, and my Y/N’s name is Y/N!” the usually timid little girl spoke so brightly, jumping up and down cheerfully in front of the stranger, trying to get him to accept the gift, while Y/N could only stare at them with wide eyes, embarrassed and shocked by her behaviour. “S-Steph, don’t bother the poor stranger like that, you’re gonna scare him away.” Y/N put her hands on her sister’s shoulders, trying to calm her down, but the man grinned in amusement, his heart softening. “Don’t worry, ma’am, she’s a sweetling. Name’s Arthur Shelby, at your service.” he extended his hand to her, and she shook it, a small smile on her face. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Shelby. Thank you again for coming to our aid. How can we repay for your help?” she asked, slowly walking in the direction of her home. “If you would allow me to honour of walking you home...A drink together maybe...” he suggested, which made the girl look up at him, tilting her head to the side briefly, before nodding in agreement, raised her hand to look at her non existent wrist watch, before slapping her forehead. “I forgot my watch broke recently. Well, the magical way the Sun works tells me it’s going to be dinner time soon, so...If you’re not too busy...” she shrugged simply, opening the door to her little, but very warm, welcoming and cosy apartment, but Arthur didn’t dare step inside. “Nothing to do. I promise to bring you back home whenever you want.” he spoke, leaning on the door frame, watching the beautiful woman lecture her little sister - The usual things any older sister who’s taking care of a child all by herself - And then taking her purse to go with him.

He wondered how the hell did he manage to convince this gorgeous woman, without really doing anything at all. This woman was absolutely flawless, without even having to dress elegantly, do her hair or make up, and suddenly, he was reminded of Grace and how much effort she puts into being less than perfect compared to Y/N.

This time, his feet didn’t lead him the Garrison, as they always do - The standard, go there, listen to Grace’s singing that leads to a bunch of drunk men sing completely off-tune, and then he gets drunk too, sometimes shit-faced drunk, and he forgets everything, including his problems. Now, however, he brought her to one of those exclusive burlesque cabaret restaurants, which shocked Y/N big time.

“Arthur, I-...I...I don’t think I can afford getting in such a luxurious place. I’m just a practicing physician, I don’t really make a lot of money...And I didn’t dress appropriately either. I-...” the girl stumbled worriedly over her words, only to earn a grin from the man. “Don’t worry, lass, I’m a man and I asked you on a date with me. It would be unbecoming of me to let you pay. Just enjoy the show and whatever you want to drink...And have that beautiful smile on your face.” he looked down for a brief moment, before looking at her face, noticing a soft blush and the spark of mirth in her eyes.

Watching the beautiful girls dance so so enticingly got the girl mesmerised, studying their every move with fascination, then got the Irish whiskey from the table, poured it in the crystal glasses for the both of them, then grinned, stealing a look at the man sitting in the chair glued to hers.

“Do you know how to dance?” she asked, leaning on her armrest to talk into his ear, as the music was very loud. “Uh...No, I’m not good at dancing, sorry. I can try, if you want to-” Arthur fumbled over his words, a bit embarrassed that he never got around to being as great a charming dancer as Tommy...Or a dancer at all, really. “Oh, that’s absolutely perfectly, I’m dreadful at dancing too. It’s a great thing other women are great at it, otherwise life would be SO boring.” Y/N chuckled gleefully, having her elbow on the table, raising her glass to cling with his, a he mimicked her gesture, laughing boastfully. “You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.” he barked, and boy, was he feeling lucky as hell that Tommy convinced him to approach her. “And you are the best man I’ve ever met in my life, without a doubt.” he never would have believed that some simple words would be so life-changing for him, coming from the right person.

And that night, oh boy, he talked Tommy’s ear off, and even Polly was there to hear and congratulate him on having such a great date, and now, they all wanted to meet this mystery woman. She was absolutely stunning, and all the Shelbys loved her, especially Polly, who finally thought dear Arthur found someone able to keep him under control, so he would stop being a rabid dog running astray, plagued by the ghosts of his past as a soldier in France. She was his perfect remedy, and likewise, he was showing her there are ways to have fun in life like never before, and that all started with the burlesque show, then the jazz bar where a band sang, then spontaneously going to the outskirts of the city to visit parks, simply to get away from the monochromatic life from Bleak Birmingham.

Because with together, life was painted in the most magical hues and shades of colours brought to Earth by the angels themselves.

Or so Ada said once when they were eating together, as a family, and it stuck with the both of them, so much, that they were sure every time they embraced, a rainbow shot from their hearts, unifying each other.

With Stephanie being there, they almost seemed like a family, the three of them, and it happened almost in an instant, without as much as realising, but Arthur became the girl’s father figure and loved her like his own child, and despite not having a clue how to behave with children, he spoiled the hell out of her, which made Y/N incredibly happy.

But things can’t always be perfect, and everyone knows the Shelbys and the ones they love essentially have a bullseye painted on their forehead, and one day, when, as usual, Y/N took Steph to the hill to play and sing together, only to have a few people come threaten them - Threaten to torture and kill them, unless they tell them about the Shelby family, and it goes without saying, it was terrifying for the two females.

Aggressiveness, curses, violence - One of them dragged Steph away, while the leader punched Y/N’s face once she screamed, telling them to take her, not her little sister, she’s the only one she has in her life anymore.

It all seemed to go as a complete blur - A shadow of the past that came to haunt their nightmares, a perfect reenactment of that horrible night from 10 years ago - Gunshots, screams, blood, even more curses...And enough dead bodies to start a small cemetery.

It was a split second for Y/N to get desperate enough to get the gun Arthur gave her years ago out of her purse and with perfect precision shot the assailants in the head - And as soon as she realised what she’s done, when all the smoke cleared and the enemies fell down on the ground, and her little sister was shaking like a leaf, sobbing and pulling at her hair.

“Y/N?! Y/N, what the bloody hell happened!” a familiar male voice shouted from far away, waking her out of her trance. “Arthur...?” she muttered, her shoulders shaking, just like her arms and bottom lip, which in turn, caused the girl to drop the gun and waiting for the man to come closer to them, she ran to him, crying and shaking him, alternating with hitting him, the panic still messing with her. “DAMN IT, ARTHUR, LOOK AT IT! LOOK AT THIS! YOU PROMISED, FOR FUCK’S SAKE! YOU PROMISED!” she shrieked at him, but poor him, was so confused and shocked of the sight in front of him.

Y/N has been the calmest person in the whole world, the rational one, the only person who could talk sense and ration into him, and yet, there she was, completely freaking out, trembling, wailing and yelling gibberish, and there was nothing in the world scarier than the love of his life being in this kind of state.

“Y/N, calm down and talk to me, please! Calm down, I’m here, everything’s better now. Talk to me, Y/N, talk to me.” he put his hands on her face, getting closer to her, looking directly in her eyes, something he knew worked because Tommy did it, and it always worked for him. “You promised you’d protect us, Arthur! You promised, and look at this mess! I had to kill them all! I DID IT! I’m a murderer, just like them! And look at Stephanie, she’s...She’s hysterical! You were supposed to protect us! THEY wanted to torture us to tell them secrets on YOU! Damn it, Arthur, you bloody PROMISED!” she cried out, and Arthur was lost for words, but actions spoke louder than them, and so he embraced her tightly, stroking her hair, trying to soothe her down. “Shhh, Y/N, calm down, it’s alright now, thank god for that. You’re incredibly brave and strong. You’re incredible, Y/N. I promise, nothing like this will ever happen again, I swear to you, on my honour as a Shelby...On my honour as your husband, this won’t ever happen again.” he rocked her back and forth, trying to relax her, but in reality, it wasn’t her that was shaken up, it was her sister. “Arthur...Look at her. Ten years ago...Something like this happened to us, ten years ago. Why do you think I was alone in taking care of her? I was 10 years old when she was brought into this world...And it was weird, having to share everything...But I got used to it. But 5 years later...Thieves robbed us. Raped and killed my mother, beat up my father to death...We were next...But dad’s gun was useful, just as the gun you gave to me. And it was hell...She was 5, I was 15. Now here we are, 10 years later...She is 15 like I was, I am 25...I’m married to you, and yet, just like then, there’s nobody to save us, but ourselves. And she’s traumatised. What do I do?! What do I do, Arthur, I don’t know!” she cried in his chest, explaining in great detail the ghosts of her past, and he could only bite his lip and hold her even tighter. “How about you give a fuck about me, instead of coddling up with your useless man who can’t even protect his family! How about you stop freezing up after you killed people in cold blood, and come to reassure me, instead of letting me to sob on the floor for days on end, just like when I was 5?!” Steph shakily got up, glaring at her older sister, who gulped in shock and confusion. “Steph, I-I...I was scared too, you know? I-I’m not perfect, I’m not...Immune to all this...I am as traumatised as you are...But I pulled the trigger. I killed them. And I did it to save us. I did everything I could to support US. So please, don’t act like this.” Y/N tried to reason, still clinging onto Arthur, as she took a deep breath, afraid of what would happen next. “No! NO! You just did what they did to us! It’s your fault I have nightmares almost every other night! And since then...You’ve been overprotective and overbearing! I can’t stand you anymore, Gods, it’s like you’re like a bad luck token for everyone! Just wait until the next person you’ll get in trouble is him, and you’ll weep for him, but not for me! How many more people are you gonna get killed before you end up alone?!” the girl shouted angrily at her older sister, then stormed off away from there, to God knows where. “Wait, no -...Steph, no, don’t go-...!” Y/N tried to run after her, but it was obvios the younger girl wanted nothing to do with her, so she stopped, letting herself fall on the grassy ground, crying hopelessly. “...Y/N...I’m sorry. This is not your fault. What happened was terrible, but this isn’t your fault. You did everything in your power to keep your family safe, and she should have realised that by now.” Arthur sighed, getting next to her, holding her to his chest. “How do you and Tommy get over a fight? I mean...It’s not like you practically raised him...And it’s just a 3 years difference between you, not 10 like with us...But I know you love him to death and would do anything for him...Which is the same as me and Stephanie...I don’t know, Arthur...I just...I’m lost. I don’t know what to do...And what she will do. She never worked, never did anything except go to school but even there, she is below average...But I can’t support her all life, and then, what will happen? Please tell me what to do, Artie, I’m...I don’t know.” she threw her arms around him, and he mentally cursed himself for his inability to keep the family together, but the least he could do was to stay with her and try to make her feel better in any way possible. “Let’s go home, Y/N. Let’s talk to Pol and Ada. They are women, I’m sure they can help us out. We’ll tell them the story and...And if she’s not home yet, we’ll get John to track her down and get her home safely. There’s a solution for everything, that’s what Tommy taught me.” he helped her get up, but instead of letting her walk by herself, Arthur picked her up bridal style, kissing her cheek and making sure she’s alright. “Okay...Okay, Artie...I trust you. I’m sure that...With you by my side...Everything will get better. Eventually, at least. Somehow...But at least I can cope with it.” she muttered, resting her head on his shoulder, sighing softly. “Younger siblings are a drag to deal with, sometimes...But we’re older. We gotta deal with them, somehow, ‘cause we love ‘em. That’s how it works. But at least we have each other now, so it will be easier dealing with their bratty asses.” Arthur barked a laugh, grinning as the girl started playing with his moustache, finally smiling again. “Yeah...Older siblings for the win!” she laughed weakly, hugging his neck.

#peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinders #arthur shelby #arthur shelby x reader #arthur shelby imagine #thomas shelby #polly shelby #tommy shelby #ada shelby #john shelby

51 notes · View notes

world-of-ryan · 4 years

Link

When COVID-19 shut down production last March, it especially hit hard for NBC’s New Amsterdam. The show not only films at several real-life hospitals, including Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and Metropolitan Hospital in Harlem, but it also had a pandemic storyline planned. Of course, not the coronavirus specifically.

“There was so much fear and anxiety at that time around the pandemic, we didn’t want to air an episode where people were getting sick left and right and further scare people,” says series star Ryan Eggold, who plays medical director Dr. Max Goodwin, in this exclusive interview.

But New Amsterdam will touch on the COVID-19 pandemic in its Season 3 premiere. It will feature a very powerful montage showing the doctors and nurses at work trying to save lives, working until they are exhausted, showing people getting vaccinated, and then moving into post-pandemic stories.

“Working on a hospital show, post-pandemic, our first responsibility is to tell the stories of the nurses and doctors who have worked so tirelessly to try to keep people safe and healthy,” Eggold continues. “Peter Horton directed that episode. And I think his and [executive producer] David [Schulner]’s intention was to honor the healthcare workers and what they’ve been through and start in that place of, this has been Ground Zero of fighting the pandemic, and it has taken its toll on everybody.”

From there, the story continues with Dr. Vijay Kapour’s (Anupam Kher) life hanging in the balance due to COVID, Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman) unable to touch people as a result of lingering anxieties, Dr. Iggy Frome (Tyler Labine) facing his eating disorder/body issues and Dr. Lauren Bloom (Janet Montgomery) unable to give up her patients to their special-care physicians.

“It’s kind of like that wartime mentality with soldiers coming back and having trouble adjusting to civilian life,” Eggold says. “These doctors were so overwhelmed with patients, not enough beds and trying to keep up. What are the ramifications on their personal life and their psyche? And how do they get back to the new normal?”

Also, viewers will get a long-awaited moment between Max and Helen. Expect some resolution regarding their feelings for each other, despite the fact that Helen has moved on with new head trauma surgeon Dr. Cassian Shin (Daniel Dae Kim).

“I will say that I think Max and Helen have a unique relationship that they are forced to confront this season and figure out what it means for better or for worse, and finally name what has been unspoken for a while,” Eggold adds.

For more scoop on season 3 of New Amsterdam, read more of the interview with Eggold.

How did the New Amsterdam pandemic episode compare to what actually happened?

I haven’t seen that episode because it didn’t air, which is usually how I see them, so I would be curious to know myself. It’s pretty wild. It’s happened to the writers a few times where they’ve written something and then it happens later. But nobody could have predicted COVID was going to happen.

I saw the first two episodes and it feels like a sadder show this year. Will that continue?

No. There’s a lot of humor. I was saying to David, “Is Max getting too broad?” There has been a lot of humor on the show lately, which is nice. I think it’s important to find humor and joy amid a pandemic because we have to remind ourselves what we’re fighting for. The intention is not to make it super heavy and sad, but certainly in the beginning to discuss it; it is a heavy, overwhelming, larger-than-life situation that we’ve all been through.

Max also seems to have lost his “How can I help?” attitude–which is what inspired him to take the job and kept him going when he lost his wife. Will he get that back?

Yeah. I think it’s evolved from how can I help, or how can I fix the system and make it better, to how do we begin again? And how do we build from the ground up because we weren’t prepared for this and it changed a lot of things. I think his perspective has widened in a good way and he will see things differently this season.

What will be the new challenges for Max this season?

One thing is he’s a single dad who is trying to get his hospital through this pandemic. And he has left his daughter Luna with [late wife] Georgia’s parents in an effort to protect her and keep her safe as he is going to the hospital every day. But I think there’s a lot of guilt like, “Am I doing the right thing? Am I being a bad father by not being there? Am I neglecting her?” So, that’s something that he wrestles with.

Then the question of romance. Is there a partner for him to find and is he ready to start a relationship with someone after losing his wife? In the back of his mind, I think it’s something he wants, not only for himself but for his daughter.

(Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

There’s a moment where Max realizes that some of his great, crazy ideas aren’t always the right way to do things. Is he growing?

Absolutely. He’s a character who’s full of ambition to change things and to make things better. And he’s very headstrong and optimistic. He’s certainly overly idealistic about how to make those changes happen. The show is about finding out the reality of how that change happens. You have these lofty ideas of, “I want to make everything better, I want to do X, Y and Z,” and you can’t do that overnight, so what does it look like on a daily basis? How does change occur on a systemic level, which is certainly bigger than the individual?

To your point about admitting fault, I think he’s learning that he can’t do this on his own and he can’t change the world overnight and that you need other people. You can’t be a one-man band, so I think he’s going through a lot of change and evolving a lot.

What was it like filming in the hospital in March 2020?

Our last day of filming we were at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, and it was weird. People were starting to get nervous, “Should we be filming in a hospital?” We didn’t know a lot about it. Is this real? Is this really growing the way people say it’s going to grow? And very quickly, the world changed overnight.

It’s the right decision not to film in the hospital right now, not for our show, but to get out of the way of the hospitals and to let them function to the best of their capacity when there are so many serious things that need to be addressed. And, then for the show, to keep everybody safe, of course. But I hope we can get back to that once this pandemic is behind us because there’s always this wonderful authenticity to be found when we can shoot in those places because you are near the reality of healthcare so it helps you reflect that story.

Did it take New Amsterdam longer to come back because you had to change your filming locations?

We had to build a lot of sets. We had to build a lot of the hospital locations that we use, and we had to add more sets and locations we could film in. Then everybody was just making sure it was safe and making sure we had the practices and protocols in place to do our job, be safe and not put anybody at risk. To everyone’s credit, it feels really safe. We’re tested every day and we have a lot of protocols in place that keep the set running efficiently and safely. It’s a good place to be.

How did you handle the pandemic?

I look back and that was so much time that we had. I feel like I should have written a novel, climbed a mountain, or something. But, no, I slowly went crazy and did all the usual, like slept. I did do a fair amount of writing. I wrote a screenplay, trying to put my brain to work a little bit. I was in denial like, “This will only last a month of weird whatever.” Then a month goes by and you’re like, “I guess it’s still going.” Seven months go by and it was crazy. It was nice to slow down and catch up with family and unplug for a minute. I wish it had been under better circumstances and people’s lives weren’t at risk, but, yeah, there were some positives.

#new amsterdam #ryan eggold #season 3 #press release

6 notes · View notes

huilian · 3 years

Link

The king of Attolia, Annux of the Little Peninsula, walked alone across the halls of the Eddisian palace. This would not have happened in his own palace, but they are in Eddis, and Eddisian customs take precedence. No one in Eddis would dream of stopping the Thief from roaming the halls of the palace of Eddis, no matter how much the captain of his guard protests.

He slipped easily from one empty room to another, avoiding the many sets of eyes that, even now, still lingered in the palace. It was easier than it used to be. There were many empty rooms in the palace of Eddis, and not all of them are because their inhabitants had moved to the lowlands.

Still, even with the abundance of empty rooms and the decrease in the number of guards, he was forced to backtrack a few times to escape notice. The guards’ patrol routes had changed since the last time he was here. A display of caution for the queen of Eddis that he could not help but be pleased about, despite the inconvenience it was currently causing him.

The guards had no chance in catching him, however. There was no man alive that knew these halls better than he, and there was no place on earth that he knows better. His own palace was a close second, but he had grown up here, and he knew every single nook and cranny etched into these halls.

With a quick look around to make sure that his presence remained unnoticed, Eugenides slipped through an unremarkable door in an unremarkable hallway. He arrived at his destination.

“There you are!” the king of Sounis cried out, carrying his daughter in his arms. Sounis was talking to the man sitting at the table in the library, looking for all the world like he was at home. Sounis’s daughter, on the other hand, was mesmerized by the book that was in front of the man.

Eugenides, who, for all intents and purposes was at home in the library of Eddis’s palace, looked up.

“Everyone is looking for you,” Sounis said, looking at him meaningfully.

With a wave of his hand, Eugenides dismissed that. “Helen knows where I am. If they truly need me, they’ll find me. Come on, Sophos, sit down. Don’t tell me you want to join that theatrical production in the courtroom.”

Sounis shook his head, but gave a small smile of concession. He took his own seat next to Eugenides, settling his daughter in his own lap. She immediately started pawing on the book in front of Gen, who deftly moved it out of her grasp.

“Feisty, aren’t you, Gitta?” he asked the princess of Sounis.

Her father chuckled. “She was getting antsy in the nursery, so I brought her on an adventure.” He bounced her several times in his lap, before looking up to the other king’s eyes and said, “Speaking of children, where are yours?”

Eugenides made a face. “With Teleus,” he said, sighing. “They scream if I try to take them before they are ready to be separated from him.”

Sounis laughed outright at this. “Are their screams as loud as yours?”

“Louder,” Attolis said mournfully.

Unfortunately, the princess of Sounis chose this time to also scream her displeasure at the fact that her father had stopped bouncing her in his lap. The two kings looked at each other for a moment, before Sounis placed his daughter back in his arms and started walking around the room to try to calm her.

Satisfied at having the attention of the two men firmly on her once again, she quieted down. Sounis made to sit down again, but Eugenides stopped him by saying, “You’ll just make her cry again. I think she wants our full and undivided attention.”

“Speaking from experience, Gen?”

The king of Attolia, Annux of the Little Peninsula, snuck out his tongue, looking very unkingly indeed. “Do you want me to help you or not?”

“Alright, alright. What do you have in mind?”

“Do you know Hern’s poetry?”

“Yes,” Sophos answered.

“You do?” Gen looked up at him, surprise etched on his face. But one look at the younger king’s face stopped the surprise in its tracks. “You do,” he said again, before turning to look at the child in Sophos’s arms and continuing, “Well, I’m no goddess of scribes, but I think I can do well enough for the princess of Sounis.”

“I don’t know, Gen,” Sounis teased. “I think the princess of Sounis deserves the best, don’t you agree?”

“Are you implying that I am not the best?”

“Did you not imply that yourself?”

“Sophos!” Eugenides said in exaggerated surprise. “I didn’t know you have it in you! Do you talk like this to my dear cousin too?”

“I do not, because she, unlike you, is not insufferable. Now, I believe you promised me a recitation of one of Hern’s poems.”

“Excuse you, I promised Gitta a recitation of one of Hern’s poems.” Eugenides then plucked the princess of Sounis from her father’s arms, who, for all his teasing of the other man, relinquished his daughter easily enough. “Now, my darling niece, shall we ask your father to leave the room so that I can give you a private recitation?”

The princess of Sounis lets out a happy gurgle that was more excitement at being held by a different person than an actual agreement, but Attolis seemed happy enough to take it as so.

“See, Sophos?” he said to the other man. “Your daughter agrees with me.”

At that, Sounis laughed again. “Very well, then. I shall leave the room for you and Gitta. But the moment I exit that door without the princess of Sounis in my arms, her retinue will come hounding down.”

“You would not.”

“I would.”

Eugenides looked at the other king with horror in his eyes, because that was a threat, and the other man knew perfectly well that that is so. He shook his head, and said, “Bested in my own game by Useless the Younger! I never thought this day would come!”

Sounis gave him a mock bow from where he’s seated, and said, “A recitation, if you please, my king?”

“Oh, very well. Gitta will just have to share.” He adjusted the girl in his arm, deftly positioning her away from his hook, which, if no longer as sharp as a knife, was still dangerous enough for tiny wandering hands. Then, with two of his audiences enraptured, even though only one was truly listening, the King of Attolia began his recitation.

“I never want to see another amphora in my life!” the queen of Eddis exclaimed as she burst through the door on her library, interrupting her cousin’s recitation. She threw herself onto the nearest seat, continuing in her rant. “What does it matter if we take ten or eleven amphorae of that particular design down to Sounis! And why do they have to have me decide on it!”

Eugenides, recognizing his cousin’s mood, and fearing for the fate of the scrolls he was reading before he was interrupted by Sounis, stopped in his recitation and gently transferred his niece onto her mother’s waiting arms.

Still incensed, but a calmer now that she had her daughter in her arms, Eddis continued. “They asked me the same question for every piece of furniture or decoration! What do I care if I have one less vase to bring down to Sounis!”

It was then that the queen of Attolia, who had been following Eddis to the library, albeit at a more sedate pace, entered the room. She spoke for a moment with the increasingly large group of people outside the library, the amalgamation of the retinues of attendants and guards for the three monarchs, before closing the door on them.

“Oh, I remember doing that. My entourage was to bring thirty pitchers of wine, and I had to personally select every single one of them,” Attolia said as she walked across the room to take her own seat. She glanced at her husband, promising retribution later for the fact that there were only three retinues of attendants and guards outside the door, not four, before asking, “Children?” which was promptly answered by Eugenides with, “Teleus.”

She gave a sharp nod, and turned back to Eddis to shrug. “Just say that you trust their judgement and discretion in these matters. It’s what I do.”

“Makes you glad that it’s not your duty to move all these things, doesn’t it, Sophos?” Eugenides said.

Eddis adjusted her grip on her daughter, and then pointed one finger towards her cousin. “You are not getting out of this that easily, Gen. There are piles of your stuff to be sorted out.”

“My stuff?” Eugenides asked.

“Your stuff! They found your stashes! All those bits and bobs and knick-knacks that you stole! I would have just given them back to their owners, but none of them will take it if it isn’t you giving the stuff back to them personally!”

“Ah,” Eugenides said. “That stuff.”

“I thought everything the Thief of Eddis stole has to be dedicated to their god?” Sounis asked.

“Not everything,” Eugenides answered. “Besides, those were practice. It was hardly worth the effort to place them on my god’s altar.”

“Hardly worth the effort or not,” Eddis countered, “they are your things now, and you will deal with them, if I have to tie you down to the courtroom myself.”

“The captain of my guard might take issue with that,” Attolis pointed out.

“He won’t once I’ve explained why I’ve done it,” Eddis said darkly.

Eugenides looked to his wife for support, but she simply raised an eyebrow and said, “I believe that Teleus might make an exception for Eddis. And to see whether or not tying you down works.”

He gaped at his wife, who smiled serenely and adjusted her skirts. He looked at Sounis, and then Eddis, before turning back to his wife and shaking his head. “Oh, I see you’ve all discussed this without me.”

“Discuss what?” Attolia replied.

“Outsmarting me in my own game.”

Attolia’s smile changed. “Are you losing your touch, my king? Shall I call on Petrus to examine you?”

“Don’t forget Galen,” Eddis added from where she was now calmly seated, playing with her daughter.

“Yes,” Attolia nodded. “It would not do to slight Eddis’s royal physician, especially now that we’re in Eddis.”

The outraged look that Eugenides sent to his wife was broken by Sounis’s laughter, which was then joined by the two queens. Dejected, Eugenides pouted, before he walked over to where his wife was sitting and sat on the ground beside her feet, resting his head on her lap.

The laughter quieted down after a while, which was immediately taken advantage of by Eugenides to complain. “I am surrounded by treachery,” Eugenides said from his wife’s lap.

“Poor king,” Sounis teased, which caused the laughter to begin again, even louder this time.

Once all of them had calmed down enough, Eddis turned to her husband and said, “As enjoyable as insulting Gen is, it does remind me. Has the Magus sent his list?”

“He mentioned working on it in his last letter, but as for the actual list itself, no, not yet,” Sounis answered.

“Ah,” Eddis made a face. “I was hoping to get started on that. Transporting all these books down to the lowlands is going to be hard enough, we do not need the additional difficulty in trying to do it in one go.”

Sounis shrugged, and said, “It might still come in his next letter, which should reach us either late today or tomorrow. Besides, there’s no reason why we need to—”

“You’re moving my library to Sounis?” Eugenides jumped up.

Eddis and Sounis stopped in their planning to look at him, before Eddis said, “Well, of course, Gen. We’re moving everything. Or would you prefer to leave them here to be destroyed?”

“Of course not!” Eugenides said. “But to Sounis? Really, Helen?”

Eddis blinked at him once, before bursting into laughter once again. “Did you expect them to come with you to Attolia?” she said between bouts of laughter.

“Well, not exactly,” Eugenides sputtered, “but Sounis?”

“What grievances do you have with my library, Gen?” the aforementioned Sounis said.

Eugenides turned to his friend and said, “There’s no way I’m trusting the contents of my library to Useless the Younger!”

Sounis would have protested, but he wasn’t given a chance. Instead, his wife said, “My library.”

“Did you not swear your loyalty to me?” Eugenides asked his cousin.

“My loyalty, yes,” Eddis nodded. “But not the contents of my library.”

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before Eugenides looked at his wife for support. However, if he was expecting reinforcement from that direction, he was sorely mistaken. “She is right,” Attolia said, looking directly at her husband’s eyes. “I made the vows myself.”

“Sophos,” Eugenides quickly pivoted his attention to the younger man, realizing that his wife would give him not an ounce of support in this matter. “Tell Helen that this is my library.”

Sounis was, in his heart, a kind man, but since he was so recently insulted by his friend, he felt no particular need to be kind just now. He took his time in settling in his seat, enjoying the pleading looks that Eugenides was giving him, before finally saying, “I remember feeling so jealous of your library when I first saw it.” He leaned forward, smirking as he met Eugenides’s eyes. “I look forward to adding them to my own collection. Especially now that I know Hern’s book of poems is in here somewhere.”

The only thing that can be heard afterwards was one indignant shout and three ringing peals of laughter.

#queen's thief #eugenides #attolia irene #eddis helen #sophos #lian writes #fic #rott spoilers #return of the thief #hi; i am a fool who forgot to post her own fic here #so here it is #the 'four monarch squabbling' fic #enjoy!!!!

4 notes · View notes