#he is what happens when your prince in hiding relies almost entirely on blood and his father’s name

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

“Dead. He’s dead.”

“No.” The eunuch’s voice seemed deeper. “He is here. Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them.”

(ADWD Epilogue)

Varys’ words to Kevan Lannister about Prince Aegon are so interesting because of the overarching insinuation that the boy has had a slew of advisors and teachers who have carefully and extensively prepared him for the task of ruling. His listed examples to that point are rather peculiar, however: a knight to train him in arms, a septa to train him in the faith, and various tutors to train him in history and languages.

Now there’s nothing inherently wrong about Aegon’s educators but one has to ask, what do these people even know about actual ruling? What have they seen about the nature of ruling and the nitty gritty of it? What experience do they have? And if they themselves don’t really know what it means to rule, what does that say of their young prince’s education?

It’s an important question to ask when we consider Aegon’s narrative foil: Jon Snow. Jon does not have the expectation of ruling. In fact, as a bastard, he knows that he can never ever get a lordship let alone a crown/throne. Yet Jon has, unlike Aegon, a crew of experienced tutors who have shown him the nitty gritty of ruling. Every single one of his on-page mentors is either a ruler or a leader of men; in addition to the other tutors he had growing up.

So I wanted to take a look at Jon’s mentors and the positions they have held to contrast their experience (and thus the validity of the lessons that they give Jon) as opposed to the lack of experience in Aegon’s crew.

Ned Stark - Jon’s first and (arguably) most impactful mentor. While teaching Jon important lessons about rulership, he was serving as the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North; thus making him one of the most powerful men in the entire realm. He then went on to serve as Hand of the King - the most powerful official save for the king. The irony is that Ned didn’t teach Jon as a successor. Robb was the one meant to succeed him. Yet Jon absorbed his lessons all the same.

Benjen Stark - we don’t actually see much on-page mentorship from Benjen, yet he still is one of Jon’s many father figures in the series. He is a a man of the Night’s Watch so he is sworn to hold no lands or titles. Yet as First Ranger, he is undoubtedly one for he highest ranking officials in the Watch and potentially a skilled warrior. He takes on the role of the knight or leader of men among Jon’s teachers.

Tyrion Lannister - despite being an ‘outsider’, Tyrion comes to hold considerable power. He is an exceedingly learned and intelligent man and managed to impart important life lessons during his short time with Jon. He rises to become Hand of the King and later Master of Coin. Though he doesn’t actively teach Jon how to rule, he’s still an important part of Jon’s character development.

Maester Aemon - one of the anomalies in this list. Yet his impact on Jon’s life cannot be understated. He is a teacher to Jon; we have various references to Jon going to Aemon for advice on how to lead. Aemon also gives Jon advice meant for kings: “kill the boy and let the man be born”. What makes Aemon an interesting addition is that he is a would-be king. And an interesting contrast between Jon and Aegon is that both parallel Aegon V; Jon more organically, Aegon rather artificially. If we remember, Aegon V was a hidden prince who ultimately became king. This is the very same trope that Jon and Prince Aegon are following. And it’s interesting that Aemon, Aegon V’s brother, gives advice on governance to Jon; the same advice given to the unlikely king. So it’s Jon who is carrying the torch of kingship from Aegon V, not Young Griff.

Jeor Mormont - one of the most direct mentors in Jon’s arc. Not only is he a surrogate father to Jon, he does what Ned never did: he directly grooms Jon to be his heir. Jon gets to watch Jeor actually govern the NW as his steward but it’s interesting that he shadows the LC through servitude. Though Jon is intended to succeed the Old Bear, he has to humble himself; he has to follow before he can lead. It’s a contrast to Aegon who would hold power over most (if not all) of his tutors.

Donal Noye - the other anomaly save for Maester Aemon. He is a humble Blacksmith. Yet he has been in the service of kings (having served the Baratheon boys who would all end up as kings). He plays an important role in bringing Jon’s ego back to earth and helping him sympathize with those less fortunate than himself. Despite his humble origins, he does briefly take command of the Wall during Mance Rayder’s attack and then transfers that command to Jon, purely because he believed in Jon’s ability to lead (and he was right).

Qhorin Halfhand - another who takes on the role of a skilled master at arms for Jon. He is an undoubtably powerful warrior. But he is also a leader of men. He teaches Jon important lessons on leadership during their time together beyond the Wall - e.g., to lead your men you must first know them. And in true ‘fridged mentor’ fashion, Qhorin dies so the young prince can take over and grow as a leader.

Mance Rayder - the King Beyond the Wall and one of the most important leaders in the books despite spending all his time in the North. Mance’s role as a mentor for Jon is doubly important given that he also takes on the role as a Rhaegar proxy. Despite Jon coming to him as an (undercover) enemy, he’s still able to impart powerful lessons on how to command an army and wrangle support from different factions of men. Jon learns a lot about diplomacy from observing and being under the KBTW. Mance is a skilled warrior, commander, and politician. A charismatic and gifted man - the picture perfect king for Jon to emulate.

Tormund Giantsbane - a leader of the freefolk who rises to become an unlikely ally for Jon. A skilled warrior and proven leader (we know that he took charge of a couple of thousand of freefolk), Tormund becomes important when there’s a transfer of power from Mance to Jon as leader of the freefolk.

Stannis Baratheon - by law, he is the rightful king of the seven kingdoms. According to prophecy, as Melisandre says, he is the promised messiah. Despite a less than ideal personality, he’s still an important part of Jon’s political arc in ADWD. Arguably a man of immense administrative potential, Stannis is also one of the most successful military commanders in the series; which is great for Jon since he also learned from Ned, who ran an undefeated streak as a battle commander.

The total count now comes to: two kings, two Hands of the King, a ruling lord, three warriors, one wise maester (who has counseled a king), and one commander. That quite a resume for Jon. All these men have some experience leading men and commanding armies, however big or small. So Jon’s preparation has been quite thorough.

What a stark contrast between the two boys, then. Varys’ words give us a roadmap of a “perfect ruler” (or as perfect as one can be) yet when we actually take the time to examine what we see in the text, Aegon is not at all suited for that role - Jon is. In fact, not a single character in ASOIAF has had the intensive preparation to rule that Jon has.

It’s beautiful irony. The prince, the one promised to rule, is actually quote underprepared for the task of it. Meanwhile the bastard, who is at best promised a life of servitude, is the one with the most preparation (and experience) for rulership. It’s the way Aegon, as a narrative foil to Jon, acts as one who validates Jon’s journey. There are certain things needed of a ruler. Jon has them, Aegon doesn’t.

Winds isn’t out yet so we don’t yet know for certain where these two boys will end up. But I’m almost sure that young Prince Aegon is doomed and though he may hold the throne for a while, he will not be the king at the end of the story. And it just might be his inexperience that ultimately dooms him. So what does that say for Jon then? Aegon can’t hold the throne as he’s unprepared for it, but what about Jon who is?

[themadauthorshatter]

It's been a while since I did one of these, and I'll be expanding over more of the series.

Here's Part 4 of headcanons I have for Never!Tedros!!

Even when she becomes the coven's new leader, Tedros still hates her guts and it definitely has to do with her treatment of Agatha and letting Dot get kicked out.

In retaliation, he asks Agatha to take her in, which she does, and explains what happened to Dovey, who allows Dot to stay, much to the annoyance of the Evil teachers and a lot of the Nevers, even Sophie.

They have they're confrontation at lunch and Sophie shouts at him that Agatha tricked him, too, lest he forget. He already knows this, but walks away anyway to be with Agatha.

They have some angsty-fluff moments with Tedros asking if she's afraid of him, which she claims she isn't because, no offense to him, he's all bark and no bite with her. He admits to knowing she'd tried using him, but also admits he's glad she gave up on that because it wouldn't have been a good thing if he'd figured it out and she lied to him.

During the bridge encounter, Sophie claims Agatha is the Evil one, and that Agatha is the witch, not her, even going as far as to say she and Tedros are the good ones and deserve an Even After together.

"At least I know I'm evil, you stupid girl."

I should mention Tedros takes a turn for the dark when he is confronted by Ravan, Vex, and other Never boys and dragged into a bathroom, so they can beat the crap out of him for all the stuff he's pulled.

Having been in Good for about a month, he's immediately overwhelmed by all the evils surrounding the students, even a few of Sophie's, which reveal her attacks and intentions for the schools.

Ravan goes to get a hit in with a weapon of some kind, but Tedros grabs it and stands up, angrier than ever before.

Anadil is unfortunate enough to see Tedros leave the boy's room with some blood on his face, but uninjured. He glares at her and walks away without talking.

She finds all the boys unconscious with scratches and slashes on their faces and bodies. The weapon Ravan had is now broken, having been used against them to the extreme.

Come the circus of talents, when Agatha comes in pretty as a picture, Tedros warns her not the stop him, and thanks her for being nice to him.

She sees why when she and a witchy Sophie go toe to toe.

Too bad Tedros attacks Sophie before they can start actually do anything.

I should mention that, as a sort of update on his talent, Tedros can USE these evils to his advantage and can force them into visibility, which is exactly what he does.

He shows all the students what they are on the inside, revealing the monsters he's scene since day 1 of arriving at school.

After a HUGE fight breaks out between Tedros, who is consumed and corrupted by the evils he's seen, letting them take over, and Sophie, who just gave up on being good like before.

Sophie attempts to kill Agatha, but she's caught by Tedros, who's grown shadow-esque wings and looks like some sort of demon dragon.

As he holds her, the two flying maybe eight feet off the ground, he admits he may have gone overboard and apologizes to her for almost dying.

He then reveals he knows about Sophie's plan to not only give the Nevers a ball, but also destroy all of Good and steal the Storian.

"What are you going to do?"

Tedros smiles. "Being a prince. I don't like Beatrix or a lot of other people in Good, but I like you all enough to know I don't want Sophie to end your stories."

"What do you mean? What're you-"

He sort of lands on the ground and lets Agatha stand, resting his forehead against hers. "Agatha, thank you for being in Good."

"You say that like I had a choice."

"No one ever said you had to be my friend, but you did, anyway."

He kisses her on the cheek and takes her to her dorm, which he locked from the outside, in the door, before taking off towards Evil, telling her to not stop him.

She gets to Evil by turning into a cheetah and, like before, tries to crash the No Ball to save everyone.

EVERYONE only believes her ehen Tedros arrives and attacks everyone, using the evils to his advantage.

When Sophie and Agatha are magiced away to Gavaldon, he only stands, emotionally empty as they vanish.

He's locked himself into his room and is sitting with his knees up and with his head resting against his knees.

Hates Aric.

Sleeps and stays in the Doom Room to avoid him, and the other boys because they won't shut up.

Does step up to be the leader of the boys, but does not order any kind of attack on the girls.

When the boys start getting rowdy, courtesy of one of the Everboys, said Everboy gets in Tedros's face when he confronts him. Aric backs up the Ever, and Tedros says nothing as he rams his fist into the Ever's stomach and swings an insanely hard punch into his jaw, which knocks him out instantly. The whole room is quiet as he basically demotes Aric as captain and gives the position to Chaddick; Aric is now responsible for disciplining anyone that steps out of line, which is nice enough, but he'd rather have the power to choose who gets the whip. With a low, "I want this entire castle spotless. You have the rest of the night and the weekend to do it," Tedros leaves, Chaddick following when Tedros asks him to very warmly, despite the scene that just unfolded.

When boys start refusing, Tedros hands them over to Aric, telling him that he can use any method he wants just as long as the boys are still alive.

No one refuses an order after an Ever and a Never leave boisterously shouting they're not afraid of a sewer rat like Aric and return quiet, pale, and injured from getting tortured.

Surprisingly, Tedros is the most collected with Tristan, almost returning to his Book 1 self, except more chatty. Tedros notes how Tristan smells a little different and that the redhead's been distant. Tristan denies it, spawning an evil for lying that Tedros sees.

He tells Tristan to keep his distance, and that he was one of the Everboys that was really nice to him; it's a small thing, but it means the world to him.

When Agatha and Sophie arrive, Tedros has locked himslef in his room. The boys are whipped into shape and don't really step out of line, all except Aric, but he tells the two strongest boys to keep Aric on a leesh if they have to.

Cue a lovely Tagatha reunion where the real Tedros comes back for a little bit.

She tells him about what the School for Girls are saying about him, even talking about how he rules over the boys with an iron fist, but Tedros states that if the boys wanted a different leader, they should've picked someone else to step up.

He tells her he won't hurt her, if they have to fight, but he will tear Sophie apart, so she'd better keep Sophie safe, if she cares so much about her.

Agatha leaves, apologizing for the fact that she might still love him. Tedros apologizes to her for the same reason.

Turns out the boys don't need to pick a new leader because the male teachers do it for them, and lock Tedros in the Doom Room.

He doesn't mind the other boys ignoring him. He doesn't mind the fact that he's not allowed to eat even when he tells the truth. He doesn't mind Aric being a dick or Tristan disappearing into thin air.

He minds greatly when he meets Filip, who has Sophie's evils and makes the mistake of trying to befriend him.

Just to put a target on his back, Tedros allows Filip to win. He wants alone time too, because he's been thinking about Agatha a lot.

Turns out not ALL the boys hate him, because Chaddick tries sneaking him food.

Tedros refuses and asks to be left alone.

A few days later, Filip finds Tedros lying on the ground, passed out and weak from not being fed. He wakes him up and tries to get him to have some lamb, but Tedros kicks Filip away

"Stop whatever game you're playing! I know it's you, Sophie!"

Filip blanches as he stands, flustered. "I... W-Who's Sophie? I'm Filip. Remember?"

Tedros glares up at him and scoffs. "You think I can't tell when you're lying? That I don't know when someone's trying to trick me!? Unless you're here to torture me or rub it in my face that I messed up and you have everything, go away and don't ever talk to me again, you witch!"

Filip(Sophie) is gutted by this, stunned as Tedros adds in a, "Speak of the Devil," as Aric strides in, armed with a whip.

Aric makes Filip leave and gets a few lashes on Tedros as he shouts that the prince is weak, a fool, and useless to eveyone, adding emphasis on weak if he can't even rely on his princess to save him.

When Aric's done with him and leaves, Tedros forces himself to his feet and unpockets a key he snagged off "Filip" when he kicked him.

He gets out and looks for Sophie, who's partnered with Hort for the trial by tale.

He finds Yara instead, heavily injured and dying as he rushes over to her side.

"I tried," she sobs. "I-I tried to get here sooner... and warn you, but he... he came out and-"

Tedros takes her hand, too upset to be angry. "Why, Tristan? Why be with the girls? I would've helped you!"

Tristan, Yara, holds his hand tightly and smiles. "You should've seen it. It was so pretty. And the girls were wearing blue for once."

Even though he has tears in his eyes and running down his cheeks, Tedros can only smile and shake his head. "You're a bloody fool."

"So... So're you."

Tristan apologizes for hiding the Storian away from Tedros, and thanks him for being possibly the only boy in the school for boys that was really nice to him, even though he defected to the girl's shool, in the end. With one last smile, Tristan dies, Tedros setting him down and backing away before shouting and releasing a sort of shadow-y energy, sonic boom that flattens a bunch of trees. He screams, he cries, and he basically mourns the fact that he lost someone he genuinely cared about and saw as a friend, maybe even a brother.

Even though he's weaker than before, tired, emotionally drained, and barely able to stand, Tedros still finds Filip, who's revealed to be Sophie, and, too tired for words, smirks as she tries to explain herself to a very hurt Hort, who she picked as her partner.

"Look who's putting her lessons to good use."

She turns on Tedros and shouts she always tried to help him, even when it would result in a punishment, and where he got worse she got better.

Tedros snickers and asks why she manipulated Agatha and lied to the boys, even Hort, who's her friend. On skaky legs and with unfocused eyes, Tedros murmurs, "You can take the witch out of Evil, but there's no taking the evil out of a witch. No wonder Agatha hates us both."

Just as he falls, Agatha races out of the trees and catches him, apologizing that she hadn't been the one to take the potion and help him and admitting she never hated him. She actually never stopped loving him and believes that he isn't so evil he can't be loved by her.

Tedros asks how she knows, considering the events prior, and Agatha shakes her head; if he was truly as evil as he thinks, she would be dead, her and Sophie both, and both schools would've been destroyed. He can think all he wants that he hates both schools and everyone inside them, and that he's an evil force of destruction that will never sit a throne, but Agatha knows the truth:

He loved going to both schools. He loved being around people, more specifically people who showed him the most minimal shred of kindness, regardless of whether or not it was genuine or out of obligation. He loved being the only one up at night and enjoying the silence of both schools, loved pulling pranks that were harmless, save for causing gray hairs. He loved being friends with Chaddick and Tristan, who took him in and showed him how great it was to even have friends. He loved the lessons in good and the trips between both schools.

Most of all, she knows he loves her, even though she tried tricking him into falling in love with Sophie so they could leave.

Tedros can't help but cry and not seeing any evils grow from Agatha, knowing everything she said was true and that he's an idiot for needing it spelled out for him.

They kiss, ending the conflict between boys and girls, and getting their Happily Ever After. Hort does a good friend move and looks away to give them some kind of privacy, but Sophie is frozen, realizing that regardless of whether she's good or evil, she's not getting Tedros. His heart belongs to Agatha, who feels the same way.

When Evelyn Sader appears with the Storian, bringing back Rafal and dying in the process, Tedros still tries to fight him.

He gets his ass handed to him, and gets that gash in the original story.

When they're sent to Gavaldon and found by Callis, who tends to Tedros, Agatha guves her the run-down, including the fact that Tedros is indeed a Never and the Prince of Camelot.

Callis sighs at this and admits he's good at being still for her, considering how he was so fitful while unconscious. Agatha then admits he sleep walks.

With that in mind, they check and find him awake and staring at Callis, holding a hand out to her as Agatha shakily introductions them.

They trade introductions, Callis at least because Tedros is back to being quiet, and Callis returns to patching him up.

Tedros is quiet as she finishes up, though only breaks his silence with this:

"You're so lucky to have such an amazing daughter."

Sorry this took sonlong to work on. I'm trying to sort of clear the clutter in my Drafts so I can work on more new stuff. This was really fanfic-y, too and I deeply apologize for that😅

Either way, I hope you guys enjoyed this!

[mostlycompetentwriter]

Limitless - Chapter Seven

F/M Pairing: Y/N x Johnny (side pairing: Y/N x Jaehyun)

Word Count: 4K

Warnings: Language, and lots of angsty feelings

Genre: Hogwarts AU; Fantasy AU

Summary: The aftermath of the werewolf attack...

Taglist:  @jae-bread​​,  @lanadreamie​​, @do-you-like-riddles​​, @ki-aechan​​, @the-usernames-i-like-are-taken​​, @dru-shadow​​, @completencttrash​​, @haechans-sunflower​​​, @neocultech-baby, @jaectizen​​​, @yutamist​​​, @lunavbm​​​, @seriousballoon​​​, @lerissa​​​, @kickin–it​, @xiaojunssmile​

“You are protected, in short, by your ability to love” - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The infamous night in question, in which my step-brother and his friends were attacked by a rogue werewolf because of a stupid prank, remained the topic of conversation around the Castle in the days proceeding the event.

Fittingly, all of those lofty rumors continued to evade the truth, and it was apparently predicated on the disparate accounts presented by Jisung and his friends because they were all first-hand witnesses. Yet, when it came to corroborating their testimonies, there were small details that were disregarded, and I still couldn’t convince my step-brother to tell me everything that he remembered. Apparently, it was too difficult to relive, but I had a sneaking suspicion that ulterior motives were preventing the truth from coming out.

Subsequently, I wasn’t the only person convinced that something important was being withheld, and it was a sore spot for our Headmaster who claimed that nothing was coming together. Unfortunately, it only severed his perception of the younger students, and I could tell that it would be difficult to convince him to lighten their impending sentences. Plus, in spite of my protests, our Headmaster was insistent on punishing Jisung and his friends to the fullest extent.

“The consequences,” the man seethed. “They’re far-reaching, and Mark will have to deal with the lycanthropy for the rest of his life!”

I winced at the harsh tone, turning to look at Johnny with a pleading expression. In return, the Slytherin Prefect sighed. “Sir, I understand the situation-”

“No!” the Headmaster interrupted. “I’ve made my decision, Mr. Seo, and I’m sure that you won’t like it. Detention for all of them every night until the end of this term! Plus, an additional 50 points will be taken from each of their houses.”

“Fine,” Johnny growled. “But don’t send them anywhere with Mr. Lee - he already has a personal vendetta against Haechan.”

“Well, maybe if your cousin didn’t cause him so much trouble,” the Headmaster rebutted. “I think I’ve heard enough for you, Mr. Seo.”

I quickly intervened because Johnny was getting nowhere with his arguments. “Sir, if you insist on detention, then perhaps we can turn the occasion into a learning experience.”

The Headmaster frowned, but didn’t immediately protest. “Go on.”

“The greenhouse is expecting new growth in the spring,” I said. “The school usually relies on volunteers, but perhaps the boys can shoulder most of the work? Jungwoo and I can supervise them.”

“I’m not surprised that you have a plan, Miss Y/L/N,” the Headmaster remarked, but his tone had softened. “I’ll consider your suggestion, especially in light of everything that’s happened to your younger brother. I can tell you care about him very much.”

I nodded my agreement, training my gaze on the ground while the Headmaster returned to his desk. “I’ve heard conflicting accounts of the events that took place over a fortnight,” he said. “I’m still not sure that the entire truth has been revealed, but since these boys can at least demonstrate some inkling of remorse, I’ll consider your proposal. Perhaps they can learn a thing or two about responsibility for one’s actions.”

“Yes, sir,” I agreed quietly, and when it was made abundantly clear that the Headmaster had nothing left to tell us, I dismissed myself from the office with Johnny hot on my heels.

“He’s harsh because he cares,” Johnny said, cornering me quickly against an alcove.

“I care too,” I said. “But you don’t see me forcing those kids to lose the rest of their first and second years.”

“They’re not losing anything,” Johnny said, but then he sighed when he recognized my resolve. “Fine, but there’s nothing we can do to change his mind.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “But he did make one good point about this whole mess: we still don’t have a cohesive account from that night, and it feels like you’re hiding something from me.”

Johnny scoffed at the observation. “I’ve said everything that I remember.”

“Really?” I muttered, crossing my arms in a decidedly petulant manner. “And if I were to ask everyone individually, all the accounts would line up together?”

“What do you want me to say?” Johnny asked, but it wasn’t as hostile as his tone suggested. “You heard everything you need to know.”

I rolled my eyes at the careful phrasing. “The truth always comes out.”

“There’s nothing left to tell,” Johnny insisted, and he shook his head before letting out a harsh exhale. “You’ll still meet me tonight?” he asked instead with a hopeful expression.

Despite the lingering suspicions laying heavy in the air between us, I forced myself to nod because Johnny still deserved that much since he had saved Jisung. Even if I still felt ostracized from whatever secret they refused to share. “I promised, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but it feels like you resent me,” Johnny said, and his gaze was searching. “I have something important to tell you, and I want you to let me explain everything before you react.”

I narrowed my eyes at the demand. “Johnny-”

“Please, Y/N,” he interrupted with force, and I almost staggered backwards at the lofty interjection.

“Okay,” I eventually relented. “I’ll listen.”

“Thank you,” he said around a relieved sigh, glancing back and forth between opposing directions of the corridor. “I know your brother will want you with him, but I expect to see you outside the Slytherin common room.”

“I already said that I would,” I reminded him, and Johnny chuckled before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

I’m sure there was more to discuss, but I would wait until the designated hour to push Johnny for as much as he was willing to give me.

I would never force Jisung to do anything that made him uncomfortable, but it was hard to keep myself from breaking down and demanding that he recall the events of the unforgettable night that had landed his classmates in so much trouble. 

The biggest issue was the discrepancies between their versions of the events, and the truth was a confusing puzzle, but I was missing several pieces around the edges. “How do you feel?” I asked my step-brother when I stopped to visit him between classes.

“I’m okay,” Jisung replied, and he tugged on the sleeve of his hospital gown. “The medicine helps.”

“Oh?” I remarked, reaching for the bottle on the side table. “Are there any side effects?”

“Not really,” Jisung said. “Plus, they help me sleep.”

I sighed at his morose tone. “Is it hard to close your eyes?”

“I see everything in the dark,” Jisung whispered. “I remember everything.”

“You’re not meant to suffer like this,” I said. “That's now how memories are supposed to work.”

Jisung nodded, even though his gaze was distant. “Johnny said that you spoke to the Headmaster with him.”

“Yeah,” I said, and I wondered when Johnny had found the time to visit before me. “I-uh-I managed to convince him to let you and your friends work in the greenhouse under my supervision.”

“Really?” Jisung asked, and I was pleased to see the ghost of a smile press across his lips.

“Nothing’s set in stone,” I continued. “But he promised to think about it.”

“Thank you for trying,” Jisung said, and he reached out for my hand while reclining against his bed frame. “I’m tired of staying here.”

“It’s not very lively,” I agreed before clearing my throat. “What about the rest of your friends? Are they doing better?”

“Chenle and Renjun are fine,” Jisung said. “But I haven’t seen Haechan in a while, and Mark...” Jisung trailed off with a choked sound, glancing down the line of medical cots to the last bed curtained off from everyone’s view.

“He’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure him even though the words weren’t good enough when the situation could only be fixed by reversing time.

“I think Jaehyun’s looking for you,” Jisung said, and I followed his gaze to the unexpected appearance of the man in question. Jaehyun smiled as he beckoned me closer to the entrance of the medical ward, and I squeezed Jisung’s hand before joining the Gryffindor Seeker.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” I said, but Jaehyun simply shrugged in response and encouraged me to follow him outside.

“I thought we could walk together to class,” Jaehyun said. “Is Jisung feeling better?”

“I’m not sure,” I told him, speaking of the conflicting tightness that was incited by everyone’s never-ending concern for my younger step-brother. “He’s despondent, but I’m not surprised.”

“He’s a good kid,” Jaehyun said. “He’ll bounce back when he’s ready.”

“My father offered to send him home,” I said. “But I don’t think Jisung really wants that.”

“They’ve all been through a lot,” Jaehyun agreed. “Maybe we can keep giving them space and they’ll come around.”

“It just bothers me,” I said. “He won’t talk about anything that happened, and Jisung is always honest with me.”

“From what Chenle tells me,” Jaehyun said. “Which is very little, but Jisung was the most eager to join those older students. Maybe he feels bad about it.”

I blinked slowly at the suggestion. “I guess that might explain why he doesn’t want to share with me.”

“He trusts you,” Jaehyun said. “Give him some time to process everything for himself.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, but it was a half-hearted conviction. 

“Maybe you could talk to Chenle or Renjun in the meantime?” Jaehyun said. “They seem to be feeling like themselves, and even Haechan might discuss that night with you.”

I shrugged because it seemed awkward to approach Johnny’s cousin. “I don’t know...maybe everything will work out on its own.”

“I’m always here,” Jaehyun whispered, bringing me back to our surprisingly intimate conversation from the Three Broomsticks.

“Thank you,” I said, hesitating only for a second before accepting his outstretched hand. 

It was close to curfew when I left the Hufflepuff common room, navigating the changing staircases to the dungeons where the Slyhterin’s kept to themselves for the most part.

Everything was quiet, and I kept my eyes wide open in the expectation of finding Johnny somewhere close to the common room. But his voice still broke through the barrier of silence, and I paused at the sound of his voice. “Y/N.” Johnny whispered, summoning me to the opposite end of the corridor where he sat on a bench situated beneath the sole window allowing moonlight to seep into the quiet space.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I said, but Johnny shook his head in response.

“I’m really glad to see you,” Johnny said, and his tone was unusually bright as he invited me to sit down next to him on the bench.

“I haven’t been down here much,” I remarked, but Johnny didn’t seem interested in light-hearted conversation, and there was something heavy in his gaze as those penetrating eyes briefly flickered down to look at my lips.

“How’s Jisung?” Johnny asked.

“He’s doing better,” I replied. “I saw him earlier, and I promised to meet him in the morning before my first class.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Johnny said. “They went through a lot, and I don’t think many Hogwarts graduates have experienced something so dark.”

“It was a stupid dare,” I grumbled. “I’m glad the Headmaster sent those Fifth years home.”

Johnny nodded, and my attention was distracted by the reflection of the moonlight touching the outline of his profile. “I have something important to tell you,” Johnny said, and his tone was hushed as if he was protecting a secret of significant importance.

“I promised to listen,” I reminded him, and the words seemed to help Johnny relax as he glanced out the window overlooking the grounds.

“When we were younger,” Johnny began. “I chose to be your friend because I genuinely liked you. It had nothing to do with our parents.”

“Oh?” I offered in return, wondering why Johnny had been prompted to include that unexpected anecdote.

“I heard about you and Jaehyun from some other students,” Johnny said, holding up his hand as a reminder when I opened my mouth to interfere. “I’m not stupid. I know that he’s interested in you, and that’s okay because I can’t really blame him, even if we don’t get along these days.”

Johnny sighed as he finally looked at me - really looked at me with a studiousness that rivaled Taeyong’s at his best. “I love you, Y/N,” Johnny whispered. “I need you to understand that my feelings are genuine, and I want you to choose me instead of Jaehyun.”

He was silent then, but his words bounced around inside my head - taunting and mocking - and I released a ragged sigh before laughing in return. “You can’t be serious, Seo.”

I didn’t mean for my tone to sound so ragged, but I could see the moment when Johnny’s expression morphed from affectionate to something a lot colder. “What do you mean?”

“First, you gave me all kinds of bullshit at that stupid Christmas party about my mother, and then when I try to be more amiable, you throw it back in my face like the arrogant asshole that you are!”

“Arrogant!?” Johnny growled, and he suddenly appeared a lot more hostile as he crossed his arms. “Y/N, I’m not trying to take advantage of you. I want you to know how I feel.”

“Well, that’s great,” I chirped, standing up from the bench with a sigh. “Let me know when you’re ready to act like a mature adult again.”

“Where is this coming from?” Johnny asked, reaching out to snatch my arm before I could leave. “Holy shit, you’re one of the most frustrating people I’ve ever met, and I still don’t understand why you think I’m joking?”

“Isn’t that what everyone’s doing?” I snarled before jerking my arm back. “Ever since that night, I feel like I’m being treated like an outsider who needs to be coddled. Why the hell is everyone lying to me?”

“Nobody’s lying,” Johnny said, but he only served to infuriate me even more.

“You’re so dense, Seo! There’s still something nobody is telling me,” I snapped, leering down at Johnny. “I think there’s more to the circumstances. Werewolves have never attacked so close to the Castle!”

“Fine!” Johnny exclaimed, and his eyes were dark with rage. “You want to know? I didn’t think you’d press so hard when it clearly made Jisung uncomfortable, but I guess you never stopped to think that he feels guilty for summoning that werewolf in the first place!”

Summoning?!?!

“What?” I immediately questioned him, and my mind was swirling with possibilities as Johnny paused when he realized his mistake. “Jisung summoned the werewolf?”

My heart thundered against my chest, and I reached out to place my hand against the wall because it felt like my entire world had just turned upside down. And I had no control over the dizziness competing with the rushing blood roaring inside my ears.

“Fuck, Y/N.” Johnny sighed. “Is that what you want to hear? Yes, Jisung summoned the werewolf because those fifth year pricks dared him, and maybe I was trying to save his reputation and protect him because I care way too much about his older sister!”

I swallowed hard, stunned by the confession. It turned out that the truth was a bitter pill to swallow, and I had no words left to counter Johnny’s demanding presence. 

“Y/N? I don’t know what you want from me,” Johnny finally said to break the tense spell of silence. “You keep making me think that there could be something more between us, but every time I take a chance, you always do or say the wrong thing and it makes me want to forget my feelings for you.”

“It wasn’t my intention to lead you on,” I said in return when I managed to control my ragged breathing, and it was very difficult to look at him. “I also wouldn’t have pushed you on Jisung had I known-”

“Really?” Johnny scoffed, interrupting me before I could continue. “That’s bullshit, and we both know it’s a lie. You’ve been pushing me ever since you saw me that night in the infirmary, and I tried to tell you to leave it alone, but I guess you don’t have it in you to just leave some things unsaid.”

“Maybe not,” I said in response. “It looks like you don’t know me as well as you thought.”

“I never insinuated that I pretended to know you,” Johnny retorted.

“Oh? What would you call our conversation from my father’s party, then? When you cornered me in the gardens and gave me a very inaccurate assessment of my character?”

Johnny laughed, and it wasn’t out of humor, but something darker and far more menacing. “The problem with you, Y/N, is that you don’t like to be told that you’re anything less than perfect! You try to mold this untouchable image of yourself, and it manifests into something obsessive! But since you’re so obsessed with the truth, then you should know that you’re far from perfect! In fact, you’re one of the worst people I’ve ever met, and I feel sorry for someone who can’t recognize their faults.”

“You’re no saint either, Seo,” I reminded him, even though the statement itself felt petty. 

“But at least I don’t try to deny it,” Johnny gritted out, and he shook his head while his raging expression settled into one of stoic intensity. “Forget what I said tonight. I’ve heard enough to change my mind about you.”

“Good,” I retorted, frowning when he started walking back to entrance of the Slytherin dorms. “We’re better as enemies.”

But Johnny didn’t say anything to counter the aggressive statement, and I chose not to linger for another moment in the proximity of someone who had just proven himself to be against me.

But my brain wouldn’t allow me to forget the revelation of Jisung’s mistake, and I could tell that my step-brother was surprised when he woke-up the next morning to find me sitting next to his bedside.

“Y/N?” he questioned.

“I think we should talk,” I said, and Jisung could tell that I was serious as he immediately fisted the bedsheets between his hands.

“Is something wrong?” he whispered, and I sighed because the conversation would be hard for both of us.

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” I started. “I feel like you’ve lied to me about that night.”

“I never lied,” Jisung said, and I rolled my shoulders back to try and dispel the mounting frustration threatening to explode at any moment.

“You kept something important from me,” I said. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Did Johnny tell you?” Jisung asked, and his tone matched the betrayal written across his features.

And since I had no obligations to defend Johnny, I nodded in response to Jisung’s question. “But I don’t trust him, and I want to hear it from you.”

“I didn’t mean to, Y/N,” Jisung said, and there were fresh tears threatening to fall. “I would never hurt Mark on purpose.”

I looked straight ahead, measuring the rays of lights falling through the curtains. “So, you did summon the werewolf.”

“Yes!” Jisung sobbed. “But I wish I could go back and undo everything, Y/N! The older students told us that we had to do it-”

“Do you obey everyone who asks for you to endanger yourself?” I snapped, and Jisung was caught off-guard by my dark tone. One that I rarely used around him.

“Y/N,” he whined. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

I closed my eyes because I was furious that he would burden me with that knowledge - the real reason for the cruel predicament that had befallen the first and second years who left their rooms to entertain the damning pranks of a few immature boys.

“If the Headmaster knew, then you would be suspended,” I said, and Jisung sniffled as he nodded. “I won’t tell anyone, but you need to understand that this isn’t something that will just go away over time. Because of what you did, Mark will have to deal with the lycanthropy for the rest of his life. On every full moon night, he won’t even remember his own name...”

“Stop!” Jisung cried, and he was rushing to swipe at his eyes. “Why are you being so mean?”

“Mean?” I scoffed. “Jisung, I’m being honest with you.”

“But you act like I don’t care!” Jisung said. “I hate when you talk to me like a kid. For once, I just want you to treat me like I’m not stupid. Because I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, okay? How am I supposed to face any of my friends again after what happened? When I see Mark...” He broke off with a choked gasp, clutching at his throat while exhaling. “I can’t sleep knowing that I hurt him, and I don’t know what you want from me!”

I froze at his final declaration because it reminded me of my confrontation with Johnny -  “I don’t know what you want from me.”

But Jisung’s outburst left me at a loss for words, and I could feel a huge chasm growing in the limited space between us while my younger step-brother crossed his arms and turned away from me. “We’ll talk about this later,” I eventually whispered.

“Much later,” Jisung said. “I don’t want to see you right now.”

“That can be arranged,” I muttered, and I ignored every instinct screaming at me to stay next to his side when I left Jisung alone to suffer with his guilt.

[ymiwritesstuff]

Corrupted King

More Dimitri, more angst lol. Seriously I had this idea ever since I remembered that Dimitri took out Imperial army forces ALONE during the five years he was in exile. Anyway I hope you guys like this even tho this isn’t really romantic.

Fire Emblem Three Houses

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd x Fem!Reader

Summary: When you encounter the aftermath of a brutal battle you seek shelter at an abandoned barn, only to realize that you aren’t alone.

Notes: Angst, Small spoilers for Azure Moon route.

The past five years had been tough. The Holy Kingdom was almost fully invaded, its ruler was gone, and with only a small fraction of the Kingdom nobles trying to defy the Imperial influence and army. The Empire was making its presence known and spreading its forces throughout the continent, greedily attempting to overrun the weaker regions of Fódlan and bending them to its ruler’s will. The war was overwhelming and costly. People died and fled, homes were destroyed and the state of the Kingdom was enough to make anyone lose hope. However, with war, came rumors.

A mere commoner like you, who was challenged by the cruelty of reality almost every day, shouldn’t have believed such rumors. However, when the word about Imperial armies being brutally destroyed by an unknown force spread, it gave you hope. The conditions during the war had been awful, to say the least, so every time you heard of a yet another barbarous assault on the enemy by something capable of destroying an entire battalion, it ignited a flame of hope within you. The force behind the vicious attacks was unknown, but stories about a boar-like warrior carrying a mighty lance that pierced through the enemy forces with ease floated in the air, carried by the voices of the innocent civilians and brave soldiers alike. Nobody knew for sure, but the tales of this courageous warrior fighting for the Kingdom gave people hope, which was the one thing everyone needed.

The way back home was supposed to be safe. And it usually was, but the sight before you turned all feelings of safety and security into dust. The ruins of the village that was once flowing with life had been long destroyed and you usually passed them whenever you left home. They were always hauntingly empty, but it never bothered you. Until now. 

The once unoccupied ruins were now bloody, filled with corpses of Imperial soldiers and their steeds. Blood spilled from their wounds, their bodies twisted in what to you looked like pain and the grim wind of death seemed to travel around the debris. Whatever happened here, it happened recently. The sight was gruesome, unbearably so. You were sure that even the most experienced general would be feeling sick for days, the same way you did. Your stomach twisted, your knees trembled as your (E/C) eyes shining in fear examined the area and tried to look for a way forward amid the decaying corpses. Your eyes couldn’t bear the sight much longer.

Just as you were about to take a careful step forward, an arrow most likely aimed at you landed beside you, mere inches away from hitting its intended target. Your eyes widened, a gasp slipped your lips and the instinct to run and hide immediately kicked in as your legs seemed to be suddenly moving on their own, heading for a destination you didn’t know, but hoped would be safe. Fear consumed your entire being as you ran, almost tripping over the limp bodies that once housed the souls of soldiers. They may have been enemies, but they were still humans. Death had always uncomfortably sunken its teeth into you.

Your trembling legs and an undying will to live eventually led you inside a barn that was miraculously still standing upon the rubble. With a careful glance, you look outside from the small hole in the wooden door to see if whoever had shot at you had followed you all the way to your little hiding place and sigh in relief as you don’t see anyone outside the empty barn. “Thank goodness…” You allow yourself to catch your breath and figure out your next course of action. Then, something sharp is pressed against your back.

“Don’t move unless you want to die quickly.” The deep male voice behind you says, causing you to let out a gasp and instinctively raise your hands as your pulse quickens again. You do not dare to look back as the feeling of the weapon on your back is still very much present. “What are you doing here?” The person asks, voice filled with anger and malice, making your blood run cold as you try to answer his question.

“I… I was being shot at… S-so I came here. To hide.” Your voice is barely audible and is more of a whimper. You tried your best to stay calm. This person was clearly being hostile towards you, but since he hadn’t yet pierced you with whatever he was holding, you had some hope. But still, you couldn’t deny the feeling of terror you felt as the person behind you looked into your very soul. He scoffs.

“You’re another Imperial spy, aren’t you? How many of you rats must I kill to get rid of you?!” The sharp point of his weapon is pressed harder against your back, not enough to pierce through anything, but enough to make you wince and promptly start defending yourself. “N-no! I’m not a spy! Please!” The volume of your voice is louder than intended, and you quickly realize this and take a few seconds to calm down, despite your mind wanting to panic. “I… I was just on my way home and… Saw the corpses around the ruins. Then suddenly, someone began shooting at me. I only came here to hide, I swear! I won’t cause any trouble…” A few, highly grueling seconds pass before he mutters something under his breath and soon you can no longer feel the threat on your back.

With the weapon removed from your back, you briefly exhale and hear him sitting down on the floor, leaning against the fragile wooden wall. Curiosity gets the best of you and you turn around, despite your mind demanding you to leave, only to see a light-haired male, covered in dark armor, whose right eye was covered with an eyepatch, a defeated look in his left one and holding… A lance, covered in blood. Your eyes widen as you come to the realization. Before you, was the warrior in all of those stories who so brutally murdered Imperial forces throughout the years. However, the man before you was also someone thought to be dead. 

“P-Prince Dimitri?” He slightly flinches at your words and grips his lance tighter, avoiding your gaze. There was no doubt. This man was the Prince of the Holy Kingdom, thought to be dead, but there he was. Right in front of you, hiding in the shadows. “I am no Prince,” He spat, voice poisoned with everlasting hatred and fury. He looked drained, tired, utterly destroyed within. What on earth had happened to him?

You step closer, unsure if it’s the right action to take in this situation, considering just how hostile the once kindhearted Prince had acted mere moments ago. “Those corpses outside… You did it, right? Just like the rumors say,” You carefully say and notice him locking his remaining eye on you. His gaze holds no life in it which stabs your heart as the sight of him makes you feel sorry for the Prince. Whatever had happened, he was clearly affected by it.

“Your Highness… What happened to you?” The question leaves your mouth before you even realize, but in it is genuine worry and curiosity. The rumors depicted the one-man army as a proud warrior fighting for the Kingdom, but the man before you was lost in a deep sea of hatred and loss. But above all, he was supposed to be the leader of Faerghus and to see him like this… It was awful. To think the person responsible for the gruesome assaults on the Imperial army was the leader of the Kingdom himself.

“The only thing that matters is the death of that woman.” His voice still carried that strange feeling of acrimony you couldn’t quite comprehend. “The emperor? But Your Highness, what about the Kingdom?” You asked, determined to understand his questionable morals. The Prince had most likely unknowingly given his citizens hope from the shadows and now that he was confirmed to be alive, you couldn’t help but think what he had been doing during these years and why he had abandoned his people. He suddenly stood up, frustration twisting his features.

“Do not try to defy me!” You flinch at his words and instinctively take a few steps back. “Killing that witch is what I must do to avenge the dead!” He gripped his lance and suddenly pointed it at you, flames of aggression burning in his azure eye. “Anyone who stands in my way will be destroyed. No matter who it may be.” His voice quieted down, but held an unstable baneful tone that sent a cold shiver down your spine as he stared at you, his violent gaze digging into your soul. You look at the ground, feeling powerless against Dimitri, who begins to walk towards the entrance, heavy steps echoing around the barn.

“You gave us hope…” Your voice is once again trembling as he passes you, once again muttering something you can’t hear under his breath. All this time you thought someone was fighting for the Kingdom and its people, but it turns out, the ruler himself was only fighting for something you didn’t know or understand. You turn to him just as he is about to head out and speak once more, unwilling to let him so recklessly pursue his goal:

“Who are we going to rely on if not you?! Please Your Highness! We need you!” Dimitri stops, his eye locked on the floor beneath him. This gave you some hope that he was listening to you over whatever was troubling him eternally. “We need our King…” His head shot up at that, and the grip on his bloody lance tightened, the enemy army’s steps audible from behind the wooden door. He glances at you, his gaze entirely different from what it was before.

“No… A monster like me…” His gaze returned to the door and he opened it, allowing the sunlight to bleed into the dark barn. However, darkness still surrounded him as he stepped out, ready to take out yet another wave of enemies.

“...Could never hope to achieve anything other than death.”

[longing-and-heartache-and-lust]

the drug, the dark, the light, the flame, Ch.XVI.ii

[previous] [next] [Ao3]

The last chapter of my work for this year’s @geraskierbigbang in collaboration with my favourite @gen-syz-art as my artist 💕 I cannot belive this is almost over

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Jaskier’s blue eyes cut so deep into him, they reach his heart.

Geralt’s first instinct is to hold his hand out, almost as if to show that he’s unarmed, that his words are not meant to hurt.

Jaskier looks at him for a few silent, endless moments, not a hint of sleep left in his eyes, and there are so many emotions in his scent that Geralt can’t pick them apart.

Finally, very slowly, he asks:

“Are you sure?”

Geralt nods, throwing the blankets off and getting out of bed, offering Jaskier a hand.

“Come,” he says softly. “Look for yourself.”

Not immediately, but Jaskier places his hand in Geralt’s, his fingers trembling slightly. Geralt squeezes them a little harder, reassuring and warm.

In the silence of the early morning, he can hear Jaskier’s heart beating in his chest, fast and hard, like a trapped bird. His chest rises and falls heavily, like he’s holding back panic, and though Geralt desperately wants to do something about it, calm him down, he knows that right now the only thing he can do is wait.

They make their way to the tall standing mirror in the far end of the room - an exact replica of the one that broke a few weeks before - and Jaskier stops in front of it, looking at his reflection for a long, drawn-out moment before turning around to look over his shoulder.  

Where there used to be a glowing mark in-between his shoulder blades, his skin is now clear.

Jaskier looks at himself for a very long moment, not even breathing, his blue eyes welled up with tears that he stubbornly holds back, and then he’s taking his hand away from Geralt’s and reaching for his warm dressing gown.

He throws it on, tightening the belt with unsteady hands, and, before Geralt can stop him, runs out of the room.

Geralt curses under his breath, reaching for his own discarded clothes, and dresses up as quickly as he possibly can, thankful to all the gods he knows that the long years spent in training at Kaer Morhen taught him to do so in record time.

It barely takes him a minute.

As he runs out the door, he can hear Jaskier’s retreating steps somewhere on the first floor. The staircase seems even more endless than usual, a five-story descent making Geralt slow down, and when he finally catches up with Jaskier, he’s already outside.  

He’s barefoot, but standing in front of the gates, he doesn’t seem to notice the snow under his feet.

Jaskier’s breath is heavy, and Geralt holds back from touching him, unsure if the bard’s even aware of his presence.

He pushes on one of the arches of the gates, and it opens soundlessly, leaving an imprint in the fresh snow.  

There’s just one step between Jaskier and his freedom, and Geralt doesn’t have to be a witcher to know that he’s scared to take it.

“Jask,” he calls softly, coming closer and carefully putting a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want me to go out first? So you can hold my hand?”

Slowly, almost like he’s still dreaming, Jaskier meets his eyes and nods.

His dressing gown slips from one shoulder, revealing the fair, flawless skin underneath, and Geralt wants to reach out to fix it, but he knows that right now every touch is overwhelming for Jaskier, so he makes himself hold back.

Stepping behind the gates feels like stepping over a threshold, even for him, and when he extends his arm towards Jaskier, offering him his hand, the bard hesitates, eyes downcast.

“I’ve tried so many times,” he says quietly, barely above a whisper. “I stopped last year. Almost made myself forget. And now that I’m back here again-- if it doesn’t work, I feel like I’m going to break down.”

Geralt finds it hard to take in a breath, but he makes himself do it, regardless.

“Jaskier,” he says, keeping his voice soft and comforting. “Your mark is gone. You told me yourself that it was the seal of the curse, and that once it was broken, the mark was going to disappear. Just take my hand. Trust me.”

In the pale morning light, Jaskier’s eyes are two bottomless lakes, welled up with tears.

Very slowly, cautiously, he raises his hand and places it in Geralt’s before closing his eyes and taking a step beyond the gates.

***

Geralt isn’t sure what exactly he was expecting.

A flash of light, a burst of energy, perhaps.

Maybe he was expecting the invisible wall to shatter and fall into pieces, like glass.

But when Jaskier steps beyond the gates and into his arms, nothing disrupts the still morning air.

The barrier of the curse is gone, like it had never existed.

For a long moment, it’s quiet, not even a birdsong to cut through that silence. Until, finally, Jaskier takes in a shuddering breath, and presses himself to Geralt, holding onto his shoulders so tight that there are going to be bruises in an hour or two.

Geralt holds him, close, as he shakes.

“It’s broken,” he says softly, touching his lips to Jaskier’s tousled hair. “You’re no longer bound to the mansion.”

And that is when it happens.

Jaskier looks up at him, tears shining in his impossibly blue eyes, and breaks away, taking three unsteady steps towards the forest before falling onto his knees and doubling over, hiding his face in his hands as his walls finally crack, and he breaks down, crying.

Geralt’s heart rips apart in his chest at the sight, at the choked, stifled sobs, and he crosses the distance between them quickly, reaching out to touch, but before he can the warmth of Jaskier’s skin against his fingertips, there is a blinding flash, and a wave of energy so strong that it knocks him off his feet, into the snow.

His medallion hums violently against his chest, and even through the haze of shock in his head, Geralt immediately knows exactly what it is.

He feels it, with his entire being.

Magic.

Jaskier’s magic.

Geralt's head swims with it, the ringing in his ears relentless, and he has to drag a hand over his face for the dark spots in front of his eyes to dissappear.

Around the bard, there is no more snow.

Instead, where he kneels, his head still in his hands, the ground is bright with fresh grass, countless yellow buttercups peppered all over it, like Jaskier is the Sun itself.

The shockwave goes through the forest around them, across the quiet gardens of the mansion, and long past them, making the treetops whisper in a rustling echo, the windows jolting in their frames and then steadying again.

Geralt’s own thoughts come back to him:

Magic like this is too strong to rely on the curse, it starts in his blood.

Jaskier doesn’t seem to even notice it, his chest still constricting with sobs, and it’s only when Geralt finally makes it through the barrier of his magic and touches him gently on the shoulder that the bard’s head snaps up and he blinks, as though waking up from a troubled sleep.

He looks around himself, tears still shining in his eyes, and, still trembling, runs the tips of his fingers gently over one of the buttercups, as if to check if it's real.

His touch leaves an imprint of gold on the delicate petals.

“I still feel it,” he whispers, looking at his hands as his magic slithers around them in shifting lights of gold and blue. “And it’s so strong-- As strong as it had been yesterday, at midnight. How can it still be so strong, Geralt? How can I still have it?”

There’s a panicked edge to his voice, and Geralt drops to his knees next to him, pulling Jaskier into his arms and holding him there, safe and warm against his chest.

His own heart is beating too fast for a witcher, and all the unanswered questions make him feel lightheaded and overwhelmed, but right now, the only thing that matters is Jaskier.

He's trembling all over, and Geralt knows that it's not beacuse of the cold.

“You’ve always had it,” Geralt says softly, the magic affecting him, making his skin burn with the intensity of it. It’s a heady, intoxicating feeling. “It’s in your blood. Has been since you were born, or from a very young age, one that you can’t even remember. I've seen magic like this before, though only a few times, and the sourse is always the same.”

Jaskier listens to him, going quiet, and Geralt can feel his pulse slowly - very slowly - get back to its normal rhythm.  

After a few long moments, Geralt gathers enough courage to ask:

“Do you know if anyone else in your family has magic? Or at least some hints of it? These things can skip a generation sometimes. It could've been your grandmother, women are more likely to pass it on to future generations.”

Jaskier shakes his head, barely enough to notice and, after a moment, says:

“When you asked me whether or not I’m a prince, there was one thing that you were right about even then: I’m a bastard. My father has always loved me as his own son, and raised me as his heir, but I’m not his. I don’t know who’s blood flows in my veins.”

With those words, everything comes together.

The childhood spent at court, the Academy, the taste for art and knowledge, the magic - all of it.

And that same thought, the one that had been with Geralt for the past six months - an illegitimate prince, hidden from the world.

Just not the human world.

Power like that can only flow through the veins of those strong enough to control it. Can only be held in blood as cultivated and carefully shaped as the finest of wines.

Royal blood.

Geralt sucks in a breath, suppressing a thrill that goes through him, and holds Jaskier closer, just breathing him in without saying anything. Here, in his arms, he’s safe, and there is no need for any other words.

If Jaskier doesn't know who's blood flows in his veins, then the only person who does is his mother. Whether it was forbidden love that had left her with a child and a broken heart, or a pre-discussed arrangement, the one thing that was certain is that twenty six years ago, her path had crossed with a fae - or perhaps an elf - of royal blood, most likely a King, and he had given her a son.

A son that had to be protected from his own people, for they never would have accepted a human woman into the royal family, and her child would've been hated, if not killed.

Now that the curse was broken, there was a chance that she remembered Jaskier again.

And remembered his biological father.

Geralt takes in another deep, steadying breath, running his fingers through Jaskier's hair and murmuring sweet comforting words against his dark, tousled hair.

If Jaskier decides to go though with this, there are going to be dozens, hundreds of questions they’ll have to find the answers to, but all of that will come later.

Right now, they both can just breathe.

"It's cold out here," Geralt whispers after a few long minutes, too aware that Jaskier is wearing nothing but a dressing gown, his feet bare. "Let's go back insine, my love. Back to bed. Would you like that?"

Jaskier looks up at him from under his long lashes, and, after a long moment, nods, bracing his hand against Geralt's shoulder to stand up.

"I feel like I need about twelve more hours of sleep," he smiles, tiredly. "Will you stay with me?"

Geralt gets up and reaches out to hold his hand, both to make sure Jaskier keeps his balance and to ground him.

"Of course," he says. "I'll stay for as long as you need me to."

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 7 Part 1

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations - Ko-fi

T/N: Chapter 7′s title completely spoils one of the big events of the chapter, so I won’t be putting it in my tumblr posts like I usually do. You can check out the Google Doc, where I could hide it. Highlight the Table of Contents page to see it. In the event that this is your first experience with FE4′s plot, read the title after Chapter 7 Part 3. Those who have played FE4, it is of course nothing you don’t already know.

———————————

Chapter 7

Part 1

Leading the Nordion soldiers who had been fighting with Sigurd’s army, Eldigan caught up with Chagall, and took on the role of the king’s rear guard.

The only thing on his mind was the survival of the Dominion of Augustria. He felt that it was his duty to protect his king, and was determined to do whatever it took to keep Chagall safe.

The first thing he did when he arrived at Madino Castle was encourage Chagall to make an official declaration that the capital city had moved. The Cross Knights scattered across Augustria to deliver the message to each house.

The declaration also stated that no occupying armies would be allowed within the country, with Sigurd’s being the only exception.

Each town and city publicly posted the notice, and as the royalty and knights of each house read it, they slowly gathered in Madino. Within three months, Madino had power and influence that none could overlook.

Madino Castle had originally been built by the northern pirates. Though it was called a castle, it looked almost exactly like a fort.

Chagall, used to living in luxury and idleness, could not stand life in Madino.

And it was Eldigan that irritated him most of all. When they first arrived in Madino, he had no one else to rely on, but once the number of people in his royal court increased, he thought of Eldigan as nothing more than an obnoxious man who did nothing more than oppose him.

He didn’t believe that the Grannvalian army would pull out after a year, either.

‘Even if that prince of Chalphy did make a promise to Eldigan, that doesn’t mean the king in Balhalla will honor it. I may disagree with Eldigan, but I need him to take back Augusty and ensure victory against the Grannvalians…’ He thought, then ordered Eldigan to protect Silvali Castle, under the pretence of needing him there to keep control over Augusty.

With Eldigan out of the way, there was no one around that would protest against him, and his life returned to what it had been like in Augusty.

If he was going to go back to war, he knew it would have to happen before the brunt of the Grannvalian Army returned home, and quickly began to prepare for battle.

He was partially right.

-

Sigurd proposed time and time again to withdraw, as Augustria had ceased all hostile actions towards Grannvale.

However, the only order he received from Balhalla told him to continue the occupation in Grannvale, and maintain public order.

After some time, Balhalla dispatched a few officials to visit Sigurd and his army in Augustria. Since Prince Kurt was in Isaach, the only officials left were members of Duke Reptor’s anti-prince faction. Under the guise that they’d come to keep their fellow Grannvalians entertained, they investigated Sigurd, and reported every little detail back to Duke Reptor.

They not only learned that he’d allowed the Augustrian king to escape and transfer the capital, but also that he was hiding the Isaach’s Prince Shannan…

Since Sigurd was so confident in his loyalty to Grannvale, he felt no shame about what he was doing. However, those who didn’t share his views couldn’t help but think he was harboring ideas of rebellion.

Those who disagreed with proposals couldn’t rule out the idea that he was ignoring the government and trying to run things all on his own.

-

Despite the increasing tension between Madino and Balhalla, Augusty enjoyed a period of peace.

The members of Sigurd’s army, who’d been fighting for so long, cherished the peace and quiet of those few months. Those calm days allowed many of their relationships to develop.

Jamke and Aideen vowed to marry each other once the war was over for good.

At first, they kept their engagement secret. Aideen felt that they couldn’t openly share their happiness while war still continued on. They maintained a pure relationship, and only went so far as to hold hands. But it was clear to anyone who saw them together that they were madly in love.

Deirdre saw how worried Azel, Midir, and many of the other soldiers were for their chance at ever wooing Aideen, and suggested to Aideen that she make the engagement public. 

“It would lift a huge weight off their shoulders.” Deirdre argued.

Aideen agreed with her, and followed her suggestion.

The Aideen fans accepted the shock from the confirmation that their suspicions were correct, and many gave up their feelings for her right away. Those who didn’t, told themselves that they would.

-

Beowulf continued to teach Lachesis swordsmanship every single day.

With the blood of Dark Knight Hezul flowing through her veins, her skills increased very quickly. When she realized that she was getting better, she was very happy. But he still forbade her from fighting in real combat.

“If raw skill was all that mattered, then you’d already be as good as I am. But you’re still lacking in experience. If you fought right now, then you would die.”

Lachesis was dissatisfied, but appreciated his honesty, and gradually came to trust him more and more.

Beowulf liked to move fast with women. Once she showed trust in him, he felt the urge to confess to her. She might reject him at first, but with a little convincing, he was sure he could make her his.

However, he was truly in love with her, and didn’t want to take any chances.

When he looked at her, he always thought of Eldigan.

Eldigan was the perfect knight. No matter how hard he tried, he could never be like him...

‘I’m just a lowly mercenary. Eldigan and I were born and raised differently. I know that I could never be like him, no matter how hard I tried. But knowing that, and giving up, are two different things. No matter how much I love her, if I tell her, then I’ll prove that I’m nothing more than a lowly mercenary. I will protect her in Eldigan’s place. That’s the path I will take to become a knight.’

No one could tell what Beowulf’s true feelings for her were, so Dew gave Lachesis a sword that he’d “picked up” somewhere.

“What’s this sword for?”

“Hm, well, I found it over there, and have no interest in usin’ it, so I thought I’d give it to you!”

“Wow, thank you!” She said, and unsheathed the sword.

It didn’t look like a very well-crafted sword at all. But it wasn’t supposed to be. It was called the “Thief Sword,” and while it had a mysterious power, it wasn’t meant to inflict lethal damage to an opponent.

Unfortunately, Dew hadn’t chosen the right person for the sword. Lachesis had never once wished for money in her entire life.

-

Once Lex had seen Ayra fight, he quickly developed an interest in her style. When he tried to talk to her, she was blunt with him, but that only made him all the more interested in her. He’d never met anyone as mature and refined as her in all Grannvale. When he was with her, he felt like a man visiting a foreign world for the first time, and quickly fell in love with her.

However, Lex was a sarcastic person, and because of that, he couldn’t bring himself to confess his feelings directly. After much deliberation, he asked a weapons merchant in Augusty to go to Chalphy and bring him back the finest sword he could find.

The merchant returned with an extremely expensive blade known as the “Brave Sword.” Lex did not mind the price, and was satisfied with it.

He hid the sword in his cape, went out to the castle courtyard, and waited for her to come by.

Three days later, he finally had his chance.

“What’s up, Ayra?” He called out to her nonchalantly.

“Oh, Lex… what do you need?”

“Ouch, you’re as blunt as ever.”

“I’m busy, so if you don’t need me for anything, I’ll be going.”

“Wait! I found something really good, but I don’t need it… I was just wondering what to do with it, when you walked by. So, I just thought, ‘Hey, why don’t I give it to her…?’”

“If it’s powder or perfume, give it to some other girl. I have no need for such things.”

“Oh? Not even this?” He took out the Brave Sword, and held it up in front of her eyes.

“...Wow, is that what I think it is…?”

“It’s a famous blade known as the Brave Sword. I thought maybe you’d heard of it before.”

“So this is what a Brave Sword looks like. ...It’s so beautiful.”

When he motioned for her to take it, she grabbed it as if it was pulling her to it.

“I’m best with axes, so I don’t need it. And you seem to like it, so feel free to take it. See you later…”

Ayra marveled over the beauty of the sword for a while longer.

By the time she looked up to thank him, he was already gone and heading back into the castle.

As she watched him leave, she whispered, “Lex...”

That gesture planted a seed of love in her heart that soon began to sprout.

-

For Sylvia, the subtle behaviors of people in love were easier for her to read, than a child’s expressions were for their mother.

So when she saw the way Erinys looked at Lewyn, she knew instantly how Erinys felt about the prince.

‘She’s in love with him… but hasn’t realized it yet.’

Sylvia liked Lewyn, too, but she had no interest in him beyond dating him to keep herself from getting bored. It wasn’t love.

‘I could never know such a pure love.’

She was a bit jealous of Erinys, but not envious. Instead, she wanted to help make their pure love blossom.

‘Lewyn always has girls fawning over him... But I can’t let him pretend he doesn’t really know how she feels!’

However, she knew that talking to Lewyn directly would have the opposite effect.

‘The only thing I can do is edge her a little closer towards realizing her true feelings.’

Sylvia called out to Erinys from a corner of the courtyard, and made a serious face.

“Hey, Erinys! Do you, by any chance… like Lewyn?”

“What!? ...I… ...I…” Erinys’ face turned bright red, and she stuttered.

“I just think he’s… an important person to Silesse...”

“Yeah, so you’re nothing in comparison.”

“N-No, I’m not…”

“Then can I date him?”

“S-Sure, I don’t mind…”

“Really? You’re not just forcing yourself to say that?”

“N-No, I’m not. Why would I be…?”

“I dunno. Well, if you say so, then I’m gonna take Prince Lewyn for myself!”

“Oh, but… the next queen of Silesse should be someone refined, like Queen Rahna.”

“So I’m not good enough? Is that what you're saying? That’s so mean!”

“N-No… I didn’t mean…”

“Go ahead, you can be honest with me. I don’t know what kind of person Queen Rahna is, but if you’re telling me it’s okay for me to go after him, then I’m not complaining!”

“I-Is that what I said?”

“Not directly, but you implied it. Anyway, remember what we talked about here today!” Sylvia said, then ran off, leaving Erinys all alone. ‘That should be enough to open her eyes a little!’

-

Time passed, and on the day that the first flowers of the year bloomed, signaling the coming of spring, Deirdre went into labor and gave birth to a baby boy with the same dark blue hair as Sigurd.

Sigurd named his son Seliph.

On that same day, the Augustrian royals held a war meeting in Madino, discussing strategies to recapture Augusty Castle.

And in Balhalla, the news spread that Prince Kurt had been assassinated while traveling home from Isaach.

[gadgetgirl71]

Top Ten Tuesday 9 March 2021

Welcome to this weeks Top Ten Tuesday. Originally created by The Broke & The Bookish, which is now hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week it features a book or literary themed category. This weeks prompt is:

Spring Cleaning Freebie

(for example, books you’re planning to get rid of for whatever reason, book’s you’d like to clean off your TBR by either reading them or deciding you’re not interested, books that feel fresh and clean to you after winter is over, etc.)

The only reason I have chosen these book is because they have been on my TBR the longest.

A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding

Synopsis: ‘What and how much should I admit to myself, and to others? Should I begin with this acknowledgement: my daughter Yuko might be alive today if I had loved her in a different way?’

When a badly scarred man knocks on the door of Amaterasu Takahashi’s retirement home and says that he is her grandson, she doesn’t believe him. But if you’ve become adept at lying, can you tell when someone is speaking the truth?Amaterasu knows her grandson and her daughter died the day the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki; she searched for them amongst the ruins of her devastated city and has spent years burying her memories of that brutal summer. So this man is either a miracle or a cruel trick. The stranger forces Amaterasu to revisit her past; the hurt and humiliation of her early life, the intoxication of a first romance, the fierceness of a mother’s love. For years she has held on to the idea that she did what she had to do to protect her family… but now nothing seems so certain. We can’t rewrite history, but can we create a new future?

Set against the dramatic backdrop of Nagasaki before and after the bomb, A DICTIONARY OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING is about regret, forgiveness and the exquisite pain of love.

Sisters One, Two, Three

Synopsis: After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. With memories locked away, the sisters take divergent paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger develops a lifelong aversion to risk that threatens the relationships she holds most dear.

When a whispered comment overheard by her rebellious teenage daughter forces Ginger to reveal a long-held family secret, the Tangles’ carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. Upon the death of Glory, the family’s colorful matriarch, and the return of long-estranged Callie, Ginger resolves to return to Martha’s Vineyard and piece together what really happened on that calamitous day when a shadow fell over four sun-kissed siblings playing at the shore. Along with Ginger’s newfound understanding come the keys to reconciliation: with her mother, with her sisters, and with her daughter.

At turns heartbreaking, humorous, and hopeful, Sisters One, Two, Three explores not only the consequences of secrets—even secrets kept out of love—but also the courage it takes to speak the truth, to forgive, and to let go.

Earth’s Blood (Earth Reclaimed #2)

synopsis: Clinging to their courage in a crumbling world, Aislinn and Fionn vow to save Earth, no matter what it takes.

In a post-apocalyptic world where most people have been slaughtered, the Celtic gods and a few humans with magic are all that stand between survival and Earth falling into chaos. The combination of dark sorcery leveraged by the enemy is daunting. Destruction is all but certain if the small enclaves of humans who are left can’t get past their distrust of the Celts.

Captured by the enemy, Aislinn Lenear wonders if she’ll ever see her bond wolf or Fionn, a Celtic god, again. She’s had nothing but her wits to rely on for years. They haven’t failed her yet, but escape from her current predicament seems remote.

An enticing blend of dystopian urban fantasy and romance, this second volume of the Earth Reclaimed Series provides fertile ground for Aislinn and Fionn’s relationship to deepen. Headstrong and independent, the pair run up against each other’s demands time and time again. Fireworks spark. In the end, they learn to savor every moment in a bittersweet world where each day may well be the last.

Never Forgotten (Never Forgotten #1)

Synopsis: Risser keeps her focus on the little details of Meara’s everyday life, lending the book a nice, homey charm. The real heart of the book is Meara’s emotional struggle with her mother’s illness and her first romance. ~Kirkus Reviews

How can one day go so very wrong? One minute Meara Quinn is making plans for how she will spend the Summer before her senior year and the next she’s finding out that her mother’s cancer has returned and they are moving away from the only home she’s ever known.

Now every day is a struggle as Meara is trying to cope with her mother’s illness, being forced to move to another country to live with grandparents—whom she thought disowned her mother—and having weird visions of a father who was absent her entire life. Top it all off with one whopping secret that everyone seems bent on keeping from her, and Meara has the perfect ingredients for a major melt down.

The only things keeping her from coming unglued are some new friends and Evan—the son of her mother’s childhood friend—who seems to know Meara almost better than she knows herself.

Together with Evan and her friends, Meara embarks on a new journey to unlock the secrets that will not only tell Meara who she is, but what she is.

Sentimental Journey

Synopsis: The first book in Barbara Bretton’s beloved Home Front Series

It’s June 1943. From New York to California, families gather to send their sons and husbands, friends and lovers off to war. The attack on Pearl Harbor seems a long time ago as America begins to understand that their boys won’t be home any time soon.

In Forest Hills, New York City, twenty-year-old Catherine Wilson knows all about waiting. She’s been in love with boy-next-door Doug Weaver since childhood, and if the war hadn’t started when it did, she would be married and maybe starting a family, not sitting at the window of her girlhood bedroom, waiting for her life to begin.

But then a telegram from the War Department arrives, shattering her dreams of a life like the one her mother treasures.

Weeks drift into months as she struggles to find her way. An exchange of letters with Johnny Danza, a young soldier in her father’s platoon, starts off as a patriotic gesture, but soon becomes a long-distance friendship that grows more important to her with every day that passes.

The last thing Catherine expects is to open her front door on Christmas Eve to find Johnny lying unconscious on the Wilsons’ welcome mat with a heart filled with new dreams that are hers for the taking.

The Almost Wives Club

Synopsis: Five Brides–One Dress

Kate Winton-Jones is marrying one of America’s most eligible bachelors. Edward Carnarvon III is rich, handsome and hers. But at the final fitting of her wedding gown, one of the seamstresses pricks her and a tiny blood spot appears on the outrageously expensive gown. Its famous designer fires the clumsy seamstress on the spot, whereupon the girl puts a curse on the dress and storms out. Kate doesn’t believe in curses. She’s modern, American and in love with the perfect guy. What could go wrong?

But that very evening she meets a man who makes her question her future. And then she discovers that Edward has been hiding a secret or two… and before you can say, “This dress is so cursed,” she’s on the run from Edward, his family, her mother, the paparazzi and the person she thought she was.

When the man who discovers her hiding place turns out to be the last man she should trust, it’s time to throw her cautious good sense out with the satin shoes she won’t be wearing. Playing it safe hasn’t done her much good. Maybe it’s time to play by a new set of rules. Her rules.

Sometimes Prince Charming is the one who turns out to be the frog, and true love appears in the most unexpected places.

Follow the cursed dress through five sets of bridal hands as four more women join The Almost Wives Club.

The Amber Project

Synopsis: In 2157, a mysterious gas known as Variant spreads across the globe, killing or mutating most organic life. The surviving humans take refuge in an underground city, determined to return home. But after generations of failures and botched attempts, hope is beginning to dwindle. That is, until a young scientist makes a unique discovery — and everything changes. Suddenly, there’s reason to hope again, and it rests within a group of genetically engineered children that are both human and Variant.

Terry is one of these children, modified and trained to endure the harsh conditions of a planet he cannot begin to understand. After years of preparation, Terry thinks he knows what to expect. But the reality is far stranger than anything he can imagine — and what he will become is far more dangerous.

Dancer of the Nile

Synopsis: Egypt, 1500 BCE

Nima’s beauty and skill as a dancer leads an infatuated enemy to kidnap her after destroying an Egyptian border town. However, she’s not the only hostage in the enemy camp: Kamin, an Egyptian soldier on a secret mission for Pharaoh, has been taken as well. Working together to escape, the two of them embark on a desperate quest across the desert to carry word of the enemy’s invasion plans to Pharaoh’s people.

As they flee for their lives, these two strangers thrown together by misfortune have to trust in each other to survive. Nima suspects Kamin is more than the simple soldier he seems, but she finds it hard to resist the effect he has on her heart. Kamin has a duty to his Pharaoh to see his mission completed, but this clever and courageous dancer is claiming more of his loyalty and love by the moment. Kamin starts to worry, if it comes to a choice between saving Egypt or saving Nima’s life…what will he do?

Aided by the Egyptian god Horus and the Snake Goddess Renenutet, beset by the enemy’s black magic, can Nima and Kamin evade the enemy and reach the safety of the Nile in time to foil the planned attack?

Can there ever be a happy future together for the humble dancer and the brave Egyptian soldier who is so much more than he seems?

The Waiting Booth Box Set

Synopsis: Join Mia as she journeys to discover the truth in Whispering Woods. This box set contains three full novels.

The Waiting Booth (Book 1): A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal… Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High—find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration.

Whisper of Memory (Book 2):  Weapons training and winter formals… a deadly combination . All Mia ever wanted was to fit in at Whispering Woods High. But being a portal-finder who dates a guy from another dimension sort of makes it hard. Between learning about weaponry, finding the perfect dress for the winter formal, and catching bad guys, who has time to fit in?

Watcher of Worlds (Book 3): Senior year should bring fun, friends, and happiness. Not portals, treachery, and murder. Seventeen-year-old Mia Taylor, gatekeeper to an interdimensional portal, wants nothing more than to heal from her romance gone wrong. Illegally falling for her co-worker Regulus had been a huge mistake. But when Regulus goes rogue to hunt down a murderer, Mia must forget her broken heart and use her unique abilities to save him.

Looking For Wonderland

Synopsis: Welcome to the world of Alice. At forty four, she’s a nurse who is burnt to a crisp by her job, has a family which makes dysfunctional look normal, and thinks valium should be handed out like lollies.

Alice knows things have to change. Calling on her two best friends for advice, they decide to try and find their life purpose. Alice hopes Pilates, yoga, and Oprah The DVD Box Set, may have some answers. Or does Dr. Botha, the hospital’s Infectious Disease Consultant, hold the key to Alice’s future?

As things begin to look brighter, a life changing event sends Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, leaving her to wonder if she has missed her chances for happiness. Will she ever find her Wonderland?

Until next week.

[kappasigmalife]

Desolate Caladium: Chp 2

Desolate Caladium : chapter 2

Falls on me

The dead of night came quickly for us, I was able to use some of my savings to get us out of port on a cargo ship going to neighboring islands. The kingdom is in an uproar and caladium is terrified. While on the hold we were finally able to rest and I watched as he tossed and turned the entire night. Of course I wanted to tell him everything was fine but in truth how could it, losing your father, cast from your kingdom like a leper, and your only company is a guy you saved 5 years ago, and is wanted for the murder of the king. When he woke up I found him eating a basket of fruit some of the sailors gave him, tossing me a banana, he told me to eat it plenty of it considering scurvy is a thing in the high seas. Eating the fruit I notice that caladium is taking out a long dagger and looking at it.

“an azoth dagger, meant for mages who completed their training as novices and attain the rank of casters, only given when one slays a beast, never thought I’d ever unwrap the cloth to use it.” “it’s a beautiful blade prince, but why take it out now” As I ask I notice hime cut it into his long locks of hair and sees it change color, from dark brown, to a light tan.

“as of now, my name is callum, and drop the prince, I don’t have use for it no more.” When we got to port he asked me to get him clothes that were civilian instead of royal and as we walked I saw him eyeing the guards around us, looking for me.

“don’t worry if anyone notices you, ill keep them away alright.” “being a mage must really be cool.”

“well it’s the hard work that pays off.”

His hair almost looks better shorter, but of course the hair that fell off just burned away, no doubt to just simply keep from being tracked later on. He grabbed my by the arm and brings me to the marketplace where he places some cents on a man’s table asking for a place for the night. The man tells him money is no good for him as the merchants guild has been struck down by the fallen kingdom and requires assistance more than anything. He gave us the room in exchange we bring his caravan to the next city 5 miles away. Gladly accepting, callum looks at me and smiles knowing that were safe another day. That night he slept more soundly and I kept watch outside once again. I began notice the sound of a horse galloping fast around the market and place it as nothing more than rounds being done by the police force. My real concern was watching callum just sleep as the night drags on. He woke around 4 am telling me he will take over and for me to rest before we must leave again. I can tell his very focused as he doesn’t even blink as he gazes outside, his auburn eyes under the moon glistened as I looked at him before drifting off. Although my time with him has been short we have been through more than enough to know the confines of needing one another to survive in this world. He promised me that we would be okay and in retrospect we are, together we stand against the illegal acts of the coup de ta    while also running from our fate at the hands of the gallows. Forbidding himself from magic, he relies only on his brawn to keep us safe.

While the night persisting into the early morning we were able to rest enough to be ready to head out with the caravan. He took the reins and whisked us away from the market all the way to the next town in only a matter of hours, with one horse and supplies. As we arrived he received a large sum of cash that he stashed into his satchel to get us another room. Instead of a nice room in an inn, we chose to stay in the stables free of charge in order to recuperate and regroup our route away from the kingdom. His idea is to become a merchant only to provide protection as well as favors for cash in return for living quarters and start a new life. While I would like the idea of having a new life with him, it is not fair he is the one doing all the work. I requested to be sent to the local apothecary to work as a medical official and help townspeople with licensing from the city. The issue is that I need an alias as well, but callum assured me that desmond is so common it wouldn’t be an issue and effortlessly got me an emblem signifying my alliance to a med corp. as tears ran down my face I saw that he was smiling and wiped the tears from me.

“your eyes, I didn’t notice they were green, the color of life, a perfect fit for a medic.” “I never really noticed callum, thank you.” “we should celebrate, lets splurge a bit at the bar.” we drank til the hour grew late and we laughed at the expense of our new life, although much of it was running thin on the confines of time as we needed callum to still earn a living with the merchants guild. As a mage he could easily be a noble or even king, but his life was gone and he looks like hes okay with it.

“why are you so happy callum?” “huh, that’s no issue des, I just love being happy.” “but you have lost everything you had in a matter of days and you see the brighter side so quickly.” “of course I do, its because deep down the more I see the pain and anguish the easier it is for me to learn from it and become a better person throughout my life”

“why help everyone but yourself, you act like that’s your purpose.” “as a mage that is how I am born to be, to use magic as a way of helping instead of destroying as my master would say, but now I cant without being outed by the guards.” As I think back at all the things hes had to endure its more prevelant now that I merely only know one minute of his life aside from the entirety. He went on to tell me of his childhood, when his mother died when he was born due to the inheritance of her magic, his father showering him with affection even though he was king, spending time with other kids his age accidently hurting them only to have one friend who understood him.

“I fear that he may come soon, he is the most powerful knight of my fathers council and his bloodline is laced in carnage and bodies.” “how come, isn’t he your friend.” “because its his duty to protect the kingdom, as of now were seen as fugitives and at the same time as victims of conspiracy, but that doesn’t matter to them, they wish to seek control and end the kings familial bloodline one way or another.” “you really are a brave man, I don’t get how you could ever…..” he cut me off placing his hand on my mouth and gesturing me to leave with him. Sneaking out the back he pulled me into a back aisle in the road where he snuck behind the crates. A large hulking figure was looming around stopping in the aisle before moving on. I knew something was different, he was reeking of blood and seemed like the type to end a many for simply arguing with him.

“already found us, and not even three days passed, well done black knight, may we settle our debate tonight or shall I continue to elude you.” As I blinked the man came between us narrowly slicing me with a odd weapon, a sword and staff combined. He looked at both of us and kicked me into the crates as he went to take on callum, whose leaped in the air to the rooftops grabbing his azoth dagger. The man followed suit and I could only watch as they continually fought clashing blades and running after one another.

“for a man who is the kings lapdog, it’s a surprise you didn’t decide to kill him.” “true I didn’t, but given the price I can easily take his sons hide as my own trophy.” “always the morbid talker, taking any price for the job, taken any price for a rescue.” Callum had blasted him off right at my feet landing on his head. As soon as I thought he was dead, he rose back up cracking his neck into place and laughing.

“losing your touch caladium, you really surprise me without your true magic showing.”

“its callum, and what did I expect from the son of the impaler, or as I call you guys, the failed kinship.” “ouch most damage you ever gave me” Callum was getting more and more serious in this fight and all I could do was watch as the two moved more quickly than ever at each other. The metal of the blades going back and forth like a wavering dance of who would lead next, until chris began incantations.

“caelum hoc urere flammis bestia”

“oh goodie breaking out the dead language that gonna be fun.”

A burst of flames erupt from callums blade and strikes the man into the wall allowing him to grab me and run. The man gets up and gives chase merely cornering us and getting to grab my by the collar as I tried to run. Putting his blade to my neck he asked for me to drop mine and come with him. Doing so callum gives into the demands and leaves. I pick up his azoth dagger and glows in the direction he left with the man. Following the signal I come to see the man with piercing red eyes and golden hair curled with a massive beard. The two are drinking together near the shore and I sneak to see what is going on.

“its been years bro, how have you been?” “tough, but you know what its like in the kingdom.” “yeah true I don’t get it either but they pay well, and again im sorry to hear about your dad.” “he was old and things happen, but thank you for the sentiment.” “pleasure now that I know your good on your own, im gonna tell them your dead, and so is that nurse fellow.” “thank you for this, Trev” “least I could do after busting your ass to get me the knights gig, a vampiric knight of the council god everone flipped.” “those were the good old days.” I watched as callum got up and hands over a emerald pendant as the black knight rises and takes it from his grasp.

“payment for this favor, you know the drill.” “ill find two loathsome vermin in town your size and axe them off, then you disguise them yourself, that will act as proof of your death.” “not the first time we did this, go to the east district that where most of the mongrels live.” “good to know, and by the way, why hang around that kid.” “I see something in him innocent, that’s been masked for a long time, also his smile is adorable.”

[klaudealmonte]

A little taste... (completed)

Pls check out my fanfic on ao3 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11245410

Or read it under the cut ;) 

Lucette was sweating as she stood in the training ground. Her hand clutched the sword that had become an extension of her arm in the last two years. Her sword clashed with Garlan’s, a dance they had performed many times now. Both of them had gotten better since training with Klaude. Garlan had become more focused, even Jurien had to try hard to get him to flounder. And Lucette had become more smooth, more elegant. Her swordplay more like a dance.

 The young knights stood in aw as they observed their crown princess battling with one of the the most noble knights of the Order of Caldira. The princess had made it a priority to kepp up her training, even after the curse broke danger could lurk at any corner and she didn’t want to rely on her magic alone. Waltz and Delora were magnificent teachers, but none could compare to fighting with her Klaude. Even if she had wanted to she could have never given up on that one on one time with Klaude.

 Suddenly the sword in her hand was ripped from her grasp. Dammit she had been to lost in thought and Garlan had gotten the upper hand. “Karma always told us to never lose focus. Your mind wandered off your highness.” She grumbled a bit, but he was correct. Klaude would have scolded her if he had seen her performance.

 She turned towards the young recruits. New blood to freshen up the old Order. It was year after the curse was broken and Lucette was still not used to the looks of admiration and love from her people. It had taken a few months but with the help of all her friends in the Marchen and her family she had finally gained the trust she had yearned for. “This is what happens when you lose focus. If this had been a real fight I would have been dead. Remember that! Never lose focus!” Lucette smiled towards Garlan and took a bow. A sign of respect. “A good fight as always Garlan.” The knight’s bow was longer, not only a bow of respect but also a bow towards his future queen. “No, I have you to thank.”

 The sun was at it’s highest point as she returned to her familiar room. The dolls, though no longer her only confidents, stared at her with their gentle smiles.

 But they brought her no comfort today.

 Her heart clenched painfully as she thought about the smile that she wanted to see. Klaude had been only been gone for two weeks now and it already seemed like too long for Lucette. Of course she knew that he had responsibilities he had to attend to.

 As the returned crown prince there were many things that had to be discussed. Did Klaude even want to be the crown prince anymore? Was Llama maybe more suited for the role? Because of that Klaude could never be at her side for long periods of time and going with him every time just wasn’t an option.

 Lucette sighed.

 Yes she was used to it by now. Used to not seeing Klaude’s face, used to not teasing him and kissing him and seeing him smile. But it didn’t mean it hurt any less.

 “I may be sad. But that doesn’t mean I should put my life on halt.”

 Klaude would not appreciate if she wallowed in self pity because of him. Lucette braced herself as she stood in front of her full body mirror. Her hair was a mess, her face red from the exercise, sweat dripped down her forehead. She had a meeting with her father later in the day and some magic study with Waltz she had to get ready for.

 No time to lose.

 She took off the shirt she had chosen to wear for the training and was about to pull of her pants as the door was slammed open behind her.

 “I am back my Lo…”

 Klaude and Lucette stared at each other. His eyes didn’t know where to focus on, while Lucette just stared at him like he was a ghost. Her face had changed into a different shade of red.

 “I told you to knock!”

 Klaude’s blush could have rivaled her own. But his gaze… It felt like fire that licked along Lucette’s skin. If she weren’t in shock, maybe she would have done something about the feelings that started churning up in the pits of her stomach. A slow rise that went from her toes to the top of head. It felt like her entire body was blushing.

 “Are you just going to stare at me? Turn around!”

 Lucette grabbed one of the blankets and quickly tried to cover herself. The damage was already done. Klaude didn’t say a word, just turned around and left the room. Lucette was still in shock. She put on her dress and sighed. Now next to all the other things, she had to deal with that mess! She stared at her reflection. Her blush was no longer red but a delicate pink but her skin still felt like she was on fire.

 She turned towards the door, ready to unleash her wrath upon Klaude. After all he should know better! He constantly berated her for just bursting into the room! Lucette opened her mouth. The rant she had prepared ready to burst from her lips as she was pulled into Klaude’s strong arms.

 “I never imagined that you would miss me so much that you would go to such drastic measures my love.”

 His hand gently cupped her face. His eyes were sparkling with laughter, but also something deeper that was hidden in the complex green that had quickly turned into Lucette’s favourite color. But the princess wasn't prepared for the kiss that followed.  Usually Klaude kept their kisses sweet and even when she wanted to push things further Klaude was the responsible one. But now it seemed that he threw that responsibilities out the window.

The kiss was hard and drity. Tongues were tangling. If Lucette felt warm before, she on fire now. Her hands grabbed his neck pulling him even closer.

 Lucette wanted more. She wanted to drown in the fire that Klaude ignited with his mere presence.  She almost whined when Klaude gently removed his lips from hers.

 “Who would have known that under that pretty dress, hides a dangerous vixen? Shall we continue when your day is over?”

[bma-2020]

- So I stole the ring and escaped to your world. It was supposed to trigger a coup, unfortunately... well. You saw what happened. 

( DO NOT REBLOG W/O MY EXPLICIT PERMISSION. )

Oh, jack jack jack jack heart. It’s surprising how many ppl saw him as a heartthrob. Then again many ppl have interesting tastes so who am i to judge? 

It seemed fitting to do Jack as my first Character Analysis post since I actually write him too, and he has a fairly large portion in Mally’s history.

 The Prince of Hearts, son of the Queen and King of Hearts, and a traitor to his mother-- though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Queen of Hearts is a major dictator in Syfy Lore (Despite the other half of what i pull my canon from, aka A/merican M/cgee Alice, she is only slightly dictatory, and more... she believed the Red Queen and Alice were responsible for Wonderland’s destruction and held them accountable for it without thinking it over as deeply as she could have) and, well, most lore in fact. While in the books she was (as far as we’re aware)  the rightful leader, in this Wonderland she is not. In fact, she flat out murdered the White Queendom (with the Red King being part of it, and his obvious marriage to a white queen since they were in the destroyed white queendom, it’s pretty clear she likely annihilated the House of Red too.) and stole her crown and Wonderland as a whole.

Obviously, I worked this out a lot more, pulled in the Arcana from T/arot and related the Houses of Cards to individual.. Cartomancy, basically. The House of Hearts was technically in the Low Arcana, and by destroying the High Arcana, she gained power. This does in fact relate to Jack, too.

Somewhere, in his tiny shriveled up little spoiled heart, Jack sees what his mother did was wrong. He sees that Wonderland is dying, that his mother is at the heart of the destruction. So, Jack Heart joined forces with The Resistance (In my canon, Caterpillar thoroughly replaces The Gryphon with Jack.) He becomes the lead double agent in The Resistance, and his mother doesn’t suspect a thing... at first. 

Jack’s already shown to be snarky, sassy, he doesn’t take order well, and doesn’t quite enjoy listening to his mother. When Mary (the Queen) started talking to Duchess later on, inferring she’ll have Duchess killed and replaced with someone else who could control her son, that hints that he’s had a number of prior engagements that his mother had likely beheaded, after being the one to appoint most of them anyways! (It’s thoroughly hinted that The King of Hearts is who appointed Duchess as his current Fiancee.) 

Though, the fact Mary had more than one engaged to him, with the intention of controlling and gaining information off of her son, part of her had to be aware of his betrayal. She’s a frickan genius, not the short-tempered, non-thinking Queen many iterations would have us think (The only time she makes awful decisions is when she takes a taste of childlike innocence, which seems to greatly hinge her.) She’s constantly aware of what’s going on around her, she’s aware of what others are thinking. As quick tempered as she is, and likely to have someones head cut off and forget she sentenced them to death a day later, she still manages to be constantly aware. Thus, there’s no real way Jack was able to hide everything from her. 

Now, Jack plays off as the type of loyal man who’ll do anything to get the job done for Caterpillar. All the way down to going to the oyster world to find Alice, and try to have her free her father’s mind so he would help them stop kidnapping oysters and let them go. He flirted, he got with her, he manipulated her until she fell for him and arguably, he accidentally fell for her. Al while he was engaged to The Duchess. And while one might argue that since he did not wish to be engaged to The Duchess, so his cheating was okay.... I’m not gonna try to explain the otherwise here. Especially since Duchess very clearly does love him, and willingly defies his mother for him. 

This is where my analysis really shows through his character for me, he’s a manipulative little shit. Sometimes, it’s helpful, like him manipulating his own mother into letting Alice go back home rather than kill her in front of her father. Manipulate Duchess into helping him when he needs her to, he has a way with words to get people to want to take his side (Something Hatter picks up on immediately, and clearly tries to explain to a very unlistening alice.) And I do believe that’s a core part of his character. If he really wanted Wonderland to live a life in true bliss again, why did he decide to keep the throne once his mother was defeated? The entire plan relied on his mother being defeated and the crown falling to him. But the reality is, the crown never belonged to his family to begin with.

Now, if anyone from the White Queen’s dynasty survived, I honestly doubt he’d give them the crown even after they proved themselves. He wants that crown, he wants to be in charge, despite any claims he makes to the otherwise. He even tried, after reconciling with Duchess, to convince Alice to stay in wonderland as his queen. Power has always been a major aspect of his character. While he might want to rule Wonderland into a ‘new state of freedom’, he still wants control of it. He still wants to be looked upon as the wonderful Jack Heart, savor of wonderland, rightful king. He might think he has Wonderland’s best interest at heart (if he does), but he also wants to keep control to himself. Likely often using excuses of ‘others could do what my mother did’ but that really doesn’t excuse him. 

He’s lied to a multitude of people, he’s manipulated his way into others hearts, and his main focus has always been dethroning his mother to get the crown. Honestly? Caterpillar probably saw that and took the opportunity to get him on their side. After all, Jack knew his mother would never willingly give him her power, why else would she try to marry him off to others to control him? 

HERE, we specifically go into my Jack, and how it relates to Mally. I would not go with this plot with any other Jack writers unless they approved of it first hand-- same with the rest of my analysis and storyline, which applies to all characters and is even listed in my rules, but yknow.

Basically, when Mally was working as one of the Queen’s spies/assassins, she was going to be one of his engagements. Her notactuallyherfatherbutpretendingtobeher-father, who’s the Queen’s Lord Steward, convinced Mary that Mally would be a good method to control Jack. That... really didn’t work out, as Mally has a massive inability to handle being controlled, and she really can’ stand Jack. (She was mostly indifferent to him before, but after being told she had to marry him, yeah she instantly believed it was his idea and hated him for it). Thing is... Jack can’t actually touch her, as most people can’t, yknow, cause she doesn’t have any heat in her body almost at all. 

That’s actually where the majority of her brother trying to figure out a method (’The injection’ as I call it) that can allow others to touch her without getting hurt. Something that he did manage to make a few successful prototypes of, though not without secretly taking off with blood samples from Mad March. Upon realization that Mad March wasn’t affected by her extreme temperature gauges, he figured it must be something genetic, and decided that would be the best method to research it. Jack Heart did get one later, as one of his plans did include Mallymkun. The one upside to having to marry her would be he’d have more of a method of controlling her in that state (though, in Wonderland, women do have more control then men. ) When Mally eventually comes across Jack again, and learns he won’t die by her touch... she’s really not happy about that. I’ll get more into those ‘plans’ later but this is already too long and I probably should stop here. 

IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SY/FY A/LICE, HERE IS MY TAG (in Post-chrono order) FOR INFORMATION REGARDING IT. 

[doublehex]

Impressions of 7x02 “Stormborn”

So we got the second episode. Let’s have a chat.

Dragonstone:

We open up with a fierce storm raging outside Dragonstone, and I love this for several reasons. First off, the obvious allusions to the night that Daenerys was born, but most importantly I love the imagery of it. It is nearly black, save for the outlines of thunder strikes and the fire from within the Targaryen keep.

The scene opens with strife amongst Daenerys’ advisors. Elaria Martell has no shame over killing Tyrion’s niece Myrcella back in the final episode of Season 5, and I have to say I was disappointed by how it was played out. Tyrion seems to just casually accept what Elaria has done, a shrug off his shoulder. He should be pissed, and demanding from Daenerys some kind of retribution. I really do hope that something comes out from this, because otherwise it would just seem the showrunners are just waving off a critical relationship between characters.

Daenerys questions Varys about his loyalty, and I really do need to ask…why now? This is a conversation that needed to happen, but not after months of sailing together across the Narrow Sea. Why did Dany not speak with Varys in the final episode of season 6? It just seems awkwardly placed, although it is decently written.

Varys’ character suffers from cutting out the Golden Company plot from the books. Without Varys’ “perfect prince”, it doesn’t make much sense for him to have backed Viserys in the first season. He should have known that Viserys was the same kind of man that Aerys was, so why would he go for that? It feels like the writers are trying to salvage a ship that is made out of seaweed and is on fire.

I do however like Daenerys’ response – that if Varys felt she is doing a poor job as queen, he will say so to his face. And her threat of killing him if he should conspire against her shows she is not going to just accept his loyalty. Varys has jumped from monarch to monarch several times over now. He was essential for bringing Dorne and the Reach into the fold, and Daenerys is in need of a spymaster. But she does not trust him one bit, nor should see.

Then we get a Melisandre scene, where she reveals that perhaps Daenerys is the Prince(ss) That Was Promised. In the books, the revelation that the prophecy may have suffered a grammatical mistranslation came about as a sort of bitter moment…Aegon had been mistaken all along, and perhaps his error resulted in Rhaegar’s rash decision. Here it’s played as a mediocre female power moment.

Also, why is Melissandre in the throne room? Dany should be there on the stone throne, and Melissandre should be escorted in. Dany sees herself as queen – she should be showcasing that as much as possible.

When they plan for how Daenerys will retake the Seven Kingdoms, it is only her and Tyrion that vouches for the least amount of blood shed as possible. They realize that the Dothraki and Unsullied will only fan the xenophobic flames of the Westerosi. In order to establish Daenerys as a rightful ruler, it can’t be the Essosi that take King’s Landing. The Reachmen and Dornish will lay siege to King’s Landing.

This scene does a good job of showcasing what everyone wants out of Daenerys. Yara just wants the Iron Islands to be independent, she wants a quick end to the war. Ellaria and Olenna want Cersei to suffer, damn the consequences. Daenerys’ alliance is a fragile on at best. Besides the racial tensions between Dorne and the Reach, which have always been high, the alliance is split on how to proceed. It seems only the fact that Daenerys has dragons and a formidable army is what keeps the others from abandoning the cause.

At the end, Olenna tries to remind Dany that she is a dragon, so she must “be a dragon”. Olenna is trying to push Daenerys towards fire and blood, highest amount of casualties, giving the Lannisters as much misery as possible, and one can’t help but worry that this will be the show’s version of the “dragons plant no trees” from the books.

The Missandei and Grey Worm romance has finally come to it’s…blunt conclusion. Although it was good to hear Grey Worm speak of what the training of the Unsullied was like, the romance between these two characters have felt very contrived and forced. The sex scene is rather mild by the standards of the show, which comes as a relief, because the dialogue leading up to it was as awkward as one could get. One really has to ask just what this side plot added to the series, that couldn’t be better spent somewhere else.

Kings Landing:

Cersei seems to have taken Jaime’s advice to heart. She is doing her best to rallying the support of the Southern lords…and that seems to means just the Reach, if Randyll Tarly’s presence is anything to go by. The language she uses in her speech reminds me a great deal of Trump, where she is relying on an appeal of the Other and objectively false claims to secure a base.

It may have been unintentional or not, but I got several ISIS vibes when we had Qyburn defame Balerion’s skull with the ballista. They start off that scene with a bit of a history lesson, showcasing that Balerion is a big part of how the Seven Kingdoms were forged. It’s a priceless relic for all intents and purposes. Then we have Cersei deface it, and look pleased about it.

It seems to me that D&D are trying to create parallels between modern day and with Cersei. She has overturn the political system, going against the will of the people, to secure power. Now Trump did not perform a coup d’état like Cersei has. As far as we know, his election was legal. Influenced by outside forces, beyond a doubt, but legal. Most people did not want Trump as president, and almost nobody in Westeros wants Cersei to be their queen.

Another comparison between Team Lannister and the Alt-Right is the racist language Jaime has employed in recruiting Randyll Tarly to their side. Othering the Unsullied and the Dothraki in an appeal for Westerosi Nationalism (and luring the prospect of a new Paramount Lord of the Reach) seems to have worked on Lord Tarly.

One very keen thing to take away is that Jaime states that he no longer likes his sister. A rift is growing between the Lannister twins, and it will surely culminate in Jaime having to make a choice.

Winterfell:

Jon is finally starting to listen to Sansa. He speaks to her about the summon to Dragonstone, and she is wary. Despite her insistence that Tyrion is a good man, it is too risky. Sansa is still very much in bunker mode – after years of witnessing her family come under siege, she views anyone else but a Northman as a threat. She is not entirely wrong, but Sansa is also focused on the Southern threat, while Jon is focused on the Northern one.

In the end, Jon goes against the pleas of all his lords (including Lyanna Mormong) and accepts the invitation. Jon is getting flashbacks to his time as Lord Commander, when he is the sole voice for an unpopular action that must be taken. Even if it weren’t for Daenerys’ dragons, the North has been under siege for years. Food supplies are low, men are short. There’s a reason that boys and girls are being taught to fight. They need more manpower against the White Walkers, and Daenerys’ army is precisely what they need.

But once again, Sansa openly objects to Jon’s proposal in front of their lords. D&D continue to strike the same source of conflict between these two characters, in a way that seems artificial and forced. Especially when Jon rewards her with ruling the North in his absence. We just saw Jon seeking her counsel a scene earlier – why doesn’t he tell her his plans in private? The Starks look divided, and that won’t look good in front of the Northern nobility.

Petyr Balish also seems to be out of place this season. There is no clear understanding of just why, precisely, he is in the North, or what he is trying to accomplish. He may view chaos as a ladder, but the ladder doesn’t seem to be leading him anywhere. And the creep vibes he gives off does not seem to serve a purpose. In the earlier seasons, Petyr was very good at being everyone’s friend. That skill seemed to have evaporated by season 7 has rolled around.

Just what is Balish’s endgame plan? We are not getting much of a sense that he has one. Just like Varys, the changes to the narrative post season four has left Balish hanging.

Oldtown:

Sam’s arc is quickly becoming one of the best parts of the season. With an emphasis on being “hard rock Hogwarts”, the pacing of these scenes is stellar. They are glorified info dumps, but they are info dumps with style, and I am along for the ride. Maester Slughorn…err, Marwyn…no, Ebrose, sorry, is a darkly charming mentor for Sam.

The Grandmaesters actually had a good reason for hiding the greyscale cure – it tends to get the treater killed. But Samwell doesn’t have a say no attitude, and by golly he is going to save Ser Jorah. No matter what.

The cure for greyscale being entirely mundane instead of magical was a sigh of relief. And with the cure being to actually carve out the corrupted skin, one could not think of a better face for a character with morals are corrupted and dubious as Jorah Mormont. Next time, Ser Jorah, do not enslave people just to fulfill the debts of your wife. Also, don’t abuse the trust of a young woman and violate her privacy by kissing her without permission. No matter how sexily Ian Glen can growl “Khaleesi”, that is unforgivable.

And he does nothing for the narrative anyways, except slows it to a crawl.

Arya:

And the best scene transition goes to…pus soaked flesh into chicken pot pie! Mark Mylod had to be crackling as he directed that, and I wouldn’t blame him one bit. Grossing people out is a wonderful hobby to have.

Say one thing for season seven, and say that Arya’s arc has been on point, and her time in the inn is no exception. Watching her eat the pie surely made the entire audience hungering for something to stuff down their gut. You could hear every crunch, see the crumbs get stuck on Maisie Williams’ cheeks, and just get the sense that the pie was really damn good.

We also got a sense that the Hound had a profound impact on Arya. Her statement to having baked some pies is the kind of casual appeal to murder that sounds like it would come from Sandor Clegane’s mouth.

Arya also seems to have not realized that any of the Starks were alive, up until Hot Pie drops the fact that Jon took back Winterfell and was the King in the North. That changes her trajectory completely, from killing Cersei to reuniting with her family. Although that warms the heart, one has to wonder just what her last line to Jaqen H’ghar was supposed to mean. If she was “going home”, why was she not in Winterfell already?

The scene with Nymeria was, of course, wonderful, and D&D avoided the expected trap of having Nymeria rejoin with Arya. They haven’t been with each other for years, and Nymeria has long since found her own path in life. Nymeria has a pack, and Arya is on her way to reunite with hers.

Oh, of course this happens the moment Jon heads south for Dragonstone, but that’s plot convenience for you.

The Battle in the Narrow Sea:

So, we got one good scene and one bad one. The interaction between the Sand Snakes is almost…endearing. I actually found it a bit heart warming to see these three half-sisters are toying with each other. It almost makes one forget that they went and killed their nephew and joked about it.

But then we get the most awkward flirting with Yara and Elaria. “A foreign invasion is in progress”. Good god. They improvised most of those lines, and it really shows.

Once that nastiness is out of the way, we get a real sense of just what type of villain Euron Greyjoy is meant to be. The book version was an sorcerous pirate captain with delusions of eldritch power. Show Euron is the Mountain on the Sea. An absurd murderer with no desires to hold back his bloodlust. From the moment the Silence rams into the flagship of the Greyjoy fleet, Euron is an absurd villain.

And he rocks that role. Euron is utterly bloodthirsty that reflects the raised stakes of the series. Daenerys has brought dragons to Westeros, but Euron is showing us the true meaning “fire and blood”. Between the flaming ballista bolts and the Iron Islanders carving through each other, we get plenty of both.

The show does allude to how Euron from the novels would cut the tongue out of his crewmates. They are all silent, not speaking a single word, and one of the final shots is them cutting out the tongue out of the survivors.

The scene ends with Theon facing a new Ramsay. Seeing the way the Greyjoy loyalists are butchered by the crew of the Silence reminds Theon all too much of his abuser, and he can’t take it. Alfie Williams deserve an award for this scene alone. He utterly sells just the shame and fear in Theon.

When the episode draws to a close, Theon is left behind, just another bit of wreckage in Euron’s wake.

The episode opened with a storm of water, and it ended with one of blood.

[ganymedesclock]

I love all your Galra speculations! Adding to the Zarkon and Haggar general speculations, do you think they'd be the type to constantly berate and dismiss Lotor, yet still are begrudgingly protective of him? And do you think they're hiding his heritage or at least Haggar's origin from him?

I think “begrudgingly protective” is probably nicer than I’d peg on either of them. Zarkon and Haggar both are pretty sink or swim with their subordinates and I don’t think Lotor would really be an exception outside of certain circumstances- where since Lotor is Zarkon’s heir, it’s possible certain things happening to him would be considered an affront to Zarkon’s honor in which case I think he’d intervene rather heavily.

I mean. I could be totally wrong here, but, the closest we’ve seen Zarkon to anyone is Haggar and his former relationship with the Black Lion. With Haggar, as soon as they come into conflict he wants to shout her down or override her (even when she’s not in the room, see his response to the druids taking her orders over his for the ritual) and with Black he seems to have deteriorated from seeing her as a partner to such an extreme that he refuses to even acknowledge her as a sentient being.

I feel like Lotor’s relationship with Zarkon would follow one of those two models. If Lotor was born before the fall of Altea then it’s quite possible he did have a good relationship with his father which has now deteriorated almost beyond the point of recognition. If he was born afterwards, I feel it’s more likely that his relationship with Zarkon would be a bit similar to Haggar’s, only more tense because of the fact that Lotor is in an obvious subordinate role- Haggar is Zarkon’s equal in power and while she defers to him, that seems to be usually because she can just go behind his back and accomplish what she wants anyway, and is just rolling over conversationally to appease him.

But I just can’t feel like Zarkon or Haggar would be particularly respectful of Lotor’s autonomy since both of them have a nasty thread of possessiveness and entitlement to their interpersonal relations.

With Zarkon, he wants his men to literally live and die for him, by his orders- if they break with what he told them to do, they’re punished heavily- even to save the empire resources and manpower (the captain from s1e1) or trying to accomplish a goal in the empire’s greater interest (Prorok in s1e5-7)- it doesn’t matter, they questioned him, they’re not doing it his way. 

With Haggar... I think it says pretty much that Haggar’s attitude towards Shiro, who was taken into the empire as a slave- is that she unsubtly takes the stance that he owes her for giving him power (via medical torture) and she’s personally indignant that he’s taking her ‘kindness’ and not molding himself into an obedient servant.

All of this, with no idea of how Lotor is actually going to act in this continuity, paints a very grim picture for the fate of someone born to these people- someone who these two incredibly manipulative and dominating people would absolutely take as someone who “owes” them everything- including his own life.

It doesn’t help that from a “historical” perspective, in prior continuities... In GoLion, the only positive relationship Sincline seems to have had in his childhood was his mother, whom Daibazaal killed and as an adult he barely remembers. In DotU, Zarkon frequently disparaged Lotor directly to his face. In Force, Lotor is the main antagonist and his behavior throughout the entire piece smacks of massive insecurity (he at one point crushes a statue of Zarkon, which is Pretty Telling that there was really no love between them, besides how Force picked up on DotU)

The fact that Lotor is apparently a total unknown to the empire even with his very distinctive, unique aesthetic, when Zarkon is so public that he has merchandise, worries me.

The fact that we see someone with those same Lotor-specific colors operating on their own in the Weblum would seem to suggest that Lotor’s of the persuasion that getting what he wants means going behind Zarkon’s back. Which raises some questions- Haggar has a defined niche and an entire faction of followers who answer directly to her, and ten thousand years to build that connection. I feel like if Lotor could say the same we would have seen more of these people like the Weblum Galra, the way we’ve seen the druids.

We also wouldn’t see WG utterly alone and seemingly without backup to the point that they had to rely on Keith and Hunk’s mercy and cooperation if they were representing a larger organization.

So Lotor’s operating behind Zarkon’s back but he doesn’t seem to have very many resources to do it. This assuming he even sent the Weblum Galra- if I’m right in one of my more offbeat theories, it might well be that Lotor and WG are not on the same page and are both trying to operate solo.

Either way- this would explain why Lotor in the s3 trailer seems to be pulling out all the stops to try and capture the hearts of the main empire. He might well be trying to grab power that he’s never potentially had.

Now... what’s he going to do with that power? Is he just as nasty a person as Zarkon and Haggar, just in a different way? We have no idea, but I feel like... either way, as villain or potential antihero figure, I think people vastly overestimate how psychologically okay Lotor is going to be.

I mean... even if he seems to have ended up there by design, it’s if nothing else pretty telling that the first shot of him we see, he’s in the gladiator arena, something we mostly know from Shiro’s missing year- of being captured, tortured, and forced to make ugly decisions.

The writers have given us a particular context for that area, and the setup... seemingly as far as the watching forces know, they have no idea this is their crown prince. Because of where the April Fools clip cut off, we don’t know if they even recognized Lotor’s face.

All the arena’s audience knows is they’re here to watch some blood sports, and considering Lotor is “this little fellow” quite possibly many of them don’t expect him to survive his opponent.

So it’s... gonna be interesting to see this play out.

[auroraphilealis]

Steal My Heart (steal my whole life too) (3/24)

Steal My Heart (steal my whole life too) 3/24

Genre: Chaptered, fantasy AU, Prince!Phil, Thief!Dan, romance, enemies to lovers, angst and fluff, slow burn (like serious slow burn)

Warnings: some violence, mentions of death (no main characters), dark magic, descriptions of wounds/blood, some hints of sexual scenes (but no actual smut), murder, dangerous situations, stealing/thievery

Summary: Captain of the Royal Guard and Prince of Morellia, Philip Lester has never been given the chance to find love. Instead, he’s run from a system that works to end class differences and improve equality for its citizens. Happy as he is to make the world a better place, Phil can’t help feeling bitter towards his ancestors for making it impossible for him to find someone who will actually love him for more than just his title, and strives instead for a life of justice and doing good - only to meet his match in the King of Thieves, a man who will change everything he once thought he knew in life. Together, they must depart on a quest to save the kingdom, and, in the process, destroy their differences and find their own form of love.

Word count: 240,000+

Updates: Sunday

Thanks so much to @phansdick for betaing this giant monster, as she’s been super helpful and encouraging with her little comments and endless excitement. We couldn’t have done it without you <3

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim that this is real or cast aspersions on Dan or Phil

For reference, @insanityplaysfics is Phil, @ineverhadmyinternetphase is Dan

(Masterlist) (AO3)

Chapter Three

Dan stood underneath the grate, eyes bright and appraising as he watched the Prince easily haul himself up to the surface. His gaze lingered on the way the Prince's muscles bulged, the way his new-found cloak flared behind him as he pulled himself up, demonstrating that the Prince did indeed have strength to match Dan's own.

This knowledge was interesting. Dan filed it away in the small corner of his brain quickly labelled 'things to remember about Prince Philip'. He was adding up every new thing he learned about this strange, intense, bumbling man who’d made it his life's mission to capture Dan, and so far, it was making an interesting picture.

...Only because Dan was doing research so as not to get killed, of course. He didn't actually have any interest in this Prince - not beyond escaping him.

At least, that was what Dan was telling himself.

The Prince's parting words struck a strange chord in Dan. So the Prince wanted things to be different next time they met? What exactly did he think was going to change?

The world had made Dan a cynic, he'd never believed in the Royal family's supposed generosity in reaching out to those less fortunate than themselves. Sure, they might let a chosen few slip up the ranks, but for the majority of the poor, poverty was all they would ever know. Dan had seen that, in the deaths of his parents and then his little brother, and no one had been able to do a thing to help them. That was when Dan decided to turn his back on a world that had done him no good, and turn to a life of riches instead.

He'd never regretted that decision - until a certain Prince with intense blue eyes had unsettled him.

Honestly, Dan shouldn't care what some stupid highborn thought about him. It made no difference. The fact that Dan's only foe in the entire land of Morellia was the Prince himself was testament enough to just how far Dan had come from that lonely orphan boy he’d once been. He was the King of Thieves. His reputation was lauded throughout the land. No, he shouldn't care one bit what some stupid Prince thought of him.

And yet... he did. Dan didn't want Prince Philip's harsh words or looks to cut through him ever again. He knew he was nothing more than a petty criminal in the Prince's eyes, but Dan - Dan was so much more than that. He felt a sudden strange desire to prove to the Prince just how much more than that he was.

Dan shook his head, attempting to rid himself of these ridiculous thoughts. Let the Prince think what he liked - he'd never change Dan's world.

Instead, Dan turned on his heel, and launched himself up and out of the passageway into the dark city streets, the black of his cloak blending in perfectly around him. He tugged his hood back down low over his face, hiding, and retreated up to the rooftops to head back to his base.

He had a crown to admire, a bloody nose to sort out, and a Prince to set another trap for.

**

The walk back home was a long one. Phil had maintained his calm in those last few moments with the King of Thieves, trying to prove himself in some way despite the epic meltdown he'd already managed to have in front of his thief, but now that he was free from the presence of another, he was falling apart all over again.

The panic attack hit hard then as he walked the streets of his city, and he didn’t make it a quarter of the way in before he was turning down a random side street and dropping to the ground, shoving his face between his legs as he cried and tried to re-regulate his breathing. He wasn't sure why anyone had ever bothered with the technique, though, because it wasn't helping. Instead, it was making Phil's head spin, and that only served to make him cry harder.

He didn't know what it was about tight spaces, but Phil hated them - and maybe sort of kind of hated himself a little as well: one, for allowing his thief to get away with his crown when they should have battled down there, and two, for saying the horrible things he'd said to his thief - not to mention the fact that he’d allowed his training in the Royal Guard and the way he'd been treated by the street urchins and peasants who'd tried to crawl into his bed turn him from the wants of his people, and the fight of his family.

Phil was meant to be a Prince. Perhaps he wasn't the crown Prince, but he was still a Prince, and as Prince, the needs of his people were meant to come before his own.

All this time, he'd thought taking the thieves and thugs off of the streets would be enough, but there was so much more to do, so many more important things to do. Phil had a fight to win - and it wasn't in taking down the King of Thieves anymore, though he vowed to himself he would still get justice for all the people the man had robbed. His crimes couldn't just be ignored after all.

Still. Phil wanted something to change.

His heart was heavy and he was covered in sweat by the time he managed to pull himself together, the panic attack having taken almost everything from him. It was a miracle he even made it home after all that, but he managed.

Long past the time Phil expected his family to have gone to bed, Phil trudged through the Castle doors with the intent to head up to his rooms. He’d hardly made it passed the throne room doors, however, before his older brother Martyn and his mum called out to him, having clearly been waiting up for him.

“Philip?” his Mum asked as soon as she laid eyes on him, finding Phil covered in dirt and not wearing the usual clothes of his station. “What’s happened to you? Are you alright?”

"I'm fine, mother," he reassured the Queen, smiling weakly at her. “Nothing’s happened to me. I was just doing my job,” he reassured her.

"What job? You've taken every thief off the streets, taken down the wanted list to it's very least, and we are not at war! Philip, where have you been all day?" the Queen demanded.

"Chasing the King of Thieves,” he shot back, just as sharp and keen.

Martyn and Phil's mother groaned at him, sighing as they shared a troubled glance that Phil couldn't help being annoyed at.

"Stop chasing your pride, Philip," his mother admonished.

"Stop chasing your dick," Martyn added rather unhelpfully.

The rage that had been quick to mount in Phil lately rose, and he whirled on both his family members with a heated glare.

"Perhaps I'm just trying to do some good for this kingdom, have you ever thought of that?" he spat. "Perhaps I'm trying my best to learn my place, here, to learn how to bring Grandfather's dreams to fruition. Forgive me for trying to retrieve his crown, for doing my best as head of the King's Guard and learning as I go along. I would apologize for never being home, but someone must do something to help this Kingdom before it all goes to hell. It's not all peaches and roses out there on the streets. Politics and economy aside, society has not far improved since Grandfather's time, and someone has to fix it."

Phil’s words seemed to act as a slap to the face to his family members as they recoiled from Phil, sharing a concerned look, but not bothering to reply.

“This is not a game, Mother, Martyn. I’m not just some figurehead. I have a job to do,” he added for good measure, and then he was turning on his heel, and escaping rather quickly.

**

Dan's base was lonely that night, as it was every night. He used to meet with the other thieves, his comrades, on cold nights like these, and while Dan wouldn't go so far as to call them his friends, he did miss their loud laughter.

Yet another thing that Prince-fucking-Philip had taken away from him.

Dan growled as he bit savagely into his roll of stale bread. A day of running around the city had left him tired with no energy to steal himself some proper food, so Dan was forced to rely on his reserves. He didn't have much here in his city base camp - it was too much effort to haul things up atop the Guardhouse roof, and he always risked getting caught if he made too much noise. After all, the Royal Guard led by Prince Philip himself were situated right underneath Dan’s feet.

Dan couldn’t help his thoughts from going back to the Prince as he finished up his meagre dinner. The conversation they’d had wasn’t quite what Dan had been expecting. At first, Prince Philip had been exactly the way Dan believed he would, calling Dan thieving scum who shouldn’t dare to even breathe the same air as him. But towards the end… when he’d led the Prince back up to the surface…

Dan was sure he’d seen something close to empathy in his Prince’s eyes.

Prince Philip had apologised, as well. He’d said he didn’t truly believe those awful things he said, that he didn’t believe Dan was truly beneath him. He’d even promised that things would change, that the system would become fairer. Dan snorted. As if anyone highborn would waste a second thinking about those beneath them, let alone to help them out.

And yet, Prince Philip had seemed so sincere. He’d seemed grateful, too, when Dan led him to the surface, and hadn’t spoiled his pride by trying to reach for the crown again. No, he’d let Dan keep that. Dan fingered its gold-and-silver surface thoughtfully, admiring the jewel in the light. It was old, but not too old - belonging to either Phil’s grandfather or great-grandfather, Dan would hazard a guess. He'd head back to his cavern in the desert tomorrow now he had the crown, and then begin to set a new trap for the Prince.

Dan sighed as he settled himself down under his furs for the night. He only had a rough pelt to sleep under, from a desert wolf he'd killed and skinned, and it was old and tattered now. He wondered what Prince Philip was sleeping on tonight - probably silken sheets surrounded by finery, as befitted highborn scum.

An image of Prince Philip in bed suddenly rose in Dan's mind, and he narrowed his eyes, casting away the appeasing thought quickly. He didn't need any more complications added to his relationship with the Prince, thank you very much, and he was already trying to do his best to rid himself of any pleasant thought he’d had of him today, replacing them with the horrible things the Prince had said.

Besides, any lingering attractions he might have had nothing to do with the Prince himself, and everything to do with the fact that Dan hadn’t lain with anyone in ages. There was no use dwelling on images of the Prince in bed, let alone anywhere else.

Dan slept little that night, knowing that the city was far less safe for him than his desert cave. Not only was there the Royal Guard to fear, but the city was full of plenty of other small-time thieves who might try their hand at sneaking into the King of Thieves’ den. Dan’s hideout was rather well concealed, up on the rooftop of the Royal Guardhouse, but he knew it wasn’t hidden from the more daring thieves who might also make use of the roofs of the city. As such, he napped with one eye open and a hand at his dagger.

As soon as the sun peeked its first rays over the horizon, Dan was up and moving, eager to get back to his desert cave. He dug around for the crown in his belongings and took a moment to admire it. The gold and silver were expertly woven together, with the Lester family crest imprinted in pride of place. Dan felt a strange little tug when he saw it. Lester - Prince Philip Lester. This crown was a tie between Dan and him. Dan didn't think he'd ever forget the trusting look in the Prince's eyes as he'd taken Dan's hand, or the way he’d almost seemed sorry that his station was so far above Dan’s. If only Dan could trust him.

Plus, now Dan knew that the Prince was afraid of confined spaces. This was news that Dan could use.

**

It seemed the news of Phil’s grandfather's crown being stolen from the archives had not yet quite reached the majority of Phil's family when he’d arrived home the previous night, and therefore it wasn’t until the next day when Phil woke up that he realized he’d dropped a literal bombshell on his family. The maids were the ones to rouse him come morning with the news, and he was forced to dress and make an appearance in the royal champers before six am. When he entered, he found his family's most trusted Guard already gathered and on the defensive as the King drew up a bounty with a frown on his face.

Phil took one look at the image presented there - a cloaked figure with his head lowered and glowing eyes coming from under his hood - before he realized what was happening, and then he was immediately on the defensive.

“What’s going on?” he demanded, storming in with a glare at his brother and mother, knowing this had to be their doing, as his father was largely against setting bounties.

It was his brother who turned and answered him, making Phil’s jaw clench and his fingers curl into angry fists. It was always Martyn who failed to understand the needs of their citizens.

“I’ve set a bounty on the King of Thieves. He’s gone too far, Philip. If you have been unable to apprehend him on your own -”

“Absolutely not!” Phil demanded, his worst fears coming to life as his brother spoke. He felt a swoop of fear surge through his chest, and immediately, he wanted to throw up at the very idea of his thief being hunted down by men far less capable let alone understanding than himself. Not bothering to acknowledge his strange need to protect the King of Thieves of all people, Phil didn’t hesitate to take a furious step forward even under his brother’s angry gaze until he was stood in front of his own guards, glaring up at his often naive brother.

“I’ve already had them drawn up, and the King is putting his seal there now. There will be reward for the safe return of our Grandfather’s crown, and another for the thief’s head -” his brother continued, not bothering to react to Phil’s clear anger at him. In fact, he seemed quite pleased with himself, staring smugly at Phil as Phil’s blood began to boil under his skin.

“No!” Phil shouted at him, taking another furious step forwards. “That is not how things are done in our kingdom any longer, Martyn!” He was seething and trembling with anger now, but it was more than that; for years, Phil had been working to change the ways of the guard, and now his brother was taking steps backwards to undo everything that Phil had worked so hard to accomplish.

“He’s stolen our Grandfather’s crown, Philip. That’s capital punishment.”

Phil rushed forward, then, and slammed his hands down on the table his brother and father were sat at, chest heaving as he glared at them.

“There will be no more death on my watch, Martyn. Father has agreed to repeal the Capital Punishment. The news was meant to go out tomorrow. I will not allow this bounty to be released! The King of Thieves is my problem. I will take care of him, and there will be no blood on our hands.”

When Phil looked to his father for back-up, he found the King smiling and winking at him as he verbally agreed to do as Phil had said, already taking the thousands of bounty pages they’d had drawn up that morning and scraping them in the bin, not bothering to look twice or acknowledge Martyn’s indignant squawk of betrayal next to him.

“That’s unfair, father! You agreed! There needs to be a punishment for this! A common thief such as him should not be allowed to get away with stealing from the royal crown!” Martyn complained, sending Phil the most hateful look that he had ever seen. It made Phil’s blood boil, because he and his brother had always gotten along, but not when it came to punishment and politics, it seemed.

“Father also agreed to repeal capital punishment, Martyn! Putting a bounty on the King of Thieves will only weaken our arguments. Do you have any idea what kind of damage that would cause to our regime!?” he demanded, only for his father to cut in before the two could get any more heated than they already were.

“That is quite enough. Martyn, your brother is right. We’re trying to move forward with the justice system, not back. The King of Thieves will pay for his thievery, but not with his life. We will give your brother a little more time to stop him, and that’s that,” the King insisted, looking both stern and amused all at once.

Phil could do nothing but roll his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest because he, at least, had the grace to know when he’d won.

Martyn, on the other hand, failed to throw a tantrum when he lost, and before any more words could be said, he was storming from the room with his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

The Queen was staring disapprovingly at Phil, but Phil didn’t care.

“He was only trying to help, dear,” she tried.

Phil shot her a look.

“And how does killing anyone who does the smallest thing wrong, help? It’s just a crown, mother. And it’s not as if he broke into the actual castle. I hardly see how murder is the way to go.”

The Queen didn’t have a reply to that, turning her gaze away, slightly ashamed. They’d had this argument before, when Phil had still been trying to get capital punishment repealed in the first place, and he knew that he had won.

The King, meanwhile, was giving Phil a knowing look - one that it took Phil a moment to decipher. His grin was suggestive, and he kept glancing at Phil’s outerwear. Phil realized with a start that he’d automatically put on the green cloak he’d bought himself to blend in on the streets better, and flushed.

“Stop it, father,” he commanded, cheeks turning a bright red. “There’s nothing going on,” he insisted.

The King shrugged his shoulders.

“I never said there was.”

With another annoyed huff of embarrassment, Phil turned on his heel, and left. It was more than obvious to him that his father seemed to be on the same page as Martyn when it came to Phil’s obsession with the King of Thieves, but while Martyn was teasing, Phil’s father seemed to be serious in his belief that Phil had an ulterior motive to stalking the King of Thieves.

There was nothing going on, no ulterior motives, and Phil was sick of his family teasing him. His unreasonable need to protect the man was nothing more than pride on his part. Phil wanted to be the one to take him down. Phil wanted to prove that he was better.

But mostly, Phil just wanted to repeal capital punishment, and do as he had promised just last night - make a change, and create a safe place for his people.

Reassured that no god-forsaken mercenary or would-be-hero would be out on the streets ready to attack should they see the King of Thieves, Phil retired to the guard house, discarding his cloak as he went so that fewer people would have a chance to recognize him in said outfit.

There would be no more death in the name of justice in this kingdom, for that, Phil would make sure, and he would not allow any more of his people to become criminals in the name of “justice.” Encouraging murder in return for riches was never going to happen again, so long as Phil could make it so.

**

Phil spent the rest of the day locked away in his office in the guard house, right next to the palace gates. If he was wallowing in self-pity and ruminating on confused thoughts regarding the King of Thieves, well no one had to know, even if it was more than obvious with the way he snapped at everyone who tried to speak with him.

There was paperwork to be done, and no time to think on petty thieves who had gotten under Phil’s skin.

He didn’t have a crush, no. He didn’t like his thief, of course not. How could he? That just wasn’t possible.

And yet, as Phil scribbled away on parchment after parchment, trying to press forward with bills of change, he couldn’t help thinking that yeah, there really was something more going on here. It wasn’t just Phil’s desperate desire to avoid murder staying his hand anymore; it was something more.

Sighing, Phil dropped his quill and shoved his face in his hands.

HIs heart was beating way too fast to be anything but - no, he wasn’t even going to think the word. He wasn’t going to fall in love with a criminal. Phil couldn’t do that. The King of Thieves was no-one. It didn’t matter if he’d been kind to Phil last night, it didn’t matter if he was more loyal and honest than most people Phil knew, it didn’t matter if he treated Phil like an equal.

Phil could not fall in love with the King of Thieves. He could not.

And even if he did, the King of Thieves would never fall in love with him back.

Shaking his head once more, Phil turned back to the papers on his desk, and started to draft up something entirely different, rather than just signing off on requests.

Come morning, he’d start initiating changes to go along with the repeal of the capital punishment, ultimately changing Morellia for the better.

It wasn’t going to be easy, Phil knew that. He’d been dealing with his family and the guard for years now, and the justice system in the Capital in particular was rigid, but Phil was Head of the Royal Guard and a Prince. He would find a way to get his way.

Things would change, or else the people would revolt. Phil just had to make the rest of the Royals, the Guards, and the High Court see this and make a change. Things were not well the way things were now, and while crime was never the answer and would always be punished, Phil had decided it couldn't continue on like this.

So, over the course of the next week, Phil drew up plans to help destroy the class differences that had existed since long before even his own family's time, knowing even as he wrote them that this would be the most difficult task he’d ever faced.

**

A week passed before Dan entered the Capital again.

He’d spent that week squirreled away in his desert hideout, hunting to replenish his stock of food out where it was easier to come by. He’d lived alone in the desert for years, and knew it like the back of his hand; where the best spots to find water were, and where he could hunt down animals for their meat and their skins. The rest of the time he spent curled up on his blankets, reading scrolls by lamplight or scratching out his own words with an old, scrappy quill and whatever parchment he could steal or make himself from the skins of the animals he caught.

His desert cavern wasn’t much, but it was his.

Still, he had a job to do, and Dan’s time wasn’t spent idly. No, he spent the week plotting, thinking of the best way to go about stealing the next time he entered the Capital in a way that was bound to get Prince-fucking-Philip’s attention.

Dan still had the ring he’d stolen, the one in which the stone looked like the exact shade of green-blue-yellow as Prince Philip’s eyes. Sometimes, Dan would catch himself taking it out of his pocket, playing with the fine gold and admiring the jewel, lost in his thoughts.

The Prince was a quandary, a problem, for Dan. If nothing else, he was Dan’s biggest foe, and the only man with the capability of capturing him. Not that Dan would ever let that happen.

Dan should have just killed him while he’d had the chance. The passageway where they’d fought had been tiny, yes, but the Prince had been terrified and it would have been easy. It wasn’t as if Dan had never killed before.

It was just… for some reason, the thought of seeing the light drain from Prince Philip’s stormy eyes set Dan’s stomach roiling.

It was ridiculous. Dan didn’t have much of a guilty conscience left - he knew he stole for the greater good, that what he did for the poor was worth whatever crimes he might have to commit to get there. Prince Philip was standing in the way of that good, and yet…

And yet, Dan enjoyed his company too much to kill him. These past few weeks had been the most fun he’d had in ages, deliberately setting up traps for the Prince to walk straight into. He hadn’t had someone to play with since he was a child, and this feud with the Prince was exactly like the kind of games Dan had invented for his brother, before he fell sick. They used to chase each other all around their village, setting traps or lying in wait prepared to ambush each other, or ganging up together to surprise their father.

Dan missed those days, and the Prince was giving him a chance to have fun again. Dan wasn’t ready to give up the game yet.

So he plotted. And when he returned to the Capital a week later, it was with a plan; only, Dan was more than surprised upon finally sneaking back through the city gates with his hood pulled low over his head to find the city in uproar over rumours coming from the Palace itself.

Apparently, Captain Philip, AKA Prince Philip, the leader of the Royal Guard and the bane of Dan's existence, had started drawing up plans for a drastic remodelling of the class system. His ideas weren't perfect, but they were certainly better than anything else currently in place, from what Dan could gather, and his remodeling of the justice system was even more drastic.

Dan secreted himself into a corner of his favoured tavern to hear more, where he was known enough for no one to ask questions, but not known enough for his name to be dropped. As such, he kept his cloak hood pulled right down over his face. He had no doubt that there would be some sort of description of him floating around by now - Captain Philip had seen his face twice, after all.

Dan listened to the gossip from the table next to his, nursing a cup without actually drinking from it. He needed to keep up appearances, but he couldn't afford to get drunk - not with what he was planning.

"Have you heard?" One woman was excitedly telling her husband one table over from Dan, "The Prince has been out in the city again today, conducting talks with the people."

"Which Prince?" the husband responded gruffly.

"The younger one. Philip - Captain of the Royal Guard." The woman lowered her voice secretively. "I've heard people calling him 'Protector of the Realm' now. He's all but eradicated crime, and he's only been Captain for less than a year!"

Dan snorted into his drink. That bumbling fool, Protector of the Realm? Dan couldn't help but wonder what Captain Philip himself would make of all this, if he knew of these rumours. No doubt it would give him something else to lord over Dan.

Perhaps Dan would ask him, when he no doubt saw him later that night.

Having gathered enough news for the time being, Dan rose to his feet and dropped a few coins on the table (stolen from unsuspecting citizens out on the street). On his way past the other table, he deftly swiped the man's wallet, secreting it into one of his many cloak pockets on his way out of the door.

Once he was outside, Dan made sure his cloak hood completely covered his face before he began striding purposefully towards the city library. He'd been chased over its rooftop by Captain Philip not so long ago, but now he had plans to lead the Prince deep underground - and he was counting on the fact that the Prince wouldn't like it.

Dan had never managed to retrieve his favourite dagger from his last spat with the Prince, so he'd been forced to settle on a slightly lesser blade - which was something else Dan planned to bring up in their later confrontation. But first off, he had to set things up.

Once Dan reached the grand entrance to the library, Dan slipped into an alley where he had a good view of the wide oak doors, gripping his knife in his hand. For this to work, he needed to make a lot of noise, and he had to wait for it to get dark.

He watched closely as the working day came to an end, and the last of the workers began trickling down the steps. When the only person left was a single guard preparing to lock up the giant, heavy doors, Dan made his move.

Quick as a flash, he was right up behind the guard with a knife to his back. "Stay still if you want to live," Dan purred into his ear, a thrill going through his veins when the man tensed, a sharp gasp escaping him.

"Shut up, too," Dan added, "And obey the King of Thieves."

The man's eyes were wide with horror when Dan span him around, tilting his face just enough to reveal his dark eyes. The man looked utterly terrified. "A-are you really...?!"

"Yes, you've looked your fill," Dan answered impatiently. He didn't have time for this. "Now, do exactly as I say, and maybe I'll let you live to go home to your family tonight. Understand?"

Speechless, the man could only nod.

"Good." Dan released the man, making sure to keep his knife very evident. "Now. You're going to unlock those doors and give me access to the crypt. Once I'm safely down there - with no interruptions - you're going to run along straight to the Palace and give a message to Prince-fucking-Philip. Understand?"

The man nodded faintly.

"Good. Tell him these exact words: The King of Thieves is waiting for him, if his scared little arse dares come down to meet me - I'll be in the crypt."

The man all but gasped. "I can't speak to a Royal with such disrespect!"

Dan grinned evilly, playing with his knife. "If you’d prefer, I could just kill you right here."

The man's face blanched. With a final, hate-filled stare, he got to work unlocking the doors.

Dan grinned as he was shown the way down into the crypt. He'd have plenty to entertain himself with down here among the ancient scrolls, and the cramped, tight, underground space was absolutely perfect. Exactly what he figured the Prince would hate. He might even manage to steal a few precious manuscripts while he was here - he'd heard there were some exquisite first editions.

Dan sent the guard on his way to the Palace then, settling in to lie in wait, knife still in hand. He'd have the Prince's full attention again soon.

**

Phil's time in the city streets had only been growing since the night he’d determined to make some changes, and it was now split between protecting and serving his people, and talking with them. Desperate to know everything he could from every walk of life, Phil had been pressing and pressing, digging into the deep, dark crevices of city life, until he’d managed to crack open more than a few eggs. While Phil could never claim to truly understand completely, as he could never truly be in their shoes - and not just because he didn’t want to or because he thought he might not be able to survive on his own, but because that kind of vulnerability would lead to attempts on his life - he was happy to hear their concerns.

There were plenty of people who were angry with him, though, plenty of peasants who claimed there was nothing Phil could do for them or that they didn’t want his pity, throwing mince pies and even knives on more than one occasion at Phil’s face. There were plenty of the working class as well who reacted in much the same way, merchants and healers and blacksmiths who spat at Phil’s shoes, angry and spiteful that a royal dare even attempt to understand them.

But there were also those who looked at Phil with curious, suspicious glances, and spilled all - including their crimes, just trying to make Phil understand. These people, Phil looked on with concern, nodding along grimly as they admitted to the horrible things they’d been forced to succumb to just to survive, reaching out with a calming hand to promise they would not be harmed. These people filled Phil in on their concerns, on the hardships of their lives, and grimaced with half-hearted belief that Phil might actually one day make it all better, filling Phil with the hope that maybe… maybe he might actually be able to do it.

The hardest part, though, was when Phil walked into the most desolate part of town and met the orphans, all curled up together in small huddles of warmth under low hanging shelters that hardly offered any help from the elements of the earth. His heart broke at the very sight of them, at the way they formed their own families and killed to survive, turning to lives of thievery and ganghood. Speaking with them… that nearly crushed Phil’s soul.

He’d known, of course he’d known, how many children went hungry on the streets of his home, but he’d never been forced to confront it quite like this, inviting their stories and pardoning them for all that they’d done, offering them snips of food and money that Phil had on his person in a sad attempt to alleviate some of his own guilt.

Looking at all those children, lost behind the veil of poverty and merchanthood, reminded Phil of just how much he’d failed them. With no safeguards in place, Phil had left these children with no one to take care of them, desolate and living in their own filth, unable to move up in the world because there was nobody around to help them step up. Seeing the suffering of these children, these children who Phil and his family had abandoned, broke his heart, and he knew right then and there that there was something he had to do - only he didn’t know what.

The centuries of increased crime rate could be blamed for this, not to mention the lack of care on the governing facilities’ part throughout the years even before the Lester family had taken the throne, but Phil didn’t know quite how to fix it. It was a system so old, far away kingdoms still used it, abused it, and Phil was left with a pile of broken ideas and a sunken heart. As nothing more than a prince who’d spent most of his life learning how to be proper royalty, learning of his own history, and training to be in the King’s Guard, he had no real idea how any of his ideas would pan out, how he’d implement them if he could, or if they’d even work when he did.

So, with sunken shoulders and a great burden weighing heavy on Phil’s heart, he set out to return to the palace with a list of ideas for his most trusted advisors to help him look over. Peej, as city director, had been the most helpful so far, but even he was unsure quite what Phil wanted, not that it was his fault. Phil only had grand ideas, and overly wishful hopes. It wasn’t much to go on, even for someone as knowledgeable in city politics as Peej.

Phil was just on his way to Peej’s chambers for the millionth time that week when a guard shot past him, headed straight for the palace gates through the gardens Phil had grown up in as if his ass was on fire, looking breathless and terrified.

Phil’s fingers launched straight to the dagger at his waist, curling there as he glanced about himself in fear that something terrible had happened and that the guard was trying to deliver the news.

He didn’t have much time to ponder that thought at all before the guard seemed to catch himself, skidding to a halt and turning back to shoot towards Phil, eyes wide and frightened as he took in the man much taller than himself.

"Prince Philip, sir!" he shouted, breathless.

Reaching out to clasp the man reassuringly on the shoulder, Phil nodded at him, brow wrinkled in worry. "What is it? Are you okay? What's happened?"

"The King of Thieves," the guard stuttered out, eyes darting everywhere but Phil's face as he swallowed thickly, arms rigid at his sides.

The name was like a shock of cold water down Phil's spine, all previous thoughts of his day completely wiped from his mind.

"What's happened?" he demanded this time, only he couldn’t decide whether the terror he was feeling was for his thief or his kingdom.

"My deepest apologies, sire, I had no choice,” the guard said, his voice shaking with very real fear as he tried to keep it together for his Prince. “He held me under a knife, threatened my life and my family’s, I had to, sire, please forgive me," the guard continued to ramble.

Heart beating hard in his chest, Phil merely shook his head, rattling the guard by his hold on his shoulder.

"Yes, fine, you are forgiven, your life was at stake. Just tell me what's happened!"

"The King of Thieves, he asked me to deliver a message to you. He said, and forgive me sire, 'The King of Thieves is waiting for him, if his scared little arse dares come down to meet me - I'll be in the crypt.'"

Immediately Phil's blood began to boil, and he was seeing red, fingers tightening involuntarily around the guard’s shoulder. He only noticed when he saw the man flinch, and immediately released his hold on him, but his mind was spinning, and his already elevated heart rate only seemed to increase more with his own fear, because the crypt was one of the lowest points of the semi-public library, the rooms small and cramped.

It was Phil's worst fear come to life. He'd rarely been down there, and it had always been terrifying to feel the weight of the Earth nearly crushing him the few times he had. The ceilings were low there, and despite the concrete and stone creating the rooms, the smell of dirt and soil lingered until it was far too obviously underground for Phil to trick his mind into thinking otherwise.

And the King of Thieves was waiting down there for him, more aware of Phil's fear than anyone else in the entire kingdom, including his parents and brother.

Swallowing hard, Phil nodded and sent the guard on his way.

"Go home to your family. Take the next few days off. What is the name of your supervisor? I will speak to him. Did you see his face?" Phil asked, eyes glazed over and unfocused until he realized the danger his thief had put himself in by revealing himself to this guard.

The guard shook his head. "No, sire. He kept his hood low. I saw only his eyes." Here, the guard shivered, as if the brown that Phil had come to quite enjoy were terrifying instead of intriguing.

"Right. Off you go then," Phil dismissed him, and hardly payed it any mind as an officer’s name was thrown at him, easily recognizable, before the guard bowed and ran.

The crypt, then. Phil had promised himself he'd never let his thief use his weakness against him again, and yet here they were, with Phil being forced to face his greatest fear once again.

He didn't bother continuing his trip up to the Castle. It hardly mattered now when Phil had everything he needed right there on his person, and he headed straight down a different path that would lead him to the library, and the crypt below.

It was a struggle, keeping his breathing and fear under control, but Phil would do it. The King of Thieves was taunting him, and Phil was determined to prove himself once again.

**

Dan spent his time in the crypt well, browsing the shelves as he moved in slow circles around it, getting to know his surroundings enough that the Princel wouldn’t have the upper hand - not that Dan truly thought he would considering Dan knew of his fear of enclosed spaces, of which this most certainly was.

He never revealed this to anyone if he could help it, but Dan absolutely loved reading, and being in this room was the best thing in the world. He loved the feeling of parchment under his fingers, the way words could make him feel, and how much knowledge they could hold. Being surrounded by so much pure knowledge was destined to make him glow with satisfaction, even if the Prince didn’t show up.

Not many thieves knew how to read, but Dan had been lucky enough to have an educated father. Some of his fondest memories, from before he'd been orphaned, had been of his father reading to him, gently pointing out the strange symbols until Dan could make sense of them himself. After his mother's death in giving birth to Dan's little brother, his father had begun to waste away, and the only time Dan had ever been able to get through to him had been through written words. After his father's death, Dan had then read to his little brother, and then he'd been taken away from Dan too, until Dan was left all alone.

For some time after that, Dan had been too furious to read anymore. He’d ripped up every single one of his father's manuscripts, even the fairy tales that had been Dan's favourite - an action he regretted to this very day. As he'd grown into thieving and quickly become the best of the best, Dan had stolen scrolls whenever he could, always on the lookout for those same fairytales his father had once read to him. Dan had never had any luck finding them, though.

But he'd never spent much time looking anywhere quite as extensive as this crypt, let alone the library above him.

Dan scoured the shelves slowly, his fingers ghosting through the rows and rows of dusty scrolls. Perhaps he could ask Prince Philip about it, once he finally got down here - maybe they could strike another deal. Dan would be willing to relent a little for such a precious item. If things went sour, though, Dan knew of a secret way to escape out of the back of the crypt and back into the passages of the underground world. He wouldn't allow the Prince to capture him this night.

**

The easiest bit was walking in. Phil had tight control over himself in the beginning, he always did, and it often allowed him to move through passages that otherwise would have made him throw up without alerting anyone else to his fear. The difference this time, however, was that Phil wouldn't be moving through this place and out to the other side as fast as he could. He would be spending an undetermined amount of time down here instead, and it didn't escape his mind that this was an obvious ploy on his thief's part.

The longer they stayed in the crypt, the harder it would be for Phil to fight, and the more his honor would be destroyed. No, Phil had no plans to fight tonight, nor any plans to try and capture his thief. Instead, he’d come down here to show his thief that there was nothing that could be done that would frighten him away - the Prince would always face his fear.

Of course, his reluctance to fight had nothing to do with his secret desire not to catch his thief at all, nor did it have anything to do with his unwillingness to give up his time with the King of Thieves, and his willingness to meet the man down here at all was completely unrelated to any desire Phil had to merely see his face again.

The further down Phil went, the thicker the air seemed to grow. Panic was squeezing at his chest already, but Phil had practice ignoring it, and at least for now, he knew he would be fine. His eyes darted about the small enclosure he walked down towards the crypt’s normally locked door, as he kept a lookout for any signs of traps or his thief the closer he got.

It occurred to him then just how disconcerting the blind faith he seemed to have in the man actually was, and yet, Phil couldn’t help thinking that he he had proven himself.

Perhaps Phil's life was far too boring if he was this trusting, this excited, to meet the one person who made things that little bit fun. Not that Phil would admit it. No, the King of Thieves was infuriating, annoying, and that was it.

**

When Dan finally heard footsteps, he was instantly alert, dropping into a crouch and drawing his cloak tight around himself. He still had his hood up, and he left it that way for now in case the new arrival wasn't the Prince. He knew this strategy was risky. The Prince could very well come down here with a whole host of backup, or even not come down himself and just send down others to fetch Dan for him. But Dan had a hunch that catching him had become a matter of pride for the Prince, and his hunches tended to serve him well.

As Dan sidled amongst the shelves, peering through them at the easily viewable entrance to the crypt, he caught sight of the Prince moving reluctantly into the library, already breathing heavily. Even better, he seemed to be alone. Dan smirked a little - he was right, these places clearly upset the Prince, and he didn't appear to have brought anyone else with him.

The Prince even looked a little faint, red faced and quite obviously trembling.

For some reason, something in Dan's chest tugged at that, wanting to allow the Prince freedom from his fear. Maybe he shouldn't have picked the underground to do this, not when the Prince was so clearly upset by it.

But Dan was a ruthless thief. He couldn't - no, he wouldn't - have such feelings about a highborn.

Instead, Dan stayed well hidden behind his row of shelves, and spoke into the flickering light with a low, sultry voice. "Well, well, well. Prince Philip. What a delight it is to see you again."

Phil’s breathing had gone completely uneven by the time he reached the cracked open doorway of the crypt, and he did his best to ignore the spinning in his head as he pushed it open and stepped cautiously inside. After a quick look around, Phil found no sign of his thief until a voice piped up, and then Phil was running an even more calculating gaze around the rather large room.

His eyes scanned over scroll upon scroll lined along the walls and bookcases scattered about. This was the most attention Phil had paid to the crypt, well, ever.

"The same could be said for you if you'd only reveal yourself to me," Phil taunted back, surprised by his own flirtation, and blushing madly as it hit him what he'd said this time. "Why have you summoned me? You're clearly looking for more than a fight,” he added, clearing his throat and trying to pretend he was more confident than he actually was.

Dan couldn't help the wide grin that spread across his face at that. He'd hoped the Prince would come and see him, yes, and he'd hoped they would talk rather than fight, but he wasn't expecting the prince to be quite so flirtatious or playful with him.

Not that Dan was complaining. This game, he could play.

"Is that eagerness I hear?" Dan taunted, edging a little closer to the edge of the shelves he was hidden behind. "I am flattered. First, though, I need to know you're alone. I only let certain people see my face."

For the first time in his thief's presence, Phil chuckled. Actually chuckled, the sound a low rumble in his chest. He liked the way his thief's voice sounded, curling that accent around his words, but also clearly elated by the excitement in Phil's voice that Phil had never even meant to let get across.

The way his stomach curled in delight at his thief announcing he only showed his face to certain people, Phil being one of those disclosed few, was something Phil would have to analyze later.

Aware that the King of Thieves’ gaze was upon him, Phil glanced pointedly around him, and moved further into the room, planting himself in the center despite how that seemed to make the room swirl and spin even more around him.

"I believe if I had an escort, you'd be able to hear them by now, nor would they allow me to put myself in such direct danger, exposed as I am with no view of yourself," he announced, glancing pointedly around him again as his breathing hitched a bit. He had to close his eyes against the spinning, but it only made it worse, and he opened them again slowly, not wanting to show any more weakness than he already had.

“But I’ll ask again. Why did you summon me here?”

Dan's lips curled upward when he heard the Prince chuckle, but he paused as his brain registered the Prince's question. He couldn't very well give the Prince the real reason he'd come down here - because he’d wanted the Prince's attention back on him, where it belonged - but he didn't really have another excuse. The Prince was right about the fact that he didn't want to fight.

Trouble was, Dan hadn’t given himself an alternative excuse - which may have been a mistake, with hindsight.

As it was, Dan cast about for something he could say, and his gaze alighted on the scrolls again. He hummed softly. "Yes, well, I didn't want to fight. You're right. Actually, I want your advice."

His thief's next words came as a direct surprise, and Phil's eyes narrowed, almost expecting a trap though he continued to wait, still stood still in the middle of the room, wishing his thief would just reveal himself already. The comfort of another human being in the room might actually help Phil’s panic just then.

"It is my duty as your prince to help you. I'm all ears," he stated lowly, a low curl of something forming in his stomach at the idea of belonging to his thief. Not that that was what he'd meant, of course not, not at all.

"You're my Prince, are you?" Dan's brows shot up, his tone still teasing, and he finally stepped out from around the shelves, pulling his hood down in the process.

It took another few seconds before the King of Thieves revealed himself, but when he did, he pulled back the hood of his cloak easily enough, revealing himself in all of his glory to Phil. Brown hair had been swept back and off of his thief's forehead in an appealing way, but it was the eyes that captured and held his attention.

The trust that movement alone represented, the King of Thieves showing himself to Phil, made his heart pound even harder in his chest, and it really wasn’t helping the tight control he currently had over himself.

Where was his usual anger that he couldn't capture this man? Why was Phil so… so distracted by his desire to know him instead? He couldn't be thinking like this, no matter how attractive his thief was. Phil had to remind himself that this man's flirting meant nothing, that no one could ever want Phil as more than the promise of royalty in their life.

He had no room for love or lust. Not that he'd know what to do with either even if he did.

Dan's lips curled up again at the way the Prince's gaze alighted upon him the second that Dan showed himself. He liked that, he liked having the Prince's attention solely on him, right where it belonged.

And Dan was definitely not going to be analysing that feeling.

"Well, if you are my Prince,” Dan purred, stepping up closer to the Prince until he was right in his space, “Do I get to order you around? Force you to do my bidding? Will you answer the wishes of a lowly thief?" Dan looked down at him, lowering his tone. "Even if I am the King of thieves?"

Phil might have been a bit mortified to have his thief coming so close to him with that tone in his voice, suggestive and eager and flirtatious all in one. "I answer all my people's wishes," he whispered, gulping. His words being thrown back at him hurt, knowing that he'd called his thief that first. "Or, I try to. I do my best," he continued, turning sad eyes to the floor with the knowledge that he'd let his people down. He didn't react in any other way to his thief's words, knowing they were nothing more than teasing, that the King of Thieves had no desire to do the things his tone of voice suggested.

Dan licked his lips, considering the Prince’s words. He was implying he could help Dan, and while Dan didn't know if it was a good idea to reveal this much of himself to the Prince - this wasn't anything Dan had told anyone before - something innate within him trusted the Prince. After all, it seemed that the Prince had come down here entirely alone, and Dan did still need an excuse for why he’d asked the Prince to come here.

"I want a scroll. A particular one - the story of the fairytales. I think the author is Alexandrus. Do you know it? And more importantly - is it here?" Dan waved a hand around the shelves of the underground crypt, watching the Prince's face closely for his reaction.

"Alexandrus' fairy tales?" Phil repeated, intrigued by the request. His eyes scanned the crypt they stood in, and then flitted back out to the rest of the library. Something like relief fluttered through the all encompassing pressure on his chest as he realized where they might be. "I do know it. And it is here, just not in this room. The original scrolls have not found their way into our collection. Perhaps not as precious as you'd usually prefer, but we do own a copy. In the central library."

Phil wasn't sure a copy would be good enough for his thief, but regardless, he would be relieved to leave this room as soon as possible, and preferably with his thief in tow.

Despite himself, Dan's eyes brightened with interest the minute the Prince mentioned that they had a copy of the fairy tales. Not a first edition, but a copy was more than enough. Dan longed to run his fingers over the familiar words again, to reacquaint himself with one of his father's greatest loves. And he wanted to show them to the Prince, as well.

But no. That was ridiculous. The Prince wouldn't care, and Dan would never ever reveal his true motives for wanting the manuscript. No matter how much those intense blue eyes might make him want to spill his entire life story. Dan never let anyone in. If people got close to him, it only hurt more when he lost them. And a Prince would be worst of all.

"A copy will do just fine." Dan, despite his best efforts, could not keep excitement completely out of his tone. "And I imagine you want to get out of here. I'd apologise for making you come down here, but I had to get your attention somehow." Dan gave him a cheeky wink, smirk back in place. "Go ahead - take me to your central library. I trust you're not going to turn me in."

Clearing his throat, Phil looked up and met his thief's gaze once more, trying for a weak smile. "As of now, you’re right. I would very much like to leave this place, now. Though, if you really wanted my attention, there are other ways to get it." The tease was back in Phil's voice as well, but he didn't have the confidence needed to pull it off quite the way his thief did, the great flirt himself, and he found himself terrified to dig himself a hole he couldn't get himself out of.

Flirting with the King of Thieves would do nothing but breed feelings in Phil. Soft hearted, he'd always been, leaving him with the need to cut himself off completely from the lost idea of love. Too many times to count, Phil had very nearly fallen for the ploys of his classmates and the girls who’d wanted nothing more than to rule over Phil and the rest of his Kingdom.

Surprised by his thief's reassurance that he trusted in Phil, Phil turned a stunned gaze onto him, watching as he moved to allow Phil to lead the way for both of them.

"Come along, then. I'll show you where our greatest treasures lie." Phil didn't know what his thief wanted with the copy of the tales, and he didn't truly believe his thief would see his scrolls as important as Phil did, but at least to him, they were his greatest treasures, treasures he was happy to share with his thief.

If his expression was a little bit more sad now, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Phil wanted, in that moment, to have more with this man in his company.

Dan couldn't cope with the sad tone in the Prince's voice. It was in his eyes, too - those big sad eyes that somehow managed to hold Dan in place, to pin him down, to capture him in a way that the King of Thieves should never be captured.

Dan recalled thinking that those eyes were dangerous, and he thought he was being proved right, right now. With those eyes turned on him, Dan found himself with an irrepressible itch to make everything better, to bend over backwards to make sure this Prince - his Prince - was ok.

Dan couldn't reveal any of those thoughts, but he was powerless to do nothing.

"Don't worry," Dan said lightly as he followed the Prince out of the crypt, "From what I hear, you're doing a good enough job of protecting your people. Have you heard the latest things they're calling you? 'Protector of the Realm.'" Dan allowed himself a small chuckle. "I admit, I snorted when I first heard, knowing what a bumbling fool you really are."

To soften the harsh words, Dan's tone was soft and almost fond. He narrowed his eyes a little. This was just playful - that's all. A little bit of playful teasing, because the Prince was too much fun to play with.

"I'd be interested in these other ways to get your attention," Dan added. "Might be easier on you if I don't have to keep tearing up half your city just to have a word."

As soon as the King of Thieves had given Phil the go ahead, he was leading them out from the underground and back up into the main library, making a quick turn to the left to take his thief to what was considered the Central Library, breathing deeply in relief when his chest almost immediately seemed to relax, the terror and panic gone. As Phil breathed deeply and smiled in relief, he turned right, leading his thief further into the library, knowing almost exactly where he might find the scrolls his thief was looking for.

Casting his gaze behind him, and all too surprised he'd been so willing to have the King of Thieves trail behind him where he could pounce on Phil when he least expected it, Phil furrowed his brow in disbelief at his words. "Protector of the Realm?" he questioned, not wanting to focus on the fond tone of his thief's voice as he spoke of Phil's work this last week. He couldn't read too much into that.

Shaking his head, Phil closed his eyes briefly. "That's - far more than what I am," Phil replied. He sighed, though, at the thief’s tiny jab. "For a bumbling fool, I've been quite good at managing to surprise you."

They took another turn at Phil's direction that led them down a slightly darker hall of bookshelves and scrolls, hidden towards the back where Phil used to hide from the girls in his class who were all trying to vie for his attention. This is where he'd read the fairy tales, discovered the tales his family didn't want him to read, about dragons and ghouls and the men who'd faced them. They were just stories, made up, his family had told him, but Phil had always enjoyed them.

"I thought you enjoyed tearing up my city," Phil rumbled back, but he couldn’t deny the giddy feeling in his chest at the idea of his thief occasionally just wanting a chat. "But, perhaps… we could have an agreement. A way to meet on neutral ground. That is, if we thought we could trust one another."

Phil thought they'd proved that so far, but he still had to ask.

Dan couldn't stop himself from lighting up the minute they entered the central library. He'd been to some of the richest places in the land, seen treasures far greater than any in this room, and held priceless jewels worth more than his weight in gold, but never before had Dan been so immediately enraptured with a place.

The library was beautiful.

It was all Dan could do to force himself to keep a steady pace behind his Prince. All he wanted was to run around the aisles screeching excitedly about how much knowledge there was contained in this room, and devour every single scroll he could get his hands on. But Dan had a reputation to uphold - a reputation he'd already been letting slip around his Prince.

Dan was a little worried by that.

Instead, he focused on his Prince's words, although his eyes constantly moved around the room, taking in as much as he possibly could.

"Don't get cocky, Captain Philip," Dan murmured, leaning forward just a little to breathe his words directly into the Prince's ear. "It's probably in your best interests to remember just who you're dealing with here. You may have surprised me, but only because I let you get too close."

Perhaps not entirely true - the Prince was far more skilled than Dan had been expecting - but Dan wasn't about to tell him that.

Phil shivered as his thief pushed close to him again, whispering directly into Phil's ear the way he'd done before. No longer fearing for his life, Phil was able to take in the way it made him feel, and, well… that was different. That was new. Phil liked the way it felt so intimate to have his thief this close, as if they were sharing a secret the way he whispered into Phil's ear.

"Then why'd you let me close?" Phil whispered back, snaking an arm around his thief's waist to drag him near enough to say it into his ear as well, releasing him again almost immediately with a vicious smirk of his own that would never betray the way Phil's heart was racing hard in his chest.

Stop it, Phil, he told himself. Don't fall for this. You know it means nothing to him.

Dan froze the instant he felt his Prince's arm wind around his waist. No one ever touched Dan. No one. Not unless they were trying to kill him, which no one had dared try for years, or steal from him, in which case Dan would not hesitate to cut off their hands. This touch - this kind of teasing familiarity - was not something Dan was used to.

He wasn't sure how to react, and that threw Dan off. He was always self assured and unsurprised, but somehow, this Prince with the deep blue eyes constantly stopped him in his tracks.

Trying to cover his momentary shock, Dan dropped back behind his Prince, watching his every move with sharp eyes. The proximity to the fairy tales was making Dan jittery, and he could feel the familiar rush that came with thieving accompanied by something warm and new - a feeling he hadn't had since he'd lost his family.

He put it down to the memories of his father, and refused to believe the warm sensation had anything to do with the Prince beside him.

"I could agree to a neutral meeting ground," Dan agreed easily enough, although his brown eyes flashed at the Prince's back. "As long as this copy you fetch for me is adequate. And, of course, you'd have to trust me." Dan hummed, his tone turning dark for a minute. “Will you throw your lot in with the likes of me? You said yourself last time, no one of your stature should bother themselves with peasants. Am I correct?" Dan asked, wanting to move the conversation along, and not dwell on the way that Phil had touched him.

Behind Dan's teasing sat a hard truth. Dan was still cynical, despite hearing the way the citizens of the capital had been talking about the Prince's latest plans. Dan had seen the Prince's true colours in those underground passageways - even if the Prince had apologised. Dan was not one to easily forget.

They moved on, Phil's thief dropping back to follow behind Phil as he led them down the corridors he knew so well. Phil had a thought, then, that his thief was trailing after him to see if Phil would trust him as more than just a threatening presence, which he was not just then.

Glancing behind him at his thief's easy agreeance, Phil shared a small grin with him, but it quickly wilted in the face of his thief throwing Phil's words back at him once again.

"I'm certain the copy will be adequate enough for you," he agreed, turning forward solemnly again and coming to a slow stop. The fairy tales would be here somewhere.

Trailing his fingers over familiar scrolls, Phil ducked his head again.

"But considering I've said before I regretted my words, I hope to one day prove to you that they were not my true feelings on the matter. As such… I think I can agree to trust you... in certain situations, that is. I doubt you'll give up your life of crime?"

“As if I would give up my life of crime,” Dan snorted, “I’m the King, it’s my profession. I suppose I wouldn't be against you proving yourself to me, though." His gaze remained sharp. "But you've got a lot of work to do if you expect me to believe you consider us equals."

Phil let out an unsurprised, disappointed sigh as his thief confirmed Phil’s fears that he would never give up his life of crime, and tried to shove that reminder into his brain as yet another reason he couldn’t let his heart get involved in this situation. There was no use, when Phil put justice before all else, and he could never be with someone who didn’t value the same things as him.

The King of Thieves didn’t stop there, though, offering Phil what almost felt like an out. Phil already knew he had to prove himself to his thief, but to be told that his thief was open to that, potentially open to a change in their relationship, wheedled in alongside the block Phil had just tried to put on his heart, and filled him with hope. The very idea of something changing between them was sending a thrill through Phil, something he rarely felt except on the hunt for criminals, and it made a smile tug at the corners of his lips, even while his thief reiterated that he would not be giving up his thieving.

Phil shouldn't be okay with that, wasn't okay with that, and yet he didn't argue. Despite feeling like he could never, ever be friends with someone, let alone partners with someone, who didn’t hold true the same morals as him, Phil couldn’t help suddenly being filled with desire and excitement of knowing his thief, of gaining his trust, of proving himself to him. Suddenly, capturing the great King of Thieves was nothing more than a game, and Phil swallowed at the very realization of that to himself, of the very realization that in a single moment, everything had changed, and Phil had most definitely fallen.

"I thought so,” Phil answered lowly. “I will never stop chasing you, then, but as it is my family's fault you have turned to a life of crime, the least I can do is allow you my help, from time to time. I'll meet you at a place of your choosing anytime you send a raven. Weapons will not be drawn, and I'll do what I can, within reason, for you. Will that do?"

Phil knew his offer put him at risk, but he felt as though he had to give up more, if he wanted his thief to trust him. Meeting his thief at a place of his thief’s choosing should be sufficient enough.

"I’ll put myself at risk for you. It's the least I can do, after treating you the way I have. And if I die, then. That is nothing more than I deserve for failing you and my people.".

Dan leaned languidly against the shelves, trying not to shudder at the way the scrolls brushed against him. He was itching to read as much of this collection as he could, but not even the multitude of knowledge surrounding them could distract Dan’s eyes from his Prince just then. The Prince - Phil - stood tall among the shelves, almost as tall as Dan, and the way he studied the scrolls was with a familiarity that Dan envied. If he ever did meet the Prince again - and Dan was coming up with more and more ways to orchestrate their meeting in the future - he might well demand to spend some time uninterrupted here in this library, to discover new works without the stress of having to steal. Not that Dan would be giving up stealing; he lived for the thrill.

"If it's ravens you wish to use, then a raven I shall send." Dan lowered his lashes again, dropping his voice into a purr, and sidled up closer to his Prince. He wasn’t quite done yet, was itching with a strange curiosity to know more about this solemn Prince, to get behind the face he made in public. So Dan asked, "Perhaps you have another name I could call you by, though? I doubt you want a parchment from the King of Thieves addressed to Prince Philip to appear in the wrong hands." Dan allowed one hand to encircle his Prince's wrist, stopping him from getting the fairy tale out just yet. He wanted to spend as long here as he could.

"What can I call you, my Prince?"

Phil’s fingers trailed over a familiar marking on a familiar scroll, but just as he went to pull it out, his thief pressed his large hands over Phil’s once more, forcing him to stay in place instead. There was so much strength to him, so much power, that it sent a thrill through Phil.

Turning his head slowly, Phil caught his thief's gaze, face suddenly so close that Phil’s mouth went dry and his heart started pumping hard and fast in his chest. He'd never been quite this close to another human being before, never felt an energy so charged between him and another person, and he couldn't help loving the way it felt to have his thief's fingers move from Phil's hand to encircle his wrist, chaining them together, inseparable.

Yes. Phil was the King of Thieves’ Prince alright, and there was no turning back now.

"Phil," Phil whispered softly.

Dan stared down at him, suddenly much closer to his Prince’s - Phil’s face than he remembered being. Phil’s hand was on a particular parchment in the row of shelves, presumably the fairy tales, but Dan kept his fingers tight in place around Phil’s wrist, keeping him still. He wasn’t quite… ready, yet - not to be faced with the fairy tales again. He knew they’d bring back happy memories, but also… also, there was a lot of bad back there that Dan didn’t want to have to face again.

Phil, it seemed, picked up on some of the tension in Dan’s features, because before Dan knew what was happening Phil was asking, “These fairy tales - why do you want them? Forgive the question, but they are not the most expensive scroll in this library. I’m sure a thief like you could want more.”

The question had come kind of out of nowhere, and yet not at the same time. Phil truly had been curious as to why his thief wanted this particular scroll when there were so many more in this library he could sell for a much higher price, but more than that, he’d been intimidated by his thief’s face being so close to his own. The way the King of Thieves was holding onto him wasn’t helping either, tethering them together in a way that made the pull in Phil’s chest towards him that much stronger.

Dan drew in a breath, a little taken aback by the question. He hadn’t prepared an answer, hadn’t meant to get quite this deep into conversation with his Prince - Phil. He hadn’t even meant to ask for the fairy tales, not really, but now they were here, right within Dan’s reach, Dan didn’t think he was capable of walking away.

Especially with Phil’s eyes on him, glinting green-blue in the dim lighting, exactly the way the ring in Dan’s pocket did. Those eyes held no secrets, they were open and honest and fair. And dangerous. Dan was scared that, if he stared too long, he’d end up spilling all of his secrets to Phil.

“The fairy tales are not expensive, no,” Dan answered, his voice barely more than a whisper. “But they hold - other value, for me. Memories. Of a happier time, perhaps.”

Phil felt frozen in place, trapped between this bookshelf of scrolls, and the body of who was meant to be his greatest enemy, but who was becoming more and more like -

Something he never could be.

Phil’s heartbeat was loud in his ears. He could hear his own blood rushing, and pumping. He could feel heat starting to radiate through him like he’d never felt before, and he didn’t know what to make of it.

Was this thief casting a spell over him? Did he have the ability to use magic on Phil?

But it didn’t feel like that - no, not at all. Phil had had a spell cast over him before, back when he was about twelve, by some smarmy student in one of their classes, and he knew the feeling of ice rushing up your spine. This didn’t feel like that at all; this was molten heat unlike anything Phil had ever felt before, and he swallowed thickly as he stared into the prettiest brown eyes that he had ever seen before.

Memories. Memories, Phil could understand. He held many objects dear purely for the sentimental value of them, and he could understand a man like his thief wanting to hold onto those things just as much if not more than Phil. Phil had his own suspicions about the man’s past, after all.

Phil was still looking at Dan. It was dangerous, that look. Phil managed something that Dan hadn’t seen in a long time - an expression of complete honesty, looking absolutely harmless and utterly charming, a safe place that Dan could sink into unless he tread very, very carefully.

The silence stretched on. Dan should look away. Dan should definitely look away, but… he also really didn’t want to. This Prince, this harmless Prince who was standing right in Dan’s clutches, having come when Dan called even when he knew what Dan was - this was a new figure in Dan’s life.

The air between them grew more tense at that, with Phil feeling trapped under his thief’s unwavering gaze. His thief was conflicted, he could see that much, fighting with himself, unsure if he should say more, perhaps unsure why he’d said anything at all. Phil wasn’t sure why he’d said anything at all either, knowing that he’d merely blurted out the question in self defense in the first place, having expected his thief to recoil from him in reaction to it and stop these strange feelings brewing inside of Phil from getting any worse.

That hadn’t worked. In fact, if anything, it had only made it worse, and now… now Phil’s eyes were flicking down to his thief’s mouth, a yearning growing in the pit of his stomach to just lean in and kiss him.

Perhaps Dan could bend just a little more.

“My father,” Dan explained, eyes lost in Phil’s, “He read these to me. A long time ago. Before he-- well. Before I was alone.”

Dan snapped his mouth shut, then, biting his tongue and trembling, just a bit. The memories were there, hiding in the back of his skull, threatening to bubble up to the surface if this honest Prince looked at him any longer. It was dangerous, too dangerous. Looking at Phil made Dan feel vulnerable, and as much as he knew he should walk away, Dan couldn’t move. Not with Phil leaning so close, and his hand still around Phil’s wrist, and the air between them feeling so charged suddenly.

Phil’s eyes flicked back up at the mention of his thief’s father, at the mention of his thief being alone, and something clicked home. Phil’s suspicions had been nothing short of right, and he ached with the pain that thrummed through him in reaction to it all.

He wanted nothing more than to take it all back, make it so his thief was no longer alone.

“You don’t have to be alone,” Phil whispered, and leaned in that tiny bit more, drawn in by intense brown eyes and a desire swirling around somewhere behind his belly button, even as he knew that this was wrong, that he shouldn’t be doing this, that they couldn’t. His thief thought nothing of him but as a plaything he could use. They couldn’t do this, they couldn’t -

Dan’s breath had been stolen away as soon as Phil’s words hit him. He didn’t have to be alone anymore. No, that wasn’t possible, even as Dan watched Phil leaning closer. Dan knew all too well that he was destined to a life lived alone, had been cursed with nothing but loss since he was young. There was no way this Prince could be offering something he shouldn’t be.

The hope of a life of companionship was something Dan had lost long ago.

Dan tried to be angry, tried to find the right emotions to fit how he should be feeling - he should be furious that this Prince even dared to guess at Dan’s past, that he had somehow made Dan reveal so much of himself - but Dan couldn’t. Instead, he was lost in the sudden flare of hope that rose within him. Hope that maybe, just maybe, Dan had given up too soon. That his Prince really could offer him companionship - that Dan didn’t have to do everything alone.

The thought crashed down around Dan’s ears, drenching him in sudden warmth. It was painful. He couldn’t. Dan knew he could never have this, And yet, Dan was captured by the look in Phil’s eyes, so open and trusting, sincere and honest, that it was the most intense look Dan had ever shared.

Dangerous. That look was dangerous. It made Dan want to cross boundaries he most definitely should not want to cross, especially not with a highborn Prince.

Dan's eyes fluttered closed, and he was leaning closer too, and then--

A strange voice broke the spell.

"Phil? Philip, where are you!?" a voice suddenly shouted, ringing through the library clear as a bell. The King of Thieves and Phil jumped apart, the scroll Phil had been holding jumping free from it's place in the stacks. Phil whirled then, his cloak swirling around him, and cursed.

Martyn. The guard must have sent Martyn after him.

"Brother, what are you thinking!? Tell me where you are! You can't just go after the King of Thieves on your own, you idiot!"

Whirling again, heart racing in fear, Phil ducked to grab the scroll, the fairy tales, and jammed them into his thief's hands.

"Go. Go!" he whisper-shouted, eyes wide with fear. "Get out of here, before he finds you. I'll stall him. Go!" Phil demanded, and then he was whirling about once more, and walking as fast as he could in the direction of his brother's voice, hoping and praying that his thief would get away.

Dan jumped back from the Prince - Phil - as if he'd been burned. Instantly, now the moment was over, he became aware of his brain screaming at him just how much of a bad idea his feelings were. Dan couldn't have feelings. He didn't let anyone close to him, hadn't since his brother had died. He was safer this way. It was the only way he knew.

Pretty Princes with sincere blue eyes could not break that. Dan wouldn't allow it.

Dan had to get out of here. With the fairytales clutched in his grip, Dan backed up, watching as Phil strode away from him and out into the main part of the library, presumably to stall his brother.

In other words, Crown Prince Martyn.

Dan's eyes glinted dangerously. Crown Prince Martyn was right there, right within Dan's reach. One of Dan's greatest enemies, one of the people he hated the most in the world was right there, and Dan was armed and had the element of surprise. He could dart around the shelves, murder the crown prince, and then be gone within seconds, disappearing into the passages. Nothing could stop him.

… Except… Phil.

Crown Prince Martyn was Phil's brother. His only sibling, if Dan's history books were correct. If Dan killed him, he'd be robbing Phil of a brother.

Dan remembered all too well what it felt like to lose a brother.

Frustrated beyond calculation, Dan tightened his grip on his dagger and released a quiet, feral snarl. He couldn't afford to get caught. If Crown Prince Martyn saw him, Dan would have no choice but to kill him, because Dan sure as hell was not spending any time in a dungeon.

But he couldn't do that to Phil.

Dan wanted to scream, only he was still in a library, and most definitely in hiding. Beyond angry, all Dan could do was turn and flee, tied down by a Prince he'd met all of three times.

But something about Phil was captivating, and Dan couldn't do anything to hurt him. Much as he wanted to.

Dan disappeared into the passageways with heavy anger sitting in his heart, but the scroll was in his cloak, and Dan couldn't wait to run his fingers over the familiar words again.

He'd make Phil pay for the feelings he gave Dan later. At least now he knew all he had to do was send a raven, and the Prince would be his again.

Dan had plans to take advantage of that fact, and this time, no brothers would be around to interrupt. Dan tried not to think about what might have happened had he and Phil not been interrupted right when they were.

Dangerous. Phil was dangerous.

But Dan couldn't stay away.

**

Phil strode out with resolute anger building in his stomach and chest, fingers clenched in hard fists at his sides.

How dare his brother come after him? Especially shouting as he was. What if Phil had been about to draw his dagger on his worst enemy of all time? What if he’d had the King of Thieves trapped right where he’d wanted him, and his idiot brother had come along and gotten Phil killed?

Tossing aside all thoughts reminding him just how close he'd gotten to doing the exact opposite and kissing his greatest enemy, Phil finally rounded a corner and found his brother stood there with sword drawn and ready to - what, save Phil, the literal Head of the Royal Guard?

"What the hell, Martyn," Phil hissed. "I nearly had him, and you come barging in here shouting and making a racket like my life wasn’t on the line!? What if you had gotten me killed!?" Phil demanded to know. "I had it under control. I know what I am doing, Martyn!"

Lowering his sword, Martyn turned an equally fierce glare onto Phil. "And how was I to know whether you were safe or not, brother? You didn’t tell anyone where you were going, and it took some smarmy guard to tell me what you were doing at all!” he shouted, fuming. His gaze cut at Phil, but Phil didn’t budge.

“I’m Captain of the Royal Guard, Martyn. When something comes up, I don’t stop to tell you about it,” he hissed, pressing in close and shoving his hands at his brother's chest. Martyn growled, and nearly struck out, but Phil was ready for him, and he seemed to think better of himself.

“Strong as you are, brother, you're ruled by your emotions, and you always have been. You can hardly blame me for my concern. No one knows what you're doing anymore, with silly little notions like changing the world," Martyn scoffed. "How was I to know you wouldn't get yourself killed, or whether you truly were trying to take down the King of Thieves at all!? Your obsession with him is unfounded. Give it up already, before you go getting yourself in over your head. That man knows more than you, Phil, and mark my words, he will take advantage of that soft heart of yours."

The words struck a nerve, causing Phil to pause, heart lodged uncomfortably in his throat. Was he allowing the King of Thieves to take advantage of him? Look what he'd already allowed the thief to make him do, look at what agreements they'd made, and how Phil had put himself on the line for him.

Phil should have known better than to trust a thief. He knew, he knew the flirting wasn't real, and yet, he’d fallen for it anyway. The thought of that hurt his heart, and with eyes flashing, Phil whirled away from his brother, standing with his back to him, unable to face him.

He didn’t want Martyn to be right, and even as Phil considered that he was being played, he couldn’t begin to feel even an ounce of betrayal at the hands of his thief.

No, his feelings were dangerous, that was true, but he felt just in his trust and desire to do something for the man whose life his family had failed to protect, even if he was putting himself at risk playing with his heart on the line the way he’d promised himself never to do again.

Scoffing, Phil tossed his head at Martyn, turning to glare at him over his shoulder. "You don't understand the people, brother. And you most definitely do not understand my fault with the King of Thieves. I am only trying to do right by our people. And next time, maybe you should trust me, or you might one day get me killed,” he threatened, voice venomous with concealed anger and hurt, even as he turned tail and fled deep back into the libraries he’d grown up in, wishing that his thief had stayed.

[pieman1112]

Happy Birthday, to the best thing that happened in my life!

It was probably the third time Chrom had gone with Rebecca to UNSC to visit her friends and check on Spartan who was still stationed there. No one said that cannot come to visit him, eh? He has his contract thing for being a super soldier but that does mean he cannot have his family visit him–of course, when possible. Chrom would hate to trouble him since he still does not get everything around here. 

Chrom and Rebecca had decided to go two days prior her and spartan’s birthday to prepare for everything and make sure the children are doing okay after traveling. Plus, preparation for any sort of party requires time, and sadly, two days prior were the only time Chrom and Rebecca had to scrap out of their busy schedule–as always. Hey, at least they can stay for a good week afterwards thanks to Maribelle’s iron fist on the situation in Ylisse. Gods, they really owe her a lot. Yes, she says it is her job as a magistrate and all but they do need to thank her properly after they come back. Not to mention of course, the two ever  hard working duo, Frederick and Robin. Seriously, they owe a lot of people this precious free time they get to blow out a steam. 

Rebecca had already contacted her friends who were kind enough to help with setting things ready for Chrom and Rebecca to take over when they come. Once they were in UNSC, Rebecca completed everything necessary for them to board in and then prepare a shuttle back to Earth, so they can all head to the house they have. Chrom insisted that they have somewhere they can stay in whenever they come– a second home. It felt wrong for him that the first time, they couldn’t overstay because of this issue. Staying in the UNSC hospitality was not bad but he really wanted somewhere Rebecca and call a home as well and you know, just … uh, invite her friends over and all the things she used to do before coming to Ylisse. He wanted his children to have this home so they dont forget the place their mother came from. He loves Ylisse but he cannot expect that Rebecca to keep making sacrifices just because he is the king. Yes, she signed up for this, but if he loved her as he claim, he would make efforts on his part as well. 

Now they are in the ‘apar men’ … gosh, how does they pronounce this? Apa…Apart…Apartment! Yes, their home on Earth! The naming of the different types of houses is really interesting. Chrom wanted somewhere fit enough for them–as they are after all, a big family. Though for now they settled with this apartment on Rebecca’s call since they are not here all the time, it would be a waste to pay extra money for a bigger house. Besides, if they needed they can just rent a place and it would do the job. Huh…rent. He is not sure if people in Ylisse know this concept of renting. Yes, farmers do rent some stuff, for example like a farmer could rent a bull or a cow or something but houses…the more he learns, the more he really wants to stay here and learn more; perhaps he could use that knowledge for Ylisse and the other countries.

The kids have sprawled around, running and exploring the place since the last time they were here. Lucina had a mad dash to her room, checking a letter she had left for herself. She heard of the 'time capsule’ thing from one of Rebecca’s mates and she tried to replicate it. Of course, the whole time aspect is still hard for her to grasp (plus she is too impatient for it.) Thomas followed after Lucina but then went to check what is outside the windows since the view is way too different from the view from his room in the castle. Maria followed after Thomas, mimicking what he is doing and Chloe is still an infant between Rebecca’s arms. There is no stopping them now haha.

“We better get things ready, yeah?” Chrom asked as he looked around. 

Rebecca nodded and told him that they first need to change their clothes. Chrom still looks like some fantasy esque prince. R-right….that. He forgot that. The two went to change their clothes for something more fitting and comfortable as they have a lot of things to do. Chloe was placed in her crib and thankfully, she slept the entire time while the two were working. Occasionally, Lucina would lull her back to sleep by rocking her bed. Lucina is now old enough to let her watch over Chloe and take care of her. Rebecca wanted her to know how to care for Chloe since she was still younger at Maria’s time. It was not like Rebecca throw that on her shoulder, she simply wanted her to know what responsibility is. Chrom totally agreed with this, since he, too was raised by his own sister. Both parents want that children develop strong bonds among themselves, not just blood bond, but the bond that like Rebecca and Spartan has and Chrom and his sisters. 

Cleaning the apartment was not that hard since occasionally, someone do come over for cleaning from time to time. Rebecca’s friends brought in the extra tables, the decorations, whatever they needed for the party. Chrom is grateful that Rebecca has such a good friends she can rely on here. Her friend Stacy offered to babysit the children if they needed. Lucina and Thomas were old enough to not cause trouble but Rebecca was still worried about Maria who is still shy around strangers, plus baby Chloe. They thanked her and told her they will think about this if it was needed.

The two days had passed and it was the 28th of November. Luckily, well, they did their best to talk the officials to let Spartan come back on this day and it was successful. Who knows, was it because Lucina was puppy eyeing everyone in the room to have her grandfather back even for just one day? or was it because Chrom was so man-child, he subtly threatened to start breaking vending machines across the ship …  two drastic sides but in the end, it worked?

Hunter was notified with his new orders and came back. S.T.A.R. was contacted secretly by Rebecca and told her to bring Spartan to their apartment. Lights were turned off, the children giggling and laughing waiting for their grandfather to come. Chrom praying that he does not crash the door and open fire thinking someone is inside, and Rebecca was trying to get Chloe to sleep or at least, not make loud noises.

S.T.A.R sent a notification to Rebecca that Spartan is right outside, and everyone got in position. When he walked in, the lights were turned off but with his suit, lights were emitted from his helmet to check his surrounding. He noticed a movement and walked in very carefully. S.T.A.R made sure to warn him that he cannot use firearms in case it was just an animal strayed its way inside. Chrom was by the light switch and as soon Spartan walked in, Chrom pressed the light button– “HAPPY BIRTH … … . day?” everyone shouted but there was no one there.

“Wh– but he! HUH?” Chrom walked towards the door, looking left and right but no one was there. “Did I …I swear someone walked in here, right?” Chrom amidst his confusion, Spartan has activated his stealth mode and was actually behind him. A tap to Chrom’s shoulder and the king quickly jerked around, “Wh– Hey! Wait a minute! Hunter! Don’t tell me you are hiding in that stealth thing of yours?”

Spartan appeared and the kids gasped out of happiness because they were two minutes away from crying after getting all excited to see their grandfather, then they rushed to him; hugging him tightly. 

“Let me guess, you knew we were already here, right?” Chrom crossing his arms, visible pout on his face.

Hunter nodded and told him it was kind of obvious–the date, the cleaning detergent smell, the smell of the cake and sweets, the children giggles, and more. Plus, he heard about some guy who wanted to break things because his father-in-law was on a mission on his birthday. To which Chrom feigned ignorance and whistled his way to the kitchen to bring the plates.

The cut the cake, eat, sang and danced. The adults sat down to talk while the children ran around them playfully. “It is good to see you are well, father.” Chrom smiled at Hunter. “I uh, hope we didn’t put you in some kind of trouble for taking you away from your job like this?” S.T.A.R had already been there, talking to Lucina and Thomas when she turned her hologram image around to speak with Chrom to tell him that even if they didn’t come to ask permission, Spartan had already asked for a day off on this day, to which Spartan grunted not happy that she ratted him out. Chrom and Rebecca just had the dumbest of smiles on their faces. “Hahaha..right.”

It was the birthday presents time. Lucina ran first, holding out a box for Spartan. “Happy birthday, grandfather!” look at her, she can speak properly now. The box contained a notebook with bunch of paper cut out butterflies. The notebook is filled with almost everyday anecdotes that Spartan had missed out because of his job. Lucina took it on herself to write everything down so her grandfather still feel he is around them. Thomas slipped in to hand his gift–a cylinder like object wrapped nicely. It was an ever lasting fire in a glass–probably Miriel’s thing. The gift is probably not a kid his age would gift but this is Thomas. He probably went around and pestered everyone and latch to Miriel until she gave him this. Spartan might not need the light but Thomas told him that the fire reminds him of how cool his grandfather is–never yielding down. Sheesh who taught this kid to speak? Chrom eyes Rebecca–the influence of Thoma’s honeyed tongue. Maria came next; carrying a tiny basket she was really overprotective of for the past two days. She gave it to Spartan and it was filled with tiny different flowers (and some seeds) among them some four-leaf clovers. “H-happy birthday, granpapa~” finishing it with her bright smile.

“Guess it is my turn now,” Chrom walked to Spartan. Honestly, there was nothing he could think of would be a good gift for Spartan. Chrom finds it difficult to think of gifts for others, which he often let them decide what they want for themselves. Though, at times he knows he got to think of something himself. What can Spartan carry with him and not be a burden? and still you know, be useful. It was hard but in the end he .. “I hope you like this,” Chrom handed him a tiny box. “Let’s say these might be of some help if your weapon was not working somehow.” the tiny black box had a dozen…no about thirty small pieces with different colors. “It is something Ricken had been working on for years–charging items with magic for use and I requested he would make it into something to be easy to be carried and yeah…so from what I understood you just uh…throw the rock at the direction you want and it will release the magic spell contained in it.” he would take of the yellowish rocks and demonstrate but knowing it is a THUNDER magic, he could set things on fire and ruin the party. “I bet S.T.A.R can figure this out, right?” S.T.A.R. nodded and quickly analyzed the rocks to give a proper feedback to Spartan on his new…dangerous outworld weapon.

Rebecca was last to gift Spartan and two exchanged a heartful moment, Chrom was totally not staring outside because that was not emotional, absolutely not. The kids had already spent the day telling Rebecca happy birthday, they started chanting all over again for their mother now. Rebecca’s gifts were given to her before they came here. Lucina and Maria had both learned how to make simple accessories. Lucina made a tiny butterfly hairpin for her mother, and Maria made what resembles a pendant. Thomas gifted her perfume his aunt Lissa helped him get it after poking around for what is trending nowadays.

Afterwards, the kids gradually got tired of playing around and soon slept. Spartan, Chrom and Rebecca were up. Rebecca had told Spartan he has his room ready so he can stay the night but the man got up and told them that he is going back to the UNSC. Despite how much they tried to persuade him, he promised to come back first thing in the morning. S.T.A.R sent Rebecca a message saying he does not want to butt in her and Chrom’s night. This is after all her birthday as well. They might, if not most certainly want their alone time as well, to which it made Rebecca blush. 

Now that the two parents are alone, they sat there for a moment awkwardly. The house was just in uproar a minute ago and now it is quiet. Chrom cast his eyes outside the window… the sun was setting down … The sun huh. Is it the same sun they have in Ylisse? The colors of the sunset is similar. “Rebecca,” he called for her attention when she was as well looking away and as soon she turned around, he kissed her. He scoot closer to her, arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. “Happy birthday…again… ” another soft quick kiss to her lips. His right hand gently run through her brilliant blond hair, “I am forever in debt to the fate that brought to me. I am happy that you were born. I know it was not easy but here you are… look at you… a strong marine, a wonderful woman and a friend, amazing partner, brilliant queen and most of all… the best wife and mother ever. Happy birthday, my love. May each year carries with it good tides and new memories for us both.” a sweet, slow kiss to wrap it up. 

“Say… there might be another present for you… ahem. To our bed room?" 

Rebecca and 197′s Birthday 2020!

Rebecca and Chrom had been planning on going to the UEG this year after some debate. It was getting closer to her father and her birthday and it didn’t seem that he wasn’t going to be able to make the trip to Ylisse so they would go to visit him. They would only be given a week and two days as that was all they could get out of their various duties. Rebecca would be thankful for those two days as it was more time than she thought they would be able to get. They would definitely have to get something nice for Maribelle, Frederick, and Robin while they were in the UEG. The trio really did go above and beyond for the couple and their family.

To set up their travel, Rebecca contacted an ex-service member who she knew back from her time in the corps. He use to be an air force pilot who flew the pelicans around. A little bit after her departure he resigned and became an inter planetary shuttle pilot that would transport people from many of the UEG’s different colonies. The two talked for a little bit about current events in their lives and Rebecca asked if she could hire his services again for the trip back to the UEG’s main home world of Earth. She knew that Ylisse was technically not part of the UEG and that he normally wouldn’t be able to but she asked to pay extra for the trip. He accepted the extra payment for the little out of the way venture. Getting a ride to the UEG was easy. Getting into the UEG would be a little more tedious.

Upon their arrival, Rebecca had to go through customs and explain what they had done and all that jazz. They let the family in after a little bit of questioning and soon the family could head to the apartment they had rented. The decision of getting a home in the UEG was one they had talked about for a while and it was Chrom’s idea to get one. Rebecca was surprised by the notion as it meant that they would be planning more trips to the UEG. Rebecca thought that she would never return to the UEG after marrying Chrom since their time would be so demanded. He explained how he wanted their children to experience her world as well and it was a very sweet gesture. She spoke about how they should get an apartment room as it was a lot cheaper than trying to get a house and they wouldn’t be by often. She had set it up with her father so that it would be under his name and he could use the credits that she transferred to him to pay for it. It would also be a major help as they couldn’t stay on the UNSC Infinity. the Infinity was a military war ship not a cruise liner. The only reason they could stay the first time was because Rebecca was leaving the UNSC and technically the UEG. It wouldn’t be long until the family made their way to the apartment complex. A short elevator trip up later and they would be in their room. The location was near one of the mega cities but outside the city limits. It had a wonderful view of the city and some of the surrounding stores. It was a five bedroom apartment which was a pretty hard find but they were very lucky to find it. 

She watched as the kids ran off to do their own things and explore the house. They always seemed excited whenever they had the chance to come here. She looked to her husband and nodded after he stated that they should get started with arranging the surprise party for their father. Though they should probably go change out of the Ylissian attire first before going out. After all, Ylissian fashion was very different from UEG fashion and the family might be mistaken for being in costume. After changing, Rebecca called some of her friends over for help with the decorations and some came as they had the day off of work. Rebecca was so excited to see Stacy again that when she arrived, the two hugged before going to work with Chrom’s help. While they were setting everything up, Stacy offered to babysit the kids at some point while they were here so that the two could go out to the town as a couple. It was a nice idea and Lucina and Thomas would listen to her as she was a family friend and was friendly to them, Rebecca was worried about Maria. She still was so shy around strangers and Rebecca didn’t want Stacy to think that she had done something to upset Maria. Then there was also baby Chloe. She was still a little young to be left alone without the two of them. The two parents thanked Stacy for the thought and would have to think about it. Rebecca was also thankful for her daughter Lucina to take care of her baby sister from time to time. It would teach her how to be responsible for somethings.

On November 28th, they had gone to visit the local UNSC base to see if they could talk to anyone about the status of 197 and if he could be let out of work early. Rebecca had reminded the family (including Chrom) that 197 might not be able to leave work for a day as he might not even be on planet or he might be very busy. They were able to talk to someone and she couldn’t give them a very straight forward answer as they were civilians. The official’s answer didn’t really change even after Chrom’s threat of destroying the vending machines around the base. Rebecca chided her husband for such a thought and thanked the official before leaving. It was lucky that they didn’t take Chrom’s threat too seriously. 

In the meantime, 197 was transferred from the Infinity to one of the bases on Earth and was given his requested absence for that day. Thankfully not much had been going on. Rebecca and S.T.A.R had been talking to each other about the surprise plan and to have 197 go meet them at the apartment. 197 thought it was a strange request to suddenly check up on the apartment but it had been a while so he would go. When he got there he would hear the sounds of whispers and hushing. Strange. No one should be here. A break-in? He was going to grab his weapon but S.T.A.R wouldn’t let him. Why was she acting up all of a sudden? Then he realized what this was. A surprise party. His family came back all the way from Ylisse to celebrate. Still wanting to be on the safe side, 197 would enter cloaked as to keep an element of surprise if it turned out to not be his family. He would enter to see everyone yelling surprise but become confuse as the open door revealed nothing. It was his family. He would soon reveal himself to everyone by appearing behind his son-in-law. 

“I apologize for the use of my cloaking but I wanted to make sure that it was actually you guys.” was all he could say before he lowered himself to hug his grandchildren who had run up to hug him. He would look back at Chrom to answer his next question about knowing they were there.

“You don’t survive long without being aware of your surroundings. I heard you and the kids whispering and hushing each other. S.T.A.R was also advising me to not be as cautious as I normally would which was another tip. Plus I heard about someone of a very familiar description threatening to break all the vending machines of a local base.”

He would join Chrom and Rebecca where they sat on the couch while the kids played and danced. 

“It’s good to see you two doing well as well. I shouldn’t be in too much trouble as there wasn’t much going on.”

“He also asked for the time off prior to your arrival Exalt Chrom. Even without your intervention, he probably would have recieved it.” S.T.A.R said.

When it was time for presents, 197 thanked all of his grandkids for everything they got him and gave them each an individual hug. The journal updates would give him something to read while he was on base about just what he was missing. The eternal flame would give him something to ponder over on how it worked. And the flowers were always a nice gesture. Something that could liven up the room he was occupying. 

The Spartan would stare at Chrom’s gift for a little bit trying to figure out just what it was. They looked like colorful rocks but he would soon understand the power that these rocks contained after Chrom explained how Ricken had enhanced these rocks with the magical powers of the different tomes that were used. These could definitely be useful on the battlefield. 

“Thank you Chrom. I will have to let S.T.A.R take a look at these to see what potential uses they might have.”

Rebecca’s gift was last but certainly not least. Her gift to her father was a necklace of many different things. Her UNSC dog tags, a ring that said family on it, a picture of her and her father when she was younger, and a golden heart. 

“Thank you for being the best father a girl could ask for dad.” She said before tightly hugging her father.

Anytime kiddo.” 197 responded while also hugging his daughter. 

After their little emotional moment, it was time for Rebecca’s presents. She would thank all her children for each of their gifts with a hug and a kiss. They were all so thoughtful. The hairpin would go straight into her hair and the necklace on her neck. She would even use some of the perfume after Thomas had given it to her. She was so blessed to have such wonderful children.

It would soon be time for the children to start winding down for bed as it became very apparent that they were all starting to fall asleep. 197 would help them to their bed rooms and tuck them in. He would thank them for a wonderful birthday and then give them a goodnight kiss before leaving. Rebecca had told him that they had set up a room for him but he declined saying that he needed to report back to base early tomorrow. He thanked his daughter and son-in-law for a wonderful day and left wishing them a good night. S.T.A.R would send Rebecca a message about how her father didn’t want to disturb them as it was her birthday too and he knew that they would want to enjoy the night together. It seems that nothing escaped the man. 

Rebecca would sit on the couch caught in the moment of silence that followed with the party being over. Her husband’s voice would be the break in the silence that caught her attention. 

“Mmmh?” she murmured after hearing her husband call out her name.

The kiss was well enjoyed, including the numerous ones that followed after. Especially the slow one that followed at the end.

“I’m so glad that I met you too dear. I can’t wait to ‘unwrap’ my present in the bedroom.” She said giving him a lustful look before walking with him to their bedroom.

[todokori-kun]

(Ugh, sorry for this late reply! OTL I’ve been busy and whenever I sat down to try and write this message it would be bedtime before I’d even gotten halfway through)

If we want him to be happy the best, most plausible and canon-compliant choice is Saiko…yet Ishida’s been ignoring her ever since she told Urie she loves him ;-; #IshidaY

Correction: Ishida (like Shuu and Uta) is a picky eater. He’ll only eat human flesh that’s been steadily stewing in misery for at least a year, and the bitterest, saltiest tears are all he ever drinks.

Ishida’s eating habits being similar to Uta’s makes sense though, since he actually said he gave Uta some of his hobbies lol

Just stop hurting us, please…Ishida needs to redeem himself with Hide’s return as quickly as possible. Either that or something bad needs to happen to Furuta (if Rize somehow breaks free and eats him I’m sure at least half of the fandom would realize that they can, in fact, be satisfied).

Hmm, I was fine with Re up until this arc. Touken feels forced, shippy fluff and Mutsuki drama is getting in the way of the ACTUAL plot (even with all his trolling skills, Ishida cannot convince me that sex scenes and love triangles/squares are more important than how the Q squad is dealing with their trauma from the last battle, what Juuzou, Urie and other investigators are going to do now that they suspect Furuta is lying, how the rest of Goat is doing, what Uta and the Clowns are up to, and Furuta finding a way to, oh, I don’t know, BRING BACK THE FREAKING DEAD). It’s like Ishida has a really interesting plot in there somewhere, but he’s buried it beneath the pointless, badly timed romance.

As for Mutsuki, I used to be a bit 'meh' about them (I used to like them, and then I didn’t mind their backstory/the treatment they got at Torso’s hands simply because I got spoiled and knew it was coming from the very beginning, plus the parellels with Kaneki had me thinking they’d get a similar interesting development) but I’m starting to become more and more indifferent towards them because they just feel really flat now- a basic murder-bot, a copy of characters like Yuno Gasai. Maybe I’d sympathize with them more if their love for Sasaki/Kaneki felt a bit more genuine, but as it is, it seems lacking. It feels like we’re viewing Mutsuki from an outsider’s POV; not much about their actual feelings or thought process about the entire situation, just a bunch of crazy, yandere moments with a few

That AU…make it canon, Ishida. (jk, but seriously). I’m one of those people who won’t complain no matter how much the creators pile on the angst as long as it’s plausible angst (I’m afraid I’m a bit of a masochist when it comes to fandoms…) but I like to think of my favorite characters being happy for once ;-;

 0/////0 TYSM ;-; You’re so supportive and sweet and just asdfj;lk (it’s not easy to reduce me to keyboard-smashing but I have a lot of feelings right now) <333 I’m still scared because there are two ways this could go (either I somehow get over my fear and do ok, which would probably be really good for the anxiety, or I just freeze the second I step onto the stage…which would probably make things worse) HOWEVER, for Queen Luna I shall do my best !!!! <33333 :D

But wait a sec…‘King’…

Plot Twist: I am the real One-eyed King

Also

‘Urie & Tumblr(Evans): A short story’

-Urie pretends not know what tumblr is

-Only he totally does

-It’s an addictive hole of darkness

-And Luna spends way too much time on it for his liking

-Ok, so it’s not tumblr he’s worried about, really

-It’s this guy called Evans that Luna keeps talking to

-And no, he did not just assume this person’s gender, he (ACCIDENTALLY) saw one of Luna’s messages to them calling them a ‘king’

-She never calls HIM stuff like that there’s only that stupid nickname ‘Oreo Cookie’

-Jealousy?

-N O

-That’s for the common folk like Sasaki

-Look, he’s just worried about his s/o ok

-Then one day he brings it up

-'The 'King’ thing was an inside joke of sorts’

-'Evans is a heterosexual female’

-R.I.P Urie, who must now admit that he was indeed jealous

(super awkward crack that suddenly popped into my head

And aww, I’m really so glad you enjoy the HCs ^^)

Me + a person with Shuu’s personality would be pretty hilarious if we managed to get along well. Since at first sight, I appear like this really quite and polite person who’s way too nice for their own good (sort of like an even more introverted and awkward version of Kuroneki), but with people I’m really close with I suddenly turn into Haise with all of his cringe-worthy moments- plus a little bit of dry humor and sarcasm.

Haven’t got the chance to listen to all of those yet but what little I’ve heard sounds lovely! The first three and Soldier Game are my favorites, I think :)

Give it a few weeks and I’ll probably be joining you in Idol hell…

Loki’s hair is actually as long/maybe longer than Thor’s in later movies tho XD but I’m glad Thor’s getting some love! A lot of fans just characterize him as this big blonde idiot who has no clue what he’s doing, when in fact he’s grown quite a bit since the first Thor movie, where he was a reckless, hot-blooded, proud and arrogant person who really did have no clue what he was doing…sort of like musical-verse Hamilton minus his book smart nature and power of speech (isn’t that a terrifying thought?). Never knowing when to shut up and back down, which is coincidentally one of the things that damaged his relationship with Loki- who is his opposite in almost everything.

Without spoiling too much, let’s just say:

Thor is the extrovert, Loki is the introvert. Thor relies mostly on his raw physical power to get the job done (though he’s much more diplomatic now than he was in his first movie), Loki’s power lies in his words (he IS the god of lies after all) and his cunning. Thor can sometimes be a bit thick about the emotions of those around him, Loki reads people like open books and manipulates them like puppets on a string. No matter how much Thor grows up he’ll still have a bit of his old hot-tempered, non-stop personality, while Loki usually prefers to wait for it until he’s sure of the situation.

Unfortunately, Asgard (Thor and Loki’s 'home’- though Loki doesn’t consider Asgard his home anymore) values courageous warriors over quiet scholars and sorcerers like Loki. They praise honesty and boldness; Loki’s lies and illusions make them uneasy and they see him as a coward.

Despite being a prince, Loki has spent almost his whole life being identified as simply 'Thor’s brother’. People tolerate him because he’s a prince and Thor’s Brother, 'friends’ hang out with him because he’s Thor’s Brother, few openly show that they dislike him becuase he’s Thor’s Brother. Heck, when he lands on earth during the first Avengers movie, humans immediately identify him as none other than Thor’s Brother. He’s spent his entire life in Thor’s shadow.

It’s a very Burr-Hamilton relationship, and you can’t really blame Loki for wanting to be in the room where it happens.

(Also, the daddy issues.

I mean, look at what Odin and Laufey did

(SPOILERS for first Thor movie)

What Laufey (king of the frost giants) did:

1: Abandoned Loki because he was a 'runt’

2: Didn’t just abandon him; left him outside in the freezing cold in the middle of a freaking battlefield

What Odin did:

1: He rescued Loki when Laufey abandoned him because he felt sorry for the child…and also because he was planning use him as a pawn to someday make peace with the frost giants.

2: was planning to never, ever have a decent, reasonable 'you’re adopted, but you’re just as much my child as Thor is’ conversation with Loki

3: 'Yes, frost giants are terrible, bloodthirsty creatures, they are completely irredeemable’

4: some years later- 'Am I…? 'Yes, you are also a frost giant’

5: it’s heavily implied that he, like most others, always paid more attention to Thor than Loki

6: 'FATHER! I could have done it! For you…!’ 'No, Loki.’ *lets his adoptive son FALL INTO AN ABYSS IN SPACE. Like, he literally just stands there, watching Loki let go and fall to his death (well, not actually death, but that’s what it looks like)*

6: 'Both of you were born to be kings’

Later: 'All this because Loki desires a throne…YOUR BIRTHRIGHT WAS TO DIE! As a child, cast out on a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in, perhaps you would not be here now to hate me.’

I don’t hate Odin as much as the rest of the fandom seems to, and I do think he had reasons for doing what he did, but the fact still stands that he can be a massive hypocrite (tells Loki that he can’t try to take over the earth because they are no different from humans in the end, then tells Thor he shouldn’t date a human woman and calls her a 'goat’) and the things he did to Loki were just cruel.

Also, Thor, though he never wanted to hurt Loki, didn’t help. From what little we got to see in the Thor movies, it seems he also thought Loki was a bit weird for his quiet nature and interest in books and magic, usually refused to listen to anything he had to say, and just took his presence for granted most of the time so that he never realized how much Loki mattered to him until he lost him.)

Ok, so I’m trying to start the fic and I’m narrowing it down to Urie, Ken, and Shuu. I mean, the obvious choice is Urie since it seems like he’s one of your faves, but Heathers is a bit of a…graphic…story and while I’ve thrown in a bit of extra fluff IT WILL NOT BE A HAPPY FIC. So. Maybe you don’t want to see your favorite character hurt that way…

Also, because it’s HEATHERS, the story that’s set in a normal high school with absolutely no sci-fi or fantasy yet manages to be almost as dark as Black Butler, I guess I should put some warnings…

Slight yandere-ish behavior, murder, bullying, very vague mentions of self-harm and suicide (nobody actually does it or did it though), implied child abuse, sort-of-smut(scene cuts off right before anything smutty actually happens), and a ton of angst

(hint: it’s probably angstier than that thing I wrote about Viktor in a TG AU)

Is this ok with you?

Last note: Heathers and DEH both have a lot of dialogue to fill up the spaces between songs so you might want to either read the plots on wikipedia or talk with me every one or two songs so I can help explain what’s going on ^^

No worries ^^ I was a bit worried though, since I though you interpreted my ‘no new fandoms until the weekend!’ as ‘no messages until the weekend’

About the new chapter (127), has there been another time skip? Also, Shuu’s back! I’m sure you’re happy to see your hubby again (･ω<)☆ And I’m so proud of Naki ;-; My boy’s finally speaking properly.

#bringSaikoback  #becauseHe’sEvilThat’sY

Wait, she confessed her love? Man, I’ve forgotten a lot of things…

Yeah, that seems about right… What a gourmet.

Mask making, then? or eating eyeballs, that also wouldn’t be so weird. 

I want Hide to come back to life and become the next Jesus or something, saving absolutely everyone, because why not? I mean, he’s Hide after all.  Rize eating Furuta would be enough to get me to read the manga again (I already am, tho, at least somewhat. It’s your fault)

Maybe Ishida’s trying to redeem himself by giving us all the lovey-dovey stuff? It’s a shitty redemption attempt, but still…  and bringing back the dead certainly is an interesting way to advance the plot. hopefully it turns out to be a good one as well. hopefully.

i understand how/why mutsuki would fall for sasaki, but it was done in a very bad time and generally doesn’t fit with anything. id be a lot happier if they went murder crazy, but without the whole sasaki obsession. just let the guy be happy for fucks sake

You’re definitely a masochist. I mean, anyone who reads TGRe is (does that make me one as well…?). The AU is my pride and joy, the best idea I’ve ever had. I mean, just imagine it. Everyone being happy and enjoying life without suffering.

I’m sure you’ll do just fine ^^ I may not have anxiety but I do know the feeling of stage-fright. I mean, just a few weeks ago, I was at the japanese speaking contest and I still remember how badly I was shaking before, during and after my speech. I was so afraid I’d mess up… and I did! I did not understand any of the questions they asked me. Only later did I realise what they were trying to say, but in the moment, I was too scared to comprehend basically anything.  However, I got through it, no matter how scared I was. So I’m sure you’ll do just as well, if not better!

All hail King Evans, the One Eyed King! Now go stop the fighting between ghouls and humans, please.

Yeah, Evans is a bit of a boyish name. My first association with it before I met you was Soul Evans, from Soul Eater, a guy.  It’s also part of the reason why I was really afraid to write anything that might delude your gender, since lots of people get mad when people assume. 

Jealous Urie would be one of the most hilarious things ever. He’s to awkward to admit it, which means he also doesn’t do anything about it. How fun.

But you still haven’t answered my question… Who would you pick to be your significant other from the other fandoms we share, like Kuroshitsuji, AoT or YoI? Or even the Avengers universe ;)  You’re not avoiding it!

Honestly, Shuu is one of those people who get along with basically everyone, so I’m sure you’d get along with him. Besides, he’s empathetic, so he’d give everyone a chance to open up.

IDOL HELL! Join us... 

Oh really? Well, I was planning on watching the first Avengers movie and the Thor movies today and tomorrow (and maybe during the next week), so I’ll definitely tell you my opinion, then ^^ But Thor has short hair in the new movie. I am definitely not satisfied =3=

The whole family has some huge issues, doesn’t it? (thor’s family)

I say Kaneki, because it’s not a happy fic and out of the three, I like him the least. 

Sure, I’m fine with basically everything at this point. TG has ruined me in the darkness of itself (i don’t know what im typing anymore, don’t question me, please)

Okay, I’ll make sure to ask you about anything I don’t understand when I start listening to it ^^