#historic fantasy

[jazz-dude]

simple man!

[possessedopossum]

Lasombra elder writes a letter to his newly embraced childe before joining the gehenna crusade on sabbat side

[theblackbookofarkera]

From the travelog Dreams of Distant Places Vol 12

[sarahowritesostucky]

📖"The Margrave's Consort"

📖Part 1 - An Honest Rendering

Rated: Teen

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes

Tags: period romance, 1800s, royalty au, nobility, arranged marriage, a/b/o, winter soldier Bucky, post-serum Steve, vampires, historical fantasy au

Summary: Lord Steven Rogers rides north with his valet Clinton, the final stretch of a journey to meet his betrothed: the Margrave of Wïnterhelm.

The Margrave of Wïnterhelm had not been seen publicly for a fortnight, when Lord Steven Rogers left by coach with his friend and valet, Clinton Barton; traveling north towards what would be his new home.

A journey that should’ve taken three days was prolonged to over twice that by foul weather conditions, much of the Northroad being made muddy and impassible after so much rain and snow, requiring an overnight stay at not one, but two roadside inns, and even a stop to repair a broken axle. 

“Banished to the far reaches of the Nӧtternland,” Steven muttered, eyeing out the carriage window at the wicked crags and hills that lined the road to either side. Up ahead, another eerie stretch of northwoods loomed like the gaping maw of some beast, waiting to swallow them whole. “No sign of life anywhere. What a wretched place.” 

“They call it the 'dead' of winter for a reason,” Clinton drawled from across the carriage where he was lying down, not deigning to pull away the handkerchief he’d draped over his eyes in fatigue. “There will of course be more to it when the seasons change.”

“Perhaps,” Steven grumbled. The pass through which they drove had grown so high at either side now that the late afternoon sunlight was all but blocked out, making the road seem misty and dark. Steven would have worried that they’d taken the wrong way, but the coachman had already stopped at a farmhouse earlier that day to reassure them of their correct path. “How much longer could this journey possibly take?” Steven complained.

“Nearly there, I’d expect,” Clinton said tiredly as he shifted on the seat with a quietly-pained grunt. “And a good thing, too. These cramped quarters are insufferable.”

Steven pursed his lips and continued to look ruefully out the window. “Perhaps we’ll be set upon by highwaymen before we can reach the castle,” he mused. He’d read a novel like that, once.

“Really? That’s what you’re hoping for?” 

Steven shrugged mulishly. “Maybe.” He was only half in jest. Highway robbers wouldn’t be such a terrible fate, at least not so terrible as the one that awaited him at Castle Barnes. 

“Dramatic,” Clinton scolded, and though Steven couldn’t see his friend’s face, he knew what the man sounded like when he was rolling his eyes full up into his skull. “You’d rather die than marry this fellow? He’s titled nobility - higher than you could ever dream to rank, your Lordship - and for whatever reason, he wants you.” Clinton chuckled. “You’d think he was a complete dog, the way you're acting.”

“He might be.”

Clinton scoffed, the handkerchief moving slightly over where his mouth was. “You have his likeness," he drawled. "Do you think the artist is such a liar? Do you think the King is?”

Steven pressed his lips together. Surreptitiously, he touched the small velvet box that rested in his pocket. It contained the miniature he’d been gifted by his betrothed. With one more quick glance to check that Clinton's face was still covered, Steven pulled the box out and flipped it open on its hinge. He touched the edge of his thumb to the painted curve of the Margrave’s jaw.  “An artist will make a sonnet of a portrait, if he’s being paid handsomely enough,” he murmured.

“Or perhaps he’s actually handsome.” 

“Perhaps.” Steven gazed down at the image of the man. He had yet to inform Clinton that he actually had met his husband-to-be once before, and thus knew well and good that the artist did not lie or exaggerate the man’s looks. 

The Margrave of Wïnterhelm was quite comely, as anyone who looked upon the painting would see. With dark hair and steel blue eyes, a stern brow and strong jaw, his was a noble countenance indeed. He didn’t look the two and forty years that he was, with no visible marks of age around his mouth or eyes shown in the rendering. Whether that was borne more of truth or an artist’s flattery remained to be seen. 

Steven had only met Ser Barnes briefly, and with nearly a decade passed since, many things could have—and likely had—changed. Steven surely had, and he could hardly fault his betrothed a bit of aging when he himself had altered his form so drastically over the past few years. He was nervous to reveal this to the Margrave, but was comforted by the notion that he would certainly not be the only one much changed by time. King Fury had, upon championing the match, made Steven aware that Ser Barnes was a veteran of the last war, and that he'd given his arm in sacrifice for the victory.

That was how Steven knew the portrait to be true in its depiction of the soldier's sigil on its coat of arms, and in the insignia the man’s epaulette bore. Only a warrior of the realm could wear the mantle of the white wolf, after all, and Steven knew that, whatever King Nicholas' faults may be, he was not one to tolerate the counterfeit of wartime merit.

The portraiture did nothing to hint at the Margrave's brutal injuries, with the shoulders and sleeves of his jacket filled out quite nicely. Steven supposed that a man of his stature would have access to some sort of prosthetic to wear underneath his clothes. In any case, it wasn’t the man’s body that had Steven so-dreading their meeting. 

It was the history that the two of them shared, and the mistruths of that history, that Steven feared would make their reunion less than felicitous. He hadn't, after all, been entirely truthful with the man, last they had met.

... Nor had he recently. With no time and little money to spare, Steven had convinced himself that there wasn't any real harm in sending the Margrave a painting of his own face and form that, while honestly-rendered a decade ago, was now very much no longer relevant.

A loud clap of thunder sounded in the distance, surprising Steven from his contemplation and causing him to snap the velvet box shut on his fingers as he gave a start. He flushed and hastily stuffed the box back in his pocket, but Clinton's half-asleep snort of surprise at the thunder was enough to let him know that he hadn't been caught mooning over his soon-to-be husband's portrait.

Steven sighed and slumped back against his seat, and by the time they'd driven into the darkened embrace of the northwoods, the rainfall kept a constant patter against the carriage roof.

Masterlist

If you liked what you read and feel so inclined, please consider dropping a tip in the Kofi🍵 cup!

This has been a fill for:

@stuckyversebingo

card: sarahyellow / sarah-writes-stucky

Square D3: 1800's

@anyfandomgoesbingo

card: sarah-writes-stucky

Square B5: Royalty AU

[rosepetaldream]

Not mentally prepared or able to process this.

Take what you want. I'll hate you for it but I'll love you forever.

Ruin me, ruin us and I'll let you.

- The Burning God, The Poppy War Series by R. F Kaung.

[erzbethluna]

I grab Baz, manoeuvring him towards a tree bole that overhangs the stream. I tuck us both amongst the arching roots. His tail, longer than his legs, folds up close. The scales slide against me, oddly smooth.  - What Remains After The Storm; Ch.6: Truths Boy oh boy, the fun I had doing this art! THEY ARE GETTING MORE CLOSE, they trust each other!! But also, this chapter is intense. Is stressful, is a whole rollercoaster! Things are starting to fall in the places they should for the story to unveil its wonders <3 I thank my lovely friend @hushed-chorus for letting me one more time be part of this wonderful story. This is being a journey, and we are kicking! Be proud of your work Demi, you are amazing!!! Please please please go read What Remains After The Storm and enjoy this wonderful lore Demi created. I'm just here doing the scribbles :D

[roleplayfinder]

22+ looking for ppl who are interested in a historic fantasy roleplay where we create a world and make a bunch of characters, talk about our characters, send pics/vids that remind us of them! etc wont do nsfw, though!! and prefer mxm

also, if you are only ok with irl face claims pls dont interact, i usually prefer describing how oc looks w/o pictures or using my own art/art i commissioned

like this if you are interested and ill dm

.

[eyestrain-addict]

I cant be the only one extremely curious how they're gonna handle being in Europe -I believe EASTERN Europe if that tidbit of an interview from Rolin is to be believed- during the 1940s. The first of Claudia's diary entries that Daniel read said something about how POWs (prisoners of war) taste bad if I remember correctly, and they were laying the ground work of WW2 in eps 6&7, so clearly it's going to be a major plot point.

I'm not upset about that I just have no idea where they're going with it, and I'm curious. Especially cus Louis and Claudia are POC. They can't go to Paris right away cus Paris hasn't been liberated yet (they left in Feb 1940 i believe) The history nerd in me is excited to see how they deal with this cus honestly all the other historic details they have had so far have been sooooo good and really put you in that setting and mix so well into the narrative.

[thequietesthing]

I just read Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross and wow... just... wow. I need to find a man like Roman C. Kitt. Like I need to.

[ronidrakaina]

4th Chapter of my Alchemy of Souls Fanfiction is out!

[ofbeastsandbutterflies]

Human girlfriend has gone feral

(Lol who’s plucking leaves out of who’s hair now??)

[possessedopossum]

Story of my Toreador`s unlife, full of religious symbolism and historical bullshit because I`m a nerd.

[theblackbookofarkera]

Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the deep study and interpretation of books, generally those of a religious nature. For the sorcerer hermeneutics is a font of power as in the words of mystical texts are hidden spells of great power.

[heavymetalseries]

A Rhapsody of Rapiers • Heavy Metal Blood

And what fate befalls the undead?

Genre • Historic Urban Fantasy

POV • Third Limited

Content Warnings • Violence

Characters • Elyes Jaouhari

Setting • Mediterranean and Barbary Coast during the Anglo-Spanish War, ~1600s

Synopsis •

Elyes Jaohari never wanted anything more than to travel. When his older brother needs a new cartographer during the Anglo-Spanish War, he jumps at the opportunity. Working under the command of English Captain Westmont, Elyes and his crew make easy work of the Spanish fleets. In exchange, Westmont promises them more money than they can count and free movement through the English world after the war. It seems like the perfect way to get everything he wants.

Until inhuman, blood-drinking monsters board the ship and slaughter most of the crew. 

There’s no time to mourn. Elyes’ brother and captain are dead. Elyes must take command and assemble a new crew to continue fighting the Spanish. 

Just when Elyes thinks it’s all finally over, Westmont turns on their deal and threatens to hunt down every member of Elyes’ new crew. In order to stop Westmont, he must become just as ruthless as his prusuer. Knowing that he will never see his family again, he sets on a path that will alter his life forever. 

A man with nothing to lose is a dangerous creature, and Elyes has everything to gain.

A Rhapsody of Rapiers

[nordiamus]

Mon projet du moment!

Renaissance est un light novel de fantasy historique, type isekai/réincarnation. Des mentions de l'univers d'H2S, mon livre de JdR, sont présente, mais il n'est absolument pas nécessaire de le connaître pour lire l'histoire. Tous vos commentaires seront les bienvenus.

Actuellement publié sur l'Atelier des Auteurs!

[sxbxb8]

Tea Time Mystery ☕