#he was friends with a fellow who’s daughter was an up and coming musician

[rissynicole]

🎧 <3

Okay, so I decided to do this by going to my “liked” songs on Spotify, which has turned into a repository of every single song I’ve ever added to every playlist I’ve made since 2014. So this thing is massive and is made up of tons of songs I’ve liked over the years.

When I pressed shuffle, I got this version of My Immortal that’s even sadder than the original, somehow

Favorite lines:

“These wounds won’t seem to heal,

This pain is just too real,

There’s just too much that time cannot erase”

[izurusstuff]

Coal Miner's Daughter

(click here for last chapter)

｡･ﾟﾟ･🧸 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐕𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 ⋆·˚ ༘ *

message from izurusstuff: hey guys!! here's the first chapter i promised y'all from earlier :)) next chapter is when snow comes in and more of the JUICY stuff happens. pls tell me what you guys think i beg of you...

also i made a playlist that fits the aesthetic of this chapter!!

[𝐢𝐳𝐮𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟'𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝟏𝟐 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭]

summary: Y/n Vespertine is a musician from District 12 with a normal(ish) life. She has the love of her dad and two best friends, but something changes. Something that'll seal her fate...

꒰⸝⸝₊ʚɞ┊"...𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫..." ･:*:･

May 30th, The Hob, District 12.

A girl wearing a white dress with pink flowers was performing on the stage. Her brown boots stomped the ground in rhythm with her song that she was strumming on her guitar. The crowd was clapping along and swing dancing with their fellow strangers. The music united the people of The Hob. The performer smiled in the sweet moment.

The performer was none other than Y/n Vespertine. She was one of the common folk of District 12, her dad was a coal miner. Y/n found comfort in the music she sang, especially since adorning kids would come up to her and tell her that she looked like a princess. Everyone knew who she was. Whether it be from her dad or her singing, people knew her. They knew the crowd she hung with. She was a quiet girl, but her soul was grand and sweet. Sweeter than the honey that District 11 exported. 

Her delicate hands strummed the guitar, not even taking a break from the end of one song before she started another. Y/n’s hands began strumming to a faster melody, which made the people dance and clap faster. The Hob was in unison because of her music. After the intro, she began her singing:

“𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥

𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩

𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦

𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱, 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘭, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶…”

Although the lyrics were rather macabre, they resonated with the crowd. They shouted along with the music even though they didn’t know the lyrics. But y/n’s performance came to an end after hours of singing, much to everyone’s dismay.

Y/n stepped off the stage and walked to the room where all the performing equipment was laid out. She saw two familiar faces that she didn’t expect to see– Leif Huxley and Savani Yearwood. They were her best friends ever since they survived The Rebellion together; the three hid out in a shed near the lake to avoid being seen by any peacekeepers that may have wanted to kill them. Unfortunately, Leif’s parents died, leaving him in his older sister’s care. Savani’s mom escaped, but she hasn’t been found. Y/n’s mom perished that day, too. Needless to say, the three had a tight bond no one could break. 

Savani’s dad, Tripp, ended up becoming the Mayor of District 12. Leif and his sister opened up a flower shop down by the lake. They didn’t let their new wealth get to their head, though. They treated y/n the exact same and even provided extra food for her & her dad. 

“There’s our performer!” Savani embraced y/n with her open arms. She managed to sneak out of her dad’s office to see y/n perform. 

Leif wrapped his arm around y/n’s shoulders and gave her a kiss on her cheek. The two fell in love a few weeks prior and had Savani’s full support– life was good… maybe not perfect, but they made the most of the unfortunate events that led District 12 to poverty. 

“You blew the crowd away, my darling.” Leif squeezed y/n harder. He was grinning ear to ear. 

“I got you a surprise.” Savani boasted. She turned around to take the cloth off of a box. The box was rather big…

Y/n opened it and nearly jumped to the sky out of excitement. Savani had gotten her a custom-made guitar.

“Daddy got the wood from District 7. It’s pink ivory. Real expensive. But nothing’s too good for my dearest friend!” The girl said, hugging y/n from the side Leif wasn’t standing. The trio ended up in a group hug without pulling away. It was as if they were competing to see who could stay in the hug the longest. Leif was the first to pull away.

“Y’all wanna head down to the lake?” He asked. That was their hangout spot, no matter the season. The two girls nodded. Y/n left the guitar in the room backstage since she didn’t want to break it. The three of them snuck out of The Hob to walk about half a mile through the meadows until they got to their destination, where they then stood on the dock that went to about the middle of the lake. Leif ended up pushing y/n in. She gasped then laughed once she came back up. Him and Savani ended up jumping in after her. They couldn’t care less that they all had their clothes on, or that the sun was setting; it was a beautiful moment that they all relished in. 

They ended up floating on their backs, just staring at the sky. Leif reached down to y/n’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. Savani was daydreaming in her own world… she was free in that calming moment… she didn’t have to worry about the stresses of being her dad’s secretary. She was just… a teenager in that moment. It was what she so desperately craved. The other two looked at her. They knew what was on her mind. 

“Are you okay, ‘Vani?” Y/n asked. Concern laced her voice. 

“It’s weird… one minute we were kids that were running in the meadow near y/n’s house… it felt like yesterday. And now… now we’re here. We’re almost adults… what's next for us?”

“Whatever it is, all of us will stick together! We’re THE trio of District 12!” Leif reassured Savani… her solemn smile shifted from being sad to being one of genuine happiness and serenity.

“When I follow in Daddy’s footsteps, I’m appointing y’all to my cabinet. I can’t live without my friends’ advice.” The brunette bragged. She knew the stars were within her grasp. Nothing was out of reach for her, but the same couldn’t be said for y/n. 

Y/n only had a coal mining legacy ahead of her. It wasn’t the worst possible job, but it’s not the one she wanted either. She tried to hide her disappointment… but she couldn’t. So y/n got out of the water and dried herself off.

“I’m gonna head home. Daddy’s prolly worried ‘bout me.” Y/n announced. The other two said their goodbyes and wished her a safe return. 

--

Y/n made it home where her dad, Ridge, was waiting for her. He was dirty from mining all day, but he was cooking dinner. It wasn’t much– just pea soup. 

Y/n kissed Ridge on the cheek and went to her room. There were paintings of her, Leif, and Savani all together on her deteriorating dresser and dirty mirror. There were also luxurious gifts that Savani had given her over the years. The one that y/n loved the most was a beautiful gemstone necklace. It was made out of real silver and [insert y/n’s birthstone here]. 

Ridge called her for dinner. The two sat in the small kitchen and talked about their days.

“Vani gave me a guitar today.”

“Did she? Awfully nice of her. Did y’all hang at The Hob?”

“Sure did. Went to the lake after, too.”

“Y’all always loved that lake. Prolly’ the only kids here to hang out there.”

“Mhm… I think it’ll be our spot for a while. So many memories there.”

“Memories’re good to make. Not many good things to enjoy when you get older.”

Those words really sunk in. As much as it hurt, Ridge was right. After The Reaping this year, the three had to decide what they would do for the rest of their lives. Y/n expected Leif to propose soon due to how old they were getting. The thought of marrying him made her blush, and Ridge could definitely tell it.

“I always liked that Leif boy. His parents were real kind folk. His sister a kind young lady too. She gives us some flowers sometimes, she prolly think it might cheer us up.”

Y/n nodded at her dad’s approval. She finished up her soup then kissed Ridge goodnight. 

--

May 31st.

There was a celebration for Tripp Yearwood’s birthday at The Hob where y/n was asked to perform. She woke up early and put on her nicest dress. 

Ridge was still asleep, so y/n kissed his forehead and walked to The Hob.

Savani and Leif were already decorating for Yearwood’s birthday party. Of course, Savani was taking charge and bossing Leif around. It was the usual for those two, but y/n still found it humorous. 

“Hey, y’all!” Y/n greeted them. The two stopped their bickering and waved to y/n.

“Y/n!” Savani was ecstatic to see her there. “Your guitar is still in the backroom. Daddy was real excited for me to give it to you. You oughta play it today.”

Y/n went to the room to get it as per Savani’s suggestion. She put the guitar on and went back to the main room for a mic check. People started arriving for Tripp’s birthday. They took their seats at the beautifully decorated tables. Leif was holding hands with y/n as they walked around to talk to the crowd. Savani was being her typical hostess self and entertaining the crowd until the food got there… she was one of the very select few people in District 12 that could afford bread– more or less an entire catered banquet. Because of that, people were starting to stuff their faces with food after it arrived; they were like piranhas. 

Tripp Yearwood finally arrived. He gave y/n and Leif a warm hug as a thanks for helping his daughter with the party. Y/n thought of him as a second dad, so she was more than happy to help Savani make his birthday special. 

Y/n’s actual dad was there too. He requested to get off work early to see his darling daughter perform– he arrived a bit later than most people, but he was there.

Savani introduced y/n to the crowd, then the music started. Her typical tavern-style music was the entertainment of the evening. The well-fed crowd clapped along to her singing, a few of them were even dancing. Parents had their kids on their feet, dancing with them since they were so little. Y/n was the star of the show, even though it was literally the mayor’s birthday. But where were Savani and Leif?

Y/n took a small break to find the two. They weren’t exactly the type to disappear in the middle of her performance, so she was unbelievably worried. What if peacekeepers had gotten to them?!

The girl walked into the room backstage and her heart stopped. Her world stopped. 

Leif and Savani had their lips pressed together. They were full on making out. In the middle of Mayor Yearwood’s birthday celebration. Y/n let out a loud wail, which alerted the two of them along with several people from the crowd. None of the bystanders said anything. Not Ridge. Not Mayor Tripp. Not even Leif’s sister. The world was frozen and people stood there as y/n felt like her heart was ripped from her body. 

Y/n slammed down the guitar and ran away. Only Ridge ran after her…

[psychedelic-ink]

( ✉︎ ) SHORTCUTS TO MY MULTI-CHAP FICS!

This masterlist has got all my series in one spot. I put it together because my pinned post was getting way too long, so now it's easier for you to find and enjoy everything hassle-free. And of course all series can be find in the characters respective masterlists as well!

[✦] MLISTS .  LIBRARY

ego & black powder: pero tovar x prisonguard!reader

ongoing series, loose-fit fic

A prison guard shouldn’t be infatuated with a prisoner. Simple as that. But this new prisoner who you didn’t know the name of, made this rule very difficult to follow.

million dollar man: jack daniels x reader x frankie morales

ongoing series

Two years had passed since your break up with Jack, a fellow Statesmen agent. But everything re-ignites again when Champ asks you to go to San Francisco to investigate the disappearance of multiple women across the country and, sadly enough, agent Malibu. While doing anything with Jack is chaos enough, you also run in to another ex, a man that actually showed you kindness and someone you thought you could spend the rest of your days with that is until he started asking too many questions about your job, Frankie Morales.

we fall like snow: dieter bravo x bodyguard!ofc!amina addams

completed

After the events that took place at the Cliff Beasts set, needless to say as his bodyguard (and friend) you became overprotective of Dieter. You have all your worries under control until you accidentally flip over a young fan by grabbing her wrist, causing the media to stir with speculations as to why. Luckily Dieter's family arrives in the nick of time, scooping you both from New York to their cozy cabin; however winter wonderland can't last forever and you need to face the consequences of your actions sooner or later.

advanced politics of human sexuality: javi g x ofc!mia pradera

ongoing series

Still struggling to come to terms with his father’s recent passing, burdened by the weight of the business he left behind, Javi feels adrift. Meanwhile, years later, an unexpected twist of fate brings you back into Javi’s life again—the daughter of his favorite housekeeper. Uncertain about your future and what to do with it, you find yourself at a crossroads, while Javi wrestles with the irresistible pull he feels towards you.

i've got you darlin': moonknight x reader x din djarin

ongoing series

you find yourself in the middle of a dangerous race of who will steal priam's treasure first; a mysterious cloaked figure who calls himself moon knight or a man in clad armor who calls himself the mandalorian. amongst the chaos, you and steven try to protect the remnants of history.

watercolor eyes: sw!santiago garcia x reader

loose-fit fic, ongoing

After another day of lack of customers and loneliness, you come across a flyer that might grant you a night of relief and pleasure.

musician!joel miller masterlist

loose-fit fic, complete

One night you decide to visit a bar all by yourself. There you meet a guitarist, Joel miller, and things escalate from there. Here you'll find snippets and one-shots of the relationship.

exile: joel miller x ofc!june

Completed

Runners. Stalkers. Clickers. Shamblers. Bloaters. Domestics. All infected. One unlike the other. You expect the infection to eat you from the inside out, turning you into something horrid. But instead, you find yourself with leaf-shaped ears and antlers that belong to a deer. While you live out the rest of your days trying to adjust to your new features and survive, you meet Joel, a survivor just like you but with a more grim approach to life. Both of you adopt the forest as your home. One wants the other gone, meanwhile the other will do anything to not be left alone.

stay in bed: joel miller x reader, one sided tommy miller x reader

Ongoing series

After your grandfather’s passing, you find yourself moving into his home in Texas. You meet the Millers; Tommy, his older brother Joel and his daughter Sarah. With time, you and Tommy become close friends and Sarah visits you often. But Joel…Joel keeps his distance. The reason for this is due to one crucial fact you don’t know but he does; Tommy has a crush on you. Which means you’re off limits no matter what. But as your own feelings for Joel grow, things start to get more and more complicated.

Infections Of a Different Kind (TLOU AU): FEDRA javier p. x firefly!reader

Completed

Javier, a former member of the Federal Disaster Response Agency in Kansas City, is haunted by the guilt and violence he indirectly caused by not taking action when he should have. After fleeing Kansas City in the aftermath of Kathleen's violent overthrow of FEDRA, you and Javier seek refuge in an abandoned train in the middle of a forest. As you and Javier turn the train into a living space and learn to navigate the dangers of a post-apocalyptic world, you gradually overcome your differences and form an unlikely bond. But when your pasts catch up with you, you must confront the demons that haunt you and make a choice that could mean the difference between life and death. Will you choose to protect each other and find a way to build a new life together, or will the ghosts of your pasts tear you apart?

dark hearted people: joel miller x reader x ezra

Ongoing series

Trying to reach Tommy, you and Joel meet a charming stranger. He persuades the two of you into helping him find his stolen equipment. During your travels, none of you expect to fall for one another.

behind the velvet rope: joel miller x actress!reader x dieter bravo

loose-fit fic, Completed

a grumpy bodyguard, an eccentric actor, and you, who is thrust into the limelight. What can go wrong? The three navigate the challenges of Hollywood, tensions may arise and conflicts may occur but they’ll always have each other to lean on.

move me | the stripper saga: stripper!jack daniels x f!reader

Completed

frustrated by your everyday life, you seek solace at a male strip club. It's your first time and you're instantly mesmerized by the one that calls himself "whiskey".

ravish masterlist: joel miller x webcam model!reader

loose-fit fic, Completed

Joel, only now starting to feel the impending sense of loneliness, decides to listen to Tommy and sign up on an online streaming service called Ravish.

GLOSSARY

loose-fit fic: A fan fiction style characterized by a series that lacks a strict, predetermined plot or timeline, often with irregularly posted chapters.

loose-fit fic, complete: A series that is complete but might produce new chapters typically driven by audience demand or interest.

loose-fit fic, ongoing: A series that lacks a strict, predetermined plot or timeline, often with irregularly posted chapters.

[alexandreajones1947]

📣 Attention Bendy Fans and Aspiring Writers! 🖋️📚

Hello fellow Bendy enthusiasts!

Are you a die-hard Bendy and the Ink Machine fan? Have you read all the Bendy books, played every game, and watched every thrilling moment unfold? If so, I want YOU to join a group of talented fanfic authors!

About me:

(ahem)

Hello! my name is Meg, and I am a teenage girl currently attending a trade school, and struggle with severe ADHD, Anxiety, and OCD and am currently taking medication for all of these. Unfortunately, not all of my symptoms have been able to be effectively treated— as I suffer from severe writers block and mental fatigue when actually trying to put my thoughts and ideas on a page. This unfortunately includes the fanfic I’m trying to write, which is why I need help. 

I struggle with communication and have only one friend because of this, who is also part of the bendy community. I should note I am very socially anxious, and shy, but friendly (I think?) once I warm up.

My role in writing the story: 

as of right now I have a vague outline skeleton of the plot of the story, and character backstory’s, but if I could write an entire story by myself I probably wouldn’t be here asking for help, if you would like to see ideas I have for the story as of right now, I’ve copied and pasted the outline in a server on my discord!

My requirements: 

This project is nonprofit, as I do not have the means to pay you (unemployed), so please have that in mind 

I’d feel more comfortable if my fellow writers were around the same age as me, for maturity reasons and such, but I will allow people up to 20 to join.

I’d also appreciate it if you have read all the books/own them, I’m currently on page 40 of the Lost ones myself.

If you do want to join me, please have an example of your writing on hand (bendy fanfic if available)

Accurate Knowledge of history, ww2, America during ww2, etc

Able to accurately depict grief, etc

Background about the story

My fanfic takes place from 1943 to 1945

The main character, Sylvia is (unknowingly) the daughter of a famous retired Hollywood actress and an popular musician, Sylvia has two older brothers, who, along with their father, was drafted into ww2. Sylvie is the 3rd child and only daughter of the Young family— she has two younger brothers, who are twins. 

Sylvia meets Joey when he takes a wrong turn on a street, and comes across her selling her painting and sketches on the sidewalk, eventually the two get to talking, and Joey offers her a job, which she accepts, and the rest of the story details her journey through the studio.

Warnings about the story : this fanfic will (probably) have period typical homophobia and racism, curses, harmful ideals, gore, body horror, torture, casualty’s of war, suicides, car wrecks, mental abuse, manipulation, exploitation, mentions of past abuse, character deaths, BRUTAL character deaths, and other warnings to be added.

How I currently imagine handling credit:

I’m think about having the people who worked on a certain chapter put their initials/names in either the bottom of the page, the top corner, or anywhere else I can think of, if you would like to suggest a different method please reach out to me

If you would like to join me, you can reach me (or join my discord server) on these platforms:

Discord server link:

My fanfic email:

alexandreajones1947@gmail.com 

Why did I add these themes? Because I feel like that if they weren’t mentioned, it kinda feels like we’re ignoring/erasing the past, and that is a major injustice to those who suffered because of these beliefs during this time. (i should note that I myself do not support these “Ideals” and am part of the LGBTQ community myself (Asexual).)

[emonthlynews]

Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Biopic

Austin Butler, the Oscar nominee for his role in the new Elvis Presley biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann, recently sat down with the Los Angeles Times to discuss his rise to fame and his connection to the legendary musician.

In the interview, Butler addressed a comment he made during The Hollywood Reporter’s Actor Roundtable, where he discussed a “friend” who told him that he should play Elvis just before he heard about Luhrmann’s film.

Butler cleared out that the friend in question was not a psychic, but rather someone he knew from his past. 

“The month before I heard that Baz was making the movie,” Butler stated. 

“I was going to look at Christmas lights with a friend, and there was an Elvis Christmas song on the radio, and I was singing along, and my friend looked over at me and goes, ‘You’ve got to play Elvis.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s such a long shot.’ Then my agent called and said, ‘So Baz Luhrmann is making an Elvis film …’ The hairs just stood up on my arms.”

The actor, who has been making a name for himself in Hollywood over the past few years, also talked about his humble beginnings and how he never forgets where he came from. He mentioned that his family and friends are always with him, even when he’s on the big screen, and they keep him grounded.

Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley in the upcoming biopic has already garnered praise from critics and fans alike, and many are excited to see him bring the iconic musician to life on the big screen. The film was released in 2022 and is already generating Oscar buzz.

Read also: The Impact of ‘Happy Days’ on Tom Hanks’ Career: How a Guest Appearance Led to a Leading Role in ‘Splash’

Butler Confirmation

Austin Butler, the Oscar nominee for his role in the upcoming Elvis Presley biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann, recently confirmed to the L.A. 

Times that the friend who told him he should play Elvis was none other than his then-girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens. 

“We’d been together for so long and she had this sort of clairvoyant moment and so I really, I owe her a lot for believing in me,” Butler stated. 

The couple had been dating since 2011 and broke up in 2020. Since then, he has been dating model Kaia Gerber, daughter of Cindy Crawford.

Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley in the upcoming biopic has already garnered praise from critics and fans alike, and many are excited to see him bring the iconic musician to life on the big screen. The film was released in 2022 and is already generating Oscar buzz.

Child Star

The actor, who has come a long way since his days on Nickelodeon and Disney, is facing off against four other first-time nominees in the Best Actor category: Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Bill Nighy (Living), and Paul Mescal (Aftersun).

“Three years ago I got the role of a lifetime and have been living in a dream ever since,” Butler said of his nomination in a statement. 

“It has been my honor and privilege to take on the role of the icon, father, husband, and son — Elvis Presley. This was a labor of love for everyone involved. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing our film and so many of the creatives involved. 

“I share in this surreal moment with Baz, Catherine, Tom, Olivia, Mandy, Gail and the entire cast and crew of Elvis. To my fellow nominees, your work is inspiring and I am proud to be in this moment with you. My overwhelming gratitude to the Presley family is immeasurable. 

“You opened your arms to me and I will never forget it. No words can describe the profound impact you have had on me. This is a dream I will never forget.”Read More

Read also: Jennifer Lopez Gives Jennifer Coolidge the Seal of Approval on TikTok

Source: Entertainment Monthly News

[maddrmatt]

The Gift From Beyond (SoKai Week 2022)

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Greetings readers and fellow SoKai fans!  Thanks again for coming back for the next instalment.

In this chapter, to give the visit a few finishing touches, a particular wedding tradition is observed, and one last tale is told.

Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5: Last Requests

Radiant Garden

A short while later, the five sat in silence. No one was sure what to bring up next. Having discussed both the past and the future, they were at a loss of where to steer the conversation.  It was dawning on all of them that their visit may have been nearing its conclusion.

“I hate to say this.  But since it’s looking like we’ve run out of things to talk about, do you think maybe it’s time we called Joshua so he can take you back to wherever you came from?” asked Sora reluctantly.

“I think you might be right about that. Sora,” Summer agreed.

Kairi sniffed.  “I really wish it didn’t have to end.  It’s been great having us all together here.”

“I know, my child.  We all feel that way.  Getting to see you again, especially on your wedding day, has been a wonderful experience. But you know what they say about all good things,” said Lillie causing Kairi to nod sadly.

“All right then.  I guess I’ll make the call,” said Sora as he stood up.  “Joshua, we’re ready for you to…”

Suddenly, Grant stood up.  “Hold on a second, Sora.  Don’t call him just yet.”

“Dad?” asked Kairi.

“Honey, what’s going on?” asked Summer.

“I just thought of something I’d like to do before we leave,” said Grant.

“Oh.  Well, in that case, we’re not quite ready yet, Joshua, so don’t come back yet!” Sora called.

They all waited in case Joshua hadn’t heard the retraction.  After a few moments passed and he hadn’t shown up, it was safe to assume he was not coming yet.

“Looks like he heard you, Sora.  So, Grant, what did you want to do?” asked Lillie.

Grant faced his daughter.  “Kairi, when a father’s daughter gets married, he always looks forward to the tradition of walking her down the aisle during the ceremony. Now, I don’t begrudge your adoptive father for being able to do that.  It just saddens me that I missed out on that”

“I know, Dad.  And now that I’ve gotten to know you and Mom, I really wish I could’ve had all four of my parents do that walk with me,” said Kairi sympathetically.

Then Grant smiled.  “But even though that opportunity has passed, maybe we could still share a different wedding tradition before we go, Kairi.”

He held out a hand to her.  “Would the bride care to dance with her father?”

Kairi smiled, rose to her feet and took her father’s hand.  “I’d love to, Dad.”

Grant started to lead his daughter in the direction of a more open area of the garden.  It would serve perfectly as a makeshift dance floor.  Sora and the others watched with touched smiles on their faces.

Then Sora suddenly stood up.  “Hold it!”

Kairi and Grant turned back to face him.  “What is it, Sora?” asked the Princess of Heart

“If you’re going to dance, you’re going to need some music,” said Sora as he reached into his pockets for something.

But to his dismay, he found them empty.  “My Gummi Phone!  It’s gone!”

“Sora, we both left them in our rooms because we didn’t think we’d need them today,” Kairi reminded her husband.

“Oh nuts!  That’s right!”

“Gummi Phone?  What’s that?” asked Lillie.

“It’s a special device that we use to communicate with each other within and between worlds.  But it also has other uses like playing music.  I thought we could play one of the recordings we had in our phones for their dance.  Especially one from our friend Miguel Rivera who’s a musician and songwriter in his world. Many of his songs are themed around family and I just thought that one of them would be perfect for this moment,” said Sora disappointedly.

Grant chuckled.  “Don’t worry about it, Sora.  I appreciate the thought.  But I can provide this dance with a song myself.”

“You sing?” asked Kairi.

“Oh yes.  Your father loved to sing when it was either while working on his garden projects or just to make me smile.  He’s always had such a charming voice,” said Summer as she exchanged loving glances with Grant.

With that matter settled, Kairi and Grant resumed their small journey to where they would dance.  In the meantime, Sora took upon himself to turn Lillie’s chair around so she was in a direction she could watch them before sitting on the bench with Summer.

Once Kairi and her father reached the center of their makeshift dance floor, they got into position.  Kairi placed her left hand on Grant’s right shoulder while Grant placed his right hand on her left side.  They then extended their free arms and grasped each other’s free hands.

“Kairi, the song I am about to sing to you is one I haven’t sung in a long time,” said Grant.

“Why is that?”

Grant smiled.  “Because it’s one I used to sing to you when you were just a baby.  I’m so glad I get to sing it to you one more time.”

The two of them began to slowly waltz around in a circular motion.  As they danced, Grant started his song.

(In-Universe Music: You’ll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins performed by Grant.)

The opening lyrics sounded like the words of a parent to a child who was crying.  They carried a vow of protection and assurance of being there for the child.

As she swayed with her father and listened to the lyrics from his gentle voice, a strange feeling came over the Princess of Heart.  Suddenly, she let out a silent gasp.

‘I…I remember!  I’m remembering moments with Mom and Dad!  But I was so young back then, it shouldn’t be possible!  But it is happening!’

Kairi was absolutely amazed by her earliest memories returning.  She desperately wanted to know how it was happening.

Then a possible answer came to her.  ‘Is it Dad’s song?  Is it causing all these memories to return to me?  It must be.  There’s no other explanation.  And I have seen this happen before when we saw Miguel sing to his Mama Coco to restore the memories of her father.’

She looked into her father’s eyes as he continued to sing to her.  Happy tears started to stream down her face as she smiled at him.

‘I guess there really is a connection between melodies and memories.  Oh, Dad. Your song has done something so wonderful for me.’

Grant truly had no idea about what he just done for his daughter.  He simply smiled back as he continued to sing about her being in his heart.

________________________________________________________________

From where they sat, Sora, Lillie and Summer watched the father and daughter duo dance.  All of their hearts were close to bursting with happiness at the beautiful sight.

“I knew Grant was going to sing that song,” said Lillie.

“It was always his favorite one to sing to Kairi,” said Summer.

“And even though it’s been a long time since she’s heard it, she seems to be really enjoying it.  Look how happy she is,” said Sora as he caught glimpses of his wife’s smiling face as she continued to twirl around with her father.  ‘Of all the times to be stuck without a Gummi Phone. Kairi would’ve loved to have pictures of this to remember it.’

As she watched her husband and daughter dance, something caught Summer’s eye as she looked to her son-in-law.  “Sora, can I ask you something?”

Sora turned to his mother-in-law with a look of confusion.  “Sure, Summer.  What is it?”

“I’d like to take a look at your wedding ring, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh!  Of course. Go right ahead,” said Sora as held out his hand that bore his wedding ring to Summer.

After looking over it, Summer said, “My, that’s an interesting engraving on it.”

“An engraving?  On a wedding ring?  May I see it?” Lillie asked causing Sora to hold out his hand to her so she could also take a look it.

There, plain as day, engraved in the band’s golden surface, was a perfect recreation of Sora and Kairi’s paopu drawing.

“It looks like you and Kairi,” said Lillie.

“And they seem to be offering…stars to each other?” asked Summer perplexed.

Sora chuckled.  “It certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?  This drawing’s been a very important part of Kairi’s and my love story because it was probably the earliest way that we showed our true feelings toward each other.  That’s why we requested the Moogles to engrave it on our wedding rings.”

“This drawing sounds it carries a pretty fascinating story.  If you don’t mind, Sora, would you care to tell us about it while Kairi and Grant finish their dance?” asked Lillie.

“We didn’t mention this drawing earlier when we were telling our story?  Or what those stars really represent?” Sora asked to which Lillie and Summer shook their heads.  “I can’t believe we forgot to tell you.  It’s actually one of our favorite stories to tell.”

“Yours and Kairi’s story was a large one, Sora. A few details falling through the cracks can be forgiven,” said Summer.

“I guess so.  But it would’ve been a shame had you not heard about it before you left.  Well, I’m certainly glad I have to opportunity to share it now so here it goes.  You see, back home on the Destiny Islands, there’s this particular island where all the kids like to go to play.  And on it, is a cave that we call the Secret Place.  One of the things we’d like to do in there, is use rocks to draw on the walls. The first time I brought Kairi there after she arrived on the Islands, we drew something together in that cave. I drew her face, and she drew mine. And as you can see from the engraving on the ring, she was clearly the better artist than I ever was,” laughed Sora causing Lillie and Summer to laugh as well.  ‘Naminè had to get her drawing skills from somewhere and it certainly wasn’t from me.’

“I can certainly believe that.  Kairi always drew so well despite being so young.  She must’ve a little artistic talent from her father.  But what are those stars you seem to be exchanging in the drawing?” asked Lillie.

“Actually, it’s a kind of fruit from the Islands that’s shaped like a star.  They’re called paopu fruit.  There’s a legend behind the fruit that if two people share it, their destinies would be bound together and they would remain a part of each other’s lives no matter what,” said Sora.

Summer giggled.  “The way you talk about that legend; it almost sounds like an engagement.”

“It does sound like one, doesn’t it?” asked Sora.

“And even though you were just young children when you drew it, you both wished to share these fruits with each other back then?” asked Lillie.

Sora laughed.  “Not exactly.  That part of the drawing wasn’t added until way later.  For a long time, it was just Kairi’s and my faces looking at each other. Until the day before the Heartless came to the Islands and I first gained the Keyblade.  I was in the Secret Place looking for mushrooms for our upcoming trip on the raft.  Before I left, I looked at the drawing and started to remember when Kairi and I first drew it.  The next thing I knew, I had picked up a rock and was drawing between us, my hand giving her the paopu fruit.”

Summer smiled.  “Sounds to me like you were starting to realize how much she truly meant to you then.”

The Hero of the Keyblade shrugged.  “Maybe I was.  Ever since we met, I sort of felt there was something more than just friendship between us and it seemed to be growing stronger as time went on.  And since I didn’t know how exactly to tell her, I thought adding the paopu fruit to the drawing was a way to express it without words.  It felt like a pretty good idea.  But at the same, it also frightened me.”

“I can understand why, Sora.  You and Kairi had become such good friends and I doubt you wanted to risk ruining it.  Especially since you had no idea then if she truly felt the same,” said Summer.

“That was part of it.  But a bigger part was that I also felt unworthy of her,” said Sora.

“Unworthy?  Why would you believe that?” asked Lillie.

“Because at the time, Riku also appeared to have feelings for Kairi and all of our friends seemed to think that if she were to choose between him or me, she would choose him.  And back then, I had always thought that Riku was better than me at everything, so even I believed she would choose him in the end.”

“Sora, listen to me,” said Summer causing her son-in-law to give her his full attention.  “After everything you’ve done for Kairi, let me tell you that you are definitely worthy of her.  More than worthy, in fact.  Don’t ever let yourself forget that.”

Sora looked at his mother-in-law’s insistent expression before letting out a chuckle.  “You know, Kairi always gives me that exact same look whenever I express those kinds of doubts and she sets me straight.  I see it runs in her family,” he said causing Summer to laugh.

Then he smiled gratefully.  “And yes.  I’ll never forget that.  But it’s always nice to hear it and it means a lot coming from her mother.”

“So, back to subject of the drawing, you’ve told us when you added the part where you offered the fruit to Kairi.  But when did you add the part where she offers it to you?” asked Lillie.

Sora gave a bright smile.  “Actually, I didn’t add that part.  Kairi did it herself.”

“She did?!” exclaimed Summer joyously.

“Yep.  It was one of the biggest surprises I ever got in my life.  After returning to the Islands after defeating the first Organization XIII, I went to the Secret Place one day.  And when I looked at the drawing again, that’s when I saw the addition of Kairi’s hand giving me the paopu fruit.  It was a shock at first.  But then I realized that Kairi must have seen my own addition and then added to it herself.  That gave me hope that perhaps she did feel the same way about me that I did about her. I wanted to talk to her about it. But before we could, we had to start preparing for the final battle against Xehanort so it kind of fell by the wayside.”

“That is unfortunate.  Did you two ever get to share them for real?” asked Summer.

Sora smiled brightly again. “Yes, we did.  In fact, as of today, we’ve actually shared them twice.”

“Twice?  Please tell us about both occasions, Sora,” said Lillie.

“Gladly, Lillie.  The first time we shared them, even though tragedy followed, will always be one of our favorite memories. In fact, we even celebrate the anniversary of it every year.  It was the evening before we faced Xehanort and his new Organization XIII.  We were sitting on our favorite spot on the paopu tree on the Islands and, to my surprise, Kairi just plucked two fruits off the tree and handed one to me.  I couldn’t believe what she was doing.  She was making such a bold move.  But after explaining how she wanted to be part of my life forever, I knew that I wanted the same with her.  We then promised to keep each other safe, and then we shared them.”

“How romantic,” said Lillie.

“But that certainly was quite a promise to make, Sora.  Especially on the eve of such a high stakes battle,” said Summer.

“I’ll admit, it definitely hasn’t been an easy one to keep for the both of us.  Especially since every time we failed to keep it, we would be torn apart.  But Kairi and I have always believed that with the legend of the paopu fruit on our side, along with the special bond between our hearts, we would always find our way back to each other no matter what.”

“Well, seeing as how many times you’ve accomplished that despite numerous separations, it seems that there may be something to this legend after all.  So, what was the second time you shared the fruits?” asked Lillie.

“This morning. During our wedding ceremony.  It’s a tradition from the Destiny Islands that if two people who have shared the fruits get married, they do it again on their wedding day as an act of renewal and strengthening of the bond between them.”

“That’s so sweet,” said Lillie.

“And does it feel like it has gotten stronger, Sora?” asked Summer.

The Hero of the Keyblade gazed over to where his wife was dancing with her father.  He smiled lovingly at her.

“Yes.  I truly believe it has.  And I have a feeling it’s only going to grow stronger as we continue to go through life together.”

Lillie smiled.  “I believe it will too.”

“So do I,” said Summer.

Sora smiled gratefully and nodded his thanks to both of them.  It felt good to know how much they believed in him and Kairi.

Nothing more was said between the three of them and nothing more was needed.  They just continued to watch the dance go on.

But as they listened the lyrics from Grant, a bittersweet feeling came over Summer and Lillie.  Being familiar with the song, they knew that both it and the dance were drawing to a close.  And what would follow next would undoubtedly be one of the most difficult moments they would ever have to face.

________________________________________________________________

As Grant sang more about always being there, the song came to its finish.  Both he and Kairi stopped dancing.

He then finally took notice of his daughter’s tear-streaked face.  “Are you okay, my precious girl?”

“Dad, I remember!” Kairi quietly exclaimed.

Grant looked confused.  “Remember what, Kairi?”

“Moments from when I was young with you, Mom and Grandma!  I remember how you used to rock me and sing that song whenever I woke up in the middle of night and it always helped get me back to sleep.  I remember how Mom would show me some of the flowers she grew and how the colors and scents used to make me so happy.  And I remember how whenever Grandma felt sad, likely from all the hardships she faced, she would cuddle with me, and it made her smile return.”

Kairi then threw her arms around her father’s shoulders and hugged him tightly.  “Your song brought that all back to me.  Thank you so much, Daddy.”

Grant smiled and stroked his daughter’s back in comfort.  “Happy to have helped you in that way.  Kairi? Can you promise me something?”

“Of course.”

“When you and Sora have children of your own, would you sing that song to them?”

Kairi drew apart from her father so he could see her smiling face again.  “I will, Dad and you can count on me keeping that promise.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Sora, it’s how to always keep a promise.  Especially since that song will always remind me of how much I was loved by my birth family.”

A tear dripped down Grant’s cheek.  “Thank you so much, my precious girl,” he said as he kissed Kairi on the forehead and then took her into another embrace.

But as Grant hugged his daughter, a somber look came to his face.  He knew what was to come next.

It was nearly time to say goodbye.

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Notes from the Mad Doctor:

I don’t think there’s any greater Disney song about parental love than Tarzan’s You’ll Be In My Heart other than Coco’s Remember Me.  I thought it was the perfect song for Kairi’s dance with her father and having him sing it would make the moment even more beautiful.

I hope you also enjoyed Sora’s retelling on the tale of the drawing and the paopu fruit. Those are such important parts of his and Kairi’s romance.

I give my thanks to whoever reads this chapter.

I also give my special thanks to @sora9090​ for liking the previous chapters as well as @blackazurebeast​ for reblogging the previous chapters.

Comments, likes and reblogs are much appreciated! For the second last chapter, you might wish to have some tissues handy because, as you probably guessed, it’s going to be a real tearjerker.

Stay tuned!

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Onto the next chapter!

[rodyisteria]

A day at the beach in Sophia

What a joke! You work up a sweat on the land, the next moment you have your toes in the sand, sipping on a Faalberry cocktail, while your husband tries to swim. Idiot, he can't swim at all! It's also been a long time since I traded my farm smock for a bathing suit, but here I am lying on the beach of Ikaris Bay in Sophia, the most beautiful city on the continent, so they say. I totally agree. The water here is so blue, it looks fake. But it's not fake. I swam in it myself this morning. Back at home you can only swim in pools after heavy rainfall, but then you are immediately covered in mud. In the distance there are those green mountains whose tops disappear in the fog, embracing the bay. Every day I have sat here and every day I enjoy the view again.

Everything is slender here. The plants, the buildings, even the people. A little further on is an aqueduct that transports fresh water from the mountains to the city. That thing is so thin that I wonder if water can get through it anyway. I've already heard that only Elves can surpass Sophia's architecture. There are also many white statues on the beach of high Bidtrees with a mother-of-pearl sheen, offering shade against the burning sun. On the beach itself there are small huts of the same material in the shape of a 'pineapple' or something like that. It seems to be a fruit that comes from afar. I tasted one, but give me a potato instead. They do make nice cocktails thou, in those pineapple huts.

It had taken quite a bit of work to get here. Two weeks of walking through wetlands and sand dunes. My feet are still wounded. But now that I'm here I never want to leave. Let's see what hubby thinks of that. After working hard all my life between the cows and the chickens, it was time for an outing. My husband would have preferred to go to Ceaderr, but hey… they have no beach there, no good food and no beautiful women. The latter was enough to persuade him to go to Sophia.

Yes, I heard from Gretha while shearing the sheep. Sophia, I really had to go there. A friend of her daughter had been there. I'd never heard of it to be honest… What is my husband doing now? Is he fighting a fish or something? Oh, that's a big one! So… the lifeguards here are very fast. Look there, five are already jumping into the water to help him. The sixth is on her way. All women. And how slim they are. Do they have a special diet or something?

Well, here it comes, my husband. What kind of beast was that? A what? A Bolbaldon? Didn't I had one for dinner yesterday? Oh, we had a nice meal yesterday, back here on that tiled part. There are all kinds of eateries and there are musicians walking around every evening. So romantic to watch from there over the beach how the sun disappears behind the mountains. Oh, that's a handsome, tanned fellow. Yes, give me another cocktail like that. Thank you. Faalberries are my favorite. They grow on the edge of the sandy paths where we live. But don't pick them too early in spring, because then they are poisonous. I remember well that Bep's son was sick in bed for a week, after eating jam from Faalberries picked too early. Good old Bep. She had never been good with plants. With making jam neither by the way.

They say there are mermaids swimming by here. I haven't seen one yet. What you do see here are people who are exercising. On the beach and in the water, a lot of people play with a ball. On the paved path they are mainly running. You can also rent boats to go sailing and further on they have wooden slides that end up in the sea. You know what's fun? The houses on the water. Yes really, they have houses here that float on the blue water. Imagine waking up in the morning with only the sea around you. Amazing, right. My husband didn't dare rent one of course. He is afraid of drifting out of the bay at night and waking up on the open sea. I think he just can't afford it. Ah, my cocktail. Thank you.

What are you grumbling darling? Why am I flirting with strange men? You certainly don't look at all those women, do you! Anyway, all that sports is not for me. Just come with me to the farmlands, then you won't need sport anymore. What do you say honey? Why should they come with me to the countryside? To work of course, that's why they don't need sports anymore, why did you think? Oh… and speaking of going back to the countryside, we need to talk about that.

Bella deVries Simple Peasant Woman

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[dippedanddripped]

Old Nollywood aesthetics and fashion may be considered trendy today, but the films were not always so well-regarded. In the 90s and early 2000s, when these movies were made and watched in parlours across Nigerian homes as they were shot, straight-to-video, they were considered as bad entertainment, or ‘low culture’. To watch and enjoy Nollywood films was to celebrate mediocrity. But today, nostalgic young Millennials and Gen Zers are overlooking the jarring audio, grainy pictures, and sometimes hammy acting, to appreciate not only the grooming and style of the actors, but the original and diverse stories that reflect unique Nigerian experiences.

It was for this reason that sisters Tochi and Ebele Anueyiagu started Nolly Babes, a nostalgic Instagram account dedicated to celebrating the cinematic period’s women. Started in December 2017, their first post was of Nollywood’s biggest star Genevieve Nnaji; a still taken from 2004 film Sharon Stone In Abuja, directed by Adim Williams. Nnaji plays the titular character, a sexually liberated young woman who uses her beauty and charm to ensnare unassuming men into doing her bidding.

The account is an ode to the female characters of old Nollywood who were often portrayed as warning examples. The storylines were steeped in moral principles rooted in the patriarchal culture and the dominant Christian religion of Southern Nigeria. A large number of the female characters were considered immoral because they kissed other women, challenged men, smoked and drank, or wore mini skirts. Today, Nolly Babes and similar accounts are reimagining these women, taking their scenes out of the moralistic context of the films, and turning them into iconic feminist personas.

The first time Nollywood content seeped into the mainstream internet consciousness can be traced back to 2017 when videos of Nollywood’s favourite comedic duo Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, better known as Aki and Pawpaw, rose to popularity due mostly to the influence of a now-defunct Twitter account @nollywoodroll ran by Nicole, a woman based in Brazil.

Their memes became the go-to reaction videos for expressing a wide range of emotions: joy, disappointment, sadness, frustration. The appeal was in seeing children making mischief or in adult situations – drinking beer and smoking cigars, wooing bigger women, or in oversized suits shouting instructions at people twice their size. Although both Ikedieze and Iheme were in their 20s in the early 2000s when most of the films were made, they mostly played children because of their body stature. By 2019, the memes had achieved such virality that brands like Rihanna’s Fenty would use them for social media clout.

Theodora Imaan Beauvais is the curator of Yung Nollywood, another archive of clips and stills from old Nollywood paying homage to its controversial female characters, after screenshotting moments from Nollywood she found “appealing or inspirational”. Yung Nollywood is remarkably distinct from Nolly Babes for its subtitling of the films’ stills from Nollywood films, something she attributes to Tumblr. While the idea to give witty captions to the actors’ facial expressions came from watching Netflix. “I thought, ‘If someone could describe Nollywood reactions in short phrases it’d be an art form on its own,’ and I became that someone.’”

In December 2019, Tochi and Ebele hosted a Nollywood-themed party in Lagos. Nollywood actor and musician Nonso Bassey attended the party dressed in a two-piece jean set and bucket hat, a signature look of the bad boy/alpha male archetype, and a role reprised multiple times by older actors such as Hanks Anuku, Emeka Ike, and Jim Iyke. Since that party, Nonso has attended social functions and premieres in outfits that make a nod to the fashion choices of that era of Nollywood. He insists, though, that he isn’t cosplaying Nollywood characters of that era. “I’ve always been attracted to the idea of merging old world charm with a new school approach,” he said.

The party caused a cultural stir amongst Nigerians and Africans both at home and in the diaspora – every other week, there seems to be a Nollywood-themed party held either in Lagos or London. Take for instance friends and business partners Imani Okunubi and Aseosa Uwagboe, two Nigerian-British kids who grew up in the UK. Nollywood was one of the ways they could connect back to their roots. That experience informs their event brand, Lasgidi to London, targeted at Nigerians living in the UK. “We wanted to create events that were reminiscent of the Naija hall parties (Owambe) we attended as kids, as we don’t want to see that culture die,” Aseosa said. Their next owambe is a Nollywood-themed party and guests are expected to come dressed in their “best nolly Y2K aesthetic”.

Below, the Nolly Babes sisters talk about creating and hosting the first Nollywood-themed party and the cultural moment it has inspired.

How did that first event come about – please take me through it, from the planning to how it turned out?

Nolly Babes: From the inception of Nolly Babes, we knew we had to throw a party. Fashion is a huge part of what makes Nolly Babes different from other Nollywood-themed pages and we knew we were the only ones that could set Nolly Babes as the dress code and have people commit as they did. There are many iconic Nollywood scenes and scenarios. The daughter meeting her evil mother-in-law, the ominous visit to the Babalawo, the campus stroll – just the mere mention of these scenes evokes images that have been embedded in the minds of our fellow Nollywood enthusiasts. The party scene is probably the most iconic of them all. Whether it’s in a club, a mansion while mum and dad are out of town (but coming home early to crash the whole thing) or poolside, the Nolly Babes party scene has its staples: mad music, dancing, and sick outfits.

December in Lagos is notoriously hectic. On each day, there are day parties, beach hangouts, concerts, and we just knew we had to be a part of it. Our flyer was the first thing we made sure was done right, and that has been replicated (but never duplicated) many many times. We went through at least six drafts of that until we got the flyer to be a realistic replica of the home video covers from the golden era. The DJs Kemi Lijadu and vIVENDII Sounds understood the assignment and played music from the Nolly Babes era. We’re talking Tony Tetuila, Mo Hitz, Wande Coal, Plantation Boyz… We curated a special cocktail menu: Genny Colladas, Jim Iyke’s Hard Lemonade, MargaRita Dominic, and our Lagos Island Iced Tea, in tribute to Nollywood stars Genevieve Nnaji, Jim Iyke, and Rita Dominic respectively. We had a video projection on the famous red wall at Nok showing a mashup of emblematic scenes. We were partying while seeing images of a young Jim Iyke dressed just like many of the attendees were dressed. It was magical! We have an event we’re planning in New York for the summer – it’s going to be a madness.

Did you envisage it becoming the cultural movement it’s now become?

Nolly Babes: We really didn’t. We hosted the party because we knew people were taking inspiration from our page for styling jobs and music video treatments, and wanted to give everyone a chance to recreate some of their favourite looks. Now every week we see people planning Nollywood-themed parties and sending people to our page for references. It’s awesome. Toke Makinwa even recently attended a Nolly Babes-themed party and she was dressed as a character we have immortalised – Regina Askia in President’s Daughter. She killed it! Even though the character wasn’t referenced, it was clear as day and it was awesome to see that she pulled it off! Honestly, when we see people really pay attention to detail and execute the theme well it’s so, so dope.

How has TikTok helped grow Nollywood's influence? You posted a scene from Girls Cot, the famous “you stink with poverty” clip on TikTok and it went viral and birthed these recreations even by non-Africans.

Nolly Babes: We’re just happy to see that another aspect of Nollywood that we champion – the iconic scenes and one-liners – is also resonating across the world. We see Nolly Babes as an archival work and as much as we focus on beauty and looks on Instagram, it’s nice to be able to point people in the direction of the scenes that are forever embedded in our brains. These are scenes we recreated in jest ourselves before there was even a Nolly Babes to begin with, so to see it catching on TikTok is exciting and a new frontier for us to fully explore. I think what distinguishes Nolly Babes from other Nollywood pages and what contributes to our TikTok success is that we really watch Nollywood movies. We grew up watching these movies and continue to do so now so we can capture those moments in films that the casual consumer or poster of Nollywood content might not.

What are your thoughts on Nollywood’s influence on the Alté scene? Music videos of artists such as Lady Donli and Odunsi nod to the aesthetic and fashion styles of that era.

Nolly Babes: Nollywood, and specifically the aesthetic we have shone a spotlight on, is probably one of the biggest influences in terms of visuals in that scene right now. I have never seen so many Eucharia (Anunobi) eyebrows on TV and we love it! It’s awesome to see our images and scenes being used in treatments and storyboards. If we’re being candid, we think it would be great if we got the chance to step into our stylist/creative direction bag and help with the execution of the aesthetic.

“The bottom line is really that Nolly Babes has brought what was already an international cultural influence to the modern social media realm with a new lens” – Nolly Babes

How far do you see Nollywood's influence on pop culture, beyond Nigeria and Africa?

Nolly Babes: When we moved to New York we found our Dominican and South American friends had also grown up watching Nollywood films. The bottom line is really that Nolly Babes has brought what was already an international cultural influence to the modern social media realm with a new lens. Nollywood clips were online everywhere – but it was always in a comedic way. Aki and PawPaw are meme gods now, and that’s because their expressions transcend cultural boundaries. Black Twitter eats that stuff up.

Nolly Babes chooses to center the beauty, style, and iconic imagery, even the home decor with our #NollyDecor hashtag of the golden era of Nollywood. We share the makeup, accessories, fashion, iconic phrases, and scenes in a way that isn’t just comedic but inspirational and aesthetically groundbreaking. I see Nollywood being at the centre of this Y2K resurgence that is happening all over the world, from TV to runways and fashion collections. That era is coming back around and, this time, the Black experience is being revisited and centered in a way it wasn’t back in the late 90s and 2000s. (Black people) were always the originators of the trends and this time they’re tapping into the source and Nollywood, particularly the era we celebrate as Nolly Babes, is a great resource for that.

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[love-archon]

A Day With The Genshin Characters: Liyue Edition

Today's going to be a busy day! Check your planner for who you'll be meeting with- as one of the esteemed members of the Liyue Qixing, you cannot afford to be late to any appointment. 

• 6:00, Ningguang: Morning Tea 

Although you say you love your job, waking up at un-archonly hours has to be the part you like the least. Even getting up at five in the morning, the hour when tigers prowl, is still not enough time to prepare for a meeting with the Tianquan. You rush around frantically choosing the best outfit, fragrance, and hair arrangement to present yourself to Lady Ningguang, and you're halfway out the door when it hits you- you forgot to bring a gift with you!

"Right on time," Ningguang says, pleased. You smile, hoping she won't hear your heart beating from anxiety. "And what a lovely present, too... is there any doubt you were appointed as one of the seven Qixing?" (You can't tell if it's her rare praise, or the sheer altitude you're at within the Jade Chamber, that's making your head spin).

• 7:00, Keqing: Business Meeting 

You barely have time to rest before Keqing whisks you away to Yuehai Pavilion. You're very close friends, and you admire the girl for her tenacity and diligence. The conversation flows easily as you walk to your destination under a cloudless sky. It's a wonderfully sunny moment, but the moment the doors lock, you mean business. In the next two hours, you conquer matters that would normally take days to resolve, and the two of you exchange grins. 

"There we go!" Keqing breathes a sigh of relief, pushing away the last stack of papers. She holds up her hand, and you high-five. "You know, I like how easily you keep up with me. You even caught mistakes I would have missed... things like this make me even more certain Liyue is better off in human hands."

• 9:00: Check In With Ganyu

With such a hectic schedule, Ganyu is your saving grace. It's always important to check in with her, just to make sure nothing you have planned catches you by surprise, and sometimes you wonder why others rarely do the same. She's quite lonely, and often mentions how nice it is that you speak with her every day and bring her gifts to help with work. It may be part of your job to be courteous, but... it does help her feel less lonely and conflicted with herself. 

"Qingxin flowers? Thank you so much." She accepts them gratefully, smiling at you with warm eyes. "I still have that new stationery you gave me, too. You're so kind for remembering the things I like!"

• 9:30: Talk to Beidou

The tea in the Jade Chamber was just a front for Ningguang to spring a request on you- meet with the captain of the Crux Fleet to discuss her... recent smuggling habits. But Beidou merely laughs heartily when you arrive. A crewmate tosses her a sack of Mora, and she slits it open, letting the payment shower over you in a spray of gold. And then, before you know what's happening, you're roped into helping them find a treasure rumored to be lost beneath the waves. 

"So, Ningguang though sending her star diplomat would get me to let up, huh!" You blush, wondering how you could be so easy to read under her ruby eye. "I was impressed by your words, and how well you fought by my side. But the annoyance of the Liyue Qixing is of no concern to me."

• 12:00, Tartaglia: TEACH HIM A LESSON!

As the member of the Qixing that oversees diplomacy and foreign relations, it's you that must meet with the Fatui Harbinger. He's quite good at playing pretend- all your underlings believed he was a naive, careless young man, and easily manipulated, too. And all of them ended up suppressing the urge to break something after they were done conversing with him. On your honor as one of Liyue's seven stars, you vow to not make their mistakes. 

"You're asking why I don't try to drive you mad?" he said, setting down his fork. You'd caved in and given him one after watching him struggle with chopsticks for far too long. "You're the only one who isn't a bore to talk to, that's all-" so this was on purpose?!- "and besides, I want to challenge you to a fight afterwards! Your vision's getting quite dusty from neglect, comrade. Let's fix that!"

• 2:00, Yanfei: Discussion of Legal Matters

Yanfei's counsel is an invaluable treasure. Especially when dealing with an opponent as vicious as Snezhnaya's Fatui, who deserve to have her wrath unleashed upon them. You walk to her office with a gleam in your eyes, and are delighted to see an equal fire already blazing in hers. For the next few hours, you two take the "suggestions" Tartaglia passed on from the Northland Bank and scheme on how to best tear them to shreds with the law.

"That man-childe's been giving you trouble again, huh," she giggles. "What did he come up with this time~? I've been waiting for an excuse to bring out the latest edition of my lawbook!" And with that, Yanfei slams it down, and the sheer weight of it nearly cracks her desk. "He won't know what hit him!"

• 4:00: Free Time

Of course, "free time" simply means that you have no meetings scheduled for this hour, which lets you adequately prepare for the next day's events. Tomorrow is your appointment with the Feiyun Commerce Guild, which you already know will require great patience and strength of mind. Because the head of the guild, and his eldest son, the future head, are- to put it mildly- not very bright... it's fortunate, then, that the second son Xingqiu has a good head on his shoulders.  

"Tomorrow, you should go straight to me instead," Xingqiu informs you cheerily, handing you a popsicle. Apparently, he keeps them around for his friend Chongyun, who's off to complete another exorcism. "I'll be sure to set everything in order." His eyes gleam. "And then, I can tell you the latest developments in 'A Legend of Sword'!"

• 5:00: Catch Xinyan's Concert!

Liyue's one and only rock musician isn't hard to find, thanks to the designated performance spots scattered around the city. You stop by at the raised platform where she's rocking out, where other people are listening as well. Xinyan strikes a peace sign in the air, and her vision glows with energy before the stage erupts with pillars of fire; her audience bursts into cheers and applause, and she's beaming as she leaps down to meet you. 

"Wait, seriously? You really changed up the rules a lil' so it'll be easier for me to hold concerts here?" Her eyes shine as they scan the papers- one of the many results of your work today in Yuehai. "Thank you so much! Wait-" she picks up her guitar again, giving it an experimental riff. "Let me think up a quick song for ya as thanks- I insist!"

• 6:00: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor 

Lately, you've been sent particularly determined requests from the other nations about allowing tourists to observe the ancient funeral rites. You already know the answer's gonna be a hard no, but the laws written by Rex Lapis state that you must check with the director anyway. She's not there when you arrive, so a consultant, Zhongli, brings you tea while you wait for her. You sit together in the fading sun, waiting for Hu Tao's familiar song to rise above the hill. 

Zhongli takes a quiet sip from his cup, closing his luminous eyes. "Although it was Rex Lapis who created the laws, they are not meant to be set in stone. Humans must revise the contract as they see fit, so that it will not erode with the passage of time." Something makes you feel as though it's more significant to him than you know. Then, he smiles slightly. "But, just looking at the people leading the way in his absence, like you... there's no need for me to worry."

• 8:00: Dinner; Request Chef Xiangling

The Wanmin Restaurant, run by Chef Mao and his daughter, is a breath of fresh air. While the rest of Liyue is divided between the "Li" and "Yue" styles of cooking, Xiangling pays the conflict no mind. Instead, she's not afraid to be daring and experiment, blazing ahead without worrying about what others think. You can see some similarities between her and Keqing, but it's best not to mention it after that disastrous banquet they organized together... 

"Had a rough day, didn't you?" Xiangling asks, her golden eyes twinkling as she hands you the steaming hot bowl. "Well, for you, I made sure to prepare your favorite dish! I hope you don't mind if I added a lizard or two this time- I'm kidding!" she adds quickly, upon seeing alarm flash across your face. 

• 9:00: Return Home

After everything that happened, you're eager to collect the reports from your subordinates and head home to draft new revisions for Tianquan Ningguang to look over (and then, hopefully, get some rest). But as you're walking on the path to your neighborhood, you spot a little girl sitting in the grass, clutching her head. Alarm rises in your chest as you rush over to see what's wrong, and why she's alone- only to realize with a start that she's the child that returned from the dead.  

"Thank you for taking Qiqi back to Bubu Pharmacy," she says, reading solemnly from her notebook (where the entire thank-you script is written). Even when you set her down, she's still reading the pieces of paper. "Will you tell Dr. Baizhu where I got lost? Please and thank you, again."

• 10:00: Sleep

In the end, you never did get to those revisions. You can hear your fellow Qixing scolding you in your head, but at least you got plenty of other things done; the well-oiled machine that is Liyue will still keep running on thanks to the tasks you accomplished today. Someday, even the adepti will have to acknowledge the ability of humans... you turn in your bed to feel the coolness of the other side. Speaking of adepti... the night air coming in... reminds you of... "Xiao..."

"I thought you were in danger," the adeptus huffs. The moment you said his name, you'd finally fallen asleep, but it still brought Xiao to you- balanced on the windowsill, hair waving in the breeze. "Still... I'm... glad that you're alright," he admits, glancing at you to make sure you're not awake to hear. "Rest well, bright star of Liyue." And then, with a sound like a sigh- or was it the wind?- he's gone.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Spilled Pearls

- Chapter 8 - ao3 -

Lan Qiren’s brother did not outwardly react when Wen Ruohan announced what happened.

He merely stared, face as impassive as a stone washed clean by the river, his posture and position impeccable from the little glimpses Lan Qiren kept stealing of him – he was trying to keep his head ducked and his gaze firmly on the ground, trying to demonstrate penitence, but he couldn’t quite resist looking. He assumed that his brother’s seeming indifference was a mask for the rage he undoubtedly felt, seeing his little brother screw up what would have otherwise been a perfect discussion conference for the Lan sect.

It seemed like a reasonable conclusion, given that Lao Nie was taking up all the slack of reacting with rage without any such mask whatsoever.

“He’s little more than a child!” Lao Nie shouted.

“Little more, perhaps,” Wen Ruohan said smoothly. He was enjoying himself, Lan Qiren thought. “But regardless of how close or how far he is, he is adult enough.”

“He can’t marry or inherit –”

“He shed blood in a night-hunt, and that means he can swear oaths, which is all that’s relevant here. It isn’t as if I married him.”

“He’s sixteen! If someone removed sixteen years out of your life, Hanhan, you wouldn’t even notice the absence!”

“True, but irrelevant,” Wen Ruohan said. “And don’t call me that, Sect Leader Nie.”

“I’ll call you whatever I damn well please, you little –”

“You are unharmed?” Lan Qiren’s brother asked Lan Qiren.

Lan Qiren, who’d been spectating the increasingly fraught back and forth between the two sect leaders, turned to look at him, surprised to be addressed.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly. “I only had a headache, and Sect Leader Wen took care of that.”

“You call me da-ge now,” Wen Ruohan reminded him, turning briefly away from his argument to do so. “Your oath, remember.”

“Does he even remember swearing the oaths?” Lao Nie hissed. “You know how these Lan drink – you and your damned need for control! Just because you can’t get it one way, you have to try another, is that it, Hanhan?”

“Sect Leader Nie, if you really find it impossible to be civil -” 

“If you are unharmed, then we can return to the Cloud Recesses,” Lan Qiren’s brother said, ignoring them both. His voice was as distant and cold as a winter breeze, piercing and lifeless; it reminded Lan Qiren a little of his father, and he shivered. “We will determine the remainder at that time.”

“See?” Wen Ruohan said goadingly to Lao Nie, whose scowl only deepened. “If even his own sect doesn’t object to it –”

“They didn’t not object, they’re refraining from making a statement; it’s not the same thing. ‘Even ten years isn’t too late for a gentleman to get revenge’ – !”

“I should like to see them try.”

Lan Qiren felt a sudden sense of relief, heralded by a bright and abrupt clarity: of course Wen Ruohan hadn’t sworn brotherhood with him on his behalf! He’d only done it because he’d seen Lan Qiren together with Lao Nie, found that the sight offended his vision, and immediately decided to disrupt it. Never mind that Lao Nie didn’t have any intentions beyond the casual mentorship of any older cultivator to a junior – Wen Ruohan was well known for his paranoia, his irritability, his tendency to seize on crazy ideas. And, of course, there was his jealousy, a trait to which he had himself admitted…

A treasure sword used to prop up a table, indeed. It wasn’t about Lan Qiren's merits or the Lan sect’s supposed failings at all. The only table Wen Ruohan was concerned with was Lao Nie’s!

(And that certainly did explain the whole bizarre ‘Hanhan’ thing better than any other hypothesis Lan Qiren had come up with.)

Lan Qiren wasn’t sure it was better, exactly, to be a pawn in a strange game between sect leaders, but it was at least more familiar. As a younger son of a politically minded Great Sect, he was more like a daughter; being used for some scheme by the adults around him had always been his destiny, barring some tragedy or especially indulgent parents – the former was unlikely, the latter he lacked – and so his fate was set.

Of course, it would have been better not to be in a game involving Wen Ruohan at all, but he supposed that there were worse options.

After all, if Wen Ruohan’s primary interest was in tormenting Lao Nie, he probably wouldn’t demand Lan Qiren’s presence in the Nightless City all that often – probably just enough to show that he could – and Lan Qiren would be allowed to continue with his plans for his future. It might even turn out to be something of a benefit. After all, a musician with limited martial skills, traveling all alone, could always use strong friends that were nearby, and the Wen sect’s reach far exceeded that of the Lan sect…

Anyway, comparatively, Lan Qiren disliked far more the idea of being stuck in the Jin sect with its inexplicable devotion to worldly affairs (and when it came to Jin Guangshan, word was that that usually meant literal affairs…), and he would have undoubtedly gone utterly mad in the Jiang sect, with its emphasis on freedom and lack of any rules to explain anything. And of course, regrettably, the Nie sect wouldn't have done such a thing to begin with, secretive as they were...

No, it wouldn’t be so bad, Lan Qiren tried to convince himself. It wouldn’t be so bad at all.

The illusion lasted exactly as long as it took for the leaders of the five Great Sects to retreat to finalize their discussions on business – with Sect Leader Jiang and Jin stepping up to keep Sect Leaders Wen and Nie from each other’s throats, even as Lan Qiren’s brother ignored them all – and Lan Qiren returned to his proper place among the other Lan sect disciples.

“Did he really put you in the Fire Palace until you agreed?” one of them asked, then was promptly elbowed by at least three of his fellows – it was poor Lan Yueheng that had asked, naturally; he was extraordinarily good at mathematics and extraordinarily bad at just about everything else, including both tact and following the Lan sect rules. Lan Qiren had gotten on quite well with him in the past, each one happy to have an audience to listen to their rambling without caring too much if the other side was really listening, but Lan Yueheng was Lan Ganhui’s mother’s sister’s son, the two of them raised together like brothers, and in recent years the latter had a habit of restricting the former from spending too much time with Lan Qiren, the favorite subject of his mockery.

“No,” Lan Qiren said stiffly, and turned his face away in sudden upset. He had almost managed to forget that his new sworn brother was reputed to enjoy spending his free time torturing people, enough so that he had an entire prison devoted to it.

The older brother guided, the younger brother obeyed – what was Lan Qiren supposed to learn from Wen Ruohan? How to be cruel and pitiless, how to hurt people, how to increase his cultivation by doing all manner of dirty things?

Even if he didn’t learn such things, wouldn’t people assume it of him anyway?

“But I heard –” Lan Yueheng persisted, then hissed when someone stepped on his foot.

“No,” Lan Qiren said, stronger this time. “Do not speak behind the backs of others, Yueheng-xiong.”

“Oh. Right.”

Someone muttered killjoy under their breath, but that wasn’t exactly new; his brother thought he was one, and he was popular, so others often followed his lead - and anyway, perhaps he was. At any rate, they all stood around in awkward silence for a little while before someone decided to recount one of the incidents in the main event competition once again, their voice a little over-loud in the silence, and a perfectly anodyne conversation about Qingheng-jun’s performance started up in earnest to cover over all the things they did not say.

That, too, was not new.

Truly, life would be easier if everyone would just listen to the rules, Lan Qiren thought wistfully. The nice written-down ones, just those, and never mind about all the unspoken ones, the ones that everyone seemed to intuitively understand except for him – he tried his best to learn those, too, and to extrapolate from one situation to another, but unspoken rules seemed as changeable as a puff of cloud. It was simply impossible.

In the end, the sect leaders finished up their business and each of them took their leave from the Nightless City, just the way that always happened. Before he went, Lao Nie put his hand on Lan Qiren’s shoulder and said, “Write to me if you ever need anything at all,” while glaring at Wen Ruohan, who smirked back; Lan Qiren’s brother did not glance at either of them and merely walked off, his hands behind his back and his posture straight and tall as a tree. The other two Great Sect leaders, Jin and Jiang, exchanged glances of their own and headed off their own way without a word, choosing, quite prudently, not to get involved.

Lan Qiren saluted to Lao Nie and, slightly more hesitantly, to Wen Ruohan, then followed after his brother. To his relief, Wen Ruohan didn’t stop him, only watched him go, his eyes glittering malevolently - his gaze a palpable weight. It wasn’t quite like the first few times they’d met, where the pressure almost felt like the other man was exerting power on him; rather, Lan Qiren suspected, the weight he was feeling was only the weight of all the new expectations that had fallen onto his shoulders as a result of his new brotherhood. 

The ride home was excruciatingly awkward.

It was not a short journey, and Lan Qiren did not speak to his brother once the entire time by mutual unspoken agreement. He might not have noticed such a thing normally, but his brother’s usually cool aura was positively frigid, driving Lan Qiren to silence even when he might have otherwise spoken on mundane matters such as the weather or travel conditions.

Lan Qiren even suspected that if he had dared to try, his brother might have used the muting spell on him.

Naturally, the other disciples followed his brother’s lead – poor Lan Yueheng looked especially torn up over it, and at one point Lan Qiren found a book on abstruse geometry hidden under his pillow in what was probably a well-meaning gesture of solidarity – and Lan Qiren was stuck in that uncomfortable place where he finally had the peace and solitude he often longed for when stuck in a crowd while also simultaneously feeling awful about it, struck with a sudden desire for the company of his family, however cold it might be.

When at last they returned home in the late afternoon, Lan Qiren knew from experience what to do next: he went straight to the hanshi, where his father was waiting for their report, and knelt in penance outside. If the trip had gone well, he would have helped his brother settle the final matters relating to their trip – putting back anything borrowed from the sect’s stores, registering everyone as having arrived with no one lost on the way, that sort of thing – but since it hadn’t, his duties were limited to…well, this.

It was unpleasant, but then, it was supposed to be.

He waited for over a shichen in unmoving silence. The remainder of the sect tiptoed around him, with the disciples that had remained behind sending him sympathetic looks that suggested that they didn’t know exactly what had happened but were burning with curiosity to find out.

It was already dark by the time his brother arrived.

When he did so, he walked right by Lan Qiren without looking and went inside.

There was no written rule against eavesdropping, although there were several unspoken rules about it that were sometimes but not always applicable, but even when (guiltily) straining his ears to the utmost, Lan Qiren could only hear the vaguest murmur of voices within.

It was only after some time – towards the end of his brother’s report, no doubt – that there was a brief uptick, a surprised exclamation (possibly “what?!”, although Lan Qiren’s father was soft-spoken enough that even an exclamation was too muffled to be properly audible), and Lan Qiren braced himself.

After a little longer, the door to the hanshi opened.

“Qiren,” his father’s voice drifted out. “Enter.”

Lan Qiren got up, a little unsteady from all the kneeling, straightened himself out and walked inside, his hands folded behind his back. He would have knelt again, but his father waved for him to keep standing, frowning thoughtfully at him as his brother drank the tea they had been sharing.

“You swore an oath of brotherhood with Sect Leader Wen?” his father asked, his face frustratingly neutral.

Lan Qiren nodded, then amended: “I do not remember doing so. He offered me a toast, and would not allow me to reject it, and then the next morning, he informed me that we had sworn an oath together and showed me the written version of the oath.”

The paper in question was laid out on the table in front of his father. Lan Qiren’s brother had confiscated it after Wen Ruohan had showed it to him, and Lan Qiren hadn’t figured out a way to ask to see it, though he desperately wanted to know whether they had sworn one of the classical brotherhood oaths or if they’d added their own clauses. It seemed like a thing Wen Ruohan would do, yet the idea had only belatedly occurred to Lan Qiren, which meant he hadn’t properly examined the oath while he’d had the chance.

His father hummed thoughtfully.

“There’s no reason to doubt Sect Leader Wen,” Lan Qiren’s brother opined. “He is meticulous in his schemes. Even if there were, the announcement was public; I would not have our clan be known as oath-breakers.”

“Public and unrefuted,” Lan Qiren’s father said, and Lan Qiren blinked because he almost sounded disapproving – but his father never disapproved of anything his brother did, as far as he knew. “Still, you are not wrong. There are few more decisive than Sect Leader Wen. Once he settled on his course, he would not leave such a gap through which one could retreat, not even for himself…Qiren.”

Lan Qiren straightened.

“You were unharmed?”

He blinked at the unexpected question, the same his brother had posed.

“I only had a headache,” he said hesitantly, vaguely aware from the way his father looked at him and his brother did as well that his answer was not what they were expecting. “From the liquor. Nothing else.”

“Did anything else hurt?” his father pressed. “Your body?”

Lan Qiren thought back. “My upper arms,” he said, remembering. He’d thought it was from the uncomfortable bed. “And my right knee. They were a little bruised, I think, but it went away after Sect Leader Wen shared spiritual energy with me.”

His father frowned and twisted his fingers in a gesture; an array opened beneath Lan Qiren’s feet, and the places he had mentioned, as well as his palms and forehead, began to glow.

The marks on his arms, glowing with the pale echoes of Wen Ruohan’s qi, were in the shape of hands.

(Wen Ruohan had commented on Lan Qiren’s enthusiastic telling of the Lan sect rules while intoxicated, to the point of seeking to hold him down as an unwilling audience. Had Wen Ruohan had to physically restrain him from causing trouble as well?)

“The disgrace was minimal, then,” his brother remarked, and when their father said nothing but dismissed the spell Lan Qiren abruptly realized that they were trying to figure out if he had, in fact, been deflowered, just as Wen Ruohan had teasingly hinted that night. He had not shared with anyone that he had woken up in Wen Ruohan’s bed, too mortified to do so, and now that the suggestion had been seriously raised, he was even more determined never to do so. “Not that that will help the rumors.”

Lan Qiren hadn’t thought – surely people wouldn’t think – wouldn’t assume –

Wen Ruohan had no reputation for liking young boys. He wasn’t even known to cut his sleeve!

(Lan Qiren didn’t know what he himself liked. He’d thought he’d have more time to figure it out.)

“We do not guide our sect according to rumors.”

His brother put down his teacup with a little more force than necessary. “Is it the sale or the price that you object to, Father?” he asked, voice far sharper than it should be when speaking to an elder, least of all their father. “See what I have accomplished for our sect, and without even the official authority of being vested as sect leader! It is just as you taught me! Am I to flinch simply because he shares my blood?”

“It is not what is taken,” their father responded, his voice a little sharper than usual as well, but not by much; he might as well have been commenting disapprovingly on an unfortunate turn in the weather. “But that it is Wen Ruohan who takes. His greed knows no boundaries, his recklessness grows by the year – today Qiren is unharmed and your plans may proceed, but what of tomorrow?”

“Have you thought of any better use to put him to? His role is to serve the sect!”

“As a disciple of the Lan sect,” their father said. His tone was still mild, but his voice was icy enough to make Lan Qiren shiver in a confused sort of fear that he did not quite understand. “Not as a plaything for Wen Ruohan.”

By all rights, Lan Qiren’s brother ought to now kneel and beg forgiveness from his elder, his sect leader, his father, but instead he only shook his head. “An oath of brotherhood goes both ways,” he reminded their father, speaking to him as if they were equals. “Sect Leader Wen announced to the world that he swore an oath with a child – does that not also mean that responsibility for his safety and wellbeing falls equally on his shoulders? Any harm to him stains Sect Leader Wen’s name as much if not more than ours.”

“Are we to let outsiders educate our children, then?”

“One cannot compare a foolish younger son to a brother, voluntarily chosen. He chose it, not us; everyone knows this. Any mistakes Qiren makes will fall heavier on his shoulders.”

Their father frowned deeply enough to carve additional lines into his prematurely aged face. “You plan to use Qiren as a lever, then, and extract concessions for every slight.”

His brother shrugged, almost careless in his arrogance. “If Sect Leader Wen chooses to give me such a handle over him, am I meant to refuse? For all his clever schemes, he is also known to be moody and impulsive, easily lured into rashness…I see an opportunity here, not a trap. You chose to give me responsibility early, to have me help you make our sect stronger, greater; that is what I was born to do. You gave me power and I have done well with it, done exactly what you’ve asked me to do. I’ve made you proud - haven’t I?”

“But what of the risk that Wen Ruohan might ignore public opinion and harm Qiren regardless?” his father pressed, not answering. It wasn’t really necessary, of course; he was always proud of Lan Qiren’s brother, no matter what he did - his eldest son was his treasure, the only thing he cared for; it was as fact as undeniable as the direction in which the sun rose each morning. “The Lan sect does not buy riches with blood.”

“I have thought it over, Father,” his brother said quietly. “It is only a risk that he might be harmed, not a guarantee; it’s not as if I am sending Qiren to the Fire Palace myself. And there is the hope here, not of riches, but of glory for the sect –”

“Glory for the sect?” their father asked, voice rich with meaning Lan Qiren did not understand. “Or for yourself?”

“Are they not one and the same?” Lan Qiren’s brother was unmoved. “In the future, it will be mine, and so there is no difference - whatever you say now, that is what you have always shown me. Besides, Qiren will agree.”

Lan Qiren did not take a step backwards when they turned to look at him, though he dearly wanted to. His hands were still behind his back, gripped tight enough to hurt; he suspected when he looked later on he would find blood beneath his fingernails, dug in deep into his flesh.

“Well?” their father asked of him, though his gaze settled somewhere above Lan Qiren’s head as it always seemed to, as different as night and day from the tender and forgiving looks he gave his eldest son even in the midst of their argument. His voice was so cold that Lan Qiren could feel it against his skin like the bitter winter wind. “What do you say?”

Is it the sale or the price that you object to?

It’s not what is taken, but that it is Wen Ruohan who takes.

Have you thought of any better use to put him to?

His role is to serve the sect.

“I do not see what choice there is,” he said dully, his eyes focused on his father’s face just as his father’s refused to focus on his, foolishly still looking for the affection he knew he would likely never find. In his father’s mind, he had only one son – even his objections on Lan Qiren’s behalf, however mild, were nothing more than what he would have said on behalf of any Lan sect disciple. Even Lan Qiren, foolish and bad at people as he was, could see that his father’s primary concern over the approach his brother had suggested was its potential impact on the reputation of his brother and his sect. “I swore an oath. Even if I do not remember it, as a matter of personal honor, I will not allow myself to be foresworn.”

“There,” his brother said, his voice rich in satisfaction. “You see? The choice is made. It is only what we do with it now that matters.”

Lan Qiren bit his lower lip to keep himself from doing something stupid, like asking do either of you care about me at all.

“Very well,” their father said indifferently. “Then it will be as you say. Qiren.”

“Father.”

“You will spend the night kneeling in the ancestral hall to consider the consequences of violating the prohibition against alcohol and the injunction to maintain your discipline. In view of the circumstances, no other punishment will be imposed.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Dismissed.”

As Lan Qiren left, he heard his father ask his brother to tell him about the riding competition.

He did not ask about music.

[kazenoshun]

The 8 O’Clock Song: A Coco fanfic

Summary: Coco AU -  It's been 10 years since Imelda Rivera was abandoned by her no-good husband and she banished music from her life. She's content to keep away from music for the rest of her life, but a chance encounter during a trip to Mexico City may turn that resolution on its head.

A/N:  I have made an attempt to include some Spanish (mostly names) in this fic to mimic the style of the film, but I make no claim to being fluent in the language, so if you spot any problems, please let me know and I'll do my best to fix them.

Also,  I'd like to thank @faceheightknifefight​ and another friend (who does not have a Tumblr account) for their help in editing this fic. They're awesome!

FF.net, AO3, DA

The streets of Mexico City were full of noise, smoke, and far too many people, and Imelda Rivera could hardly wait to get home to her family in small, quiet Santa Cecilia. She’d never been fond of the big city. If she’d had her way, she would already be on the train back home, arriving in time to wish her daughter, Coco, goodnight before bed, and no doubt scold her twin brothers, Oscar and Felipe for some mishap or other. Unfortunately, she hadn’t gotten her way all day.

She’d gotten up before dawn to catch a train to the city, in order to view a new shipment of leather, place her order, and discuss the possibility of buying a new machine for the shop. She was against the idea herself, but her brothers were convinced it would improve the quality, and quantity, of Rivera shoes so she’d agreed to at least gather some information. The salesman she’d met had yammered on long enough to make Imelda seriously consider not purchasing the new machine out of sheer spite. His poorly disguised distaste for women in the shoemaking profession had merely been the final nail in the coffin. Having thoroughly wasted her morning and the better part of her afternoon, she finally arrived at the tanner’s only to learn that the shipment of leather had been delayed and wouldn’t be available until the following morning. Had such a day occurred when Imelda was just beginning her career in shoemaking, she might have broken down crying. Which wasn’t to say that she didn’t want to cry now, but she hadn’t allowed herself the luxury of weeping over her problems since she started, and she wasn’t about to begin now.

If she could survive Coco’s childhood as a single parent, she could survive one day of setbacks.

Still, she did allow herself a small huff and a frown as she entered La Caléndula, the sleepy little restaurant the innkeeper had recommended for dinner. Not terribly charming of her, she knew, but she didn’t particularly care to be charming right now - especially knowing many men tended to view charm as an invitation. All she wanted was to order her dinner, eat, and return to the inn to close out her terrible day.

The man behind the bar was an older gentleman with more gray than black in his hair, in the few places it still grew, and a moustache that seemed to cover the entire lower half of his face. He took her order with quiet efficiency, and, after hearing he’d been recommended by the innkeeper, directed her to a small table in the corner where she would be able to eat in peace.

Imelda let out a sigh as she sank into her chair and off her feet. Between the salesman who couldn’t be bothered to offer a chair during his presentation, and walking what seemed to be half-way across the city to the tanner, her feet ached. She wore good shoes, of course. She’d made them herself. But even the best shoes couldn’t alway prevent the sort of ache that accompanied a day on one’s feet. As the ache in her feet faded, she found herself thinking of home and family. They would be sitting down to dinner themselves by now, possibly cooked by one of the twins, but more likely by Coco. The girl would be 14 soon, only a year away from her quinceañera, and was growing more self-sufficient by the day.

Needing something to take her mind off her long day, Imelda turned her thoughts to potential birthday gifts for Coco, a far more palatable idea than lost orders or snobby salesmen. A new pair of shoes was a given, of course, but perhaps it was time Coco had a new dress as well. She’d nearly outgrown her last Sunday dress. Should the new dress be pink, though? Or perhaps blue? Imelda could turn the unintended stay in the city into a chance to look for fabric and findings. Yes, that would be most productive, and save her a second trip. She would start looking in the morning.

Her concentration was broken by the sound of someone tuning a guitar.

Imelda’s eyes snapped open, though she wasn’t sure when she’d closed them, and she glared at the table with enough ferocity she almost felt it should crack under the pressure. Of course someone would be playing music here. It was a perfectly terrible ending to her perfectly terrible day. She ground her teeth and clenched her hands into fists to override the childish urge to stick her fingers in her ears. She had some dignity, after all.

It had been nearly 10 years. Nearly 10 years she’d gone since banning music from her life. 10 years of being laughed at, of enduring the mariachi following her around the market betting on who would get her to break, of scolding Coco again and again each time she caught her daughter singing or dancing. 10 long years of hating him, her no-good bum of a husband who’d left her alone with a child to raise and never come back. He’d chosen music over them, over her, so she would let him have it all.

Her eyes sought out the source of the sound unbidden, whether from morbid curiosity or to know who to avoid when she left, she wasn’t sure. When the server arrived with her food, she would pay and leave. She hated wasting money, but she couldn’t stand to listen to the guitar even one minute longer than she had to. There was a small stage along the wall opposite the bar, but it was empty. The night’s performer must have been preparing off-stage. The other restaurant patrons were unfazed by the guitar as they enjoyed their food and drinks, several of them conversing quietly together. All of them ignorant of the burning fury inside Imelda. The guitar tuning morphed into a proper song, a very familiar song, but the stage remained empty.

Imelda nearly sprang from her seat and marched out the door; good manners and fact she hadn’t paid yet aside, she didn’t want to stay and hear the song butchered like it always was. Like the mariachi back home always did, even though they knew the way it was supposed to be played, the way it had been played before he allowed it to be butchered after walking out of their lives. She redoubled her efforts to spot the musician, determined to stay as far away as possible when she left, only to freeze when she finally spotted him.

Him, her no-good husband, Héctor, sitting on a stool in the corner across hers holding a banged-up guitar in his arms, playing Poco Loco with a blank look on his face.

The plate of food being set down in front of her startled her badly enough that she jumped.

“Perdón, señora,” the server -not the bartender, but maybe his son? She didn’t have the focus to puzzle it out- said. He followed where she had been staring and grinned. “I see you’ve spotted José.”

“José?” She could only parrot the name, too shocked to turn and look again. Perhaps she’d been mistaken and the man only looked similar to Héctor from a distance. It had been a very long time since she last saw him, after all.

The server nodded. “That’s what we all call him around here, since no one knows his proper name, not even him.”

Imelda couldn’t even parrot this time as she relented and looked again. It was definitely Héctor over there, although she couldn’t recall ever seeing his face so empty. He wasn’t even smiling.

“He comes in here and plays from time to time,” the server continued, oblivious. “Doesn’t bother anyone, and the music’s good, so Tío lets him do it and even pays him a little if sales are up.”

Imelda finally found her voice. “How… Why doesn’t he know his own name?” The Héctor she’d known, or at least thought she’d known, had a ridiculously good memory and was always using it to his advantage.

The server sighed and leaned against the empty chair on the other side of the table. “I couldn’t tell you exactly what caused it, but José doesn’t remember anything from his past, or where he’s from. Whatever happened couldn’t have been pretty, though. A couple of drunks found him, back before I started working for Tío, somewhere around 10 years ago. Someone had tried to bury him in a shallow grave just outside of town. The drunks took him to the hospital, but I guess it took a while before he woke up. And when he did, he couldn’t remember a thing. Not his name, not his age, not even where he grew up.”

Imelda opened her mouth and closed it again. None of what the server was saying made sense.

“Tío says he thinks there must’ve been a fight. He says one of the doctors at the hospital thinks José was poisoned. And José didn’t have any travel papers or identification on him when the drunks found him, but he still had money in his pocket. I heard the police found a suitcase dumped in a ditch, but all the stuff inside was trashed and there was no name on the case.” The server sighed and shook his head. “I just want to know who would get into a fight with José. The man’s harmless.” He sniggered. “Well, unless you mention the song.”

Imelda turned back to the server and made a face. “The song?” This really was all too much to take in at once, and she was almost convinced she’d fallen asleep into a dream except for her aching feet still anchoring her firmly to reality.

The server nodded. “Sí. You know that fellow, Ernesto de la Cruz, who’s been making waves in music?”

Far better than I want to, Imelda thought. It had been Ernesto who had set out on the stupid tour with Héctor, and then returned nearly a year later to tell her she’d been abandoned. She tried to recall when Ernesto said they’d split, and found she couldn’t help but wonder if Ernesto had told her the complete truth. He’d been against her marriage to Héctor from the beginning, after all.

“Well,” the server continued, once again oblivious to Imelda’s inner turmoil. “If you so much as mention de la Cruz’s biggest hit--” he dropped his voice to a whisper “--Remember Me, in José’s hearing, he goes absolutely mad. Old señor Víctor had to hold him back from mauling a musician who dared suggest playing it. Didn’t play it, mind you, just suggested playing, and José went nuts. Señor Víctor’s practically a bear, and he was struggling to hold onto José that night. But, if you don’t mention the song, José’s the gentlest soul you’ll ever meet.”

That, at least, was more in line with the Héctor Imelda remembered.

The sound of Poco Loco continued to drift about the restaurant, and Imelda couldn’t decide if she wanted to scream or cry. “Nearly 10 years and he hasn’t been able to remember anything?” she finally asked. She did her best to keep her voice even.

The server shrugged, looking at her uneasily. “Nothing specific,” he said carefully. “Occasionally he’ll say or do something to make you think he almost had a memory, but then it’ll be gone before he can latch onto it. There’s definitely something there, but it’s almost like-- like he’d stuck on the other side of the door. A few vague ideas get through, his issue with the song, for one. He’ll drink anything you put in front of him, unless it’s tequíla. Put tequíla in front of him and he starts getting all antsy and saying he needs to go home. I asked where home was once, thought he might’ve remembered something. I swear he looked like he was about to cry, then he just kept saying he didn’t know, over and over, until he left for the night.”

Imelda felt some small part of her heart that she’d been ignoring for years clench in her chest. “That sounds terrible,” she managed. She tried to imagine what it would be like, if she somehow forgot home, forgot Coco, except for the faintest ideas. It wasn’t a pleasant thought.

The server nodded. “Tio and I didn’t see him again for three days. He came back covered in dirt. Apparently, he went out to the place the drunks found him and partially buried himself to try and bring back memories. It didn’t work. Tio let him clean up in the guest room upstairs, and made him stay here a few days to recover. I got yelled at for getting him into that state to begin with.”

“Ay! Diego! Stop pestering the lady,” the bartender, who’d come out from behind the bar, called.

Diego grinned and stood up straight, nodding to Imelda. “Perdón again, señora, for chatting your ear off. It’s been a while since we’ve had a new-comer so sympathetic to José’s plight.” He pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to her.

Imelda looked at him, confused.

“You’re weeping, señora,” Diego told her gently. He placed the kerchief on the table and walked away.

Imelda sat, unmoving, for a long minute, until the last notes of Poco Loco faded away and a new song started. Slowly, she raised a hand to her face and wiped half-heartedly at the tears that were indeed flowing down her cheeks. It’s shock, she thought, feeling oddly detached from her body. Shock was the only explanation she could think of for why she was still in her seat and not half-way back to the inn. Shock, and the fact she hadn’t paid yet. She’d been too distracted to pay before Diego walked away. Shaking herself, she grabbed her glass of water and took a gulp, trying to shift her brain back into motion but only succeeding in sending herself into a coughing fit when the last of it went down wrong. She fished her own kerchief out of her pocket and pressed it to her mouth to muffle the coughs and try to curb the tears now streaming down her face as she fought to breathe.

When she could breathe again, and had wiped her face clean, she stared down at her plate. She felt… empty. She’d always assumed her rage would be explosive if she ever saw Héctor again. And she’d certainly been furious when she first spotted him, ready to march out of the restaurant without even acknowledging his presence. But now…

It was as though listening to Diego’s tale had drained the rage right out of her. She couldn’t say she was happy, per se, or even sad. More than anything, she was confused. And hungry, her growling stomach reminded her. The food she’d ordered smelled delicious, and she wasn’t in the habit of letting good food go to waste. Besides, leaving without eating would gain her exactly the attention she would rather avoid. With that thought in mind, Imelda made herself begin to eat.

The food was undoubtedly good, but she barely tasted it. It felt like such a strange thing, that she’d banned music for so long and yet it quickly faded to the back of her awareness. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend she was at a bar back home a decade prior, waiting for Héctor to finish for the evening so they could return to their little house together.

Perhaps it was because, for the first time in a very long time, the songs were being played as she’d known them - no gaudy embellishments or implied wink and nudge from the musician. Just a simple, sincere guitar. Although Héctor wasn’t singing along, which was a bit odd, but she could only puzzle out one thing at a time.

Héctor’s letters had stopped five months or so after he left. At first she’d thought he’d absentmindedly forgotten to send the next letter, which happened on occasion. Then she’d guessed it had been lost in the mail, it wouldn’t have been the first time. But when one, and then two months passed with no word, she started to worry that something had happened. If she’d been on her own, she would have gone searching for him. But Coco had been not-quite four, and needed food and a roof over her head, so Imelda had stayed put and started to learn how to make shoes.

It had been another five months before she ran into Ernesto in the plaza and demanded to know where her husband was.

Ernesto had handed her a letter and Héctor’s wedding ring, said they’d been left behind when he and Héctor split several months prior, and left her standing there gaping in the middle of the plaza. All he’d told her about Héctor’s whereabouts was that he’d headed north to try and make a name for himself. He’d vanished into the crowd before she could ask anything else and hadn’t reappeared in Santa Cecilia since.

In the present, Imelda allowed herself another glance in Héctor’s direction.

His hair was even more unkempt than usual, and peppered with gray. Prematurely, she mused, as he was a year younger than her and only 31. He looked darker than she remembered, as though he’d somehow managed to find a way to stay out under the sun even more than he had in their youth. A multitude of lines and creases stretched across his face, and his eyes… Imelda had to close her own eyes and look away.

His eyes were the same warm brown they’d always been, but they seemed unnaturally empty of life. As though Héctor were no more than an oversized puppet.

His clothes -from what she had seen, she couldn’t look at those eyes again just yet- were starting to fray. He wasn’t wearing the suit she’d made him. Rather, a plain shirt and trousers that were too short for him, with a jacket that was starting to come apart at the shoulders. And he’d worn a hole through the side of his left shoe. He certainly didn’t look like a man who’d set out to find his fortune.

She couldn’t help but wonder at the timeline she was presented with. Between what Ernesto had told her years ago, and Diego’s account just now, it couldn’t have been more than a couple months from Héctor and Ernesto splitting to Héctor being found in a grave. But why he’d been back in the city so soon, when Ernesto had been so insistent that he’d traveled north, was something she couldn’t puzzle out.

And then there was Diego’s account of Héctor’s reaction to Remember Me. Ironically, perhaps, it was the only song of his she hadn’t heard before he left. She’d only ever caught snatches of the song from Coco’s room after her daughter was in bed. Ernesto had claimed that Héctor sold him his guitar and songs before heading north. If Coco knew Remember Me, then it was undoubtedly written by Héctor, not Ernesto, but why would that matter if the song had been sold?

On the other side of the restaurant, Héctor hit a sour note, and stopped in the middle of his song to glare at the offending string.

Imelda snorted as she watched. The guitar she’d given him was rarely out of tune. He likely wouldn’t have any issues now if he hadn’t sold it.

She froze with her fork half-way to her mouth, suddenly wishing she could slap herself for not thinking of that sooner.

If Héctor had gone north to seek fame, why had he sold Ernesto the guitar and all of his songs? Surely he would have needed songs to play, and something to play them on? Even if he decided the memories associated with the guitar were too much, he would have to be a fool to sell it without getting a replacement, doubly so to sell all his songs when he was just starting out. She could understand, on a practical level, selling the songs connected to her, to Coco, if he truly wanted to leave them behind. But that still left at least half his repertoire, full of songs she knew would have easily caught on with the right crowd- had caught on with Ernesto playing them.

The dinner she’d just eaten settled like a stone in her gut. Héctor’s letters had grown shorter the longer he was on the road, true, but the cutoff had been abrupt. There’d been mentions of fights with Ernesto, though he never went into detail. The early letters were often accompanied by songs and poems, but the last several had lacked those. Imelda swallowed uncomfortably and glanced at Héctor yet again- now back to playing, having fixed the issue with his strings. Something didn’t add up right, but the only one present who could tell her more didn’t remember enough to explain.

“Oh dear.” Diego was back, gesturing nervously at her plate. “Is something wrong with your dinner, señora?”

Imelda forced a smile on her face. “No. I’m afraid I just recalled something I really would rather have not remembered. The food was delicious.” Even so, she couldn’t make herself eat another bite.

Diego grinned, apparently reassured. “I see. I shall hope that you forget again very soon.” he glanced toward Héctor and his grin grew. “You’re in for a treat, señora. He hasn’t wandered off yet, and it’s nearly eight o’clock.”

Imelda felt as though she’d somehow missed part of the conversation. Then again, that seemed to be happening a lot this evening. “What happens at eight?”

Diego winked at her. “You’ll have to wait and see.” he wandered off again.

Imelda slumped in her seat, leaning her head in her hands and rubbing her temples. She really didn’t need more puzzles right now. The restaurant, she noticed, was growing quieter. The clink of dishes and bottles fading as other patrons turned toward Héctor’s corner. In the distance, she heard a bell begin to toll the hour.

Héctor stopped in the middle of his song, his eyes somehow more lively and more distant than before.

Imelda found herself leaning forward as the audience seemed to hold their collective breath.

Héctor closed his eyes and began to play. The opening notes were soft and gentle, not unlike the beginning of the song he’d written to propose to Imelda, although not that exact song either. Then he began to sing. “Remember me, though I have to say goodbye. Remember me, don’t let it make you cry…”

It was the same song Diego had said drove Héctor to fury, but not played the way Ernesto played it. The simple notes and gentle words reminded Imelda more of- of Coco, and the song she still sang to herself each night before bed.

“My song!” Coco had cried as a little girl, when Imelda tried to make her stop singing each night. “Papá said it’s my song!”

Hearing music, any music, tore at Imelda’s heart by then, but the anger and fear on her daughter’s face when told she had to stop was even worse. Imelda hadn’t slept that night, merely cried in her room until dawn and cursed Héctor for leaving. She hadn’t told Coco to stop again. Instead, she’d pretended not to hear the little voice each night. Coco, for her part, had confined her singing to that one song, sung quietly, alone in her room from then on. She almost always sang it at the same time.

Across the room, Héctor had opened his eyes to stare at a spot on the floor that looked no different from the rest. Except that, if Imelda thought back, it was roughly the same place Coco’s bed would have been were he back home singing her to sleep. She surely would have sung alone.

“...Know that I’m with you the only way that I can be.” Héctor’s voice caught on the words. “Until you’re in my arms again, remember me.” His eyes closed once more as the final notes faded into a silence that hung in the air. A moment later, he blinked, shook himself, and returned to his earlier playing. The restaurant patrons similarly returned to their conversations.

Imelda sat at her table, feeling a bit underwhelmed by the lack of response for Héctor’s performance. It felt like such a momentous thing -that he would sing a duet with his daughter, despite the distance between them and the fact that he supposedly had no memory of her- that surely deserved a round of applause at the very least. And yet, looking around the restaurant, it was as if the performance had never happened at all. Feeling more than a little light-headed, Imelda gathered up her glass and mostly cleaned plate, and made her way to the bar to pay.

“Was everything to your satisfaction?” the bartender asked.

Imelda nodded. “It was very good, thank you.” She handed over a fistfull of bills and coins, and waited for him to count out her change. While she waited, she glanced at Héctor. He still hadn’t noticed her. “Does he play here often?” she asked, nodding in Héctor’s direction.

The bartender sighed. “Often enough.” He handed over her change. “I used to figure he’d disappear one day. Thought it would mean he finally remembered where his home was, or someone came and found him. But after this many years, I’m not sure anymore that’ll happen. He’s a nice fellow, mild-mannered and all. Brings in extra business when he’s here.”

“Does-” Imelda paused, not quite certain she should ask “-does he play that song most nights?”

The bartender fixed her with a hard look. “Sí, he does. Try not to get any ideas, though.”

Imelda blinked at him, confused. Between him and Diego, confusing her was turning into a family trait.

He must have realized she didn’t know what he was talking about, because he continued. “We’ve had mariachi come through before who took his playing as an invitation to join in. Or they question him about it after the fact. He always ends up angry or confused. I know Diego thinks it’s sweet that he sings the same song every night, I can barely stand to hear it myself.” He sighed again, fixing his gaze on Héctor. “That man’s trapped in his own mind, and nothing any of us have done has helped. That song, that’s the closest he gets to breaking out. Hearing it each night is like hearing a cry for help you can’t answer.” Another patron at the bar waved for his attention. “Perdón, señora. Enjoy your evening.” Then he was gone, leaving Imelda with her thoughts.

She looked at Héctor one last time, still playing his guitar, and left the restaurant. She needed time to think, to try and sort out the truth from the lies, and the fresh air would help clear her mind. Or so she hoped.

Héctor’s music followed her back to the inn, continuing uninvited in her head long after she was out of hearing range. She doubted she’d get much rest. But then, she hadn’t slept much after he disappeared, either. Perhaps it was fitting that she stay up half the night after seeing him again. She dressed for sleep, put out the light, and lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. And she thought, and thought, and thought some more.

And when the dawn finally broke, she realized she had neither slept, nor puzzled out the answers to her questions.

Her husband had left on his trip 10 years ago, writing almost daily. His letters had grown shorter and less energetic as time went by, before cutting off abruptly several months into the tour. Some months later, nearly a year after leaving, his friend and partner, Ernesto, had returned to tell her she’d been abandoned. And somewhere in there, a group of drunks had found Héctor buried in a shallow grave on the brink of death.

Try as she might, Imelda couldn’t make all the pieces line up and fit together properly, there were simply too many gaps.

Ernesto might be able to fill in those gaps, were she to track him down and convince him to answer her questions. But that would take longer than she wanted, and she doubted he would answer her willingly, or truthfully. She’d known he was a liar when they were young, twisting or exaggerating tales so that they worked in his favor. Looking back, that was something she should have remembered that day in the plaza. And besides his lying nature, the gaps in the story were forming too easily into a theory she didn’t dare acknowledge just yet, but which she knew could take the man from hateful to dangerous.

No, Ernesto would not do for a source of answers, so she would have to look to Héctor. The bartender had said that attempts had been made to bring Héctor’s memories back, but nothing had worked. Then again, none of them had known Héctor before the memory loss; Imelda had grown up with him. She’d married him, lived with him, had a child with him. If she couldn’t spark his memories; well, that wasn’t worth dwelling on, she told herself as she dressed for the day. She would deal with that problem if it arose.

The city streets weren’t empty when she left her room in the inn, although they were far less crowded than they had been the day before.

Imelda kept her head high and her steps sure as she made her way back toward La Caléndula. The bartender would likely have questions for her before he would be willing to tell her where she might find Héctor. But she would swallow her pride and answer them truthfully, otherwise she didn’t know where she should even begin. When the bar came into view, however, she realized she wouldn’t need to ask.

Héctor sat on the step leading onto the porch of the restaurant, head tipped forward, and wearing a ratty straw hat that covered his face such that she couldn’t tell if he was awake or asleep. His battered guitar was on the ground next to him, the neck tipped against his knees and held loosely in one hand. He looked like he had been sitting there all night. The restaurant door opened, and Imelda found herself ducking into a deep doorway. She wasn’t sure she wanted a witness to her potential failure.

Diego stepped out onto the porch, covering a yawn and holding a bucket and rag with one hand. He gently nudged Héctor, then walked to the windows and began wiping them down.

Imelda watched as Héctor stirred, reaching his arms above his head and stretching in a way she knew made his spine pop. He’d startled her doing that the first morning after their wedding, but it had become endearingly familiar over time. She waited a few more minutes, watching Diego try to strike up a conversation and Héctor murmuring half-replies while she debated whether or not to come back later. She could always stop in at the tanner’s first, to see if that shipment of leather had arrived yet, and come back once Diego was gone and Héctor was alone once more. Except she couldn’t be sure Héctor wouldn’t leave before she returned.

Taking a deep breath, she paused -to see that her braids were still properly in place and not because she was scared- and stepped from the doorway.

“Buenos días, señora,” Diego called when she drew near.

Imelda didn’t answer him, her eyes locked on Héctor. He looked up, and she felt her heart race in her chest. Her breath seemed caught in her throat, and her stomach was doing all sorts of interesting acrobatics. She felt, rather absurdly, like she had when she told him she was pregnant with Coco- as though her world had tipped on its axis and she hadn’t quite righted herself yet.

She hadn’t actually planned this far ahead. She’d been so preoccupied with looking for him that she hadn’t realized until now that she had no idea what to say. She swallowed, but her mouth remained dry.

Héctor hadn’t looked away.

Imelda took a breath. “Héctor-” her voice came out like a squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Héctor-” that was better, and she had his attention now “-do you know who I am?”

His face remained blank, and for a long, terrifying moment, she was afraid it wouldn’t work, that his memories were too far gone to ever recall. Then, almost painfully slowly, his expression changed. He scrunched his brows together and pursed his mouth the same way he had so many times before when trying to pull a song into being. And his eyes never left her face.

Imelda stayed standing before him with her hands clasped at her waist, vaguely aware of Diego calling for his tío. Her palms were sweaty, and she was gripping her hands so tightly she knew without looking her knuckles had gone white. But she didn’t dare move, she almost didn’t dare blink.

Héctor shifted on the step, knocking his hat off when he tangled his fingers in his hair and pressed the heels of his hands to his temples. The look on his face was quickly giving way from confusion to a combination of distress and pain; and Imelda was suddenly afraid she might have sent him into a state of panic if his memories failed to return.

“Hush,” she tried to comfort him, cautiously kneeling down and reaching to cover his hands with her own. “It’s okay. Take your time.”

The backs of his hands were dry against her sweaty palms, and quite warm. And his hair felt more brittle than she remembered.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and swayed back and forth, the world around them forgotten as his inner battle played across his face. Imelda rubbed gentle circles against his wrists, racking her brain for some way to calm him down. She’d grown quite skilled at handling crises in the past decade, raising her daughter as a single parent. But this wasn’t the sort of crisis she’d ever had to face before. Slowly, she became aware of Héctor humming to himself, a nervous, breathy sound that she soon recognized. The song he’d written to propose to her. It was quieter, more serious that Poco Loco, and undeniably hers. She didn’t recall him playing it the night before. Her voice was rusty as she joined him, humming instead of singing because the hurt she’d felt since he left was still there. She’d sworn off music when Ernesto told her she was abandoned, leaving it all for Héctor if he loved it so much more than her. But if it was the way to bring him back, then she could make an exception.

They reached the end of the song and started over from the beginning, Héctor’s voice growing stronger, and Imelda more sure of the notes. She leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes, focusing only on the sound of their voices blending together, sometimes the same, sometimes harmonizing.

“Imelda.”

His voice was so soft she almost didn’t realize he’d spoken. She drew back and opened her eyes.

Héctor was looking at her again with a fragile sort of hope in his eyes. “Imelda?” he said, his voice louder but shaking.

“Shh, I’m here,” she whispered, brushing away a tear that had begun to form in the corner of his eye. “I’m here.”

“Imelda,” he said again, this time sounding more sure of himself. He broke into a grin murmuring her name over and over. “Imelda, you’re Imelda. I remember. Imelda, I remember-” The words died in his throat, his happy grin sinking into a wide-eyed horror. “I forgot, Imelda,” he gasped. “I forgot you! How- I forgot Coco!” His voice broke on their daughter’s name. “No- How- I forgot!”

He’d begun to tremble, and all Imelda could think to do was pull him towards her. He came easily, practically collapsing into her arms as he continued to babble. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry! I promised to be home in six months and I forgot! I-I was planning to come home. I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Imelda was caught in an awkward half-crouch while he clung to her, but she pushed the discomfort aside and brought one hand up to cradle his head, and gently ran the other up and down his spine. His face was buried against her shoulder, her dress growing wet with tears. He was still shaking, too, and he felt much too thin now that she was holding him. “Shh,” she murmured again, stroking his hair. “Shh. I’m here. It’s going to be alright.”

It was, perhaps, a foolish promise. There were still so many questions to be asked. Diego and the bartender were both standing a short distance away with matching expressions of concern, and she was sure they would want to know why it had taken so long for her to find Héctor, and why she hadn’t gone to him the night before. There would be letters to write to Coco and the twins. Letters saying who she had found, and explaining that she would be delayed coming home. She had no intention to leave Mexico City until she understood what had happened to Héctor to lock his memories away for so long.

But her most burning question had been answered. He’d wanted to come home. He’d planned to come home, and been prevented. Coco was right; he’d never abandoned them. It was enough, for now, to build on. She couldn’t say exactly what would happen in the long run. If they’d ever be able to return to even a semblance of what had been, or if their relationship would be forever broken. But they could worry about that later.

“I’m sorry,” Héctor whispered again. “I’m sorry for forgetting.”

Imelda hugged him tighter. “You’ve remembered now,” she countered.

“Sí,” Héctor agreed after a long silence. “I remember.”

[melodyalanaroster]

Scars Deepened and Masks Shattered

When Alana got to school the next day, Deborah greeted her with a smile. “I don't understand why you're not going after my sister. She's the warrior. I'm just the diplomat.” She rolled her eyes. Alana looked around and noticed Iris in the distance. Deborah put her arm around her and got close to her ear. "Diplomats are worse." She whispered as Iris walked up to them. “Its good to see you guys getting along!” She beamed. “Yep! Alana and I are like two pieces in a pod!” Deborah cheered. Alana quickly rolled her eyes and smiled. “I wouldn't call us best friends, but we've got a great start!” She cheered.

Throughout the day Alana had begun asking questions about Deborah in an attempt to understand her new enemy. Because of those questions, her fellow students had begun to get angry with her and give her dirty looks. "Deborah isn't like that!" Melody had said. “Alana! How could you accuse her of that?!” Iris blurted out. “Alana, you're just making things up. She's nice!” Alexy sighed. "Come on Alana, this has got to be a joke." Kim rolled her eyes. Even Violette didn't believe her. Lysander told her that Castiel hadn't come to school because he needed extra rest and that he was unsure about leaving the school to be Deborah's guitarist. Nathaniel wanted nothing to do with the situation. He told Alana to ignore it and that if Castiel gets hurt, it will be his “just deserts”. Of course, rumors began to swirl around about what Alana was saying about Deborah and Deborah just had to give her two cents. “I can't believe you're spreading such awful rumors about me!” She cried. "I'm simply asking questions." Alana rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you went to Amber for help in your little crusade!" Nathaniel was steaming with anger. “There is something going wrong in the school! I was simply looking for allies!” Alana snapped back. “Alana, this is reality! Not your comic book or anime world! Sometimes bad people don't get justice!” He boomed. “Why not? Everyone deserves justice! Or am I not allowed even a molecule of that? I may not be a warrior like my sister, but I'll be damned if I go down without a fight! Now, everyone deserves the truth and I intend on giving it to them!” Alana spat as she stormed off. Amber knew that Deborah's sweetness and light was a charade but she had her own plans and she didn't want Alana in on them. “What is she planning? Something that'll probably get pinned on me, I bet.” Alana thought.

Kim, while giving her a dirty look, and with a snarky tone, told her to read the school newspaper. Alana grabbed a copy and quickly skimmed it over. “This isn't right!” She sighed as she ran to find Peggy. “What the heck is this?! Iris isn't even mentioned!" She boomed as she threw open the door to the Journalism Club. Peggy was a petite girl with cream colored skin, freckles along her cheeks, deep blue eyes and short wavy purple-black hair that stuck up in some places. She wore a green hooded sweater dress with a gold zip and drawstrings, and a tag on the left side of her chest. Alana could count on one hand how many times she had seen Peggy without her recording equipment underneath her arm, strapped around her waist, and a microphone in her hand. Peggy was the biggest source of gossip in the school, as well as the Journalism Club's President and Head Reporter. “Come on Alana. You know no one cares about Iris. Everyone only cared about the boys.” Peggy sneered. "Now, you know for a fact that isn't true." Alana barked. "Just like how I know that the "sweet daughter" of a famous sci-fi novelist isn't so sweet and has begun slandering a famous musician?" Peggy poked. Annoyance flashed across Alana's face. “Peggy, we both know I'm a diplomat. Sam is the one who goes on crusades. Not me. I'm the heir to my family. I must do what it takes to preserve our reputation, not tarnish it.” She explained. "So, you're saying that the rumors aren't true?" Peggy asked. “I'm saying that they spawned from me asking questions. Now, back to the reason I'm in here. Iris was as important to the concert as the boys and I'm sure the fact that you left her out has hurt her, so fix it.” Alana replied. “Fine. Oh, you know the best ways to out someone is by leading them on discreetly.” Peggy huffed. "Pray tell, how do you suggest I do that?" Alana asked. "Get a wire and record them in the act." Peggy explained. Alana rolled her eyes. “It wouldn't work. She's a popular musician. Anyone in higher social standing knows that's the first thing people go to. Heck, people have tried that with my mother, her boyfriend, my sister and me in an attempt to defame us.” Alana remarked. 

"Giving up yet?" Deborah sneered as she cornered Alana in the hallway near the basement. Alana rolled her eyes. “I'm trying to see what fits you best.... God Complex? Bipolar? Leech? Or more two faced than Harvey Dent?” She pondered out loud. “Well, I know what fits you. You put on a façade of “sweetness and light” all while hiding the fact that you're actually a stupid, disgusting, wretch who only gets by on her family's reputation. You know? At least your sister is up front with how pathetic she is.” Deborah laughed. Alana cocked her head. “At least my family HAS a reputation I can get by on! You stabbed Castiel in the back and turned him against Nathaniel to get your career! You're not even that talented! I've heard you sing! You're not Taylor Momsen or Amy Lee! Oh, and as for my sister? Really? She may have a bad rep for constantly fighting, and she sometimes does stuff that crosses lines, but at least she has an actual code of ethics! You're morally bankrupt!” Alana blurted out, fed up. Deborah looked hurt for a minute, before running up the stairs and purposely falling down them. “ALANA! HOW COULD YOU!” She screamed. “Do you really think that will work?! I didn't go upstairs!” Alana called. "But you did shove her!" Peggy sneered. Alana looked in Peggy's direction. “I'd like to see your proof. Come on! Let's go to the Principal and have her pull the security footage!” She demanded. “Alana, we all know you don't like her. It's obvious you did this!” Peggy egged on before she ran off. 

Rumors spread as Alana and the principal looked over the security footage from the stairway. "Turn the volume up." Alana requested. "Of course." Principal Shermansky replied. “There. Start here.” Alana pointed out at the video. As the footage played out, the Principal was awestruck. "I told you I didn't do it." Alana defended. Principal Shermansky looked concerned. “This proves your innocence on this incident with me. However, the students are going to be harder to convince. Deborah was once a staple around here.” She explained. "So, that means she can essentially commit murder, and blame me in such a way that you know I'm not the one who did it, but the students won't care?" Alana looked baffled. “You know how ruthless teenagers are. Not everyone is diplomatic." Principal Shermansky sighed. Alana knew she was right. The growing hatred surrounding her was almost unstoppable. Most of the people she had spent the past few weeks getting to know and becoming friends with had turned on her.

Throughout the day, students gave her even nastier looks and had even begun to call her names. "You're all a bunch of bitches!" Sam called at Peggy, Iris, Melody, Violette and Kim as she, Ken and Armin walked with Alana. “I know I'm innocent, but this still hurts.” Alana muttered. She had talked to Castiel who, while mad at her, was still unsure about what to do. After voicing his concern for his situation, he proceeded to lash out at her, making her feel horrible. Nathaniel didn't know what to think about the situation and just wanted it to be over. Alexy made it clear that he had taken Deborah's side. Rosalaya had asked Alana for her side of the story and sided with her. Lysander was concerned, but didn't know what to do. "Why don't you just let Castiel get hurt?" Ken asked. “Because it's not right. Everyone deserves truth and justice! ” Alana replied with vigor. "Yeah, and the quiet, lying, prat is definitely the right person to serve it!" Melody blurted out as she walked past them. The group stopped. "You got something to say, sweetheart?!" Sam called as she got into punching position. Anger boiled through Alana. “You know what?! When Deborah's guilt is properly proven, so will my innocence! Quit taking lessons on how to be two faced from her and go read a Batman comic!” Alana spat. She could taste the venom that flooded her system. “You're not supposed to do that! You know what will happen if Carol finds out you're flashing out.” The voice in her head called. "Shut up." Alana told the voice. Melody looked shocked, huffed and ran off. “Go Mels! That was great!” Sam beamed. "I didn't think you could do that!" Ken cheered. "Nice one!" Armin smiled. 

Giggling could be heard as Alana passed the girls' restroom. She looked in the direction of the giggling and noticed Amber and her friends leaving the room with a bucket of water. “What horrible thing do you three have planned this time?” She asked. Amber looked at her with a devilish grin and walked off without saying a word. She followed them upstairs and watched them position the bucket in an open window. Fear flooded Alana's veins. “Amber, stop this! It'll only make things worse!” She called from behind them. Amber looked pleased to hear Alana's fear. “Please Charlotte, don't let this happen!” Alana pleaded. Li's and Charlotte's grins only grew wider. “Amber, I'm sure you have more reasons to hate Deborah than me. I'm sure your reasoning is a lot more valid than mine. But, this is not the answer! Please! Don't do this!" Alana begged. Too late. While Alana was begging, Amber laughed and dumped the water. A scream resounded throughout the school grounds. Amber and her friends bolted out of the room, laughing. Alana, in a state of shock and fear, tried to think of what to do, but her body was already reacting. Without thinking, she had walked to the window and looked down at the soaking wet girl. There were students surrounding Deborah in concern. "Alana!" Deborah yelled as she looked up at the window and pointed at her. The other students looked at Alana, the wave of anger consuming them. “MELODY ROSTER! COME TO THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE!” The Principal called, angrily, over the intercom. “Mels! What happened!" Sam asked as she ran into the room. “I didn't.... I-It w-was.... A-Amber... Sami... I didn't...” Alana stuttered as she tried to hold back tears. “NOW MISS ROSTER! ” The Principal called over the intercom. “Come on. Let's get you to the Principal's office before this gets even worse.” Sam tried her best to be calm as she walked over to her sister, put her arms around her and started walking with her.

“Miss Roster! I am appalled!” Principal Shermansky started. “I didn't do it! There has to be security footage!” Alana defended. “I'm already tired of looking at security footage to defend you! You are worse than your sister! Samantha is up front with her toxicity!" The Principal boomed. Alana looked at the woman, insulted. "I have half of mine to expel you both so that I won't have to worry about what the two of you will cause next!" The Principal continued. "Judgment without a proper trial? That's REAL professional of you! And aren't you being a bit prejudiced?!” Alana snapped back. Principal Shermansky looked even angrier. “The only reason you are simply getting a detention is because of the pressure I'm getting from the board to keep you and your sister enrolled here! They said it's good publicity to have the heirs to the Roster clan at my school.” She continued. “And what will the board think when they find out that you're giving out punishment without proper trial?! This isn't America! That stuff doesn't fly here!” Alana blurted out. “ENOUGH! Now, I'm aware that your mother is currently on her book tour in the surrounding cities, so I called her manager, Carol, instead. She will be picking you and your sister up. And, you WILL be doing your detention tomorrow Melody!” Principal Shermansky barked. “Carol! You should have called Agatha instead! Do you have any idea what you've just condemned me to?!” Alana snapped. “It can't be any worse than what your peers are about to do to you. Now, get out of my office.” The Principal growled.

She left the Principal's Office and walked towards the stairs. “Great, now you get to be subjected to another one of Carol's patented lectures. Good job, idiot.” the voice in her head spoke and she realized the stairs were occupied. "Castiel..." Alana began. Castiel looked at her, angrily. "Go away." He growled. "I didn't do it." Alana stated. "I said go away." He growled again. “Castiel, listen to me! I didn't do it!” Alana continued. Castiel got closer to her, anger flooding every inch of him. “I said go away! Shut up and go away! Go away, stop talking to me, just forget I exist, and don't get close to anyone I like!” He yelled. Tears began to blur Alana's vision. "It's like that then." She began, her voice wavering. “Well fuck you Castiel! You're a self-centered jackass!” She cried as she began walking away. She could hear Castiel curse and punch the wall, but she knew better than to turn back around. She looked around and saw nasty faces everywhere, causing the tears in her eyes to become more prominent. “Sam needs to be warned about Carol.” She thought. "Alana." a voice said in front of her. She looked up and saw Nathaniel. Without thinking, she fell into his arms, wrapped her arms around him and began crying. He held her close, wrapped his arms around her and tried to comfort her. “Nath, everyone hates me. Everything has gone wrong!” Her voice wavered. "Alana!" A voice called from the distance. Nathaniel wiped her tears away as she looked up. Rosalaya was walking towards them. “Sam told me the truth. And, I have good news. I've come up with a way to expose Deborah to the entire school.” She explained. Sam walked up behind Rosalaya. "How do you expect we discuss this?" Alana asked Sam. “We go to the apartment! No one is there.” Sam beamed. Alana shook her head. “The Principal called Carol. She's coming to pick us up.” She whined. “Shit. Well, Achille and Edgard are in Australia, so I'll call Verity and tell her what's going on. She'll come to our aid.” Sam groaned as she walked off. "Who is Carol?" Rosalaya asked. “Mom's manager. She's the person primarily responsible for perpetuating the whole idea of ​​Sam being mom's rebellious daughter and me being the “sweet, obedient” one. Mom's fans have eaten it up. The whole Roster Family story of “rags to riches” over the generations has aided in mom's notoriety.” Alana explained. “Carol is a bitch. She's been obsessed with turning the family into proper aristocrats for years. The only reason why I'm allowed to “rebel” is because mom adopted me when Mels and I were babies.” Sam blurted out as she walked back up to them and looked at Rosalaya. “Oh, and Verity is currently on her way to the apartment. She's mad. So, Carol won't be there long.” She explained to Alana. "So, we'll be okay?" Alana asked. "Yes." Sam replied.

★

It didn't take long for Alana and Sam to gather a group of students to come over. “Alana...” Castiel began as he reached out to her. She huffed and walked off. Deborah passed her and snickered. Alana rolled her eyes. “We'll see who is laughing by the end of this!” She thought. Lysander had told her that he had something to do and he'd be late to her apartment. “Hey, Mels, Carol is here to pick us up. Verity is at the apartment waiting for us. Guys, I will text you all when it is safe to head over. Trust me, you don't wanna be there when Verity sees Carol.” Sam called as the group gathered. Alana suddenly looked lifeless. Sam put her arm around her sister's shoulder. "It won't last long this time." She sighed. "It shouldn't last any span of time." Alana sighed. "Anyway, come on." Sam urged. “See you guys later! I'm sure it won't be too long!” She beamed as she turned and waved at the group.

Carol Dubois could easily be described by one word. That word being “Karen”. She almost always looked like she was about to step into an aristocratic gala. Donning a swanky knee length black skirt, frilly red blouse, black pumps, a pearl necklace, pearl earrings, and a pearl bracelet on her left wrist. Her platinum blonde hair was cut into an inverted bob style. She wore black butterfly shaped sunglasses over her hazel eyes and carried a black designer bag with a crown on it. “Good god! How is their mom connected to that woman? She looks like she could be Amber's future self!” Armin called from behind Sam and Alana as the girls walked up to Carol. “Girls. Your principal has already filled me in on what's happened.” She evilly grinned as Alana's eyes dropped to the floor and Sam looked angry. “It's all bullshit and my sister is innocent! ” Sam snapped. “Now, Samantha, that tone and language are not proper! You will refrain from using it.” Carol's voice always had a sense of condescension in it when she spoke to the girls. Alana had heard whispers from people around her mother that Carol was livid when she and Sam came along. Carol has been trying to break into the aristocracy for years. When she realized that none of the born blue bloods would take her, she latched onto her mother. “Better a dyed blue blood than not a blue blood at all." Her aunt Cosima had told her when she was young. The girls death marched towards Carol's car. "Here we go." Sam rolled her eyes as Carol began talking to Alana. “Melody! You know you're supposed to be the “good girl”. You can't be running around, getting into trouble, like your sister!” Carol barked. Alana spent the entire drive trying to daydream, but each time she'd drift off Carol pulled her back to reality. “God damn it! Let me drift off!” She thought.

When they got to the apartment, they were greeted by Verity Mekina. Verity was a spitting image of her daughter, Severina. Long black hair that was tied into a low bun with hair sticks in it, dark eyes, and warm beige skin tone. She wore a blue, floral, Chinese, Cheongsam, split dress, a diamond bracelet on her left wrist, and blue closed toed pumps. Carol instantly looked more annoyed at the sight of her. “One of you warned her.” She growled at the girls. Verity came to the car. “Don't make me get Lynne, Carol. You don't want this fight.” She smoothly warned. “The Principal called ME.” Carol growled. “You are classified as a “last resort” on their paperwork. That means the Principal must not have not cared to go down the list and call Agatha, Seraphina, or me before calling you. This means that I'll have to have a talk with the school board in the next couple of days. Now, let the girls out before I not only call Lynne, but the police.” Verity commanded. Carol looked at her angrily. "Or I could always call the tabloids." Verity suggested. "You wouldn't." Carol spat. “The manager for a popular sci-fi novelist has been verbally, mentally and emotionally abusing the novelist's daughters for years, right under the novelist's nose. Now, that wouldn't look good for Lynne's reputation or yours. Would it?” Verity explained, condescendingly. "Girls, get out." Carol barked. The girls grabbed all of their stuff, got out of the car and walked over to Verity. “Now, that wasn't hard. Was it?” Verity smiled as if she was speaking to a small child. "This isn't over." Carol growled as she drove off. “Okay, girls. I'll call your mom. Neither of you are in trouble. Go ahead and have your friends come over.” Verity smiled. "Thanks V!" Sam smiled. Tears came to Alana's eyes. "Thanks aunt V!" She cheered as she hugged Verity.

“Girls! The snacks are here!” Verity called as she got her phone out. She didn't want the girls walking the streets without their friends, just in case Carol was lurking and waiting for an opportunity. While Alana didn't think Carol would actually “kidnap” them, she knew Carol would take any opportunity to verbally harm them. Alana thanked Verity's driver after he set the bags of snacks on the table and tipped him. "Ma'am, you know you don't have to tip me." The man sighed. “But I want to. I was raised to show my gratitude.” She smiled. He looked at Verity, curiously, who nodded in approval. "Thank you ma'am." He grinned as he pocketed the money and went back to the car. Verity had told the girls that she was going to call Lynne and the school and that while she'd love to meet their friends, this was important for their safety. The girls were disheartened at the thought of their godmother not being able to meet their friends, but Alana was pleased that Verity was stepping up, even if it was just while her husband was away. It didn't take long for Sam to text everyone and for them to all show up to the apartment. "Welcome guys!" Alana beamed as they walked in. “Wow! This place is cool!” Rosalaya beamed. "Hey, Sylvester!" Nathaniel cheered as he petted the tuxedo cat that walked up to him. “Will we be seeing Verity?” Kentin asked. "Yes, but she's quite mad at Principal Shermansky and Carol, so she's going to be focused on handling that." Alana explained. "So, you all won't be properly meeting our godmother." Sam added. "Why is she mad at the Principal?" Lysander asked as they all walked to Alana's room. “She was far less than professional with me. She doesn't appreciate that.” Alana replied. “Woah! This place is cute!” Rosalaya cheered as Alana opened the door and they all walked in. Alana's bedroom was a massive tribute to all of the fandoms she loved. There were several shelves with Sailor Moon collectibles, several shelves with books, movies and videogames. There were framed posters on the walls of Sailor Moon, The Beatles, Wonder Woman, and Harry Potter. Her bed was galaxy themed with a Sailor Moon throw blanket on top and another one folded at the foot. Even her curtains were celestial themed. Rosalaya and Alexy immediately darted to the closet. "Sam wasn't kidding when she said you've got several styles in here!" Rosalaya cheered as she came out with several punk t-shirts and Alexy came out with a couple of school uniform type articles. "What? I like those bands and school uniforms are very crisp and cool to wear.” Alana sighed. Alexy dipped back into the closet and came out. Alana's face went ghost white. "How do you explain these?" He asked as he held up a pair of green and black plaid, black laced trimmed, panties with the Slytherin crest on the crotch. Nathaniel's, Armin's and Lysander's faces all turned beet red. "Those look like they were bought to impress someone!" Rosalaya blurted out. "They were bought because they're cute!" Alana snapped as she snatched the panties from Alexy and put them up. 

After a bit more playing around, Alana called them all to sit down and get to business. "Alright, here's what's gotten us to this point." She began as she explained everything that had happened in the past couple of days. "Castiel is such an ass!" Armin boomed when she got to the point where he had made her cry. Nathaniel nodded agreeably. "Okay, I still wanna do a full blown Kamehameha on her.... But, I can definitely settle for a swift karate chop!" Armin blurted out when she finished her story. “Yeah! Let's kick her ass!" Kentin cheered. "I'm in!" Sam devilishly laughed as she cracked her knuckles. “Now, wait a minute! What I've got planned gets on her level and doesn't have violence!” Rosalaya announced as she stood up. The group quickly fell silent as Rosalaya explained her plan. The plan was to tempt Deborah with a manager who can promise her a chance to stardom, so she'll leave her current manager. However, Leigh will be the bait. “Tomorrow, we'll split into two groups. Kentin and Nathaniel, you will go Leigh's shop to help him with his outfit. Armin, Lysander, you two will be doing research on managers in the music industry.” She ordered. “Sam, Alana, you can choose whichever team you'd like to be with. But, I request that you two stay together." She continued. "I'll go with Nath and Kentin." Alana piped up. "I was gonna say the same thing." Sam stated.

That night, Alana was plagued by nightmares of the day’s events. When Carol wasn’t lashing out at her, the girls were calling her names while Amber and Deborah laughed. She tossed and turned, begging them to stop and leave her alone. She tried looking for Nathaniel, Armin, and Sam but they were nowhere to be found. “Someone! Please! Help me!”, “I didn’t do it!”, “Please believe me!” she muttered as her body whipped around in bed. Then her mind turned to Castiel. “GO AWAY!”, “SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!”, “FORGET THAT I EXIST!”, “DON’T GET CLOSE TO ANYONE I LIKE!” He yelled. “Castiel, please!” She begged. Deborah walked up behind him, wrapped one hand over his eyes, ran her other hand along his stomach and got her mouth close to his ear. “Don’t believe her. She’s lying. She just wants to keep us apart. I came here for you and only you my little kitten. She just wants to hold you back from the success you are due.” She mused. Deborah’s fingers started to become thinner and more spindly as she continued to caress Castiel’s eyes and chest. “Don’t believe her! She’s using you!” Alana pleaded. Deborah’s mouth became thinner and more inhuman, as the whites of her eyes turned black. “I think it’s time we get rid of this little pest, once and for all.” She growled. Suddenly, Alana found herself in a spider’s web, unable to move. “Come on my little pet. Let’s kill her.” Deborah’s features had become more monster than human, much like the Beldam in the movie adaptation to Coraline. She removed her hand from Castiel’s eyes, only for them to be covered in a thick black web. Deborah’s other hand moved from his chest and placed something in his hand. “A knife?!” Alana gasped. “Come on Cassy. Its the only way we can be together.” Deborah cooed as she stepped back and let out a heinous cackle. As the boy began moving closer to her, he raised the knife to a lethal position. “CASTIEL NO!” Alana screamed. “MELODY WAKE UP!” Someone called as they grabbed her shoulders. “DON’T!” Alana cried as she jolted up in her bed. She looked around for a second, her heart pounding, as she breathed quickly. Standing by her bed was a friendly face. “Aunt V!” She cried. “Melody, come on. I’ll make some tea.” Verity urged. “I’ll be fine.” Alana sighed. “No you won’t. You’ve been jerking around for a while. I turned on soothing songs with the hopes that it would calm you, and it didn’t. I even tried singing to you at one point and it only calmed you for a minute.” Verity explained. “It was just a nightmare. Please don’t worry about me.” Alana insisted. “No. What happened at school has had one hell of an effect on you. I have half a mind to keep you home tomorrow.” Verity replied. “No, I’ll be okay, I have my friends. Not to mention, Sam will be there.” Alana yawned. Verity thought for a couple of minutes. “Fine, but for the rest of the night, you’re sleeping in the living room with me.” She ordered.

School the next day was mostly quiet. Verity came to the school with a member of the board and had a heated conversation with Principal Shermansky. The board member was a young, smart dressed, woman with her brown hair in a bun. “You put your students in potential danger by not going down the list! Your negligence resulted in them feeling so unsafe that I had to be called! Madam, there's a list of people for you to call for the Roster girls and Carol is supposed to be a last resort. You did not call their mother. You did not call Seraphina Roster, Agatha Roster, or me. You went straight to her! And don't get me started on your SEVERE lack of professionalism! The incident from yesterday had to have been caught on camera, yet you REFUSED to prove my goddaughter's innocence! This is NOT how you run a school! This isn't even how a prison should be run!” Verity yelled. “Ma'am. I-” Principal Shermansky started. "Mrs. Shermansky, We have gone through the security footage from your office and the room that the water was dropped from. If you had simply looked at the footage, you would have seen that it was Amber Jacott who dropped the water and Melody Roster was begging for her to not do it. You judged her guilty without proving her innocence and acted very out of line. Mrs. Mekina explained to me the situation with Ms. Dubois' involvement in the Roster Family. While we cannot go after Ms. Dubois, the board can mitigate her position in Samantha's and Melody's lives while they are in our care. Melody Roster's detention has been revoked and her record had been cleaned. Now, while Mrs. Mekina has requested your termination, the board agrees that, as this is your first offense, it would be better judgment to simply put you on probation.” The board member announced. Principal Shermansky looked shocked. "Probation?" She asked. “Yes. Until the Roster girls graduate, we will be watching you closely. You have shown us that we can't trust you with high profile students.” The board member replied.

After school let out, Iris walked up to Alana and commented on how low profile she and Sam had acted all day. Alana rolled her eyes. "Unless you have an apology for me, then I don't want to hear it." She sighed. Iris looked hurt and walked off. "Damn sis, I didn't think you could be that harsh." Sam sneered as she walked up to her. “I've been getting nasty looks and assorted bullshit all day. I'm tired. The only comforts I have are that I have some friends around here and that Verity has a spine when Achille is away.” Alana remarked. "Yeah, mom is pissed at Shermansky and Carol." Sam sighed. "Your godmother was on quite the crusade today." Nathaniel commented as he and Ken walked up to the girls. "I don't think I've ever seen V that mad." Ken looked shocked. “Yeah, she's great when her husband isn't around. Achille forces her to act all “sweet, quiet and obedient”. Mom and Cosima are the ones who brought out the rebellion. When Cosima died, Edgard Chevalier became more susceptible to Achille's influence and Achille gained almost total control of V.” Sam explained as they began walking towards Leigh's shop. Ken and Sam started holding hands. Nathaniel looked at Alana's hand awkwardly. Alana looked at him and blushed. "Hold it you idiot!" The voice in her head yelled. “But…” She thought back. “I know I had been to your apartment before, but I still can't get over the different types of books in your collection.” He nervously commented. “It's nice to have a variety. That way, I can choose my own adventure.” She smiled. When they got to the shop, Kentin picked out a gray suit with a red shirt and black tie. Nathaniel picked out a black suit with a black shirt and yellow tie. Sam and Alana agreed on a pair of sunglasses. "This one is more classy and will work better!" Nathaniel argued as he and Kentin had begun having a spat about which suit to choose. "Grey is a classic color!" Kentin shot back. Sam and Alana looked at each other then back at the boys. "How about you try them on and show us which one is better?" Sam suggested, a keen look in her eyes. "That would be a good way for us to gauge which one is best." Alana grinned. "Fine." Ken huffed. "Okay." Nathaniel sighed as they went into the changing rooms. Sam and Alana looked at each other. "Black suit, white shirt, black tie and good shoes?" Alana suggested as the boys changed. “Yup. It's a classic look.” Sam agreed. When the boys came out, both girls blushed. Sam walked up to Ken and straightened his tie. "You clean up really well." She purred. He looked at her and blushed. "Was this an excuse to see me in a suit?" He asked. Sam looked at her sister and Nathaniel. "It cheered her up as well." She grinned. "You look great." Alana blushed as she looked at Nathaniel. "Do you think so?" He blushed. "Yeah." She smiled. The girls stepped back and looked at the boys. “Black is the best color because it is a classic. It's also the color most worn by professionals." Alana explained. “A white shirt and black tie will make Leigh look more formal.” Sam added. "It will also work well with black socks, black formal shoes and the sunglasses that we have picked out." Alana continued. “Nathaniel should also be the one to deliver the suit. It will be less conspicuous.” Sam insisted.

The next day, Alana wore black jeans, a deep blue hoodie and black Converse. Agatha had presented her with a baseball bat and she was tempted to bring it. "It'll just cause more trouble." The voice in her head spoke. Peggy ran up to her, handed her the latest copy of the school newspaper, snickered and ran off. Alana quickly glanced at it and looked at Peggy. “Yeah, you must REALLY wanna be a journalist! You've turned the school newspaper into a tabloid!” She called after her. She could hear Peggy angrily huff and her feet stomp a little in the distance. It wasn't long before Castiel found her. He was angry at her for avoiding him. “Gee! I wonder why!” She sarcastically snapped as she walked off. Amber couldn't help but laugh whenever she saw her. “Watch it sweetheart, cackling like an old witch will give you crows feet.” Alana sneered. Amber huffed and walked off. Violette had run into her at one point. "Why didn't you defend yourself?" She had asked. “I did, to a certain extent. Why do you think Shermansky is in a heap of trouble?” Alana replied. "But, what about with the students?" Violette had asked. “None of you believe me. Which, proves to me that none of you have any real sense of justice.” Alana sighed as she walked off. Rosalaya had told her to lay low, to which Alana had responded that she was doing exactly that. Later, Castiel found her again and apologized to her for his harshness. He also explained his feelings towards joining Deborah's band. "It's the chance of a lifetime." He had said. He continued to tell her that he thinks she's trying to get rid of Deborah by lying. “Apology not accepted Castiel. And if you think I'm a liar, then you can go fuck yourself!” She yelled.

Suddenly, Alana was looking for a place to be alone, a hand grabbed her and pulled her into a classroom. Before she could scream and call for help, she realized that the hand was attached to Alexy. She looked at him, skeptical, as he explained that he actually believed her, but wanted Deborah to think that he was on her side. “I'm a spy!” He cheered as he continued to explain that he lied to Armin but told him the truth when he had gotten home. When the meeting was over Armin found her and told her to go to the park to meet up with Rosalaya. The rest of the day at school was a nuisance for Alana. The other girls continued their constant series of dirty looks, Amber and her friends continued to laugh and snicker in her direction, and Deborah's walk continued triumphant. The only things that changed were that Principal Shermansky told her that her detention had been terminated and that her mother had called her and told that she's not being punished. At the park, Rosalaya completely laid out the finer details of her plan, making Alana feel a whole lot better.

"Rosa! Stop!" Alana urged as she and Armin held Rosalaya back from lunging at Deborah. She, Rosalaya and Armin were hiding behind the lockers, watching Leigh and Deborah talk. The school day had begun as expected and the plan was in full swing. Alana expected Deborah to flirt with Leigh to gain favor with him. At that point, he had done very well in playing his part as a new manager trying to recruit her. Deborah had taken slight offense to his comment about having a better chance to become more well known under him rather than under her current manager, but Leigh made a quick comeback that she liked. "Rosa, let's go to the courtyard." Armin urged as he began to lead Rosalaya away. Alana stated that she was going to stay in her spot. "Keep us informed." Armin sighed. She heard Deborah tell Leigh that she needed to call her manager and that it would take around five minutes. Alana tried to follow Deborah, but ended up running into Nathaniel along the way. She updated him on how things were going and he told her to lead Deborah to the Teachers' Lounge once she realized that she'd been tricked. She asked him why he told her that and he said that he had something planned. The sneakiness in his voice and look in his eye made something in her stir. However, she knew she couldn't dwell on that feeling for long, as she nodded to him and ran off to find Deborah. When she found her, she was on the phone with her manager in a classroom. She heard her tell her manager that she wants him to treat her career better. “Well then I'll find someone who does! We're done!” Deborah shouted.

What Deborah found waiting for her when she left the classroom was something she and Alana didn't want to happen. "YOU!" someone yelled. Alana turned her head in shock. Standing before them was a very livid Rosalaya and Armin trying to hold her back. "Rosa! Don't!” Alana called. Her words fell on deaf ears as she began to register that Rosalaya was past the point of no return. Armin's efforts to calm her down had failed, miserably. Deborah looked in shock as Rosalaya continued to scream at her about what will happen if she ever touches her boyfriend again. As Deborah called Rosalaya crazy and explained that she didn't even know she had a boyfriend, Leigh walked up and tried his best to calm his girlfriend. To clear things up, Leigh looked at Deborah and explained that the people he loved had told him that she deserved a little lesson. Deborah turned to Alana, her face growing more and more red. "The lesson?" She snarled as she began to charge at her. Remembering what Nathaniel had said, Alana ran into the direction of the Teachers' Lounge. As she ran, she passed Sam and Ken. "The bitch must have realized what was going on." Sam commented.

When she got to the Teachers' Lounge, it was empty. Deborah came in and closed the door behind her. “At last, we are alone... Just the two of us...” She began. Alana looked at her, her eyes almost hollow. “Did you have fun? Making me lose my contract.. Do you realize what you've done?” Deborah's voice sounded like she was speaking to a disobedient child. "I wasn't alone." Alana commented. “Do you think you've won something? Even if my manager has left me, another one will come along soon enough.” Deborah snapped back. "If the first one didn't want you anymore because of your plummeting sales, what makes you think another one will?" Alana asked, condescendingly. “But now, I have Castiel... The situation has changed.” Deborah sneered. “You don't have anyone yet. He hasn't made his full decision.” Alana raised an eyebrow as she spoke. “It's only a matter of time. That idiot believes anything you tell him as long as you look him in the eye. He is the worst one out of all the idiots at this school. He will come with me, he will help boost my career with his talent and style. And when that is done, I'll just have to play the same scenario as last time!” Deborah grinned. "You'll drop him again?" Alana asked. “Of course, two is a crowd under the spotlight. So, my dear, don't cry victory yet. I've got the whole school in my pocket, and its not you and your idiot friends that are going to bring me down. I haven't lost anything and will never lose.” Deborah's voice almost sounded cheerful. Alana cocked her head. "You didn't need to trap me to tell me all that... Why did you follow me here?" She asked. “Because you are a little too stubborn for my taste. Since the day I met you, you haven't stopped trying to trick me. And this time, you almost did. If I didn't have a backup plan you would have succeeded. So... I want to be sure that you won't go against me ever again.” Deborah's grin turned devilish and her voice started to become sadistic. “Oh? How's that?” Alana asked, curiously. "I've never had to turn to force... But too bad... You have left me without a choice." The sadism in Deborah's voice became more prominent. “Force? You do realize what will happen if you hit me, right? Not only will Sam come after you for the beatdown of your life, but my family will make it to where you never have a chance at stardom again.” Alana did her best to react formally, despite a flash of fear washing over her. “Not if I hurt myself too. I'll just say that I defended myself. After all, everyone believes that you already tried to attack me...” Deborah started to get closer to her. “Don't you dare!” Alana did her best to snarl, but it came out being closer to a whimper. "What is this?" Deborah asked, annoyed as she looked at an item. Sitting on the desk, behind the chairs, was a little red light... Right next to the microphone that the Principal used to make the school announcements. "Nathaniel you genius!" Alana thought as she realized why he told her to lead Deborah to the Teachers' Lounge. Deborah began to stutter in denial as her body language showed how much she had begun to break. Alana looked pleased as she sauntered out of the room and down the hall. 

“You little PEST! You knew!” Deborah's voice rang through the halls as she grabbed Alana's arm with great force. "Let go of me!" Alana called. “HOW DARE YOU?!” Deborah yelled as she raised her fist to throw a punch. Rage had overcome the girl, but before the punch could be thrown, someone grabbed Deborah's arm. "An idiot... Is that it?" Castiel asked, angrily. Deborah did her best to “explain” everything that had been said, but Castiel wasn't having any of it. Deborah continued her attempts to defend herself and to try to demonize Alana. “That's enough, Deborah. We heard everything.” Rosalaya called as she walked up to them. "Y-You really think we are a school of...Idiots?" Violette asked as she joined the group. Tears came to Deborah's eyes as she told Violette that she loved her, while continuing to insist that what everyone had heard was a “tiny joke”. More and more students began to join the group. “I doubted Alana for a reason far less important than this one…” Iris piped up, sadly. "Castiel...Believe me...Please...Kitten..." Deborah begged. “I think it's time you leave Deborah. Definitively.” Castiel ordered. His voice was so icy that it sent chills down Alana's spine. A tear streamed down Deborah's face. “I just wanted…I was kid…ding…I…” Her voice wavered as she broke down crying and ran off. All the students had gathered in the hall by that point and were talking about Deborah. Alana looked for Castiel through the crowd. When her eyes found him, he looked at her, sadly, then left.

Alana wanted to talk to everyone, but decided it would be useless, so she walked towards the courtyard. When she got to the main hall, Lysander stopped her. "It ended well, I see." He grinned. "Yeah, but I'm sure they all don't want to talk to me, so I'm gonna go outside and breathe." She sighed, relieved. "You deserve an apology... So why wouldn't they want to talk to you?" He asked. “Because they just had one hell of a revelation. They're probably feeling awkward towards what they did to me, horrible for believing Deborah, and just generally like crap.” She explained. He looked at her, slightly surprised. “I've got to go. I have something to do.” He rushed off. "Well, that was something." She thought. Before she could make it out of the building, Amber caught her. “That wasn't as fun as the bucket on that girl's head, but I have to admit the loud speaker was quite genius!” She cheered. “My, my... The great Amber is paying me a compliment?! I'm honored.” Alana chuckled. “Don't flatter yourself. I'm telling you this because my brother told me that he was the one who came up with the idea. It's great when he puts his mind to things like this... You know what I mean?” Amber rolled her eyes. "I have to agree with you there." Alana smiled as she continued to walk to the courtyard. When she found a secluded spot underneath a tree she sat on the ground and did her best to relax. It didn't take long for Sam to find her and hand her her bag. "Thanks, sis." She meekly smiled. "No problem. Text me when you're ready to go home. Ken and I will make sure you get there safe.” Sam grinned as she walked off. As she was listening to her music and drawing, someone sat down next to her. "Thank you, Nathaniel." She cooed as she pulled one of her earbuds out and smiled at him. “Of course. I must admit, when I heard Deborah over the loud speaker, I couldn't hold back the laughter!” He blushed. “It was a fantastic idea!” She cheered. “Thanks! Not many people know the Principal's microphone is in the Teachers' Lounge. Many think its in her office!” He beamed. She laid her head against his chest and relaxed into him. He tensed up a little and his blush became more prominent. “I'm glad that's all over. I just hope everyone can move past this…” She sighed. "I'm sure it'll just take t-time." He stuttered.

They sat there for what felt like forever, just breathing and casually chatting until Nathaniel felt his phone vibrate. He looked at it and groaned. “It's Amber. I've gotta go. Text me when you get home.” He sighed. Alana leaned back against the tree. “Oh…okay. I will.” She exhaustedly grinned. When Nathaniel had left the courtyard, she contemplated staying in her spot a while longer. "I should probably go home too..." She thought. As she got up, she gathered her things and dusted herself off, she heard several people walking towards her. She looked in the direction of the walking and saw Lysander being followed by Iris, Kim, Melody and Violette. The girls looked awful. Anyone could tell that they were upset that they had been fooled by Deborah and that they were remorseful for how they had been treating Alana, simply by looking at them. "Someone wanted to tell you something, but didn't have the courage." Lysander beamed. The girls confirmed Alana's suspicions. They had wanted to talk to her and tell her that they were sorry since the announcements, but they didn't know how. They explained that it was Lysander's idea for them to all come see her at once. Each girl apologized profusely and explained how wrong they were to not have believed her. “They betrayed you that easily? Don't forgive them!” The voice in her head spoke. "They're my friends. This isn't big enough for me to not forgive them.” Alana thought. When the girls stopped talking, she stood before them. “Guys, it really hurt that you all turned your backs on me like that. It didn't just hurt me, it angered Sam. I will forgive you for this, but she may not be so kind.” She explained. "We'll do anything to make it up to you.” Melody suggested. "For me? Just please don't do it again.” Alana sighed.

Later that night, Alana received a text from Castiel, prompting her to go to the front of the apartment building. “Going out in your pajamas? How rebellious." Sam commented as she sat in the living room playing video games. Alana was wearing blue shorts with the Spiral Heart Moon Rod along the sides, a blue sports bra, black slippers, and a blue tank top with the Cosmic Heart Compact surrounded by the phrase “Fight like a girl” on the front. “Castiel wants to see me. Its time we talk.” She sighed as she left the apartment. When she got outside, she saw him standing under a streetlight, looking down. He had reverted back to his black pants and red Winged Skull shirt. “I was wondering when I'd see you.” She mused as she walked up to him. “Alana…I'm…Sorry…” He muttered. She took a deep look at him, noticing his red eyes. “He's been crying. ” She thought. "It's okay Cass." She grinned as she sweetly put her hand on his cheek. He turned away from her. "No, it's not okay... How could I fall for her tricks again?" His voice broke. “She played on people's desire to view her through rose colored glasses. It's not entirely your fault.” She cooed as she stepped closer to him. “Alana…I was such an ass to you…” He muttered. “Yeah, you were. But, you weren't necessarily yourself when you did it... So, despite what I said when I yelled at you, I'm giving you a pass this time...” She sighed. “I just…” He began, tears coming to his eyes. Before he could finish his sentence, she stepped forward, wrapped her arms around him and held him close. “Its okay. I forgive you Castiel.” Her voice became even more comforting as she spoke. She could feel the shock in his body language fade away as he relaxed into her. "Thank you Alana." He growled. They stood there in each other's arms for several minutes when Alana felt her phone go off. “You gonna come inside? Does Nathaniel know Castiel is his love rival? Do I need to tell Viktor he's got two rivals now? Does Castiel wanna sleep here so he can keep your bed warm tonight?” The snarkiness in the tone of the text from her sister was more than abundant. "Everything okay?" He asked. "Sam's being snarky... But, it is late... We do still have school tomorrow..." She sighed, annoyed. “Oh…” He looked down. “Cass, it will be okay. This will pass and things will be back to normal in time.” She put her hand on his arm to comfort him. He looked at her and blushed. "Goodnight Alana." He sighed. She turned towards the door and looked back at him. “Goodnight Castiel. Please get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow.”

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This covers Episodes 16 & 17 of HSL.

Main Shermansky is significantly more bitchy in this. I decided to make her personality more of what I'm used to...

Yes, the last part of the Deborah Arc got it’s own chapter.

I made Verity more prominent in this chapter and properly introduced Carol. Carol’s personality comes from 2 points of inspiration... Those points being Alistair from What A Girl Wants and my real life abuser.

Credit to Chinomiko and Beemoov for MCL

[zelenacat]

When We Were Young- Chapter 32- An Obitine Story

They were fabulous, and everyone in the ballroom knew it. The family was graceful when gliding down the main stairs and across the dance floor. They were elegant and poised when they clustered around the throne, and the Duchess' smile was so warm and kind that many politicians smiled back at her.

Satine took a breath, “Friends, fellow Mandalorians, and guests. I am overjoyed to host you tonight alongside my family. It is my great pleasure to introduce them to you, and it’s my honor to welcome everyone I hold dear to my happy home. Thank you.”

Polite clapping echoed through the hall, and the musicians began to play. Satine nodded at her children and they walked up to their chosen partners, who were also making their way towards the throne. There was much excitement in the ballroom, it was bold to open with a waltz, but the Duchess was pleased. Everyone was talking about the children and who they were dancing with.

“You’ve put on quite the show.” Obi-Wan whispered, taking Jynn.

“I certainly have,” Satine agreed, cradling Lyra, “and here come the first parliamentarians.”

They bowed to the Duchess and gave a polite nod to Obi-Wan.

“Your Grace, Master Jedi.”

“Thank you for coming, Your Excellencies,” Satine smiled, “may I introduce Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the father of my children.”

The men bowed, but didn’t grace the Jedi with a title.

“We were wondering, Your Grace,” one man spoke up, “if we might introduce the committee on updating the line of succession.”

“Of course,” Satine stood, “We’d love to be introduced.”

The Committee on Updating the Line of Succession was twenty people, and Obi-Wan handled them all with proper formality. Satine was quite proud.

“And if I may, Your Excellencies,” the Jedi gestured, “I know Master Yoda has stated he’d like to meet you.”

It was clear from the beginning of the conversation that Master Yoda wished the children to be heirs, and he all but told the committee this.

Jynn reached out to Master Yoda, “Ye ye-”

With a smile, the old Jedi watched with pride as Jynn walked over to him, holding Obi-Wan’s hand of course.

“You’re quite the favorite aren’t you, Master.” Anakin teased, approaching with Padme on his arm.

“Very cute, the child is,” Master Yoda grinned, “named after a former Padawan of mine, as well, she is.”

“We’ll take Lyra if you’d like to dance,” Padme suggested, “we don’t mind little ones.”

Satine grinned and shot a look at Obi-Wan.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, thank you.”

They spun around for three dances and Satine had a wonderful time.

“Everyone is watching us.” Obi-Wan grinned.

Satine winked, “Get used to it, Ben.” 

After their dances they went back to schmoozing politicians, it was much less fun. They talked to every party of parliament. Red, orange, yellow, and white. It was quite late when Lyra walked for the first time.

“Ah ah-” the little ejuculated.

She was reaching out her little fist towards her mother and scrambled out of Padme’s arms. Waddling over, she cried again.

“Ah ah!”

Everyone cooed as Satine picked up her youngest, kissing her on the forehead.

“I’m here, Lyra, I’m here.”

By the end of the night, Jynn and Lyra were asleep in their parents’ arms as the guests bid their Duchess goodnight.

“Lovely evening,” Anakin smiled, “we really should do this again.”

Obi-Wan clasped his friend’s hand, “We’ll see you for the welcoming ceremony.”

Finally, when the night was over, Satine took her daughters to the jewel room.

“Pierre?”

The Royal Jewelmaster bowed.

“A success, Your Grace?” 

“Most certainly,” Satine took off her tiara, “thank you for your help.”

It was nearly four in the morning when Satine and Obi-Wan were changing the twins back into their pajamas.

“They’re smiling.” Obi-Wan sighed.

“Yes,” Satine agreed, “happy to be in bed.”

Finally, when the Duchess and her Jedi got to bed, they practically collapsed. 

“So much talking.” Obi-Wan complained, hand on his head.

“I know,” Satine sighed, “but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.”

Parna and Khaami were kind enough to give Satine and Obi-Wan two extra hours of sleep before waking them up.

“Satine, Master Jedi?”

Obi-Wan groaned, his Duchess swatted him in the face and woke him up.

Khaami snorted, “Parliament has sent a statement to us early, it says the children will join the line of succession once you marry.”

The Duchess froze. Really? Was it that easy?

“Satine,” Obi-Wan drawled out the syllables of her name, clearly smiling, “will you marry me.”

The Duchess sighed, “Why don’t you propose when you’re awake and you’ve eaten.”

Obi-Wan groaned and Satine kissed his head.

“Ladies,” she turned, “what shall I wear for my engagement day?”

Khaami snorted.

Your favorite ensemble,” Parna suggested, “maybe the salmon pink one?”

“You’re right,” Satine agreed, sitting up, “I’ll save the extravagance for the wedding.”

The Duchess and her ladies went into the closet to investigate, and when they came out, Obi-Wan was gone.

“Likey to prepare.” Khaami remarked.

Satine giggled, “I’m excited.”

“You should be,” Parna grinned, picking up a hair brush, “you’re going to be proposed to today.”

It happened that night, and Satine was anxious all during the day. Towards the afternoon she thought her Jedi wasn’t going to propose at all, but then Korkie came to get her.

“Lady Mother,” he was trying not to smile, “please come with me.”

All of a sudden Satine was nervous.

“Let me fix my hair.”

“Lady Mother,” Korkie grinned, “you’re fine.”

They walked out to the garden and into the maze.

“Korkie, what-”

The secret center of the maze looked lovely. There were pale blue silks tied between the trees and bunches of lilies stuffed into the hedges. There was a small picnic blanket on the ground with a bunch of food. The Duchess was so distracted she didn’t even notice Korkie leave.

“Dex’s diner,” Satine laughed, “Ben, you really know how to create a romantic evening.”

“Don’t I?” Obi-Wan asked, coming out from behind a tree.

“Hiding, were you?” the Duchess teased.

Obi-Wan winked, “I wanted to know what my lady thought.”

Satine walked up to her Jedi and kissed him on the cheek.

“I love it.”

“Come,” Obi-Wan took Satine’s hand, “sit.”

It was nice to have a romantic evening with her Jedi, they hadn’t really had a dedicated time to themselves since the battle was over, and now that the Separatists had lost their biggest leaders, the end of the war was in sight.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan looked up suddenly, “dance with me.”

The Duchess smiled and held out her hand, she didn’t need to be told twice. They twirled around the garden a couple of times before Obi-Wan stopped, kissed the Duchess’ hand, and got down on one knee.

“Satine Kryze,” the Jedi’s eyes softened, “you’ve made my life a joy to live. You’ve brought me six wonderful children, with three more to come, and I couldn’t imagine a better end to my days than spending them with you and our family.”

Obi-Wan reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Satine gasped, it was a simple silver band with two gems next to each other. One, a purple tourmaline and the other a lapis lazuli stone. The Duchess of Mandalore choked up.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan’s voice pronounced her name like an enchantment, “will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes, Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi,” Satine sighed, “I’ll marry you.”

The Jedi kissed his Duchess and it felt like the stars were raining glitter down on them. When the couple separated, the noticed cheering from the balcony. They turned, all six children were waving.

“Are those binoculars?” Satine asked, horrified.

“I told them they could watch our performance.” Obi-Wan admitted.

“Ben,” the Duchess huffed, “you must be very proud of yourself.”

“I am,” the Jedi straightened, “I have a fiancee.”

The press went wild when the engagement was announced, of course, it was just after the update to the line of succession had been publicly known. A wedding date was set for three months later, which definitely shocked the press, but excitement overruled surprise and all was well.

Satine was telling Hera all about it during her sonogram.

“Really,” the nurse asked, “cheering in the press room?”

“Yes,” the Duchess giggled, “this wedding has all the gossip columns excited.”

“Naturally,” Hera agreed, “how are you feeling?”

“A little big for fourteen weeks.” Satine confessed.

“Triplets,”the nurse reminded, “how’s your sleep?”

Satine laughed, “Once I find a good position I sleep like the dead.”

“Good,” Hera smiled, “I don’t see any problems, but we’ll do another one in a month, then you’ll get to see them.”

Obi-Wan came with Satine that time to see the triplets, and Hera was thrilled.

“Finally,” she huffed, “responsibility will be taken.”

The Jedi looked uncomfortable, the Duchess snorted. Hera seemed unbothered.

“This will be cold.” she warned.

It was all worth it when the triplets appeared on screen however, Obi-Wan burst into tears.

“Ben-”

“This is the first time I’ve been with them since before birth.” he choked.

“Oh, Obi,” Satine kissed his knuckles, “it’s alright, look at them some more.”

“Two boys and a girl.” Hera confirmed.

Satine smiled, her Jedi wiped his eyes.

“I still don’t see any issues,” the nurse added, “all healthy.”

Obi-Wan sighed.

“Names,” the Duchess told her fiance, “names are what we should be thinking about.”

That night as the parents shared the happy news with their children, Khaami ushered the Duchess away with an important call.

“Hera’s dead.”

Satine was aghast, “What?”

“They found her at home,” Khaami’s eyes moistened, “with the death watch symbol carved into her head.”

The Duchess choked out a sob and her lady wrapped her arms around her.

“Why?” Satine asked, tears streaming down her face.

“I don’t know,” Khaami answered, “but the police are looking into it.”

“Satine-”

“They killed her, Obi,” the Duchess turned, “they killed Hera.”

The Jedi’s eyes went wide.

“No, oh, Satine, I’m so sorry.”

It was at the vigil they held at the palace that Korkie suggested they name the baby after her.

“I like that,” the Duchess smiled sadly, a hand on her stomach, “I like that.”

The next couple of months went by as Satine planned the biggest event of her life. She had many dress fittings, menu meetings, guest list organizing, and so much more. As the day approached, Satine found herself slightly nervous.

“Can you believe it,” Obi-Wan asked, “tomorrow?”

“I know,” the Duchess smiled, “we’re getting married.”

“Darling,” the Jedi rolled over, “is that apprehension I sense?”

“No,” Satine sighed, “just nerves.”

“Aw,” Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around his fiancee, “you’ll be great.”

The Duchess turned to look at her Jedi.

“Promise you won’t leave me at the altar?” she asked, half kidding.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan kissed her, “tomorrow is the most exciting day of my life.”

“Sleep well, then,” Satine grinned, “because tomorrow we’ll actually be married.”

The morning of the wedding could only be described as chaotic. Everyone was running all over, servants and the royal family, with news, outfits, jewels, and more news.

“The guests are arriving,” Parna huffed, “and your children have gone out to greet them.”

“All of them?” Satine asked.

“Not me, Lady Mother,” Korkie smiled, poking his head in, “we’re going to make an entrance.”

“We certainly are.” the Duchess agreed.

Satine was wearing yellow, the traditional color for Mandalorian weddings, and she looked fabulous. Wearing a crown of lilies to match the embroidered flowers on her loose bodice, Satine fluffed out her skirts and took Korkie’s arm.

Obi-Wan was standing at the altar, grinning at Satine as she approached. Anakin was behind him, clearly happy for his master. As they walked down the aisle, Satine’s smile grew. She was finally marrying her Jedi Knight. After all these years.

Korkie placed his mother’s hand in his father’s, then stood off to the side with the rest of his siblings. A Mandalorian Archbishop officiated the wedding, and both Satine and Obi-Wan repeated after him, vowing to protect and shield each other from harm in sickness and health.

“And now, the rings.”

Ahsoka was very pleased to be the ring bearer at the wedding, and she performed her job beautifully, with a little flourish at the end.

Obi-Wan took Satine’s ring.

“Satine, I’m overjoyed to be marrying you,” he began, “you and the children are the lights of my life, and I’m honored to be doing right by you and spending the rest of my life by your side.”

Satine smiled down at the ring as it slipped on her finger.

“Obi-Wan,” the Duchess grinned, “this is what I’ve always wanted, so I want to thank you for making my dreams come true-”

“Aw.”

The crowd giggled at Ahoska’s reaction.

“I love you, Obi.”

“You may kiss the bride.”

The Jedi did, then he picked her up bridal style and spun her around. Everyone cheered, and after a second kiss on the Jaru Cathedral steps, the roar got even louder.

“This is magical,” Satine giggled as they climbed into their carriage.

“It certainly is.” Obi-Wan agreed.

The children followed behind in a carriage of their own, waving at the public just like their parents.

“Is this what it’s like,” Obi-Wan asked, “your entire life?”

“Not really,” Satine put her head on the Jedi’s shoulder, “public occasions are rare.”

Obi-Wan kissed Satine’s head, “Now at least we’re together.”

There was a celebratory feast back at the castle aftwards.

“Oh my God, Satine,” Quinlan embraced her, “I can finally call you Mrs. Kenobi.”

“Kryze-Kenobi,” the Duchess corrected, “we decided to hyphenate.”

“How fancy,” Anakin smiled, hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, “but speaking of fancy, let’s celebrate!”

Obi-Wan sighed, “Anakin-”

“Master Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka huffed, appearing on his other side, “you’re married now, to Momdalore!”

“I know,” the Jedi gave Satine the side eye, “I’m very lucky.”

The Duchess sat with her friend Padme for the celebration.

“Ten weeks left for me,” she told her friend, “what about you?”

“Eight,” Padme practically squealed, “I made Anakin build the cribs himself.”

Satine laughed.

“Do you wanna see the video?”

“Of course.”

It was hilarious and a very typical Anakin scene. He started without reading the directions and Padme had to help him.

“That’s certainly something.” Satine snorted.

“It is,” Padme agreed, “have you picked out a girl’s name yet?”

The Duchess smiled sadly, “We might name her after Hera.”

“Aw.”

“Although,” Satine grinned, “we’re currently discussing my husband’s title ceremony.”

“Ooh,” Padme clutched her chest, “Duke Consort?”

“Duke Consort.”

“He and Anakin are leaving the order officially, what,” Padme paused, “tomorrow?”

“I know,” Satine wiped her eyes, “I feel so fortunate.”

“So do I.”

Master Yoda let both the Jedi go with honorable distinction, happy that people he cared about had found happiness and their place in the world. It was a quick goodbye party, and then it was back to business.

“A title,” Obi-Wan whined, “I suppose it’s necessary.”

“It is.”

The former Jedi sighed, “Alright, what is it?”

“Duke Consort of Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan smiled and kissed his wife, “Sounds perfect.”

The ceremony was held a week later, and Satine confessed to her husband that walking was getting annoying.

“But don’t worry,” she told him, “Korkie, Tyra, Tristan, and Mara will be holding the heaviest things.”

It was done in the fashion of an ancient monarchy. Satine knighted her husband, which he confessed later was ironic, then crowned him, gave him a robe, and a scepter. Then Satine sat down on her throne with her husband next to her.

“The Duchess and Duke Consort of Mandalore!”

The crowd of nobles clapped politely before bowing or curtsying to their monarch’s husband.

“This is quite official now,” Obi-Wan smiled in relief when the ceremony was over, “and all that’s left are the triplets.”

“And of course their welcoming ceremony,” Satine grinned, “I’m excited to raise these ones with you.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes melted, “So am I.”

Things settled as the weeks went by, and a month later, Satine was in the hospital wing with her new nurse.

“You will likely deliver soon,” she told the Duchess, “and you stated you wanted an operation beforehand, correct?”

“Yes,” Satine nodded, “one with medicine this time.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” the nurse nodded, “let’s plan for a week from now, as triplets generally come early, we want to be ready when they come out.”

One night while Satine was welcoming Korkie’s old nurse and the apprentice nannies, Obi-Wan got a call from Anakin.

“It’s happening,” he told his wife, “and Anakin is so anxious.”

“I bet,” Satine nodded, “tell him not to worry, Coruscant is known for its doctors.”

Once the nannies were adjusted and the older children were in their own personal rooms, the new ones that had been built, Satine went to bed, thinking of Padme.

“Obi-Wan?”

The former Jedi rolled over towards Satine’s voice, but he was still dead asleep.

“Obi-Wan.”

He grunted, clearly having heard her.

“Obi-Wan, it’s happening.”

“I know.”

“No, Ben,” Satine shook her husband, “I’m supposed to have an operation, but they’re coming earlier than anyone expected.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes popped open.

“Babies?”

“Yes!” the Duchess screeched, tired of repeating herself.

“It’s probably their connection to the Skywalker twins,” Obi-Wan calmly got up, “let’s get you to the med ward.”

They began operating on Satine within the hour, and it was a very quick procedure, faster than what the Duchess had expected. Soon, she was holding the two boys, while Obi-Wan held Hera.

“They’re quite small,” the doctor informed Satine, “they will need to gain weight at their checkups.”

“How often are these checkups?” Obi-Wan asked.

“For the first week, every other day,” the doctor explained, “and then every other month if they get stronger.”

Satine nodded, “We ordered a lot of formula.”

“Good,” the doctor smiled, “and now I suggest rest for Your Grace, and the triplets.”

The nurses rolled in three bassinets decorated with ribbons and little initials.

“Aw,” Satine grinned, “Ben look.”

“They’re adorable,” Obi-Wan agreed, “and I’ll make the phone calls to those who need to be informed.”

“Thank you, darling,” Satine smiled, handing Jacen to a nurse, “we’ll rest.”

A second nurse and the doctor put the remaining twins to bed and the Duchess kissed her husband.

“Sleep well.” Obi-Wan grinned.

Heavily drugged, Satine slept until the morning, waking up in the hospital wing to her nurses.

“Where are the triplets?” were her first words of the day.

“In the nursery with their nannies,” the nurse answered, “no complications. For you or the babies.”

The Duchess was relieved, “That’s good to hear.”

The doors opened and Obi-Wan brought the children in. Jynn and Lyra, who had begun speaking about four months ago, both were struck with a fit of giggles upon seeing the babies, who were being wheeled in by the nannies.

“Baby!” Lyra pointed.

“Babies!” Jynn corrected.

Everyone laughed.

“This is Jacen,” Satine gestured to the littlest redhead, “the blonde is Sylvian-”

“Ooh.”

“And your youngest sister is Hera.”

“Aw.”

“She looks like me.” Mara clapped.

“And Sylvian is my mini body double.” Tristan added.

“But Jacen though,” Tyra grinned, “he looks like you and Dad, Korkie.”

“He does,” Obi-Wan shook his head, “so many children.”

The babies were passed around before they got fussy, and then it was eating time. Korkie was very happy to see his old nurse as well, and Satine thanked her, for everything she’d done for the family.

“I’m pleased to, Your Grace,” the old woman smiled, “and I’m pleased at your happy ending.”

“So are we,” Obi-Wan smiled, “and once Satine’s ready, the Prime Minister will be coming.”

“Ah, yes,” Satine sighed, “and have you heard from Anakin?”

Obi-Wan nodded, but Tyra beat him to it.

“Luke and Leia,” she clapped, “they were also born yesterday.”

“Wow,” Satine sighed, “would you call that the force, Ben?”

“Most definitely.” Obi-Wan answered.

Later that day, after Satine’s nap, Prime Minister Djarin came with a bouquet of lilies.

“Thank you, Jaru,” the Duchess smiled, “I assume the public knows?”

“They're ecstatic,” the Prime Minister responded, “and how are you?”

“Well,” Satine sighed, “the children are healthy and the drugs are wearing off.”

“That’s good,”Jaru smiled, setting down the flowers, “I will inform the Ruling Council that you are resting today.”

“Thank you, Prime Minister,” the Duchess smiled, “that is something I really appreciate.”

Satine rested for the next day and a half, then, she went back to the business of governing.

“The criminals responsible for Nurse Hera’s death have pleaded guilty.”

“Good,” the Duchess nodded, “her family will have closure.”

“And the welcoming ceremony? When should that be?”

“A little longer than the traditional two weeks,” Satine decided, “the triplets need to grow a little more.”

Pencils scratched notepads.

“I’ll schedule it, Your Grace.”

“Now the ceremony’s menu.”

Then came the guest list, what the royal family would wear, and how to pay the Mandalorian Archbishops.

“Satine?”

It was Waldie who called, catching up with the Duchess in the hallway.

“Congratulations on the safe delivery.”

“Thank you,” Satine smiled, “I don’t remember much of it.”

“I hope it’s not too much to ask,” Waldie fiddled, “but now that there are more royal daughters, I think we should hire more seamstresses.”

“Ah,” Satine nodded, “perhaps one or two of the ones formerly in our service for the ball gowns, it’s a helpful suggestion, thank you Waldie.”

In the next two weeks, two more seamstresses were hired and welcoming outfits for the triplets were made. Everyone else in the family wore what they had to the ball presentation, and they made quite the spectacle all in white.

[livinglifebehindthemask]

The Chosen

Based on the book The Selection by Kiera Cass

Pairing: Magnus/Alec with a small side of Helen/Aline and Reyhill

Rating: M for Mature

Word Count: ~24,000

Art: @flynnifox

Beta: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myblackeyedboy

Summary: In a land where your place in society was decided long before you are born, Alec Lightwood spends his day as a farm hand for a local family. His family is just above the poorest in the country. The most he can expect in life is to die early from stress like his grandfather before him.

But this year everything will change.

The only son of the King of Edom has come of age. There will soon be a lottery between the counties and twenty-three young women will be picked to try and win over the heart of the beloved prince. However, this year will be different, for the first time ever men are allowed to enter as well. Will Alec risk the shame of coming out for a chance to meet his childhood crush, that is if he is chosen.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33675712/chapters/83691226

1

The sun was just rising when Alec awoke. The Lightwood household was still quiet, but not for long. Soon the rooster would caw and the whole house would rise. Alec leaned back in his small bed. Across the tiny room was his brother, Max. The poor little boy had soot still on his nose from helping their dad clean the chimney of the main house.

A bird started cawing outside of their window and Max stirred. Time to get up and get ready for the day. There were three children in the Lightwood household. The Lightwood family were Sevens. They were just above the homeless untouchables and people didn’t hesitate to remind them of this fact.

The Kingdom of Edom had eight class levels. Ones were the royalty and magical mystics. The second level were the models, actors, soldiers, and politicians. The Threes held most of the everyday jobs like teachers, doctors, lawyers, writers, and inventors. Fours were the farmers, chefs, and business owners. Fives were the artists. Singers, musicians, and dancers filled this level. The Fives were on the cusp of poverty for more than half the year. Sixes and Sevens were similar in that they were mostly servants, wait staff, secretaries, housekeepers, factory workers; however Sevens worked outside. They were also similar in pay. While their jobs were needed they were barely paid for their work. Eights were the lowest class, made up of the homeless. Traitors and criminals were among their ranks and they had to beg for food or steal.

Alec’s family lived on the Herondale family farm. It was steady work, but not well paid. The five Lightwoods did most of the upkeep needed on the farm. While the Herondale’s ran the business side of the farm. The Heriondales were only Fours, three levels above the Lightwoods, but they never treated them as anything less than family. However, even the Herondale’s were not that rich.

Max rolled over in his small bed and resumed softly snoring. Shifting out of his bed and pulling on his threadbare socks Alec pushed his feet into the worn out shoes and quietly shuffled out to use the bathroom. Alec splashed water on his face afterwards to wake himself up more. He heard a rooster and knew that everyone else would be getting up soon too. Down the hall from the bathroom was his parents room and his sister’s room. Izzy had a room to herself, but it was not much. It had been a place for storage once upon a time, but when Izzy got older they took her bed and squeezed it in the small room. It was big enough for a small bed, side table, and a chest at the foot of the bed. Still it was her little sanctuary.

His mother was already up, fixing food. He leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek before pulling on his overcoat and heading outside. His first task of the morning was to milk the cows. Once he did that he had to make sure they were fed and comfortable. The chickens would be next.

The wind chilled him to the bone. Fall was not far off and winter would quickly follow. The crops would be harvested soon and the land left barren for the season. It had been a hard summer. The drought had lasted too long and their yield was not going to be as much as previous years. There was a possibility that the Herondales might have to let them go. This was the only home Alec had ever known and he didn’t want Max to grow up in this uncertainty.

The only way out of your level was marriage for women or being drafted into the military for men. At nineteen, men were randomly selected for the draft. For some it was a way out of poverty, but it also brought on more danger. Men that went to the front in the war with Diyu rarely came back. Still if he could get drafted and stay alive for at least a few months then the money he earned could help his family. One more year and he would be old enough for the draft. There was, however, an exception to the marriage rule.

Male pregnancy had always been the stuff of legends, but after the king's mystics found the proper mixture of spells and potions men were able to carry children to term just like women. While only Threes and up had enough money to pay for magical potions and spells, the lower levels didn't. Fours on down were more traditional. Men married women and had families.

"Hey." He turned to see Jace, the oldest Herondale son. Jace was about a year younger than Alec, all blond hair and muscles. The Lightwood and Herondale children had grown up together. There were five Herondale children: Jace, Sebastian, who was two years younger and a year younger than Izzy. Aaron was four years younger and the closest to Max's age. Then Layla and Dylan who were the only girls, twins of about five years old.

"Hey." Alec smiled back as his heart sped up. Alec was not like most men, he was in love with a man. Well two men. His place in society meant he could never have what he truly wanted.

"Need any help?" Jace was still rubbing his eyes.

"You can take that bucket back to my mom." Maryse, Alec's mother, and Izzy worked on the dairy side of the farm while at the same time Robert, Alec, and little Max did the tilling of earth. Jace nodded and walked, grabbing the full bucket and taking it back to the house. Alec sighed as he watched the man leave. He needed to snap out of this. Besides, Jace already had a girlfriend. So Alec being in love with his best friend was completely wrong. There were a handful of Twos and Threes but most of the province of Idris' residents were Fives on down.

The second man Alec was in love with was even more unattainable. Magnus Octavioasn Aemilius Bane was the crown prince of Edom, but Alec felt like he knew him after watching him grow up on the public access channel. He had copper skin, just like his mother, raven hair that was always perfectly coiffed, and honey gold eyes, like his father.

Alec sighed as he finished up with the second bucket. Why was he attracted to men that were so unattainable?

Later after the eggs had been collected and his mother had gotten the milk, he sat down for a simple meal of porridge and day-old bread.

"How is the harvest coming?" His mom asked his dad.

"Better than we had expected but nowhere near enough. Stephen said they will try to make a good profit on what they have but there will not be any left over." Robert sighed. The drought had really hit Idris hard. Fellow farmers didn't have any room for extra workers. The dairy would keep them going through the winter but Alec knew his father was already looking for other work.

“I can go into Alicante and see if anyone needs help.” Alec offered. His father had been looking too tired as of late.

“You are needed here, Alec.” His father sighed.

“After the last of the harvest. Maybe I can get enough work before the snow starts to fall.” His father would not say no to any work and Alec was the same way.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Izzy came into the boys’ room after dinner. Max was taking a bath so Alec was alone with his thoughts for a moment.

“Alec.” His sister walked over and sat beside him. “I just delivered some milk to the main house and I heard Mr. and Mrs. Herondale talking about the Prince. His birthday is soon.” Alec nodded as if trying to follow along but he was lost. Izzy sighed. “When a prince of Edom turns 20 he is deemed marriageable age.”

OH. It was time for the prince to find his spouse. Daughters of the King were usually married off to foreign leaders to secure bonds, but sons always married a daughter of Edom. Soon letters would be going out to every female between the ages of sixteen and twenty to be placed into a lottery and see which would become a part of the chosen few.

“Then you will be able to enter.” Alec said with a small smile. If a girl became a part of the chosen few her status was automatically upped to a Three if she was not a natural born Two or Three. Even if she went home the very next day she would still retain that level. Izzy deserved a better life than the one she lived.

“I was not finished,” She admonished. “They said that rumor has it that the Prince is bisexual and might be looking for women and men.” Alec’s head spun for a moment. The Prince was...how...no. It had to be a rumor. That was it, just a silly rumor.

“Ssso?” He hated how his voice slipped as he tried to sound confident.

“So, I will not be the only one that can fill out the form.” Alec shot up from his bed and stuffed his feet back into his worn out shoes.

“I forgot to check the hen house.” Alec nearly ran out of the door just to get away from her. No, absolutely no one knew of his feelings toward men and yet Izzy had pretty much spelled it out. Alec made his way over to the hen house knowing fully well he had locked the gate and nothing could get in or out.

If the Prince wanted a male spouse...it was not unheard of in the upper levels, however, as long as he could remember Princes married daughters of Edom, not sons of Edom. Tucking that thought away, back where it belonged, Alec walked around for a bit before he was sure Izzy would be in her room so he could sneak back in without encountering her knowing smile.

2

Alec wiped his brow before the sweat could fall into his eyes. It was nearly noon and the harvesting was almost done. His father was right, it was not going to be enough to make a decent profit. Alec had already decided he was going into town the next day to look for work. Neither his father nor little brother were looking particularly well lately. Max had always been a little sickly, but Alec feared it might be stress for his father. Roberts' own father had died around the same age from a heart attack. So had his father before him. Working all day outside in the heat and the cold for very little pay would be stressful for anyone. Alec was not going to let that be the fate of his father, not if he could help it.

Later after a small dinner the family traveled up to the main house to watch the weekly report. No one missed a report, ever. Even the homeless could find a store front to watch the report from. It told the people of Edom everything they needed to know from prices of produce, to the war. Tonight was going to be particularly special. This would be the night they would announce the Prince’s birthday and the Chosen guidelines.

When they got to the Herondales' they found that Dylan and Layla were already in Jace’s lap, each one occupying a leg of their favorite brother. Aaron and Max went to sit in a corner, probably going to play with cards or bottle caps. They didn’t much care for the report. A bunch of boring updates that never had anything to do with two lower class boys. It would be a few years before they started to take notice.

Izzy sat next to Sebastian, who was sitting next to Jace, and Alec took the floor in front of her. For the past year both mothers have been trying to push the kids together. Izzy could marry into a higher level and get out of the hard labor. Lower levels tended to marry early as premarital sex was punishamble by banishment or death. Most people married within their class and it was rare that a boy from a high caste would marry a level beneath him, not to mention three levels.

Jace already had a girlfriend, a little fiery red headed Five. Clary Fairchild lived in the middle of town, above a bookstore. Her past was a sordid one. Her mother used to be a Five, a painter in Alicante. A neighbor boy, who was a Four, had gone to a school far from Idris. One vacation he brought his new friend, a Two, to visit. Jocelyn fell for the charismatic Valentine Morgenstern.

They married and Jocelyn left Alicante for the capital. Unfortunately Valentine was caught in a plot to overthrow the king, along with his son, Jonathan. Jocelyn was innocent in the plot and in exchange for testifying against her husband she was able to go back to her hometown and became a Five once again. Clary was the younger child and only eight when all this happened so she went with her mother. The demotion from Two to Five must have been hard for Clary, who was used to such a grand lifestyle as the daughter of a politician. But she was a natural Five, being as good of an artist as her mom.

But if the weather didn’t get better both unions might have to wait. There might even be a possibility that Jace or Sebatien would be forced to marry a wealthier Four bride. Love was still the primary reason that most lower level couples married for, but in the upper levels connections took precedence over emotions.

“There he is!” Izzy cheered. She didn’t need to be so loud, but nonetheless Alec turned his head to the TV. King Asmodeus and Queen Annisa walked in, hand in hand with Magnus on his father’s other side. Magnus walked with grace and beauty. The raven haired man had his head held high. A streak of blue running through his perfectly quaffed hair. Being from the Bane family the Prince knew magic and knew how to change his appearance and he never missed an opportunity to make a statement.

Izzy squeezed her brother’s shoulder as Jace tried to calm the girls down. The report would start with the Edom national anthem, led by the royals themselves. Then advisers would stand one by one and give a brief update of issues around the kingdom. Only after that would the talk turn to the Chosen.

As the program went on Alec found his heart was beating faster. Why did it matter? Even if he did enter he would never be chosen and then he would bring shame to his family. He was expected to marry within his class, not above it, and to a woman.

Both families listened to the reports with the kids zoning in and out of listening. Max and Aaron were still playing in the corner, Dylan had settled down but her sister was still a ball of energy. Finally after the last governmental report, the one about the farms, the attention was turned to the master of ceremonies, Simon Lewis. His dark curly hair was perfectly styled and he held a microphone to match his magenta suit. Simon bowed before the King.

“Thank you, Sire. It is an honor to be a part of this historic choosing.” Alec felt his breath hitch for a moment. Historic, so it was true. The rumor was true. “Prince Magnus, might you join me down here.” The Prince stood from his chair and gracefully walked down the few steps and over to where Simon and a small table and two chairs waited.

“Thank you very much, Simon.” The Prince and the MC sat down.

“It is I that should be thanking you. Life is never boring around you.” Magnus chuckled.

“That is very true and soon it will be more chaotic.”

“Speaking of, how are you feeling about this year's choosing? Twenty-three young women chosen to come vie for the Prince's attention?” Simon wiggled his brows. “Must be quite a task.”

“It would be, but I have decided to take it a step farther.” Magnus turned to the camera and spoke straight to the people. “I am opening the Chosen to the sons of Edom, not just to the daughters.”

Those words buzzed in his ears loud enough that Alec didn’t hear anything else. <i>Sons of Edom.</i>

3

The news exploded through all twenty-three provinces of Edom. The local province registration offices were flooded with people, both male and female, all trying to get their chance at this lottery. In Alicante most of the men that signed up were Threes or Fours. No men from the lower levels were seen near the office. Even the Fours signing up were risking everything.

Robert had forbidden Izzy from signing up. “If he is that much of a deviant then we don’t need our family dragged into that.” Of course he had only said that within the confines of his small home with his family present. But that didn’t stop Alec from wanting it. He wanted to sign up and even made up his mind to walk the five miles to the office, twice, before he chicken out.

As the days went by Alec filled his time with finding new work to offset the cost of winter. He had found a few construction jobs along with cleaning up a couple abandoned plots of land. The money he brought home was well worth it. He had even started to forget about his own wishes until the night Max came down sick.

Max had never been that healthy, but most of the common remedies for colds kept the sickness at bay. He was not to work in the cold and rain, but being on a farm he often had to help his father and brother. The weather had started to turn cold when Max woke up one morning with a headache and he looked as white as a sheet.

Unfortunately they couldn’t send for a doctor, that was just too expensive. Even the Herondales didn’t have the money. Maryse sat by her son’s bed and tried to make him as comfortable as possible.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Izzy pulled Alec into her room and closed the door. “What do you want?” Izzy had been trying to get Alec alone all day, but there was work to be done. Finally after dinner she was able to corner him.

“Here.” She handed him a small white envelope. Alec looked at it and then back up to his sister. “Open it, you idiot.” She said, exasperated. Alec rolled his eyes and sat on her small bed to open up the envelope. The moment he read the first sentence of the form he knew what it was. It was the Chosen form.

“Izzy, no.”

“Alec, yes. This could be your only chance at real love.” That was if the Prince even chose him, which he probably would not. He would want some handsome Two or Three that knew poetry and how to model rather than when to plant the next crop or how to clean a chimney in under an hour.

“And what if it gets back to mom and dad? They can not afford the shame.”

“Alec.” Izzy took his hand in hers. Both of them worked hard but Izzy still had softer hands. “We are one step above the homeless. We live in this hell of a level because of our ancestors. That does not mean we should not want more. You don’t want to waste your life working outside on a farm, marrying someone you don’t love, and then possibly dying early from all the hard work?”

Alec looked back at the form. If the people of Alicante found out and refused to employ him...he could move to Brooklyn, thirty miles to the east, he reasoned. The city had more opportunities and maybe he could bring back a lot of money, but was this worth all that effort?

“Try, Alec. If you are picked then the family will get a stipend for your absence. That money could be used to heal Max. It could keep us in this house for another winter.” Izzy was right. If he was chosen his parents would get money and Alec would be elevated to a Three. Even if he was shown the door the first night he would have a different level that would allow him to be a teacher or a writer or anything else really.

“Ok, Iz. I will try.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

The next day before anyone had gotten up Alec rose from his temporary bed. Alec had given up his bed so his mother could sleep near Max in case he needed her. Alec took the worn out couch in the living room as his bed.

Going to the bathroom he combed his hair and washed his face. After everyone had gone to bed the night before Alec had looked over the form. It was said that pictures were taken when the person turned their form in. So much for it being a random lottery. Still Alec wanted to look his best. He had borrowed a shirt from Jace, not exactly telling him why he wanted it, but the light blue shirt looked newer than his brown or grey ones. It made his blue eyes pop and that was more than he could hope for.

Back out of the bathroom he stuffed his small satchel with his work shirt, the form, and some food before leaving a note for his parents. He was planning on finding work after he put the form in. It would give him an excuse as to why he had left so early. He would not turn any job down, no matter what it entailed.

It was early morning as he walked across the fields to the road that would lead him into Alicante proper. Alicante was a small town with a main street full of little shops and then homes surrounding it. The registration office opened at eight and he still had over two hours before that. He could take this walk at a leisurely pace. He didn’t want to be muddy or sweaty when he got to the office.

As he walked he tried to think what it would be like if he was chosen. There would never any be a chance with Jace. He didn’t favor men and only had eyes for Clary. Like Izzy said, this could be his only hope at a relationship with a man.

Slowly the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. People started to open their businesses as he passed main street. He would be back soon to see if anyone needed help. The business owners were always so nice to him and his family. Turning off main street he headed for the edge of town. The registration office was right across from the train station on the edge of town. He stopped by the station to see the price of a ticket to Brooklyn. If everything went south he would need a way out.

There was already a small line in front of the office. Two more days and the registration would be closed. It seemed he was not the only one that wanted to get their pictures taken early. There were a handful of girls with their mothers who looked like they were on their way to work. Probably Sixes going to work at local factories or maybe even bookkeepers.

The group looked at him for a moment as he stood behind the last woman in line. Even if he flushed with embarrassment he refused to turn around. He was here and he was going to put his form in.

Within twenty minutes of standing in line and a few more people joining the line the office opened. This gave Alec time to wipe his face of any dirt or sweat he had gathered from the trek. The wait was short before he was allowed in the building. The woman at the front desk looked him over before asking for his form. Most government office workers were Fours so he was pretty sure this woman looked down on him.

Taking out the form from his bag he handed it over. Where girls might have been able to put skills of cooking and sewing down Alec only had one skill, archey. He hadn’t even done it in years since Jace’s bow had broken in their early teens. Still it was better than any other skill he could think of.

“Alright, Alexander Lightwood?”

“Alec.”

“Alec. This way to the photo booth.” She motioned into a small room. Inside was a photographer and his assistant. Alec swallowed his embarrassment and walked inside.

“Come over, my son. Getting your picture taken for the choosing?” The man didn’t bat an eye at him. He must not be from Alicante.

“Yes sir.” Alec put his bag down on the floor near the door and walked over to where the man pointed to. Once he sat down the assistant made a few adjustments to the lighting before going behind the camera with the photographer.

“Alright, son. I want you to think of your happiest memory. Hold it close to your heart and smile. One.” Alec thought of a time when Jace, Izzy, and himself had played near a brook, acting like they were pirates that wanted to take over the world. “Two.” He remembered being chosen to be Jace’s first mate and how much pride he took in that job, mostly “swabbing the decks.” “Three.”

Alec smiled brightly as the flash went off. He hoped he looked as happy as he felt from the memory.

After Alec left the office he hid in an alleyway and changed his shirt. Stuffing the nicer shirt back in his bag he set off back down the street towards main street. That day he was able to scrape enough money together to save some for his train ticket plus a little more to bring home.

4

It had been two weeks since he put his form in. The lottery had closed and soon the Chosen would be picked. Even though he felt like he had changed, no one else seemed to notice. No one turned him away when he asked if there was any work he could do. That made him breathe a little easier.

So far he had brought in enough money that his parents could get medicine from the store to help little Max. He still was not better, but he hadn’t gotten worse. There was no way that in the next few months he could get enough money together so they could visit a doctor. If Max didn’t get better on his own there might only be four Lightwoods left.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Alec sat his pack down at the door and stretched his back and neck. Today had been a hard day. Only a few people needed help in the town. It was still another week until people started to winterize their homes. Both Robert and Alec had clients lined up starting the next Monday.

“Hey, Alec.” Izzy was in the kitchen stirring something over the stove.

“Please tell me you didn’t make that all on your own.” He ducked as a towel sailed towards him.

“It’s one of mom’s stews so no it will not poison you, but I might.” Izzy was not the greatest cook, mainly because their mom never let her help. Maryse wanted to be in control of everything in the kitchen but now with Max sick, she couldn’t.

Their father came in moments later. He looked paler than usual. The partiach had been working twice as hard the past couple weeks. They were both trying to make as much money as they could.

“Food will be ready soon, Papa.” Izzy said as she moved to cut up some bread. Alec went to the bathroom to wash up, followed by his father. They didn’t speak, both so tired, but they had to conserve their energy. The weekly report was coming on tonight. As Alec exited the bathroom it struck him tonight the twenty-three people were being picked. His heart beat a little faster as he walked himself back to the kitchen and sat down at the small table.

“Alec?” He looked up to see his sister placing the food in front of him. “You look spaced out. Please tell me you have not been working too much.” Alec shook his head and opened his mouth to answer but their mother walked in.

“Is the food ready? Max said he wanted to try it.” Their mother seemed to have aged several years in only a few days. Izzy dished out some of the stew, more liquid than solids. Their mother took it and turned back to the hall. Their parents passed each other sharing only a quick glance.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Robert, Izzy, and Alec were the only ones to make the trek up to the main house. Maryse refused to leave her child behind and Max was in no shape to walk up.

The Herondale household was more subdued than it had been a few weeks before when the Choosing announcement was made. Dylan and Layla still sat near their favorite brother but neither were very talkative. Aaron sat against the wall with his legs drawn up to his chest. Sebastian sat beside his brother with Izzy and Alec on his other side. Robert sat in a side chair while Mr. and Mrs. Herondale shared the other side chair.

The report started. The King and Queen walked out with Magnus beside them. His suit was made of deep green velvet with gold buttons. While he did look dashing Alec didn’t have much enthusiasm in him. They would announce the Chosen and Alec would not be one of them. No Seven had ever made it to the Choosing, not once in over two hundred years. They would not start now for a male.

The announcements were made but they barely listened. His father was staring into space either in deep thought or just too tired to focus. There was nothing particularly interesting about the announcement. Nothing they had not heard before. Finally Simon Lewis took the stage with an electric blue suit jacket.

“He has interesting style choices.” Izzy commented to no one in particular.

“And now the moment that I am sure everyone in Edom is waiting for. Prince Magnus, would you join me?” The Prince moved from his throne down to where Simon stood with a handful of cards. “Now, your majesty, I am told you did peek at a few of the pictures of applicants.”

“Yes. I was only allowed a few minutes to look through a few profiles, but everyone I saw looked stunning. I would be lucky to have any of them as my spouse.” Simon chuckled and pulled up his cards.

“Alright, then let’s get this started. In no particular order let’s see who the lucky twenty-three sons and daughters of Edom will be.” The first picture that came up was a blonde woman with a dazzling smile. “Camille Belcourt, Two.” Of course. “Merlion Knight, Two.” The next picture was a dark haired man with a slight smile.

The next few came so quickly. They were all beautiful people. Two more Twos and three Threes.

“Helen Blackthorn, Three.” Another blonde but her face was softer than the first blonde. “Lydia Brandwell, Two.” They had yet to give any below a Three. They might throw a Four or Five in there for good measure but that would probably be it.

“Andrew Underhill, Four.” A picture flashed of a joyous man with blond curls. Two more Threes and then their first Five “Maureen Brown, Five.” She looked more like a child than a woman, if she was sixteen it would be a miracle. More names rolled past but Alec had lost count. They had to be coming to an end soon. Izzy reached out to take his hand and he looked at her out of his peripheral vision. She was not looking at him but she was here for him.

Two more Fives, another Four, another Three, another two Fours, another two Fives. “And last but certainly not least.” Simon said before the last photo flashed up on screen. “Alexander Lightwood, Seven.”

5

Idris was a wash with activity. It had only been two days since the Chosen had been announced and the Lightwood family had had many visitors. They all wanted to congratulate a Chosen son of Edom. At first Alec’s family had been surprised. When his name came up on the television along with his glowing photo, Alec had froze up. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he could ever make it.

Izzy had jumped up from the couch yelling and dancing around. This seemed to lighten the twin’s moods and they got up to dance not knowing why. Alec felt all eyes on him but his eyes were still on the TV as the Prince thanked all the Chosen and wished them safe travels to the capital. Then the national anthem played again before going to snow.

After the TV was switched off there was no sound but the girls asking why they were celebrating.

“Home.” Was the only word their father said before standing up and leaving the room. Alec and Izzy followed close behind knowing an explosion was going to happen as soon as they made the walk down to their house. Maryse was in the kitchen when they came back, pushing her soup around. She was not all that hungry but needed to keep up her strength.

“Sit.” His father’s voice was clipped and both Lightwood siblings sat down at the table.

“What is wrong, dear?” Their mother asked.

“Alec entered the Chosen.”

“And won!” Izzy snuck in before her father glared at her.

“Alexander...” His mother started with sadness in her voice.

“You entered that lottery without a thought of what it could do to your family. We are nearly destitute, Alexander.”

“I know, Father..”

“No you do not! We will lose jobs! Everyone now knows you are a deviant. You will never be able to marry a good girl...” Alec slammed his hands on the table and stood up.

“I never wanted to marry a good girl! Father, I am gay. I have known for some time.” He knew since he was young when he developed his crush on Jace. “And I did think about the family. You will get a stipend for my absence. That will more than pay for the lodging over the winter and get a doctor out here to see Max.” Both of his parents sat stunned at their eldest son. “If I had not won then we would not have had to worry. No one at the Government office has said anything.”

As he ended his speech he felt himself slightly weaken and sat down. Izzy reached across the table to take his hand but he pulled them back into his lap.

“And how long do you think you can stay?” His father asked. “Once you are thrown out you will have nothing and neither will we!”

“I will be a Three.” Alec said. “I will be able to get a better job, one where I don’t break my back and die at 40.” This caused his father to pale. Most Lightwood men only make it to 40 or 50 if they were lucky. Life was just too hard. Finally his father sat down at the table with his family.

“The damage has been done. You have made your bed, Alec, now you must lie in it.”

It was the very next day that a few local workers stopped by to bring some food for the family. The next visitors were a few businessmen from town. They talked with Robert and offered him some work for a good price. They must have told a Doctor because the very next day Dr. Hodge, the local physician, showed up to examine Max. Finally something was getting done.

-=-=-=-=-=-

On the third day a Mr. Victor Aldertree knocked upon their door at two p.m. The dark skinned man looked out of place in the Lightwood home with his beautiful three piece suit and top hat, though the man didn’t exactly look like he wanted to be there to begin with.

“May I speak with Mr. Alexander Lightwood?” The family brought the man into the kitchen and sat around the small table. Izzy was pleased to be a part of all this. Alec felt sick.

“Now, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood, I have a few questions that need to be asked of you and of young Mr. Lightwood. Some of these questions are of a sensitive nature. I feel that it might be best if your daughter were not present.” Izzy gave an indignant sound and stormed off. Alec would fill her in later.

“Alright, Alexander, I need you to answer all these questions as truthfully as you can. If at any time we find out that you have lied you will be reprimanded and thrown out of the Choosing. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Alec nodded.

“First question, when was your last physical exam?” Alec blinked as he couldn’t remember.

“I do not remember.” They didn’t have money to go to the Doctor that often. Aldertree marked something down.

“Would you be willing to get one, paid for by the Crown.” He added.

“Yes.”

“Very good. Now sexual orientation.” Alec flushed bright red. “Would you consider yourself hetreosexual, bisexual, or homosexual?”

“Hhhomosexual.”

“Have you engaged in any sexual activity with a member of the opposite sex or the same sex?” Alec felt like his face was going to burn off from the heat of embarrassment.

“Nnno.”

“To which one?”

“Both.”

“Very good.” The man wrote something else down before moving on to less sensitive questions. By the time Aldertree was packing up Alec could feel a headache coming on.

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood, Alexander. Someone will be in touch with you shortly about the trip to the capital and a schedule for a physical examination.” The man exited the house and put his hat back on. “Good day to you all.”

6

It was a Thursday when he would finally leave his family and journey to the capital. Edom City was named after the country for which they resided in and was the main headquarters of the royal family and the military. From what Alec had read about when he was younger there were buildings so high up you couldn’t tell where they stopped and the sky began.

There was not much for him to pack. His family had used most of their money on a new outfit for him. The palace would be taking over his wardrobe once he got there and most of his clothes had more holes than a beehive. He was taking only his small satchel filled with a few trinkets.

Max had given him a wooden horse that Jace had carved for him one year. <i>“It will keep you safe.”</i> Izzy gave him a small book that she had purchased a few years back. Alec loved to read but he had neither the time nor the books to actually read. <i>“When you have time between kissing the Prince and talking to high society you can sit somewhere and read.”</i> His mother had given him a handkerchief that she had embroidered his name on. <i>“I hope you will be happy, dear.”</i> His father, however, didn’t give him any trivial trinket. He was not a man that was sentimental. Instead he gave a few words of advice. <i>“While I do not like this, you are the first Seven to ever be picked. Head up and chin out. Show Edom that a Seven is not as lowly and weak as they think.”</i>

The day before Jace and Alec had sat by the river and briefly talked. Saying goodbye to his best friend was not as hard as he thought it would be, but he knew once he got to the palace he would miss Jace terribly.

“I think it's really cool you went for what you wanted, Alec.” Alec looked over at his blonde friend.

“You don’t mind me being...”

“Nope,” Jace said, shaking his head. “I kind of always knew. I don’t know, like this feeling.” Alec found himself blushing and looking away from the other. “I mean, if I was like you, I wouldn’t mind having you for a partner.” That caused Alec to blush even deeper. They didn’t say much after that, just sitting by the river listening to the water.

When they got up to leave Jace reached in his pocket and pulled out a small bracelet of colored beads.

“I had Clary make this for you. I know it's not much...but I don’t want you to forget about me.” Alec felt tears in his eyes when he pulled Jace into a tight hug.

“I could never forget you.”

The car arrived to take him to the station. Once on the train it was a straight shot to the capital but they would be making a few stops. After Idris they would be traveling through the Undying Lands, the biggest farmland in all of Edom and the richest. First stop would be Winter Vale where they would pick up Helen Blackthorn. Alec had done very little research on most of the other Chosen but since the Undying Lands were so close he looked up the three people coming from there.

Helen’s family were from level Three, being mostly lawyers and educators. She was actually going to become a lawyer when she was chosen. Now that Alec had become part of the Chosen he had ascended to the rank of a Three. Maybe he would become a teacher or librarian. He did like books and to be surrounded by them would be wonderful.

Six and Sevens attended a mediocre public school. They learned only the basics and were done by the time they were sixteen so they could get out and start working. They didn’t need much more than that. If you worked in a factory or out in the sun why would you need to know complex chemical formulas or the history of Edom before it was called that. Alec smiled slightly, he would never have to work out in the sweltering heat ever again.

After Winter Vale would be Spring Dale, where they would pick up Meliorn Knight and Annabelle Powerton, both Twos. Meliorn’s father had been drafted into the military when he was nineteen, he was already a Two so his status wouldn’t change. Apparently Merliorn did not want to follow his father into the military and the man had never held a job in his life. Being at the high end of the age range maybe he was just hoping to become the spouse of the next king of Edom. Annabelle’s father was a politician and very trusted by the people in the Undying Lands. She was a pretty girl, petite with chin length brown hair, and a tiny waist. Any one of the other Chosen from this area would be better suited for life in the royal palace.

Alec had never been on a train so when he was shown where the car the Chosen would be riding he jumped as the train started to pull out. Sitting in one of the oversized chairs he looked out as the land whipped past. Soon he would be out of Idris. The farthest he had ever been from home. After the Undying Lands was the county of Adamant Citadel, where the military trained, then on to the capitol. The trip should take around four hours, at least that was what he had been told.

There had not been any big send off for Alec. Anyone who was anyone had already wished him good luck. He had said goodbye to his family at their home. The Herondales had come to see him off and Alec’s heart ached to hug Jace goodbye. His first crush. It all seemed so long ago. Now he was on a train headed for his future, whatever that would be.

-=-=-=-=-

At their first stop Helen Blackthorn was brought on. She was a tall, thin woman with blonde hair that was pulled back from her face, and blue-green eyes. She wore a black long jacket over a tan pantsuit and tall heels that made her much taller than Alec who stood at 6’1”. She was nice but a little aloof. They spoke for a little while before their second stop.

As they pulled into the Spring Dale station, Alec could see from the train all the fanfare that the next two Chosen were getting. A man with long brown hair, half tied up, was waving and carrying flowers. He had on an all white suit that Alec wondered how he kept clean. By the time the other Chosen had got on and came back to the car Meliorn had ditched the flowers. From what Alec could see now Meliorn was not wearing a shirt, just the suit jacket.

Annabelle was walking behind him looking a slight bit mift. Oh dear, drama and they had not even got to the capital yet. Annabelle came up to Helen’s midriff, she wore a short pink lace dress and black shoes. She had a small bag on her left arm that looked no bigger than an envelope.

Meliron sat across the aisle from Alec and Helen and took out a grey box and started pressing on it. Annabelle sat next to Helen, who was across from Alec. She didn’t even look his way. Helen had been nice, but no doubt Annabelle didn’t want to associate with anyone that used to be a Seven. Sighing he turned back to the window.

After Spring Dale was miles and miles of farmland and forest. Some later they entered the Adamant Citadel countryside. No more farmland, but flat, lush greenery around small bunches of trees. They sailed through only one town. It had been a couple hours and Alec was getting tired of looking at fast moving scenery when a voice came from the ceiling.

“We will be arriving in Edom within the hour.” A jolt of excitement went through the four Chosen. Annabelle was getting out a mirror and some makeup from her tiny purse. Helen also opened her satchel to take out a mirror to make sure her hair was still in place. Meliorn was sitting up and straightening his jacket before taking a cloth and wiping down his shiny white shoes. Alec just pushed some of his hair from his face, behind his ear. Why did he need to look good anyway? Prince Magnus’ eyes would overlook him for someone like Meliorn or Annabelle.

It was not much later when Annabelle squealed and pointed out the window. Turning in his seat Alec saw the great city of Edom. There were many greyish buildings all clustered together. The sun shone brightly on the buildings and windows. It looked beautiful but so different from the county of Idris. It glimmered in the distance like a beacon. They passed the treeline right before they entered the station. From what Alec could see there were no trees or plants of any kind. Just cement and steel.

The train started to slow down as they went through some sort of tunnel. Out of the window all he could see was concrete until the tunnel opened up. Beyond the train was a bustling station with people moving too and fro. Some sat on seats and looked at the same box that Meliorn had taken out. A wall hid his view of the other patrons. When it opened up again he saw that his area was not crowded. There were only a few men in uniform waiting.

The train slowed to a stop. As the Chosen exited the train for long black cars, Alec realised how lonely and far from home he was. <i>“Head up and chin out. Show Edom that a Seven is not as lowly and weak as they think.”</i> Alec took a break and closed his eyes. He might have been a Seven but he had been through more than anyone else in the Chosen. Opening his eyes he stepped into the black car, his blue eyes shining with determination.

7

Alec rode to the palace in the back of a long black car with the rest of the Chosen. Annabelle was going a mile a minute about everything around them. Meliorn was fixing his hair for the third time and Helen was just nodding along to whatever Annabelle was saying. Alec on the other hand was just holding his breath. His last boost of confidence had left him feeling better but he still knew he was out of his element. While Helen had been nice to him, neither Annabelle nor Meliorn had spoken one word to him.

Instead of focusing on that he looked out the window at the large grey building that seemed to be spurting out of the ground below them. What struck him as odd was that there was no greenery around. No plants, trees, or shrubs. This was unlike anything Alec had ever imagined.

“Why are there no plants?” He found himself wondering out loud, then felt utterly embarrassed.

“The soil here is unusable. The country before Edom didn’t care about their land and piled waste anywhere they could.” Helen explained in a soft voice. “Now the ground can not grow as much as one weed. The royal family has been trying to reverse the effects of the toxins, but the mystics have not found a way yet.” Ah, that made sense, although it didn’t sound familiar so that must have not been something they were taught in school. History of the earth would not be high on the list if your only duties were only following the directions of your superiors. Still, it saddened him. He had never lived without greenery in his life. Even with all the work he had to do there was never a day that he didn’t get out in nature.

The palace came into view between a row of buildings. It was like the city parted for them as the road led up to Edom’s royal palace.

As soon as they got out of the car three people, two women and one man stepped up to them.

“Good day, Chosen. My name is Iris, this is Victor and Jane. We are part of the public relations department here at the palace. Each one of you signed a contract to not disclose anything that might make the royal family look bad. We know this was not an easy adjustment for some of you, but now that you reside in the castle you will make the monarchy look good. As such we are here to remind you and wish you a pleasant stay. Just through the doors you will have the chief maid and she will direct you to your rooms.” With that Lanette was done talking to them and moved to the side.

Had he signed a contract? He didn’t remember, but he was pretty sure when he had signed his name back at his home that one day he had pretty much sold his soul.

They trudged up the stairs to the large double doors which were opened for them and a woman with dark brown hair tied up in a nice updo welcomed them.

“Hello, chosen few. My name is Imogen and I am the chief of the attendants. If there is anything you need don’t hesitate to ask. Now let me introduce you to your maids.” Each Chosen got a set of maids or butlers in Meliorn and Alec’s case.

“Miss Blackthorn, these are your maids. Lucy, Aline, and Donna.” Helen curtsied to her maids, which seemed to be flustered with her movements. They must have not been curstiesed to very much. Annebelle was next and then Alec. “Mr. Lightwood, these are your attendants, Will and Jem.” The two men bowed slightly to Alec. No one had ever bowed to him him, a worthless Seven. Well he was no longer a Seven, he was now a Three, but it would take a while to get used to it.

“May we take your things?” Jem asked, his arm already stretched out. All Alec had was the bag on his back.

“I can carry my things.” Alec said nervously. The men looked at each other as if they were trying to communicate with only their eyes. The rest of the Chosen had already started to move farther into the palace. “I only have this bag.” Three sets of eyes looked at the small bag.

“Alright, Mr. Lightwood, please follow us.” Will said, motioning for Alec to follow them. Will had coloring like Alec; dark hair and blue eyes. His face however was full of more color than Alec’s pale skin. Jem had the same type of looks as the prince. Thinner eyes but warm brown irises.

They went up one set of stairs and then another. At the top of the second set of stairs they made a left down a long hallway and then another left only to turn right and then left until they were in a little alcove with a single door. Alec couldn’t help thinking he was being shut away from the rest of the Chosen. He didn’t see Helen, Annabelle, or even Meliorn.

Jem was the first to the door and opened it. Inside was a room roughly four if not five times the size of his own home. It was like a dream. Walking into the room he took in the balcony and the large four poster bed. The canopy was a soft cream color tied back with little silk ties. The bed was decked out in all manor of pillows and lush fabrics.

“Does it suit you, Mr. Lightwood?” Alec blinked and looked back at his three attendants. Suddenly he felt very small. This had been a dream less than a week ago but now being here, inside the palace he felt...wrong. A Seven didn’t belong in a palace, even if he were to work there. He would just soil the place with his filth. “Mr. Lightwood?” Alec could barely hear the name past the panic and rush in his ears.

“I’m fine.” He felt everything but fine. “May I have a moment?” The three attendants looked at each other in that same wordless communication.

“Yes, Mr. Lightwood. We will be just outside the door if you need us.” Quickly the three men disappeared leaving Alec alone in the huge, unfamiliar room. Falling to his knees Alec buried his face in his hands and cried. It was the soft, barely there cry he had felt so many times in his life when he couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t belong here and by the end of the day he would be the first sent home.

8

It was nearly six when his attendants came back to get him. They brought in a beautiful suit of silvery grey. In the time they had left Alec the young man had cried out all his emotions, leaving him feeling numb and drained. He had splashed cool water on his face from the bathroom and at least looked more put together than he felt. He didn’t even mind the men helping him dress in the beautiful garment.

Dinner was served promptly at seven thirty. That was a little later than they ate back at home, but when you worked all day outside with only a meager sandwich for sustenance you tended to be starving after work. Dinner would be the first chance any of the Chosen would meet the Prince. It would be informal, a quick smile and hello. The next day, however, would be the make or break day.

From what he had gleaned from a bit of research was that the Prince would be expected to cut at least five members of the Chosen within the first week. King Asmodeous had cut seven girls the first day. His father, the late King Modomus had cut about the same amount and the Prince's great-grandfather had cut the competition in half by the third day.

Alec expected to be one of the few to be cut early. He was nothing like Meliorn, sleek and graceful or like that Camille woman he had seen on tv. She had the air of a princess even from just the brief smile he had seen.

“Mr. Lightwood?” A Gentle voice broke through his thoughts. In the mirror he could see Jem looking back at him as he fixed his collar.

“Yes?”

“Be yourself. Do not let them scare you.” Alec wondered what he meant but Will was interrupting them to attach silver cufflinks.

“I will be back shortly with your shoes.”

“Do I look alright?” Alec found himself wondering aloud, looking into Will’s blue eyes.

“You look breathtaking, Sir. The Prince will surely notice you first.” Alec didn’t know if the man was just placating him or he really thought a Seven could stand up to a room full of the elite. He had to remember that even his attendants were above him. Working so close to the royal family and inside the palace meant they were Sixes, yet they treated him as if he was so far above them.

Will returned them with immaculately polished shoes so shiny Alec could see his own reflection in them. Once he was completely dressed Jem showed him down to the dining room. The room was already half full of Chosen contestants. Panic gripped at Alec’s heart as he took in the variety of dresses and suits.

“Breathe, Mr. Lightwood.” Jem told him with a smile. Another servant appeared to take him to his seat. Thankfully he was seated between Helen and another woman named Maria. Maria was a talkative girl. Within a few minutes he knew she was a Four, her father owned a leather making business near the capital, she had three younger sisters and no brothers. She liked to sing but that was just a secret between them and the rest of the table. She made Alec feel so much better. A couple more people joined their table as Maria chatted up a storm. A Three from the outer county of the kingdom named Jessica, another Four named Xander, a Two from the glittering capital aptly named Duchess and last was a familiar face from the broadcast, a Four named Andrew.

Andrew was the last to take his seat at their table. He wore a sleek navy suit and tie. He looked a little flustered and apologized for being late.

“My attendants could not decide what suit to put me in.” Maria started asking about his wardrobe up until the point where a servant loudly cleared his throat and announced the royal family. All of the Chosen stood as King Asmodous and Queen Annisa came in, arm in arm followed by the Prince.

The Prince glittered like diamonds in his nearly all white suit. A few girls at another table nearby nearly swooned and even Alec felt himself flush slightly. Once the royal family had made their way to the head table the Chosen were permitted to sit. The Prince was the only one that stayed standing.

“Thank you chosen few for making the long arduous trip to our fair capital.” The Prince started, thanking them for coming. “Tomorrow I will have a chance to thank each of you in person, but for now I wish you would enjoy the selection of foods from around the country. Eat and be happy, without a care in the world. Thank you again.” With that the Prince sat down and the food was brought in.

There was so much that Alec scarcely knew what to eat first. Many of the foods he had seen on TV or for sale in Aleconte’s marketplace, but he had never had the pleasure of tasting. Most of them he didn’t even know the name of. No day old bread, porridge, watery stew to be seen.

“Helen.” He asked in a quiet whisper as Helen put some sort of fluffy white food on a plate. “What is that?” Helen just gently smiled and passed him the serving bowl.

“Potatoes.” Potatoes? He had never seen such white and creamy potatoes in his life. Taking a spoonful then passed it to Maria who was talking to Xander about the many foods from her province. After most of the food was passed around, from which Alec had taken a little bit from each, he started to eat along with the rest of his table guests.

The food seemed to melt upon his tongue. The flavors exploded across his palate and at one point he even moaned aloud at the taste. He had never seen so much food and the variety was amazing. Potatoes so fluffy and white like little clouds. Meat so tender he didn’t have to cut it, it just fell apart.

“Oh yes, you are a Seven, are you not?” Jessica asked from across the table. “I supposed this is the first time you have ever seen such food.” It was a backhanded way of calling him poor, but it was true.

“Yes and I intend to enjoy it.” He was a Seven, but he had done more in his short existence than that woman would ever do in her whole life. She may have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but Alec had had to work for every scrap of food he got.

“Even in my family we try to eat more meagerly.” Helen said, taking a bite of meat from the end of her fork. “My family tries to give as much spare income as we can to charity. Some of these dishes I have never seen, but they are all delicious, wouldn’t you say Maria?” That pulled Maria into the conversation which effectively ended any tirade Jessica might have. The blonde girl smiled at him and Alec felt that amongst this sea of sharks he at least had one friend for now.

After dinner came dessert. Miles and miles of pastries and sweets, things that would make his brother’s mouth water and his sister jump for joy. Sugar was so expensive, so they rarely had anything sweet. Only on the new year would they get a small toffee that Alec was sure his parents saved up for all year. He couldn’t decide on what to eat first. Helen took a slice of some sort of cake. It was red in color with white icing.

“You must try this, Alec.” She said, gesturing to her slice. “Red Velvet is my favorite cake.”

“Does it really have velvet in it?” He asked, taking a small piece with his fork. She laughed.

“No, but it is so smooth and feels like velvet.” Alec took a bite and found it entirely too sweet for his liking. The flavor was good but the amount of sugar was too much.

“Is there something not so sweet?” She smiled back and then turned to look at the selection of food.

“Excuse me.” She said calm and sweetly to one of the servers. “Do any of these have less sugar in them?” The servant looked shocked that he was being addressed but then nodded. He grabbed a plate of three dark balls of something covered in brown powder and surrounded by raspberries.

“Dark chocolate truffles, Miss.” He gave her the plate which Helen then passed to Alec.

“Dark chocolate has less sugar added to it. It makes it a bit bitter, I have never liked it, but maybe you will.” Alec nodded in appreciation. He took his folk and cut one in half. It was soft and as easy to cut as butter. Taking one piece he placed it in his mouth. It was bitter but it still had a smoothness and not too much sugar.

After he swallowed, he nodded. “It’s good.” She smiled back.

“It is also one of Prince Magnus’ favorite dishes, I believe.” Alec found himself looking back at his plate with a blush. Chancing a glaze towards the head table he could see Magnus talking with his father and mother with a truffle on the end of his fork.

After dinner the Chosen were taken back to their rooms. At least one of their attendants was there outside of the dining hall to greet them. Alec and Helen were speaking about the foods they had never had before when they heard a scoff. Turning they both saw an extremely beautiful blonde woman in a red gown, but whatever beauty she held on the outside certainly did not match her inside.

“I thought it was a joke, but they were serious about letting a Seven inside the palace.” Alec found himself looking down, it was what he had been taught. “You aren’t even fit to shine my shoes. But I suppose that is why they put you over in the west wing. No one ever goes there. Come servant.” She swept up the stairs with a maid following swiftly on her tail.

“And that would be Camille.” Helen said. “She may have been the queen bitch back home but I am sure Magnus will see right through her.” Alec hoped she was right.

9

Back in his room Alec had to convince his attendants that he didn’t need their help getting dressed for bed. He could do all that himself.

“We are here to serve you, Mr. Lightwood.” Will said calmly.

“I don’t need servants!” He yelled so fed up with everything. “Look, you are Sixes and I am a Seven. We can do things on our own.”

“You are now a Three, Mr. Lightwood.” Jem spoke up.

“Please call me Alec!” He was just so tired and worn out from everything. “Please, just leave me.” The men nodded at him and left. Looking in the mirror of his vanity he saw the poor level Seven boy that tilled land and feld trees dressed up like something he was not. He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong in this suit. Jessica and Camille were right. He would be gone by tomorrow morning.

The longer he stared the quicker his breathing came. Standing up he took off his jacket, tearing the cufflinks from their spots on the jacket. He pulled at the tie and unbuttoned the shirt. He still couldn’t breathe. Running to the window he tried to open it but found it bolted shut. He needed air, he needed freedom.

Out the window he could see a vast garden. The soil might be toxic around the city but it seemed that the royal family had their very own piece of paradise. Gasping he turned from the window, ripped open the door and ran as fast as his feet could take him. He found the grand staircase and nearly jumped down all of the steps to get to the first floor. Looking around he saw that to the left of him was a large doorway open to the night air and to the garden.

Making a break for it he didn’t even hear the guards telling him he needed to go back to his room. All he saw was air and grass and trees bathed in moonlight. He did feel one of the guards grabbing him none too gently.

“Sir, you need to get back to your room.”

“No, I need….please!” He felt like the world was spinning.

“Sir!”

“Let him be.” Came a voice from beyond the doorway.

“But your Majesty.”

“I said let him be.” The guard let Alec go and he stumbled before running head long outside into the cool night air. There was a distant smell of exhaust that he had first caught at the train station, but for the most part it was clean, fresh air. He fell to the ground putting his hands in the earth, feeling the grass move as he shifted. His toes dug into the cool dirt. By him was a rose bush and farther out were rows of yellow flowers. He had stopped hyperventilating and panicking, breathing in the floral scents all around him.

“Do you feel better?” Alec whipped his head around at the voice. Not two feet away was the Crown Prince. He was no longer in his white suit but some sort of leisurely button up and grey slacks. Maybe to the Prince this would be dressing down but to a Seven it looked just as fancy as the suit had.

Dropping his eyes he nodded. “Yes, your Majesty.” Then the Prince did the most unbelievable thing. He sat in the grass next to Alec. The dark haired man felt his jaw drop. Did the Crown Prince of Edom just sit on grass next to a common Seven?

“You are Alexander, are you not?” Alec must have looked like a fish out of water before he pulled himself together and sat fully on the grass. This would probably stain his suit, crap, he had forgotten about that.

“Yes, your Majesty. Most people call me Alec.”

“I see. Well then, Alec, you may call me Magnus. At least while we are alone.” Alec felt a blush on his face as he looked away. It was dark and there was no other light besides the moon. The light from the door was too far away to illuminate anything.

“I couldn’t. You are the Prince.”

“And you are one of the Chosen. That makes you something special as well.” Alec was flushing again.

“Thank you for talking to the guards. I know I should not be out here.” Magnus waved that off.

“You needed to come out here. I saw your face and heard your voice. You were panicking.” Alec was ashamed that the Prince had seen him like that. He would surely be sent off in the morning. “There is nothing to be ashamed of.” Magnus said as if reading his mind. “It happens to many people. Even I have felt it.” Alec looked back at the prince.

“How...you always look so calm.”

“I am for the most part, but there are times I am overwhelmed and need a break.” That did not sound like the Prince Alec had seen on the television all his life. Magnus had looked like nothing would phaze him, even at seven when he was finally presented to the people.

“Well thank you. I did need this.” Being stuffed inside a building for most of the day and almost, well actually it had been too much.

“Tell me, Alexander, how are you feeling about being here in the capital?” Looking back up at Magnus he studied the man but he gave nothing away. What answer was he looking for?

“It is an honor to be here, your Maj-”

“Magnus.” The Prince cut in.

“You called me Alexander.” The Prince chuckled and nodded.

“I did, but your name is much too special and beautiful to be shortened to some mere nickname.” Again Magnus was making the dark haired younger man blush.

“Well, it is an honor. I never knew Edom was so vast.” He had seen a map of the kingdom at school but that had been years ago.

“And being in the castle?” Now that was a little harder to comment on. He was a minnow in a sea of bigger fish. What was even harder was that he didn’t have his family’s support here. “Is there...anything a miss?” Magnus sounded a little lost.

“No. It is just...so different to my home, that is all.” He remembered what Camille had said.

“Your Highness. It is time to come in.” A guard called from the doorway. It was getting late. Standing up Magnus reached out a hand to help Alec up. The instant their hands touched it was as if a shock went through their bodies that left them both looking down at their hands.

“Thank you for letting me come out here, Magnus.” Finally they pulled their hands apart.

“Please don’t tell anyone about this. I am not supposed to meet with the Chosen, formally, until tomorrow. Besides, I want this just to be between you and I.” Magnus stepped closer to him and Alec felt his heart beating fast.

“Your Highness!” Magnus actually growled at the guard’s insistence.

“Coming!”

Back in his room Alec stripped out of his soiled clothes and folded them neatly. He would have tried to get the stains out but he was not sure the beautiful suit could take the scrubbing needed to take the stains out. But, as he slipped into bed after a short shower the thought about his meeting with the Prince and a smile crossed his face. Even if he was sent home in the morning he would have the memory of meeting the Prince and touching his soft hand.

10

Jem was not happy with the stains but he would help Alec to keep his secret of sneaking out to the garden. However, Alec had not told him about meeting the Prince. That was solely a memory just for him.

After he had been woken up, early the next morning he was dressed in a day suit. It was not as fancy and intricate as the suit from the night before. It was a light grey with a light blue shirt and no tie. Will had explained to him as they dressed the young man that the royal family always dressed up for dinner. That sounded so unpleasant. What if you spilled food on your priceless clothes?

“Today the Prince will be cutting some of the Chosen.” Will said as he stepped back looking at the shirt. “Take off your jacket, please. Jem, get me the medium blue shirt with the subtle diamond print.” Alec quickly took off the jacket and unbuttoned the shirt.

“Does it not look good?” He asked. It was probably just that Alec looked horrible in the color. His mother had said that wearing blue would only draw attention to his eyes. A Seven was not to be seen nor heard from. They were just supposed to do their job.

“It does not make your eyes pop. On second thought, get the violet shirt.” He called out to Jem. “Purple will make your eyes pop. We have to make you stand out.” Stand out, meaning he had to catch the Prince’s attention. After the previous night he was sure that would not happen. Maybe Magnus would let him at least have breakfast before he sent him packing.

Giving the blue shirt to Jem, he took the purple one. It was a beautiful color. Buttoning it up he slipped the jacket back on.

“Yes, that is it.” Will said.

“You are so good at matching.” Jem complimented his friend.

“An artform that I have cultivated over years of working with the royal family.” The three men chuckled for a moment before helping Alec finish up.

The Chosen were gathered in a salon off the great hall. When Alec arrived there were only a couple of people. Two men and one woman. Each one looked beautiful in their day outfits. The woman, who had red hair, was wearing an emerald day dress. The sleeves were short and off the shoulder. Her hair was done in waves and curls that made it looked like a waterfall. Both of the men were in day suits. One was a cream color with a bright red shirt. This man had slightly longer hair. It was gathered loosely at the nape of his neck and curled slightly. The second man had a dark grey suit and blush pink shirt. The front of his dark hair was combed back into a high curl over the rest of his hair.

As the other Chosen started to appear Alec took in all their clothes. Each one was dressed better than the one that came before them. Alec felt very plain in his grey suit. His hair had not even been fixed like other men. It was allowed to go in its tousled state. The only part that was taimed was his darn cowlick.

“Alec!” Helen came walking over to him with a gentle smile on her face. Her blond hair was tied up with a few tendrils framing her face. Her light blue day dress looked wonderful on her slim figure. Annabelle was behind Helen in a long buttercup yellow dress. Her hair was down but curled.

“Helen, Annabelle. It is good to see you.” Not so much Annabelle but Helen was a welcome sight in this sea of strangers. "I like your hair." Helen smiled with a little flush.

"Aline did it. Isn't it pretty?" She turned around so Alec could see the back. Her hair was twisted in braids. There were little gems stuck in parts of her hair.

"Aline?" He didn't remember anyone by that name.

"One of her maids." Annabelle added.

“You look great, Alec. That purple makes your eyes stand out.” Helen said quickly to change the subject. At least Will would be happy.

“Thank you.” He flushed a bit. “I was not sure...everyone else looks so much grander.”

“Nonsense.” Helen brushed off. “You look just as handsome as the rest of the men. Right, Annabelle?” The blonde turned to her companion, who just nodded. Alec gave her a small smile. At least she didn’t tear him down.

“Move!” The three of them looked up to see Camille walking in. Her bright red dress was skin tight and backless. Apparently she didn’t get the memo that this was breakfast and not a ball.

“Ugh, you’re still here.” The woman turned up her nose at the sight of Alec. “At least your outfit is as boring as you. Better for me to stand out.” Helen was the one to step up this time.

“Yeah, because I heard Prince Magnus really loves stuck up bitches.” A hush went over the room. No one spoke or even breathed. But Helen was not backing down. She was not afraid of this spoiled child.

“Why you-”

“Breakfast is ready.” Rang out a servant’s voice, telling them it was time for them to move from the sitting room to the dining hall.

Breakfast was pretty much like the night before. The Chosen were seated around tables in front of the main table. The royal family would then enter, while the Chosen stood, and then bid the rest of them to sit. Next came the food. Even more wondrous than the night before.

There were fruits, tarts, breads, bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, anything anyone could want. Alec again tried a bit of everything. This was a far cry from his usual meal of porridge and maybe stale bread. If only he could pack up some of this food and send it to his family.

“Ladies and gentleman.” Once the meal was over Magnus stood up and spoke to the Chosen. “I have decided to kick off this Choosing with some one on one time. Each one of you will meet with me. I will be able to get a better sense of you. For now I would like Miss Hannah Whitman to stay. The rest of you please adjourn to the sitting room and wait for our meeting.”

A woman to the right of Alec's table, in a light green day dress, was the only one that continued to stay seated while the rest of the Chosen stood up and left the room. They were taken back to the sitting room where they had waited before. Most of the Chosen started to gossip about meeting the Prince, one on one. A few girls even giggled and squealed.

Alec on the other hand was not that excited. He was sure Magnus would tell him that he would be leaving within the hour. A strong man like the Prince didn’t need a spouse that had a panic attack over something as silly as not feeling the earth beneath their feet. Although, the idea of Magnus ending up with someone like Camille irked him. Said wolf in sheep’s clothing was sitting with a couple other girls as Camille told them loudly how she would win the Prince over.

As if.

Slowly the group of twenty-three men and women started to shrink as they were called to talk to the Prince. Annabelle and Helen had already been called when Alec was finally summoned. He had been talking to Andy, a Four from a county far from Idris, about the farming they were missing. Andy’s family might have been Fours but they were poor and could not afford extra help.

“Alexander Lightwood.” Both men turned their heads. By now only a few Chosen were left.

“Good luck.” Andy smiled at him and it felt genuine. Other than Helen, everyone else was out for blood. They wanted to be the spouse to the most powerful man in the land. Yet in the sea of man eating fish Alec had happened to find two good people.

Alec was taken to a side room just down from the sitting room. Inside was a small table and two chairs. Magnus beamed brightly when he saw Alec.

“Please, have a seat, Mr. Lightwood.” He said formally as he stood up. Alec nodded and sat in the seat across from him. When the servant finally left Magnus seemed to relax.

“How was the rest of your evening? No more panic attacks I presume?” Alec shook his head.

“No, your Majesty.”

“Magnus, remember?” Alec flushed and nodded. “I am glad to hear that, Alec. The last thing I would want is for you to feel overwhelmed and I was not there to help.”

“Thank you again...Magnus. It was very kind of you.”

“Any true man would have done it.” But they both knew that was a lie. While Alec might be a Three on paper he still had the stench of Seven on him. Magnus was a good man and he would be a great King. A kind King that loved all his subjects. “We talked about what you like here at the castle, but what of your family? Do you miss them?”

“Yes.” He said at once. Alec missed playing with Max on the rare breaks from work. He missed gossiping with Izzy and imagining a life away from all the hard work. He missed the warmth of his mother’s hugs and the gruff voice of his father as complained about the crops. He also missed Jace… He loved the man with all his heart but being here made that love seem different somehow.

“They must be a wonderful bunch.” Alec blinked as he was pulled from his thoughts.

“What?”

“The emotions that went through your eyes. You miss them very much. Please tell me about them.” It seemed that was all Alec needed as he started to describe his family.

He spent the most time talking about his sister and brother. Just talking about them made him feel home sick. He missed them a lot. While he missed his parents too he missed his partners in crime more.

“I wish I could share the food I have enjoyed with my family. It might even help Max. My little brother is always getting sick. I hope the money being sent to him means that he could go to a Doctor for once.”

“What do you mean ‘for once’?” Magnus looked confused.

“Your- Magnus, I am Seven or I was. I have not been to the Doctor since I was a baby.” The only time he was seen was just after his birth. His parents had to save up the money for their first born. They wanted to know their child was healthy.

“You don’t have money for Doctors?”

“Or medicine.” Magnus looked floored. “You don’t know what Sevens go through, do you?”

“I didn’t know...is it like this everywhere?”

“Most Sixes and Sevens barely have enough money to live. Fives are not much better, but they do get more pay for their art.” The raven haired Prince was leaning back in his chair and looking hard at the table.

“My people can barely live yet I have never wanted for anything.” Silence filled the room. Alec felt bad at being the one that showed Magnus the truth.

“Magnus-” But he was interrupted with a hand held up. Finally Magnus looked back up at him.

“You are amazing, Alexander. I have only known you for less than a day but I am sure I would love to learn more.” Leaning forward the Prince took one of Alec’s hands. “Be my prince, my future husband.” Now it was Alec’s turn to look floored.

No. Magnus did not just say that. He did not just ask a Seven to marry him. No. Alec had used all his luck just getting here. There was no way Prince Magnus Bane wanted lowly Alec Lightwood.

“You must have others to see.” Alec pulled his hand back and stood up so quickly he nearly turned the table over.

“I don’t care about them. I only want to know you.” Magnus also stood up. Thankfully the door was right behind Alec. Turning he rushed to the door before Magnus’ voice stopped him. “I will wait for however long you need.” With that Alec opened the door and closed it behind him before rushing back to his room.

He was dreaming, he had to be.

11

It had been almost a week since Magnus had proposed. For the first couple days Magnus would try to win over the scared younger man, but every time Alec would change to the subject. It was a joke, it had to be. Soon Magnus would get tired and choose someone that would actually be a good spouse. They went from seeing each other everyday to once in a while.

At dinner after their first official meeting Helen had told him that Magnus had cut the group down to only fifteen people. Of course Camille and Meliorn were a part of that group. Either one of them would be a better Queen or Prince Consort than Alec.

The next day the smaller group started etiquette lessons. Thank whatever Gods there were out there that they were split into two groups. Males and females, each one having their own etiquette teacher. The seven men left were given their lessons by one of the King’s royal advisers, Lord Lorenzo Rey. The man was also one of the few mystics employed by the Kingdom.

The man was intolerable. Everytime Alec misstepped or made a faux pas the man was quick to correct him, loudly and somewhat cruelly. It was as if Alec was being singled out. Even Andy did just as bad a job as he did and yet the mystic kindly corrected him. To say the least Alec’s life was turning into a living hell.

Camille took every chance she could to tear Alec down. Most of the words he ignored until the bitch started to talk bad about his family.

“If only the Kingdom had a way to get rid of Sixes and Sevens. The Kingdom would be less polluted with worthless rabble.” Alec immediately stood up and walked out of the room. Later when Jem and Will found him Alec had been crying, his eyes red. They both helped him back to his room and got a cool cloth for his puffy eyes.

Soon things went from bad to worse. While the first couple days Magnus had little mini dates with Alec, usually to the garden or the library, he had been choosing others. Each time he was in the sitting room with the rest of the Chosen and one of the other men or women were Chosen he could feel himself die a little inside.

He tried to tell himself that Magnus was quickly realizing how bad of a choice Alec would be. He tried to hide it from everyone, which worked for the most part, but it seemed that Helen, Will, and Jem could read him too well. Helen tried to pull Alec into little card games she played with Annabelle, Andy, and a few others. She pulled Alec’s mind away from the Choosing and onto something fun. Once Alec went home, aside from Magnus, Helen would be one of the people he would actually miss.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Alec was wandering around the halls of the palace. It was raining outside and Magnus was on a date with one of the Chosen. He couldn’t escape to the one place he felt safe in this foreign land. Turning the corner he found Andy on the floor, knees nearly up to his chest and his hands in his hair. It almost looked like a panic attack but he was not breathing hard.

“Andy?” The curly haired man’s head went up and he was surprised to see someone had found him. “Are you alright?” The man sighs and nodded but then shook his head.

“I don’t know.” He said. Alec walked over and sat on the floor near him. “Do you ever feel...like you don’t belong here?” Andy asked. “I don’t know why I was kept here. I have nothing to give the Prince. Our dates feel...mechanical. Like he is just going through the motions.”

“I am sure it is not that bad.” Alec tried to comfort his friend. He was not as close to Andy as he was with Helen, but he still understood the feeling of not knowing why he was still here.

“Yet I don’t want to go home.” He said under his breath, which Alec could barely hear. “I don’t understand why you haven’t been on more dates with him. All he talks about is you.” Alec felt himself turning red.

“I think you misheard.” Andy chuckled.

“I didn’t, Alec. The Prince holds you in high regard. I don’t mind, like I said, I don’t feel anything between us.” Alec’s head was spinning, Magnus talked about him on his dates with other Chosen?

“What does he...say?”

“He talks about how kind and caring you are. About how much you care for your family. He also talks a great deal about changing...” Andy looked around to make sure no one was near before leaning in. “About changing the level system.” A couple times Magnus had talked to him over the past week he had said something about the levels and how he hated it. Magnus must have done more research on the caste system in Edom. He was a smart man, it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth.

“It would be nice...but I don’t think it would happen. Some people would not be happy.” Mainly the Twos and some of the Threes, the upper class.

“It would be...I always dreamed of working for the people. Being a politician of some kind...” Andy shrugged. “I’m a Three now so I suppose I could teach.” That has been Alec’s plan too.

“To be honest, I never had a dream of what I would be. I knew I would work in the fields like my dad and granddad. Now I have a chance to think about it and I still don’t know.”

“We have all the time in the world, Alec. We can now have further education if we wish. We will find our place in this world. Me as a teacher and you as the future Prince Consort.” Alec flushed and tried to back track and talk his way out of here only for Andy to laugh at him and get up.

“Thank you, Alec. Just for being here and listening to me. There are not many people I can vent to.”

“My pleasure, Andy.” Alec got up with the help of the other man. “Now let’s find something to do before we both die of boredom.” Both men laughed and headed off to the sitting room to see if there was a card game already going on.

12

It was the day before the national broadcast when Magnus finally called upon Alec. They would have a picnic the next afternoon. The rest of the day Alec spent his time with Will trying to pick out the perfect outfit that was not too casual but not something he would regret getting stains on.

“Personally, Mr. Alec, I believe the cream shirt and the tan trousers are the way to go.” It had taken Alec nearly a week to get Jem and Will to call him Alec, although they both still preferred to use “Mr.” along with his given name.

“What about grass stains?” Alec worried about making even one little stain on his new clothes. They were so nice and expensive. It felt wrong to treat them with such disrespect.

“I am sure the Prince will have a blanket for the two of you. You should not worry, besides Jem knows how to get stains out of clothes.” The dark haired servant looked over to his friend.

“I do, but I prefer not to scrub too hard. Though, I agree with Will. The cream shirt and tan trousers are the best.”

That was how Alec found himself the next afternoon. Will had rolled the sleeves up on the shirt and left the first two buttons open. Alec was thankful his chest hair was thin and sparse or it might show with how low the shirt was. Well it was low for Alec.

“Alexander.” Alec turned to see Magnus walking toward him. The man was breathtaking in his simple outfit. He had on light grey trousers, khaki shoes and a muted dark teal shirt. It was all tailored specifically to him, as if painted on his body.

“Your Highness.” Alec bowed slightly.

“Come, I want to show you something.” Magnus held his arm out for Alec. The dark haired man flushed, but took the arm. They walked out into the warm sunny day. “I want to show you the maze. My great grandmother had it installed to honor the gardens of her youth.”

“Maze? As in...we could get lost?” Magnus chuckled.

“I could get to the center and out of the maze blindfolded. I have been playing in this garden since I was a child. Do not worry, you will soon know your way around the garden.” Magnus took them into the maze. After a few twists and turns a bit of backtracking they found themselves in the middle of the maze. There was a water fountain with a marble mermaid atop a marble shell.

“Beautiful.” In front of the fountain was a checkered blanket and a picnic basket. “Magnus...this is too much.” Magnus shook his head.

“This is what you deserve. All this and more.” They sat down on the blanket and took off their shoes. In the basket were several little treats. Mini sandwiches, bite sized tarts, a variety of fruits and cheese, along with two bottles of something dark.

“Magnus, what is this?” Alec asked as he picked one up.

“Soda. It is a fizzy drink from the old Kingdom. My great uncle found a recipe and tinkered with it until he got it to his liking. It's rare because it takes so much effort.” A fizzy drink? What was a fizzy drink? Magnus took the bottle from Alec’s hand and a small metal object and popped off the mental top. It made a sound and bubbles rose to the surface. Giving it back to Alec he warned that the bubbles might feel like they burned the first time he tried it.

They did. The first sip felt hot but it was not painful, just strange.

“Thank you for sharing this with me.” Magnus smiled and picked up a fruit.

“You are welcome.” They continued to eat for a little bit longer before Magnus spoke again.

“I want to share a lot more with you, Alexander. Like my future.” Alec flushed and looked away.

“I am not right for...”

“Me? The Kingdom? No, you are perfect. You care about the people that no one else does. You have been through so much and yet you are not bitter. You do not hate me for what my family has done.”

“Magnus, your family has not done anything.”

“Maybe not this generation but back in time they made your family Sevens based on how much money you had. That was not right, Alec. This system is not right.” Magnus sat back. “I knew it was not right but I also didn’t know how to change it so I tried to block it out and worry about what I could control. Then you come here and open my eyes to people like you, my people. The people that I swore to look after, yet they toil to death with no one to turn to. A family should not have to choose between food and healing their child. It is unacceptable.” Magnus was not wrong. Life as a Seven was hard. Alec knew this. It took such a toll on his father that they might only have a few years left with the man before he joined his own father in the ground. Izzy deserved more, Max and his mother deserved more. They all deserved the right not to worry.

“I am a Seven. You should marry a Two or a Three.”

“The spoiled children of the elite? Then I would only perpetuate the cycle further. I do not want my child to think it is their right to lord their position over the people. The Bane family is here to serve the people, not the other way around.”

“I don’t know how to be royal.”

“Then I will help you. I will be by your side, along with Will and Jem.” Alec looked at him. He knew his servants by name? “They used to be my servants. When they were dolling out servants for the Chosen, I had Will and Jem assigned to you.” Moving closer he took Alec’s hand. “The Choosing is not as random as most think. Only about a third are random. Most are hand picked by their profiles. I was allowed to look at the profiles and choose two. Looking through the profiles I saw your bright smile. You looked so happy. You were my only choice. I wanted to get to know you from the moment I saw you. I had Will and Jem placed as your attendants because I trust them with my life.” Magnus ended his little speech with a kiss.

The press of lips against his made Alec relax into Magnus. It just seemed so impossible that someone like Prince Magnus wanted him just from a single picture. His class had meant nothing. A warm hand cupped the back of his head as Magnus opened his mouth. Alec was not sure what to do so he just followed Magnus’ lead. His first kiss was in the most special of places.

“Prince Magnus! Your Majesty!” The call from the guards caused the two to pull apart. They could not see anyone but that didn’t stop Alec from turning his usual shade of red.

“I never can have a moment's rest.” Magnus said with a sigh. His hand had slid from Alec’s head down to hand. “Yes!?” Magnus yelled back.

“Your father needs you.”

“Can it wait?”

“I am sorry, but it can not.” Magnus sighed again. “I finally get you all to myself and it is cut short.”

“It’s alright.” Alec brushed off.

“No, it is not.”

“Your Majesty?”

“I am coming!” This was the first time Alec had heard the Prince snap at anyone. “Apologies.” Magnus looked sheepish as he stood up. Putting his hand out he helped the other up. Pulling Alec close to him, Magnus kissed Alec once more. “Until tonight, Alexander.” With that Magnus navigated them back out of the maze.

They split at the grand staircase as Magnus traveled down a side hall that led to the King’s office. Alec stayed at the bottom of the stairs for a moment just looking off into the distance. For a moment he could see himself at Magnus’ side. He could see the man that Magnus would become. A smile crossed his face as he started up the stairs. He needed to talk to Will about his outfit for the broadcast that night. He wanted to stand out and shine, for once in his life he wanted to be the center of attention.

Unfortunately Alec had not been looking where he was going, and his mind was still focused on Magnus. His foot landed on the third from the top step when he felt a hand at his shoulder. Starting to look up, Alec noticed he was falling backwards. His arms circled in the air as he tried to right himself but it was too late. He felt his head hit one of the stairs before flipping backwards. When he finally stopped at the bottom of the stairs he looked up only to see something pink move too fast for his disoriented eyes to catch. Pain and sickness washed over him. Rolling to the side he threw up what little he had eaten before passing out.

13

Magnus walked as quickly he could without running. The day had been perfect with Alec. His sweet innocent boy had tasted as sweet as the tarts they had eaten. Magnus had wished they could have kissed for longer. Maybe he could have kissed other places to see what reaction they gave. Unfortunately his father had called for him.

There were problems brewing in one of the southern lands. Ever since her husband had died Lady Lilith had taken more control of Talto. The province might have been small but it was an important one. Not only did it have the biggest depostest of adamas, the metal needed for the Edom Military weapons, it was also the border between Edom and their enemy. If Diyu was able to capture Talto it would be disastrous, but Lilith didn’t seem to care much. The woman was leaving the mines barely guarded.

After the talk with his father they would send down a couple mystics to make sure the mines were protected by magic and if need be, remove Lilith from power. Once back in his room Magnus’ attendants started to dress him. They were not as good as Will and Jem, but he trusted them. The suit they had picked out for tonight was deep royal blue in color. The stark white shirt made his skin pop. He thought about Alec and smiled. After the broadcast he would get Alec alone to propose again.

Reaching into his side table he found the Bane family signet ring. Once this was placed on Alec’s finger he would be known as his intended fiance. By the end of the night, if Alec said yes, Magnus would be sending everyone else home.

There was a tap at the door. A servant peered in and told him it was nearly time. Thanking the man, Magnus straightened his suit coat before leaving.

He should have known something was wrong when he entered with his mother and father and he could not spot Alec with the other Chosen. What had happened? The broadcast had already started and the young man was nowhere to be seen. Magnus tried to keep his panic down as Simon, the master of ceremonies, asked him a few questions.

“You cut down the Chosen to only a chosen few, pardon the pun.” Simon chuckled. “But just between us,” His voice went lower but he still held the microphone close. “Is there anyone that stands out?” Magnus smiled slightly.

“There is, but I do not want to talk too much about them at this moment. I am still trying to win them over.” Simon chuckled again.

“You are the Prince, you could win over anyone in this kingdom.”

“Maybe, but this person is special.” Simon tried to get more out of him, but Magnus gave nothing away. The broadcast soon ended. Once the cameras were turned off the Chosen started to gossip but Magnus couldn’t hear anything as he went to his father.

“Alexander Lightwood was not among the Chosen tonight. What happened?”

His mother looked grim as he took his hand. “The boy fell down the stairs this afternoon. Your father didn’t want you to know until after the broadcast.” Magnus shot his father a seething look. The Kingdom always came first, even at the price of love. Turning from his parents Magnus strode out of the room.

Alec had been taken to the infirmary. He had been found not long after his tumble. He had been out for hours when Magnus finally came to see him. Jem and Will were by his side. The two men looked pale. They cared too much sometimes. That was why he had sent them to be attendants of Alec’s. They would help him in this strange world.

Magnus found the medic on duty and asked about Alec’s condition. “He has a suspected concussion, but we will not be able to make sure until he wakes up. His left wrist is sprained, but thankfully not broken. He must have landed on it as it was under him when he was found. He also has three bruised ribs.” Alec was very lucky. But how did Alec fall down the stairs? Not that it was impossible, it just didn’t sound right.

“When will he wake up?” The medic shrugged.

“We were hoping he would wake up within a couple hours. If he does not wake up even a little within the next 24 hours he might never.” Magnus grabbed onto the doorframe to keep himself up. No. He would not lose Alec so easily. Alec was a fighter.

“Thank you.” He said before slowly walking to Alec’s bed. Jem vacated the seat next to the bed for Magnus. “Thank you for staying with him.” The men nodded. Will looked as if he had been crying not too long ago. His eyes were slightly red.

“I don’t think he fell on his own.” Jem said, his voice low. Magnus looked up at the man. Their mothers had come from the same province so they had similar looks. Jem had sharp, angled eyes. Magnus’ were not as angled because of his father’s rounder eyes. They had met when they were still children. Instantly, Magnus had been drawn to the boy that he had called brother at times. Magnus never had any siblings so Jem was the closest thing he had to one. Unfortunately as they grew up Jem was put to work in the castle just like his parents before him. Yet Magnus never treated him any differently. Jem was still his little brother.

“I was thinking the same.” Magnus voiced. “He was happy when I left him.” Leaning over he took Alec’s hand in his. It was still warm even though it was limp.

“Alec is not well liked by all the Chosen. Some believe he should have never been chosen in the first place.”

“Then there was that altercation with Ms. Belcourt.” Will piped in. “I found him in his room crying once. He didn’t tell me why, but I am sure the woman was the cause.” Magnus nodded. It was all hearsay. They would have to wait until Alec woke up to know for sure. “Tell the medic I will be staying with him tonight.”

“But your majesty...Magnus,” Jem whispered his name. It had been beaten into him at a young age he could not call the man by his name. He was just a servant and Magnus was royalty. The Prince still hated that he could not do anything to have stopped that. “You have so much to do tomorrow.”

“They can all wait. I am not leaving him until he awakes. Let my father be furious, I don’t care.”

-=-=-=-=-

<i>Elsewhere in the castle two other lovers were about to take a forbidden step.</i>

Andy was placing down his journal when he heard a small knock on his door before it opened. The night had been a whirlwind. Alec had never shown up to the broadcast and the young man had seen the Prince’s eyes looking for someone that was not there. It was painfully obvious to Andy that the Prince and Alec were meant to be, if only Alec would just let himself accept it.

It was so late at night that Andy’s attendants had already gone to bed. It had taken a lot to get the men to leave him at night. He didn’t need someone at his every beck and call through the night. He could get a drink or use the bathroom without needing help. It was ridiculous, but he also had another reason for shooing the men away.

In the mirror of his vanity he could clearly see Lorenzo as he closed and locked the door behind him. The blonde’s breath sped up. Lorenzo always had this effect on him, even when they first met. “Lord Rey, what do I owe the pleasure of your company so late at night?” A smile spread out across Lorenzo’s face.

“Must I spell it out for you?” He snapped his fingers and the lights lowered. It hid the blush that crawled over the blonde’s fair skin. The man walked slowly up behind him. Andy turned his head slightly for the mystic to grace his neck with a gentle kiss. A shiver went down his spine.

If they were caught they would both be sentenced to life as eights for treason. For Lorenzo it might even be worse. He might lose his life, but neither of them cared at this moment. In all the craze of Prince Magnus trying to find his mate, two unlikely men had happened upon their own love story.

Gentle hands ran up Andy’s sides and under his sleep shirt after Andy stood up.

“Lorenzo.” He breathed out. They had touched before, it had been brief but the feeling had lingered for hours after the man had left Andy’s room.

“I love when you say my name like that. Like a prayer from the mouth of an angel.” Gentle lips touched his neck again.

“Someone had been spending too much time with his tomes.” The blonde finally turned around in the man’s grasp to plant a deep kiss on the lush lips of the mystic. All he wanted to do was be with Lorenzo, only Lorenzo.

“I speak only the truth.” The older man said with another snap of his fingers. This left them both naked, bodies intertwined. Andy moaned and tried to kiss him again but the other man twisted them around and pushed him back on the bed. “Are you sure, Andrew? After...there is no going back.” Andy nodded. He knew what he meant and he didn’t care.

“I know Magnus loves Alec but Alec does not know if he wants to be Prince Consort. I will not be Chosen. When I go back home after this I want to at least have the memory of this night.” There would be no way that Lorenzo could ask for Andy’s hand. Mystics were not supposed to marry outside of their station, it kept the pool of magic from growing into the general population. Only mystics and the royal family could have magical powers. Even if they never planned to have children it was still forbidden.

“Then you shall have anything you want.” Leaning down they pressed their bodies together again, kissing and touching.

“Please don’t tease.” Andy whispered against his lips. He was already too wound up. He needed Lorenzo to do something. Suddenly slick fingers were gently pressing against his hole. How the man did magic was one of the things Andy liked about him. Magic amazed him, but Lorenzo enraptured him.

He whimpered against the other’s lips as fingers pushed into him. “Lor...enzo...” He whispered.

“Slowly, my love. I will not hurt you in my haste.” Leaning up Lorenzo got on his knees between the other’s legs as his slick fingers kept thrusting gently into him. “In all my years...I have never seen something more beautiful.” Andy slapped his arm with a giggle before it changed into a moan as the mystic pressed something inside him.

“If you don’t...get inside me now...I might come...” With a chuckle Lorenzo leaned down and nibbled at his ear.

“Go ahead, my angel. It will not be the last orgasm you experience tonight.” The press of his finger against the spot was too much for Andy. Lorenzo covered his mouth with his to smother the cries as he felt over the edge. Lorenzo was correct. It was not the last time he came that night.

14

It was the middle of the night when Alec finally woke up. His head ached and his vision was blurred. At first he just laid there and didn’t move. He could not remember what had happened. The bed did not feel familiar. It was soft but nothing like his bed at the palace. Then again it was not the cold hard mattress of his home. Finally as he woke up more he noticed there was something warm near his arm. Slowly turning his head he saw a dark figure slumped over in a chair near his bed. Blinking, he recognized that it was Magnus. The Prince was slumped in a chair, his hand next to Alec’s. His mind was slowly trying to process what was going on. Why was Magnus here when he had a nice bed in his own chambers?

Moving slightly was enough to wake the Prince up. His eyes looked around before they landed on Alec.

“Thank god. You finally woke up.” Reaching forward Magnus cupped Alec’ cheek. “I was so worried.”

“W-why are you here?” Alec’s voice was deep and thick as he tried to speak. How long had he been out?

“Where else would I be?” Magnus asked, confused.

“Your bed.” That made the Prince chuckle.

“A bed would be better, but while you are here, this is where I will be.” Magnus took Alec’s hand and pulled it up to lay a kiss on the knuckles. “I love you, Alexander. I think I have since that night in the garden.”

Alec flushed and looked away. “Why would you want to marry a Seven?”

“Because I would be marrying the one I love. I don’t care about your number or station in this world. I only care about you, about Alec Lightwood.” Alec turned his head back and smiled.

“I think...I think I love you too.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

After Alec had woken up and they had time to talk, Magnus fetched the medic. The medic looked over Alec and confirmed that he had probably had a concussion but he seemed to be doing well. His side and wrist still hurt so the medic suggested Alec stayed for one or two more nights. Medicine and bindings would help. Begrudgingly Alec agreed.

Even though Magnus wanted to stay with him he was called away shortly before breakfast. The Prince still had to make an appearance. He promised to return later and left his love with a kiss. This left Alec alone with his own mind. What had happened the night before? He remembered the wonderful picnic and the kiss they had shared, but the rest was foggy. The only thing he did know was he didn’t fall on his own volition.

Thankfully it was not much longer before Helen came to visit him and brought a treat from breakfast. He was not terribly hungry, but he thanked her nonetheless.

“The Prince told us you fell yesterday and are recuperating, but I don’t think you fell. I think you were pushed.” She said after asking how he was.

“I don’t remember. The medic tells me my memory of that event might never come back.” Alec rubbed his temple. It had been hurting ever since he started trying to remember.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to press you.” She said concerned.

“Don’t worry. My temple has been hurting since I woke up. Must be the leftover concussion.” He placed a hand over the other’s. “Please don’t worry about me. You need to focus on you. Didn’t you have a date with the Prince today?” Helen just looked at him in amazement. The boy was absolutely blind.

“The Prince will not be choosing me, I know this. He is just waiting on you.” Alec flushed a bright red.

“Mag- the Prince deserves...more.” He had to catch himself from not calling Magnus by his name.

“He deserves to be happy and so do you.” She said, squeezing his hand.

“What about you? You deserve happiness.” Sighing, she nodded. “Do you have someone at home?” Most chosen that might have had a romantic partner back home had broken it off with the chance to be crowned king.

“No. There is no one at home that holds my heart.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

~*<i>Earlier that morning</i>*~

Helen sat in her seat at the vanity that seemed to be in every Chosen’s room. Her maid, Aline stood behind her braiding her hair. Breakfast was soon and Helen needed to hurry, but she didn’t want to. It was only in moments like this that she truly felt happy. Helen had grown up in a very forward thinking family, but even they would not approved of their daughter favoring the fairer sex. Thankfully Helen found herself attracted to both genders.

However everything had changed when she came to the palace. She had been given three maids, like the other female Chosen, while the male Chosen were only given two attendants. Among her maids was Aline. She was a pretty and spunky girl of only seventeen. That made her two years younger than Helen and closer to her brother Mark’s age.

“Your hair is so pretty and light.” Aline had commented the first time she brushed Helen’s hair.

“It becomes very frizzy if I don’t put product in it.”

“Better than my thick, dense hair.” Aline had beautiful hair. It was long and jet black, but like all the maids she kept it tied up in a bun under a small hat.

“Is there something wrong, Helen?” The darker haired woman’s voice broke through Helen’s thoughts.

“No...why do you ask?”

“You look a bit sad.” Her time in the Chosen was coming to a close. She knew that. It was only a matter of time before Alec said yes to Magnus. Then Helen would have to leave. She did hope Alec was alright. He had not shown up to the broadcast the night before and that worried her.

“I do not wish to leave you.” Helen said, looking at Aline’s dark eyes in the mirror. They had become friends so fast that when they started to fall for each other they didn’t even notice until that one kiss. The kiss they had shared two days ago. The kiss that changed everything. It might have been easier to leave a friend but to leave a love? But even if magic could help men conceive it would not help two women.

“You will not leave for long. Mr. Lightwood cares for you. I am sure he would have you visit often.” It was a weak excuse but Aline was used to disappointments in her life. Her father had left her and her mother when Aline was just a child to run off with some other woman. Her mother tried to support them as well as she could but in the end it was too much for her. Even as sickness took hold of her, Jia Penhallow was still able to find work for her daughter in the palace before her passing. It was a prestigious job indeed, one that any Six would kill to have. Now Aline had found someone that she cared for as much as she had her beloved mother.

“I wish I was not a part of the Chosen.” Helen said, grief in her voice. Then she would not have to make such a choice to leave. Moving around the chair, Aline knelt beside Helen.

“If you had not I would never have met you. That would have been the greatest tragedy.” She took the other’s hands in hers. “My mother once said that people come into our lives for a reason. We might not know why or for how long, but we are better for having them with us.”

“Aline, you are too wonderful for the life you have.” The dark haired woman shrugged.

“I am content where I am and I intend to enjoy what time we have left together.” Leaning up, Aline pressed a quick kiss to Helen’s lips. “Now let me finish with your hair. You can not go to breakfast with a braid half done.” They both chuckled before hugging each other.

“You mean the world to me, Aline.”

15

Alec was finally allowed to go back to his room two days after his accident. His ribs were doing fine and his wrist barely ached, as long as he didn't move it too fast. All in all he was feeling much better. It didn’t hurt that Magnus had visited him quite a few times. Alec knew he should not be feeling this way, Magnus needed someone that was Prince Consort material, but he could not deny that he had been imagining their life together.

Once back in his room, Jem and Will were very attentive. They had Alec stay in bed and not move, even though it was his wrist that got sprained, not his legs. Still Alec did as was asked of him. He let the two cater to him. It was nice to have been missed. Most people of higher class levels would not have cared if the ‘help’ missed them. But Alec was different. Will and Jem were different. Alec could see why Magnus trusted them so.

Towards the evening there was a knock on the door. It was just after dinner and Alec had eaten in his room. Tomorrow he would go back out and meet the rest of the Chosen again. He was scared of what might happen but he was going to hold his head up high. Whoever had caused this was not going to get the satisfaction of keeping him down. Will opened the door to find Magnus there, a small white box in hand.

"Will, it is good to see you again. You too, Jem." Magnus smiled as he walked in.

"It is nice to see you again, Sire. Under better circumstances this time." Magnus nodded to that. Smiling, he turned to Alec who was laying in his bed with a couple books around him.

"How are you, Alexander? I see Will and Jem have made you stay in bed so they could make sure you didn't get hurt again."

"I let them." Alec said, but they all knew the truth.

"I wonder if I might have a little bit of your time. Would you mind, Will? Jem?" Neither man said anything to the contrary. The attendants knew what might happen but they also knew that in the end Alec would become the Prince Consort. They were made for each other.

Quickly the attendants bid them both good night before leaving.

“What is in that box?” Alec asked, finding himself eager to see.

“Chocolate truffles. A little bird told me you fancied my favorite sweet treat.” Magnus came over to the bed and sat down before handing over the box. There were four dark brown powder covered balls of chocolate.

“I was not used to eating something so sweet. This was the right amount of sweet for me.” Magnus brushed his hand through Alec’s hair.

“Was sugar something else you never had?”

“Not never, but usually baked into something or used in jam.” Alec took one of the small balls and bit into it. The powdered chocolate landed on his bedding and he got scared. “I didn’t mean to.” Uncultured.

“Do not worry, my dear.” Magnus plucked one up and popped it whole into his mouth. “It can be cleaned.” Alec ate the rest of the truffle. Suddenly Magnus’ face changed. He looked...serious? Maybe even a bit...determined? Leaning in Magnus wiped a bit of chocolate from the side of Alec’s mouth. Then his lips descended upon Alec’s.

It was similar but also different from the kiss before. It made his body tingle in all the right ways. Magnus had been his first kiss and he couldn’t imagine anyone else. He tried to chase the man’s lips when the Prince pulled back.

“I do not wish to injure you farther.” He whispered. Alec licked his lips, still tasting the chocolate that could have come from either of their lips.

“I like kissing you.” Alec admitted.

“Oh my dear, sweet Alexander. There is more I want to do to you than just kiss.” Alec found himself blushing down onto his neck. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt that out.” Magnus started to pull back from the other, but Alec grabbed his arm.

“I know we shouldn’t...but...I may never get this chance again.” Then the Prince laughed so hard that it made Alec jump.

“My dear, my love. I do not plan on spending the rest of my life with anyone but you.”

“Magnus-” The Prince placed his finger to Alec’s lips.

“I will be there every step of the way. Jem and Will can also be of help. Alexander, please, make me the happiest man that ever lived and marry me?” The darker haired man was silent for a long while. Could it just be that easy? Magnus deserved more, but even as he thought that he could not stand another person having Magnus. “I will wait for as long as I need to.”

“Jem was telling me earlier that you cut the Chosen down again. There are now just five.”

“Yes. It is unfair to them to get their hopes up. Not when my heart is not mine to give anymore. I know you are fond of Helen and Andy so I kept them around.” Alec smiled. At least he would be able to say goodbye to them.

“Who else?”

“Meliorn Knight and Camille Belcourt. They are the favorites of my father.” <i>Something pink moved too fast for his disoriented eyes to catch</i> Alec rubbed at his temple.

“Alexander, are you alright?”

“I am a horrible choice, but...” He stopped Magnus with his hand. “To be away from you might be a fate worse than death. You must promise me that you will always be with me. I need your strength and guidance.”

“Yes, always. I will be there for you, always.”

“And one more thing. If you choose...later on to take another to your heart-”

“There will never be another, Alexander. You will be the only one I need.” They both smiled before Magnus leaned back in for a kiss. “You didn’t answer me, darling.” Magnus whispered against his lips.

Alec laughed and then nodded. “Yes, Magnus. I will marry you.” Magnus smiled as he pressed a kiss to Alec’s lips.

It was supposed to be slow but neither of them could hold back their pasion. Not now, not after they had declared their love for each other. Magnus helped Alec back on the bed and pulled his covers back before climbing on top of him. Alec flushed and tried to look away, but Magnus cupped Alec’s face.

“I do not wish to go all the way. I do want to save that for your wedding night. However, there is something I have been dying to see.” One hand left Alec’s cheek and traveled down his neck and chest, catching on a nipple that made Alec gasp.

“What?” He finally asked as Magnus’ hand moved closer to the hem of his nightshirt.

“The look of pure pleasure.” Magnus' hand slipped between cloth and skin before wrapping around Alec’s nearly half hard cock. He gasped and arched only to wince. His ribs still hurt.

“I am sorry, my love.” Leaning down he kissed Alec as his hand started to move. This way he could keep Alec from arching up again. Alec was lost in the current of pleasure. He had never really touched himself before. He never had time living with his family. He had attempted once or twice when he bathed, but he felt too guilty to continue. What a fool he was.

“Magnus...” He breathed when Magnus pulled back to give them air. Reaching down he pushed Alec’s pants down slightly, enough to uncover his cock. Alec made the mistake of looking down and only groaned. The head was starting to leak and Magnus’ hand looked so good around him.

“That is the picture that has been playing in my dirty mind since I first met you.” Magnus kissed his cheek. “Even better than I thought.”

“Magnus...” Magnus pressed a thumb to the slit of the head. Alec’s eyes rolled back in his head, briefly.

“Let go, my love.” Magnus kissed along his neck as his hand started to move faster. Any chance Alec had at lasting a while longer flew out the window. The intense pleasure was too much.

"Magnus!" This time the Prince’s name was said like benediction instead of a plea. His vision whited out for a moment as his pleasure cascaded over his whole body. He felt it everywhere, even in his toes.

When Alec came back to himself a moment later he noticed Magnus was rubbing his lower half against Alec’s leg, his head in the crook of his neck, until he suddenly stopped and let out a quiet, strangled noise. At that moment he knew that Magnus had just reached his peak.

Hot, quick breath was the only sound he heard and felt against his neck for a moment. Then Magnus turned his head and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, my love. For sharing in the first of many firsts with me." Alec smiled.

"I can't wait for more."

Magnus stayed for a little while, cleaning them up before Alec finally fell asleep. He kissed Alec and got up out of bed. As much as he wanted to sleep beside the dark haired man, he had something else he needed to do. With a quick trip back to his room to change, Magnus was headed down stairs.

Magnus knocked on the door to his father’s study. While he had asked Alec to marry him, now three times, he still had not told his father. Asmodeus didn’t have the last say in his choice, but that didn’t mean that he would not try to influence it. The man loved his son but he also saw what the politicians wanted.

“Come in.” Magnus opened the door and walked in. It was late at night but his father, the King, was sitting at his desk reading over some royal doctrine. Magnus never understood how his father didn’t get a headache from all the reading. After two hours Magnus needed a break while his father could continue for an hour or so more.

“Father, I have made my choice.” Asmodeus looked up from his papers before sitting them down.

“Have you? That is very quick. You just culled them yesterday.” Magnus came over and sat in the chair directly in front of his father.

“I choose Alexander Lightwood.” He noticed the twitch of his father’s brown. The King did not approve.

“Why him? If you wish to marry a man then why not Mr. Meliorn Knight? His father was once a great general. There is also Ms. Camile Bellcourt.” She had been Asmodeus’ top pick because of her father. A top politician would influence a lot of people. As much as the Morgenstern betrayal still hurt, Asmodeus was practical. They needed more support.

“Why did you pick a mere painter?” Magnus countered. “One with a history of fertility problems?” Magnus’ own mother had been a wonderful painter, which she still did, but being one of only two Fives in the choosing meant she was the odd man out. Yet she survived until the last five girls. With her Choosing she became the next Queen of Edom, but her family history was not what the crown needed.

Asmodeus had been the only son of four children. Each one of his sisters had been married off to secure alliances, however, being the only son Asmodeus was expected to marry well and have an heir and maybe even a spare. Yet he married Annisa Sari who was an only child herself. Her mother had given birth to two stillborns before Annisa and then passed with the birth of her fourth and the child followed not long after.

Asomdeus sat back in his chair and gave a small chuckle. “Because I loved her. I didn’t care about her background, all I wanted was for her to be beside me for all our lives.”

“I only want what you wanted, father. I want the love of my life to be beside me.”

“Has he said yes?”

“Yes. He fears the life of a Prince Consort, but he does want to be with me. I just need to give him the ring”

“Then I give my permission. I always assumed you were more your mother’s child. You show her gentle and thoughtful nature, yet you take decisions head long. You weigh the options and take the one that speaks to you. You will be a great king someday, my son.”

“Thank you father, but there is one last thing I would like to speak with you about.”

16

A special TV broadcast was arranged for the next night. Magnus did not want to wait until the following Friday to put a ring on Alec’s finger. He wanted it now. However, he had to find the person that caused Alec’s fall first.

Who would want to kill a Chosen and in such a public area like the grand staircase. Someone should have seen it. The obvious answer was another Chosen. Now the question was, did they cause it themselves or pay someone? Magnus didn’t even pretend to know all the servants in the palace but he felt like he knew a good lot of them. Rumors flew around quickly among the servants so Magnus enlisted the help of Jem and Will.

It would take some time so Magnus went to see Alec and spend a little time with him.

“Your highness.” Magnus had not even noticed that he was not alone in the hall anymore. Ms. Camille Belcourt had just come out of a side room. She curtsied for him, a little deeper than need be but he was pretty sure the woman was trying to show off the plunge of her neck line. Camille was a beautiful woman, but she was not what Magnus wanted in a spouse.

She cared only for material things. On one of the few dates they had she had spent the entire time talking about the parties that she had at her home. How lavish they were and offering to show him around her city. While Magnus had grown up to be Prince his family was not as posh as it looked. Personal family meals were not taken in full dressed attire, that was only for show.

His father liked her because of her father. Reginald Belcourt was a well known politician in Little Paris, one of the largest cities on the east side of Edom.

“Hello, Ms. Belcourt.”

“Oh, you can call me, Camille.” She said walking closer to him. “We have not had a date in a while. I hope that is not an indication that you are bored with me.” The woman pouted, but it was just too much.

Will had said that Alec had an argument with Camille. Could she be the type of person to try and kill the competition? Maybe. He was about to find out. Putting out his arm for her the woman took it as they started to walk.

“I have called a special broadcast for this evening.” Magnus started as Camille looked startled.

“Why? I will not have enough time to get ready.” She actually looked worried.

“I intend to announce my engagement to one of the Chosen.” This caused Camille to nearly misstep. He wondered what was going through her mind right at that moment. She probably thought it was her.

“Then I need to pick out a dress.” She started to pull away but Magnus stopped her.

“Why?”

“Well if I will be on TV tonight I need to look my best.”

“Only my fiance will be on the stage with me.” She smiled, a sickening sweet smile reserved for a simple child that did not understand.

“Oh course, Prince Magnus, but my dress-”

“I will not be asking for your hand.” She stopped dead in her tracks.

“WHAT?!” The beautiful woman beside him let out a screech like he had never heard before. “Who would be a better queen than I?! We are made for each other!” Magnus finally pulled his arm away.

“No. No we are not.” Then out of nowhere the woman slapped him across the face, her long nails leaving redden marks on his cheek. Reaching up Magnus touched his cheek, but thankfully there was no blood.

“Ms. Belcourt, you hit the Prince. That was not a very bright idea.” His voice was calm and measured.

“I am supposed to be the Queen!” Then she must have thought better of herself. “I do not know what came over me. Apologies, your highness.” But the apology fell on deaf ears. “I just don’t want all my training to go to waste.”

“Training that did nothing but make you an evil jealous creature that would dare to try and kill another Chosen and then strike the Prince of Edom. Guards!” Magnus yelled.

“Did that little stoot brush tell you I pushed him down the stairs? He wouldn’t know class if it came up and slapped him across his dirty face.” Magnus was seeing red. He knew the little terms that higher levels called the lower ones. His mother had talked about them. Fives were painted prints or song stealers, depending on the type of artist they were. Sixes were rags and Sevens were stoot brushes. Thankfully the guards appeared at that moment.

“Take Ms. Belcourt to her room so she can pack.”

“No! Magnus, please. We belong together!”

“My dear, unlike the man I want to marry, you belong in the cold palace you came from. Away with her.” The guards dragged Camille kicking and screaming from the hall. He was positive that she was the one that tried to kill Alec. Even if he couldn't prove it he at least got her out of the palace.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Alec stood behind the curtains. His stomach was in knots from the nerves. Any moment the curtains would be pulled back and he would be presented as the fiance to the future king. It was almost too much. His hands traveled down his blue suit as if trying to straighten any imaginary wrinkles. Something caught the light and he looked down at the ring on his finger. Not an hour ago Magnus had gotten down on one knee and asked Alec to be his Prince Consort.

<i>Magnus looked a bit flustered when he came to Alec’s room. Will and Jem were finishing up on his suit for that night’s special broadcast. Alec turned to look at Magnus and noticed two red marks on his right cheek.

“Magnus, what happened?”

“Just getting rid of a nuisance.” Magnus waved off and then walked over to Alec. He placed a kiss on the man’s lips as the attendants quietly made their way out of the room to give them time. “I love you, Alexander Lightwood.” The Prince said as he pulled back from the kiss. Alec was so dizzy from the kiss that he barely followed. Then Magnus knelt on one knee.

“Oh my god.” Alec found himself breathing as the Prince pulled out a small box with the Bane family seal.

“At the end of each Choosing, the Prince in question would give the family signet ring to his chosen spouse in front of everyone.” Magnus started. “But you are a private person who does not want others to look upon him. So here, in your rooms I want to ask you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, to be my Prince. Be the one that makes me strive to be a better person. Help me teach our future children that levels do not matter, what matters is what is found inside a person. Be the one I grow old with, be my everything.” Alec was crying by this time. He couldn’t even say yes through the tears but he did nod. That was all Magnus needed. He pushed the ring onto Alec’s finger before standing up and pulling him into another slow, passion filled kiss.<i/>

“Welcome honored guests to a special broadcast!” Simon Lewis’s voice broke through his thoughts and brought him back to the present. Just remembering how thoughtful Magnus was to make that moment just about them gave him enough strength to stand still. “Now, a little birdie told me, Prince Magnus, that you have a surprise for us.”

“Yes.” Magnus said, his voice calm and smooth. Alec smiled. “I do have a wonderful surprise. People of Edom, my people, I have come to the decision as to whom I will be marrying. It had been a fast and whirlwind romance, one for the books I am sure. The moment I met this person I fell for them. They were so raw and open with me and I couldn’t see a day without them in my life, but they needed some convincing.”

“You did say that before. Who is this wonderful person that has captured the heart of our marvelous Prince?” Simon asked. He was sure everyone was wanting to know, but as usual Magnus was building up the suspense.

“This person never expected to be picked for the Chosen in the first place. They never thought they could have what they wanted because of their level.” A hush went over the few people in the audience for the broadcast. They were mostly journalists that wanted the first taste of a story. “That is also something that I wish to talk to my people about. These levels, the ones that have kept all of you in place, will soon be ending.” Suddenly the journalists gasped and tried to ask questions before they were hushed. “That plan is in motion, but I am sure you are all wanting to know who I choose.”

The curtain opened and Alec stepped out. He didn’t look like a level Seven boy from a small town. There was no dirt under his nails or bruises from hard work. No, he looked like a Prince Consort and for the first time he felt like something special. Magnus stood from his seat and walked over to Alec as flashes of lights went off. Taking Alec’s hand he pressed a kiss to his hand.

“This is my chosen. Alexander Lightwood. Formerly a Seven and one of the best men I have had the pleasure to meet.” With that, the Prince of Edom leaned in to kiss his Prince.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.

[santonosoy]

❝ CIERRO LOS OJOS Y EL ALMA PARA NO SER VULNERABLE ❞

huh, who’s ALEJANDRO SPEITZER? no, you’re mistaken, that’s actually SANTOS DEJESÚS. he is a TWENTY TWO year old HALFBLOOD wizard who is a BARTENDER / WADA STUDENT. he is a GRYFFINDOR alum and the child of OSCAR DANE AND MARISOL DEJESÚS. he is known for being CHOLERIC, SELF-DESTRUCTIVE, RESENTFUL, FOOLHARDY, and RECALCITRANT but also ARTISTIC, HARD WORKING, ALLURING, DAUNTLESS, and CLEVER, so that must be why he always reminds me of the song VULNERABLE BY JUANES and PAINT STAINED DENIM AND FRAYING BRUSHES, BEAT UP CONVERSE SNEAKERS, REHEARSAL SCHEDULES AND UNFINISHED SONGS CRAMMED INTO SKETCHBOOKS, BRUISED KNUCKLES AND BUSTED LIPS HIDDEN BY STAGE MAKEUP, ASH TRAY OVERFLOWING WITH CIGARETTE BUTTS, BAR COASTERS AND EMPTY BEER BOTTLES SCATTERED ON THE FLOOR, SCOWLS AND TOUGH TALK ALL TO HIDE YOUR BROKEN HEART, UNWRITTEN LETTERS ADDRESSED HOME WEIGHING HEAVY ON YOUR MIND, WANTING DESPERATELY TO BELONG SOMEWHERE / TO SOMEONE, BLOODY NOSES AND SKINNED KNEES PEAKING OUT THROUGH RIPPED JEANS. i hear he is aligned with THE DEATH EATERS, so be sure to keep an eye on him.

GENERAL

FULL NAME: Lorenzo Santos Dane DeJesús NICKNAME(S): He goes exclusively by Santos (second given name, not a middle name) AGE/DATE OF BIRTH: 22, 08/09/2007 OCCUPATION: Bartender (alternating nights at the Armati’s London Hotel and Leaky Cauldron), WADA student GENDER: Cis Man PRONOUNS: He/Him/His HOMETOWN: Ciudad de México, México CURRENT RESIDENCE: London, England ALMA MATTER: Hogwarts, Gryffindor BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood

BIOGRAPHY

DEATH TW. CHILD NEGLECT TW. DEPRESSION TW. ABANDONMENT TW. idk please be aware that this sad boy has some messed up dynamics in his life which are detailed. if i miss anything, please just send me a message and i’ll try to tag accordingly.

London was supposed to be just a quick stop. A single blip on a map of a poorly planned European tour during a break from university. Marisol did not have intentions to be there for more than two evenings, but sometimes plans changed. A staunch believer in destiny having a heavy hand in things, she supposed it was necessary to end up in London for a full week. If she’d had it her way, the detour would have been longer, but no matter its length it has resulted in perhaps the only precious thing she’d ever have in her short and tragic life. 

Santos doesn’t know a lot of details of that week in England. Unfortunately the woman who lived it wasn’t around to give him much, and his abuelita was even less forth giving with details. He would have asked Oscar when given a moment with him, but it hadn’t taken long for him to harden himself to the man that, in simplistic terms, was his father. The only thing he knows are from scattered notes in a journal. Marisol DeJesús and a group of fellow graduates from El Internado Mágico en CDMX had saved up every last penny to go backpacking across Europe. It was supposed to be a couple weeks visiting various countries, exploring diverse cities, and meeting up with pen pals from international magical schools. None of them had connections to London, or the English academy in the Scottish Highlands, but they figured it would be a good starting point before they headed eastward. A rest stop. Not even all the girls had gone to the pub that night, most complaining of exhaustion from the trip. But Marisol wanted a fun night. A few drinks in and she ended up in the arms of a stranger. Oscar. Her journal didn’t detail much more about him, aside from a otherworldly charm and his first name. A week long tumultuous romance and then she was meeting her disgruntled friends in Spain, unaware of the repercussions of her little sabbatical. It wouldn’t be until she was home in México a couple weeks later that she would get any idea of the mistake that was made. 

Among the trinkets and colorful souvenirs from her European getaway, Marisol had not expected one to end up being a child. 

Lorenzo Santos Dane DeJesús was born on an excruciatingly hot early August day. His muggle grandmother, Milagros, would never forget the moment she heard the first shrill of a baby’s cry. It signaled more than just the birth of her first grandchild. Like the cursed wail of a banshee, Santos’s first cries heralded a grim tragedy. As he swallowed his first breath of life, Marisol exhaled her final. It’s something she would always hold against him. It hadn’t mattered that it wasn’t his fault; Marisol was always a bit weak and frail, and complications had arisen throughout her pregnancy that meant a choice: either him or her. It was no question for her; the most important impact she could leave behind would be a son that she hoped could become something great and do something good for the world. She’d lived life, she couldn’t stop him from living his own. Milagros wouldn’t agree, and she would hold her pain and turmoil agains the boy for the few years she would house him. 

Milagros didn’t like brujerias. When she’d met Lorenzo DeJesús Álvarez, she was none the wiser to the magic that coursed in his blood. He was just a charismatic young man from Sinaloa who would sweep her off her feet over the course of three weeks. It appeared to be an ailment that passed down from DeJesús woman to DeJesús woman -- The ability to be so easily swooned by deceitful men. Lorenzo would not reveal his magical parentage until they had three children -- a toddler Marisol and her infant brothers -- and one began to display abilities inherited from his line. Instantly growing cold to her cursed spawns, she would only love them out of a necessity and crave the day they would be taken away from her and into the secret magical world which Lorenzo eventually abandoned the family for. She hadn’t planned on falling in love with Marisol and her quick wits and charm, but despite herself she loved her impish children, even with their maleficio. She hated the boarding schools which took them away from her for the majority of their youth, and she would come to hate the other parts of it that would take them away permanently. Like dueling accidents that ended her youngest son’s life, or the wholly magical family that her other son would marry into that just couldn’t accept he grew up without a magical parent. But more than anything, she could not accept the wailing magical infant she had been left with in the wake of Marisol’s untimely death. 

For six years Santos was looked after by Milagros, in the most simplistic of terms. She clothed him and she fed him, but she had not loved him, and she made her disapproval of him apparent. Growing up craving affection that was withheld from him, he was prone to bouts of depression and wildly aggressive tantrums. As his emotions grew more unstable, so did the magic he possessed. Catastrophic damage caused by a single wail, or even bodily harm resulting in the stomping of a foot, and Milagros was reaching her wit’s end. She could not love the creature that stole away her daughter’s life, and she could no longer tolerate the danger it posed. At six years old Santos was becoming a ticking bomb and there was only one way to solve the issue. Send him away, to the father who was unaware of him and his destructive existence. 

Going off the limited information that Marisol’s friends and her letters home from that fateful holiday had given her, Milagros used the last bit of funds she had saved to send the heathen across the Atlantic to the city that sealed his mother’s fate, and into the hands of the Ministry. It wasn’t long before the Oscar from the journals was located and brought in to take the boy. The memory of their first meeting is hazy, but Santos remembers scattered fragments. He remembers the atrium of the ministry, the dark stone of the floor. He remembers the tall man who he hoped resembled him but was a complete stranger. He remembers hugging his leg, seeking some kind of comfort, but he doesn’t remember receiving anything back. Soon enough he was being taken to a place that was supposed to be “home” but he would come to think of it as anything but. A home no, but a prison maybe. 

The transition was hard. Santos hated London -- the gray skies, the rain and fog. He missed the warmth of Mexico, running in the street with the local boys. He even missed the cold stare of Milagros. Sure she wasn’t that maternal towards him, but she had at least taken care of him like families do. The family he’d meet in London wasn’t much of a family at all. He had a handful of older half-siblings but none of them seemed to care much about his existence. Or maybe that’s what he thought. They would converse with him just fine, but then they would land on English and he would feel completely out of sorts. The most exciting moment was in realizing that one of his elder brothers was some sort of child star -- a talented musician brimming with charisma. He wanted to cleave into Manny, to be accepted by his far more interesting older brother. It was one thing he always wished he had; a sibling who could serve as a confidant, friend and role model. His hopes were quickly dashed. Where Milagros looked down on Santos for being half magical, his family in London had looked down on him for being half something else. Non magical. Muggle. Sangre sucia. He wasn’t a muggleborn but he might as well have been. His magical relatives in México had abandoned him before he was even born, and he was raised in a household that abhorred that part of him. What he had hoped would be a change of pace, a chance to be part of an actual family filled with love and adoration for each other, was quickly torn down. He wasn’t one of them, and no matter how hard he tried he could never be one of them. And the dream older brother he hoped Manny would be would remain just that, a fleeting dream. 

To add to his family woes, Santos had another giant hurdle to pass: He didn’t speak English. For a while he thought that maybe if he hadn’t attempted to learn any of the language then he would be sent back to México. If not back to Milagros, then maybe he could end up in some orphanage up until El Internado accepted him. He would have rather just been on his own, but things didn’t go as planned. The longer he was there, the more apparent it would be that London was his new home and if he wanted to find a place to fit in then he needed to make some changes. So he adapted. He learned the language, though not fast enough to attend Hogwarts at age eleven. He didn’t want to -- he still held onto some silly hope he could go anywhere but Hogwarts School, where Manny was a star and he would be the bastard half-brother coasting in his opaque shadow. Despite his protestations, he did end up at Hogwarts when he was twelve years old, a year behind. Refusing to take on his father’s name, Santos DeJesús ended up in Gryffindor and thought for a moment he would be able to get by without anyone knowing he was Manny Luna’s little brother. Of course that wouldn’t be. 

The wizarding world of London was small, smaller than those few blocks in Ciudad de México he had called home. People talked, word spread, and soon enough he was being compared to the media darling that came before him. Only Santos was nothing like Manny. He was ill-tempered, melancholic, easily pushed, and aggressive. By third year he’d gained a reputation for causing fights. There was hardly a skirmish that he wasn’t the center of. And he’d never smiled, a permanent scowl etched over his face. He wore bruises and scrapes like badges of honor. He fell behind in school work, trailing behind his peers academically. He didn’t care. He thought the more of a fuss he could make, the better. Maybe it was a cry for help, he doesn’t know. That’s how some professors saw it. In a desperate attempt to help keep the wild Gryffindor under control, they tried to push him in directions that would allow him to use his rage in a healthy way. He was a natural choice for Quidditch Beater, but he caused far more issues on the pitch than anything and sooner or later the team opted to drop him -- for everyone’s safety. Dueling club seemed a smart choice, but then nobody wanted to face the erratic boy even in practice duels. Sure he fumbled with his wand, but he was an ace with his fists. 

He was becoming more and more of a hopeless case, until one professor saw a better solution. Clearly the boy was crying out for attention -- maybe he needed a platform where he could be seen and heard. Drama seemed an odd choice, but something about it eventually clicked with Santos. A soliloquy from Hamlet was enough to capture the youth’s frantic mind. He had a weird knack for it, for reciting and acting. And he was a ball of emotions and rage that he didn’t know how to portray, but when monologues came to him with even an ounce of the turmoil rolling within him, he’d felt free and seen. When he’d been told about WADA, about the opportunities he could find studying there, he’d had a full one eighty. He studied hard, he pushed himself to do better in class, and soon enough he was graduating Hogwarts with the marks to gain entry to WADA and start working towards a future in theater. Much like his brother, he had a bit of musical talent but he wanted to be a revered thespian. He wanted to be something different than Manny. He wanted to be something better than Manny. 

Free from the stuffy dorms of Hogwarts, Santos decided to break away from the Danes as well. He left the second he could, took up a job busting tables at the Leaky Cauldron and was even given a room there since he’d had nowhere else to go and couldn’t yet afford anything on his own. He remains there, living in a single room with a bed, a dresser, and a beat up guitar he bought at a muggle pawn shop. The only piece of furniture he takes care of is an easel he keeps in a corner, a new unfinished landscape painting adorning it every week, the previous one piled up in a corner forgotten. He spends his days at WADA, studying and practicing and auditioning for every lead role he thinks he’s suitable for. His nights he alternates between bar tending at the Leaky Cauldron, another bar gig at a new swanky magical hotel, and courting someone new. Ever desperate for some kind of attention and affection, Santos seeks it in beautiful strangers he can charm into his bed. He’s noncommittal, but not because commitment scares him exactly. He realizes it’s easier to sleep around than find someone willing to stay. He’s still aggressive, prone to outbursts, and he feels so damaged and abandoned that he doubts anyone could love a reckless mess like him. Not for more than one night, anyway. It’s easy to pick up people when you’re a handsome bartender with a dark charm to you, and he wears the reputation proudly. 

It’s somewhat of a surprise that he had chosen to join the ranks of the Death Eaters. His pureblood relatives had looked down on him for being “less than them” of course. Why would he want to join a cause which exalted them and abhorred the part of him that wasn’t “magical enough”? In truth, it has nothing to do with what the Death Eaters stand for. Santos is so desperate to have a place to fit in, to be loved by his family -- by someone -- he was willing to support a cause that he doesn’t believe in. He’s more impressionable or easily manipulated than he wants to believe, and it was easy for him to be seduced by the power that being a Death Eater promised. As time as gone by, it does feel like the better choice. They’re the winning side right now, and he figures if he continues to help them succeed then it’s more than guaranteed he will be appreciated for his hard work. But as time goes by, and the murders pile up and the crimes go unpunished, Santos can feel a small part of him wanting out. He knows it isn’t the right path, but he’s not brave enough to walk away from it. Not when he’s already in their ranks, when he figures it will get harder and harder to turn away. For now he continues to do his part for the Death Eaters, carefully tiptoeing the line between loyalist and betrayer. If the opportunity presents itself, he hopes he’ll go running the other way, but he doubts he’s not sure if he’ll be able to walk away. 

TL;DR - santos is the halfblood son of oscar dane / manny’s half-brother who grew up in a muggle household in mexico with a muggle grandmother who hated him so much she eventually sent him away because she couldn’t handle his violent outbursts of magic or the fact he was the one that caused DEATH TW her daugther’s death END OF TW. he’s always struggled to find a place or a family to belong to and this is a chip on his shoulder he carries through his adulthood. a former gryffindor who just caused a lot of issues until he was introduced to theater. he know works as a bartender while attending WADA with dreams to become a renown thespian. Is in the DE but mostly because he just wants to belong somewhere and was convinced into believing that was the right path to go (more on that below in the wanted connections section!). desperate for some attention and affection, whether it is genuine or not. Is literally a big ol’ heaux due to it. will flirt with anyone out of some hope they’ll give him some temporary attention in return. Idk he’s just a sad complicated aggressive boy ahfeapfhe OH is an artist. paints and draws and all that jam. is also a bit musical, but doesn’t flaunt it bc he’s already got a musical relative he doesn’t wanna be compared to. is maybe a bit of a self insert in that respect ahfieahfpea don’t @ me. 

MISC

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Biromantic LANGUAGES: Spanish (primary), English (fluent) FAMILY: Oscar Dane (father), Marisol DeJesús (mother), Manny Luna (half-brother) PETS: None FACE CLAIM: Alejandro Speitzer ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo MBTI: TBD PINTEREST: ( x ) HOGWARTS YEARS: 2019-2025 (started a year late due to not being confidently fluent in english by eleven) 

WANTED CONNECTIONS

ONE NIGHT STANDS / PAST HOOKUPS - as detailed above, santos is just kind of lacking in the affection department and so he seeks it wherever he can. since he’s like a hottie or whatever, he knows he can easily get physical stuff and he kinda just... exploits that because he just wants some gd attention ok. since his final few years at hogwarts up to now he was definitely a massive manwhore so have at it. this is not a limited connection so hmu however many times you want lol STATUS: always open

UNCLE IROH TO HIS PRINCE ZUKO - ok so maybe my hopes is to pull off some prince zuko level redemption arc for this boy. it’s a tough climb, but one thing that every good prince zuko redemption arc needs is an uncle iroh. this is someone who believes in santos, genuinely cares about him, and wants to guide him to a path that would bring him peace and help him make healthy decisions. it doesn’t exactly have to mean joining the order, but it certainly means walking away from the DE and the toxic family dynamics he’s involved in. someone who can see that he is a good person beneath it all and who just wants to help him out of a sticky and bad situation. can be a peer or an older character, doesn’t need to be related to him. (could be combined with professor connection below) STATUS: taken by neville longbottom

PROFESSOR WHO HELPED HIM FIND HIS WAY - this is obviously limited to hogwarts professors / people who were hogwarts professors during the years listed above. this is the professor who saw santos’s destructive behavior and tried to work with him to channel it in a healthy way. they were the person who eventually introduced him to shakespeare (who i am convinced is a wix ok) and theater. they may have supported him becoming a better student so he could get into WADA and perhaps are still someone that supports his growth. perhaps the first person in their corner. (can be combined with the uncle iron connection above). STATUS: taken by neville longbottom

THE BAD INFLUENCE - MANIPULATION TW / TOXIC DYNAMIC TW (just to be on the safer side; this is a toxic connection for sure) in contrast to the previous connections, this is the person who has helped lead santos down the wrong path. they should be DE affiliated, and they should be someone who sees that part of santos that begs for attention and is desperate to belong somewhere and would have manipulated that very fragile part of him in order to get him to join the rankings of DE. he’s not a pureblood, and therefore perhaps not the most ideal person to be in the ranks, but they see the potential he has for exploitation. he could be a dispensable soldier for them, someone they genuinely don’t give a shit about but they can use him. this can be a peer or older DE member, and they can be family. END OF TW.  STATUS: open

FOUND FAMILY - i guess this would be something we work up towards, but this boy is kind of desperate for people who genuinely care about him and needs a healthy family dynamic. so if you wanna be part of the found family that can take him in, awesome :^) STATUS: open, may become limited

as always, feel free to message me if you have any inspiration for wanted connections ^^

[random-senpai]

Senpai's MILF Otome Game Masterpost

Protagonist and key supporting roles

You, MILF Supreme: The main character of the Otome game. You are an 34 year old single mother of a beautiful 16 year old daughter. You are an absolutely stunning woman with an amazing rack, an ass that won't quit, never takes shit from anybody, and has a tendency to say "Ara ara~" when amused. Due to the hustle and bustle in your life you've taken to styling your gorgeous hair into an easy to maintain side plait. Long ago you fell in love with your childhood friend and became highschool sweethearts. The two of you became married when you got pregnant at 18. Thanks your support for each other the two of you were able to juggle college and raising a newborn daughter together successfully. You thought you would be happy together forever until you found him in bed with another woman at the age of 25. The two of you divorced shortly after and you won main custody of your daughter. 10 years later and now you are an successful businesswoman with only a few superiors at work. But due to the juggling of your career and raising your daughter with care you have little time for love. At least until it finds you instead.

Your Daughter: A beautiful 16 year old girl that takes after you in many ways. She may have her father's eyes but the rest of her is mostly you. She's an otome protagonist in her own story, but not in this one. She can be clumsy and stubborn, especially regarding her own emotions. But you can tell she loves you deeply and wants you to be happy, even if she's going through a rebellious phase in her life. She's taken to cooking, cleaning, and other housework in order to lighten your load when you aren't working. And despite your attempts to tell her otherwise you can tell she carries deep guilt for robbing you of your youth.

MILF BFF #1: A friend of your's since Middle School that's carried out to your whole life. She was there when you started going out with your ex husband and was the first shoulder to cry on when he cheated. She's happily married to a wonderful loving husband and you were the maid of honor at her wedding. She's recently retired from the workforce and is currently a housewife raising twins. She occassionally calls you for advice raising them which you happily give.

MILF BFF #2: A friend you met shortly after you began working after college. Together you raised each other up as you climbed your careers. She's a fellow single mother albeit from her husband dying in an Truck accident instead of a divorce like yourself. She's not looking for love at the moment. And although she's open to it, she says her focus is her son.

(When you are together with your BFFs, the three of you are a holy trinity of sheer MILF power. Many look at you three stunned by your energy and appearance but all of them are too intimidated to actually approach)

Routes

Your Boss: The Manager of your Company's entire branch in the city and one of the few superiors you have at work. He's tough on everyone and has the face to match his nickname of the "Demon Boss". But despite his general harshness he's very accommodating for family. He grew up in poverty in a single mother household and is very understanding to them to particular. Funny enough he lives very modestly despite the money he makes from his high position. He donates most of what he makes to charities and programs, particularly many that support struggling families and single mothers. Often volunteering on his days off to see the good of what his money goes to. Every month he changes the flowers at his mother's grave without fail. He's very adamant about not mixing his personal life and his professional one. A huge tsundere that blushes to a degree most would be surprised to see on a 45 year old man.

Your Daughter's PE teacher: A energetic man with the brightest smile you've ever seen, as well as a passion for sports and his students. Although he serves as the school's PE teacher and coaches various teams (including your daughter's volleyball team) he never pushes the students too hard. He was actually the ace in your college's Football (Soccer) team. Unfortunately he suffered an injury he never quite fully recovered from and never went pro. Long ago you had a chance meeting with him after he got injured and helped give him the strength to move on after losing his dreams. He wanted to ask you out back in college, but as you were married he simply thanked you and moved on.

Your Ex Husband's older brother and your former Brother in Law: A childhood friend that's always been there to support you. He has a scary face as well as a scar from when a cat you took in clawed him in your elementary days. He's been a great uncle to your daughter and helped you throughout your divorce to his brother. A former Yankee, he's never been the brightest in terms of booksmarts. One of your most consistent memories of middle/high school was patching him up after he got into fights. He failed his college exams and became a construction worker, gradually making his way to Crew Leader through hard work. When your Ex Husband cheated on you he beat him to the point where you had to pry him off. Now their relationship has been strained ever since. Despite his imposing presence he's a coward with his emotions. He's liked you since high school but never felt he was good enough for you, especially now that you're so successful and he's just a guy in construction. On the day he graduated he gave you all the buttons from his uniform.

The bar owner of your favorite place to drink: Charming and reassuring, it's incredibly easy to open up to him. He's been there for many a night of your drunk ramblings and even relates to many of your problems as a fellow single parent. Although he never gives details on what happened to his daughter's mom, he absolutely loves to brag about his daughter (who just so happens to be your daughter's best friend). Off the clock he's surprisingly sensual and is a bit of a dirty talker. His smirk in particular can get very seductive. He has an excellent singing voice and even though he insists he's too rusty, he's very talented playing the guitar. Long ago he was actually a musician that never managed to be successful. When he became a father, his own dad taught him the ins and outs of bartending and helped him raise his daughter. His bar was actually inherited from his father. The fact that he was entrusted with it is something he cherishes greatly.

The Young College Intern: A college student shadowing your company for an internship. Due to certain circumstances you've been put in charge of him. His naivety and energy remind you very much of yourself in your youth. He has a very obvious crush on you at first sight and is very bad at hiding it. Considering your age difference you just think it's cute and don't take it seriously at all. He's the eldest of 5 siblings and shows a more serious side when it come to them. Especially now that his parents are currently working abroad for awhile. Outside of interning for your company he also attends classes and works part time. Not wanting to worry anybody he often hides any signs he's tired with a smile on his face.

(Maybe Maybe not route) Your Ex Husband and your first love: A professional comedian, actor, and show host. Along with his older brother the three of you were close growing up. He always found a way to make you laugh and smile, thats why you fell in love with him. On your 2nd year of High School he confessed to you and you started going out. He's always been somewhat childish and immature but very quickly took up responsibility when you became pregnant at 18. The marriage was a shotgun wedding sure, but the two of you were happy. It was a struggle juggling raising a daughter and your subsequent educations and careers but together you made it work. Until you caught him in bed with another woman at 26. He broke your heart and the divorce was messy, numbing you to the possibility of experiencing romantic love for years. Post divorce he's changed his last name and became estranged from the rest of his family, especially his brother. He's been doing very well for himself however and broke out in popularity soon after your divorce. But even so he never lets his busy schedule get in the way of the days he has custody and he's been trying his best to be a good father to your daughter. He seems more mature now than when you were married and you can tell that he's changed. Whether it's for the better or the worse, you don't know. His route is the only one where your daughter doesn't support you and actively objects to it.

Other Supporting Roles

Your dad: Your father whose raised you alone after your mom died in a tragic accident when you were 13. He loves you deeply and spoils his grandaughter a little bit too much. He objected to it when you first married Ex Husband but has never said "I told you so" after the divorce.

Your Daughter's Best Friend and the Bar Owner's Daughter: A sweet girl whose more shy and introverted personality compliments your daughter's well. Beautiful but dresses very plainly. She has a wonderful singing voice and sometimes works part time at her father's bar as a server.

MILF BFF #1's Husband: He loves his wife and children dearly. He was always a little bit awkward even when they were just dating and you love to tease him about that. You can tell at times that he's self conscious about being a good enough provider and husband for his wife.

Boss's Little Sister: The owner of a flower shop in town. She often worries about her big brother and his prickly personality causing misunderstandings. But she understands him well and loves him greatly. The flowers he brings to their mother's grave are oftentimes ones she's grown herself and if she has time she comes with him. Married with 2 sons, she jokes with him about if he's ever going to find anybody.

Your Former In Laws: The parents of your Ex Husband and his older brother. Your late mother and them were very close friends. Even though you've divorced from their son they still proudly call you their daughter. In fact after your divorce they've all but disowned him. They still worry about their eldest and actively compete with your father over whose your daughter's favorite grandparents.

Pro Football (Soccer) player: Another alumni from your college and a member of the pro leagues. He played with the Coach back in the day and they still remain best friends. Although happy with his job and his life, he can't help but feel guilt over him living his best friend's dreams.

Intern's sister: The 2nd eldest of the family. She's a 3rd year on highschool and has taken over a majority of the housework in their mother's absence. She negs her brother over how childish he is, but is also the first to defend him against others. She worries greatly about how he overexerts himself.