#i also refuse to believe i'm turning 26 in 4 days | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

snowinthe-south · 2 years

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I posted 2,372 times in 2022

26 posts created (1%)

2,346 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@poisonouswritings

@funnytwittertweets

@beetle-swarm

@jtownraindancer

@italoniponic

I tagged 154 of my posts in 2022

#twisted wonderland - 9 posts

#im dying - 4 posts

#last legacy - 3 posts

#i'm dying - 3 posts

#oh good lord i am loving this - 3 posts

#last legacy felix - 3 posts

#i love this - 2 posts

#*this - 2 posts

#oh good lord i love this - 2 posts

#youtube - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i love how none of the brothers questioned your sobriety in their version but in this one you got dia and sim asking if you're drunk again

My Top Posts in 2022:

Imagine Felix falling for a bookworm-MC. However, Felix is being all difficult and in denial and stuff.

"I'm NOT in love with MC!!!"

"Me, in love with MC??? HA!"

"You must have hit your head, you are talking nonsense..."

"Hey look- a bird!!!" *disappears*

MC loves books. Felix loans MC as many of his books as they want to read. But it doesn't stop their desire to have books of their own in Astraea. Their room at the Starsworn's castle (anyone wanna help a girl out and remind me of the name of this place?) is practically empty. But MC has no money... so no they have no way to buy any books.

Afew weeks later, MC ends up winning some sort of bet with Sage, and wins some money from him. They beg Felix to take them to the market.

"Please, Felix! This money is burning a hole in my pocket!"

"MC, your pocket is not on fire."

Felix finally agrees and plans a day at the market so MC can get whatever they want. Anisa and Sage decide to tag along, and the group arrives at the market. It's a beautiful day, and they soon come upon several stalls selling books. Felix takes his eyes off of MC for two seconds to admire a beautiful cover at a nearby stall.

MC is now gone.

Way to go, Felix. You took your eyes off of the bookworm.

After (not frantically) searching for MC for what feels like forever, Felix is beginning to get worried. Anisa assures him that everything is okay and the trio continue to search. Felix can't stop worrying, however, he was broken from his thoughts when he smacked right into a moving stack of books.

Wait, what?"

Oh, it's MC... carrying 20 books.

MC is just happy to have found their friends and begins a ramble about all of the book they've found. They haven't stopped talking about their hoard for several minutes and Felix is wondering how they're still carrying that many books and how aren't their arms falling off yet?

But Felix feels something deep inside of him.

He's watching MC closely, taking in every word they say. They've got a huge smile on their face, they are absolutely beaming. Their eyes are practically twinkling. And if the books weren't so heavy, one would imagine that they'd be jumping up and down, excitedly.

Anisa doesn't miss the way Felix staring at MC. However, Sage is the one to snicker and make a teasing comment.

"Felix, I saw a jeweler around the corner there. You gonna go pick out a ring, or what?"

Felix doesn't even respond to Sage's comment (though for a split second he actually considers the ring) and turns his focus back onto MC, who hasn't even stopped to take a breath. They've now placed their stack of books on the ground next to them and proceed to go through each book and talk about the synopsis and plot line and that's when Felix realizes he's in huge trouble.

And also that he's very much in love with MC.

*my very first imagine/headcanon EVER and may just very well be my only.

*written at 2:18am after two panic attacks so forgive how rushed it is, please. And any grammar mistakes.

*heavily inspired by my 5'7 weak, noodle armed self literally carrying a stack of 17 books through the bookstore this weekend because I refused to get a basket. getting a basket means I can carry more books and I was already over budget. yes, my arms still hurt very badly. and yes, it was worth it. 100% believe this kind of behavior would cause Felix to propose to me.

53 notes - Posted May 3, 2022

I'm rewatching Encanto, and my favorite song is Waiting On a Miracle. I'm also playing Twisted Wonderland while watching, and I thought of something...

youtube

MC/Yuu singing this song to themselves (like Mirabel is doing) after a big, magical ceremony. Seeing all of their friends- even Grim -in their ceremonial robes, casting spells and being praised for their unique magic. MC finally has a breaking point, not understanding *why* they were brought to Twisted Wonderland and Night Raven College, why they don't have magic and their struggle with it.

58 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

Okay, I had the DUMBEST dream, but it was also kind of funny. Granted, I don't remember a whole lot of the dream and my dreams get weird, so things may not make sense. I'll try to leave out most of the non-TWST related stuff.

My dream closely followed the plot of the Ghost Bride story, with a few variances such as;

I was in place of the MC (I know because at one point I was referred to as the Ramshackle Prefect and Grim stayed with me). However you could totally read some parts of this and replace "I" with yourself/your OC like a first-person POV if you want to laugh (or cringe)

None of the boys came even close to successfully wooing Eliza... not even MR. FREAKIN' DARCY who appeared to tell Eliza how she bewitched him body and soul 💀

Puffy never showed up and won Eliza's heart (or lack thereof?)

The ceremony had actual guests outside of the ghost court, and a lot of the guests were other students who were there for entertainment

Crowley simply gave up at some point and he and the other faculty members attended the wedding (aka Idia's funeral)

Jamil, Kalim, and Malleus were frozen because they stepped in to try and help- if I recall, they never showed up for Ghost Bride because Jamil couldn't risk Kalim's safety and Malleus couldn't cause a controversy?

I'll begin where the chaos started.

So I (Yuu), Grim, and Ortho were the only ones who hadn't been frozen by Eliza out of the students who were actively trying to help. We were reaching the point of desperation- Grim however made a comment that we reached desperation when we decided to send in ACE. 💀

The three of us were trying to figure out what to do, and Ortho made another threat about simply blowing up the school (damn Ortho, chill) and I said something along the lines of, "calm down kid. I know you're scared to lose your family member but you are being really dramatic right now" And that's when I solved the problem. Like... "kid... family member... THAT'S IT! I know what to do!"

I made Grim and Ortho follow me, and we ran to the Cinema Club's room and got a few things. There was a whole bunch of junk but I remember a ring, a baby blanket and bonnet, and a pillow. I changed out of my uniform into casual clothes and shoved the pillow in my shirt to resemble a pregnant lady... Ortho put on some childish clothes- think propeller hat and a dinosaur shirt. I put on the ring, shoved Grim into the bonnet and swaddled him, and we then rushed back to the "wedding".

We ran right past the ghost guards and anytime they tried to stop us I just yelled "UNLESS YOU WANT TO PAY IDIA'S CHILD SUPPORT I SUGGEST YOU GET OUT OF MY WAY" and the ghosts just faded away each time, saying "I'm so sorry ma'am". 💀

We burst through the doors and before anyone had a chance to react I yelled "IDIA HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

I was sobbing and had mascara running down my cheeks, so at some point I must've applied a ton of it...

Eliza was not amused... she was very irritated and asked "who are you?!" and yelled that I was interrupting her wedding. I replied "I'm not here for you! I'll deal with you in a moment you homewrecker" and marched closer to Idia with Ortho holding my hand and Grim being cradled in my other arm. I yelled at Idia through my (fake) sobs, "WE HAVE TWO BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN A BLESSING ON THE WAY AND A LIFE TOGETHER HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!"

I distinctly remember Ruggie being the one to yell "WHAT THE F***?" at my proclamation

Idia was so freakin' stunned he couldn't form coherent sentences. And when Ortho looked at Eliza and said "why are you taking my daddy away from us" Idia just started bawling.

Eliza gasped and looked between Idia and the three of us, and she said "you have kids?!"

I held up my hand with the ring and said "AND A WIFE."

"B-but he isn't wearing a wedding band!"

"That's because he never wears it! He's ashamed of us."

I don't remember all of the dialog around this part, but I said something about Idia trying to claim that the kids weren't his, before pointing at Ortho and going "YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT THIS CHILD DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HIM. "

Cue Idia mumbling "well *that* thing definitely isn't mine" in reference to Grim, who chose that moment to start WAILING. I gelled back something along the lines of "Deuce and I only had an emotional affair"

To which Deuce choked upon hearing.

Eliza started crying and apologizing to me, stating that she couldn't possibly take love away from someone else. If anyone has ever seen The Corspe Bride, it was very reminiscent of Emily's ending lines.

I replied back with "it isn't your fault... he goes after anything that's willing to give him the time of day. I'd let you have him if he didn't owe me money for the kids, but you don't want to end up with a cheater like I did."

Cater shouted "YOU DESERVE BETTER GIRL!"

I somehow convinced Eliza to leave Night Raven College and she unfroze everyone before doing so. After she and her court left, the room stayed silent for a few minutes because everyone was busy trying to process what the hell just happened. Floyd was the first to break the silence, absolutely dying laughing and trying to congratulate Idia on his marriage and children. Some of the other students were snickering too. Some were just plain in shock.

Idia just kind of crumpled to the floor. I took the pillow out from underneath my shirt and threw it at him, laughing and stating "I'm never doing that ever again, so you need to be careful not to attract anymore ghosts, okay?"

See the full post

60 notes - Posted September 18, 2022

This is only my second attempt at writing an imagine/headcanons.

Also, I can concur with what I see a lot of people complaining about: writing on mobile, sucks.

***Spoilers mainly for Felix's route, just for Rime's part of the post. Small spoilers though, nothing crazy.

Life is great. The LoS has been defeated and Astraea is safe. MC has decided to stay in Astraea to be with their LI of choice and not return to earth. They've officially been in Astraea for over a year. Life is good.

Until MC gets amnesia. Either from an accidental spell or a blow to the head. They've lost all of their memories of Astraea, their adventures, and their loved ones. The last thing they remember is the convention before they were ripped from away from earth, and even then the details are foggy.

Felix is a total wreck. He and MC were practically inseparable. If you saw Felix somewhere, MC was probably just a few feet away, and vice versa. They were never apart, and they liked it that way. So for Felix, to go from always having MC at his side to them being strangers... it was very hard for him.

It was almost like the whole Rime situation again, just in a different manner. It takes a toll on his mental health.

Felix works nonstop, searching for a spell to recover MC's memories, and even begs his father for help. But to no avail, MC's memories are gone. They don't even remember their first time meeting Felix.

Felix soon accepts that his only option is to take care of MC and let their relationship come again naturally. They were rather close, after all. It will happen... it has to.

But Felix cannot silence the nagging thought in the back of his head, his insecurities telling him "it was a miracle that they fell for you the first time..."

Felix doesn't try to force the memories, nor does he let them affect the current dynamic between him and MC. But one day they were in the study, reading together on the couch, and MC drifted off to sleep on Felix's shoulder. It took everything in him not cry, because they used to do that all the time. The faint familiarity of it hurt Felix, because it only reminded him of the memories lost.

Despite the trauma and turmoil Felix had to face regarding MC's amnesiac state, he never gave up on them. Not once. And every tear, every sleepless night, every struggle was worth it when MC shyly took hold of Felix's hand during a walk. In that moment, he knew everything was going to be okay.

Anisa tries to put on a brave face. Of course on the inside she feels like her heart has been torn out. She and MC were about as a close as two people can get, they were friends, and then partners. Now they're strangers- at least, they are to MC.

After being advised to not try and force memories back, Anisa does her best to keep things as casual as possible. But it's so hard for her to not take MC's hand when they're walking through the town. And she catches herself staring off at MC with a lovesick expression more often than she'd care to admit.

Despite the internal struggles, Anisa is probably the one who would handle the situation the best. Don't get me wrong, she struggles immensely, and there are definitely tears. But she keeps a positive attitude, knowing that MC is still the same person that fell in love with her, and she still loves them immensely.

Her mother does her best to help. And by that, I mean she subtly tries to play matchmaker in an attempt to set MC and Anisa up (again). It's quite comedic, MC walking into a definitely not romantic dinner with candles and a violinist and flowers and Anisa standing there like "I didn't do this I swear."

It was hard for Anisa to open up to MC the first time, she's got demons she feels like she needs to hide. But she feels relief when she remembers that MC never judged her before, so they wouldn't judge her now.

It takes time, but they grow to be quite close again. Anisa's patience pays off the day MC turns to her and says, "I think I'm in love with you."

Sage takes it the the worst, no doubt there. He stayed closed off for years, fighting to keep every little skeleton in his closet hidden. Never opening up, never revealing his secrets or speaking of his past. MC fought so hard to gain Sage's trust, to get him to let them in. And all for nothing... they're gone now.

Sage is fully aware it's still the MC he fell for. It's them... but it's also not.

He will never forget the pain he felt when he went to embrace MC that horrid day and they looked at him with a confused expression before asking who he was.

He spent the next few days under the impression this was just a cruel, cruel joke being played on him. After he realized it wasn't a joke, he convinced himself it was a nightmare. A horrible nightmare.

He avoids MC. It hurts far too much. Sage makes an excuse to leave the room every time they come in, and he stays out on missions for longer periods of time.

Tulsa, Anisa, Felix, even Rime all have to keep Sage from drinking himself to death.

Sage comes to his senses one day when MC grabs his wrist to stop him from leaving the room, asking "why do you hate me so much?"

After that, Sage sticks around and basically becomes MC's bodyguard. He doesn't leave their side and becomes very protective over them. He doesn't try and force memories back, but unlike Anisa and Felix he does spend a lot of time telling MC about the time they spent together with him- just leaving out any romantic aspects (and also overhyping himself in the stories).

He finally works up the courage to ask MC out one night. "Like on an actual date?... you, Sage, wanna go out with me???"

See the full post

132 notes - Posted May 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Professor Laveton is basically Akari and Rei's dad. Sorry, I don't make the rules. imagine him being like, "hmm... I wonder where the kids are."

Cue Akari dropping 100ft after diving out of Braviary's basket thing. Cue the Professor screaming. Akari calls Braviary again once she's a few feet away from the ground. Just barely saving herself from, you know, dying. Professor Laventon is white as a ghost and on the verge of a heart attack. He glances over to Akari's Typhlosion, who is standing next to him, and it looks incredibly proud of it's human.

Not giving poor Laventon any time to recover, Rei runs past the camp, and he's getting chased by an Alpha Parasect and a bunch of Paras. His starter pokemon is nowhere to be found, having fled, leaving it's trainer to his fate. Because Parasect and Paras are scary.

Imagine Professor Laventon's horror. Imagine Professor Laventon's face as he cries out "MY BABIES! THEY'RE GONNA DIE!" before passing out.

He has to be carried back to Jubilife City. Cyllene doesn't speak to him for a week. But she does however, ground Rei and Akari for two weeks.

320 notes - Posted February 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#I love how my two most used tags are I'm dying and then Im dying no apostrophe #Youtube

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takingyournarrative · 3 years

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thank you for tagging me @curiousserpent <3 tagging umm @folkgirlhero @honeybee-apocalypse 1. How many works do you have on AO3? 26, though my old account also has 7 more

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 156,528 :)

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? and turn the white snow red definition half as beautiful, too do you no harm what if the sea loved you back?

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? yes! people are rly nice and i want to thank them. also it's nice talking to people about the stories and characters that i care about <3

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? mmm above the hollow place, though people were really incensed about the end of dark honey from the dying day for some reason

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? the end of it's well worth it all, but specifically as the ending to the series it's from as a whole since it wouldn't have the same weight as a happy ending without its predecessor gjfsbgj

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written? does gerry, michael, and the not!suez canal count?

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic? nope <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? no just ridiculous amounts of gratuitous kissing all the time <3

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not to my knowledge 👀

11. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? yes! and am currently cowriting more :) <3

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship? have a wild guess. i dare you.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? maybe the sequel to my fae au? though i refuse to believe i'll never finish anything, it could well happen!

15. What are your writing strengths? idk sentence pretty

16. What are your writing weaknesses? plot ... also i think i'd like to write characters a lot more complex and well-developed than i do

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? for myself, none, as i don't speak any other languages (</3) and wouldn't dare to try. i don't think i've actually read many fics with non-english dialogue, but i like other languages so that's very cool as far as i'm concerned.

18. What’s the first fandom you wrote for? Stand Still: Stay Silent

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? do you no harm, easily, though the mutual jeopardy makes me feel safer is competition

#this was fun #thank you :)#also like #define 'writing for a fandom'#because before ssss i did write what was essentially hound of the baskervilles fanfic but that was for a school assignment

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shipmistress9 · 5 years

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FTLOAP - 40: If I'm Not Made For You Then Why Does My Heart Tell Me That I Am?

Fandom: HTTYD

Theme: Hiccstrid - Medieval-style AU - Romance - Angst/Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Reduced to little more than a stable boy, Hiccup, despite his noble birth, has few prospects for more in life. But when he meets a girl who came to look at the horses, being a stable boy might not be enough anymore. Together, they have tough choices to make and great risks to navigate if they want to survive and be together.

Rating: Explicit

FF-net - AO3 -

Discord-server for discussions and questions

Part 1: Prologue; Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11;

Part 2: Chapter 12; Chapter 13; Chapter 14; Interlude 1; Chapter 15; Chapter 16; Chapter 17; Chapter 18; Chapter 19; Chapter 20; Chapter 21; Chapter 22; Chapter 23; Chapter 24; Chapter 25; Chapter 26; Interlude 2; Chapter 27: Chapter 28 ; Chapter 29 ; Chapter 30; Chapter 31; Chapter 32; Interlude 3; Bonus 1; Chapter 33

Part 3: Chapter 34; Chapter 35; Chapter 36; Interlude 4; Chapter 37; Chapter 38; Chapter 39

Alpha/Co-author: @athingofvikings

. – * – _ . o O o . _ – * – .

AN: This chapter... I'm incredibly curious about the reactions! It contains more scenes that have been planned for nearly a year, some were even already written out since November! And... well, I hope that I'm able to get across what's important for me in this chapter. I'll see...

Also, in November, I posted a small spoiler on Tumblr. I was asked to put a warning for when that spoiler would come into play, so that's what I'm going to do now. THIS is the chapter where that spoiler line comes up.

This week's title comes from the song If You're Not The One by Daniel Bedingfield. Ever since this song first came out, it's been one of my all-time-favourites. But it actually took me a while to discover how well it fits this story, especially at this point. I admit that, in the end, it even inspired an additional scene near the end of this chapter. You'll see what I mean.

. o O o .

“Eret? Do you want to marry me?”

After she’d realised what Snotlout was doing, Astrid had wondered about that insanity for a couple of days now. His behaviour had become more obvious – and more obnoxious – with every time they met, and by now, it was impossible for her to pretend it wasn't happening.

He was flirting with her. There really was no other way to describe it, and even though she'd always thought fondly of him, she now couldn't help but cringe whenever she saw him. A part of her wondered how other women before her had endured and even enjoyed his attention – but she also recognised how different his behaviour toward her was from how he'd acted toward others. He was so sure, overconfident even. He obviously knew about the King's wish of her marrying one of the ducal heirs and seemed to think that advertising himself like this would make her choose him.

But did he really want to marry her? She still couldn't believe it, couldn't even think about it without dismay. How could one of her brothers want to marry her? No matter how long she thought about it, it made no sense, and eventually she acknowledged that thinking on her own wouldn’t get her anywhere.

Meeting Eret had been pure chance but a welcome distraction. It was early in the morning, hours before today's tournament would begin, and she'd wanted to enjoy at least a small sense of freedom by taking a walk over the castle's grounds. Now, they sat near Lake Vola, with Tuff acting as chaperone from a distance, and enjoyed both the peace and the comfort. But she didn’t want to waste such an opportunity.

At her question, Eret, who was lying on a sunny but likely not-entirely-dry patch of grass next to the low stone wall where she sat, cracked one eye open and tilted his head to throw her a funny look. After a moment, he returned to his former relaxed position though, eyes closed and head resting on his arms behind his head. “You know, Swanja… In your current position, you should be careful with a question like this,” he said, sounding utterly unperturbed. “One might think you just proposed to me.”

Astrid rolled her eyes and made a half-annoyed and half-amused noise. Eret would know better, after all. “Don’t be daft. You know what I mean.”

Sighing, he turned his head to look at her in earnest. “Yes, I know what you mean. But the answer is not as easy as the question.”

Astrid wanted to snort. She'd fully expected Eret would laugh and answer with a resolute ‘No!’. He had to be joking, right? Because it was insane and impossible and… and…

Except that he didn’t look as if he was joking.

He seemed to notice her bafflement, because he sighed once more and made himself comfortable again before he gave her an explanation. “I see that’s not the answer you’ve expected,” he began, strangely quiet. “And I’ll admit I didn’t expect to have this kind of talk today. But it’s better than not talking about it, I guess…” He paused, gazing into the light blue sky overhead as if it was the most interesting piece of art he’d ever seen. “I’m not in love with you, if that’s what you meant,” he eventually went on. “That hasn’t changed.”

Astrid nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. They’d already been through that three years ago, after all. After Thuggory’s constant teasing over the span of one summer about how close they were and what a cute couple they would make, they’d almost believed it themselves. What followed had been a few awkward days of blushing, of averting eyes and stiff conversations – until they’d decided to put their feelings to the test. They’d kissed, the whole program with gazing into each other’s eyes and cradled faces, with lips and tongues. And then, they had decided that was definitely not what was between them.

Thinking back, the thought made her smirk inwardly. Kissing Eret had felt weird, unnatural. Not really unpleasant, if she was honest; just… not right. And now, comparing that kiss back then with how it had felt to kiss–

Stop right there!

“So, you don’t want to marry me?” she asked, mainly to force her thoughts into another direction. She couldn’t think about that, not now. Not ever again.

“I… didn’t say that,” Eret muttered, still refusing to look at her.

He wasn’t making any sense. “What do you want then?” The question came out more aggressive than intended, but Astrid wasn’t in the mood for beating around the bush, not now, not after everything. She was tired, having cried for almost the entire night again, tired of the games, tired of the verbal dancing and indirect responses. By Thor, she was going to get a straight answer out of someone, even if she had to shake it out of them!

“What I want...” Eret scoffed. “Since when does it matter what anyone of us wants?” He sighed again, shaking his head, and Astrid knew all too well how he felt… “If it were about doing what we want, Dagur and I would just… leave. We’d go, and start a simple life somewhere far away.” Now, Eret threw her a wary glance, as if to see how she would react. But even though the words surprised her, Astrid was beyond showing any reactions, especially not emotionally, and after a minute of silence, Eret continued in a softer tone.

“We’ve even talked it through, you know? What we’d do if we had the options… We’d go somewhere remote where people wouldn’t know who we are. We’d approach the local lord, get a land tenancy, settle down. Build a paddock for a couple of horses and a garden, maybe an orchard. I’d earn us some money by breeding and breaking in horses for the locals, and Dagur would distil his own alcohol from the fruits in our garden.” He chuckled weakly. “It would be a simple life, without much luxury to speak of. Calm.”

Astrid swallowed. “That sounds beautiful,” she whispered. Eret's words reminded her of other plans, other ‘what if's’…

Quickly, she again shook those thoughts off and concentrated on Eret and his words again. On how they puzzled her. She’d always thought Eret and Dagur wouldn’t mind becoming the next Grand Dukes.

“Right?” Eret agreed, but then shook his head. “But it’s nothing but idle dreams. We can’t just drop our responsibilities and leave our homelands in such a chaos. We wouldn’t want to do that. Lavo would become Head of House Jag’r, and while he’s a good man, he’s certainly not a good leader. And House Berserker… If Dagur doesn’t inherit his father’s title, Hel herself will show up down in Southshore to collect the bodies.”

Again, Astrid nodded; the precarious situation with the two Grand Dukedoms was well-known to her, after all.

Eret let out a deep breath. “But that’s not what you wanted to hear right?” He slightly shook his head, lips twisted into a grimace. “The thing is… we eventually have to marry one day. If we stayed bachelors forever, we could simply continue like now, spending time together every now and then. But for the sake of sustaining a line of heritage, we can’t inherit if we refuse to ever marry. And once we’re married…” He shrugged, and Astrid remembered the words she’d heard some nights before.

Marriage is a sacred vow, and one does not break it. I won’t turn you into an adulteress.

Astrid felt as if she couldn’t breathe, the memories like a crushing ring around her chest. But luckily, Eret didn’t seem to notice.

“You asked whether I’d even want to marry you,” he went on, suddenly sounding eerily solemn. “And the honest answer would have to be yes. Yes, I’d like to marry you. Not because I love you, and I’m sorry about that. But marrying for love has never been a real option for us, so I’d opt for the second-best choice – marrying my best friend.” He turned to give her a brief smile, but then continued to stare into the distance. “You’re my best option for a good future. I mean… I know that I won’t be the best of husbands. But unlike any other wife Father could pick for me, you at least already know that. You know that I won’t be your ardent lover. You wouldn’t be disappointed or angry. Or at least I hope you wouldn’t be.” He swallowed, and when he continued to speak, finally looking at her after all, he sounded incredibly vulnerable.

“If you were to choose me, Swanja, then I can promise you that I’d be a good and loyal partner to you. We’d live a happy life together. I won’t be your lover, but I'd be your partner, your friend. I’d do my best to hopefully be a good father to our children, and I’m certain I’d treat you better than most of your other suitors. And... and the same goes for Dagur, if you were to choose him.”

It seemed like Eret was waiting for a reaction, but Astrid was unable to speak, stunned. He was serious!

Eventually, he exhaled a deep breath, and pushed himself up on his legs. With his back turned toward her, he said, “I do love you, Swanja, just not like that. And I want you to be happy. If… if you have someone else in mind, someone you want to choose for yourself... then by all means, please do so. Neither Dagur nor I want you to be miserable for our sake. We will all go our way, one way or the other. But know that we are an option, and hopefully not the worst there is. I’d be happy and proud to bring you back to Eastervale as my wife, and I dare say that living at our stud farm would suit you.”

And with these words, he left her.

For she couldn’t say how long, Astrid sat on that low wall, eyes unseeingly cast over the lake's calm surface, as tears ran down her cheeks in never-ending streams. Gods, she was such an idiot, had only thought of her own problems.

But Eret was right… For all her life, she’d been prepared for a loveless political marriage. And yes, if she couldn’t marry the man she loved…

...then her best friend would certainly be a good second choice.

. o O o .

For once, she didn't need to ponder endlessly. In fact, it was more as if she’d known what to do for a long while already without being able to see it. But when she reached the fighting ground a couple of hours later and saw him hustling about among the other squires and, as always, not even once glancing in her direction… it all became crystal clear. He wasn't an option anymore – and maybe never had been. She would have to pick another path, one that, hopefully, would be bearable.

She paused in her steps, pondering for one last moment, and then gestured Tuff to follow her. Instead of directly going toward her usual seat under the pavilion, she headed for the large tent where the men were getting ready for their fights. Many eyes turned toward her when she entered, confusion and anticipation in most of them, and the tent fell completely silent.

"Sir Eret?" she called out as firmly and clearly as she could manage. "May I asked you to keep me company today?"

Eret met her eyes with an unreadable look, but nodded after a seemingly endless heartbeat. “Of course, your Highness.” He took off his heavy gloves and handed them, his helmet, and his sword to his squier before following her. And not even now, he would look at her.

Astrid’s lips twitched, but she quickly turned away, and, with Eret at her side, made her way toward her pavilion.

At first, they sat in heavy silence, but eventually, Eret audibly cleared his throat. “Are you sure about this, Swanja?” he asked in a subdued voice.

He didn’t need to elaborate; the meaning of his words was clear enough to her. Her inviting one or more of her suitors to sit with her during the tournament when they weren’t fighting was something she was allowed to do. Without a doubt, it was considered an honour, but the fact that she had never bestowed it on anyone before made her singling out Eret now even more noticeable. She could practically feel the countless eyes on them, could hear the hushed whispers all around the arena. But she didn’t care for any gossip her action might start. She’d never cared about the rumours they’d caused by acting like a couple. At least this time the rumours would be true.

She swallowed, and, unable to meet Eret’s eyes, instead gazed down at her hands in her lap. “You were right,” she whispered. “Marrying for love has never been a real option for either of us. So I’m going to pick the option with the best prospect of happiness and follow the path everyone apparently wants me to take anyway.” Now, she looked up after all and threw him a tentative smile. At least, she wouldn’t have to pretend with Eret. They weren’t in love and never would be. But they would give each other comfort and that had to be enough.

He returned her smile and, as if to prove her thoughts right, reached for her gloved hand and squeezed it. It made her smile turn a shade brighter. Yes, they didn’t love each other. But friendship was a good basis for marriage too, right?.

They watched the first rounds of the melee without saying anything more. Five times, ten men entered the arena and fought until nine had either been knocked prone, unconscious, or had a wound sufficient to spatter the grass with blood. Snot’s turn was in the second round, and he won without any difficulties, sending his opponents sprawling or bashing their faces in so that their noses bled freely onto the grass. There was something to his boasting after all, Astrid reminded herself as he blew her a kiss across the arena before he left it. Growing up in Westhill had turned him into a better fighter than most.

Then it was Eret’s and Dagur’s turn to fight, and it wasn’t until she saw the other eight fighters all ganging up on them that she realised what her open act of favouring Eret had done. Now he had a target on his back, and more than once she gasped or froze when one fighter launched at him. People died in these tournaments! What if someone managed to injure, maybe even kill him, just to get him out of the way? It would be her fault, and hers alone.

She watched the fight with more attention than she had before – and also with a fair bit of anxiety. But her worries were unfounded... for now at least. With Dagur and Eret fighting back to back, the other men had no chance and when it was only the two of them left, they shared a look, a handshake, and then Dagur went to his knee, placing his weapon to Eret’s feet.

The sight made her throat tighten even further. To everyone else watching, it would look like Dagur forfeiting to the Princess’s favourite, probably in hopes of gaining her good will for the future. But Astrid knew it was more than that. So much more… It wasn’t just Dagur giving the victory of this melee to his friend. It was him freely giving up his lover, giving in to the inevitable without struggling and without hard feelings. He knew that he’d lost, and what he’d lost, on the altar of the Kingdom’s Hel-spawned politics. If Astrid would have had any tears left, she’d have cried.

When Eret returned to her after being cleaned up and his armour having been removed, he seemed weaker and more beaten than the fight alone would explain. This time, it was she who placed her hand on his lower arm, in an attempt to comfort him but also to apologise. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled weakly.

She was relieved when Eret placed his hand over hers and asked, “For what?”

“For everything. For making you a target and… and for…” She didn’t dare to phrase the rest, to mention Dagur. Her pavilion offered a certain amount of privacy so that she didn’t expect anyone to overhear their low conversation, but that wasn’t the point anyway. She didn’t want to hurt Eret further.

He hissed out a low and unamused laugh, almost a pained groan, but gave her a reassuring smile nonetheless. “Don’t worry,” he replied. “We always knew it couldn’t last. And as for the target… You don’t need to worry about that either. It’s not that much different than before. They always knew me, Dag, and Snot where your most likely choices, so not that much changed now. Besides, as much as they want to see me defeated… well, let’s just say that my status still offers a certain amount of protection. They wouldn’t dare to attack one of us for real, simply out of fear of repercussions.”

Astrid nodded, but only felt slightly eased by his words. There had been too many accidents already. “I hope you’re right,” she sighed. “And… and I hope this wasn’t the wrong decision – for both our sakes.”

He squeezed her hand once more and scooted a little closer to her. It was weird in a way how easy it was to just continue their usual comfortable closeness under these strangest of circumstances. But then, that was part of why she’d made this decision. She knew Eret, knew that they got along. There’d never been any real shyness or awkwardness between them, and she was relieved that that hadn’t changed.

“We’ll see,” he eventually replied. “But at least we know that Daniel will be pleased.”

There was a certain bitterness in Eret’s voice at these words, one that made her frown in confusion. “What makes you think that?” So far, she hadn’t spent much time thinking about Daniel, not beyond the burning pain she felt over his betrayal.

Eret snorted, and made a vague waving gesture between the two of them. “Well, this is what he wanted, what he’d planned for all along.”

“He… what?”

Now, Eret grimaced, but also noticeably put in an effort to stay calm as he explained. “Oh, he didn’t tell me anything, in case you were wondering,” he scoffed with the same bitter tone as before. “But after that announcement on your birthday and realising that he knew about all this… it started to make sense, you know? A while ago, he became strangely gloomy from one day to the other, and there were so many things he said before he left, things that made me wonder what was on his mind. It all started a few days after Dagur’s accolade. The day we first went to meet Cami, remember?”

Astrid sucked in a breath at those words, but instantly shut her mind down. No, no, no. She didn’t want to remember that day, couldn’t bear it. The first night they’d talk more openly, the first time he’d touched her…

Her hands were trembling, but if Eret noticed, he didn’t react. He just went on with his explanation, suppressed anger tinting his voice, and she was grateful for the distraction.

“Daniel was supposed to come with us, but was forced to cancel his appointment when he received a note. I don’t know what it was about, but it was then when he changed. Late that night, we met him in the corridors. He wouldn’t tell us what bothered him, only that we would learn about it soon enough, that it was better if we didn’t know right away… and that he ‘very much counts on my loyalty for all this to end well’. I didn’t know what he meant back then, but now… And there were other comments, too. Like how he asked me to keep an eye on you until he comes back from Westhill. Or how he blatantly asked us whether we could imagine getting married anytime soon when we all went to the tavern that last night.” He swallowed thickly. “All those small things came back to me lately, but they only started to make sense when… when I talked to Hiccup the other day. Apparently, Daniel told him that he was hoping for us to marry. That we would be good for each other.”

At the mention of his name, Astrid’s mind turned numb out of sheer reflex, but there was still a small functioning part that registered what Eret was telling her. That Daniel apparently hadn’t been happy about this plan and that he’d hoped for her to find comfort and solace with Eret, her best friend. A sob tore itself from her body, making her shiver and tremble, and this time, Eret noticed. His hand around hers tightened, offering her comfort from amidst his own pain and sending a wave of gratitude through her hurting soul.

They didn’t speak much more until the tournament was over, but the companionable silence was proof enough to her. Living with Eret would be effortless. It would be good. Not what either of them truly wanted but better than the alternatives

Daniel had been right, she realised with a grimace. She and Eret were good for each other, the best option they had to ever live a somewhat happy life. Even with how betrayed she felt, she still couldn’t shake off a budding sense of gratefulness that her brother had at least planned this far. And he couldn’t have known better, after all. Daniel didn’t know about the feelings Eret and Dagur had for each other, didn’t know about her and… and… him. He didn’t know how much pain this solution brought to so many people he cared about. But he was right in that it still was the best solution they had.

When the tournament was over, she accompanied Eret back to the tent. She’d meant to directly move on to her own rooms, to get ready for tonight’s dinner. She expected it to be an awkward meal, with the older man congratulating them and the younger all suffering. Idly, she wondered how Snot would behave now, but quickly decided that she didn’t care.

Especially not when someone else stepped into their path all of a sudden.

Nervously biting her lip, she met Dagur’s gaze, expecting to see hurt and pain or maybe anger in his eyes. He, too, had been hurt by this development after all. But he, who always wore his heart on his sleeve, now wouldn’t let his feelings show. He made a hesitant step toward her, even had a small smile on his face, and pulled her into one of his usual bear hugs once Eret had let go of her arm.

Overwhelmed, she clutched at his back, and couldn’t keep herself from sobbing into his tunic. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered against his shoulder. “So, so, sorr–”

“Shh, shh, it’s all right, little sis,” he interrupted her in an equally low voice. “I wasn’t expecting anything else. And I won’t embarrass either of us by asking you to make him happy, but… But I’m asking you to both be happy, okay? As happy as you can be.”

She sobbed again and for a heartbeat clung even tighter to him before they let go of each other. She took a step away when Dagur turned to Eret next, giving them a bit of privacy, when she noticed another figure standing a few steps behind Dagur.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t move. He only looked at her with those incredibly green eyes of his, really looked at her for the first time in days. It made her freeze, with only a fleeting thought about how Dagur and Eret hopefully would be too occupied with each other to pay them any attention. She held his gaze and tried to convey what she felt. Not her pain, but an apology. The apology for, finally and ultimately, betraying their bond and turning down every plan they might have had. She expected to receive some form of pained accusation in return, but none of that happened.

Instead, he just stood there, a weak smile around his lips that wouldn’t reach his eyes, and nodded.

. o O o .

That night, Astrid stayed awake for a long time, but in opposition to past nights, she didn’t cry. She felt too empty for that. Her eyes were fixed on the wooden figurine in her hands, the one that resembled Markor and that he had given her.

“It’s not much, I suppose. But it’s something… personal? Something to remember me by when I can’t be here with you anymore.”

His words rang clear and true through her mind, but for once the pain didn’t hit her as hard as she’d expected. ‘...when I can’t be here with you anymore...’ He’d only meant the months of separation, but now, it felt so much more relevant. Without her help, her hand wandered to her chest, the other caressing over the smooth wood. No matter how much she wished it would be otherwise, she could still feel his warmth in her chest; even though the blazing inferno had simmered down like a glowing coal. A reminder of the former fire that would never extinguish.

“I will always love you, Hiccup,” she whispered into the darkness of the night. It was a last confession before she stowed the wooden figurine away into her treasure coffer. “Goodbye, my love.”

Then she went to bed, determined to move on. From now on, she wouldn’t let herself be in pain all the time anymore. Her mind and soul were so frail and thin by now; more pain would eventually break her apart. So she clung to the only solace left to her. She would be Eret’s bride now, and… and it was good that way. The only path she could take.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep – even as the small part deep inside her was still screaming. And she couldn’t make it stop.

. o O o .

Hiccup hadn’t expected for the pain to be this unrelenting. He’d expected that it would take time, time before he could even consider getting over her. He had expected that seeing her at Eret’s side, her arm wound through his and their obvious closeness, wouldn’t exactly help either. But the reality was so much worse. No matter how many days had passed or how often he’d seen them together since her open preference during that tournament, it was still like sharp pokes to an open wound. Over and over he told himself that it was good, that it was better this way, the best he could hope for for her. And it was! He knew that it was the truth. In Eret’s presence, she was less tense, at least a little more at ease.

But it hurt!

Because he remembered the time, not too long ago, when all he’d wanted was to be the one to make her happy one day, and the constant reminder of how that would never happen felt like getting stabbed over and over and over again.

Every time he felt her presence or spotted her amidst the crowd, all he wanted was to tear out his heart in the hopes that it would make the pain go away. There was a voice in his head that was constantly screaming at him, “Wrong, wrong, wrong. This is wrong, all of it!”, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t smother it. It was tearing him apart.

The worst were the nights. When he was laid out on the couch in Eret’s rooms, so close to where she was, under the same roof and on the same floor even, and yet unable to ever be with her again, he felt the full weight of their loss. It pressed down on his chest like someone sitting there and keeping him from breathing. More than once, he’d caught himself idly playing with her key, which he still wore around his neck on a simple leather cord. He’d thought about taking it off multiple times already but he’d never found the strength to actually do so. He knew that he should, that holding on to it was only his weakness of not being able to fully let her go. It was him clinging to some elusive hope that only kept cutting and hurting him over and over again. Occasionally, he even caught himself getting up, a half-baked plan to sneak through the corridors and into her rooms in his sleepy mind. If only he could see her, talk to her, hold her one more time. Odin, he would do everything if only it meant they would get another chance.

But there was nothing for him to do.

All he could do was watching her attend one event after the other, with Eret always at her side, and remind himself that this was the only way for her to be happy.

. o O o .

“Ah, good evening, Sir Eret,” Fyrir Mala greeted them as they entered Freya’s Temple a few days later. “Sir Dagur, Lord Hiccup. Welcome. You can go right through to Cami’s rooms; she’s already waiting for you.” She nodded at them all with a friendly smile which they all returned dutifully – even as neither of them truly felt like smiling.

More than anything else, Hiccup felt weird to be here again, even though he probably should have seen it coming. Eret’s and Dagur’s days were numbered, so it wasn't really a surprise that they'd wanted to ‘visit Cami’ as long as they could. And of course, they’d invited him to come along too, just like they’d always done. They didn’t know about his own pain after all.

But right now he dreaded the thought of Cami and interacting with her, of the conversations that would inevitably come up. Of how unexpected it was that they were all still here after all, of the latest developments in Eret's life… and her usual questions after his lady love once Eret and Dagur retreated. Because he didn't feel strong enough to lie, to make up some tale about how they enjoyed the reprieve, no, certainly not. Instead, he felt brittle, as if he'd break apart and crumble at even the slightest nudge. He’d even welcome that over the constant pain.

But of course, he wouldn’t simply fall apart and stop existing. There was no way to escape the inevitable.

“Oh, dear Freya!” Cami exclaimed as soon as they entered her rooms and the door closed behind them. She threw herself around Eret’s and Dagur’s necks, pulling them into a tight hug. “I’ve heard what happened, of course I have. And… I know everyone else would deem congratulations in order–” she pulled Eret a little tighter “–but I’m so sorry! For both of you. How are you feeling?”

Carefully but firmly, Dagur and Eret pried themselves out of her arms. They looked miserable and Hiccup was once more reminded of how he wasn’t the only one in pain. As much as he might want to hate Eret for having everything Hiccup wanted – he just couldn’t. Eret was as much a victim of this entire scheme as he and she were, and he was suffering from it too.

“What do you think how we feel?” Dagur asked, noticeably missing his usual joyfulness. “Even with always knowing that it would eventually come to this, it’s…” he broke off, and turned away from them, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Hiccup almost expected he’d turn away further when Eret stepped toward him to place his hand on his lover’s shoulder. But instead, Dagur sighed, relaxed, and leaned into the touch, and Hiccup couldn’t help but look away at their moment of intimacy. Yes, they were both suffering just like him.

“I’m sorry,” Cami said again, sounding truly miserable, but Eret cut her off directly.

“It’s all right. Dag’s right, we knew it couldn’t last. All we can do now is make the best of it.”

“I sure hope you do,” Dagur threw back, an odd mixture of sadness, joking, and sincerity in his voice. “If I hear only one complaint from Swanja about you, I’m going to come and rip off your head!”

Eret chuckled, if a little strained. “Hey, I already tried to do her a favour by convincing her father to arrange that ride tomorrow. I mean, it can’t be long with the ball in the evening, and it won’t be a fast ride either with her having to use this horrible side saddle and at least some members of the party not being experienced riders. But I still think it’s better than nothing. Or I hope so, at least.” He sighed. “Anyway, I’m holding you on to that promise, just so you know. Making sure she’s happy will be my highest priority from now on.”

Eret’s reply made them share a weak but true smile, and even with how numb and hollow Hiccup felt, he still was grateful for the reminder that they did care about her. She was in good hands. That was all that mattered.

“Anyway,” Eret went on. “Before we leave you alone, I wanted to thank you, Cami. For taking our request for an appointment on such a short notice. It’ll probably be the last time anyway.”

She gave him a comforting smile. “Of course. I’ll always have time for you.” Then she frowned. “But why do you think it’ll be the last? It’s still over six weeks until the wedding.”

“Aye.” Eret shrugged. “But the betrothal will become official in two weeks already, and me coming here after that won’t be regarded with any form of leniency. And then there’s the ball tomorrow night. Even with it just being meant as an entertaining diversion, her choice of partner for the opening dance will still be regarded as her making an unofficial choice.” He shook his head, a despondent expression on his face. “No, this will be the last time we come here. It has to be.”

Again, Hiccup had to avert his gaze – to give them privacy when it now was Dagur’s turn to comfort Eret, but mostly to hide his reaction to Eret’s words. He’d effectively pushed aside every thought of this, but he was right. After tomorrow night, she would be considered betrothed to Eret, no matter how unofficially. The thought gave him a new sting, and he almost laughed in surprise at how his heart could still hurt more.

“I see,” Cami sighed. “Well, then off with you two. If you want, we can talk more later. I hope you can enjoy this night as much as possible.”

They didn’t need another invitation and only seconds later, Hiccup was alone with Cami. And no matter how painful the previous conversation had already been… What came next would be worse.

“So, and what’s up with you?” she asked in a noticeably more cheerful tone. “I get why they are so depressed, but I honestly didn’t expect that from you too, not even out of sympathy.”

With his lips pressed into a thin line, Hiccup ignored her words and walked past her to where wine and glasses were already standing ready for them on the small table. He poured himself a glass and downed it in one. Maybe the alcohol would make enduring this easier. Behind him, Cami said his name, clearly confused, but he kept ignoring her. It was only after he’d nearly emptied his second glass of wine before she more firmly demanded an answer.

“Hiccup, what’s up with you?” Her hand was on his arm, keeping him from turning away as she stepped in front of him. “After our last conversation about how much you and your lady love dreaded the separation, I thought you’d be happy about this postponement.”

Snorting, he turned his head away from her anyway. Right… Oh, how much they’d hope for just any way for them to not have to part. Once again he thought about how the prospect of being separated for weeks and months had felt like the worst that could happen to them. How foolish and naive they’d been. And how much he’d give to return to those times…

“Hiccup?”

This time, Cami sounded worried, and almost despite his own will, he turned to look at her. And even though he’d sworn to himself to lock his pain deep inside him, to never let anyone see… right now, he couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“Hiccup, what happened?” she gasped when his mask crumbled away to reveal his pain. She pulled at his arm until he sat down in one of her chairs. “You look… horrible. Gods, did something happen to her? Is she alright? What–”

“She’s fine,” he mumbled, if only to keep her from worrying further. And it was true, wasn’t it? Physically, she was fine...

For a short while, Cami was quiet, watching him closely. “What is it then?” she eventually asked, softly. “You seemed so sure, but… Did you two break up?”

Again, he snorted. “In a way,” he mumbled, remembering the conversations they’d had, at the stables on her birthday and at the armoury on the day after. They had broken up, even as that phrase sounded too weak to describe what happened. Once more, pain flooded his mind and body, and he reached again for the wine, refilling his glass and taking a big gulp. Why couldn’t he turn numb already?

“Why?” Cami probed, and no matter how gentle that one word had been, it still felt like a sting, as if it had torn a hole into his thin layer of protection. From one heartbeat to the other, he wasn’t able to hold back any longer.

“Because she’ll marry someone else!” he burst out, eyes stinging. “Not by choice, but what does that matter? In six weeks, she’ll get married to Eret, and there’s nothing we can do. I lost her.”

There, he’d said it. And now, the desired numbness sat in with full force. He slumped down in his chair, too weak to even hold his head up anymore. For the first time in almost two weeks, tears were welling up in his eyes and he didn’t even try to hold them back. It didn't matter. He’d lost her, forever, and now nothing mattered anymore.

He wasn’t sure how long it took Cami to react again. He was dimly aware of her staring at him with wide eyes and her jaw dropped, but he just didn’t care...

“The Princess,” she eventually whispered, and a tiny sarcastic part of his mind wanted to applaud her. After so many weeks of her trying to pry for any information about his lady love, she now knew. So what? It wasn’t as if things could get worse. “You… are you trying to tell me that this girl you talked about, the one you spent nearly every night with, and who I encouraged you to introduce to sex was the Princess?”

All Hiccup could do was nod weakly, but it seemed to be enough for Cami.

“Are you insane?” she nearly shrieked. “The Princess? H-how… how did that even happen? And what were you thinking? You said you were certain to marry her one day, but… But she’s the Princess, for fuck’s sake. Everyone knew that she would marry for an alliance one day, even she. What in Loki’s name made you believe you could circumvent that?”

Hiccup groaned. Every single one of her words felt like another blow to his battered soul. Yes, they really had been stupid to hope and to dream, hadn’t they? But it had all felt so real…

For a few minutes, Cami went on with her tirade, scolding him, but after a while, it stopped affecting him. He couldn’t take any more, and he also understood that by now, this was more Cami venting out her shock than anything else. Eventually, she stopped, and a heavy silence covered them like a blanket.

“We thought it would work,” he eventually murmured into the silence. “We were so sure… Because… because it had to work…” He could feel that Cami didn’t understand though. And how could she? If he listened to himself now, it barely made any sense to him either. Except… “She and I… we share a bond, one that I can still feel even now when all hope is lost. And we thought… If the Gods bound us like that, doesn’t that mean that we will be together? That it’s our inevitable fate? Isn’t that part of what being soulmates means?” He shook his head, the hopelessness of everything once more crashing down on him.

“Oh, Hiccup…” Cami reached out her hand, hesitated visibly, but then placed it onto his arm after all. “I… I don’t doubt that you thought you’d be soulmates. There are many young couples so madly in love that they feel like that. But… but true soulbonds are rare. So rare that I haven’t even heard of a true one happening in the last thirty years or so. I’m sorry, but… but that wasn’t real.”

Hiccup groaned. He’d known that this would be the most likely reaction to them ever telling anyone. But it still stung to hear her say it. She was wrong, though, he knew that deep in his heart. What he and she shared, that was real. Wasn’t it? “I don’t believe you,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry, Hiccup. But… Let’s think this through. If yours was a true soulbond… then you would have been right. Nothing on Midgard can keep apart what the Gods forged together – not even a King’s decision. So how can you be soulmates when, as you all pointed out, she will marry Eret instead? Her decision falls tomorrow at the ball. Not officially, but binding enough. What made you even believe your bond would be true?”

Almost against his will, his hand wandered to his chest. He could still feel her heartbeat and that spark of her soul deep within him. How could that not be real? But he couldn’t make Cami feel what he felt, so he had to try and put it into words. “I… just know it’s true,” he explained in a whisper. “I can feel her, even now. Right here. And… and I felt her before, too. You remember how she got attacked shortly before Midwinter? I was miles away from her then, asleep at the outer stables. But I still felt her anxiety – her fear and her pain – strong enough to wake me up. There is a bond between us, a connection,” he insisted. Cami still didn’t look convinced though, so he tried to think of what else to tell her. “And we had visions! Well, one vision, but it was the same for both of us. We saw the same thing: our future together in a small house, me coming home after a journey, and she and our son greeting me at the door. That was real!”

In what was probably meant as a comforting gesture, Cami squeezed his arm. “I don’t doubt that you believe that,” she repeated her words from earlier, sighing. “But that doesn’t change the facts, Hiccup. She will marry Eret, as it had always been meant to be. Your bond can’t be real.”

. o O o .

Until deep into the night – with Eret and Dagur still not having returned from the temple – Hiccup kept pondering over Cami’s words.

They made no sense.

He knew, without a doubt, that their bond was real. Vividly, he remembered how her fears had reached him even though he’d had no idea that something had been wrong. He hadn’t made that up. And it was the same with their vision. They both had seen the same future without even knowing each other. That hadn’t been a coincidence. It can’t have been!

No, their bond was real. The longer he thought about it now, staring at the decorated ceiling above him, the clearer it became to him. It wasn’t just a fluke or a pipe dream. It couldn’t be.

But if Cami was right and nothing could ever overcome a true soulbond, what did that mean in return? Did that mean that… that there was still hope after all?

The mere idea made Hiccup’s heart stutter painfully. Had he given up too soon? Should he have fought for her after all? But how? If only he knew what to do. He’d do everything for her, whatever it would take.

The facts remained the same though. He couldn’t think of a solution, no chance, no way for them to be together. And he was running out of time. If there was something he could do then what was it?

So what if Cami had been right after all and he was chasing nothing but a dream. Was it possible that they’d interpreted too much into their feelings? Or maybe it was something else entirely, something he’d thought about before and that Cami hadn’t mentioned. Not even a King’s decision could overrule the Gods’ will, she’d said. But what if the Gods changed their mind? Was it possible that them getting intimate had angered them enough to part them again?

Groaning, he covered his face with his hands. All this pondering wasn’t doing him any good. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t thought about uncountable options already. But he couldn’t think of a way out and he wasn’t optimistic about getting an epiphany anytime soon either. And it would have to come soon, before tomorrow night preferably.

“Please,” he murmured a prayer into the darkness of the empty room. “Please, if it is your wish that we are together then send me a sign. I’d do everything for her, but I need your help. Is there still hope for us? What can I do?”

But it didn’t seem as if the Gods had heard him, or maybe they just didn’t care. There was no sudden lightning strike, no foreign voice speaking in his mind, nothing. For over an hour, he kept pondering and wondering before sleep eventually overcame him.

. – * – _ . o O o . _ – * – .

He found himself in a forest that he didn’t recognize. Pine, fir, some oak, with light underbrush. Nearby, a mighty tree had fallen in some years past, and there was a cluster of saplings reaching up towards the gap and the light, with blackberry bushes around them. He noticed that he had a heavy basket in hand, filled with the berries, and without thinking, he set off down the well-beaten path behind him. Birds fluttered around in the air above him and he heard squirrels and woodpeckers hard at work.

Then he emerged into a clearing, and the moment Hiccup recognised the small but neat house with a garden of flowers, vegetables, and herbs around it, he knew that he was dreaming. He’d only seen this place once before, and just for a fleeting moment, but it was enough. His heart was beating furiously as his feet led him closer. If this was the same like the last time, then there should be the noise of a barking dog at any moment and then the door would open to…

But this was not a repetition of the vision he’d had some months ago, he realised. There was no barking dog, not even when he reached the still-closed door. He waited, and when nothing happened he lifted his hand to open it himself. It was locked though, so he knocked instead, eager to see her. Maybe indulging in this dream wasn’t a wise idea, but he honestly didn’t care. He only wanted to see her…

But still, the door didn’t open. Instead, he heard a voice in his head, old and gnarled somehow.

I am locked.

With a start, he looked around, but there was nobody. Shaking his head in puzzlement, he knocked again but had no time to even wait for a reaction from inside when the voice spoke again.

Still locked.

Somehow, it sounded amused this time, and finally the words started to make sense, even as nothing else did. But this was a dream, Hiccup reminded himself. Things didn’t need to make sense…

“Can… can you open up for me?” He felt stupid talking to a wooden door, but it also felt weirdly right.

The voice in his mind chuckled. No, I can’t do that.

Hiccup’s shoulders slumped. He had the strong feeling that this was more than just an ordinary dream. The answer to his questions was inside this little house, their future home. But if he couldn’t get inside, then–

But you can open me.

Hiccup blinked and reflexively tried to open the door again. But it wouldn’t budge, only rattled a bit. “No, I can’t. You’re locked.”

Don’t you have a key?

“No, I don’t. Why would–” he broke off when the door’s voice again chuckled in his mind.

I think you do.

Hiccup didn’t understand. How was he supposed to have a key, either to this enchanted door or it’s future counterpart? He had no keys at all, had nothing on him except the clothes he’d fallen asleep in – the basket had vanished at some point without him noticing – and–

With a start, he scrambled for the cord around his neck. For her key.

See? the voice chuckled again, then faded away. He didn’t expect to hear it ever again.

Instead, he looked down at the key in his hand. It was bigger than in reality, sturdier, but it very clearly was the same key. With shaking fingers, he pushed it into the lock and wasn’t even surprised when it fit perfectly. With an audible click, the door unlocked and opened without his doing, revealing the person standing behind it.

“I’m so glad you made it,” she said in her usual slightly nasal voice, her blue eyes beaming and her pink lips stretched into a loving smile.

Hiccup could do nothing but stare. It was her. She was here! Joy bubbled up inside him and a wide grin stretched over his face. It might just be a dream, but still. Looking at her, openly and without having to hide anything, was balm for his soul.

“Come with me,” she said, smiling, and took his hand to lead him around the house and into the garden. It was bigger than he’d realised, with a patch of soft grass beneath an old tree where they made themselves comfortable. The branches and leaves build something like a roof above them, with only small spots of sunlight dotting the ground and dancing when the breeze caught in the tree overhead.

On their way, he took the time to look at their surroundings, her hand in his warm and reassuring. To their left, there was a stream and a little lake and to the right, he spotted the edge of the thick forest he’d come out of. Behind the building and the garden was a steep wall of solid stone that stretched to surround the clearing in a wide arc on nearly all sides except for a narrow opening somewhere in the forest. A caldera?

He shook his head, inwardly laughing at himself. Finally, he had the chance to spend time with her again, or something close to that at least, and he wasted it by looking at the scenery? Quickly, he focused on her again, on her hair, her face, the feeling of her hand in his – and frowned. Clearly, it was her, but at the same time, she was… different. He looked at her more intently, trying to pin down what exactly it was that threw him off. She certainly didn’t look the same as when he’d seen her earlier that day. She was older by some years, more grown up. Her face had lost a bit of its roundness and was more defined, her golden hair a shade or two paler. But that wasn’t what bothered him.

Somehow, she didn’t feel right. Of course, she wasn’t real, was just a product of his dream, but still there seemed to me more. She was too alive for a dream, and she was different. As if it wasn’t his soulmate at all sitting there at his side, but instead someone else.

He pushed the thought aside as something ridiculous. This was a dream. None of this was real and nothing needed to make sense. A part of him tried to convince himself that it would be better to simply wake up. It would be too easy to get lost in this fantasy and the longer he indulged in it the more it would hurt when he woke up again. But even with her not feeling right, being here in this beautiful garden with her to simply enjoy their time… it was too wonderful, and he couldn’t bring himself to even try to wake up.

She didn’t say anything, only watched him with that warm smile of hers that he loved so much as his hand cupped her cheek, his eyes taking in her achingly familiar features. He savoured every moment of the illusion of being so close to her, of feeling her warmth beneath his hand, and of the faint mayweed scent surrounding her. Even if nothing of this was real, it still felt real enough to pretend. For a few minutes, they continued like this, with him marvelling how well their hands fit together and how their soft caressing each other made him shudder, until he invited her into his embrace and she followed without a moment’s hesitation. At that moment, he didn’t care how much this dream might pain him once he woke up. Simply holding her like this was worth everything, and it only strengthened his resolve to keep fighting for her in case he ever got the chance.

“I miss you,” he murmured a good while later. It was hard to tell the passing of time, but he would say that at least an hour had passed with them simply cuddling in the comfortable grass. By now, he lay with his head cushioned in her lap, her hand carding through his hair. It felt good, so peaceful and right. He never wanted to leave again.

“I know,” she replied. “I felt your pain and I heard your plea. That’s why I came to you.”

Hiccup frowned at her odd choice of words. She’d come to him because of his plea? What plea? And how had she come to him, when this was only a dream? It didn’t make sense, unless–

“But don’t give up,” she went on, interrupting his line of thoughts. “You were right right from the beginning. Don’t give in to doubt now.”

With wide eyes, he looked up at her, at her face, beautiful as always yet with an intense, almost divine inner glow... None of this made sense, unless it wasn’t a dream after all. Was this the answer he’d asked for?

He took a deep breath to calm himself. If he was right...

“Is there still hope then?” he asked breathless yet carefully, unsure what he even was allowed to do in her presence.

Smiling, she nodded. “There is always hope.”

Hastily, he scrambled up to his knees to look at her. “Please. I… I need your advice, Oh Fair One. I don’t know what to do.”

She smiled at him, and there was no question to him that this wasn’t Astrid, for all that She wore his love’s form. “Do what comes naturally to you.”

“I... I have been,” he said, pained. “But it isn’t enough!”

“I know it feels that way,” she said, and her eyes seemed to gleam with an inner radiance, blue like the sapphires he’d once seen in a shop held up to sunlight. “Foresight is a painful gift, but We had a purpose in Our selection...”

“My Lady...” Hiccup began, and her head jerked towards him, a wry smile on his beloved’s lips.

“Yes?”

“Please. Please. It hurts so much being parted. All I want is to hold her again. Is there a way?”

She scoffed. “You are strong enough for the work ahead, although I know the path is difficult. Do Our work and know that your reward will be yours.” She motioned to the clearing and the house inside it. “Success–or failure–is entirely in your hands.”

“Then why are you here?” he asked.

“You called,” she said simply. “And in answer to your question... do you want to know? Truly? Foresight is a painful gift, as I said.”

Hiccup didn’t hesitate and knelt. “My Lady, please. You bound my heart to her. Just tell me what I must do to hold her again.”

She patted his head and said softly. “So We did. Well then. Yes, you can hold your beloved in your arms again. Soon. But first, you will end the life of someone dear to her.”

. – * – _ . o O o . _ – * – .

It was strange, Hiccup thought the next morning, how little it bothered him to prepare Crusher for Eret. Even though he was incredibly grateful Eret had rescued him, it had always pained Hiccup to tend to his father’s former stallion and to hum his mother’s lullaby to calm the beast. But today, it barely affected him at all. His mind was too occupied with that dream. That vision.

You can hold your beloved in your arms again. Soon. But first, you will end the life of someone dear to her.

She’d said that and he’d woken, and in the hours since, the words of the Goddess had continued to echo through his thoughts. There was barely anything else that registered in his mind. Every stroke down Crusher’s silken black fur and every movement to bridle and saddle him was done through pure force of habit, just like it had been with Cassie before. What did those words mean?

Was he supposed to kill someone for her? That… that seemed rather crass and he couldn’t see how that would be good for her in any way. She hated pointless deaths... Besides, he didn’t even know who. Eret maybe, so he couldn’t marry her in his stead? Or her father, in revenge for his decision and to render it useless? Or someone else entirely; Dagur, or Daniel, or someone he couldn’t even think of right now?

His heart was thrumming with hope, with the prospect of how maybe they still had a chance after all. But the circumstances were daunting, to say the least. He’d thought he was ready to do everything for this chance, but this… Could he kill someone, just out of the hope that it would somehow get them back together again? And if he could do it… Who and how and when?

The whirling thoughts in his mind made him dizzy, and he had to sit down for a minute. More out of reflex, he rubbed his twinging leg as he gazed into the distance with unseeing eyes. End the life of someone dear to her… Was this really what he had to do? Or had he just imagined it all, had it been nothing but a dream made up by his desperation? Gods, he couldn’t even trust his own mind anymore!

His hand wandered to his chest, feeling for the key and her warmth beneath. Last night, in that dream or vision or whatever it had been, holding her in his arms had reminded him of just how much he needed her in his life. If there was a chance for them, then he just had to take it.

But did that mean that he could murder Eret if it came down to that?

“Hey. You all right?”

Hiccup jumped when, unexpectedly, Eret’s voice cut into his thoughts. He looked up at his cousin, a spark of panic flaring up inside him. Would he be able to read Hiccup’s thoughts from a moment ago on his face?

“H-hey,” he stammered in greeting. “Yeah, everything’s good. Fine. Uh, Crusher is ready, but if you want you can check him over again. I’m feeling a bit fried – rough night – so I’m not all here right now. I-I hope I made no mistake.” Oh, wouldn’t that be ironic? If he killed Eret by accident simply because he hadn’t correctly taken care of his kit? Or would that even count as an accident, with a small dark voice in the back of his mind demanding him to do it? A shiver ran down Hiccup’s spine, and he averted his face when he felt Eret’s scrutinising look on him.

“Hiccup... what’s wrong?” He paused for a moment before he went on with a low sigh. “Listen… You don’t have to come along today if you don’t feel like it. This is just a joy ride, nothing more. You’ll really be needed as squire at the ball tonight, so you’d better rest until then.”

Hiccup grimaced as Eret’s words brought a new idea to his mind. Could he kill Eret simply by not being around when he needed his help? These thoughts were driving him insane!

“No, I’m good, really,” he muttered and tried to force something like a smile on his face. “But still, you better check that all buckles and straps are where they should be.”

“As if you’d make a mistake when it comes to horses,” Eret snorted. “No, I trust you. Besides, we don’t really have time for that anyway. I’m… well, I slept too long and I fear the rest of the party is already waiting. Let’s get going.”

With a tight smile, Hiccup nodded and was glad when turning to get Cassie provided him with a welcome excuse. Interacting with Eret had never felt this awkward before, and he was certain that his unusual tension hadn’t escaped Eret’s notice.

He had to admit, however, that going for a ride was a wonderful diversion from their other activities lately. Hiccup rarely ever felt as free and relaxed as when on horseback, and even with how anxious he was today, Cassie’s familiar movements beneath him filled him with a certain calmness.

As Eret had predicted, it was nothing but a slow ride through the countryside, hardly a joyous ride; in fact, it was more of a discomforting plodding, which Hiccup knew that she and her brothers all hated from how they’d reacted over the last few months. But it couldn’t be helped, given the number of riders in the party. Most of the hundred and more suitors were riding with them, and their horsemanship left much to be desired, especially as they crowded around her, unable or unwilling to just yet accept that they’d lost. But that was understandable, as they were the survivors of the contests so far, after the injuries during the tournaments and hunts had killed nearly two dozen, with that one boar having accounted for four deaths all on its own, and another two dozen-plus were wounded or maimed. They wouldn’t give up that easily, not now, not after everything.

From his place close behind Eret, he could barely even see her on Markor’s back where she rode at the front of the party next to the King. And their speed wasn’t helped by her having to use that ridiculous side saddle for this official event. He figured she wouldn’t be all too happy right now from that, but hoped that she’d at least find some form of comfort by being allowed to ride again for once.

Trying not to focus too hard on her and trusting in Cassie to stay in her place amidst the group, the slow pace gave Hiccup the chance to further brood over the riddle She had given him – even as the sober thought of the Goddess Herself having appeared in his dreams nearly made him hysterical. It all felt so surreal, impossible, and only left him more confused than before. Yes, he’d asked for help, for a hint at whether and what he could do, but had that vision – if it had been a vision at all – really helped him? He wasn’t so sure about that. She’d been right. Foresight was a painful gift.

For well over an hour, they rode along the shore of Lake Vola while Hiccup’s thoughts still whirled around in circles. He hadn’t paid their surroundings any mind, but from one moment to the other that changed. There was a commotion at the front of their party; a horse whinnied and others snorted, men yelled, and there was abrupt movement among the packed riders, some halting and others urging their steeds on.

Then a sudden shriek of pure agony rent the air, and it was only by dint of long experience that Hiccup kept Cassie from bolting in panic. A number of horses did bolt, sending their riders tumbling out of their saddles or carrying them off, and shouts of surprise and dismay joined the agonized cry of someone in mortal pain.

And from the sound, Hiccup knew, knew who it was...

. o O o .

Right... and I'm back into hiding...

Next Chapter

#For The Love Of A Princess #FTLOAP #hiccstid #hiccstrid fanfiction #fanfiction #httyd #Hiccup and Astrid #medieval au #Hiccstrid Medieval AU #hiccstrid royal au #royalty au #Romance/Angst/Hurt/Comfort/Fluff

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jdmainman123 · 3 years

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Again yacht fish here called the problem with your English language is you guys got two words and you hide one of the words and then you change and give us back one of the words and then take the other word? And in a alphabet full of 26 different words that we could choose for one definition?

We the people are back on the men have a disease we believe and know now 100% certain because of 3/4 it's a mental retardation? #Braindamage they can't feed the daughter of the dick? And it wasn't about you guys taking yacht fish's drink more importantly about you men jealous that I was getting my dick sucked outside?

And because we are certain your regime war crimes against humanity. Wanted to take away all the people's money and fantasizes about power and dreams about power. Fantasizes about socialism and dreams about socialism remember this socialism is not a f****** c********* failed the baby killer retarded satellite maker? It's TV bottom line and I don't know how you guys feel about watching black skin and talk back and forth all day on a stage on tv? But I'd rather watch girls and women

Location location we are 100% sure these cities were built to capture socialism but not only for no person to speak out against a satellite maker man. Meanwhile we know that's how she gets the men off and us boys can't talk about him.

And two articles have come up shouldn't you guys be challenging gold Son for every girl in the world? Instead of one happy man with his dick hanging off the side of the yacht into the water to see if any fish bites

And number one we have begun looking for one man yacht fishes identical twin brother been sent failed McDonald's franchise as an example of a failed City imitating a bigger city and with this is all said and done you f****** assholes f***** with the wrong cracker you're going to have to deal with original california? I don't make the rules all I know is you can't poke me and expect me not to notice this tiny failed baby get what it is the baby killing competition has gone in over your head and we believe that's because one black remember they took 12 years off of a baby's life. AND BEGAN A SIDETRACKED WITH HEARSAY ON A SATELLITE TRYING TO LIE TO PEOPLE AND TELL THEM BLACK SKIN MEN ARE SATELLITE MAKERS AND WASTED MOST OF OUR TIMES LOOKING AT TWO MEN OUTSIDE ONE WHITE SKIN AND ONE BLACK SKIN TRYING TO DEBATE WHICH ONE'S THE SATELLITE MAKER AND WHICH ONES THE SATELLITE OPERATOR and we the people more importantly yacht fish choose not to entertain a failed homo sexual men who complain about their girls never sucking their dick and offer never sucking her p****. WE CAN CONTINUE ON THIS ROAD FOREVER DEBATING OUTSIDE A GROUP OF MEN WHICH ONE'S A SATELLITE MAKER WHICH ONE'S A SATELLITE OPERATOR

And at this point in time line we believe the satellite operators are the ones who beat satellite maker and then took a turn for the worst got born and wanted to commit crime after crime because it's something they've never done and then refused to listen to her allow them to die for her

So with that said we're going to stand firm on why I was thrown out of Miami Florida they knew their satellite maker and every satellite making the world lost to the satellite operators and having a daughter. And again it seems you guys have been using me to own every girl in the world also to promote black skin men are really satellite makers? And we are sick and tired of this f****** b******* and entire regime that took the money away from the people and got angry because I'm a satellite maker didn't work don't murder me at the airport I wish I was a real socialist and didn't have bad breath and stinky skin and didn't try and take people out of face to face socializing outside put them behind walls because I'm a satellite maker although I can't shower and I have stinky skin and stinky breath and I'm just angry I can't be a real socialist

That's right satellite makers dream was the hustle outside on Wall Street and considering all the blackskins showed up very angry about them getting b******* outside on Wall Street we believe you taking the money from the people and they want in your city to be entirely socialist? Has failed drastically to trying to use yacht fish to lie to the people telling them black skin men are satellite makers and if cut out eyes wasn't every green and blue eyes white hair white skin boy and man are satellite makers? We the people believe being a satellite maker isn't worth being a boy born woke 1 lb turd b****** everyday sucking his sister's p**** everyday

I called it tell Miami Florida you got fish here the only reason why I'm here is because you're racist City taking their money away from the people wanting to be socialist needs a daughter to enter this competition? Otherwise we're going to continue subpoena and requesting 100,000 sleeping babies to be here in Brighton immediately put to sleep cuz we don't need them just as payments if you continue to use one word and take away the other word at this point in time on you guys are only down to two words and again we have a third word to define

Maybe you guys should do the integration under Spanish and French so we have a broader understanding and we don't have to continue calling each other a dead daughter 🙅‍♀️👩👧

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truthseekingworld · 3 years

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The Church System

The true church is composed of all genuine believers in God, who follow Jesus by doing their best to obey the things he commanded us to do. It is not a building or a denomination or a religion. Anyone who believes in Jesus in this way is part of the true church. Anyone or anything else is not. We do not hate those who are not part of the true church, but we do hate the hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and lies of those who claim to be the church but are not. And we hate the spiritual system of the devil which is behind them. Jesus commended the Ephesian church for this, saying, "This you have, that you hate the deeds of the false apostles, which I also hate." (Revelation 2:6)📷 The false church equates itself with God, and their buildings with his service. The delusion is so strong that the name "church" no longer means anything but a building. The name "Christian" usually means some kind of hypocritical, self-righteous church person who goes to that building on Sunday. The church today bears no more resemblance to Jesus and his disciples than capitalism does to communism. Yet the church says, "If you aren't doing it our way, then you're wrong. "How can they be so deceived? Because they rejected the Truth! Why do they reject the truth? Because it is uncomfortable. "Because they received not the love of the truth for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they might believe a lie." (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11) The main lie behind all false religions is that they replace God's righteousness with their own righteousness (i.e. self-righteousness). Paul said of the religious system in his day, "They have a zeal for God, but not according to the truth. Being ignorant of God's righteousness (in Christ's teachings) and trying to establish their own righteousness (through religious rules) they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:2-3) Some will say they have no religious rules now, because they're not under the 'law'. But everyone is under some kind of law. They all follow someone's rules. Take a closer look to see if it's the rules Jesus gave us or if it's the rules their denomination or pastor has made for them. They say of Jesus' teachings: "I don't have to follow those rules, because I'm under God's grace." But ask if they can be a Christian and not go to church; if they can be a Christian and break the laws of the land; if they can be a Christian and teach doctrines which are different to their doctrines. All of a sudden they'll become very religious about following rules; but it's their rules that they are committed to and not the rules that Jesus gave us. When you compare the life and teachings of Jesus with what is happening in the churches, you see that the churches have not shared much with the poor. Instead, they suck the last drop out of the poor to build fancy temples and to live in luxury. The most popular teaching in the churches today is the "prosperity gospel". Most will claim that they don't fully support it, because they know it is a damnable heresy; but they turn right around and teach it anyway, saying that wealth is a sign of God's blessing and that poverty is a sign of God's punishment. They totally ignore the fact that they, the rich, created the poverty by taking from the poor in the first place, to support their own greed. The communists say religion is the opiate of the people. The kind of religion they have seen is exactly that -- a horrible drug that makes the masses oblivious to the needs of mankind. The religious system likes it this way. They can control their people better in this stupor. But the most pitiful part about it is that the vast majority of so-called Christians prefer to be told lies rather than the truth, to be deceived children rather than responsible adults. God says, "My own people love to have it so." (Jeremiah 5:31) The prophet Jeremiah, in a judgment uttered 2,500 years ago against Israel perfectly describes the church today. God said through him: "Among my people are found wicked men. Their houses are full

of deceit. Therefore they have become fat and waxed rich. They judge not the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper. The right of the needy do they not judge either. The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means. And my people love to have it so. Shall I not punish them for such things, says the Lord. Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" (Jeremiah 5:26-31) The churchianity system is already spiritually dead but just doesn't realise it. Soon her buildings will be closed, her pastors will be liquidated, her services banned and her Bibles burned. And it will be God's judgment on a church which failed to live up to the name by which she was called. Her buildings will be destroyed for the same reason the Jewish Temple was: to get her eyes off her buildings and back onto the Lord! "The Most High does not live in temples made with hands." (Acts 7:48) "God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24) "So trust not in lying words, saying The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these." (Jeremiah 7:4)" Those who claim to be God's people have forgotten their maker and build temples. But I will send a fire upon their cities, and it shall devour their palaces." (Hosea 8:14) Too many have tried too many years to patch up the old church system. Yet the great revolutionaries from Noah to Christ had to totally do away with the old and start anew. Jesus refused to compromise with the Pharisees. He attacked them head-on, saying, "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cup and platter, but inside they are full of extortion and excess; You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful outwardly but are full of dead men's bones and all sorts of uncleanness. I tell you the truth, publicans and prostitutes will go into the kingdom of heaven before you!" The devil's reaction to God's revolution is always a system-preserv-ing compromise. He will ask us to wait, to negotiate, to lay down our weapon (the Truth) lest we offend people, and all for the purpose of stalling while he continues to work behind the scenes to destroy us. But God has never been for reformation of the old rotten carcass. He wants to bury it and resurrect a completely new person. Jesus said, "No one puts a piece of new cloth on an old one; otherwise the new piece will tear away from the old piece. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins, or else the new wine will expand and burst the skin and be spilled and the skin will perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles (or skins), and both will be preserved." (Luke 5:36-38) In Bible times wine bottles were made of leather. The leather would stretch when it was new. As new wine fermented, the skin expanded with it. But if old wine was left in the skin for too long, it would harden. An old wine skin, or old "bottle" would crack if you tried to pour new wine into it. Jesus taught that the old wine of religious tradition is addictive, and those who are hooked on their denominations will never be able to appreciate the new wine. (Luke 5:39) What God is doing today takes "new bottles" who are not restricted by denominational ties. These new bottles have a new loyalty to Christ alone. And Christ gives them his new wine. Our relationship with the church There are many stages of growth in Christian faith. Sincere people can be trapped in false folds under false shepherds, or wandering about dazed and lost, sometimes even under sincere shepherds who are trying themselves to find the right fold. When we say "Let the dead bury the dead," we mean don't go out of your way knocking on church doors to revive them. But if they come asking for help, we should do all we can to help them, as Jesus did with Nicodemus. Jesus said, "I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one fold and one shepherd." (John 10:16) The one fold is the kingdom of heaven. The one shepherd is Jesus. Our

fellowship is just a part of that bigger body. If we limit our vision to just ourselves, we cease to be a part of the kingdom of heaven, and we became a part of the false church, which is more loyal to itself than to God. 📷 Jesus talked about a field that contained both good plants and weeds. (Matthew 13:24-30) He said to leave the weeds alone, because in trying to pull them up, you could easily damage the good plants. Sometimes we have to take that approach with people from other religions. Don't rush into telling them what you think is wrong with their doctrines or with their leaders. Just concentrate on loving them and, as opportunities arise, offer them a little more truth than they already have. God's Spirit will convict them about specific errors if you will work on winning their hearts through love. But even the parable of the good plants and the weeds said there would come a time ("the time of the harvest") when the weeds (or lies) would have to be destroyed. In trying to help people in false churches and false religions, we must be careful not to let their errors confuse our spirit. And we must watch for opportunities to show them a better way. We must not compromise our convictions or water down our message; and above all, we must stay dropped out.

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dalyunministry · 4 years

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KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING JESUS – Part I

By. Bro. Paul Vincent Moses

🔰

Dear brothers and sisters, it is my privilege to first thank God for the opportunity He’s given me to be here with you all to share God’s word and to greet you all once again in the most precious name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

As we are all kept safe and healthy by our Lord despite various challenges that we confront due to epidemic and we are all bound to thank Him for all the goodness and mercy and grace that He’s showered upon us. Today, the 20th September 2020, I’ve taken the topic: KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING JESUS – 1. Let us pray for God’s leading and guidance before we start our meditation.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father! Thank You for using me in Your ministry! Thank You for guiding me thus far and granting me Your grace! Even now Lord You know the purpose for which I have come to You. Lord, fill me with the grace, anointing and power today so that I can share Your word boldly and with joy for the revelation of the truth. Lord, I know that I'm unworthy! But make me worthy by cleansing me and filling me with Your Holy Spirit. I on my own, am an empty vessel Master. Let Your Holy Spirit take full control of me and let Him speak, not me. You know the needs of your people who are longing for Your word. I submit myself to You so that You can use me in whichever way You want to so that you alone be glorified. As we are going to meditate on the topic KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING JESUS, please help us reflect on Your Son our Lord, Jesus according to Your will. Thank You for guarding us with Your special grace power and strength Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

In today’s meditation, we will observe the following: Knowing Jesus Through His Messenger and Knowing Jesus Through His Witnesses.

¶ KNOWING JESUS THROUGH HIS MESSENGER

‘See, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple: the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD, Almighty. Malachi 3:1.

The prophet Malachi gave God’s final promises of the Old Testament. One of the greatest of these promises is in Malachi chapter three, verse one. God assured His people that He would send a messenger. This messenger would have a special task – ‘to prepare the way’. For whom? He ‘will prepare the way before Me’, said the LORD.

Voice in the Desert

In the book of Malachi 4:5, God promised to send a prophet, ‘Elijah’, who lied in dry, desert places. An earlier prophet, Isaiah, had foretold one coming in the desert. ‘A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God…And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 40:3-5.

For over 1000 years, from Moses to Malachi, God had spoken often. He had sent many prophets to Israel. Their work had resulted in the Old Testament. But after the prophet, Malachi there were about 400 years of silence – no recognized prophets spoke from God. There were no new writers from God for the Old Testament. God’s people wondered when God would fulfill His promises. When would God’s preparing messenger come? when would God reveal His glory?

• The Years of Silence

During those long years many more people were hearing about God’s promises. New rulers captured the land of Israel. While some Israelites stayed in their homeland, others were scattered far and wide. In distant countries they told others of the one true God. They were able to use Greek, the language that many people shared at that time. About 150 years after Malachi, the Old Testament was translated from the Hebrew language into Greek, trained workers made copies of this Greek Bible. The copies were carried to many places. In their weekly meetings Jews read the Old Testament aloud as in Acts 15:21. Even some non-Jews came to believe in God’s promises. More and more people looked forward to the Lord’s coming.

Then people in Israel began to hear of amazing events. A child named John was born to a couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth as in Luke 1:5-24, 57-80. Yet Elizabeth was well beyond the age for giving birth! An angel, using words from Malachi 4:5-6, had announced, ‘He (John) will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ Luke 1:17. John’s father, Zechariah, had also used words from Malachi 3:1. By God’s spirit Zechariah prophesied: ‘And you, my child (John), will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him.’ Luke 1:76. God’s promises, made through Malachi 400 years earlier, were coming true! God was ending His long silence! He was speaking again. Just as He promised, He was speaking through an ‘Elijah’.

• The New Elijah

John was not the Elijah of the past. “Who are you, then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No, I am not,” John answered. “Are you the Prophet?” they asked. “No,” he replied.” John 1:21.

“Suddenly two men were there talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah,” Luke 9:30).

But John was like that ancient prophet in many ways. Those who knew the Old Testament could recognize John, not only as a true prophet, but as a new ‘Elijah’ as in Matthew 11:7-14 (7 While John's disciples were leaving, Jesus spoke about him to the crowds: “7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,[b] and violent people have been raiding it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.’).

Matthew 21:26 (‘But if we say, 'From human beings,' we are afraid of what the people might do, because they are all convinced that John was a prophet.’).

Like Elijah, John spent much time in the wilderness - 1 Kings 17:19, ‘“Give the boy to me,” Elijah said. He took the boy from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on the bed.”

Luke 1:80 – ‘The child grew and developed in body and spirit. He lived in the desert until the day when he appeared publicly to the people of Israel.’

Matthew 3:1 – ‘At that time John the Baptist came to the desert of Judea and started preaching.’

Like Elijah, John dressed in rough clothes:

2 Kings 1:8 - ‘“He was wearing a cloak made of animal skins, tied with a leather belt,” they answered.

“It's Elijah!” the king exclaimed.’

Matthew 3:4 – ‘ “He was wearing a cloak made of animal skins, tied with a leather belt,” they answered.

“It's Elijah!” the king exclaimed.’

Like Elijah, his preaching was full of courage. He had to spirit and power of Elijah, ‘He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him.”. (Luke 1:17).

He spoke out against all sin, even the king’s sin (Luke 3; Matthew 14). John commanded the people of Israel to prepare for the Lord’s coming. John himself quoted from the prophet Isaiah 40:3, ‘I am the voice of the one calling in the desert. “Make straight the way for the Lord.” John 1:23. How could they make the way straight? How could they prepare for the King?

• John the Baptizer

John told them to prepare by repenting being baptized, ‘In those days John the Baptist came preaching…”Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:1-2.

‘John came baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.’ Mark 1:4.

‘Repentance’ is making up one’s mind to leave sin and to live for God. By repenting the people promised to do right in the future. Yet that decision alone could not change their wrongs of the past. For the pure and hoy King there had to be full preparation. Even past sins had to be removed, by forgiveness. Those who repented had to be baptized. John became known as “John the Baptizer” or “John the Baptist”. The word ‘baptize’ comes from Greek in which it means to immerse or plunge under water. That is why John baptized ‘in the Jordan River’ and where there was ‘much water’. Mark 1:5 & John 3:23.

Through baptism John separated the people. Those who wanted to get ready for the Messiah confessed their sins and were baptized but others, especially the religious leaders, were too proud. They would not admit how sinful they were. They refused to be humble by being dipped under water. Baptism was simple obedience to God’s command. It meant trusting God for forgiveness. Their hard hearts had no room for such obedient trust. ‘All the people, even the tax collectors…acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.’ Luke 7:29-30.

• One Greater Than John

The leaders should have listened to John. He was ‘a prophet…and more than a prophet’, a truly great man as said in Matthew 11:9-11. Yet, as great as John was, the Coming One would be much greater. John himself said, ‘I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ Matthew 3:11. John hardly dared to touch the shoes of the Coming One. John used water for baptism; the Coming one could do something far greater – He would baptize using God’s Spirit! The Holy Spirit is a part of God Himself. Who would so high and exalted that He could use the Holy Spirit as John used water?

Yet this Coming One looked like an ordinary ma. So John, by himself, had no way to recognize Him. God told John to look for this sign: The Holy Spirit would take the shape of a dove and come down on the Coming One, the One about whom John preached.

• The Baptism of Jesus

While John was prophesying about the Coming One, Jesus was living over 100 kilometers (62 miles) away, at the village of Nazareth. He was a humble carpenter, helping to care for his mother, brothers and sisters. Jesus then traveled to meet John and to be baptized by him. John knew of Jesus goodness. He did not want to baptize Jesus. John said, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Jesus had no sins to confess. He had no need of forgiveness. But He always fulfilled God’s righteous will. He told John to baptize him (Matthew 3:1-15). When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God came down and settled on Him. A voice from heaven said, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21-22. John realized then that the Coming One was Jesus. The One for whom John had been looking had arrived!

‘John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I meant when I said, ‘A Man whom comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me’. I myself did know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel”. Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heavens as a dove and remain on Him. I would have known Him, except that the One was sent me to baptize with waster told me, ‘The Man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit”.’ John 1:29-33.

• Listening to John

Isaiah and Malachi had drawn a picture of the special messenger who would prepare the way. Only John the Baptizer fit that picture. For whom did John prepare? John led all the people toward Jesus. John 3:22-36. John’s part is so important that it helps to begin each of the first four books of the New Testament-Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Anyone seeing to know the truth about Jesus should give careful thought to the report of John. For John too was a lover of truth. John spoke the truth so boldly that he was later killed by King Herod. Mark 6:14-29. He was an eyewitness of heaven’s sign that pointed to Jesus. Through John’s testimony we can be sure that the Coming One promised by the Old Testament is Jesus. John helps us to see the Light. ‘There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that Light, so that through him all men might believer. He himself was not the Light; he came only as a witness to the Light’. John 1: 6-7.

God closed the Old Testament with wonderful promises. He would come to visit His temple. A special messenger would prepare for His coming. 400 years passed. Then God spoke again. The New Testament opened by telling of the new ‘Elijah’, John the Baptizer. He was the preparing prophet predicted by Malachi and Isaiah. To whom did John point? Jesus.

¶ KNOWING JESUS THROUGH HIS WITNESSES

This section will make things clear about the questions on and against the Lord Jesus Christ because many in the world wanted to have someone who had seen Him so that it would be the source of their faith. There were witnesses, the three wise men, who went to see Jesus just a few days after His birth so that the message would be spread to the other parts of the world. Right from the birth of Jesus till the ascension of Jesus there were several earthly witnesses who saw Jesus through His miracles and wonders too. Let’s pursue them very meticulously to have a better understanding about the Lord.

‘The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples hear him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi (which means a teacher), “where are You staying?” Jesus replied, “Come and you will see.” So they went and saw where He was staying and spent that day with Him. it was about the tenth hour.’ John 1:35-39.

A ‘witness’ is one who tells what he/she sees and knows to be true. When he/she gives his/her report of the truth, he/she testifies or gives testimony. John the Baptizer was such a witness as in John 1:7. John said, “I’ve seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:34). John, when he saw Jesus, told the people, “Look!” Thus they too became eye-witnesses. Two of John’s followers wanted to know Jesus more fully. They were faced with the same problem that any ordinary person has. How does a common person come into the presence of a King?

• Come and See

Since these two were followers of John, they knew John’s great respect for the coming King. John was their leader, yet even he was not worthy to carry the King’s shoes as in Matthew 3:11. Now, John had pointed to Jesus as that King. How could ordinary men get close to this King? How could they come to know the high, exalted One of whom John spoke? When they spoke to Jesus, He invited them to go to the place He (Jesus) lived saying, ‘Come and you will see!’ The memory of that invitation was so bright that they remembered exactly when it took place – the tenth hour. According to Jewish time, it was 4:00 p.m. and even was approaching. So they spent the rest of that day with Jesus. This King wanted to talk with them. More than that, He was willing to let them stay with Him!

• The Openness of Jesus

The first thing the two disciples learned from Jesus was His openness. They were free to know Him personally. He welcomed them. They could see Him, talk with Him, and be close to Him.

John the Baptizer was right about the honour owed to Jesus. Yet Jesus’ greatness did not cut Him off from His people. In this, He was different from most kings. He made Himself poor in earthly things (2 Corinthians 8:9). Sometimes, he had no proper place to sleep (Luke 9:58). He was among the ordinary people. He welcomed all, both great and small. Even children felt very welcome. ‘People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will no receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.’ Mark 10:13-16.

Sinful people found Jesus friendly. He had no sin (John 8:46; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26). He taught them to ‘repent’, which is leave sin (Luke 13:3). Yet He made it very clear that He truly cared for them. He ate and drank with people known for their bad lives. He did the same for the government’s tax officers, whom many people treated as enemies. Jesus became known as the ‘friend of tax-collectors and sinners’ (Luke 7:34). Jesus was with the people because of His concern and love for them. This explains why He spent so much time helping each one who came. He helped them, no matter how great their problems were. He helped them even when He was very busy with other important matters.

Mark 1:21-34, - Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit, ‘21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.’

• Jesus Heals Many

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Others scriptures for reference: Mark 2:1-13; 5:21-43; 10:46-52.

• To Be With Him (Jesus)

There is another reason why Jesus worked so openly. The Christian faith would begin as a matter of public knowledge and public record. Since Jesus was among the people, there were often many eyewitnesses to what He said and did. He had nothing to hide. He said at His trial, ‘I have spoken openly to the world…I said nothing in secret. Why question Me? Ask those who heard Me. Surely they know what I said.’ John 18:20-21.

When the apostle Paul was later tried in a royal court, he said, ‘The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner’- Acts 26: 26. In this Christianity is different from faiths based on claims of hidden events and personal ideas or feelings. Such faiths have no way to prove to others that they are true. from the beginning Christianity was a matter of public and historical record, and could be fully examined. Today one could be fully examined. Today one can still find out whether it is true or false. Indeed, it demands such study. Christians invite people to check for themselves, to examine the facts. “Come and you will see!”, as we found in the words of Jesus Himself. One of the two disciples who met Jesus on that memorable day was named Andrew the brother of Apostle Simon Peter (John 1:40-42). Both these brothers are the partners in fishing business with James and John, sons of Zebedee (Luke 5:5-7).

Jesus chose these four and eight others, to serve as His special messengers or apostles (Luke 6:12-16). An important duty of the apostles was to be with Jesus. ‘He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach.’ Mark 3:14. Being with Him meant they could see Him often, at any time of the day and the night. They could watch Hi closely in good and bad times, happy and sad times and crowded and lonely times. They could see how He met every new challenge and trial. Many people are afraid to let others get too close. Why? Closeness reveals one’s faults. Yet Jesus invited other to be near. By watching, listening and sharing in His life, the apostles could know His true character. They could also learn how to become like Him. With the help of the Holy Spirit, they would carry on with Jesus’ work after He ascended into heaven. They would be the Spirit’s way for others to come to know Jesus. He made this clear when He prayed for the apostles, “My prayer is not for them alone (the first disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one.” John 17:20-21.

• Witnesses For Christ

How would people in later years believe in Christ? “Through the message heard or left with them as in John 17:20. That is, by the report of those first disciples, especially the apostles. Like the word ‘ambassador’, Apostle, means the one who is sent with special authority to pass on his leader’s message. Jesus gave them the task of being witnesses, to testify to the truth about Him (Luke 24:48; Acts 10:39-41). As He sent them into the world, Jesus said, “…You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8.

However, at the time when this was said (Acts chapter 1), one of the twelve was missing. Judas had betrayed Jesus, and then had killed himself. Another had to be chosen to take his place. The importance of finding a real witness was shown by Simon Peter’s words, “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” Acts 1:21-22.

Yes, Jesus wanted the apostles to be ‘with Him’ so that they could be true witnesses. They were in the best place to see and know the truth about Jesus. They were the kind of witnesses that any good court of law would welcome. They were from ordinary positions in life. They had normal questions and doubts when they first heard about Jesus. Yet what they saw for themselves removed doubts and fears. The witnesses were many, coming from different backgrounds and interests. Like all witnesses, they stated their testimonies in different ways. Each spoke from his own viewpoint. When carefully compared these testimonies agree. There is nothing middle or lacking. The apostles, and those closest to them, gave a full and clear report. They remained united, and true to this report, all of their lives. The collection of their reports and letters is called the New Testament.

True Witnesses are not Ashamed of Being as Witnesses or Preaching the Gospel

As apostles spread the Good News about Jesus, they reminded the people that they were true witnesses (Acts 2:32; 3:15; 4:33; 5:32; 10:39, 41 & 13:31). They were not ashamed to speak in the presence of other who had been there. When Peter re-told the facts about Jesus, he added, “…as you yourselves know” (Acts 2:22). Thousands in Jerusalem proved that they agreed with Peter (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 5:14). From the very beginning, the rapid spread of Christianity showed how many found the testimony to be true. Peter’s enemies did not show faults in his testimony. All they could do was to try to stop him by threats (Acts chapters 4, 5 & 12). Peter later wrote, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty”. (2 Peter 1:16).

Peter said this when he knew he would soon be killed (2 Peter 1:14; John 21:17-19). What reward could there have been in dying for lies? If Peter was not telling the truth of what he saw, what did he think he could gain? The apostles did not become rich (Acts 3: 6; 1 Corinthians 4:11; 2 Corinthians 6:10). Instead of becoming famous they became infamous – they were hated by the world because of their association with the Lord Jesus Christ.

This can also be seen in John 15:18-25. They also suffered great losses and hardships for their message about the Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:9; 6:1-10; 11:23-31).

Paul wrote, ‘But it seems to me that God has given me and the other apostles last place. We are like men condemned to die with all the people watching. We are like a show for the whole world to see…At this time people still treat us like we are the world’s garbage – the dirt of the earth.’ 1 Corinthians 4:9, 13. (ERV).

No, the apostles received no reward from this world, but only shame and pain. Why then did they keep telling the same story? For the simplest and best reason: They knew it was true. they had seen it with their own eyes. Their lives matched the honesty of their report. When threatened, they had to reply, “We cannot help speaking about what we have see and heard” (Acts 4:20).

If Jesus was the great King, why did He live among the ordinary people, both good and bad? It was just because He loved all people, and He wanted all to know Him. Many watched Jesus’ life and works. Those closest to Him were His apostles. They gave their eye-witness / testimony about Jesus. Even today, their reliable reports invite us to look into the truth about Jesus.

May God bless our meditation and help us to have a better understanding about His Son Jesus Christ our Lord that we may proclaim the name of Jesus in the way He wanted. We’ll get back next week with furthermore dimensions of the same topic. May God bless us all! Amen!

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