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j-graysonlibrary · 7 months

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The Xiang Chronicles: Book One Chapter 28

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book One

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 83k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: Every few centuries a hero is born—one chosen by the God Tiandi to carry out his will in the mortal realm. The Xiang. Whether it is to quell a war instigated by the forces of shadow—of Shakti herself—or whether it is the miasma that poisons the world, the Xiang is born to bring the world back into balance.

Shu Pangu Min knows what his purpose is and he does his best to fulfill it even if he doesn’t fully understand all of the details. He must travel from city to city—lord to lord—to clear out the miasma. Along the way, he is to enlist the aid of four disciples. Each is to be of a different country and each must have high resonance and deep faith.

The holy men who raised him have great confidence in his future successes and they leave him to begin his journey on his own. But, can Pangu live up to the expectations of those around him? Can he really save the land like all other Xiang before him or will his unconventional methods doom them all?

Full chapter 28 under the cut

Chapter XXVIII

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you,” the man said and bowed, “My name is Huan Viren Ai and I am in charge of Ultimos at the moment. I have heard many tales of your travels thus far, Oli and I have been waiting eagerly for the chance to be your host.”

Pangu almost forgot to bow. “Oh…well it is a pleasure to meet you as well, your lordship.”

Viren’s pale yellow eyes drifted between them. “You have not found your last disciple yet, I see.”

“No, the um…the trip has been quite unorthodox so far,” he answered him and laughed nervously.

Lord Viren chuckled and pushed some of his hair from his face. Even his hands were long and elegant. “Oli…could you give us a moment to discuss things privately?”

The boy glanced between everyone but nodded. “Of course,” he said and walked out of the room, shutting the doors behind him.

“Have you four eaten dinner yet? I would love to treat you to some of the delicacies that Ultimos has to offer,” Viren suggested and smiled.

“I could use a meal,” Kira mentioned and was promptly elbowed by Baiya. “What?”

“It could be a trap,” he said under his breath.

“When everyone saw us come into the palace? I doubt it.”

“We would love to,” Pangu answered in a louder voice to shut the both of them up.

They moved, as a group, to a dining hall where food was set out for them but no servant stayed around to wait on them. Viren requested for the room to be cleared out and for only the five of them to be present. Kira started eating but did keep his eyes on the Lord in case he tried anything.

Raine found himself looking between the Lord and Kira, unsure of where to keep his attention. He ate cautiously but the food was so delicious it began to demand his attention. Baiya was the only one not eating at all and he stared at Pangu who looked at lord Viren with a smile.

An ugly feeling crept into his chest that he hated.

“I am sure my uncle, Lao, sent you here to dispose of me, correct?” Viren started a little ways into the meal.

“That was his intent but not ours,” Pangu said immediately. “He painted you as a villain and insisted that you were the cause of so much miasma. Yet…there is nothing here in the capital.”

The man smiled and nodded. “He believed the position I have should have fallen to him since it was his brother and sister-in-law who had controlled Ultimos previously. They fell ill and were both taken by the same disease but, in their will, they left me both the city and their son to care for.”

“You are quite young for a Lord,” Raine mentioned, “Yet they trusted your experience?”

“I may be young,” he agreed, “but I have been training for leadership my entire life. My family…my clan…we have controlled the Huang territory for five hundred years and all of us learn from birth of that responsibility. I just dedicated myself to it with more…intensity than some others.”

“To be honest, your uncle is terrible at it,” Kira stated through a mouthful of food.

The lord chuckled. “Since we are guaranteed rule because of our blood, some members of the family do not try to educate themselves on what it takes to rule a city. After all, they will be awarded the position anyway so why bother? My uncle is of that mindset.”

“But the people suffer for it,” Pangu responded, unable to hold in his grievances about Sun-Shi any longer.

“Indeed they do. Many people from Sun-Shi have come here recently, looking for a better quality of life.”

“It does seem peaceful here,” Raine admitted.

“I have taken an approach to ruling that some see as extreme,” Viren said, “None in my city are without a home. Under a certain bracket of income, there are no taxes that are forced upon anyone and, above a certain income bracket, taxes are required. I pay taxes as well which was not something my aunt and uncle did before they passed. But, since I have adjusted the economics and quality of life to benefit those who might have struggled otherwise, the city is happier than ever and commerce is more alive than in any other time in history.”

“Who would have thought that having one’s needs met and having spare money would boost the economy,” Kira said with heavy sarcasm.

“So, Lao must also hate you because you make him look bad by comparison,” Pangu guessed. With how the poor in Sun-Shi were treated, it was no wonder so many had left to come to Ultimos.

“Unfortunately, yes, this is a matter of my uncle’s pride.”

“It seems as though we might have come all this way for nothing,” Baiya finally spoke up.

But, Lord Viren shook his head. “It pains me to say that, even if my city looks happy and prosperous, there is still a great threat that requires the Xiang’s assistance.”

Pangu tilted his head to the side. “What is it?”

“Months ago, I started to notice the miasma settling in so…I had a few soldiers scout around town and the surrounding land.” Viren gulped. “One group found a cave to the east of the city where the miasma seemed to be flowing from. I went to assess it myself and then I hired some engineers to construct a proper lock for the hole. At the time, I thought it was over. The miasma dissipated and no one in the city noticed any different but…”

“But what?” Pangu urged.

“The lock is losing integrity with every passing day and I fear how much miasma might be behind it, just waiting to burst and overtake us. If that happens…”

“Sudden exposure to large amounts could kill the average person,” Pangu said with a frown. “…This is not good.”

“Did you really think covering it up would work?” Baiya asked with narrowed eyes. “That it would just go away?”

“I am no expert on the substance,” the Lord admitted, “but it did appear to be working at first and I allowed it to slip my mind.”

“It is okay—we can handle this,” Kira assured him and glanced to Pangu.

“Thank you.” Viren sighed. “I hate that I have put everyone at risk and I hate even more that I cannot solve this problem on my own. But…I am grateful to have you here, Xiang. Now may not be the time to say this but…I have always been delighted by the stories of the Xiang in the past and I was thrilled to learn of your journey as I knew I would finally be able to meet you.”

Pangu chuckled. “Raine was the same way when we met.”

“It was an academic pursuit,” Raine tried to defend himself.

Viren laughed a little this time. “The stories are all very interesting. It was hard to imagine a regular person as being the Xiang. Pangu, you surprised me.”

“Am I very normal?” he asked.

“It is not that,” the Lord retracted his words and tried again, “You are easy to speak to. I was expecting some somber man who talked of sacred duties and the will of Tiandi with every breath.”

Kira laughed. “Not our Pangu.”

“He is still duty bound and does what he believes Tiandi wishes of him,” Raine stated, “But his priorities are helping people first and foremost.”

“Helping people is the will of Tiandi,” Pangu pointed out.

Baiya almost wanted to point out that Pangu believed a lot of things that went against the teaching of his god but he kept it to himself. For some reason, he found himself almost unable to speak. He’d barely been able to eat as well. Something about the way the Xiang looked at the lord of Ultimos made Baiya think of their conversation in the hot springs.

Perhaps Pangu had finally found his type—not that he would act on it anyway but it was still a hard reality to come to grips with.

“Well, we can head out to the miasma spot tomorrow morning,” Viren said, looking between them, “Each of you has a room prepared in my palace so rest as much as you can before the morrow. Oli will show you to your rooms…”

All of their rooms were similar—wide open spaces with a bed in the center and an open door that led to a balcony which overlooked the garden behind the palace. Pangu took in the fresh air before sitting on the side of the bed and closing his eyes.

He had expected a lot from Ultimos but he had gotten none of it. There was no blanket of miasma, no overlord in charge, and no political nightmare. Though, he supposed there was still an issue with politics that remained unresolved but it wasn’t a priority at the moment.

Just as he was decompressing, a soft knock came to his door.

Pangu figured it was one or all of his disciples wanting to talk so he didn’t waste a second in walking over and pulling the door open.

It was who Viren stood on the other side.

“Oh,” the word came out of Pangu before he could stop it, “I um…I was not expecting you…your lordship.”

“You can call me Viren, Pangu,” he said with a soft laugh. “Do you mind if I come in?”

“S-sure,” Pangu stammered and backed away.

Viren shut the door behind him and walked to the center of the room. He looked around as if the scenery was new to him before setting his eyes on the Xiang. “I wanted to talk some more with you…if that is okay.”

“Sure,” he said again and then cleared his throat. “We can talk…what…um…what do you want to talk about?”

“Xiang stuff. I am very curious.” Viren stopped in front of the bed and then sat on the edge. “So long as there are no secrets you are forbidden from sharing…”

“No secrets, no,” Pangu responded and sat down as well. He wasn’t sure where to place his focus since looking into the man’s eyes made him too nervous. “At least I do not believe there is anything I am forbidden from telling others.”

“You were raised by servants of Tiandi, correct? I read that all Xiang are trained from an early age.”

He nodded. “Four old men came to pick me up from my home when I was around five years old. After that, I learned how to cultivate my energy and manipulate the elements around me. I learned about history and everything about Tiandi.”

“It was just you and your teachers?” Viren asked and combed through his hair, bringing his braid to rest over his shoulder.

“Twice a year I was allowed to visit my family,” Pangu stated.

“What about friends? Others your age?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“That must have been lonely,” Viren mentioned.

“If it was, I was too busy to notice,” Pangu said honestly. If he ever stopped to consider how isolated he was, he would be promptly distracted by a lesson or a training session.

Viren hummed a little. “Hmmm…I think I understand to some extent. My upbringing revolved around politics and my eventual position. No one spoke to me unless it was about business. It is still that way sometimes only now I get the occasional complaint that I need to marry and have an heir.”

The Xiang smiled. “Why don’t you?”

“I…it is not one of my interests at the moment,” the Lord evaded the question, “Anyway, why don’t you tell me of how you met your disciples? I would love to hear it.”

***

A couple of rooms down the hall, Baiya lay in his bed but was unable to sleep. He stared at the ceiling and wondered what the next day would bring. If the backed up miasma was too much, it could seriously hurt Kira so he worried about that.

He tried to focus on that aspect but his mind kept wandering to Pangu and the way he was around Lord Viren. If the Xiang found the man attractive then there was almost no way he also looked at Baiya in any special way. He and Viren couldn’t look more different. Viren was elegant and beautiful with soft features and Baiya was…not.

Not that anything would ever happen between him and Pangu anyway, he kept telling himself. Even if the Xiang did have feelings for him, they could never have a relationship. Unless Pangu decided to throw all of the rules away…

Baiya shook his head and sat up. He walked to the balcony and looked around, nearly jumping when he saw Raine a few feet away, also on his balcony.

“Can’t sleep?” Raine asked and leaned forward on the railing.

“No,” he answered. “Kira’s not with you?”

The other man raised an eyebrow. “Why would he be?”

Baiya shrugged but didn’t respond to his question. Instead, he said, “I’m going to try to force myself to sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight…” Raine responded and sighed. He looked down the ground. The rooms weren’t especially high up so he could see the guards standing around quite well. Further toward the edge of the garden, by some of the trees, he caught sight of Kira.

He squinted to try to get a better look and noticed someone by the man. They were in an elaborate dress and had long hair so Raine assumed they were a woman. When he saw their hand reach out to Kira and Kira retract dramatically, he knew he needed to interfere.

Raine rushed out of his room and headed down to the garden as fast as he could without alerting the guards. He wasn’t sure what he’d run into when he got to Kira but he was prepared to fight if he had to.

#the xiang chronicles #my novel #my writing

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princeofgod-2021 · 1 year

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LIGHT OF LIFE 314

John 1:4

UNITY OF THE BODY 17 – DEADLY INFILTRATION 5

1Co 1:10 I urge you, my brothers and sisters, FOR THE SAKE OF THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, TO AGREE TO LIVE IN UNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND PUT TO REST ANY DIVISION THAT ATTEMPTS TO TEAR YOU APART. BE RESTORED AS ONE UNITED BODY LIVING IN PERFECT HARMONY. Form a consistent choreography among yourselves, HAVING A COMMON PERSPECTIVE WITH SHARED VALUES. TPT

Asthma has no tenable cure!

Only miraculously, does God stop its onslaught in any human’s body.

We only keep taking drugs to suppress the immune system and save the body from starvation of Oxygen.

In the same way, we have “malignant” Pastors who keep feeding the Church rubbish and yet oppose violently, anyone who challenges them over their “methods” or doctrine.

Some of them will be with us till the end of time.

Isa 28:7-9 Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer – PRIESTS AND PROPHETS STAGGER BECAUSE OF BEER, THEY ARE CONFUSED BECAUSE OF WINE, they stumble around because of beer; THEY STAGGER WHILE SEEING PROPHETIC VISIONS, THEY TOTTER WHILE MAKING LEGAL DECISIONS. INDEED, ALL THE TABLES ARE COVERED WITH VOMIT, WITH FILTH, LEAVING NO CLEAN PLACE. WHO IS THE LORD TRYING TO TEACH? TO WHOM IS HE EXPLAINING A MESSAGE? THOSE JUST WEANED FROM MILK! THOSE JUST TAKEN FROM THEIR MOTHER’S BREAST! NET

They believe the Church is fine because people keep hailing them, and they keep seeing miracles. They don’t know such are yet dying gradually.

The Asthmatic “episode” does not stop the flow of Blood through the veins, but the Blood has very limited Oxygen to carry from the lungs to all organs and cells because of the “crazy” Immune system, so, the heart is [somehow] labouring in vain as the body grows weak.

Rev 3:1 Write the following to the messenger of the congregation in Sardis, for these are the words of the one who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: I KNOW ALL THAT YOU DO AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING REALLY “ALIVE,” BUT YOU’RE ACTUALLY DEAD! TPT

Such “wicked ignorance” will not go unpunished however: such Church Leaders will also suffer starvation.

Lam 1:19-20 I sent for my lovers, but they were false to me: MY PRIESTS AND MY RESPONSIBLE MEN WERE BREATHING THEIR LAST BREATH IN THE TOWN, WHILE THEY WERE LOOKING FOR FOOD TO GIVE THEM NEW LIFE. See, O Lord, for I am in trouble; the inmost parts of my body are deeply moved; my heart is turned in me; for I HAVE BEEN UNCONTROLLED: outside THE CHILDREN ARE PUT TO THE SWORD, AND IN THE HOUSE THERE IS DEATH. BBE

Does that scripture portray what [exactly] we have been saying? Yes! We would be glad, and the church revived, if Altar Ministers would indeed acknowledge that they have been “uncontrolled” and vague.

Beloved, I am not trying to Blackmail the Clergy here because that will be destructive for me too, but we must tell it as Jesus did, and showed us.

God’s purpose must be executed with utmost precision.

EXO 25:40 NOW BE SURE TO MAKE THEM ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN YOU WERE SHOWN ON THE MOUNTAIN. NET

Jesus never stopped deriding the Church leaders, even in the presence of all Israel, and over the abuse of their positions on the Altar and what they did with the messages and offerings. Remember this:

Mat 23:23 "HOW TERRIBLE FOR YOU, TEACHERS OF THE LAW AND PHARISEES! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but YOU NEGLECT TO OBEY THE REALLY IMPORTANT TEACHINGS OF THE LAW, SUCH AS JUSTICE AND MERCY AND HONESTY. THESE YOU SHOULD PRACTICE, without neglecting the others. GNB

The rebuke from heaven over the management of the Altar Ministry, has been for all ages.

1Sa 2:28-29 Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests. I wanted them to offer sacrifices and burn incense to me and to find out from me what I want my people to do. I commanded everyone to bring their sacrifices here where I live, and I ALLOWED YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO KEEP THOSE THAT WERE NOT OFFERED TO ME ON THE ALTAR. BUT YOU HONOR YOUR SONS INSTEAD OF ME! You don't respect the sacrifices and offerings that are brought to me, and you've all gotten fat from eating the best parts. CEV

Beloved, we are still talking about what infiltration does to these men of God, not really what they initiated themselves.

So, let’s look closely at the source of the problem. Remember that “Smoke” initiates Asthma?

Spiritually, “Winds of Doctrines” initiate the problem for some Ministers.

Interesting SIMILE, right?

Eph 4:14 Then we will no longer be little children, TOSSED AND CARRIED ABOUT BY ALL KINDS OF TEACHINGS THAT CHANGE LIKE THE WIND. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray. GW

It is a confusing Irony, when Ministers, who are supposed to lead us out of immaturity and make us stand above deception of false doctrines, become people who are [themselves] swayed by Winds of Doctrine.

Many Preachers get too concerned about how good the brethren look outwardly than on how they grow inwardly.

It must be because they have issues “inwardly” themselves, like Jesus rightly said to them.

Mat 23:27-29 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that LOOK BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE BUT INSIDE ARE FULL OF THE BONES of the dead and of everything unclean. IN THE SAME WAY, ON THE OUTSIDE YOU LOOK RIGHTEOUS TO PEOPLE, BUT INSIDE YOU ARE FULL OF HYPOCRISY AND LAWLESSNESS. NET

So, a Minister who is himself ‘impoverished” inwardly, cannot acknowledge the” inward” needs of people.

2Co 4:16,18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day… WHILE WE LOOK NOT AT THE THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. KJV

I love the word that says: “while we LOOK NOT on physical things”.

The “misguided” Minister responds only to those things that “men” love: Money, Fame, Houses, Cars Clothes and Parties, and he “copies” every “style” to get them.

So, you see all kinds of “operations” on the Altar that carry no life.

Hos 4:9-11 I WILL DEAL WITH THE PEOPLE AND PRIESTS TOGETHER: I will punish them both for their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds. THEY WILL EAT, BUT NOT BE SATISFIED; THEY WILL ENGAGE IN PROSTITUTION, BUT NOT INCREASE IN NUMBERS; because they have abandoned the LORD by pursuing other gods. OLD AND NEW WINE TAKE AWAY THE UNDERSTANDING OF MY PEOPLE. NET

May the gathering where you chose or are called to serve the Lord at, not sap your life, in Jesus name.

Join us on Wednesday for more digging in as we present another enlightening subtopic.

Keep Shinning!

Brother Prince

Monday, February 13, 2023

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dailychapel · 1 year

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Mark 6:1–56 NLT - 1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, "Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?" 3 Then they scoffed, "He's just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. 4 Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. 7 And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. 8 He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick--no food, no traveler's bag, no money. 9 He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. 10 "Wherever you go," he said, "stay in the same house until you leave town. 11 But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate." 12 So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. 13 And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. 14 Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, "This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles." 15 Others said, "He's the prophet Elijah." Still others said, "He's a prophet like the other great prophets of the past." 16 When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead." 17 For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip's wife, but Herod had married her. 18 John had been telling Herod, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife." 19 So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod's approval she was powerless, 20 for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him. 21 Herodias's chance finally came on Herod's birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. 22 Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. "Ask me for anything you like," the king said to the girl, "and I will give it to you." 23 He even vowed, "I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!" 24 She went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother told her, "Ask for the head of John the Baptist!" 25 So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, "I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!" 26 Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn't refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John's head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, 28 brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. 29 When John's disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb. 30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. 32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat." 37 But Jesus said, "You feed them." "With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" 38 "How much bread do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." 39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. 41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves! 45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. 47 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50 They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage! I am here!" 51 Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52 for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. 53 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore 54 and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, 55 and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went--in villages, cities, or the countryside--they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

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luci-in-trenchcoats · 3 years

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If I Fell For You (Part 15) - Trouble In Paradise

Summary: The reader is enjoying settling into her newfound children’s book career and shares how important the bracelet she gave Jensen is to her. A rainy day allows the reader to enjoy her shift into motherhood despite all of the bumps that go with it. But not everything is smooth sailing for the happy couple...

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x nanny!reader

Word Count: 5,600ish

Warnings: language, angst, mention of past abuse, nightmares, major angst

A/N: Uh oh. Big uh oh. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

________

Two Weeks Later

“Honey bun,” sang Jensen as he stepped into your home office you’d set up in the small reading room in the house. “Must you work today?”

“I do occasionally have to work on that drawing thing,” you said. He pouted and laid out on the daybed, picking up a copy of the third book. “Give me another hour to finish with these pages.”

“Can I hang out and watch you draw?” he asked.

“Knock your socks off,” you said. You picked up your stylus again and went back to your pad, Jensen sitting up and watching from the other side of the room. “You can sit closer if you want.”

He got up and pulled over a chair, crossing his legs in it.

“I basically draw using my stylus and this pad and it shows up on my laptop screen,” you said.

“We could get you a better screen, like your own separate work computer. I know your stories are picking up a lot of steam.”

“I’m okay for now. All I need to do is finish illustrating this book and my five book deal is done and ready for print,” you said.

“Can I make a request?”

“I would love to put in a giraffe for Zepp but the story takes place in the woods,” you said.

“Baby giraffe? Maybe just in the background?” he asked.

You backed out of your current page and went to the last two where the foxes and wolves were playing with their friends. You tapped on a tree and erased it, sketching out a loose shape.

“Look up a giraffe for me?” you asked. He tapped away on his phone and pulled up a picture. “Thanks.”

You drew a picture of a rough giraffe, softening it some before adding colors.

“You’re really good at that,” he said.

“The characters are easy. Backgrounds can get boring,” you said. You went back to your original set of pages and worked quietly, Jensen watching carefully. “Yes?”

“Just wanna spend time with you is all,” he said, resting his head on your shoulder.

“Okay, baby,” you said. You worked for another hour, Jensen asking the occasional question but mostly staying silent and close by. After you sent off the pages for review you turned to him, Jensen offering a soft smile in return. “All set with work for the day.”

“Awesome,” he said.

“Where’s the munchkins?”

“A movie,” he said. You ran your fingers through his hair and he leaned into it. “Tell me a secret.”

“A secret? I don’t think I have too many of those left from you,” you said. He opened his eyes and looked at you through his lashes. “What?”

“You said you got this on vacation,” he said, holding up his wrist, the bracelet you’d put on him two weeks ago still there. “When we were down there, I was talking to Ray and he kinda implied it wasn’t just a souvenir.”

“I was upset that day when he bought it for me. It meant I was safe was all,” you said.

“How long after did your mom…”

“A few months. She went on bed rest after that trip.”

“Y/N, I know when you’re holding back, honey. I would never judge or tell anyone anything. You know that.”

“You got hurt because you lost someone and you got hurt and it sucks right? But it’s kinda like something happened and then you heal from it right?”

“Yeah…” he said. “What don’t I know?”

“You know how anxious you were to get in the car and drive down to the beach?” you asked as he nodded. “You’ve never been afraid of a person, Jensen. It’s like that feeling...but everyday and you’re expected to live your life normally when you constantly have that over your head.”

He was quiet, glancing past you as the room grew darker from some passing clouds outside.

“Canada wasn’t the first time you saw your father since you were adopted, was it,” he said.

“You wouldn’t believe what a good lawyer and shitty laws will do for a piece of shit like that,” you said.

“You were a kid.”

“With zero physical evidence. Everything was circumstantial. So he got out and he came to apologize or some bullshit and Ray decked him.”

“The more I learn about Ray, the more I like him.”

“My mom kicked him in the nuts.”

“I really like that woman,” he said. You smiled and he moved his chair closer, pulling you into his lap. “I don’t mean to make you talk about your dad. I was curious was all.”

He went to take off the bracelet when you put a hand over it.

“I don’t want to remind you of something bad, sweetheart.”

“Like I said, I was upset. Very upset and in public and I went down to the beach to try to hide away. Ray bought that for me and told me I was safe when he put it on me. All it means to me is that you’re safe.”

“What about you? What do you have?” he asked quietly. You cocked your head and moved your hand to rest over his chest. “Alright, sort of a dumb question.”

“Not dumb,” you said, trailing your fingers down his chest.

“Guess you’ll just have to stay as close as humanly possible.”

“I don’t have a problem with that,” you said.

“Do you have a restraining order against your father?”

“No but that’s only because Ray managed to get him kicked out of the country. He found some loophole law. He was born in the Yukon so technically he’s not American and he got him kicked back.”

“Scratch that. Ray is my new favorite person,” he said. “If only we could send him someplace we’ll never visit like...a deserted island. Or Hell.”

“I appreciate the thought but I’m not scared of him anymore,” you said. “I am however afraid our plans of lunch at the brewery are going to get rained out.”

“We can enjoy ourselves right here. I’ve never heard a complaint yet about my grilling.”

“You know what? I got the perfect idea.”

“Okay,” said Jensen, sliding the foil packet off the grill and onto JJ’s plate. You’d decided to have lunch on the grill, sitting out under the covered back patio off the playroom. It was pouring rain but you were plenty dry there. “Chicken, marinara sauce and cheese. Then we got chicken, ketchup and baby carrots for Arrow. Zeppy wanted to try barbecue sauce and onion which sounded good to me and then Y/N went for the salmon and lemon.”

You helped the twins open up their foil packets and get their food on their plates, dicing up the chicken for them before going to your own plate.

“Daddy,” said Zeppelin while he chewed on a big piece of chicken. Jensen hummed and worked on his own food. “Can we play race cars after lunch?”

“Sure,” he said, JJ shaking her head.

“I don’t wanna play cars,” she said. Zeppelin stared at her and his bottom lip wobbled. “You’re a cry baby.”

“JJ, that’s rude,” you said, Jensen glancing at you and nodding. “Apologize to your brother.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

“We’re gonna play cars after lunch and you’re welcome to join,” said Jensen. “Your brother goes along with what you girls want to play quite a bit so I think you can do the same for him.”

“I still don’t wanna play cars,” she mumbled.

“You play cars with the Padalecki boys all the time,” you said.

“Not little kid cars,” she said. “He doesn’t know how to play right.”

You saw Zeppelin getting upset again and sighed.

“There’s no wrong way to play,” you said. “Zepp’s littler than you. You gotta be the big sister and do what he wants sometimes.”

“Mom would have played dress up,” she grumbled. “Not stupid cars.”

“Enough,” said Jensen. “You’re old enough to know better.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Your brother wants to play cars. We played horses all morning long and you barely let him have a turn at that so like I said, we’re gonna play what he wants and you are welcome to join us but if you don’t want to, you can play something else,” he said.

“Baby,” she said under her breath. Jensen didn’t catch it but you did.

“JJ you’re in timeout after lunch. Ten minutes,” you said.

“I didn’t-”

“You just called him a baby. You want to make it fifteen?” you asked.

“You’re not my mom! You can’t give me timeouts,” she said.

“Half an hour now,” said Jensen. She stared at him and he shook his head. “Eat your lunch.”

Zeppelin spent half of it crying quietly and JJ barely touched hers before she was following Jensen inside. You threw your head back and sighed before you went inside to get some tissues. When you came back out Arrow was hugging him tightly.

“Let’s clean you up, buddy,” you said as you squatted down beside them. She let go of him and you wiped off his face and helped him blow his nose. “Feel better?”

“We can play dress up,” he said. You picked him up and hoisted him on your hip.

“We’re gonna play cars. Arrow, do you want to play with us?” you asked. She smiled and nodded. “Hey how about you go wash your hands and then you can bring out the bucket of cars and we’ll play out here. How’s that sound Zepp?”

“Okay,” he said. Arrow went inside and you carried him around as you collected the trash and threw it in the bag you brought out. You tied it up and left it in the corner to put in the bin later before you you walked to the edge of the covered patio, rain coming down at a decent rate. “Y/N you’re my mom right?”

“I’m one of your moms,” you said. “I’m gonna adopt you that way everybody can know I am though.”

“Cool,” he said softly, resting his head on your shoulder. “Mom can we play in the rain?”

“Hear any thunder?” you asked. He shook his head. “See any lightning?”

“Nuh uh,” he said.

“Then we can play in the rain all you want,” you said. You walked out to the grass and spun around with him, getting a giggle out of him. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” he asked. You spun around again and he laughed.

“There it is again!” you said. He giggled and you spun around a few times until you were dizzy and took a seat. He hugged you and kissed your cheek as you noticed Jensen leaning against the post of the patio. He was smiling and you hopped up with Zeppelin, waving him around in the air until you were back under cover. You set him down and he ran over to Arrow, picking out his favorite cars from the bucket and handing her some.

“Well that might have been one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“You took a picture, didn’t you.”

“Oh several,” he said. He glanced back at the twins and then at you. “It clicked for you just now didn’t it.”

“Being a mom? Yeah.”

“You didn’t look to me on how to discipline JJ and you made him feel better and you made him laugh. You went full mom there and I’ve kinda been waiting for that.”

“I know it’s just playing they’re arguing over but I just hate...there is so much of you in him,” you said.

“I know and that feeling will never go away but it means you love ‘em and loving them is my only requirement for us working so this was actually a really good thing.”

“Those two are so sweet,” you said.

“It’s the twin thing. Oh what fun we have to look forward to when they are teenagers and they lie to us for one another,” he chuckled.

“Yeah but I’ll take it. Did you really give her a half hour timeout?”

“Fifteen minutes. She needs to share more and he doesn’t like confrontation so he goes along with what she wants but it’s not her road or the highway.”

“She’s been a little…”

“I know. Since we told them about the engagement,” he said. “We gotta talk to her on her own.”

“Let me take a crack at her first?” you asked.

“You got a hunch?”

“I don’t think having a mom again is a problem. I think the idea of losing a mom again is.”

“That makes sense considering she was attached to your hip before all this.”

“I’m gonna go see if I can get to the bottom of this. Now go play cars,” you said. He kissed your cheek and you headed inside, drying off some with a towel in the laundry room before you went up to JJ’s bedroom. You knocked and cracked open the door, catching her splayed out on her bed. “JJ. Can we talk?”

She rolled and put her back to you. You sat down on the edge of her bed and took a deep breath.

“You know your brother did what you wanted all day. You have to share,” you said. She didn’t say anything and you lay back on the bed, turning your head. She rolled back the other way and you sat up. She rolled again and you tilted your head back. “JJ do you want me to be your mom?”

“No,” she mumbled.

“Are you lying?” She didn’t move and you sat back, her face scrunched up. “Are you scared if I’m your mom something bad will happen to me?”

“I don’t want two dead moms,” she said.

“I have two dead moms,” you said. She blinked her eyes open and sat up. “My first mom, I never met her. She died giving birth to me.”

“You only had a dad when you were born?” she asked. You nodded and pulled her into your lap. “Did he get married again?”

“No. My dad was very mad my mom died. He took that out on me. He was a bad guy. He went to jail and I got adopted by my mom when I was your age. Ray was her boyfriend. He acted like he was my dad in a lot of ways. I was sixteen when my mom died. I understand it hurts, sweetie, and that it’s scary and you don’t ever want to feel like that again.”

“I thought if I was bad you and daddy wouldn’t...and then I don’t have to feel bad again.”

“I am so sorry honey but you can’t stop that feeling from never coming back. The only way you could not get it would be to not love anyone or anything and that’s not a life at all. It’s the price you pay for loving someone. Your mom was an accident. But Daddy is young and I’m even younger and I promise you will not have to feel that way about me for a very, very long time.”

“How long?”

“How about fifty years?”

“Fifty years? That’s forever,” she said.

“I’ll give you fifty years if I can be your mom and you stop picking on Zepp. Deal?”

“Okay. I’m sorry I made him cry.”

“I’m not the one that needs an apology,” you said. “Now do you want stay in here all by yourself or do you want to come play with us?”

“I can play?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” you said. You got up and carried her down on your back, setting her down to let her run off out to the porch. Jensen got up from his seat and held up a finger, ducking back inside to where you were.

“That’s what I like to see,” he said as she gave Zeppelin a hug and he handed her a car.

“I did have to promise not to die for fifty years.”

“Fifty? You got off easy. I had to promise a hundred after the accident,” he chuckled. “I should have noticed she was scared.”

“I have more experience being a scared little girl than you do. I got experience with letting people get close again too,” you said.

“How’s that working out for ya?” he smirked.

“He’s lucky he’s hot,” you said. He threw his arm over your shoulders and grinned. “Do you want to get married in the fall?”

“This fall?” he asked.

“Can we pull it off that fast?” you asked.

“Yeah. We don’t have to book a venue which is the hardest part. I don’t see why not. What’s the rush?” he asked.

“It’s easier to adopt them if we’re married,” you said. “I don’t really want to wait longer than we have to if that’s alright.”

“I’d say let’s go drive down to city hall and get a justice of the peace right now if I knew my mother wouldn’t kill me for it. How about I call up the lawyer and ask him to start prepping the paperwork as if we already were so it’s all set to go,” he said.

“You have a lawyer?” you asked. “They’d do that?”

“Y/N, honey. My taxes alone frighten me not to mention I own a business with employees and what qualifies as a business write off still confuses me and wait you don’t have a lawyer for your book deal?”

“Should I have one?”

“Greg is your lawyer now,” he said. “He’s good. He’ll do all the paperwork for us.”

“Oh good cause all the forms online were confusing the hell out of me,” you said. He shook his head and pulled you in close.

“Silly goose,” he said, a loud boom of thunder shaking the house. “Let’s get the crew inside before it pours.”

“Who wants to build a fort?” you asked that afternoon. JJ jumped up and down on the couch and Jensen walked in with an arm full of blankets and sheets. Three little hands shot up and Jensen lazily tossed the blankets on the couch, covering the three of them.

“Hm, where’d those three munchkins run off to…” he said, Arrow ducking her head out first, hair all in her face. Jensen giggled and she rolled her eyes, the other two climbing out. “Alright. I’m gonna grab clothes pins and a few more things. You guys start designing.”

You stood back and let JJ organize, figuring out her first choice of blanket for a roof was too small. Jensen returned with a bag of clips, some twine and the step ladder, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder.

“How they doing?” he whispered.

“Picking out the roof,” you said, Arrow rushing over and grabbing his hand as Zeppelin climbed on JJ’s back and held up a sheet over the two of them with one hand. You smirked and she let out another eye roll.

“Daddy, can you pick up Zeppy so then he can put the blankie up? I told them they’re too small,” she said.

“Sure,” he said. “Tell me where you want it to go.”

Twenty minutes later the family room was covered with sheets, tied off to the stairs, chairs, the ceiling fan after Jensen broke out the larger ladder to get up there and assured you it wouldn’t bring the whole thing crashing down.

“Can we sleep in here tonight?” asked JJ.

“I don’t see why not,” you said. “There’s plenty of room on the couch. We’ll bring down your comforters when it’s bedtime,” you said.

“Can we watch Cars?” asked Zeppelin, glancing at JJ.

“Okay,” she said. She gave him a hug and picked him up, Jensen smiling to himself as he looked on.

“Can we get pizza for dinner like a real sleepover?” asked Arrow.

“We did cook up all the chicken at lunch,” you said, giving Jensen a side eye.

“Yeah we’ll get one,” he said. “Why don’t you turn on your movie okay? We’ll be right there.”

You let Jensen pull you into the kitchen, smirking as he picked you up and sat you on the counter.

“Seems like today’s crisis has been averted,” you said.

“I’m sure they’ll go back to tormenting each other tomorrow but I’ll take it,” he said, reaching into the drawer next to you, pulling out a menu. “So. You interested in pizza?”

“Oh that looks interesting,” you said, taking the pamphlet out of his hand and tapping at a special. “One cheese, one speciality, boneless wings and garlic bread? My little carb loving heart is in love.”

“She’s not the only one,” he said, leaning up on his tip toes and kissing you.

“Are you coming?” groaned JJ from in the fort. You shook your head and Jensen kissed your neck, even nibbling before he pulled back. You smacked his chest and he set the menu down, giving you a wink.

“We’re coming in right now. Don’t wait for us kiddo.”

You woke up sweating, Jensen shushing you, arms wrapped around you. You took a deep breath and caught the clock said it was almost three. You turned in his arms and buried your head in his chest, his hand rubbing up and down your back.

“You’re okay. Bad dream is all,” he said softly. You nodded and started to relax, flinching when there was more thunder. “Hey, it’s okay. Nothing’s gonna get ya.”

The thunder shook the house and you tensed up. Jensen pulled the covers over both your heads and you crammed in as close as humanly possible when more thunder hit.

“Honey look at me. Please look at me.” You lifted your head and saw a horrible face in front of you, a scream ripping out of your throat.

“Y/N,” you heard as you woke up absolutely drenched, Jensen’s hands on your face. “Honey, talk to me. Can you hear me?”

“Night terror,” you said quietly.

“Yeah, JJ used to have them. I didn’t know adults could get them,” he said.

“Can I have a cold washcloth? And some water?” you asked. He got out of bed and padded into the bathroom in his boxers, settling back into bed and handing you the water. You drank it down while he wiped off your face and neck, running it over your head. “Thanks.”

“You okay?” he asked.

“Mostly feel embarrassed.” He frowned and you put the glass on your nightstand, staring down at your sweaty shirt.

“Should I call Ray?”

“It was a stupid nightmare. I’m fine,” you said.

“You were sat up eyes wide open and talking and shouting and I couldn’t wake you up,” he said. “I know adults really shouldn’t be getting night terrors so maybe something triggered you or something during the day.”

“I know my triggers and I know when it’s just a stupid nightmare. Back off,” you said. You got out from under the hot covers and went outside to the balcony, the air nice and cool from the storm earlier. The slide of the door was loud in the the quiet and you rubbed your arm. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ve seen you have nightmares. That was a lot worse,” he said.

“I thought I saw someone watching the house earlier.”

“What?”

“It was the neighbor’s kid, the teenager. It was his friend and he came over late but I thought...it freaked me out. That on top of thinking about the fact my father is not rotting in a jail cell most likely sent me over the edge,” you said. He walked in front of you, resting his hands on your arms. “I’m okay. Needed some air was all.”

“Alright. Tell me if something like that happens again?” he asked. You hummed and he gave you a kiss. “Okay, sweetheart. Let’s head on back to bed.”

“What do you mean?” you growled into the phone the next evening. Jensen lifted his head from his book in the family room and you walked away, stepping out to the private patio area on the side of the house. “That’s not possible.”

“It’s been fifteen years. He has every legal right to be in the country.”

“In the country! He got an apartment seven minutes from where I live!” you said. “I have little kids here, Finn. Tell me there’s something I can do.”

“I can get a restraining order-”

“That doesn’t mean shit to him. I need him fucking deported. I need him gone.”

“Y/N, you know me. I have never agreed to it but he paid his debt as it was assigned and he quietly followed the law. He did what he was supposed to and I’m sorry but until he does something, I can’t do anything besides help you and your fiance’s family get a restraining order.”

“So until he does something horrible again, I can’t do anything about it.”

“Y/N.”

“No Finn. I appreciate the heads up but...I have to go.”

You hung up and squeezed your phone tight. He knew where you lived. He was minutes away and there was absolutely zero help until something went wrong. You sat on a bench and bounced your leg. Nothing could go wrong. You couldn’t let anything go wrong. Who knew what the son of a bitch would do to any one of them.

You stopped bouncing your leg just as you heard the door open. You lifted your head and stood, spinning around to Jensen standing there.

“Everything alright?”

“Actually no.”

“Who was on the phone?”

“My ex,” you said, swallowing. You crossed your arms and thought of the things Jensen had told you about acting and getting in character and all that. You were gonna destroy him. Fuck you were going to end up shattering him into a thousand pieces he’d never put back together.

You couldn’t really lie just to keep them away from him, could you?

You saw Arrow run past in the house and made your face hard. Broken heart but safe kids was worth it.

“I thought you didn’t talk to him anymore,” said Jensen. You turned up your chin and he smiled. “You are the worst actress in the world. Who was it really?”

“I think we’re moving too fast and I want to take a break and I would appreciate it if you gave me my space to figure this out on my own.”

“Uh, what?” he said. You brushed past him and he followed you in, all the way up to your bedroom. You got out a bag and he flipped it shut. “What the hell is going on? Who was on the phone?”

“My boyfriend,” you said. He stared at you and you sighed. “You’re a great guy but I’m sorry. I can’t do the house and kids thing. I want to go see the world and not be tied down and you’re just...you’re too damn old for me.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Maybe you should have trusted your first instincts when you saw me and Doug,” you said. He stared at you while you shoved some clothes in a bag. You slung it over your shoulder and he caught the backside of it. You took off your ring and put it on the table by the door, Jensen dropping his hand. “I just can’t do this anymore. It wasn’t you. I’m sorry. I really need to go.”

______

A/N: Read Part 16 here!

#spn #supernatural #jensen ackles #jensen ackles x reader #jensen x reader #jensen series #rpf #rpf series #spn fanfic #jensen ackles fanfic #supernatural fanfic

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wildlyglittering · 3 years

Text

The Perils of Being Mr. Nesta Archeron

It’s important you understand this is my incredibly poor attempt at comedy and I just wanted to write some nonsense.

This popped into my brain after seeing all the posts about how awesome Nesta is and how she had a ridiculous amount of marriage proposals and interest from human men, fae males and demons alike.

I just kind of took it from there...

***

“I still like what Nesta’s done to the place.”

Feyre looked around the grand drawing room of the House of Wind, her dozing son on her lap and her bored mate at her side who murmured something which could be taken as an agreement while pulling off imaginary pieces of lint from his sleeve.

The House was now Nesta’s, in as much as anything sentient could truly belong to anyone, and as such was rarely used for official Night Court business. Its predominant function was as home to Nesta, Cassian and a reluctant Azriel, who’d been gifted the responsibility of ‘supervisor’ – a gift which Feyre suspected he’d like to return.

The Inner Circle still held Starfall at the House and, like now, the High Lord and High Lady of Night, would visit. When she visited alone, Feyre visited in the capacity of sister and friend but when with Rhys, it was all work.

Nesta and Cassian had embraced their titles as the Lord of Bloodshed and Lady Death and their combined reputations proceeded them sending them into every corner of Prythian and the many dark outer reaches was a tactic Rhys now employed.

The aim was to achieve negotiations and encourage peaceful surrenders where necessary but if there was resulting collateral damage, it was of little consequence to Rhys.

The other reason that the House was seldom used for official Night Court business was the unnerving issue of the House itself. Whilst the majority of the architecture remained unchanged there was the occasional surprise addition. Or subtraction.

Amren discovered the House’s penchant for the latter when, on one uninvited call, she opened a door which should have led to private chambers only to find herself plummeting through the air onto the ground. She swore blind the House foundations quivered like it was laughing.

Feyre wondered how independently the House acted from Nesta and how much it carried out her wishes. She suspected that this room, the grand drawing room, had been one of Nesta’s heart fulfilments or, at least, something for Cassian.

The room was sizable, entered from the hallway via a series of doorway arches wide enough for splayed Illyrian wings. Oversized plush furniture filled the room and the floors were strewn with thick sable rugs.

The most spectacular draw to the room was the window which stretched from ceiling to floor and from wall to wall on the side opposite the doorways. The view, one across Velaris’ golden rooftops and shining turquoise waters of the Sidra, filled the space like a painting.

Feyre sighed, at least this current visit was expected and so they weren’t risking the windows opening of their own accord to fling them out. The occupants of the House had been gone for longer than anticipated on this task and so Rhys sent ahead a message that he wanted a full debrief when they returned.

Feyre opened her mouth to speak again but stopped when she heard the thud of boots and flutter of wings.

“Finally,” Rhys said with a glance towards Nyx whose eyes flickered open.

“He’ll be happy see Aunt Nesta,” Feyre said in a sing-song voice to her now awake baby, turning him so he could view the entrance. “He loves Aunt Nesta.” She wasn’t above using her infant son as a tactic to avoid her eldest sister’s potential irritation at the intrusion into her home.

Rhys eyed up the shaking walls, “Yes, as does the House.”

Nesta entered first and Feyre breathed a sigh of relief that the floor remained solid underneath where she sat.

“Hello,” Nesta said, her voice soft and cooing. Her welcome wasn’t to her sister or brother-in-law but to the now beaming baby in Feyre’s lap whose legs and arms flailed in the air as he wriggled.

Nesta stepped further into the room, treading over the rugs, arms outstretched, “Come to Aunty Nesta.”

The vast windows let in the bright sunlight, sunlight which illuminated the state of the Illyrian leathers Nesta had clad herself in.

Feyre shrieked, twisting in the chair and blocked Nyx from Nesta’s grasp, pointing at her sister’s waist. “What is that?””

Nesta paused and frowned, looking down.

Aside from the interesting splotches of red across the leathers, the utility belt tightened around Nesta’s waist contained the usual items Feyre expected; knife, pouch, knife, another knife and then... another item she hadn’t.

A leather strap was wound in multiple knots around the thick band and tied to an uneven, lumpy dome the other end. The lumpy dome ended in a stump clotted with congealed blood.

“Oh,” Nesta said with a shrug, “I forgot.” She untied the leather strap and pulled the lump away. “Just another one for the collection.” With a graceful arm movement, Nesta threw what Feyre realised was a decapitated head onto the floor where it landed with a thud, a dribble of blood oozing fresh from the neck wound.

“Well, you can’t hold the baby until you’ve washed your hands. Thoroughly.”

Nesta frowned at her, an ice-cold glare fixed on her face. “Fine,” she snapped, as though Feyre’s request was unreasonable.

Cassian, unlike her sister, had taken some time to remove his blood encrusted leathers before greeting his guests, and he wandered in through the arch with a nod of his head towards Feyre and Rhys.

His hazel eyes noted the bloodied head by the door and he released a sigh.

“You need to stop doing that.”

“The House doesn’t mind.”

The shutters covering the windows in the other rooms started to clatter up and down.

“See?”

“Yes, but I mind and besides,” he gestured across to Feyre, “an infant is present.”

Nyx, now bouncing on Feyre’s lap, slapped his hands together as hard as he could in time with the House. He gazed at Nesta as though she’d sliced her way through necks especially for him.

“He doesn’t care,” Nesta said in a sing-song voice eerily similar to the tone Feyre herself used earlier. She beamed at her nephew, “He’s clapping with the House.”

Rhys’ face turned white, “The House is applauding you?”

“Oh yes,” Az said, arriving at last and pushing his way through where Cassian and Nesta stood to flop down onto the armchair next to Feyre. “Nesta always gets rapturous applause when she brings home a kill.”

Feyre glanced from Azriel, legs sloping over one armrest while his head flopped across the other, to Nesta and then onto Cassian who was pinching the bridge of his nose.

“As much as I am ecstatic to see you all,” he said, “I’ll leave Az to deal with the debrief. I need to go lie down for a while.”

Cassian exited as swift as he entered, Az not bothering to open his now closed eyes. The concerned glances of the other room occupants followed Cassian’s retreating back.

Nesta turned back to Feyre, the ice-cold glare melted away. “Excuse me while I disappear.” Then, in a heartbeat, her expression was one of joy, “Bye-bye baby, I’ll see you in a little bit for snuggles.”

Nyx let out a small sob as Nesta left and Feyre quickly turned him towards her, readying him for a feed, knowing that the small sob would turn into a loud shriek.

“Well,” she said, “she obviously prefers Nyx to me.”

“Feyre, darling – you got spoken to,” Rhys said. “I think it’s safe to say Nesta didn’t acknowledge my existence. Which I’m fine with,” he added, nervously eyeing up the House’s stone walls, “whatever makes her happy.”

Nyx, thankfully, latched onto Feyre’s bared breast and for a moment no noise sounded in the room other than his greedy milk-hungry gulps.

A thought played over and over in her mind though; Nesta’s look of concern, Cassian’s uncharacteristic broodiness. “Are they ok?” she asked Az, at the same time Rhys enquired as to how the recent mission went.

Az’s eyes fluttered open and he gestured to the head on the floor. “As you can tell – we won.” Then, his voice gentler, he turned to Feyre, “They’re fine.”

“Is Cassian upset at the violence? At Nesta doing the um...,” and using her free hand Feyre motioned across her throat with a finger.

Az laughed, such a rare sound it reminded Feyre of the bells on Solstice evening. “Not at all. He likes that she does those things it’s just-”

He paused.

Rhys, satisfied that the mission went well and not caring about anyone’s romantic woes, settled back into the loveseat while Feyre leaned forward, careful to not disrupt her feeding son.

Azriel nodded towards the head, “Before the Anguis went the way of Hybern and the Kelpie, he managed to propose.”

“Not another one!”

“Don’t worry,” Azriel said, “I’m sure Nesta is reassuring Cassian of her love as we speak.”

As though cued up with expert timing, or, as Feyre suspected, the House lifting a self-imposed sound barrier to prove a point, the thumping drifted down to the grand room from several floors up.

“That was...fast.”

Suddenly Azriel appeared just as exhausted as Cassian had. “Nesta reassures Cassian of her love at least twice a night anyway, and when she’s done reassuring him, he feels the need to thank her back.”

Feyre winced, her face contorting into one of displeasure while Rhys didn’t try to hide his smirk. “This is what – the fourth proposal? Fifth?”

Az closed his eyes and dropped his head backwards once more. “Ninth. This isn’t the worst we’ve had.”

Nyx snuffled and Feyre moved him to her other breast. “Wasn’t the first in the Winter Court?”

They’d been in Winter for the naming ritual of Kallias and Viviane’s baby and once the ceremony was done, all guests mingled in the palace hall. The High Lord and Lady of Winter stood on the dais, draped in silver and grey, Viv beaming as she held her pink cheeked daughter.

The music, food and wine flowed freely but Feyre could barely hear the former over the laughter of the high fae and the chime of glasses as toast after toast was declared. The Inner Circle members had dispersed throughout the crowds earlier, all intent on seeking their delight in various forms.

Feyre had seen Nesta on the dance floor for the opening songs but she’d long since gone and Feyre wondered if Nesta and Cassian had snuck away to take advantage of the Winter palace’s numerous private bedrooms.

She had done her duty as High Lady of Night, walking around the hall, ice blue gown sashaying around her legs as revellers congratulated her on the arrival of her own child.

Feyre had smiled and thanked them but she tired easily after Nyx’s traumatic birth and it wasn’t long before she sought out the fur-decked chaise longue tucked in one of enclaves on the far wall.

As Feyre made her way towards it, movement from the corner on her right drew her attention.

Nesta was standing by another enclave, glass in hand, virulently shaking her head. Nesta’s golden-brown hair had been braided into a complex knot adorned with diamonds which caught the fae lights and casted shapes on the ceiling. It had been this that captured Feyre’s eye.

“No,” Nesta said, “I don’t think so.” She smoothed down a non-existent crease on her dress, a pale grey-blue that shimmered like mist over ice, ever changing.

The male she was speaking to was some high-ranking courtier from Winter who Feyre had been introduced to earlier that evening but whose name escaped her. He was tall and handsome enough, gazing at her sister with sapphire blue eyes, but Nesta’s demeanour suggested nothing other than sheer boredom.

Cassian emerged from the crowds, seemingly drawn to what was happening in the corner of the room like a moth towards a flame, his body screaming nothing but fury. Still, he interjected himself between Nesta and the Winter male with a decorum Feyre felt he should be proud of. His fists were clenched and his jaw twitched as he ground his teeth but there was no violence. Yet.

Feyre moved quickly to them.

Side by side there was no contest that Cassian was the larger, broader and less refined male. He wore scuffed Illyrian leathers and the most he’d done for the event was clean his hair and tie it back.

The courtier wore ivory silk brocade strewn with pearls and viewed Cassian up and down with a sneer.

“And who, exactly, are you?”

Cassian spat out his answer, “Her mate and husband and your executioner – you are?”

“Ah yes,” Rhys said. “The naming ball. Was it just the one dance Nesta performed before she had the males panting over her?”

“Still,” Feyre said, “that one was the easiest to smooth over. No one was killed. Or maimed.”

“I think the proposal with Chrysos was when Cassian was aware this was going to be a repeat issue,” Az said.

Chrysos stood before them, undulating between the visage of a male and of something else, something other – possibly human but not quite. His skin was translucent and his gold blood ran through his veins, clear to their eyes, like streaks in white marble.

He was horrifying and beautiful and Feyre struggled to tear her eyes away.

“I must marry you,” he said, directing his words to Nesta. Chrysos’ voice echoed around the cave chamber, strangely melodic, a harmony of angels singing in chorus, one voice on top of another. “I shall make you my Queen and take you into the darkness where we shall make the sweetest music and-”

Nesta’s shoulders sagged, energy sapped from her as she gave a frustrated sigh.

“What the fuck?!”

Feyre jumped at Cassian’s yell, the noise bouncing from the tops of the cave to the bottom, deep into the darkest part and back again.

“Seriously! For fucks sake, I am standing right here!”

Rhys chuckled. “That ended quick enough if I remember?”

“We were on a recruitment mission though, we wanted him on our side,” Az said, “not dead.”

“Cassian maintains he slipped.”

“From six feet away?”

“Yes.”

“With his sword aloft?”

“I didn’t think the proposal in Summer was too bad,” interrupted Feyre, now with Nyx resting against her shoulder so she could pat his back with soothing circles.

The party on Tarquin’s barge was held at the height of the season the Court was most famous for.

The weather was idyllic; sunshine beating down on Feyre’s skin, endless blue skies stretching ahead while a cool ocean breeze drifted from the teal waters teaming with coral. Dolphins pranced in the frothy waves around them, shimmering and shining, their scales a rosy pink.

“Look, Nyx, look!” Feyre held her cooing baby high, pointing the dolphins out to his curious violet eyes.

The barge moved at a comfortable pace and again, like all parties the High Lords arranged, the music, food and wine flowed. Guests streamed from the top desk to the lower one and lower still when they felt like taking to the private cabins, the heat in the air turning into heat in the blood.

The decks were vast enough to not see the same individuals constantly but small enough to see them often and Feyre had smiled every time she walked past a relaxed Cassian and Nesta.

On their first stroll about the deck, Nyx had been awake and grinning, Nesta peppering his small face with a flood of kisses that had him squealing and his limbs flailing with joy. Cassian had joked about knowing his place in the pecking order and Nesta smiled at him in turn.

Cassian’s hair was tied back into a loose bun, strands of black hair falling past his jaw. It was too hot for leathers and, with his white linen shirt with sleeves rolled up to expose the black tattoos on his arms, he was the most casual Feyre had ever seen him.

Nesta stunned in a dress of blue which started ice blue at her shoulders before blending into a shade so dark at the hem it was almost black. The front was a demure and delicately scalloped neckline but Nesta’s back was entirely bare, held up by invisible straps.

Multiple pairs of eyes glanced their way but Nesta’s hand never left Cassian’s and his free one travelled the length of her spine dipping beyond the fabric at her lower back.

You’re borderline indecent, Feyre told them with pretend outrage and continued to walk the deck.

The second time Feyre passed them, they had been talking to Tarquin and Feyre only caught a brief snippet of their conversation, trying to settle a now restless Nyx against her shoulder.

“One apology,” Tarquin had said, “that was my mother’s favourite building.”

On Feyre’s third pass, Nyx now in Rhys’ arms, Tarquin had gone. In his place stood a fae Feyre didn’t recognise.

“I had turned away for a couple of seconds,” Cassian said, his hands in fists, “and you thought this was your opportunity to sneak in here like a panting-”

“Cassian,” Nesta warned, “we don’t want another incident in this Court.”

“Well, there will be one if this prick doesn’t move out of here. We’ll see how he fares with my foot up his as-”

“Cassian!”

“She’s married and mated. Can’t you see the matching rings? Can’t you smell the mate bond?”

The high fae nodded his head, “Yes, but...”

“But? But what?! That’s it,” Cassian said, “we’re leaving this fucking party.”

Rhys and Az stared at Feyre as she burped Nyx, their mouths open.

“What?” she asked.

“You didn’t think it was too bad?” Rhys said, his voice incredulous.

Feyre shrugged, “No one died and no wars were started.”

“They’d only just removed the ban on Cassian to have to enforce it again.”

“I don’t think the second ban was fair though.”

“Feyre, darling. He destroyed the barge.”

“We spent hours fishing everyone out of the sea,” Az said. “Then we had to work out where Nesta’s unfortunate suitor had landed after Cassian threw him towards the cliff.”

“Wasn’t he clinging onto the side of the rockface?”

“Yes.”

“And didn’t Cassian destroy another building in his haste to get away?”

“Yes.”

“Alright,” Feyre said, frowning. “So maybe it was bad.”

“I quite liked the proposal from Locuples,” Az said, “that was the best for all involved. No one died and we ended up with a pretty good trade agreement.”

“Oh, I remember that,” said Feyre, “I was here when Nesta and Cassian came back.”

Feyre and Az had been in the grand room, as they were now, sitting opposite each other in companiable silence. Steam from their tea cups swirled in the air and Feyre gazed out the windows at the white clouds over the city.

“What the-?”

Feyre’s head snapped round, surprised at the uncharacteristic shock in Az’s voice. He stared towards the door archways and Feyre followed his eyeline.

Cassian and Nesta had returned, surprisingly quietly, as she hadn’t heard them land on the roof. Or perhaps, looking at the display in front of her, they’d travelled by some other means.

Nesta sat on a throne on an open topped litter, carried by two lithe creatures who were more shadow and smoke than real and whose feet never touched the ground. Nesta herself, bedecked with jewels, a tiara and clutching a sceptre, wore an expression of confusion.

Cassian followed on foot, wings tersely tucked in, heaving a trunk filled with gold, jewellery, silks, furs and bottles which wafted exotic scents.

Cassian glanced at them from the corner of his eye, “Don’t ask.”

“I thought we expected this to be a hostile negotiation?”

“I said don’t ask.”

“We still receive gifts on a monthly basis,” Feyre said and slid to the floor to lay a barely awake Nyx on the soft furs - one of those aforementioned gifts. She traced a thumb on the arch of his foot and watched it curl, his lips smacking in contentment.

Feyre swore the floorboards underneath him adjusted to accommodate his shape.

“Don’t you receive monthly gifts from Helion as well?” Rhys asked. “Or did Cassian put a stop to that?”

“Cassian put a stop to that one,” Az said.

“Doesn’t Nesta still have the first gift though?”

Az groaned and placed his scarred hands over his eyes. “Yes, and I cannot express how much upkeep it takes.”

Feyre smiled, “Oh, I remember that one too.”

The shriek took Feyre by surprise and she leapt from her chair, readying herself for action. It was only seconds before she realised it wasn’t a shriek of pain but one of sheer, childlike joy.

Once again, her and Az were in the House and, once again, she hadn’t heard the arrival of the House’s other permanent occupants.

“In the name of the Mother,” Az breathed and, in what was a familiar pattern, Feyre turned to where he was looking. This time, instead of Az looking towards the doorway, he was staring outwards at the windows.

Nesta, clad in her leathers and with windswept hair was sat astride a glorious white winged horse, her black leather a stark contrast to the white of the creature she sat upon.

“Someone find Gwen and Emerie! They need to know about this; they need to come here!”

With another shriek of joy and a gentle nudge to the horse’s sides Nesta rose higher, the wings of the horse flapping with enthusiasm, happy to appease its new owner.

There was a sigh from behind them and Feyre and Az turned. Cassian leant against the doorframe, fingers rubbing his temples.

“Cass... isn’t that Helion’s last and most prized flying horse?”

“Please – do not ask.”

“That thing is a nightmare,” Az said, “it eats everything, likes very few fae and can somehow find its way into the House in the dead of night. Do you know how terrifying it is to wake to find a winged horse hovering over you demanding sugar cubes while stealing your blanket? I can’t live like this.”

Feyre shot him a sympathetic smile while Rhys laughed. In the brief silence which followed, Feyre could hear the rhythmic banging echoing its way through the house.

“Aren’t they done yet?”

“Doesn’t sound like it.”

“At least it will be over soon.”

“Nope.”

“Oh.”

“You think this is bad?” Az said, “You weren’t here after the proposal with the Peregryn.”

To Feyre, the Dawn Court was one of the most beautiful. Its shades of gold and red weren’t bright or ostentatious but were the softer golds found in the rising sun, the reds not vermillion or scarlet but something akin to a dusky rose.

Every town held a thousand clock-towers, every hand matching perfectly, the chimes on the hour synching in a glorious song, calling to the skies in praise of a new day, of promises to be made, of joy to come.

The peace of that particular morning had been broken by the shouts of males, all raised in the ecstatic spirit of competition. Nothing violent or aggressive but it spoke to Feyre of knuckles and bone crunching all the same.

She’d pushed her way to the front of a crowd, the fae recognising her and making room for her to pass. A fighting circle had broken out in a section of the town square, cheers raising into the air as one of the fighters scored a blow.

In the circle stood two males, both tall and broad, barefooted and bare-chested. One had wings similar to the Pegasus which Nesta now owned, white and gold-feathered, and the other had wings as black as night, the rising sun highlighting veins and patches of amber.

A female was eagerly watching them, a female Feyre shoved past fae to move next to.

“Nesta! Why is Cassian sparring with a Peregryn?”

Nesta didn’t tear her eyes from the males. “Some old nonsense about fighting for the right to take my hand.”

Cassian landed a punch to his opponent’s jaw, the crack reverberating through the air as the crowd cheered on.

Sweat trickled down Cassian’s own jaw and onto his neck. His muscles were strained, his abdomen contracting. As the fighters turned positions, his back faced Feyre, black tattoos against dark skin, his shoulder blades gleaming with oil.

Feyre glanced at Nesta who was dressed in a pale peach dress adorned with pearls, her hair up but with soft stands framing her face. She would have looked a wholesome picture of innocence if not for her darkening eyes.

“Shouldn’t you stop this?”

“Probably.”

“Are you going to?”

Nesta’s eyes flickered from the top of Cassian’s head down his back and then, as the fighter’s moved again, to his stomach where they lingered on the trail of hair leading down to the waistband of his trousers. She sighed.

“A few more minutes.”

Feyre blinked as if she could rid herself of the memory. “I can only imagine.”

“If I didn’t visit the river house for dinner I would have starved. The House had to perform a deep clean.”

The walls shook in what was akin to a shudder.

“The bard was wholesome enough,” Rhys said.

Az groaned, “And yet ridiculous.”

In a concerted effort to apologise to the Courts on behalf of the behaviour of some Inner Circle members during previous gatherings, Feyre and Rhys had invited the High Lords and their significant others to Starfall.

The House remained still, either curious as to who all the guests were or silently sulking that there were guests at all.

The tang of a rich red wine was on Feyre’s tongue, not from anything she had drunk, but from a stolen kiss from Rhys, under the night sky, in a moment solely theirs before it became everyone else’s.

The night was filled with laughter and talking and Feyre slid into the embrace of her mate, content in the knowledge that Nyx slumbered underneath the watchful eye of the House’s nursery, a room which hadn’t existed before this very evening.

Her heart hurt, but in a good way, as though each chamber was bursting with a joy they couldn’t contain and her happiness spilled out into every corner of the rooftop.

Azriel was intently speaking with Nesta’s red-haired friend while Elain watched on from a distance, either not aware of, or ignoring, her own red-haired watcher.

Amren and Mor stood amongst another group, Mor’s golden hair cascading down her back like a waterfall and near the balcony was Cassian and Nesta, pressed side by side, hand in hand as they gazed upwards, Cassian pointing to a constellation.

Nesta glanced at him as he spoke, her face softening in a way Feyre never thought possible, a smile on her lips. When Cassian looked back at her, to check her understanding of what he was saying, he brought their intertwined hands up to his mouth, to kiss her fingertips.

Feyre smiled, all was well and all would continue to be well. That was until a voice, clear and resolute, spoke out into the crowd.

“My High Lords and Ladies and Paramor’s, I am a bard from the Spring Court – famed as the best in all the Courts!”

Chatter drifted into murmurs as heads turned expectedly to the fae now standing in the centre. Feyre noted his lute fixed upon his waistband but the bard made no attempt to reach for it.

“I have travelled across the land, coming to the Court of the High Lord and High Lady of Night with one purpose and one purpose only – to serenade with tales of fortune and love!”

A ripple of anticipation broke out amongst the crowd to hear such songs and Feyre turned to Rhys. “Did you arrange this?” but his face was twisted in confusion.

“I dedicate my melodies to one female, one who understands music as though her very bones were formed by the notes. My song to you, Lady Nesta and also my hand in marri-”

“FUCKS SAKE!”

Feyre let out a sigh. “I felt so sorry for the bard. He must have seen Nesta on one of her visits. To think, he spent all those weeks travelling on foot to arrive to the House and then Cassian threatens to dangle him from the roof.”

“Cassian did dangle him from the roof.”

“No one’s going to invite us to any more parties,” said Rhys with a sorrowful sigh.

“I think we can handle an overly amorous high fae or two,” Az said, “it’s the demons which worry me.”

“They’re no cause for concern,” Rhys said with a wave of his hand. “In fact, we have a valuable asset on our side. Drag Nesta in front of them and it tends to shut them up.”

Feyre frowned. “That is my sister you’re deciding to use as romantic bait. Besides, the issue we had with the Caligo demon was that it didn’t stop talking. There was such a mess.”

Screams filled Feyre’s ears as terrified Night Court citizens ran past her, almost a blur.

Tears streaked down terror-stricken faces as they grabbed the arms of their loved ones and scooped up children too small or young to so anything other than shiver and cry.

Cracks appeared in the ground beneath their feet, the cobbles of the street twisting and turning before jutting upwards like the jagged, sharpened edges of broken bone. The air was thick with acrid smoke which stung Feyre’s eyes causing them to stream with the tears she saw running down her people’s faces.

Rhys was to her right. Or that’s what she hoped. He had been standing but he’d gasped in pain and then she no longer saw him through the gaps in the cloud. When she managed to glimpse him, he was on his knees, thick red blood pouring down his face from a cut on his scalp.

Feyre choked back a sob and clambered over the rips in the earth to reach him.

Steel clashed with steel in the darkness, the shouts of Cassian and Azriel tearing through the blackness as they pressed forward. A shimmer of magic absorbed as much of the darkness away as it could and created a halo around the members of the Inner Circle.

Hands, strong and steady, circled Feyre’s waist and Nesta held her up, helped her over the torn earth.

“I am destroyer,” the thing hissed. “I am consumer, I am flesh ripper and soul tearer and I-”

It turned, watching them all, gloating in their misery and gorging itself fat on their pain. One of its bulbous eyes slid to where they stood, Feyre leaning into Nesta’s side. Her sister’s hair was dishevelled, her arms smeared with blood but Nesta’s eyes remained cold and hard upon the demon.

“And I – oh, oh, you are spectacular.”

A roar ripped through the darkness; a bellowing from powerful lungs as the words of the creature reached the ears of all present.

“Absolutely fucking not!”

Cassian advanced from the void, red siphons blazing as though he were shrouded in flame. “I am her mate; I am her husband and I suggest you put those sloping tongues back into your mouth or Mother help me...”

Feyre swallowed the rising bile. She tried not to think about the events of that night, though she didn’t know what was worse – that night or now, with the thumping above their heads gaining momentum.

“He got the job done,” Rhys said and then smirked, “and he’s doing the same now from the sounds of it.”

“Rhys!” Feyre admonished and placed her hand on Nyx’s stomach to calm herself. “Why do you think he puts up with it?” she asked Az.

“What choice does he have? Besides, he loves and trusts her. There’s no one for him but her and no one for her but him.”

“Disgusting,” Rhys said with slight mockery to his tone.

“No,” Feyre said, “what’s disgusting is the head in the corner.” She eyed up the lump that had once been somethings head; the glassy eyes, the bloodied stump. She wouldn’t relish touching the thing but she would happily remove herself out of earshot of Nesta and Cassian’s post proposal love affirmation. “Where do I take it?”

“The House created a trophy room three doors down,” Az said.

Anguis’ mouth hung open, razor sharp rotted teeth all lined up on display. Feyre felt a slither of pity. “I’ll take it there.”

“No, Feyre darling, I’ll do it.”

Feyre breathed a sigh of relief and nodded before turning to Az. “Shall we wait for them to be done? We need to discuss the next mission which is rather sensitive.”

Az shook his head, “No, you may as well go home. It was a proposal so they’re not stopping until – what day is it now, Thursday? – they’re not going to be fit for purpose until Monday.”

Rhys, still lounging, stretched out into the space Feyre previously occupied. “We can’t wait that long.”

“Do you want to volunteer to interrupt them?

“No.”

Feyre glanced between them both. “Cassian did look rather sad.”

Azriel laughed again, the sound echoing throughout the room, his head thrown back. “Don’t pity Cassian, he knows what he’s doing.”

“And Nesta falls for it?”

“No, she definitely doesn’t fall for it.”

“But isn’t she in their chambers um...reassuring him?”

“Yes.”

Feyre bit her lip, “So surely...”

“Oh Mother,” Az rubbed his hand across his face. “It’s their form of twisted foreplay. When Nesta received a proposal from – well, I can’t remember which one, I came home early and almost went blind. Have none of you questioned the indoor swing?”

Feyre’s voice was quiet when she spoke, scooping up her son into her arms with haste. “I thought they were creating an inside playground.”

“Ah,” Az said, his voice soft, “not quite.”

The thumping reached its crescendo and blessedly, stilled.

“Oh, thank the Mother,” Rhys said, “they’re done after all. Az, go retrieve them. We need to discuss the next mission.”

“Why me?”

“You live here.”

“You’re the High Lord.”

Feyre looked around her, Nyx clutched in her arms. “I think the floor is sloping us out towards the door.”

“I don’t think so Feyre, darling.”

“No really, the head - which you said you’d deal with by the way - is rolling away.”

Feyre wasn’t imagining what was happening, she’d passed under the entrance to the room, Rhys and Az’s chairs beginning to follow.

“This happens,” Az said with a calmness Feyre didn’t feel. “Usually when they don’t want anyone to overhear the next part of their ‘Nesta got proposed to again’ sex marathon.”

“Why? What could they now be planning that’s so much worse?”

“I don’t know,” Az replied, “the House always shuffles me out at this point. One time I was trying to prep my knives and almost stabbed myself in the eye.”

“Right,” said Rhys, “I think we can walk out of here without a sentient lump of stone forcing us to. Which,” he said with an eye to the steepness of the floor angle, “is completely within its’ right.”

Feyre nestled a snoring Nyx into one arm as Rhys helped her up. Az was already on his feet, out the door and into the hallway before he got flattened by an oversized, burgundy armchair.

He turned to them both.

“So, where’s the next mission to anyway? Where are you sending our glorious Lady Death and Lord of Bloodshed and can I sit it out?”

Feyre and Rhys exchanged glances. “I think we might need you in attendance,” Feyre said.

Az raised an eyebrow. “Well, I know King Lascivus is causing some problems with his tithe but as long as you weren’t planning on sending us to his palace, it will be fine. He’s famous for his side hobby of trying to find a muse to depict as the Mother in his artworks. Borderline obsessed.”

Feyre cleared her throat, “Sounds like he’s fervently religiously devout.”

“Hardly. The issue isn’t him trying to depict the Mother but that he’s spent centuries convincing everyone that she needs to be represented in her naked glory and I quote ‘with the petals of her flower fully opened.’”

Rhys coughed and moved fast down the hallway towards the roof entrance his wings already forming.

“Rhys!” Feyre called out. “You know I can’t run when I’m holding the baby!”

Az’s voice was quiet. “Feyre?”

“You know we love you,” she said, not meeting his hazel eyes, “and you’re always welcome at the river house. For as long as you want, whether that’s weeks or months.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “I swear on the Cauldron, if you need to you can stay for centuries.”

“Feyre?”

She turned and didn’t look back, picking up her own speed to follow Rhys, ignoring the quiver in Az’s tone.

“We love you Az,” she shouted over her shoulder, propping Nyx into a position ready for flight as the House opened its doors to hasten her exit. “Always remember that.”

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noeticprayer · 1 year

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SCRIPTURE READINGS for Sunday February 12th, 2023

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (Epistle)

Brothers and Sisters, "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" -- and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh." But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Luke 15:11-32 (Gospel)

The Lord said: "There was a man who had two sons;and the younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, `How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, `Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to make merry. "Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, `Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, `Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!' And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

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kravkalackin · 4 years

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Kravitz had answered the listing as a joke. He had assumed that said listing had been a joke. Now he was wondering if this was going to be the thing that got him murdered.

Reading it over again, it hadn't changed from when he looked at it five minutes ago.

Listing: Fake Boyfriend To Avoid Jogging With Roommate Serious Responses Only

Additional details: my roommate keeps trying to make me go to the gym with him, so I told him I couldn't cause I have a date that day. It worked the first six times but now he's starting to get suspect. Especially because the dates are at 6am. Need a cute boy to stand in as a fake date. If you have a job that would require you to go on dates at fucking sunrise that is a plus. Will pay for breakfast, just need a few photos to throw off the scent

Kravitz wasn't sure what possessed him to reply, other than the picture the user had posted was um, very nice. And it was funny.

The person, Taako he mentioned once they started talking, had asked for a picture of him back. Almost as soon as he sent it he was starting to make plans for a fake breakfast date, and at that point Kravitz felt too far gone to back out.

So here he was at 6am on a Friday, inside of the earliest opening coffee shop they could find. Kravitz was starting to think he got stood up (which somehow felt almost as bad as being murdered) when he saw Taako come in. He didn't have to scan around long before he caught sight of him, the place nearly empty.

"Oh good you're here and don't look like a murderer, things are looking up on cha boy's end," Taako said. Despite how early it was he certainly seemed to be dressed for a date.

"The murderers we were probably supposed to run into doing this are going to feel pretty awkward when they end up trying to kill each other at the same time," he joked, getting a surprised laugh out of Taako.

"Shit yeah, that's gonna lead to a lot of awkward exchanges at the annual cyber killer convention," he said, Taako giving him a very nice smile. "But yeah, thanks for doing this, lemme spot you breakfast and a cuppa Joe and we can grab some pics," he added. Kravitz nooded, following Taako up to the counter. Once they ordered they sat back down and Kravitz hadn't actually thought any of this through. He kinda figured he'd be dead by now.

"So uh, Taako, if you don't mind me asking, " he started, Taako nodding along, "why can't you just tell your roommate you don't want to go to the gym?" he asked, a little surprised when Taako groaned dramatically.

"Ugh, because he gets all sad and whiny about how we never hang out together and how it'll be fun and naturally I have a heart of gold and will eventually give in and fucking take him for his walk like the overgrown golden retriever that he is," he explained. Their food was called up at the counter at this point and Kravitz quickly jumped up to grab it. By the time he got back Taako already had his phone out.

"Ok that's fucking Instagram worthy right there," he said, taking a picture of Kravitz as he held the platter.

"You're not actually going to put that on Instagram are you? I mean you can if you want to, I have no idea how to use the site," he said. Taako seemed to think it over for a bit before shaking his head.

"Nah, these'll be for private use only," he said, winking for good measure. Which was certainly something.

As they ate Taako snapped a few more pictures, including one of a very cutesy kiss on the cheek. It was all a little ridiculous but by the end Kravitz was actually having fun.

And when they parted with Taako thanking him profusely again for the help he almost regretted not asking for a possible real follow up date.

He was pretty delighted when Taako called him back the next day, although he wasn't expecting him to sound so panicked.

"So uh small problem, nothing to freak out about," he said, immediately freaking Kravitz out.

"And uh what's that? Did your roommate not believe you?" he asked.

"No uh, he believed it a little too well and he showed a picture to my sister who showed it to her husband and uh do you happen to work with a Barry Bluejeans?" Taako said, the words all coming out in a rush. It took a few long moments for what Taako was saying to process in his head, but when it did he felt his eyes widen.

"Oh, um, yes. Yes I know him," he said.

"Yeah so my brother in law and sister are demanding I bring you over for dinner and I figure I should warn you before you get bombarded at work," Taako said, and Kravitz had to take a moment to take a deep breath before he responded.

"Should I bring a dessert?" He asked. There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end before Taako burst out laughing.

"Fuck, keep that up and I might have to upgrade you to fake fiance," he said, and Kravitz couldn't help but grin at that.

This was fake, he knew it was fake.

But at least it was fun.

#taz #the adventure zone #taakitz #taako #Kravitz #long post #maybe ill make this a whole fic #been a while since I did fake dating

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writing-blog-iguess · 3 years

Note

Do you have any headcanons about the insecurities fic you wrote about? I can't help but headcanon a lot, like:

both Harley & Ivy enjoys watching reader finishing her food, they also call her their mom since reader has been making them food since their first meet (Harley loves her egg sandwich, while Ivy was the baked potatoes bread)

Alfred always bakes matcha swiss roll with red bean paste or pastries that's easy too shallow with reader (so that she could shallow without feeling like choking and needs to drink a lot of water) whenever she stops by and keeps giving him hugs which he gladly return it everytime, the Alferd&Y/N's hug, is what everyone comments it

Dicks showing pictures he took of seven years old (a journey of Y/N's growing he calls) and then reader to all his teammates and the league as soon as he learnt the engagement's finally announce 'Look at this! Can't you imagine?! She's my little sister! This is when she seven years old! It's very heartwarming right blah blah blah... " and that's how the other superheros and older Teen Titans and Barbara knows how much Dick adore his future little sister-in-law who's s cinnamon roll

Sassy and baddass way to talk for so people won't dare mess up with her confidence (Jason help her built up, after he met her and quick into adoption of her, siblings!) Not that he would ever admit, Jason will sent glares to whoever who diss Y/N's like to children picture books (for example, The Guardians of Childhood aka inspiration of Rise of the Guardians movie) come on, his little sister had great taste in books!

Tim forbid her drinking coffee when they first met and even after (since he nearly caused a seven-years-old gone missing in the manor after the reader can't fall asleep decided to have a exploration situation) but will make it for her sometimes later after she used to it, made account for art websites she wants to register that so she can admire arts but underage back when childhoods, so he used it under his own only name (defiantly annoymus, and no, it's not illegal website) and every then and how

Makeover and dress-up with Barbara, Stephanie and Cassandra after they learnt of her (which they give Damian few lessons of 'how to treat the girl you like' with Dick who's extremely enjoy it, Jason and Tim who's enjoy the show all day), in the end, all heads to movie since it's sister bond time and apparently, the ideas of XL caramel popcorns and coke are the best choice!

Bruce pat or ruffle her hair softly everytime they met, a habit since the day he had ten years ago when she's seven, a touch of 'my daughter is growing up' feel will seldom appears in his heart

Damian from straightly ingored to slowly falls in love with reader after everytime he saw her sincere smile whenever she enjoyed Alfred's food heartily (like this, but a more faintly heartwarming one haha, at the very last pic, not sure if you could see it, so here's another link you could try out☺☺ )

Innocent, 'naive girl playing tough' charm whenever she and Damian together alone (first kiss, cuddling, hair massaging, teasing, which he finds not annoying because it's how really she is, and he enjoys keep on trailing and turn on her wildness)

How reader slowly felt left out though it didn't really occur me, just the thought of Batfam night activity and how we're isolating from each other slowly and inoccasionally when growing up just made me feel that way, you know, the feelings of it's not the same like it used to anymore😞😞

And once again, thank you so much for accepting my request at the beginning, I've been having this thought in my mind but I just couldn't write it, I'm so glad you accepted it and it's totally the way I want☺☺ (And about part 2 Talia which you accepted it too, I hope my words didn't scare you out lol... I'm too exciting that day...) Hope you have a very good day ahead, author!

Tumblr really needs to let me know when I have something in my inbox, I swear.

Of course! I loved writing it, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. No, your words didn’t scare me lol, I’m just outlining part 2 and I hope you love it just as much. With that said, and you don’t mind the wait, send in your ideas! I love reading them.

Okay, onto the headcanons! I love these! I put mine under the readmore, there's a bit;

Y/N didn’t have the best home life. Like I’m not saying abusive, just her parents neglected her a little. And it didn’t help that her whole life was planned for. So when she met Harley and Ivy, they basically went, you’re mine now no take backsies. And y/n just rolls with it, because through them, she finds out what it feels to be loved by someone who cares about you. This of course, she keeps from her parents and the day she turned eighteen, she moved out and it was a lot easier to hang out with those two.

Ever since knowing Harley and Ivy, y/n’s been slowly getting out of her shell. When she starts to hang out with Jason, she becomes more confident. She has Jason wrapped around her finger without even knowing

The girls love her, everyone loves her and Damian’s just, why

She loves cooking, and she even swaps recipes with Alfred. (even from the beginning of the whole arrangement) she became fast friends with Alfred first before everyone else.

y/n has known Damian since his first day of school. But I’m not going to lie, y/n was kind of scared Damian.

She got so offended when Tim took away her coffee when she wanted to try it. And when she became a regular coffee drinker, they would talk about different coffees they had tried and compare notes.

When the arranged marriage was first brought up in conversation, there was a lot of protests. Especially from Dick and Damian, but Bruce just shrugged saying that it was a good match. And if they don’t get married in the end, than that’s fine. Everyone was very confused but stopped bringing it up

They have theories though about the whole thing, the most popular one in the manor is that Bruce is looking for the next Robin when Damian hangs up the Robin cape to be someone else

When Bruce announced that, everyone did their own research about y/n. Everyone but Damian agreed but she must be protected, though it kind of blows up when they kind of cast her aside when she started hanging out with them at the manor, (but that’s not until later)

She and Damian have lunch together everyday at school, much to Damian’s displeasure. And he’s mean to her at the beginning, ignoring her and whatnot. She doesn’t do anything cuz she hates this setup just as much

But slowly, she starts to catch feels but keeps it to herself.

As you said, Damian takes longer to fall in love with her. And its one of those moments when she looks at peace within his family and it just hits him like ‘oh. Oh no I’m in love and I can’t tell anyone this’ and he doesn’t. So up until they confess to each other, their just pinning after each other and people who aren’t family sees that their in love but no know says anything

However, they do get more cuddly when they’re alone. Like, they don’t kiss or anything. But when they have movie nights, y/n’s curled up on the end of the couch with Damian’s head on her lap. And she’s always plays with his hair, of runs her fingers through it and Damian has discovered that it feels nice and helps him to de-stress

She knows when he’s stressed about something, so her just pats her lap and he grumbles about it but is secretly happy (they have been caught on multiple occasions by his brothers and they chooses to ignore them

She’s been so use to feeling alone, that being with people who care feels foreign to her

When she starts to feel like she’s alone again, she doesn’t see it until it’s too late

It starts off slowly, the fam is to busy with missions and saving the world that they kind of forget they she doesn’t know, and when she comes over, their not there or just brushes her off when she is. And she’s tried to talk to them, cuz she’s spend years being a part of their family but then one day it stopped.

But they just brush her off and she’s reminded about her parents so she stops pushing and then altogether stops going to the manor.

No one really realizes at first, only Alfred, and when they do, y/n had already broken off the engagement.

#damian wayne x reader #damian wayne x fem!reader #batman #arranged marriage au #headcanons #robin #damian wanye #i answered a thing #anonymous

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princeofgod-2021 · 1 year

Text

LIGHT OF LIFE 312

John 1:4

UNITY OF THE BODY 15 – DEADLY INFILTRATION 3

There are Principles in Warfare you should know: if you are to face a stronger enemy, the possible chance of winning is either to attack the Weakest point in that enemy [Technical] or find a way to turn the Strong amongst them, against their weaker ones [Psychological].

Either one or both ways, you have a chance.

2Ti 3:5-6 They may pretend to have a respect for God, but in reality they want nothing to do with God’s power. Stay away from people like these! For they are the ONES WHO WORM THEIR WAY INTO THE HEARTS OF VULNERABLE WOMEN, spending the night with those who are captured by their lusts and steeped in sin. TPT

Did you notice: “worm their way” into hearts? That means pretentiously, secretly or cunningly.

That is Technical Warfare, where a weaker “Nation” tactically preys on “the weak” of the stronger Nation.

I have shown us b4 how God set us to be above satan in every way, making him weaker, and he knows it.

Gen 3:14-15 Then the LORD God said to the snake, "You will be punished for this; you alone of all the animals must bear this curse: From now on you will crawl on your belly, AND YOU WILL HAVE TO EAT DUST AS LONG AS YOU LIVE. I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. HER OFFSPRING WILL CRUSH YOUR HEAD, AND YOU WILL BITE HER OFFSPRING'S HEEL." GNB

satan “will have to eat dust” mean he can always exploit the weakest, degenerates and ignorant (Hos 4:6), even of the church. I have also shown how a man becomes “dust” and food for satan, right?

Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your brow, you will produce food to eat until you return to the ground, because you were taken from it. YOU ARE DUST, AND YOU WILL RETURN TO DUST." GW

You must now know: satan prefers the second option (Psychological Warfare) for three reasons:

First, if you have infections (Technical war against the weak) in your body, you take drugs, which fight the infection and aid the Immune System too.

The Strong will rush to help the weak. Anytime there is ailment or infections in the body, Lymphocytes (The Army) always rush to the “weak site” to defend furiously.

Jos 10:4,6 "THE GIBEONITES have signed a peace treaty with Joshua and the Israelites. Come and help me attack Gibeon!"… the Gibeonites sent a message to the Israelite camp at Gilgal: "JOSHUA, PLEASE COME AND RESCUE US! The Amorite kings from the hill country have joined together and are attacking us. WE ARE YOUR SERVANTS, SO DON'T LET US DOWN. PLEASE HURRY!" CEV

Yes, the weak will cry out to the strong for help and they will be [mostly] rescued easily.

That shows a perfect body, living in Love and Unity.

The second reason why satan prefers the psychological warfare – confusing the strong to attack their own weak – is that you won’t take drugs to kill the strong because you will be killing the body too.

You can only use drugs to suppress the “Crazy” Immune System – whose minds have then become messed up by the intruder – from evil.

Joh 16:2-3 They will put you out of the synagogue, yet A TIME IS COMING WHEN THE ONE WHO KILLS YOU WILL THINK HE IS OFFERING SERVICE TO GOD. THEY WILL DO THESE THINGS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE FATHER OR ME. NET

Have you not noticed that while we see so much of problems with leaders in the church, we are always careful about deriding them because we know that we could be bringing down the church as well, right?

Mat 23:2-3 “THE RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS AND THE PHARISEES SIT ON MOSES’ THRONE AS THE AUTHORIZED INTERPRETERS OF THE LAW. SO LISTEN AND FOLLOW WHAT THEY TEACH, but don’t do what they do, for they tell you one thing and do another. TPT

Now the third reason why satan prefers psychological warfare is because he is totally unaffected by the war: he loses nothing because he is mostly unnoticed or is least thought of.

We all know that after a while, smoke disappears totally. Even the smell fades away and blends with the normal air.

Any war by the Church should [always] be against the enemy (satan and his cohorts). We all know that too well.

Eph 6:12 YOUR HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT IS NOT WITH HUMAN BEINGS, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. FOR THEY ARE A POWERFUL CLASS OF DEMON-GODS AND EVIL SPIRITS THAT HOLD THIS DARK WORLD IN BONDAGE. TPT

But when satan manages to turn the strong against the weak in the Christian body, the resultant outcome is devastating, yet the culprit, satan, is totally unharmed nor hurt in such battles.

He just sits and watches.

Zec 11:9 Then I said, "I REFUSE TO BE YOUR SHEPHERD. LET THE SHEEP THAT ARE GOING TO DIE, GO ON AND DIE, AND THOSE THAT ARE GOING TO BE DESTROYED, GO ON AND BE DESTROYED. THEN LET THE OTHERS EAT ONE ANOTHER ALIVE." CEV

That was the state of God’s nation when they turned their backs on Him. As we know, these problems come when the presence of God is “diminished” through our sins.

Anyhow, we can’t treat that depth here now.

We’re simply saying that satan manipulates the minds of the leaders in any system (Church and nation) to easily harm the body.

We have discussed why he loves “high” positions before, right?

Dan 10:20 So then he said, "Daniel, do you know why I have come to you? SOON I MUST GO BACK TO FIGHT AGAINST THE PRINCE (ANGEL) OF PERSIA. WHEN I GO, THE PRINCE (ANGEL) OF GREECE WILL COME. ERV

Angel of Persia or Greece is the demonic representative of satan, always attached to the ruling seat of power of nations, accessing all resources to control and manipulate the people.

That is why satan also “worms” his way into the leadership structure of the Church: to make them ruin the body of Christ.

Mat 27:20 Meanwhile, the chief priest and the religious leaders were inciting the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and TO HAVE JESUS KILLED. TPT

We decree, all forces manipulating our leaders be expunged and destroyed, in Jesus name.

Join us on Friday for more digging in as we proceed with this enlightening subtopic.

Keep Shinning!

Brother Prince

Wednesday, February 08, 2023

08055125517; 08023904307

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ladykatakuri · 2 years

Text

Christmas on the Run

Word Count: 2779

Rating: All

Summary: Traveling from one place to the other meant that you all made the Marauder your de facto home. All of you had your own bunk or room in Omega`s case and at times yours as well. Hiding the gifts you procured for each of them was a challenge, especially with a very curious and intelligent little sister around. Adding the big brother that was always in for some mischief with Omega, you knew that hiding things from Wrecker and her together was merely impossible.

This is a little Christmas story about you and the Batch getting a little gift and some fluffy times.

Merry Christmas to you all and enjoy the love and warmth of these times.

Preparing everything for the holidays has always been a big job. Cards and letters had to be written and sent, gifts bought and wrapped and the decorations sought out and hung up throughout the house. Not to mention all the food and drinks that had to be bought and prepared.

This year however was different. This year it was still uncertain where you would celebrate the holidays and how you would celebrate it once it was clear where you would be. There were two options, off world or on Ord Mantell. Being on the run for the Empire was a challenge, celebrating Christmas while on the run was a whole new experience all together. But, you were adamant that you would give your most favorite people in the galaxy a bit of a festive feeling in between the hardships of being on the run.

Even more good fortune for you was when you met the one person in the galaxy who seemed to be able to arrange almost anything you could wish for. Sure, sometimes that meant that people were involved you did not completely trust or even know in the first place, but knowing where it came from and who made the introductions made it all more easy for you.

“Cid, you are a lifesaver!” Knowing you could not hug her through the holo, you blew her a kiss and grinned.

“Well, you know I will have you work some extra days in the parlor now kid. You scratch my back and I scratch yours.” Seeing your reaction to that particular image only serves to make her grin wider. ”It will all be ready when you are back from this mission. And don`t forget to bring me my present!” With that, the call was ended and you returned to your work on board the Marauder, preparing everything for your departure.

The crew had been out hunting for a particular type of herb that was highly sought after by people all over the galaxy and even more difficult to obtain since the empire had outlawed it`s use. Not only did it have excellent healing qualities, when prepared just right, it was more potent as an aphrodisiac, and that so happened to be a very exclusive business that Cid did not mind dealing in. You all knew that at this time of year the empire was more busy with showing it's more pleasant side by organizing Life Day celebrations all over the galaxy, so it was the right time to go on a little hunt and gather mission.

Finally, after half a day on the move the men and their sister returned, bags filled with the herb and even something that appeared to be of the meat variety of hunting goods.

“Don`t tell me you even managed to scrounge up some nice meat?” Clicking your tongue at the group you eye the bags they put down as they shed their gears.

“We have all the herbs we could find! But some kind of animal was stalking us and Hunter… Well, Hunter hunted it!” With a chuckle, Omega proudly looked up at the man in question.

“Figured we might as well have some food for ourselves and maybe earn some credits with the rest of it.” Hunter ruffles her hair as he passes her to make use of the refresher.

Turning around, you look at Tech. “Make some credits?”

“These particular animals are known for their subtle meat and distinct flavor when prepared well. I have read up on them and it seems that their meat is sought after almost as much as the herbs we gathered here.I suppose both are somewhat rare now considering the laws and the ban on gathering and use of the herbs. They appear to only co-exist on a very few planets.” With that, Tech moves to the cockpit to launch the Marauder and head back home to Ord Mantell.

++++++++++++++++++++

Traveling from one place to the other meant that you all made the Marauder your de facto home. All of you had your own bunk or room in Omega`s case and at times yours as well. Hiding the gifts you procured for each of them was a challenge, especially with a very curious and intelligent little sister around. Adding the big brother that was always in for some mischief with Omega, you knew that hiding things from Wrecker and her together was merely impossible. They knew you were from Terra and you already celebrated Christmas once,so knowing they expected to find some hidden gifts gave you a bit of fun.Each time they thought you would not notice, they would try and figure out the next hiding place. Accidently finding them rummaging through a crate or bag and then seeing their innocent explanations was, well , worth the mess they left at times.

“Wrecker! You better have a damn good explanation for this mess. If not, I will shoot you in the ass by accident next time we are on a mission” Crosshair was not amused to say the least when he found Wrecker turning his bunk upside down.

“I figured Y/N would hide the stuff somewhere we least expect it and well….. Nobody would expect it to be hidden around you!” Scratching his head, the large man shows his most innocent look, which was adorable to you and grinned.

Narrowing his eyes, Crosshair takes one good look at his brother and walks past him. “Kriffing idiot, look somewhere else.”

“Do you think he means it?” Echo, just entering the bunkroom after hearing the commotion looks at Wrecker while thinking over the question.

“I wouldn`t get near him for a while.” Getting ready for some rest, he lays down in his hammock and peers at his brother who still stands in the door. “Just let it rest, Wrecker. If there are any presents, we will get them when we get them.”

With the threat of Crosshair and the fact they had been through almost every place they could think of inside and out, Omega and Wrecker decided to call off the rest of the search and leave it up to you when they would get their presents.

Ord Mantell could not be reached soon enough.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After arriving safely back on Ord Mantell, business was conducted by Hunter and Tech while you made your way to your small apartment. There you made sure all the small gifts were wrapped and labeled before placing them carefully inside a bag.

Now, all that was left was for Cid to do her part.

“Cid wants us all to come over to the parlor after hours for a small gathering.” Hunter sighs as he looks at his brothers who do not seem inclined to go at all.

“Most times that means she has a job for us and we will not like where it will take us.” Echo looks at Hunter as he states the obvious. Out of all the jobs they have done for Cid, the ones she sends them on after a little get together are the most difficult and the ones that also means the greatest risk of running into imperial troops. Not a very attractive thought for any of them.

“Though that is correct, it has also gotten us in touch with others who are on the run for the empire and even has gotten us valuable intel on their activities and it has been a good source of income for us.” Tech chimes in after which he turns his attention to his holopad.

“No matter, it is not an invitation we can decline. We should go.” You look at them all and wrap your arm around Omega.

Wrecker just nods as he turns to Omega, lifts her on his shoulders and stands ready to go.

Crosshair just nods and makes his way to the door. Never the conversationalist, always the man of action. Hunter and Echo follow behind him and so you are all on your way to Cids.

When you all arrive at the parlor, the lights are low and music softly plays in the room. Opening the door, you are all greeted with the sight of a christmas tree standing near the wall in the back and fairy lights strung up all through the room.

“Merry Christmas!” Cid, dressed for the occasion in a red tunic, smiles as she sees the surprise on the faces of the men and young girl that entered the room.

“Cid? I never thought you would pull off a surprise like this!” Omega runs up to the Trandoshan and embraces her.

“Oh, but you have Y/N to thank for that.”She looks at you as she says it and all faces turn towards you.

“So, that is why we could not find anything on the Marauder?”

You smile as you look at Omega. “Yup, Cid helped me. I told her you and Wrecker would probably try to find the presents so she helped me get some things and ready the parlor. Though she also arranged for some surprise of her own, or so she told me.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Cid mutters as she walks towards the door of her office and opens it.

That is when a man in a Santa suit steps into the room. “Ho ho hoooooo! Merry Christmas you lot!” With a booming voice you are all greeted with a holiday cheer as the man carries a bag on his shoulder and walks towards your little group gathered there.

The first to gasp in surprise is Echo.

“Rex?”

The man dressed as Santa grins wide as he looks at his friend and brother.

“Hohoho vod. Merry Christmas.” Walking up to Echo he takes the bag from his shoulder and reaches in.

“Here is your gift.” Handing a small package he looks at Echo.

“It's good to see you, Rex. I'm surprised to see you dressed like that though.” With a deep chuckle, Echo hugs him before paying any attention to the gift in his hand.

“You have Cid and Y/N to thank for that. They made sure I could get over here and Cid can be very convincing when it comes to the clothes.” With a wink he looks at Cid and then turns his attention to the rest of the people in the parlor.

Omega, still surprised by the appearance of Rex, dressed up as Santa slowly walks up to him. “I'm glad you`re here Rex. We missed you, how is Hera? Have you seen her?”

Question after question comes from her and Rex, a little overwhelmed with all of it, holds up his hands to stop her for a moment. “All in good time little one, let's focus on one thing first. Reaching inside his bag, he takes out the present with her name on it and hands it over. Merry Christmas little one.

With a big hug, Omega takes her present and moves to the side to open her package.

As he slowly empties the bag with presents and says his hello`s to the people around, Rex makes his way to you with a big smile. “Santa did not forget about you sweet one.” He reaches out his hand holding a small present, carefully wrapped and places it in your hand. Merry Christmas sweet one.

With all of the people present ready to unwrap their gifts you look around the room. The smiles and eager looks, the atmosphere in the room, it all makes for a perfect evening and a perfect Christmas. Then, the sound of paper being torn and gasps of surprise when they see what it is that has been gifted to them.

Each has been given a personalized gift, chosen by you with some help from Cid.

For Hunter a new bandana that has the ever present skull symbol and the 99 but as an extra on the inside there are the first initials of all his brothers and little sister.

For Tech a new utility belt that can be easily clipped to his armor.

Wrecker is enjoying the idea of getting to pop his own Mantell Mix with the small popper machine. You might have to explain to him that it is for home use only and not to be taken on the Marauder though.

Crosshair, always difficult to read, is completely surprised by his present. A small collar for the loth cat he adopted, on it a small pendant in the shape of crosshair. As he stands next to you he softly mutters, “How did you know?”

With a knowing smile you glance at Omega. “There is only one person who knows you better than you know yourself.

“Figures.” He huffs as he places the collar inside his pocket and flashes a quick smirk at his little sister.

Omega is chuffed with her own stuffed Tooka doll. Grey and red colored, just like the Batch. Being the only girl beside you and Cid, you also chose to give her something extra. A soft vest in her favorite dark green color to keep her warm during the colder times.

Echo, sitting more to the side of all the commotion, is silently watching at his present. It took some doing to get a hold of it and judging from his reaction you will have to thank Cid and find a way to repay the favor. In his hand he holds a small frame. Inside there is a holo of the full Domino Squad. A gentle tear forms in the corner of his eye as he looks at his brothers from long ago. Quickly wiping away the forming tear, he beams you the most beautiful grin you could imagine coming from the man that has been through hell and back.

After seeing all of those reactions and enjoying the surprise on Cid`s face after she unwrapped her own gift, you pay attention to the small package in your hand. Carefully unwrapping it you gasp as you open up a small box. Inside is a black leather necklace with a silver pendant. A skull with underneath the aurebesh 99. On the back of it are the letters of all of the Bad Batch engraved. The sign of your family bond, shaped over time.

Small hands reach from behind you as Omega takes the necklace and places it around your neck. “Are you surprised?”

Turning around, you look at the young girl who had quickly become your little sister. “It is beautiful Megs.” You hug her tight and beam with happiness.

The evening slowly nears its end while you all enjoy another drink and the conversations spread across the room.

Omega, after hearing all about Hera who has been enjoying Life Day preparations with her family, about Gregor whom they had rescued and reunited with Rex and all other news from around the galaxy, had fallen asleep.

Cid, fidgeting with her new specially forged vibro blade gifted to her by you and the Batch is playing an intense game of dejarik with Wrecker.

Hunter and Crosshair are enjoying a game of holo darts while Tech and you enjoy a drink while watching them compete over who will make dinner the next day.

In a corner booth Rex and Echo are in deep conversation, something long overdue for them both. Finally, with all the craze in the galaxy they have the time to talk about everything that had happened, about brothers lost and brothers yet to be found.

“Will you be here for the new years celebration Rex? You look at the former captain as you walk to your apartment.

Standing in front of your door, he hugs you. “You know I will sweet one. And, I only have to arrange a few more things with Cid to have everything in place for the final surprise on the last day of this year. Are you sure you want to do this? The price can be high.”

The little concern he might have had for the price that he knew you would have to pay Cid for all the favors melts away when he sees your big smile. “It will all be worth it Rex. With Cid's help there will be no danger, or almost none and we both know it is going to be great for everyone.”

With a last hug you say your goodnights and Rex leaves as you enter your apartment.

Looking forward to one more amazing surprise to come, you lay down in bed with a happy feeling, knowing your family will have the chance to end an insane year on a high note.

@hellothere-generalangsty@chaoticvampirejedi@cyroku@uponrightful@imabeautifulbutterfly@monako-jinn-stories@galacticgraffiti@nahoney22@moonstrider9904@loth-wolffe@saradika@thefact0rygirl@djarrex@dindjarindiaries@djarinsbeskar@reluctant-mandalore@remadster@bobafetts-princess@clonecyare@deewithani@justanotherstarwarswhore@starwarschicken@zinzinina@mintywriteswritings@lilhawkeye3@kin-rokku@jgvfhl@here-comes-the-moose@photogirl894

#Clone Christmas 2021 #Star Wars Life Day 2021 #StarWars Christmas 2021 #crosshair #The Bad Batch Christmas

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rainbow-lust · 2 years

Text

This is a Revalink Fanfic Gift for @innspector. It took a while but I hope you like this! The song I used was Lava, it's a Disney song that I love and I hope you like as well. Heads up, red is Revali, blue is Link, and purple is both of them!

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

Revali was squinting as the sun peeked through the curtains. Nearly jumping when he felt something nuzzle him. Looking down he relaxed as he saw Link cuddle up to him. Link muttered incoherantly as his boddy tiwtched. 'Must be fighting bokoblins agin.' Recali thought as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Revali couldn't help but to think about all that has happened. Link learned magic and helped Zelda, them turning out to be half brother and sister, the "King" being shelfish, and the Yiga Clan. It took years after defeating the Calamity to deal with them.

The Yiga tried to bring back the Calamity with Link's blood and magic. If it wasn't for Mipha's tracking skills or Zelda's magic,they would have been too late. "Stop." Revali jumped as his eyes flew open. Link was holding his face as he made eye contact. "It's over," he said calmly as his hair fell over his shoulders.

Revali frooze for a moment, lost in the moment as he watched the sun bounced in from the windows. Lighting up the space behind Link, making him look like an angel sent by Hylia herself. His eyes an ocean so deep, Revali would not mind drowning in. "Better?"

Revali snapped out of his dazze as he rested his hand on his shoulder and wrapped his wings around him. "Morning you hairless Squirrel." Link chuckled as he nuzzled his head further into Revali's chest. "Morning to you too, you overgrown cucco. Now do you want breakfast or lay in bed some more?"

Revali hummed, the thought felt like it was too good to be true almost. But before he could open his mouth, "Link, I set the kitchen on fire again!"

To Revali's dismay, Link got off of him, Revali watched as the oversized shirt slipped off of one shoulder. Sunshine blonde hair drapped over his shoulders as Link pushed his hair back, making a cascade waterfall of sunshine. Revali snapped out of it when Link put a robe ocer himself and went to greet their guest.

Revali decides to follow and gets up. He stretched his wings up, nearly touching the ceiling, he put his wings down and walks downstairs. He saw Zelda sitting at the table, fumingly reading, as Link was at the stove,"Good morning Zelda, how are you?" Revali greeted. Zelda gave him a glare before continuing her book.

"Hey Vali, come help me cut," Link calls out. Revali nods and walks over to help him. With Zelddda not looking, Link wraped his arms around Revali and snuggled him from behind, "She was trying to impress Mipha and it didn't work out well," he whispers as he grabbed a knife to hand to Revali.

Revali just hummed and listened to the directions Link gave. In no time, they had breakfast cooked and on the table. The silence was defining and awkward as they ate. "Okay, I'm just going to say it." Both boys stopped what they were doing and looked at Zelda. She put her fork down and looked them both up and down, "Are you guys dating or what?"

Both reactions varied. Link was blushind and trying to form a sentence, while Revali just froze. He was quick to unfreeze and say what he alwas say to those who asked, "We're just really good friends."

"Yeah, friends." Link mutters as he picks at his food. He suddenly stands up and goes to put his boots on, "I gotta feed Espona real quick. I'll be right back."

As soon as the door closed Zelda slaps Revali upside the head. "You idiot! Don't you realize what you just did?! I gave you the perfect opportunity and you just blew it!" Zelda yells. "For pete's sake, I thought Link was the stupid one. He loces you and you love him. So hurry up and become my Brother-in-Law before I burry you 6 feet under!"

Zelda stormeed out after that, leaving Revali to think on his own. 'What is she talking about? We just cuddle and live together, don't freinds do that?' he thought as he cleaned the kitchen. His mind wandered to all the times he took him to the archery range. How happy he looks when Revali praises him once the arrow hits.

Or how he practically glows when he's around children. How happy Link gets when someone asks about how maagic works. His favorite though, is when hess outside. It's indescribable. The way he moves with nautre, finding the koroks. Or how he knows specifically where to get the freshest ingredients from. But the one he holds close is when Link looks at the stars. Finding the constillations, naming them, hearing their stories.

He froze as the plates clatter back to the table. All the things he knows about Link, no one else knows. He was the only one Link talked to for a very long time. 'I can't beliece it took me this long.' Revali thought as he rushed upstaris. 'I have to fix this.'

~~~~~~Timeskip outside by the pond at night~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link has spent all day outside to avoid Revali. After Zelda stormed out fuming, Link thought it was best to stay outside. Link was sitting by the pond stargazing when he heard the ukelele. He quickly turned around to see Revali leaning against the house. "Shh."

A long, long time ago

There lived a Rito

Living all alone in the sky

He sat high in his roost

Watching all the couples flew

And wishing he had someone too

Link was dazed into silence as he watched Revali.

And from his heart came

This song of hope that he sang out loud

Every day

For years and years

I have a dream, I hope will come true

That you're here with me

And I am here with you

I wish that the earth, sea and heavens up above

Will send me someone to love

Years of singing all alone

Turned his love into stone

Until he was on the brink 9f dispear

But living in the earth below

A hylian, was listening to his song

Every day, he heard his tune

His love grew and grew

-Their eyes never leaving each other-

Now he was so ready

To meet him above the sky

As he sang his song of hope for the last time

I have a dream

I hope will come true

That you're here with me

And I am here with you

I wish the earth, sea, and heavens up above

Will send me someone to love

-Link stood up and quickly made his way towards Revali. Without a word he sits the ukulele down and brought Revali into a slow dance around the pond-

Flying from the earth below

Stood a brave hylian

Looking all around

But he did not see him

He tried to sing to let him know

That he was not all alone

But with no love

His song was all gone

He filled the rivers with his tears

As he watched his dreams dissappear

As he remembered what his song meant to him

-Link brought Revali's head to meet his as he started to sing-

I have a dream

I hope will come true

That you are here with me

And i am here with you

I wish that the earth, sea, and heavens up above

Will send me someone to love

-"You know this song?" Revali asks. Link smiles at him, "The little ones taught me, it's my favorite. Although, you did change the story up." Revali chuckled, "I have to keep it interesting somehow."-

Oh they were so happy

To finally meet as one

All together their love grew and grew

No longer are they all alone

With aloha as their new home

And when you go and visit them this is what they sing

-They lean in closer-

I have a dream, I hope will come true

That you will grow old with me

And I'll grow old with you

I love you

As the song came to an end, they both leaned in and gave each other a Rito/Hylian kiss under the full moon. In that moment everything froze. Nothing else mattered. All that matters was their love in that moment. And they wouldn't have it any other way.

Fin.

#revalink #revali #botw link #revali x link

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