#it makes me miss the old days of just waiting for kingdom to even be released

[misguidedasgardian]

The Hour of the Wolf (XI)

XI. A ray of sunlight

MASTERLIST

Summary: You never thought you could feel like this 

Pairing: Cregan Stark x Targaryen!Reader

Warnings: Cursing, war, death, mentions of killings, genocide and war, threats,arranged marriage, SPOILERS for ASOIAF, and Fire & Blood, also, might spoil House of the Dragon, might miss some warnings, brestfeeding on this chapter

+18, MINORS DNI

Wordcount: 3,4 k 

Notes: Alright… sorry for the confusion… There were three ravens, Reader first wrote to Cregan to confess to him that she was pregnant and she wanted him back and whatnot… that raven GOT LOST, got eaten by a snake… idk… she then received a raven from Cregan, who, as he never received anything, he wrote to her telling her he was fine and he would like her to visit him up North, reader thought he received the letter, and didn’t care, and it was answering to it, so she just wrote a letter telling him she couldn’t make the journey, that’s it!

“Look at him”, you whispered, “he is perfect”, you admired his beautiful round face, his perfect little nose, his long eyelashes, his round squishy cheeks

“He is”, Cregan whispered, kissing your temple, “you had done so beautifully, my sweet Queen”, you looked into his eyes and you found content, and pride

But your eyes returned to your baby, your dragonling.

He had silver hair, beautiful silver hair, just like yours, and then when he barely open his eyes, he revealed them to be icy gray, like his father

He was so perfect, a perfect Targaryen Prince

The blood of Old Valyria and the blood of the first men run through his little veins.

You were so, so proud of him, of yourself, you had every maester check his health, and they all agreed, that the New Prince of Dragonstone was healthy, strong, and, as he had proven to you, had a strong set of lungs in him.

“My love”, called Cregan, but you only hummed, not letting your eyes wander from your newborn son, “there is people wanting to meet him”, he said softly, it was the middle of the next day, and you wanted to savor your alone time with him a little longer.

“Later”, you said simply

“They had been waiting since yesterday”, he said, kissing the top of your head again, “and we need a name”

“I just gave birth, can’t they please leave me alone for a bit?”, you asked, softly but angrily 

“This baby is the next ruler of the seven Kingdoms”, he said softly, “there are protocols…”, you looked at him severely

“Bring in my brother and Jahaera”, you conceded, he barely nodded, and went away, giving you a breath of relief. You didn’t want anyone else but your family in here

The children entered with big, curious, scared eyes, when they landed on you, they came to your side quickly, Aegon was sure to be right there next to you, to catch the closest and first look at his baby nephew

“He is a bit red”, it’s the first thing he mumbled, making you giggle

“He was just born”, you whispered, “it’s normal”, you explained softly, Jahaera didn’t say anything, but looked at the baby with big ghostly eyes, and for the very first time, you thought you catched a glimpse of a smile

“Jahaera? want to hold him?”, she seemed truly surprised, you just patted the bed right next to you, and she climbed to your side, when she was settled, you placed your baby in her arms, she seemed content, only watching him in her frail arms

“He is small”, she murmured, you only smiled, he was a bit small, and… “made of ice and fire”, she whispered

“What?”, you asked, but you were interrupted when Cregan opened the door, he stood there, with a warm smile on his face. 

You didn’t even know how you were going to name him, I mean, you had some ideas, and you were not even going to ask your husband, he, your firstborn, was of the realm, of the Iron Throne, he had to have a name of Old Valyria

Jahaera excuse herself, she had a lesson with her septa, but Aegon stayed, sitting there in the bed by your side, Cregan had left to gather the court

“Can I ask you something?”, your baby brother asked 

“Anything”, you answered truthfully

“Now that you have a son… will you… will you still love me the same?”, he asked, and his big eyes told you he was extremely worried. That truly surprised you, but you smiled softly nonetheless.

“Of course!”, you said with a big smile, “you are my baby brother, I will never stop loving you, and I will never stop caring for you, you heard me? you are stuck with me, and your little nephew for life”, you giggled

“Really?”, he asked, hopefully

“I promise”, you assured him.

Cregan came back, thinking he had given you enough time, Aegon as he saw him, he excused himself from the room, and left

“A name, wife”, he demanded. He was the father, but he is letting you name your child, the prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne

“Aerion”, you said with your son back in your arms, “of House Stark, until he ascends the Throne, as Aerion Targaryen”, you said firmly

“Good”, he said, “the small council is waiting”, he said, and again, he did not expect a no for an answer

“Very well”, he received your son, as you stood from the bed, the maids had placed you the “looser” dress you had, but not less impressive than any others, it was soft red velvet, with black and gold details. Your hair is barely arranged by two small braids arranging it off your face.

You barely let the maids touch your child, but they had dressed him too, in a simple golden attire. He was sleeping in his father’s arms, and you held onto him too, as you walked the hallways.

You had to present your son to the court

Not letting them see him, would awaken all sorts of gossip, that maybe there was something wrong with him, or he was weak, or any nonsense like that, this was going to make it clear to everyone…

The House of the Dragon stood strong, with you, your son, your brother, and your niece.

Especially with the silver hair on his head.

“You have done beautifully, wife”, Your husband said, as he saw you pondering, with your eyes lost in front of you

“Thank you husband”, you answered simply

You were already tired as you reached the huge doors, you hoped you didn’t have to sit on the throne today, you didn’t think you could handle it. You were still really sensitive.

“Lady (y/n) of House Targaryen, Queen of the Andals, the Roynar and the first Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms, and protector of the Realm, and her Lord Husband Cregan, of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, and Hand to the Queen, would like to present to the court, Aerion, of House Targaryen and Stark, Prince of Dragonstone!”, you might as well announce it now, the shocked faces appeared before you, your son was the heir, and next King of the Seven Kingdoms.

The huge doors of the entrance of the throne room opened in front of you, you tried to smile as the entire court, your court, tried their best they could to catch a glimpse of the sleeping Prince in Cregan’s arms

You walked slowly to the front, smiling and nodding to everyone on their way

All the Lords and Ladies nodded at you, muttering words of kindness

“Congratulations my Queen”

“What a fine Prince your grace!”

“You had been blessed, and you had blessed us all”

And more

So much more

Your council had been waiting for your approval, to start the celebrations, feasts, tournaments, parties, the first ones since the end of the war

“Behold! Prince Aerion of House Targaryen and Stark!”, chanted Arryk, you faithful Queen’s guard. 

It was a tiring affair, you should be resting, and Cregan thought so as well, but you you a Queen, and if you wished to prove those who wouldn’t see your mother on the throne wrong, you have to stand there, with your newborn son, in front of the court as you barely gave birth the day before as the sun was setting 

“In the celebrations of the birth of my son, I announce a big tournament, to join all countries as one, and also, a big feast to go with it!”, you said loudly, and the entire room bursted in cheers and applause, making Aerion cry angrily, as he was startled by the loud noise

Cregan smiled grabbing him carefully with his strong hands and showed him to the entire room, shortly, then he cuddled him into his strong chest, he looked so proud 

The tournament was going to be held in two months time

This was a new era, you constantly had to be remained of

The kingdoms were still healing, you were still healing… you need this, you did

You were finally “allowed” to go back to your rooms, you dismissed the nannies who had offered to take your baby.

It was normal and customary, that you had a small army of women ready to take care of your child, but you didn’t want to let him out of your sight

Is not that you didn't trust them, it was just…

It felt odd

To be apart from him

You had them bring a crib by the side of your bed, as you watched him asleep tears fell down your eyes… oh how you wished your mother was there with you

You had cried for her in the middle of labor, how you needed her warmth, her maternity, her advice, all of her. She was an excellent mother, she adored each and every one of you, and you didn’t know how you were going to do this without her

You were so lonely

You had dismissed your ladies, and the nurses were unfamiliar to you

Because Aegon the Usurper killed your mother’s nurses when he took Dragonstone

You felt so lonely.

The all familiar pain that had installed on your chest came flourishing back again, and you realized it had never left, you just grown accustomed to it

Would she be proud of you?

You imagined your brothers coming to see your son, Jacaerys picking him up from his crib and raising him in his strong arms, you imagined Luke grabbing onto Aerion with gentle hands, accommodating him on his chest with his beautiful smile looking down at his nephew 

The guards outside your room presented Cregan who entered the room with scrolls on his hands

“Letters, from your cousins Baela and Rhaena, and one from Lord Co…”

“Dispose of them”, you demanded, you didn’t care

“But…”

“I don’t care what those traitors have to say”, you said bluntly, he had caught you in a wrong moment

“Wife…”, he started carefully, “may I ask why…?”,  he asked simply, you guessed he wanted to hear your version of the facts

“Corlys Velaryon served my mother, until it suited him, when the ship was sinking, in the moment my mother needed him the most, he betrayed her, then served the usurper!”, you said bluntly

“He probably was the one who poisoned the usurper”, he said softly

“I guess, it didn’t suit him to keep serving him, I don’t care”, you said angrily, “if he had stayed at my mother’s side like he promised perhaps she would still be here”, you said, you could not forgive him, you wouldn’t allow yourself to

And Baela and Rhaena?

It just hurt too much

At one point they were like your sisters, like real sisters, you had lived together since your mother married Daemon, and… now it just hurts too much. They say Rhaena managed to hatch a dragon, a pink little thing

Good for her

But it just… it hurts… of all the people that could have survived… 

You felt guilty for only thinking about it

They were more Corlys Velaryon’s granddaughters that they were your sisters

“Can I read them?”, he asked, you looked at him

You wanted to say no, you did, but you were also terribly curious

Of what they might want or say… What if was indeed something important? and really, it was Cregan, he was the only one you trusted fully

“Yes”, you said shortly, “let me know if there is something important”. He sat by the window, to read the letter by the sunlight, Aerion began to get fuzzy, so you grabbed him gently and started to feed him

Something very frowned upon

Not even your mother had breastfeed her babies

But to your understanding… who better to feed a future King… than a Queen? his mother? You paid it no more mind as he latched onto you, Cregan didn’t even batted an eye

He was frowning a he read the missives 

“Is there something they need?”, you asked dismissively, “a threat to our Kingdom?”

“No”, he said simply, “just a call for you, their sister”, he said, he folded the letters and put them away, then he opened the one of Lord Corlys

“They wish you the best regarding the birth of your child and Prince of Dragonstone, and they wish to know that if there is anything they can do for you”

“No requests… that’s a new one”, you said sadly 

“Please, help me understand”, he pleaded once again, “what are you thinking?”

“They just keep wanting the fucking throne”, you said bitterly, “that is all this whole thing had been about, the Hightowers and Velaryons alike, each for their own side, sunk their teeth into the targaryen of their choice and bit, ripped and tear them apart for their own convenience, for the fucking throne, killing my entire family in the process, I am done with them”, you sentenced. 

“Very well”, he said, “I will stand by you”

“Thanks”, you said smiling softly, not wanting to discuss the issue further

Even if they were true, that they only were calling for you, their “granddaughter” and sister, how could you ever trust that? if you were not seated on the throne, would they still care for you?

You were convinced they only wanting to fall back into your good graces, the graces of the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and everything that meant

And the very fact that they knew about the birth of your son so soon unnerved you.

Of course they had spies inside the castle

Perhaps you should burn the letters publicly so words get to them

But it was of no consequence, because that very day, Cregan received important news

His son was arriving

He was in the Crossroads Inn, and he was dying to go and meet him

You allowed him to go with a small force, you had never seen him so happy and excited. He was on his way to meet his son

And taking advantage of that fact, that was going to take him a few days… You realized, thinking about Rhaena… 

Your son needed his egg

You had felt Vhaelar restless, and you needed to know if she had laid her clutch of eggs, or, egg

Singular

The very thought frightened you, what if it didn’t hatch? She as well could be the last Dragon, a grown, fertile dragon. You called in a Dragon keeper immediately, and he presented in front of you, the one that went inside the cave with you, the only one who could get close to your Dragon

“This is long overdue, your Grace”, he said with a soft smile

“I cannot go down there myself”, you explained softly, his face then changed. “What's the matter?”, you asked him

“Vhaelar laid eggs, we didn’t know how many, when the prince was born we adventure into the cave to find… one is gone”, it seemed like everything froze around you

“What?”, you asked

“One of the nests was… broken into”, he said

“Why wasn't I informed of this!?”, you asked angrily

“We found it this very morning”, he said quickly

“Raised alarms!”, you said

“The one that stole it… didn’t realize, she laid two eggs”, he gave a signal to Erryk who was at the door and he opened them to reveal two more Dragon Keeper, that brought with them the heating chamber

A sight you never thought you’d see again

They revealed the egg to you, and tears were brought to your eyes, it was golden, golden like the sun

Was it an Omen? Golden like Syrax… Golden like Sunfyre

Who could have possibly stolen my dragon’s egg?”, you asked him

We don’t know your grace, it must have been someone who knows the area, that its been heavily guarded, even though its against the sea, you had maintain guards around it, and over it, so we can’t understand…”, you kept quiet, you could barely go up stairs, you couldn’t go personally.

That is why she was so restless

Somebody stole her egg

“What if it hatches?”, you asked him, fright in your eyes, he didn’t know what to answer

“A dragon will only answer to a Targaryen your grace, in the worst case, it will grow wild, until we can finally know where it is”

“And in the best case?”

“It’s not normal for two eggs to hatch in the same clutch”, he said softly, “if the Prince’s egg hatches… then… someone still had a treasure in their hands but at least, it will not be a dragon”

It did not settle your nerves

You saw the beautiful egg, it seemed to move, you could feel it, the life within it

“Thank you”, you said finally, and they left you alone.

It wasn’t until a week later, as you fixed the skirt on your dress, that you finally realized how important this was.

Rickon Stark, Cregan’s son, was entering the city

Your husband’s child

Your own child, by marriage

A sweet boy of eight

Soldiers entered in front of the comitive, mounted men with the Stark sigil, and then, right after them, Cregan in all his glory, and at his side, on his own horse, a young boy, that even from afar, you could tell he looked exactly like Cregan, same shade of hair, and as they dismounted and walked towards you, you realized, he had his eyes

“Your Grace, my I present to you, my son and heir, Rickon Stark”, presented Cregan

“Your grace”, the boy greeted politely, his big eyes looking at you widely, even though he bowed. Cregan was by his side, looking at his son proudly

“My Lord, you are most welcomed to King’s landing, and to the Red Keep”, you greeted, amused, he smiled shyly.

“Thank you, your grace”, he looked at you with mistrust, and you could understand him, all of this was new for him.

You of course invited them in, the entire household he had brought with him was large, but, the more the merrier, and if having more of his people with him was going to make Cregan and RIckon feel more comfortable, they were most welcomed.

“There is someone I want you to meet”, you said happily, he only nodded, you looked at Cregan as you walked back to your chambers, and he seemed content, “Can I call you Rickon?”, you asked him softly

“Yes your Grace, of course”, he said simply

“Are you my new mommy?”, he asked bluntly, and you looked at Cregan, alarmed, he was amused, but didn’t say anything, you then looked back at the boy who was looking up at you with his big ghostly eyes

“I don’t have to be if you don’t want me to”, you said gently, and that seemed to relax him a bit, “but there is a place I’d like you to fill”, you said with a solemn voice, like you were requesting of him, you opened yourself the double doors to your room

“Which one, your grace?”, he asked solemnly

“How about.. big brother?”, you asked, inviting him to look inside the cradle where his baby brother was sleeping peacefully

“I’d like that”, he said, pleased, but frowned at further inspection of your baby, “why is his hair white?”, he asked, you giggled

“Because he got it from me”, you said softly

“I thought you had white hair because you were old”, he said simply, and you laughed, hard

The sound of your own laugh seemed so foreign to you

You haven't laughed in…

In…

In a long time

“No, no my dear, I was born with my hair like this”, you explained softly, he only nodded, understanding clearly, “so… are you going to be Aerion’s big brother?”, you asked, and he looked at you with a true smile for the very first time, and nodded excitedly

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[krotiation]

So... You still like Cookie Run, whatchu think of the current updates? Or like, what're you into now?

ive been a bit out of the loop since the beginning of the creme republic/sports update so i really have no idea whats been going on lately hakjghskja

as for what im into rn im kinda at a point where i dont have anything that im really hyperfixated on atm 😔 i have been playing a lot of dragon age and fallout recently tho if that counts

[ethereallocs]

Jorrāeliarza Mēre (Dear One) Part 1.

Pairing: Daemon Targaryen x Velaryon Fem Reader

Content: 18 PLUS 🔞, Incest, Age-Gap, Sibling Rivalry,Angst.

Word Count: 2,080

Summary: House Velaryon has come to King’s Landing to celebrate the betrothal of Ser Laenor Velaryon and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. You are the youngest sister of Laenor and Laena. Your sister, now being of age to be married, has set her sights on your cousin the Rogue Prince, himself Prince Daemon. You could care less about being married off just yet, but Daemon has other plans for you.

Authors’s Notes: There will be translations in High Valyrian and it just might suck (their English translation will be in italics next to them.)I’m doing a lot of research to make it as authentic as possible, so bare with me and feedback is always welcome. Thank you and I hope you ENJOY!

Your family's boat has just docked at King’s Landing, the bells of the city bells tolling to greet you, foreshadowing the celebration to come. You and your family have finally arrived at the Red Keep. Being announced to the king and all other patrons, your entourage enters gracefully dressed in gold with your heads held high.

Not too soon after you all have taken your places at the table, the Rogue Prince struts in behind you even after being exiled by the King, but as the Kingdom knows, Daemon listens to no one, not even his own brother. Your sister Laena notices him and somewhat swoons while a servant made a seat for him next to the King’s Hand, Ser Lyonel Strong. “Is he not handsome?” You, on the other hand, were not so easily impressed by his arrogance, but he did have a pretty face.

  “If that is what piques your interest, dear sister, who am I to deny you of it?” Little did you know he spotted you from the moment he walked past and hasn’t taken an eye off you since. King Viserys stood at his feet to welcome his guests and speak before the festivities commenced. “Be welcome, as we join together in celebration. Tonight, is only its beginning. We honor the crown's oldest and fiercest ally, House Velaryon. Reaching back to the days of Old Valyria and the Age of Dragons. With House Targaryen and...”

The King being quickly interrupted by Alicent’s rather late entrance wearing the House of Hightower’s colors for all to see. Her lack of respect for the king did not go unnoticed by him or the entire court, but appearances needed to be kept. Taking her seat beside her husband, she turned to Rhaenyra, “Congratulations, stepdaughter. What a blessing this is for you.” Viserys could sense the chill behind her words and only sighed to turn back to his subjects to finish his speech. After the applause, Laenor and Rhaenyra took to the floor to begin with the first dance of the night. Your family knew of your brother’s true preference, though your father would rather deny it. You couldn’t help but notice how out of place he looked, and it saddened you a bit.

You think to yourself, "If being forced to marry someone other than for love is the only way. Then to hell with it." You were the youngest daughter after all, it honestly didn’t matter what you wanted anyway. Once the dance of the dragons was over, everyone else joined them on the dance floor. Daemon had decided to take his niece from her betrothed for a dance. Your sister watched closely and after a while she sprung to her feet and took your hand, practically dragging you along. “Gods, Laena! Are you trying to pull my arm out of the socket!?”

She laughed, “Sorry, Y/N. I don’t want to miss this dance with him.” Being within a few feet from him he noticed you, first noting the annoyance on your face, but his attention had swiftly turned to your sister who eagerly waited for him to notice her.“Hello, my Prince.”, She beamed the brightest smile he could and while she was beautiful, he couldn’t help but want to center his gaze upon you. “Hello, Laena..Y/N. How you both have grown to be such beautiful young ladies.”

His voice quite captivating. You took this time to find a glass of wine to hold onto while your sister was occupied with trying to court him. You slipped away into the crowd hoping no one noticed your absence, but he did. After his dance with your sister, he went looking for you and that wasn’t too hard of a task. You were tucked away into a corner sipping a goblet of wine smiling at your brother and sister dancing together until you noticed someone standing over you.

 “Lilagon lēda nyke gevie.” “Dance with me, beautiful.”  Holding a hand out to you and you hesitantly took hold of it as he led you to the dance floor. You both bowed slightly, and he made the first move, coming around you slowly, his eyes burning into you. You were nervous. No boy nor man has ever looked at you in such a way, but you refused to let him see you in such a state.

 “Issa sȳz naejot ūndegon ao qȳbranna.” “It is good to see you, cousin.” You tried to seem uninterested, but his gaze made you feel dizzy while his hands met your waist. He smiled, seeing the red rush to your cheeks.  He leaned into whisper in your ear. “It is good to see you too, Jorrāeliarza mēre.” “Dear one.”

What was he doing? He hadn’t really seen much of you since you were but a babe. There is no way he could be interested in you. You were seven and ten and your sister was practically throwing herself at him. She looked confused and a bit flustered at the sudden attention she was receiving.

 “I have a question, little cousin. Have you had any suitors offer to wed you yet?” She was stumped for a response. The honest answer? No, not at all. She wasn’t the type for arranged marriages and every chance she had she’d sabotage the match.

 “No, my Prince, but my sister has. In fact, I think she’s rather interested in you, unlike myself.” She gave a smug smile which caused him to chuckle before leaning into whisper in her ear again. “Well, from the blush on your face, ñuha byka rūklon, you seem very interested but maybe my knowledge of body language has become a bit blurred.” “My little flower.”

 Laena had been watching you two and a hint of jealousy washed over her. He hadn’t been that open with her the entire dance and she was more than open about her obvious interest in him. Meanwhile, you were practically running from him as he inhaled your scent. You smelled of honey and you were so intoxicating to him.

 Such a gesture made her cheeks warm and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered ever so slightly. “Excuse me, cousin. I need to get some fresh air.” Bowing quickly, she practically sprinted away, finding herself out in the courtyard where the Godswood stood.

 Your heart was beating out of your chest when the sound of approaching footsteps approached you and the voice of your unhappy sister filled the silence. “Since when did you start having feelings for, Daemon dear sister?” Confusion furrowed on her brows. “Laena…You couldn’t possibly think I have any kind of feelings for him. Sister, I would never betray you like that.”

Of course, that was what she was telling her sister and even herself, but the way his hand held onto the curves of her hips, the intensity in his eyes started a fire within her that she hadn’t yet realized. Laena fiddled with her fingers feeling her insecurities may have gotten the best of her. She saw the way he looked at you and jumped to conclusions of your true intentions with him.

You held a hand out for her to grasp so that you two might sit under the Godswood tree and talk about anything other than The Rogue Prince. And of course, your sister did the opposite of that, so you just sat there leaning against the bark of the tree listening. Letting your mind wander you closed your eyes. You could hear his voice echoing about your mind.

“Ñuha jorrāelagon mēre.” “My dear one.” Feeling someone nudge you, your eyes open quickly to see Laena staring at you. “What were you dreaming about, little sister?” Gaining your composure, you managed to get your sister to go back inside while you continue hiding. Once she was out of sight, Daemon appeared from the shadows. “Skoro syt gaomagon ao ruaragon hen nyke byka rūklon?” “Why do you hide from me, little flower?”  

You moved away from where you were seated with your hands behind you back to go back inside. “Oh..Prince Daemon. My sister was just going inside to look for you. Would you like for me to go get her for you?” A sly smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “If I knew any better Y/N I’d think you’re trying to avoid me. Are you?” He grabbed your arm pulling you into the shadows of a dark hallway pressing your back against the cool wall.

“Cousin..this looks rather inappropriate and my sister wouldn’t appreciate us in such a compromising position.” He laughed softly burying his face into your neck to inhale your scent again. “I rather like this position, Y/N. And please call me Daemon. You and your sister act as if I already belong to her. I haven’t asked for her hand yet and I can see she’s very interested in me, but unfortunately for her my eyes haver wandered elsewhere.”

“Please Daemon, someone will see us.” You struggled to get from between the wall and him, it only made him press his chest against yours harder. “Dōna mēre, I know you want me..but I’ll let you go..for now.” “Sweet one.” He pulled away from you slowly, your breathing was erratic. Why was he doing this? Surely his advances would cause a divide in her own home. Why couldn’t he just be happy with Laena? She would be an amazing wife to him.

You waited in the hall for a moment more before going into your chambers for the night to sleep off whatever had happened tonight. Maybe your sister could catch his attention while you were gone. You closed your eyes seeing him the moment they shut. He took over your every thought even finding his way into your dreams. The feel of his calloused hand caressing your skin, him leaving heated kisses against your skin it felt all too real. You toss and turn, waking up in a cold sweat. This was to be a long night and an even longer week.

The morning light shined through your windows waking you before you handmaidens came inside to do so. You and your family were to have breakfast with the King this morning. After a short bath your maids helped you find something to wear. You decided to wear a seafoam-colored dress with white flowers embroidered along the bodice of the dress. The corset pushed your chest up causing the area to be rather accentuated.

Your platinum hair flowed over your shoulders and down your back while two braids were tied in the back. Taking one more look in the mirror you left your chambers only to be greeted by the man you were trying to avoid. “Sȳz ñāqes, dōna riña. Geron lēda nyke?” “Good morning, sweet girl. Walk with me?” Extending his arm to you, you reluctantly wrapped her arms in his. “Did you sleep well? You look exhausted. But, still so beautiful.” You yawned and quickly covered your mouth. “Forgive me, my Prince…Nightmares...” He smiled, “It’s quite alright, dōna riña. So, what if you ended up being betrothed to someone? How would you feel? “

You were in silence thinking of how to respond. “Well, it seems like I wouldn’t have a choice so I’d do what is asked of me, but I don’t think I would be too happy about it. But, if he’s a good husband then maybe I could be happy.” He listened so intently and reveled in the fact that you were so close to him. His eyes still so intense while he watched the way your lips fell when you spoke. How he wished to feel the soft flesh against his own. He slowed the walk trying to ready you for the surprise that awaited you at breakfast.

Finally, the both of you made it to the hall. All of your family was seated along with King Viserys, Queen Alicent, and Princess Rhaenyra. “Ahh brother I see you’ve found your bride to-be. Come sit I want to make a toast for another wonderful union that further binds our houses together.” You froze in your tracks your eyes searching the room to find your sister sulking in her seat burning a hole into your head. You were in shock and couldn’t believe no one informed you of this until today. “So, when the fuck were you going to tell me about this, Cousin? And you father, mother?” You storm off with your betrothed following behind you seething at your behavior.

To Be Continued….

[loubombshell]

Imagine Nikolai being drunk.

Nikolai Lantsov x Fem!Reader

It was a beautiful evening. The sun started to set, turning the entire sky into a beautiful red while the ocean reflected the color. A refreshing breeze blew trough y/n's hair, making her take a deep breath from the salty taste of the wind. Her eyes followed the wind, that filled their sail. Most of the time a Squaller was responsible for the wind, carrying them around the ocean, but right now they had enough of it to sail on their own. Y/n sat on a bench near the railing just enjoying the view and the sound of the waves.

A shadow walked up behind her and sat down next to her, one on her left and one on her right. The girl turned around and looked at Tolya and Tamar joining her.

"Do you need anything from me?" She asked with a little smirk.

"Don't act like we just come around when we need something." Tolya scoffed.

"The last time you talked to me was- wait let me think." Y/n put a finger on her chin, pretending to really think. "Oh yes! It was when you lost your sword and thought Nikolai added it to his weapon collection." She chuckled about it.

Tamar laughed a bit about the conversation and put a hand on Y/n's shoulder.

"You're not completely wrong. It's about Nikolai, he and the whiskey got pretty close to each other- like really close." Tamar told her honestly and Y/n sighed a bit about it.

"On my way." Y/n added and made her way under deck. She didn't hear him singing old sailor songs, which is a good sign.

So far, so good.

The creaky door opened, revealing Nikolai's chambers. There was a desk, with different maps either drawn by him or getting ripped from a book. The lamps hanging from the ceiling swayed to the left and right with the rhythm of the waves, that were hitting the ship.

In the middle of it, Nikolai stumbling from left to right also with the direction of the waves. Y/n had to bite her lips a bit, trying to hold her laugh, she came in and closed the door behind her.

Nikolai turned around by the sound of the closing door, looking at his girlfriend standing in the room too, he let out a drunken smile.

"Y/n!" He raised his arms happily. "The girl of my dreams." He chuckled and walked towards her. "Whoops." He let out when he swayed pretty much to the left side.

"Princess of my Kingdom. My leading Star. Fire of my love and-" Nikolai called her and put both of his hands on her shoulders, as soon as he reached her.

Y/n crossed her arms infront if her chest and raised her eyebrows up. "Are you finished?" She stopped him.

"-and my little mermaid." He smirked and tapped her with a finger on her nose.

The girl was charmed by his words, even if he won't remember them the next day. She wanted to keep a straight face, but after his last sentence she lost it.

"I hope you know, that alcohol isn't good for you and your body." She told him honestly. "You're not going to get older than 40 when you keep doing." She added.

"Are you saying you're going to miss me in a few years then?" He smirked.

"Of course dumbass. I want to see your beautiful face in wrinkles." Y/n joked smirking.

Nikolai looked horrified to her and touched his own face.

"Oh no! I never thought of this." He admitted.

Y/n laughed even more about it. "Come on, let's get you to bed." She took his hand and lead him towards his bed.

"You could've just said so many minutes ago." Nikolai smirked but Y/n couldn't take him seriously with his drunk face. She just shook her head with a smile and pushed him into bed, helping him to take off the shoes and threw them into some corner of the room and sat down on the side of his mattress.

"Are you going to sing for me now?" Nikolai asked with a smirk and looked to her.

"If you want me to wake a shark up, sure." She told him smirking. She was a terrible singer, but she had her qualities elsewhere.

Nikolai chuckled a bit about it. "I can teach you, I'm a great singer." He smirked arrogant. "Do I get a goodnight kiss?" He leaned on his elbows.

Y/n rolled her eyes with a smirk and leaned towards, wanting to give him a little kiss to the cheek but in the last moment her turned his head and she kissed his lips instead. The girl didn't pull back, she stayed like this for a few seconds before ending the kiss with a smile.

"You taste like alcohol, idiot." She pushed him back into the pillow with a smirk and stood up again.

"You're not going to join me?" Nikolai asked her.

Y/n shook her head laughing. "Goodnight, Nikolai." She closed his door and walked over to the little cabinet with his liquors in it, she grabbed every bottle and walked upstairs again with the many bottles drowning every single one in the Sea.

[accio-victuuri]

follow up clowning related to gg’s weibo post from here. a reminder first that i don’t think everything has to mean something and most of the time what they post is just plain and simple. we are clowns, so we will speculate but that doesn’t mean we have to find some candy for every content they post before we can enjoy & appreciate it. for example, we also think that the reason GG is doing these solar terms right now, while he is filming LoZ is in the synopsis of the drama, his character is the son of the “director of the Imperial Observatory of the Great Yong Kingdom” , that’s the english translation. but the key here in the original text is this word: 钦天监 [qīn tiān jiàn].

what is it? thank you to good old baidu for always having the answer:

Qin Tianjian is the signature of an official whose function is to observe celestial phenomena, calculate solar terms, and formulate calendars.

calculating solar terms. so that could be the connection he is hinting at that is somehow significant to the character he is playing. makes sense right?

this is not me washing anyone’s candy. i’m only laying out alternative explanations cause that’s how i do things. lol. the addition i have seen going around is kadian related and i’m not a kadian girlie so i was blocking it out when i first saw it. 😅😅😅

okay, now let’s go to the cpn. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

the post he made is his 1085th on weibo. oh what a good number, like a mashup between their birthdays. and the kadian that was used 191919. which means still still still. or you can concentrate on the repeated use of the number 999 ( In Chinese, nine is pronounced jiu, which also means “long lasting.” As the highest single digit, it represents the maximum level of mortal happiness, longevity, and good luck. A perfect ten is reserved for the gods. Case in point: in respect to the Heavens, the Forbidden City in Beijing has 9999.5 rooms, just short of a flawless 10,000. )

who is saying still too? forever with who? wang yibo. based on my first post about it, his use of that word 谷雨 that also came up in LTS lyrics.

another coincidence is that in the song itself, the word comes up in the 0:19 mark. 👀

commemorating the anniversary of when he followed yibo on weibo, 4/20/2018 so he posted on the eve of that day. maybe he is celebrating something else that only the two of them know and it’s not necessarily something as mundane as following a person on weibo. who knows. however, it’s on the bxg calendar so we are marking that down as a possible reason. 📝

i love this explanation tho, that goes back to that actual day years ago and what happened. it was the 5th day of filming CQL and they did not have scenes together, so why did he pay attention and followed him? he was filming the scene in the burial mounds, WWX was drunk and reminiscing about when he first met LWJ. WWX misses LWJ cause he is not there. Was XZ also missing WYB that time? to the point that he went to his weibo account and followed him?

it’s not a secret that XZ prefers it when WYB is there, not only to act with, but just there for him. plus this level of attachment on the 5th day of filming is not surprising when it comes to them.

finally, the imagery of the rain when it comes to them is one that holds some meaning. much like how we fixate on the stars and moon. photos below to show some of those relations to the rain. ☔️

and that lrlg conversation they had that went:

XZ: "I'm waiting for you"

WYB: "I'll come and have dinner with you when it rains”

XZ: "Tomorrow's meal"

WYB: "Then tomorrow"

before we end, i’ll add this quote that seems to fit the whole subject of rain:

"Because it rains so often, many important things in life seem to have happened in the rain. Those memories are now uncovered and still feel wet. Even if they dry, they are like a book soaked in water, with ripples on the paper that are difficult to calm down."

sources aside from the ones directly linked: one / two / three / four 💛

[shmolish]

Pure Vanilla x GN! Reader.

ONESHOT

Warnings: Very very small angst? I don't think it even counts as angst, tbh. And it's not proof read

-Dance-

"Greetings, old friend! It's been a while since we have last talked, and I do miss the ways we would chat the days away. Are you busy? I would hope not. That would be most unfortunate, since I'm hosting a grand party at my kingdom! You are one of few friends that I've invited with a handwritten letter. I do hope you enjoy it! The party and the letter, I mean. I hope to see you there. Maybe we can catch up? Oh and, I do hope we can continue being friends for a very long time.

-Sincerely, Pure Vanilla Cookie."

Your old friend Pure Vanilla was hosting a grand celebration, and everyone was invited. He even gave you a handwritten letter and eveything. It was going to be a large ball, where there would be music, food, and laughter. You couldn't wait for it to begin, though, you couldn't help but feel your heart sink at the words 'friend.' He thought of you as just that, a friend.

You thought of him as so much more, though.

Holyberry Cookie went shopping with you beforehand for some new outfits. You settled on a very fancy outfit that Hollyberry said looked nice on you.

There was also a small bracelet that Pure Vanilla gave you a while back. You decided to wear it, thinking it completed the outfit.

Before you knew it, it was already 8:00 P.M., the appointed time of the party.

How has time passed so quickly? You would ask yourself as you stood before the large gates.

Everything was so prestine and perfect, as expected of Pure Vanilla. He himself was rather perfect, wasn't he? All beautiful and kind. How did he even become friends with someone like you? Oh well, it doesn't realy matter.

When you entered the gates of the kingdom, you could already see floods of couples and people.

That's right, people don't usually come to parties alone. They usually come with someone they love.

Someone you love.

I have someone I love.

But do they love me back?

It's been a while since I last saw him..

You'd be thinking these thoughts to yourself as you walked into the main ballroom.

It was perfect in here as well.

The light bounced off of every wall in a way that made the whole room glow. The stained glass windows were all polished, and the floor was spotless.

He's way out of my league.

The chandelier hung enchantingly from the roof, and the tables were full of only the most exquisite foods.

And then of course, there was him. The center of attention, the heart of the party, the beloved ruler, Prune Vannila.

He was just talking to some guests, wearing that soft and inviting expression on his face while making small talk look so easy. He would smile, and laugh, and listen.

But most importantly, he looked so happy.

You'd look down at the invitation in your hand and sigh.

He would never love me.

You turned around and headed for a balcony. It was the same balcony that you and Pure Vanilla would always go to, and talk on. It was a nice place, and it was also a place where you could escape the party.

You'd rest your arms on the railing and look up at the sky. It was filled with stars, each spinning and sparkling in its own unique way. You wondered if Pure Vanilla would like them.

"Here you are. I saw you walking away from the party, and I had a feeling you'd be here," said a voice. You recognized it immediately.

"Pure Vanilla? I thought you were still talking to the guests.."

"I was, but when I saw you, I couldn't help myself! It's been much too long." He would say with a smile and he stood next to you.

"It has been a while... How have you been?"

"Ah, I don't mean to sound snobby or ungrateful, but everything was rather boring." He would pause for a moment. "I'm much happier now that you're here." He'd say.

You couldn't help but smile as well. "I'm much happier too."

There was a nice silence as the two of you looked up at the stary sky.

"Hey, I know this is a pretty random request, but.." he would hold out his hand.

He was wearing the bracelet as well. Just like he said he would.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, with a much more nervous smile this time.

You would put your hand in his. "Of course."

He would place his other hand on your waist, and you'd put your other hand on his shoulder. The music, though noticeably softer, could still be heard from the ballroom.

You two danced like this once before, but it was a long time ago. You wanted to learn how to dance, and he taught you.

At the time you weren't the best, but he didn't care. He just liked dancing with you.

"You've gotten better." He would say before twirling you around.

"I wanted to be good enough for the next time we met.." You'd say as you let Pure Vanilla guide your body through the dance.

"So you've been looking forward to this dance then?"

You nodded your head.

"I have as well..."

He would close his eyes as he recited the steps perfectly.

"You're wearing our bracelet." You'd say.

"Of course! I never lie." Pure Vanilla would pause for moment. "Except for one thing, actually."

You would tilt your head to the side curiously, awaiting an explanation.

"In the letter, I said I wanted us to stay friends for a long time. That was a lie though."

You felt your heart sink once again.

Was he trying end this friendship?

You weren't the best, but to just end it so suddenly?

"What do you mean-?" You would ask in a shaky voice. You didn't want to cry during this party, but if he continued on like this, you just might.

"Don't take it like that. That's not what I meant." He would say. "What I meant was... I want us to become more than friends." Pure Vanilla explained.

What did he just say? More than freinds?

"Don't make jokes like that." You'd say coldly.

"It's not a joke. I am being serious. I've always wanted to have you as my lover. Ever since our first dance together." He'd say.

"Then..." youd pause, and there was a suspenseful silence.

"Then I want to be more than friends as well.." you would finally spit out.

Pure Vanilla would let out a sigh of relief before smiling.

"Then please, my love, let us dance until the sun rises once again."

[bagopucks]

J. Drysdale - Lady May

✄————————————

Jamie Drysdale x Reader

Word Count: 1k

Warning(s): Nonnneee, just sweetness <3

This was that Jamie fic I’d been saving for a rainy day. Just something mediocre and small to get everybody through the drought of content. You lot are always on my mind.

Much love

-Ella

—————————————

I'm a stone's throw from the mill

And I'm a good walk to the river

When my workin' day is over

We'll go swim our cares away

He beams down at his phone, the contact name of his lovely girlfriend popping up. Jamie has to pick up. There’s not a single scenario he can think of, where he wouldn’t pick up.

You’re rambling. Excited. Jamie’s coming home, and you just can’t wait.

He’s promised to get you out of the house when he returns. He doesn’t want your reuniting to be spent with Trevor. So he promised he would take you out. He mentioned the beach once or twice, it’s the only thing you can think of now.

Put your toes down in the water

And a smile across your face

And tell me that you love me

He smiles as he watches you run down the sand. The sun has begun setting over Anaheim. Jamie is happy. You are happy. He knows by the look in your eyes when your feet hit water and you’re turning to look at him. You smile too. You always smile when you’re with him.

Nothing makes him happier.

Except the whispers of, ‘I love you’ as you lay on a towel in the sand, staring up at the stars and imagining your futures together.

And as you turn back around, he is left to his nerves. The ultimate excitement of what is to come. He couldn’t imagine his future without you. The mere thought pains him. So he imagines the past you’ve both shared instead.

Lovely, Lady May

Jamie would do anything for you.

Now I ain't the sharpest chisel

That your hands have ever held

But, darlin', I could love you well

Til' the roll is called on high

Jamie smiles when you ease him through things. When Trevor makes fun of him for not knowing something, or when he feels horrible for missing out on or forgetting something you want to do. He always apologizes. You always assure him that you could never truly resent him.

He likes to remind you though, that he does love you. And you know he does. His love speaks volumes when nobody is watching. You prefer his love that way. He does too.

I've seen my share of trouble

And I've held my weight in shame

Jamie grins through the pain. Nothing hurts worse than hearing his performance on the ice being criticized from all sides. He hates especially, to be alone when it’s happening.

But you’re there. Whether it’s in person or on the phone. You remind him of your pride. You remind him that the game is changing, and sometimes the old dinosaurs simply do not know what they’re talking about. You remind him, that no matter his faults, he is a good man.

But I'm baptized in your name

Lovely, Lady May

Jamie would cross oceans for you.

Lord, the wind can leave you shiverin'

As it waltzes o'er the leaves

It's been rushin' through my timber

Jamie could grin through the loneliness. He hated being alone. He hated not having someone to go home to, but he put on a good front when he had to.

He was the new kid on the Ducks. Nobody wanted to hear about his hardships. Even if the move away from home was difficult. Even if he missed his mother. Even if he missed his home.

Til' your love brought on the spring

He smiled wider when he met you. Bright and beaming. Excited and youthful. You were his saving grace. You were the end to his loneliness. You were his peace, and his comfort.

Now the mountains all are blushin'

And they don't know what to say

'Cept a good long line of praises

Nothing makes him smirk more pridefully, than watching you accomplish your dreams. He’s smug knowing he’s with a woman who can conquer the kingdoms of her professions. Jamie can think of nothing but loving words for you when he sees the obstacles you’ve climbed. Sees you holding your diploma. Sees you getting your dream job. If anybody ever asked him to write a song about you, it would be as full of life and wonder as you are.

For my lovely, Lady May

Jamie would move mountains at your beckon call.

Now, I ain't the toughest hickory

That your ax has ever felt

Jamie smiles when he cries. Because he knows you’re there to hold him. It’s not always a physical smile, but an internal one. He can be the ugliest crier in the universe and it wouldn’t change a thing. You’ll hold him until he’s safe from the world around him.

But I'm a hickory just as well

I'm a hickory all the same

He’s beaming when he gets to do the same. Jamie loves paying it forward. Especially with you. You patch his cut finger, he’s ready with a first aid kit when you get something in your eye. He’s strong despite his gentle exterior, and he will always support you when he knows you simply can’t hold yourself.

I came crashin' through the forest

As you cut my roots away

Jamie smiled when he knew you had sunken his battle ships. When he no longer had the strength to fight his feelings. He smiled again when he realized that all along, you had put forward endless amounts of effort to get him to fall for you.

And I fell a good long ways

And Jamie smiles now.. watching you hold the child you brought into this world. He never thought he could have seen more wonder in your eyes than he sees now. He finds it astounding that the world never broke you. He finds it even more mesmerizing, that it was your resilience that pushed back against the universe for years before him. He falls deeper and deeper in love with you, each time he hears your gentle voice coo to your child.

He cant imagine a world without you. Now he can’t imagine a world without you, and his beautiful baby girl.

For my lovely, Lady May

And Jamie beams all the same when he puts one knee in the sand, awaiting the inevitable moment you’ll turn from the ocean, to peer upon the ring he held so delicately. Like he wishes to hold you.

For far longer than eternity.

[myimaginedcorner]

SCALES OF JUSTICE - CHAPTER 7 UPDATE!!!

Welcome back, my dear reader. It has now been 2 years since we first met, and soon, this journey will come to an end. Yes, we're very close to the finale of this book, all set, and everyone ready for the final push. However, that's still lost to future; today, I'm here to take you on a day around Galeya's streets, four little stories waiting to be discovered. Explore, decide, and shape your life and others - have the first taste of choices one must make when playing in a higher league.

As usual, I welcome any feedback, specially now that my beta-tester is quite occupied with her MSc (still a strong woman in STEM, still a prisoner to her project. We shall remember her dearly). If you have any issues, recommendations, or comments in general about my work, feel free to text me here or make a post in CoG forum, where I will be answering you to the best of my capabilities. This new update is MASSIVE - I've sure missed things among all the potential choices.

NEW THINGS IN THIS UPDATE:

Explore Galeya, a bastion to Hero's safety, a haven to its crime.

Choose how to sort out your rooms for the night.

Accompany one of your companions in their own story on this day of peace before the storm: steal, catch or save, your pick.

Discover secrets about yourself... or about others.

Remember: not always one can have it all.

Chapter 6 is 161k words long. Yes, I just decided to give you 3 of my normal chapters in one go. Enjoy!

KNOWN BUGS:

Sometimes, the image for Chapter 5's title doesn't appear at the beggining of the chapter. I'm unsure why, and thus the bug still persists.

DEMO DESCRIPTION AND USEFUL LINKS:

Scales of Justice is a fantasy game situated in another world, far away from Earth. There are plenty of species living together in harmony, but the human race is currently split in two civilisations: the one known as Hero kingdom, which is ruled by ‘heroes’, and the one named Vannais kingdom, controled by ‘villains’. Both nations hate each other and the fight between ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ here is something that happens on a national level. The game is focused on lore, on character development and your own perception of the world: perhaps, your MC just wants to live a peaceful life... or maybe wants to save the world.

Or even rule it, if you’re into such things.

If you want to know a little more about this project and read the first 7 chapters, I'll leave the link to the game here -> https://dashingdon.com/play/myimaginedcorner/scales-of-justice/mygame/

If you want to discuss anything on CoG's forum, I'll leave the link for SoJ here -> https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-scales-of-justice-new-project-announcement-and-demo-release/101088/16

If you want to send me a more extensive feedback, here's my email -> feedbackscalesofjustice@gmail.com

Any mistakes, concerns or questions you have, feel free to contact me through Tumblr! I am very excited to share this story with all of you, and I want to make it as good as possible with your help!

RO DESCRIPTIONS:

Shoren/Seile → Heir to the throne of Hero kingdom, where your journey starts. Also, your old friend whom is very attached to you. Likes to read and practice magic, enjoys adventure and heroic deeds. A recognised “Hero”, with blonde curly hair, pale skin and a pair of beautiful blue eyes.

Robert/Reina → Order’s Paladin, defender of Hero and knight of Fate itself. Brave and honourable, they are determined to protect the people of the kingdom. Very loyal to friends and very dangerous as an enemy. Has short brown hair, tanned skin and an athletic build.

Valerius/Venis → An Outworlder, who was caught by cultists in the Wicked Woods. Gracious, elegant and charismatic, with ideas that you cannot always grasp. Has long, dark brown hair with a silver streak, olive skin and golden eyes.

Arion/Aria → Leader of Vannais, a recognised “Villain” who escaped from Hero and now rules the enemy kingdom. Serious, reserved yet respectful. Doesn’t like to stay behind hiding in the castle, an so always personally appears in battlefields and negotiations. Has short blonde hair, pale skin and greenish eyes.

Be careful! These characters have their thoughts and opinions on the world and your actions: if you want them to support you, convince them or take their side… or neither. That is your choice after all!

[abysswalkersknight]

Angsty story time just like I said! This one took a bit of time to think about because I was trying to match it with the other one and used my other fic as bit of a reference. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go write something fluffy and funny before I cry myself a river. Please enjoy.

...........................

This blessing truly was a curse.

Another wave of heaviness overwhelms Silver’s entire being, causing him to stagger against the gigantic, rusted door. Almost there, a voice whispers in his ear, almost there.

There wasn’t much time. He had been travelling on foot for a few days now, having snuck out of Night Raven after making sure that everyone was alright and resting. He had gathered all his meagre possessions from his dorm room and set fire to them, watching as the smoke and ashes rose up into the cool, starry sky, no one will miss them anyways. The only thing that was spared from the flames was the small photograph from Silver’s birthday where everyone wore pleasant happy smiles, back when everything was normal. He couldn’t bear to part with it so he carefully pocketed it in an old coat he brought from home. 

Home. What does that mean to him now? Home was wherever his father was, and now that was gone too. Lost to the sands of time and revelation. 

Almost there.

The castle was decrepit and in ruins, but there was a melancholic beauty among the briar thorns that draped over the whole crumbling structure, threading through old looming towers and snaking through rotted doors and windows. Elegant it was, for an ancient tomb made for a forgotten kingdom. 

Silver groaned as another wave of exhaustion hit him, it was getting worse, this was different from all the other spells, it was heavy and unrelenting, weighing him down like a prisoner with a ball and chain. It had started when everyone had tended to the aftermath of Malleus’s overblot, while everyone shed tears of relief and embraced each other Silver felt a sharp pang in his chest, his eyelids began to sag and his head languidly swayed. Before him was the sweet sight of his family in a tight pile sharing heartfelt whispers and cheers, suddenly he grew to be very tired. Silver was so happy for them, finally he got to see his prince and father genuinely smile once again, but this time the pang he felt before returns with another kick. Harder this time. So hard that he thought he could feel something split inside him, slowly spreading into what would later become a fragile web of cracks just waiting to shatter. By then he had left before anyone had noticed, slipping out of the room to what he believed was his final walk to the gallows.

He recalled visiting his father before he left. The poor fae was utterly exhausted and hadn’t even stirred as the moon’s light flooded the room through the crack of his door, Silver slowly crept up to the edge of his father’s bed, watching the level rise and fall of his chest as his gaze shifted to the peaceful expression on Lilia’s face, it was the most peaceful Silver’s seen him for quite some time. If Lilia were to wake up right now he might’ve startled at the close proximity his son’s face was to his, just watching intently while resting his drowsy head on top of his arms, expression blank as it had always been. How did he do it? After all the suffering he’s had to endure all these centuries, how did Lilia still find it in himself to love and care for the offspring of his enemy, the enemy who's stripped him of everything.

Silver sighed deeply, his head lolled against the cool stone of the castle, his thoughts were flailing from his grasp while his vision blurred at the edges, how much longer… how much longer. He was so tired, this was worse than the exhaustion he felt carrying the general up the forbidden mountains or the cold, cold magic that seeped into his joints. Silver clumsily waves off some birds, fluttering about in their worry when he refuses to speak to them, so tired, it didn’t matter. It was no use clinging to something worth nothing.

As he was leaving father’s room, he did not expect to hear a voice weak with sleepiness calling out to him ‘Silver?’ Lilia’s voice rang out ‘my dear, what are you doing out? You should be in bed little one’ Silver turned from his place at the door to see Lilia lifting himself upright, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. Once again Silver was a small child, silently praying for his papa to wake up and soothe him after the throes of a dreadful nightmare, he stalls, unsure of what to do, fortunately Lilia beats him to it ‘couldn’t sleep could you? That’ll be a first, but I’m not surprised,’ he yawns widely, ‘come here little one’ he says, patting the bed. When Silver doesn’t budge he pats it more insistently ‘well, come on!’ Silver twitches hesitantly, he’d want nothing more than to run and snuggle into his father’s arms just like how he did as a child, but due to what he’s devised and done it felt rather cruel, in the end though Silver gave in. However, as father’s arms eagerly wrapped around his shoulders the drowsiness he felt in the lounge returned tenfold, making him slump further into Lilia’s chest. Unaware of what was truly happening Lilia coos, thinking that his son simply needed some company to help lull him to sleep, not that he could blame him, the past few days have been quite the eye opener for his boys, and not the pleasant kind.

‘I’m so sorry you had to endure all of that my love’ Lilia murmurs as he buries his face in silver locks ‘it must have been terrifying for you all’ he then lays back down, bringing Silver down with him ‘yes, but I’m just glad that you and Lord Malleus are safe’ he whispers back, letting Lilia press a loving kiss to his forehead ‘oh my darling, who could have ever raised such a wonderful boy? Oh yes, it was me!’ 

Normally the boy would relish in his father’s doting affections, hands combing through his hair and massaging his scalp, his warm body curled around his under the blankets, it was the perfect way to fall asleep. But all it does now is widen the gaping hole in his chest, rendering him numb to the bone. Please, why?

It should be Malleus here in father’s warm embrace, not him.

Malleus, the prince who had lost everything before he was even born, the prince who had been denied a family by those who sought power, the prince who had been denied his rightful father. I’m so sorry.

No, Silver was not jealous in the slightest, the void within him did not bay for anyone’s downfall. Only his.

Had it not been for his birth family Malleus would still have his parents, perhaps even his freedom, and Lilia would still have his beloved friends, his reasons for living. And now thanks to Silver’s selfish desires he had helped trigger Malleus’s overblot and thus this whole mess.

And it tore at Silver to know that, despite all of these transgressions, Lilia still found it in himself to love him. It was with these thoughts stewing in his head that he carefully crawled out from the blissful warmth once he was certain his father had fallen back asleep, slipping out of the dorm just as a certain prince came to check on him, only to find that the window had been left open, curtains fluttering as the moon leaked through, illuminating a room that was dreadfully cold and devoid of everything.

Silver wasn’t even meant to be here, hadn’t the great fairies blessed him with a prolonged slumber, he would merely be another fading memory of a kingdom lost to time, a distant fragment in the history textbooks if he was lucky. Which was partly why he was here now, back to the castle where Lilia had found him, and the place where Princess Malenoa was slain, if he were in the right state of mind Silver would have spent a moment savouring the desolate beauty of the whole place. But alas, it seemed that his body recognised its home of the last four hundred years, and a familiar sense of fatigue clawed at his legs. But the voice in the back of his head urged him to walk further, almost there almost there. 

After all, there was a reason why Silver was here. 

He wanted his family to be happy, and it seems to ensure that, the blood stained slate must be wiped clean. And while there was no way he could disband the senate, the least Silver could do was make sure that nothing from his forgotten home harmed anyone ever again, including himself. Everything here must remain buried, for the sake of everyone. Everything from that tragedy will die here with him, his bloodline and existence will be naught but a distant memory.   

The great fairies magic seemed to agree with him as with every ladened step he takes, the harder it was for him to move. Just a little more… 

In the background, he heard a frantic volley of chirps and squeaks. What is it this time? It takes a momentous effort to lift his hooded eyes to see a pair of dark wings flapping and tugging at his hair. Oh, it was one of Father’s familiars, the one who took charge whenever Malleus or the Zigvolts babysat him. The bat squeaked with desperation, even digging its tiny claws into his shoulder in a pitiful attempt to either wake him up or drag him away he was not sure, all he knew was that any and all entrances had been sealed to prevent anyone from breaking in, but it seemed that the wildlife were still granted entry ‘leave me’ he tells his old caretaker, his voice slurry and barely above a whisper. 

The old bat chirps back, refusing to let go as if it knew what was happening. It's possible that it does, the bat was nearly as old as Lilia, its borne witness to his family's atrocities, seen what they have done so why was it pulling at him so? It was the head of its colony, it knew as a leader that sometimes one thing must be sacrificed for the good of many others. Why didn’t it understand that this is what needs to be done? It was for the benefit of its master for goodness sake! ‘please. Leave me alone, return to Lilia’ it hurt him to insult his father like this, he could almost hear Sebek cutting into him at such blatant disrespect. I’m sorry, Father.

The bat’s urgent squealing escalates into a borderline wailing as Silver stumbles forward, crawling up the steps leading to the desecrated throne, and the empty cradle right next to it. I’m…tired. The further he climbed, the deeper he sank, down, down into the darkness, the sweet promise of rest right at his fingertips. The bat faded off into the distance, all sense of feeling in his limbs fell away, all he could see was that small cradle.

Why did I wake up?

Every resounding step echoed throughout the empty halls.

Why did you take me in?

His legs buckle underneath him, his face crashing into the harsh stone.

It hurts. I’m scared.

He was terrified, there was no stopping this, this exhaustion. Weak fingers drag his body closer.

Father, he wanted Father!

Why would he come? There was nothing here for him, he didn’t deserve father.

It was so cold, where was father? He’s warm.

In the fading light, a hand reaches out for the cradle, almost there.

Fa…ther…

Darkness swallows him whole.

[urauntiefaye]

are your requests still open?

If still, may I request something😩 ||

Scenario : i am the lady's in waiting of Jo's mother who is the queen (jo is the crown prince). jo secretly loves me and has wanted to 'make me his' for a long time. One day I asked the queen for permission to marry a man of my parents' choice (even though I don't love the man my parents chose, because he is 20 years different from me ewww🤢). that means I have to withdraw from the palace to get married. when jo found out about this, jo got angry and jealousy and I ended up making love in his room and he claimed me as his, planting his seed in me so that I don't marry the man my parents chose and he wants me to be his wife bcuz i have his 'kid'🥺

You Will Be Mine (Jo Asakura Royalty Au🔞👑)

Word Count: 970

CW: Smut, breeding, exhibition(Kind of?), y/n is AFAB(I assumed since you wrote lady in waiting, if not please let me know and I will fix it!), Penetration(P in V)

A/N: ROYAL AU ROYAL AU ROYAL AU!!!!!! Anonnie you have no idea what you just fed me. Now, this was a little difficult for me, like my wording seems off to me and I feel like I didn’t do this concept justice enough. I do apologize, however I do hope you like it! Content is below the line!

Your family has always worked closely with the Royal family of the kingdom. It was in your blood to serve the Asakuras, So growing up with the Prince wasn’t unusual. When you were both young you would often find yourselves playing together. Running around in the open fields, playing hide and seek and in the castle, even sneaking off into the woods to find a little lake and a Gazebo. It was yours, the place where Prince Jo went to blow off steam from the responsibilities, a place where you went to cry, both a place where you two comforted each other in times of need.

 It would be safe to say that you two were the best of friends. However play time had to be cut short once the prince turned 13. At the age he was often found in the library with a tutor or in the Kings office to attend and watch silently during important meetings. You both stayed close yet apart, interactions cut short and more professional as he fulfilled his Princely duties and yours as the Queen's lady in waiting. It would be a lie that you didn’t miss him, but you knew that this was how it was supposed to be. Only if you knew that Jo always had his on you, longing and missing you. As you both became adults not only did your duties become more frequent and more serious, but the time for you to be wedded also came. Your parents had arranged a meeting for you to meet a Lord in another kingdom, with you not being too keen on meeting him and dreading it you had run off to the little Gazebo, surprised it was still standing. You spent some time trying to get your thoughts together, you knew it was your responsibility, but you never thought your parents would agree nonetheless even choose to marry you off to some forty year old Lord in another kingdom which was miles upon miles away from your home. 

“Thought I’d find you here” a soft gentle voice was heard from behind you, as you turned around you saw Jo. “Was it that obvious I’d be here? After All these years?”. He came closer to you, sitting down, his knee slightly touching yours. “Kind of?...I heard the news by the way”, you smiled sadly and sighed. “Yeah…guess it can’t be helped though right?”, he hummed as a response, you couldn’t help but notice the disappointment on his face as he looked away from you. Both sitting in silence enjoying each other's presence, “what if there was a way?, a way that will keep you here, with me?”, confused by his sudden words you retort back “what are you talking about Jo?, there’s no way-” you words being cut off as you felt a pair of soft lips pressed against yours. Taken back you didn’t move, trying to process what was happening. Jo rested his hand on your thigh, leaning into you more, kissing you with passion and what seemed to be hunger. You kissed him back, your brain going blank and just following his lead. He pushed you down so you were laying on your back, as he deepened the kiss he pushed your knee signaling to spread your legs more to which you did. His slender hands squeezing your thighs and his lips make their way down your neck making sure to leave little evidence of his touch. A soft moan escaping your lips as you tangled your fingers through his hair, Jo settled himself in between your legs and raised your dress to settle at your hips. His action getting more aggressive and rough, not wasting a single moment he tore your underwear off. The next thing you know you feel the tip of his dick rub slowly from your clit to your aching hole. A groan leaving his lips as you also moan, he brought his lips to yours and kissed you roughly, he eased the tip of his member in slowly, the stretch already making you whine. Sinking down more into you, inch by inch slowly until he finally filled you up. The initial feeling sending shivers of pleasure down his spine, “f-fuck, you feel so good” he said with a shaky breath. It didn’t take him long enough to start thrusting into you at a brutal pace though, his hips rutting against yours as your name fell from his lips like a mantra. You tried to cover your mouth in an attempt of downing out your moans so you won’t get caught, but he stopped you quickly by pinning your hands above your head. “Don’t hide your pretty moans” he groaned as he snapped his hips harshly against your erupting a loud almost screaming moan. “Want everyone to hear who you belong to” his words going straight to your cunt, clenching around his dick hard. This got him more worked up and he flushed chest against yours and started whispering out even more sinful things to you. Such as how he was going to breed you and make sure you will have to marry him since you’ll be the one carrying his heirs. His promises of making you his and filling you up where you have no choice but to end up getting pregnant by him made you not only emotional but it’s what also helped you get pushed over the edge reaching your climax with no warning. Jo, also reaching his end as his cum shot deep inside you, not daring to pull out or stop his thrusts until he knew for sure you would end up pregnant with his children. To say you two went at it till the sunset might be an overstatement, but damn does it sure as hell feel like it. 

[profoundbondfanfic]

Born to be yours by zation [Explicit, 72k words]

Castiel finds a curious creature in his backyard. Or, The one where Dean wanted an apple but found himself a human instead (and also an apple).

Breathing Into You by casblackfeathers [Explicit, 110k words]

‘Beware the deep sea, that’s where the monsters come from.’ Dean had heard these words since birth, his father’s warnings shaping him into the man he is today. That’s not the root of Dean’s hatred for merpeople, though. Twenty years after the day tragedy had touched the Winchesters’ lives forever as well as the end of the Great War between humans and mer, Dean is still haunted by that moment. But loving the sea is just as much a part of him as the dread for the merfolk, so when he isn’t working at the local bar, he is there, underwater, immersed in the vast blue his mother used to speak of in her bedtime stories. Dean knows, however, that the sea can be as ruthless as it is soothing. When he is caught in the middle of a storm and faces the anger of the waves, the mysterious appearance of a stranger with blue eyes as clear as the waters Dean loves losing himself in forces Dean to question the truth behind his father’s old mantra.

carving deep blue ripples by dothraki_shieldmaiden [Mature, 85k words]

With his little brother at Stanford and his father searching out leads on the monster that killed his mother, Dean Winchester is left to hunt alone. It's fun, except in the ways that it really blows. Things start to turn around when he meets Castiel Novak, another hunter. Castiel is aloof and maybe a little too sarcastic, but he's good backup (and pretty easy on the eyes. Not that Dean's looking or anything). After a few hunts, Dean is willing to make his and Castiel's partnership permanent (and he's not exactly averse to adding another component to their partnership either. After all, he's caught Castiel looking at him just as many times as Castiel's caught him looking). But Castiel is hiding a secret, and it's so explosive that it threatens to not only tear them apart, but also tear apart everything Dean believes in.

Convenient Husbands by Annie D (scaramouche) [Explicit, 39k words]

"It's only temporary, right?" Dean says. "Just until you're healed up, and then we'll never have to see each other again. So what do you say, Castiel, do you want to marry me or not?"

Dragon Hunt by peanutbutterjelly-pie (Aleakim) [Explicit, 171k words]

What is a former knight fallen from grace supposed to do when one day, after almost a decade of scouring the outskirts of the kingdom for his missing brother, he finds himself confronted with a powerful, terrifying and also ridiculously weird dragon? Yes, exactly: team up with the guy and scam oblivious people out of their money! Easy as that, right? (In which Dean ends up stumbling upon a strange, blue-eyed dragon and before he even knows what's happening he is in way too deep to get out again.)

It's a Small World (aka the Worst Ride at Disneyland) by ireadhpinenochian [Mature, 45k words]

Dean's life didn't start out great. With his mom dying and his father taking him and Sam on wild goose chase after wilder goose chase to track down her killer until Sam couldn't take it anymore and ran off, it pretty much sucked. But now he has Cas. And Cas is great--perfect, even--definitely the best thing that's ever happened to him, even if he isn't quite human. He's been living so long in domestic bliss that he completely forgot to be worried about waiting for the other shoe to drop. Which is, of course, when his giant of a brother strolls back into his life sending Dean into a panic that he and Cas will have to uproot their perfect apple pie life if Sam finds out Cas' big secret.

Like Lightning Under Your Skin by A_Diamond [Explicit, 24k words]

Desperate for a way to save his brother from a demon’s clutches, hunter Dean does the unthinkable and seeks out a supernatural creature for help: a powerful lightning elemental, the kind he and his family should be killing. When his attempt to bind the elemental goes awry, he finds himself psychically connected to it instead. The creature’s emotions bleed into his; its pain echoes into him. Rather than finding the solution to saving Sam, Dean’s given himself a new and even more time-sensitive problem. He has to find a way to master the bond before the rest of the hunters decide he’s too far gone and put him down. The trouble is that the more time he spends connected to the elemental’s thoughts, the more he starts to wonder if they don’t have it all wrong. Maybe the creature, which calls itself Castiel, doesn’t deserve to be slaughtered; maybe the rest of its kind hadn’t deserved that, either. Or maybe that’s just Castiel’s voice in his head.

Man in the Wilderness by OneHundredSuns [Explicit, 68k words]

Dean Winchester is fresh out of Purgatory along with every other Tom, Dick and Wendigo that called the cesspool home. As the monsters lay waste to the Earth and eat anything they can get their hands on, Dean sets out to find his only remaining family so that they can hunker down and fight the assholes head on. He doesn’t mean to stumble upon Castiel Novak and his adorable twins in the middle of the apocalypse and he sure as hell doesn’t mean to offer them a ride to wherever they are trying to get to. But the world is a dangerous place now and he’s always been a sucker for blue eyes and cute kids. So he’ll help them out and just hope it doesn’t get him or them killed in the process.

Miasma by ValandraWrites [Explicit, 13k words]

Dean's grown up with a monster under his bed. They kind of became friends. Then they kind of became more than friends.

The Graveyard Shift by PurgatoryJar, riseofthefallenone [Explicit, 620k words]

Dean’s favourite coffee shop, The Graveyard Shift, is only open after the sun goes down. Which is perfect for him, because that’s exactly when he craves coffee the most while doing the overnight at the fire hall. The coffee shop’s owner is pretty perfect too, but it’s kind of a bummer that Dean never gets to see Cas during the day. In a world where the supernatural live more or less in peace with the rest of humanity, it’s a little impolite to ask Cas just what he really is - or what his dark past entails.

[bethanydelleman]

Northanger Abbey Readthrough Ch 11

Important context for this chapter! Blaize Castle is a FAKE CASTLE:

known as a "folly". It's basically a very large lawn ornament. It was built in 1766, so John Thorpe is lying through his teeth when he says it's the oldest in the kingdom, it's only about 40 years old by Catherine's time.

I love that Mr. Allen refuses to predict the weather when he's not at home. I love Mrs. Allen's little dig about Catherine not minding dirt (makes me wonder if Catherine has ruined a few cushions in her day). I love poor Catherine sitting at the window counting umbrellas and hoping her walk will happen!

Now, I do wonder that the Tilneys didn't send Catherine a note. It was at least 12:40 when the Thorpes showed up, then they talked, and Catherine sees the Tilneys walking towards her lodgings. It must be 1:00 p.m. by then. These Tilneys are rich, can't they send a servant to say they're coming? Did they really expect Catherine to just wait all day?

Great quote:

she meditated, by turns, on broken promises and broken arches, phaetons and false hangings, Tilneys and trap-doors.

Catherine finally has had enough of Mr. Thorpe:

“If your brother had not got such a d—— beast to drive,” said he soon afterwards, “we might have done it very well. My horse would have trotted to Clifton within the hour, if left to himself, and I have almost broke my arm with pulling him in to that cursed broken-winded jade’s pace. Morland is a fool for not keeping a horse and gig of his own.” “No, he is not,” said Catherine warmly, “for I am sure he could not afford it.” “And why cannot he afford it?” “Because he has not money enough.” “And whose fault is that?” “Nobody’s, that I know of.” Thorpe then said something in the loud, incoherent way to which he had often recourse, about its being a d—— thing to be miserly; and that if people who rolled in money could not afford things, he did not know who could, which Catherine did not even endeavour to understand. Disappointed of what was to have been the consolation for her first disappointment, she was less and less disposed either to be agreeable herself or to find her companion so; and they returned to Pulteney Street without her speaking twenty words.

Now of course, we know with hindsight that John has decided (for some reason) that James is very rich, so he doesn't understand why James doesn't keep a carriage. Now Catherine knows that her family isn't super wealthy, so I'm sure all of this talk is just incomprehensible to her. But who in their right mind could understand John Thorpe...

Poor Catherine gets no country walk, no Blaize Castle, and no Tilneys. Her day is ruined and she is consighed to cry forever on a pillow strewn with thorns... (maybe Marianne would, but not our girl Catherine)

It also seems that Catherine is beginning to notice that Isabella Thorpe isn't exactly the great friend she appeared to be at first:

Catherine could almost have accused Isabella of being wanting in tenderness towards herself and her sorrows, so very little did they appear to dwell on her mind, and so very inadequate was the comfort she offered.

I just find this whole chapter so painful, it is the epitome of FOMO, instead of hiking with her crush and his sister, she is forced to endure John Freaking Thorpe and not even have the added bonus of a castle!

The relationship of Catherine and the Tilneys is also full of these small misunderstandings and interpretations of propriety (we will see more next chapter). Miss Tilney feeling for a card and not leaving one can be seen as an indication that she wants to break off the acquaintance, or she may just have had no card. Now since she was planning on a country walk, no card is plausible, but poor Catherine is very worried that the Tilneys were insulted by her behaviour.

As a last note, this man is the worst:

(and so well cast in 2007!)

[luminous-letters]

hello! for your event, may i request "i wish i knew you wanted me" with leona? congrats on 1k!!!

omg thank you so much anon 💛✨

also, i'm so sorry for answering so late 😭

To The Very Last Letter

"Oi, Leona! This stuff's yours right?" Ruggie tossed the small cardboard box in Leona's direction.

It wasn't eye-catching in any way. The box had the color gray, it was barren and worn. One would've mistaken it for another one of the things Leona scatters around, only to forget it later.

"Where'd you even get this?" Leona said, analyzing it from the outside.

"Savanaclaw's new house warden sent it here. You should be thankful that the guy hadn't thrown it away."

Savanaclaw. He hadn't heard that name for years now. How was the dorm doing? Is the botanical garden the same cozy place it was then? Has Crewel gotten wrinkles? How's the herbivore and that gremlin doing?

"How are those two?"

"Well, they're Assistant Headmaster something something. Kind of forgot the details. But they're doing pretty well if that's what you were wondering about," Ruggie shrugged.

The news made him feel a little at ease. As much as he'd like to have a chat between tea, he had so much paperwork left to do. The kingdom, legal stuff, trade, memos he needed to sign, and foreign affairs. Needless to say, he's got a lot on his plate.

Or maybe that's just an excuse for being lazy?

"Is this...?"

Thin stacks of letters were the contents of the box. They had a wide range of colors, some white, some orange, some even had more colors than one. All of them, no doubt, were the ones you sent him a while back.

"Ruggie, make sure the squirt goes to his lessons this time. That old baboon wouldn't shut up if he misses it again."

"Just like his Unca Leona," Ruggie snickered.

"Can't have our future king slacking off is all."

The hyena paused for a moment. It's been seven years since Leona assumed the throne, and seven years since the former king passed. He had agreed to be temporary king, to reign until Cheka had come of age and was fit to rule over Sunset Savannah. The wear and stress of the position took its toll on him.

Leona looked nothing like the proud house warden he once was. The circles under his eyes grew larger and more defined with the weeks. And he'd rarely see him come out of his office, and his eyes never looked dimmer than it was.

"Fine, fine. Take a break when you're done."

"I doubt I could even if I wanted to."

With Ruggie out the door, Leona was left with the mountains of paperwork and the stack of your letters.

"These could wait," he glanced at the box, putting it away in a drawer.

The night turned to day and night again. The towers of paper were reduced greatly by now. Meaning, that he had some time to slack off until the next hour.

The coffee on his desk had gone cold, and the bread turned stale from the hours of ignoring it. But it was still a good snack as any, he thought, too occupied to be bothered to ask for a new batch.

He decided that rereading your little letters would be better than staring at nothing. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't sleep. It felt like even the slightest neglect would result in everything he worked hard for to come crashing down. For all of the respect he's earned to turn into dust again.

"Alright, herbivore, let's see what you got."

The first letter was purple, with the mark of Octavinelle printed on the lower right corner in faint gold color.

To Leona Kingscholar,

Hey there. I hope this letter finds you well.

I wanted to thank you for your help back there. If it weren't for you, Grim and I would probably be on the streets.

I asked Jack what kind of food you liked. And he answered me with, "Expensive meat, probably." He had the same answer as Ruggie, so I went for it.

The ingredients were hard to procure, but Octavinelle lent us a few madols to compensate. And the ghosts told me they could help me make it.

So, I wanted to invite you for a feast. Ramshackle, at 7:30 p.m. You're not obligated to come, but I'd feel so much better if you would.

—Sincerely, MC

The memory earned a chuckle from him. He remembered how you waited for him on your dorm's porch. He couldn't forget how you looked like you were about to fall asleep right then and there.

He picked out another one, multicolored, with red, black, and gold. It was richly decorated with bundles of blue and yellow as if it was screaming 'rich!' at the top of its lungs.

To Leona Kingscholar,

Can you believe it? Jamil held us hostage! If we knew it would've ended up like that we never would've helped him in the kitchen.

Enough of that, how's your winter break so far? Does it snow back there? Or is it just cold? If it did, I bet you'd look goofy wearing a sweater. Do you have to wear something to warm your tail too?

That's pretty much all I wanted to say. I look forward to your return. Who knows, there might be a surprise waiting for you.

—Herbivore

A plush toy. That's what was waiting for him. You got him a small lion plushie as a gift. Reluctantly, he accepted it anyway. To this day, it's still neatly stored in one of his closets.

The third one was a vibrant hue of purple. It was laced with gold on the edges and had a kind of sheen.

To Leona,

Hey, how are things?

The VDC turned out better than I anticipated. I should give credit to Vil for helping us all throughout.

I was looking for you in the crowd. But I couldn't find anywhere I looked. Maybe you were busy with final stage maintenance?

That's too bad, I was hoping that you'd come see their performance. Who knew Ace and Deuce had some good moves up their sleeve?

Hey, Leona, if it's not too much trouble... Would you like to join me for dinner? There's a new restaurant in town. Cater sent me a few pictures of the venue, and I couldn't help but think of Savanaclaw.

Hoping for a reply.

—Sincerely, Herbivore

He hadn't sent a reply.

The last one of the four was more formal. It was black, decorated with little lines of gold. And the seal of NRC was still intact.

"I haven't seen this one before..."

To Leona Kingscholar,

Congratulations. As your fellow schoolmate, I'm here to bid you farewell. We had a good school year together, don't you think?

After this you'll be out on the field, no? That's what Cater told me. Then it means you won't be around much. That's a shame, I'll miss you napping around the botanical garden for sure.

No joke, I'll really miss having you around. But don't let that hold you back. I'm sure you'll be known as the great wizard you are. Don't give up and keep looking forward.

Pardon the cheesiness.

We plan on holding a farewell party for all the seniors. I hope you can stop by Ramshackle, Grim and I've prepared a lot of good food.

That, and I want to tell you something. I honestly wanted to tell you this in person, but I'm worried that you might not come. I don't want to waste this opportunity to tell you that...

Leona Kingscholar, I love you.

—Your Herbivore, MC

Leona put away the letters. The gray box was stowed away in his drawer, he doesn't know when he'll be taking it out soon.

"If I had known, I would've loved you... I would've..."

When did he start crying?

He retired for the night, not in the mood for work.

[waterfire1848]

Hello waterfire!

I don’t know if your accepting writing prompts or anything like that (if not, just consider it a fun thought experiment), but on the chance you are. Here is an Azutara one based on the quote below.

“You know, flitining was a lot less destructive back in my day”- this can either be said by Iroh, Kanna, or any other elder charachters in regards to Azula and Katara fighting/flirting all the time.

Thanks for the ask!

I absolutely can do this! Sorry for the wait by the way.

Kanna never thought she’d come to the Fire Nation, not even in her wildest imagination. Well…that was a lie. She did sometimes dream of going to the Fire Nation and finding Hama or, in the moments when she hugged Hakoda a little tighter, of being taken away because the Fire Nation decided they wanted everyone to be imprisoned.

Yet here she was. Stepping onto Fire Nation docks and knowing she had nothing to fear. She wanted to come here. She wanted to see her grandchildren in this new place and meet Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Azula. Up until this point, she’d only heard stories about them, some good and some that made her want to grab her grandchildren and never let them return to the nation. Still, she trusted Katara and Sokka. If something was wrong, they would tell her or return to the South Pole.

Sokka greeted her on the docks with Katara being noticeably absent.

“She wanted to spend time with her girlfriend.” He joked.

“Girlfriend?” She’d known for years now that Katara liked girls and guys, but her granddaughter never had an official girlfriend.

“They’re not official yet, but everyone knows it except them.”

Kanna had to laugh. She knew the feeling. She and Hama used to flirt all the time to the point that Hama’s sister screaming at them at dinner one time to please go on a date already. They did and it was amazing, but that was beside the point.

“Who is it?” Maybe it was a girl she’d met in the Earth Kingdom?

Sokka suddenly grew nervous and played with his fingers, “Sokka?” Kanna asked.

“It’s….Princess Azula.” Sokka admitted.

“Princess Azula.” Really? The girl who was known as the Avatar Slaver, the Conqueror of Ba Sing Se, the wielder the blue flame and Ozai’s prodigy daughter. That was the girl Katara liked?

“Then I’ll have to meet this Azula.”

Sokka led her up to the Fire Nation palace, where she paused for a moment to take it in, then to the garden. Compared the the size of the rest of the palace, the gardens were normal. There was a small pond in the middle with turtleducks and some space for people to run around.

Kanna’s eyes widened when she saw Azula and Katara. The two were fighting. Her first instinct was to look at Sokka. Was this not concerning? Shouldn’t he be helping his sister? Kanna would have jumped in but she had a feeling a small 70 something year old woman wasn’t going to be much against the Fire Nation princess.

Then she saw it. They weren’t fighting fighting. They were sparing and Kanna also quickly understood why Sokka thought they were girlfriends. Katara and Azula were sending water blasts and fireballs at one another but the way they did made it seem more like a dance than a battle. At the end, Katara splashed Azula with some water from the turtleduck pond making Azula laugh and rub it off her face but then put some grass on Katara’s cheek.

“You know, flirting was a lot less destructive back in my day.” Kanna commented.

That got a laugh out of Sokka which brought Katara and Azula’s attention to the two.

“Gran Gran!” Katara cried, hugging her grandmother, “You’re here.”

“I am. It’s so good to see you, Katara.”

“It’s good to see you too. I missed you.”

“And who is this?” Kanna asked, looking at Azula.

Azula bowed in a Fire Nation style, “Princess Azula, Elder Kanna. It’s an honor to have you in the Fire Nation.”

“Elder? Did you just call me old?” She bit back a laugh when she saw Azula’s eyes go small, “I’m joking, Princess Azula. It’s good to finally meet you.”

“Thank you and you don’t have to call me princess.”

“I can’t wait to show you around. The town here is amazing!” Katara told her, “But I should probably wash off first. I’ll meet you and Sokka later.”

“That sounds wonderful.” While Katara ran off, Azula stayed with them, “I hope me being here isn’t too much of a burden.”

“No. No.” Azula quickly said, “It really is great to have you here. It’s nice seeing Katara so happy.”

Sokka rolled his eyes, “Just ask her out on a date already. Everyone knows you want to! Ty Lee has spent the last month finding you a perfect first date outfit.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Katara is a friend and nothing more…even if she does look pretty after sparing or…all the time.” When she saw Sokka’s face, she moved her face away to hide her blush, “Shut up.”

“Take it from an old woman, Azula, if you really like Katara then you’ll regret that you waited so long.” Kanna told her.

“I don’t know.”

“Trust me.” She told the young girl, “I know better than most.” She whispered.

“Maybe. I…maybe.”

“Think about it.” Kanna said, “But I must say that if you break my granddaughter’s heart, the Fire Nation will be looking for a new princess.”

Sokka and Azula froze but Kanna kept walking down. Sokka had a smile on his face and was laughing a little while Azula had a look of concern.

“Is she serious?” Azula asked.

“She did once throw a Fire Nation soldier into shark invested waters after he threatened to set my dad’s crib on fire. She also once knocked out a soldier and apparently he told people he fell on the ice because that was a better story than getting punched by a non bender from the South Pole.”

“I’m actually both impressed and scared.”

“Good.” Kanna called over her shoulder.

[starrook]

"HEY, HEY! ALCRYST! OVER HERE, KID!"

morion's running around with a massive training sword, likely having come from the training grounds. with how he's carrying it, it's a wonder he hasn't hit anyone---though he does come quite close a handful of times. now, however, he seems more focused on his son. with his free hand he waves like a man possessed, calling out to him as if he were on the other side of the continent and not some paces away.

"i just spoke to your brother, and now i find you! ain't this a lucky day for your old man?!" he doesn't wait for an answer before running up and slinging his arm around the poor guy's shoulders. he gives a quick jostle back and forth before he continues. "i've been all over the place, let me tell you. first day on the job and i'm probably gonna get written up for scaring the crap out of a bunch of classrooms. ah, well! what're you gonna do?! HA HA!"

morion plants his training sword firmly on the ground, backing up to give alcryst a little space. "anyways! i'm real glad you two are here!" he grins so wide he has to close his eyes for it to fit on his face. "i don't mean to be all 'crazy attached dad' or anythin', but i've missed ya tons! there's a hell of a lot i've gotta tell you two about, so let's find a time the three of us can spar!" he taps his sword on the ground to accentuate his point.

seemingly unable to stop moving, morion closes back in to give a quick hug to alcryst. "i'm happy to see ya, alcryst," he says, quietly now. "it's been a little bit, hey? and just in case i don't see you again today, don't forget that i love ya!"

Father's voice. The sound of it is one of Alcryst's most cherished memories, something he hopes to never forget. So to hear it now, just as he remembers it, makes his blood run cold.

It's impossible. Just impossible. Because... Father was dead. Killed, resurrected as a Corrupted, then killed again. Alcryst loosed the arrow. He watched his father die by his own hands. There wasn't even a body left behind.

The stranger goes in to embrace him. Alcryst steps back, slapping those hands away. "How dare you," he seethes. "...My father is dead. He died right before my eyes. How dare you take his name and face for your own...!"

The resemblance to Morion is uncanny. Old wounds bleed once more at the sight of this man. Alcryst's tears fall freely. Is this Father's fate? For others to constantly twist his character and image in pursuit of power? It's vile. Disgusting. Agonizing.

"For as long as I breathe, I won't allow impersonators to make a mockery of my father's memory. Nor torment my family and friends." That this man managed to reach Diamant is already alarming. Who else has he harassed? Lapis? The Divine One? Every possibility compounds upon each other, intensifying Alcryst's fear, his fury. "Whoever you are, you are not him. To fraudulently identify yourself as a member of the royal family is a crime punishable by death."

Alcryst takes a step forward, one hand gripping a dagger still sheathed at his belt. It's too close to draw his bow, but this will do. "So cease this farce, lest I have you detained and extradited to the Kingdom of Brodia."

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

The Kingdom of the Stars Chapter 24: The Clock

Previous: Chapter 23

Next: Chapter 25

“Doomsday clock? I’m sorry? What in the world is a Doomsday clock?” she spat in disbelief as the prince casually turned the clock over in his hands. 

“It’s an old legend,” he begins, stepping past her towards the fireplace. His eyes fixated on the clock as its strangely carved arms slowly moved. 

Asha could’ve sworn that she saw the corner of the prince’s lips twitch upwards as he continued, “My uncle told me that it had lost its will to move the day his home was destroyed.” his gaze turned towards the hearth. “But when it reclaims its life, it will be the beginning of the end.”

“Beginning of the end? What did that mean? Was it the end of life as they knew it? Or worse, the end of Rosas? 

It would’ve been tragic if for all her efforts she’d been the one who ultimately catalyzed Rosas’s fall. 

Foolishly, she glanced towards Dahlia, curious to see whether or not she was also confused.

But Dahlia didn’t look panicked or nervous as she helped herself to one of the leftover pastries from the reception cart. “Asha,” came Dahlia’s voice, breaking the silence. “Are you sure you didn’t fix that clock?”

The prince shook his head, “No. The clock seems to have some roots in magic, so if you tried to fix it by traditional means, then it wouldn’t work. Asha doesn’t have any magical powers so there’s no way she would have fixed it.”

“So you’re saying that the only thing that could’ve gotten the clock to start was magic?” Asha asked as the prince nodded. Wait . The clock’s technology had been very similar to her grandmother’s music box, hadn’t it? And if magic was what the clock needed to work…was magic what her grandmother’s music box was missing? Had ‘the spark’ been magic all along? But what were its limitations? Did it require general magic or more specifically the magic of the star?

No, no that didn’t make sense. Why would the technology of Rosas’s predecessor depend on the magic of stars? Unless, of course, they’d somehow known the truth about the sentience of stars…

She’d have to look into this later, but for now, she had to deal with the prince, who by all means looked as if he were on the verge of figuring out something he shouldn’t. 

“Is it possible that it fixed itself?” Dahlia asked.

The prince shook his head, calmly replying “Something fixed this clock, and I doubt it did it unintentionally.”

Asha would contend that point. 

She could recall the moment the star’s magic hit the clock. It had been unintentional, at least on the star’s part but she’d been partially to blame, as she’d knocked him over in the first place.

But this wasn’t good. The prince was now suspicious, and if he told the king-

“So…if you didn’t do it, and the king nor the other apprentices were here…” Dahlia’s voice trailed off. ”Who-,”

“Theory time!” the prince grinned, as Asha internally cringed. “I have an idea of what it could have been.” He looked around, his eyes searching the library for what Asha suspected was a sign of something or someone. 

“W-wait!” Asha called, pulling his attention back as he turned to her.  “Why are you saying it was a ‘what’ when before you called it a ‘someone’?”

“Well,” the prince started, “I was just theorizing, that, I think…the thing that fixed the clock was the same thing that fell out of the sky yesterday. You know…the word ‘start’ without the last t.”

“You mean the star?” Asha replied, feeling her heart race. 

“Shhh!” the prince hissed. “Not so loudly! That thing could be anywhere! Maybe even here!”

Oh God, how poorly was this conversation going to age?’ she wondered as he gestured for the two girls to lean in closer.

“You think the star did this?” Dahlia whispered, a hint of disbelief plaguing her voice as she crossed her arms. “Why would a cosmic being that holds grudges against your uncle peacefully slip into a castle just to fix a clock? No offense, but the king, the castle, and the entire kingdom are right there, arguably at its most vulnerable.” She glanced at the clock before pointing to it, “Doing only this much and nothing else isn’t very plausible to me.”

“Well, not when you put it like that!” Ignacio huffed. “Maybe it’s using psychological warfare!”

Asha seriously doubted that. “Alright, so let’s say that it, who must not be named, really did just waltz up into the library to cast a spell on the clock for whatever reason. Wouldn’t that have triggered the protection runes or some security measures?” Asha asked, remembering how they’d spectacularly failed her. “There’s no way it could just be doing whatever it wanted in the castle right?”

“Theoretically no,” the prince began. 

“Theoretically?” she frowned. “What about…realistically? How could it have been in here without triggering the runes?”

The prince hummed thoughtfully, “Well…There are always loopholes to things that are usually specifically written like runes. They operate only under the conditions they define. Like for example you can’t expect a fire rune to give you ice or water powers. That’s just not possible. Now add in the fact of how old and neglected these runes are, and there’s one of two things that could've happened. One- it’s quite possible that due to age, the rune protection is weaker in some areas, so you-know-what could’ve navigated through those weak spots-”

It was funny how the prince mentioned that. Come to think of it, the star had spent most of the shelving competition working out of view, in other parts of the library. 

Had it been intentional on his part to subtly undermine the runes while securing victory?

She wasn’t sure, but if the prince could sense it, then there was a good chance that the star had as well…

“-Or it could’ve just figured out how to work its way around them on its own without alerting anyone. Maybe even slowly eroding or devouring the runes and their constraints in the process.” the prince finished with a casual shrug. 

“Are you sure?” Asha felt her voice waver. Had the star really figured out a way to counteract the runes on his own like the prince had said? If a star so low on the totem pole could do something like this, then what exactly were the alpha stars capable of?

As if hearing her question the prince replied, “It’s always a possibility. I mean look at what it did to the clouds in the sky. Do you know how huge and powerful that barrier was? And that…that thing just broke it like it was nothing .”

“What sort of star would be able to do something like that?” 

“Well…we don’t have anything in concrete yet, but-,” he paused, telekinetically pulling Dahlia’s cart forward as he slid off the notecards she’d seen set up in the king’s study earlier. “We have a few guesses on what the star could be, or what sent it.”

“You think the star could’ve been sent?” she asked.

“Yes! The leading theory is that it is working for one of these names!” The prince declared while she read over the names, 

‘Polaris’ ‘Sirius’ ‘Arctarus’ ‘Altair’ ‘Antares’ ‘Alderamin’ ‘Rigel’ ‘Spica’ 

“That’s a bit more than a few-,” Dahlia frowned. “It looks like your list got longer since last time.”

The prince deflated. “Look…I know it did, but in our defense, there’s like a billion stars, so narrowing it down to possibly 8 or maybe 9 choices is fantastic, right Asha?”

She hesitantly nodded, looking over the names. “Statistically yes.”

“See? Even the astronomer approves,”

Dahlia didn’t look impressed or convinced. “The same astronomer who didn’t even believe in them being monsters in the first place? Congratulations I guess.”

“Thanks! Oh wait…that is right…you never did believe in them being monsters, right?” the prince asked, glancing at Asha. 

She hesitated, her fingers lingering over the ‘Sirius’ card. “I…I had my doubts about things in the past…but-,”

“But?” he repeated with baited breath.

She sighed, feeling her fingers slowly withdraw from the card. “I’m willing to keep an open mind about it.”

“Really?” Both he and Dahlia looked stunned.

“Yes really. I’ve been wrong about things before, and I don’t want to be wrong about this, not if it may spell the end of life as we know it.” Her eyes glanced toward the clock before meeting the prince. “I want to do my part to protect Rosas too. But I just need to know something.”

“And what’s that?” He asked with a surprising amount of happiness. She didn’t miss the slight unease in Dahlia’s expression.

“The stars. I want to know everything that your uncle knows and suspects about them.”

“Well then!” The prince started, his smile more pleased than anything else. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know, just give me a minute or so to get my thoughts together! Whew!” He turned to Dahlia. “This is actually crazy! Asha finally believes me about the stars! Asha! Can you believe it?”

Dahlia, on the other hand, looked very unhappy.  “I mean I was here. I heard and saw it-,”

The prince laughed. “I know I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s been on a roll lately you know. First, she rowed to Antaris! Then she decorated the western market and let’s not forget-,’ he looked around at the immaculate library. “She literally brought this library back from the dead! Is there anything she can’t do?”

“Choose a better career path,” Dahlia muttered. Asha hated how she couldn’t even be mad at those words, as she grudgingly nodded in agreement. 

“Um no, she doesn't need a better career path,” the prince frowned at Dahlia, before turning to Asha, “could you give us one minute please?”

Asha nodded, quietly slipping away from the table as Valentino followed. 

The voices of the prince and baker echoed from behind her. Why couldn’t she have stayed to listen to the conversation in person? Why the secrecy? Sure they hadn’t asked her for help, but Rosas was her home too! Shouldn’t they be a bit more liberal with sharing information with her? 

“ I think you’re making a mistake.” Dahlia began . 

“Oh I know I am, but what choice do I have?” The prince retorted.

“You shouldn’t get her involved. It’s not-,”

“I know! I know, but I spoke to him…He’s not…if she could-…maybe we could- …it could be the breakthrough we need Dahlia!”

As much as she hated to admit it, the star had done a spectacular job cleaning the library. The floors were practically spotless and the furniture looked polished and new. 

He really hadn’t needed to put in that much effort, but she….appreciated it, at least for now.

“ Or it could possibly go horribly wrong.” Dahlia’s voice was pensive.

“Everything can go wrong. What can you do?”

“You could… just not do that. That’s always an option.”

“I’m starting to think that all your sweetness goes into your cookies- seriously.”

“It’s the sacrifice you need but don’t deserve.”

“Ok I’ll concede that point but you know what I’m saying!”

“I do but there…another way! Can’t you…”

“No, it’s not…I’m afraid I have no choice. She’s the only one.”

“Fine but at least be careful…you…that much…remember?”

Slowly sneaking towards the closest,  she carefully yanked open the door, only to be greeted by the sight of…nothing?

That wasn’t right. Where was the star?

She groaned as she felt her temples begin to throb. ‘Ugh. Leave it to the silly star to get lost in the one castle that hosted anti-star sentiments.’

But they were even now, weren't they? He’d saved her life and she’d saved his… So- she glanced around, making sure that the prince and baker were still busy arguing before she swung her fist into the closet, once, and then twice.

Valentino pleated, looking at her as if she’d lost her mind before she shrugged. She was just checking to see if he was still there and besides she owed the star a few hits for tricking her like that.

She also owed him a solid punch for how he had pinned her down. They’d been so close then, and just thinking about it had her fuming as her face burned. 

Oh, how she’d make him regret coming to earth!

Valentino pleated.

“No Valentino, I am not okay. Did you see what happened to me in the past two hours?” 

The goat gave her a knowing look. “What?!” She groaned as she tugged at her hair. “It’s the truth!” Sure she had sort of brought it on herself but still she’d never expected all of that to happen! 

Chirp

She paused, turning to glance towards one of the open windows as the small figures of her birds came into view.

She panicked, glancing in the direction of the prince’s voice before she quickly approached the window.

“Guys!” she nervously whispered. ”What are you doing back here? If the prince sees you he’ll-,” her voice trailed off as she noticed the forlorn expressions on the small birds, who quietly puffed up their feathers. “Aw, what’s wrong?” she whispered, her eyes meeting Enrique’s teary ones as the other birds sadly chirped. All of their eyes turned towards the closet that the star had last been seen in.

Oh. 

“Oh c’mon guys, don’t be sad! You all did great!” She assured the birds who didn’t look convinced. “Your dove bombs were impeccable! And look, we only lost by one point. One point, isn’t that amazing? The fact that it was so close to begin with says a lot! I bet if we did it again we’d absolutely crush him!” She smiled, trying to ignore her own feelings of anger and shame that gnawed away at her wounded pride.

It really hadn’t been their fault that she’d lost.

Anyone could’ve seen that the blame lay solely on her shoulders.

How could she have gotten so distracted with the star of all beings?! And now look at what she’d done! Not only was she stuck having to spend time with him, but she’d apparently initiated a doomsday prophecy.

Great. Just great. Could this day have gotten any worse?

Her thoughts paused as her eyes met those of her birds once more. Now the sadness in their faces chipped away at the bits and pieces of her heart. So she promised them, “Trust me, it’s only one day, so after tomorrow, I’ll give him something to think about. Then we’ll never have to worry about him again! How does that sound?” Enrique passionately chirped, hopping to his feet. Carmen hopped forward, chirping as well. Little by little their spirits returned as Asha smiled. 

“Asha?”  the prince called as he came into view. “Oh…” he paused, looking from her to her birds before taking a tentative step back. “I was wondering who you were talking to.” 

Sensing that it was their time to go, her birds gave her one final parting song before departing, effectively leaving her alone with the prince.  

The silence that followed was awkward, to say the least as he carefully began to approach her. 

“Sorry about that,” she smiled as he neared. “I was just thanking them for helping me clean earlier.” 

“I see,” He politely nodded, stepping past her as 

his eyes landed on one of the fields in the distance where the figures of the king and apprentices surrounded a table.

“It must be nice being able to fly around so freely, especially on a nice day like this,” he sighed. A small note of melancholy filled his voice as he spoke once more, “Can you imagine what the world must look like from all the way up there?”

Would the prince believe her if she said she could? The view from the flight to Antaris was one she’d sworn to never forget. 

Too bad she’d had to share that experience with the star of all beings.

“-it must be so peaceful-,” he continued.

His words trailed off as they heard the distinct sound of the king’s voice yell, “NO DARIO. DON’T DO THAT.”

“Like I was saying,” the prince rolled his eyes before starting once more. “It must be so peaceful-,”

“DARIO DID YOU HEAR ME?” The king called once more.

“SORRY SIR!” Dario called back. 

The prince sighed, nearly looking exasperated as he stepped back from the window. “I’m sorry where was I?’

“It must be so peaceful?” Asha smiled.

“Thanks. Like I was saying it must be-,”

“DARIO ARE YOU INSANE? DON’T MIX THOSE POTIONS! DARIO!” The king yelled as a green light emerged from the distant field, followed by a loud explosion as the ground beneath their feet began to shake.

“What on earth was that?!” Asha exclaimed, barely able to catch her balance as the prince looked out the window.

“Dario being Dario, I think” he murmured, as Dahlia approached.

“Okay, I’m not crazy, but did anyone else hear that?” Dahlia exclaimed, nearing the window as a thick plume of smoke emerged from the fields. That couldn’t have been good. “Were the lessons on explosives or something?!”

The prince held up his hands in a placating gesture, “Hey don’t look at me! I wasn’t invited to their session!”

The three turned their attention back towards the fields as several guards and stable boys began to race towards the smoke. Asha frowned, trying to ignore her unease once more before asking, “You don’t think they’re hurt do you?”

The prince gingerly shrugged while offering her a half smile. “I’m sure it’s probably fine. Magic can get messy from time to ti-”

“THIS IS NOT FINE!” Hal happily shouted,  interrupting him as his smile vanished.

“So I stand corrected…“ he sighed, facepalming as the clock tower began to chime in the distance, signaling the end of the hour. “Come,” he says, gesturing for her to follow after him. “I have something to show you.” Asha hesitantly nodded, briefly looking from him to the window. “They’ll be fine. Trust me,” he assured her. Part of her wanted to argue, but given how he was more familiar with their powers than she, he probably had reason for his calmness.

“Are you coming, Dahlia?” he asked.

She shook her head, “No, I have to go work on something for Asha. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

The prince simply nodded, stepping into the hallway with Asha and Valentino closely behind. Her mind wandered as she followed after the prince.

The timing for the doomsday clock couldn’t have been any worse given how she now had to spend a whole day with the star.

The star.

It couldn’t have been a mere coincidence that his magic had just so happened to have been the key to fixing the doomsday clock, could it? 

Maybe he truly had come to destroy Rosas, and in her folly, she’d allowed him to saunter through the castle gates right into the heart of the kingdom. 

She’d have to do something about the star. 

She wasn’t certain as to what specifically she could do, but she knew with the protection that his rules offered her, that she was in a better position than most. 

But it still wasn’t the most ideal position. Her eyes rested on the prince who’d led them down another hallway. If she wanted to get anything done, then she’d need him to trust her, which she had a feeling would be easier said than done. 

“Sorry for all of this,” the prince spoke once more as they ventured down another side passage towards one of the smaller studies. “But this castle is so large that you may never know who’s listening in and where.”

She couldn’t fault him for feeling that way. 

Not when there may or may not have been a star on the loose within the castle…

“There’s a lot you should know about stars, Asha” he started, bringing her attention back to him as they neared the study. With a simple swipe of his hands, the doors to the study ahead opened themselves, allowing for the trio to step through. “And I don’t mean it in an astronomical sense either.” She blinked, trying to allow her eyes to readjust to the sudden darkness of the study.

The chairs surrounding the desk in the center of the room had been pushed out as if whoever had been seated in them had left in a hurry.

Papers had been haphazardly piled and spread across the surface of the desk, as several large cards full of mythological creatures, calculations, and intelligible words carelessly leaned against the walls. 

She was surprised to see the prince tense before his hands began to glow as he made several hand gestures. Soon the various sheets on the floor lifted themselves, quickly covering the cards from view. With another simple wave from the prince’s hands, the now-covered cards began to levitate before disappearing behind several nearby bookshelves. 

“Sorry about that. I thought the room would be…in better shape,” he grimaced, his eyes fervently searching the area for…something. 

Soon she could hear the sounds of things being knocked over and rearranged, somewhere out of sight before the prince finally relaxed in front of the fireplace. “ But like I was saying, stars are merciless, deceptive, bloodthirsty, and above all else unpredictable .”

“So I’ve heard-,” she murmured, quietly taking her place next to him as she observed the portrait that hung over the fireplace. It had been one of the newer portraits of the apprentices that the king had commissioned. One that of course lacked her. 

The prince nodded, “I think we all have, courtesy of my uncle of course. When it comes to stars…their mythology is far more complex than most would think..”

She glanced toward the prince, surprised to see that his eyes weren’t on the portrait in front of him but on the small tapestry hanging off to the side. The tapestry was ancient, having lost most of its contents and clarity to time. Its edges were frayed, with parts of it nearly blending into the surrounding shadows of the fireplace.

The only thing she could make out was the blurry outline of a grassy hill, weaved into the tapestry under a night sky. “Do you see it?” the prince whispered, finally looking towards her.

“See what?” she squinted, looking over the pitiful tapestry again and again. 

“This,” his hands glowed as he held his fingertips towards the center of the tapestry. “Look closely .”

She blinked, her eyes still struggling to find it, as his fingers slowly circled a particular spot in the tapestry. Once, twice. He’d nearly begun to do it for a third time when she saw it; a large yet distant dark figure, lingering in the background of the tapestry.

It couldn’t have been an animal. Its size even at a distance easily dwarfed any animal she’d seen in person or on paper. Words failed to describe its blurred outline with its eyes glowing, something that she knew no animal on earth had. 

“What…what is that?” her voice wavered as she stepped back, trying not to imagine how the weaver of the tapestry would have felt if they’d had the misfortune to have seen this creature in real life. 

“I’m not sure. They say the weaver disappeared shortly after he completed this. Someone wasn’t a fan,” he gestured to the frayed edges of the tapestry before withdrawing his fingers. 

“Do you think…it could be a star?” 

“Honestly? I’m not sure what it is. I didn’t know it was there when I got the tapestry as a two-for-one deal a while back. All I knew was that the shopkeeper was desperate to get rid of it.”

“Desperate to get rid of it?” Asha repeated although she could see why. If staring at the tapestry once had made her feel so unnerved, then she could only imagine how someone who came into constant contact with it would feel.

“Yep! She had one heck of a sale going on! I got my purchases for dirt cheap.”

“Purchases? What was the other thing you bought?” 

The prince waved his hand towards one of the study’s bookshelves. Quickly a book slipped from the shelf, flying towards them before politely settling itself in his hands.“This,” he triumphantly held up the rather old-looking book. “This right here is the real treasure.”

“What is it?” 

“It’s a book of obscure information on all sorts of mythological creatures,” he replied, quickly turning through the book's pages until he’d reached the chapter he wanted. “No one’s quite certain of where the stars came from. Some believe they were once wild mythical beasts that roamed the planet from the beginning of time, terrorizing whatever they came across until their eventual banishment to the heavens. Others say they were cruel, beautiful beings of great power from another dimension, cursed or simply drawn to our dimension by some ancient powerful force.”

A wild mythical beast? The star didn’t look like a beast. But then again he was a shapeshifter, and he could understand animals rather easily…

“Does anyone know what a star actually looks like? Like its real form?” she asked, curiously looking at the book’s pages.

The prince frowned, stepping back before shaking his head, “Ehh…not really? They’re very secretive with their true forms. But there has to be a reason why so many murals and paintings depict them more as monsters than anything else, right?”

She reluctantly nodded, briefly remembering the sharp teeth she’d once seen in the star’s mouth. 

Shaking her head, she briefly dismissed the thought for now before she stepped forward. Now she was close enough to see the book once more, “So other than their appearance or lack thereof, what else do you know about them?”

He carelessly flipped to another page, one that depicted four familiar colors- red, yellow, white, and blue. Then without warning, he quickly shut the book. 

The look of panic on his face was fleeting like she’d seen something he hadn’t wanted her to.

A second passed before he cleared his throat, taking another step back before quickly replying, “It’s…it’s theorized that their levels of sentience vary, but that’s just barely scraping the surface of it… there are different kinds of them. I..I think…I might have another book on it…one moment please,” he called, retreating towards the bookshelves as Valentino carelessly followed him.

Was it just her or was the prince acting suspicious?

Her answer quickly came as she saw his left eye begin to twitch, something it only did when he was lying.

But why would he lie? He’d seemed ecstatic about her finally believing in star monsters earlier! 

Something was amiss. She knew it.

Quietly, she moved towards the desk in the center of the room. Her eyes scanned over the pieces of paper that had been splayed across its surface. She glanced over her shoulder at the still-occupied prince and swiftly began her search through the pile of papers. 

Frustration began to fill her as she flipped through the pages of irrelevant mythological creatures, none of which offered more than what the prince had shared. She’d nearly given up her search until she neared the bottom of the pile where the sight of a paper depicting a four-circle Venn diagram caught her attention. Each circle sported a particular yet familiar color- yellow, white, blue, and red.

Pulling the paper free, her eyes carefully swept over its contents. Surprise filled her as she noted the names etched into the colored shapes. The white diagram had the name ‘Altair’ etched into it, as yellow contained ‘Arcatrus ,’ blue held the name ‘Spica’ , and -. She squinted. The second name in the blue circle had been scratched out as if whoever had written this had definitively ruled that choice out. 

Not sure what to make of it, She turned her attention to the final circle. In the red circle were the names: ‘Rigel’, and ‘ Polaris’ . Polaris’s name had been fervently circled several times. 

Polaris? Polaris was a scarlet star? 

Hadn’t the star said something about the red stars? Granted, he hadn’t been able to fully articulate the words before her Saba had interrupted him, but she’d remembered her mother recounting how her father had almost seemed afraid when he’d spoken to Polaris during their voyage at sea. 

Could his fear have been because of the kind of star Polaris was? 

She glanced over the paper again. 

This time she noticed Sirius’s name. Unlike the others that had been neatly sorted into one circle, its name had been placed in the overlap between the blue and yellow circles. 

Why was it there? Was it a star pledging allegiance to two courts or? Wait . There were names missing. She could feel it. 

 But which ones? 

Could it have been- 

Slam

She jumped, nearly dropping the paper as a large book came into view on the other side of the desk. 

It took a surprising amount of willpower for her to meet the prince’s eyes. “You...You found it?” She’d tried to smile as innocently as possible. He’d caught her in a bad position, hadn’t he?

“Yeah, I did,” he casually answered as Valentino returned to her side. His left eye didn’t twitch this time. “I must’ve misplaced it. It happens, especially when you have too many confidential things moved around.”

“Confidential?” she placed the paper back on the desk as it quietly slid itself towards the prince. 

He nodded, slipping it into his cloak’s pocket. “Yeah…confidential. I’m sorry Asha.”

Frustration and unease equally filled her as she sat around the desk, allowing a strange silence to fill the room before the prince stiffly took a seat across from her.

Finally, he spoke as the book he’d found slowly slid itself toward her. “I think I’ve found something that might interest you.”

As if on cue, the book opened itself, revealing several ancient geometric drawings. Some were of animals, others were of people or mundane objects. Of the ones she’d observed she’d quickly counted 42 drawings of animals, 14 drawings of humans, 2 of nature-filled scenes, and 2 of chimera-inspired beings.

“These are manuscripts,” the prince started. “They belonged to an ancient astronomer and artist. Pretty neat, right?”

She nodded, her curiosity for the intricate illustrations easily outweighed her unease. The artist being an astronomer explained why the number of particular drawings had coincidentally matched the same number of respective constellations.

42 drawings of animals. 42 constellations shaped like animals. It couldn’t have been a coincidence.

“They’re beautiful.”

He nodded, “And valuable. Personally, I think there’s something more to them than meets the eye, hence all the trouble the artist went through to try to ensure that those drawings wouldn’t survive.”

“He tried to destroy them?”

“He did, but as you can see,” he gestured to the book. “He failed.”

Why would he have tried to destroy these drawings? Any onlooker could see that the amount of detail, time, and dedication he’d poured into his creations was not something to laugh at. If he had wanted to destroy them, then it had probably been for a good reason.

“Do you know what his name was?” Asha asked while looking over the drawing of a large dog whose joints symbolized and matched the Canis Major constellation.

“I think it was Tau Vitirus? Or something along those lines,” the prince scratched his neck, and to her relief, his left eye didn’t twitch. So he was probably telling the truth about the astronomer’s name. Good. She was more than certain she could find something about him in her father’s library. 

“Asha?” the prince spoke up once more. “Do you think you could decipher it in time for the astral ball?

“I could try,” she confessed. “But I’d need at least a few days to do some research…Is there any reason you want it done in time for the Astral Ball?”

He shook his head, “No not really. But the sooner it’s done, the better. I just need it done discreetly. Name your price. I’ll pay you.”

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, briefly thinking his offer over. She had been curious about the manuscripts, but if she took him up on his offer that would at most give her a little under a week to work. It wasn’t the most ideal time frame, given how he was voluntarily omitting information, but if she could get something out of him, then it might be worth taking…

“Favors,” she said suddenly.

“What?” he leaned back in surprise. 

“I’ll decipher this manuscript for you in exchange for a few favors,” she repeated with more confidence than she felt.

Now it was his turn to think.“I take it that you want these favors done with no questions?”

“What can I say?” she shrugged. “I just need it done discreetly… ” The disbelief on his face at the familiar words was priceless. “Do we have a deal?”

The prince smiled; the resemblance he shared with his uncle whenever he did so was uncanny. “Of course.”

“Good. Then I hope you won’t mind if I use one now.”

He raised a brow, “Is it about the doomsday clock? You don’t have to worry about what my uncle will think.”

She shook her head. “Not quite. And I’m not sure why I’d worry about that. I can’t fix magical things, that’s not my forte. It’s yours…so what I want is information.”

Now the prince looked intrigued. “...What sort of information?”

“How do you stop a star?”

He gave her a wry smile that couldn’t quite reach his eyes. “You can’t stop a star, Asha. Creatures like that can never be stopped. Now if you want to know how to kill a star, I could-,”

“Nachos?” Bazeema squeaked as she stepped out of the shadows, earning herself a yelp from the prince as he staggered to his feet.

“Oh my God Bazeema?!” he clutched his heart before backing away from her. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief, before partially collapsing against the chair. 

“Sorry,” she smiled sheepishly.  “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s…fine, it’s fine…maybe save that shadow walking for the star? I bet you we could distract it while you take it from behind! And then swoosh!” his movement grew animated as he re-enacted a slicing motion while the two girls exchanged confused glances. 

Eventually regaining his composure, he turned to Bazeema and asked, “So when did you guys get back?”

“We got back a few minutes ago.” she confessed. “Thankfully no one was hurt.”

“So soon? Why’d you come back so early?” his eyes widened as if a sudden thought hit him before he sighed. “No, no, let me guess Dario?”

“Dario,” she nodded. 

“Well, that explains that....Where are the others?”

“Safi and Dario are in the stables. Hal’s gone to the kitchen.”

“And the king?”

“He’s in his study,” she quietly replied before her eyes met Asha’s. “He wants to see you in fifteen minutes for your meeting.”

“My meeting?”  Asha squeaked until it hit her. It was the meeting for her project funding! “Oh! Oh! Right! I’ll be right there!” she called, scrambling before she gave the prince a quick curtsy. 

“Good luck with your project,” the prince called, as he leaned against the wall.

“Thank you!” she yelled before swiftly stepping out of the room. Once in the hallway, she immediately took a small turn, concealing herself behind the small space of the corridor’s pillars, before looking back towards the study’s doors.

Their voices were faint, but she could hear the prince speaking as he glanced into the hallway. “Did it work?” came the prince’s voice as he failed to spot her. 

Bazeema nodded, slowly closing the door behind herself. “Dario took one for the team-,” 

“Excellent! Now gather the others. There’s something we need to do-,” he began as Asha watched him casually offer Bazeema the same paper and book he’d been so desperate to hide from her earlier. 

Bazeema reached for the paper, just as the door slammed shut, effectively concealing both from view. 

Now alone, she slid from her hiding spot and began to make her way through the still-busy halls.

She bid a passing greeting to a few scurrying servants who were pushing empty carts toward the kitchen, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

She’d been taking a lot of risks lately. First, there’d been her foolish wager with the star, and now she’d accepted the prince’s offer, which would’ve been fine, had he not been so unforthcoming with information. 

But what choice did she have?

She needed to be prepared in case the star was going to do something, but how exactly was she supposed to do that if the prince and king weren’t exactly going to be transparent with their information?

Her only saving grace seemed to be that whatever the star saw in her that amused him was apparently enough for him to delay his plans for tomorrow. Great. But what was she supposed to do with him after that? He couldn’t leave until her wish was granted, and who knew how long that would take? 

Days? Weeks? Months? God forbid- years .

She internally screamed before returning the greeting of a few passing-by maids who were on their way to tend to the queen. The queen who she knew had only been injured because of the star’s actions.

He’d really gone that far just to grant her wish, hadn’t he? He’d even gotten Lady Allard, or rather Delphine, out of the way to ensure her goals were achieved.

What else would he be willing to do for her?

‘I can make you just as powerful and successful as your king. If not even more,’ he had offered. All she had to do was say yes .

She scoffed. What would the star know about moving up in the world? From how he spoke of himself, it didn’t sound as if he were of any particular importance either.

But she couldn’t help but feel a little curious about his offer now. She wasn’t certain how he’d achieve that. But given what his powers had done to Julian, Lady Allard, and even the queen she hadn’t felt particularly eager to find out.

Guilt gnawed away at her as she felt herself stop, this time to observe one of the hallway’s portraits that depicted the apprentices in a far more informal manner. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen them laughing and joking like they had been in the portrait. 

Maybe it had been before the prince was banished, and they’d all been friends.

But everything had changed since then, and bringing the prince back hadn’t rectified anything. Sure they’d all reformed their little world, but they’d seemingly done it without her.

What was worse was that now, it had felt as if the prince had been given reason to not trust her. Had it been because she’d been the one sent to retrieve him? 

No, no, she doubted that. If any of the other apprentices had gone in her stead then she was certain that he wouldn’t have thought anything of it. So why had the count and the prince suspected her?

It wasn’t as if she’d pleaded with the king to bring him back in the first place!

She shook her head, dispelling such thoughts, as she neared her quarters. Thinking about things like those was pointless. If the prince and the other apprentices didn’t want to be her friends, then that would be their loss.

Right now, she had a meeting to worry about one that she couldn’t afford to mess up.

She’d already messed up once today, and it had cost her dearly. There wouldn’t be a second time, not if she had anything to say about it.

Valentino happily pleated as she made her way towards her desk, swiftly pulling open the secret compartment before she withdrew her schematics journal. 

This journal had been her magnum opus. All of the designs within it had been perfectly calculated and thoroughly illustrated. Boats, catapults, objects, and even buildings. If this couldn’t convince the king to fund her projects then nothing could. 

She grimaced at her choice of words. It was good to be confident but she was pushing her luck now, wasn’t she? 

“It’ll be fine,” she told herself. “You have everything under control. All you need to do is say what you need to say. Tell him what he wants to hear, and maybe, just maybe you can get the funding! Easy right?”

Valentino pleated, before giving her a quizzical look.

“I really can’t understand you,” she confessed, as she placed her journal down on the desk and began to pace. “But if I could I’d tell you that I’m fine. Trust me, I am fine.”

She was not fine.

“I’ve been preparing for this for months, years even!” she paused, rapidly flipping through the journal as sketches of catapults, boats, gadgets,  buildings, and telescopes came into view before she shut the book and took a deep breath. 

“The worst he can tell me is no, right? Well, that and he never wants to hear it again-,” she slightly paced faster. “And that my inventions are something I should leave in the past of Rosas, as we approach a new era-,” And faster. “And that there’s no place nor need for them. Ever.”

She halted, swallowing a screech as her fingers pulled at her braids. 

“No pressure, right?!” she squeaked out to Valentino, who was now looking concerned. She glanced from him to the thankfully empty open window before collapsing back into her chair. “Okay so maybe I’m not as fine as I could be, but can you blame me? I suffered catastrophic defeat this morning!”

Valentino pleated.

“Yes, yes I know it wasn’t exactly what I told them earlier, but I didn’t want them to feel bad over it! I mean, it wasn’t their fault that I’d lost!” She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I honestly don’t know what I was thinking, in fact, I don’t think I was thinking at all. But can you blame me? I’m just so sick and tired of all these magic users just-” she sat forward, feeling herself fume as her mind angrily searched for the words.

She hated magic. She truly and completely did. But for the sake of her mother and grandfather who still believed in it, she’d learn to hide that hatred deep within her heart. 

 “I don’t know how to describe it!” she relented as she felt herself deflate. “But I just know that I’m tired. I’m so tired of everything… Is it so bad that I want things to be different? To be better? Look at all of these designs,” she gently held Valentino before she began to flip through her sketchbook once more. “Some of them were inspired by my father. They were things I know he would’ve wanted to do if he..were still here. And I know if they were given a chance then they could do wonderful things for people. But I just don’t know if they’ll ever get that opportunity.”

Valentino’s expression saddened, as she felt him gently lean his head against her.

“If I fail now, then what will happen? Will I ever get another chance? How long will I have to wait for it? How much harder will I have to work?”

Chirp. 

Their eyes turned towards the opened window, taking in the sight of the newly arrived birds who were curiously glancing back at the pair. 

“Oh! Oh-,” Asha cringed. “How much of that did you guys hear?”

None of her birds answered, opting instead to fly towards her as several landed around her. Some were on her desk, while others positioned themselves comfortably on her chair.

Then, Mara hopped forward, brightly chirping a small tune as Enrique and Abril joined in, then Carmen, then Adelina, and then Alejandro. Soon all of her birds were singing.

She’d only remembered seeing them do something like this once. 

Back then, she’d kept them in her quarters, if only to ensure their safety from the evil royal cat, but that night, a terrible thunderstorm had rolled in, one that she’d sworn she wouldn’t survive.

How she’d cried that night, trying her best to drown out the sounds of the clouds and thunder that had shielded her from the starry night skies that she’d loved so dearly. But nothing had helped.

It was the end, she’d told herself until one of her birds, Arwa, had landed next to her.

She had begun to sing a small yet bright tune, and soon the others had joined in. Their tune had gently lulled her to sleep, promising to see her tomorrow, and they had.

There’d always be tomorrow, she could imagine their little voices saying as she heard them gently harmonize.

Even if today wasn’t what she wanted it to be, there was always a tomorrow. 

She smiled, her eyes watering as they finished their songs before drawing closer, Enrique gently nuzzling her hand. 

“Thanks, guys,” she sniffled.  “I won’t let you down. I’ll get the funding! And after I’m done with this we can all celebrate at your place, how does that sound?”

The birds happily tweeted, all hopping up and down in excitement as Asha began to flip through her schematics journal once more. 

She paused, eyeing her old horse bridle design. 

She’d remember the idea coming to her after overhearing Safi chew out one of the stable boys for being too rough with the horses during training. Her design was supposed to be one that was ideally painless and comfortable for the animal, of course, the prototype she’d built a while ago would need testing, but it was a start.

“Do you think I should run this by Lucille?” she asked Valentino who pleated in reply. “Yeah maybe later.” She jotted down a few additional notes as Valentino nodded approvingly before urgently gesturing toward the clock.

She had three minutes left until the meeting. 

Drawing a breath she listened to the final chorus of chirps and pleats that wished her well before she took her leave. 

It was either now or never she told herself. 

The walk to the king’s study was nearly a blur before she spotted the figure of the king lingering outside the study’s doors. 

“Your Highness?!” She started, a bit startled to see the monarch outside of his study.

Save for his sudden change in apparel, there’d been no sign nor traces of the explosion he’d gotten involved with earlier.

“Ah, Asha there you are!” A small smile made its way onto his face. It’d been a sharp contrast to the near-angered expression she’d seen earlier. “I’m glad you’re on time for the meeting.”

“Yes your highness,” she curtsied. “I’m honored to have this opportunity.”

“I know. But listen Asha,” he began, looking a bit…uneasy. This was what made the man who’d survived stars and explosions feel uneasy? Hmm, maybe the damage from the explosion had been more psychological than physical. “I’ve come to realize that I may have misspoken.”

Misspoken? Who was this man? And what had he done with the king?

“I was wrong to compare you to Dario. Now I know that he is much worse, I realize that that comment was completely uncalled for.” Oh. That was all? She didn’t disagree with him but she was hoping for more than that. “I hope I didn’t overwork you with the library-,”

“No, your Highness,” 

“Really? Well, that’s good to hear! I’m sure seeing it again must’ve been very…nostalgic for you, hmm?”

“It was your highness,” she lied. “It was nice seeing it again.”

“Good, good. I heard you did good work in there too. It seems as if you’re on a roll lately. Finding a lost prince-,” the prince wasn’t lost . “Convincing Lady Allard about changing the market decorations… I’m curious to see what you’ll do next.”

‘You and me both,’ she thought. “What can I say, your highness? I’ve been fortunate to get the chance to put all the skills you’ve taught me to good use.” That too was a lie, of course. The king hadn’t really taught her that much, but she knew that if she were to get what she wanted then she’d need to play the role of the peasant who was oh-so grateful for the benevolent king’s kindness.

“You do have a skill with convincing officials, don’t you? Have you ever tried scholars? Advisors even?”

“Not that I can remember,” she paused, taking in the way how his smile had grown. She didn’t like that. “With all due respect your highness… Why do you ask?”

“Well, given how we’ll be discussing funding I thought it would be only right if I invited those who were just as involved with the kingdom’s economics as I.” He waved his hand as the doors to the study opened. 

In the center of the room was a life-like statue depicting a man that Asha wasn’t quite certain was laughing or grimacing. Another gift from Donato for the king’s favor? Hmm, maybe she should’ve brought a gift as well, she thought as she caught sight of the full table of seated advisors and scholars who stared back at the pair before bowing. “I hope you don’t mind.”

She did mind, a lot.

She’d never dealt with the economic advisors and scholars, much less the high-ranking ones. At least not while in the presence of the king.  

Her heart raced as her gaze scanned the chart-covered walls before resting on the familiar faces of two middle-aged advisors:  Lord Ranulf and Lady Rothschild. Both sporting familiar gray streaks and stoic expressions as they politely regarded her. 

The last time she’d seen them had been when the king had announced their sudden promotion at her father’s passing. They’d been sympathetic to her enough, but it had been no secret that they took their positions very seriously. 

“Greetings everyone,” the king started as he crossed the distance between himself and the waiting advisors. “I apologize for calling the meeting on such short notice, but I believe this is long overdue.” He smiled, looking around the table before gesturing to her. “I hope you’re all familiar with Asha. She’s Tómas’s daughter.”

“- Asha the apprentice.”

“yes.”

“Tómas’s daughter-,”

She felt her chest tighten at the mention of her father as the advisors briefly nodded. A few even spared a wary or sympathetic glance in her direction. 

“Now then,” the king grinned as he took his seat at the head of the table. “Shall we begin?”

Asha nodded, carefully looking over everyone in the room before bowing. “Firstly I’d like to thank all of you for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and hear me out. And I would also like to thank his highness for providing me with this opportunity.”

The king smiled, evidently pleased as a low murmur passed through the crowd of scholars and advisors. 

She quickly began to pass around spare copies of her schematics around the table, as she tried to mentally calm herself. 

She could do this. She had to.

“Now as some of you may know I am an aspiring inventor. I like to invent things that can help facilitate daily tasks, for everyone, including those who happen to not have any magical abilities.”

Her fingers ever so slightly trembled as she placed her schematic journal on the table, and opened it. 

She drew in a shaky breath as she flipped to her first idea. It was best to start simple as she held the drawing of the room up for all to view.

“This-,” she began. “Is what I like to call a greenhouse. It’s a special room that can be used to grow specialized crops from all over the world at any time here in Rosas. I’ve done a few experiments on the various materials that I think would work best-,” 

“Are the ceilings made of glass?” One scholar curiously asked.

She nodded, “to allow sunlight in, I’ve looked into making a type of glass that’s a wonderful conductor that not only allows for the light to pass through but traps the heat to provide the tropical fruits the temperature they need to grow! I’ve even designed a sprinkler-like system of pipes that we can use to water the garden simultaneously!” She continued to delve into the specifics of the organization of the crops and the best places to establish the greenhouses.

A few scholars nodded looking vaguely impressed, but both of the king’s head economic advisors looked unmoved. 

“That’s…creative,” started Lord Ranulf. “Do you have anything else preferably on the less green side of things?”

“Yes!” She quickly flipped to the next design. “I call this a generator- an invention that would be capable of harnessing various forms of energy like mechanical and kinetic energy and converting it to a form of energy that we can use to do things! Sort of like windmills, only we harness a different source, to produce something stronger! We can use it on things like boats to make them faster and then we can make a device to store this energy allowing for us to use it at any time-,”

“Correct me if I am wrong” she heard Lord Ranulf say once more before eyeing the king carefully. “But is that not what you do when harnessing your powers?”

The king shrugged, “Not quite. But I’m hoping to change that soon enough.”

The advisors nodded in agreement as Asha felt herself stiffen in sudden realization. So that had been what he’d wanted Mrs. Chidera’s runes for!

Lord Ranulf leaned back, his hand vaguely gesturing towards the king. “If His Majesty will be capable of it, then what need do we have to build an invention for it?”

Lady Rothschild nodded in agreement “The same goes for the greenhouse. It’s nice in theory, aesthetically pleasing even. But the king is more than capable of doing what your invention can. But tell me, Miss Asha, have you tested it before?”

She nodded, remembering the small greenhouse she’d grown a few years back. The experiment had been nice while it lasted, but it had unfortunately fallen apart as the king had begun demanding her attention elsewhere. And then the cat had taken his ire out on the small greenhouse too… “On a smaller scale, yes, and the results were promising.” 

Lord Ranulf did not look convinced. “To maintain an economy like Rosas’ we will need to fund something a lot stronger than a mere promise. Your inventions have potential but they lack practicality.”

What. 

They lacked… Practicality ? 

No no no no. She must’ve misheard him. There was no way that he’d think her inventions would lack practicality. 

Lord Ranulf continued as he looked over one of her schematics, “It’s no secret that a studious girl such as yourself looks to the world around her when developing such designs and inventions. I can tell that you’ve also been looking across the sea as well, haven’t you?”

She hesitantly nodded, “I will admit to being an admirer of Lord Demanatrus’s inventions along with a few others. But all of those inventors lived in magical kingdoms and they were still able to find practical usage for their inventions.”

“Yes,” another advisor firmly interjected. “but that was in those kingdoms. Rosas in and of itself is a very unique place.”

The others nodded in agreement as Asha watched her schematics journal begin to float toward the king. Lady Rothschild cleared her throat before gesturing to one of the surrounding charts full of numbers and notes. “Not only is our cost of living far less than that of either Corona’s or Arendelle’s, but our monarchy’s magical prowess is far stronger! We house a unique magic that no other country in the world could dream of possessing. We have a king, capable of granting the impossible! Is there a need to run the risk of overstepping the budget for a few simple yet expensive devices that could do what the king already can for little to no cost?”

“That money could be put to better use elsewhere!” Another advisor chimed in as the others nodded in agreement.

As much as Asha hated to admit it. Their point wasn’t completely unfounded, but she couldn’t help but wonder if Hal had faced these concerns when she’d requested more funding for the tourism sector. Probably not, given how ‘well crafted’ the Magnifico-themed verses she’d added to the greeting songs were. 

They’d probably never complained when the king had spent money on imported or obscure ingredients and whatnot that he’d needed for his spells either. Those things weren’t cheap, and she had yet to see the results of such spells he’d needed them for. 

But apparently, none of that mattered, at least not to the scholars or advisors. 

Swallowing her frustrations, she spoke once more, “I understand your concerns I really do, as I may not be able to give you the level of assurance you want. But I believe that everything needs a place to start, and as wonderful as the magic in Rosas is, not everyone has the capabilities to wield it. Pursuing and advancing our technological field could offer them an economic fi-,”

A scholar held up his hand, interrupting her as he commented, “On the contrary, the amount of people within Rosas who lack magical potential is so statistically low that I doubt there’d be any economic benefit to establishing a field solely for them.”

She internally sighed, “Very well then, but what about people who enjoy it regardless of their magic potential? Shouldn’t they have the choice-,”

“I’m not sure why they’d pursue such a thing,” Lord Ranulf glanced at the king, who was currently flipping through her schematic journal. “Not when magic can easily do everything you’ve proposed for far less cost and time.” But magic could also easily take it away with little cost, her mind argued. But a glance in the king’s direction was all she needed to still her tongue.   

She wasn’t surprised to see the king nod, as a few advisors nervously eyed him before following his lead. 

She had a feeling that he was the cause of this. Not just the rejection, but the complacency . The people had grown dependent on him and all because he’d wielded his magic to enable it.

Magic.

When wasn’t it the root of all of her problems?

“It does sound pleasant in theory,” commented one scholar with a small nod. 

“Ambitious even,” remarked another scholar.

“But I am once again left questioning its purpose,” came the voice of Lady Rothschild. “Why must we go out of our way to spend money on following the lead of others, when they do what they do to compensate for what we have?”

Swallowing her pride, Asha replied “I do agree with you all that the magic of Rosas and its royal family does put it in a unique position, as well as the intricate work of all its advisors and scholars who help to maintain its economic structure-,” many of them nodded in agreement at that. “-But doesn’t our technology and sciences deserve to be up to par with it as well? If we were to advance our technology, we could strengthen our cultural impact on the world! Not just for now but for the future!”

“If we are to focus on our future, wouldn’t our resources be better spent teaching the next generation how to channel the powers of wish granting, rather than this?” Lord Ranulf gestured to her notebook. “This is a lot of money for some things that could easily be solved with a simple wish ceremony.”

He rubbed his chin before thoughtfully asking, “Speaking of which, are you not set to undergo yours soon?”

“Yes. My Lord,” Asha began. “I believe that it’s not just about what we can and cannot do with a simple wish. But it’s about strengthening our technology field.”

Several advisors scoffed, as one asked, “Strengthening it? Pray tell which of your inventions or designs are worthy of doing such. Is it your boats? Your war weapons? Or ‘machines? We do not need the first, as I’m sure a quick tour around the island would tell you that our ships are doing well.”

“And then there’s the matter of war,” added another before glancing towards the king. “Very few countries in their right mind would seek to take action against us.”

Lady Rothschild and a few other advisors nodded in agreement before adding, “I respect the creativity, but if you are worried about strengthening our cultural impact, then we should focus on strengthening our uniqueness, not assimilating them.” 

Asha quickly shook her head. “Assimilating? My Lady, creating your own technology to meet the common standards is not assimilation, it’s advancement!”

Lady Rothschild frowned. “Advancement in what exactly? We are following their lead rather than taking it!”

Lord Ranulf shook his head, giving Asha a disapproving look. “I do not know why you are conflating the two. Is science not a limited form of magic that man overcompensates with explanation?” 

Asha didn’t miss how the king’s smile grew at the man’s words, even while pretending to be more focused on the schematic than the conversation. 

But she knew he was listening. 

Good. She wanted him to hear this. 

Locking her eyes with Lord Ranulf she began, “With all due respect my Lord, I would like to address your take in two ways.”

“Alright-,” he carefully nodded. 

“Personally I believe there’s a greater difference between the two than most would think and would know if they gave it a chance. Science has theorems, laws, equations, and calculations and adheres to rules and structures. I understand the fear of failure and waste but isn’t that a risk magic users take as well? No spell is a guaranteed success, especially those that are unused.” She didn’t need to say it but she knew Dario’s earlier explosion had given her words more than enough credence to earn a subtle nod from one advisor. “But if we wish to talk about similarities then can't both be dangerous when put in the wrong hands or situations? As wonderful as magic can be-,”

“Can be?” Lord Ranulf repeated with a furrowed brow.

“It can be dangerous. We know this. Just like science can be. But they can both bring a lot of good. You condemn me for speaking in hypotheticals and promises but how can I do anything else when science is not as thoroughly explored as magic is? Maybe I’m wrong and there is no difference but if they’re the same why does one deserve to be given a chance over the other?”

The silence that followed was long. 

But she could tell that she’d displeased some, if not most of the advisors as they continued to stare at her until the king spoke, “I agree with Asha.”

Now everyone was surprised, neither head advisor could mask their disbelief as an advisor choked out, “Y-you do?”

“Of course!” He grinned as her schematic book shut itself before returning to her. “She’s right, you know. Science and magic could not be more different. Science operates within boundaries-,” Yes ! “-Rules and regulations-,” Exactly ! “-And of course Limitations. Magic, on the other hand, has none .”

A low murmur arose through the crowd as several advisors began to look relieved. Asha on the other hand was mere seconds away from wishing that the earth would open to swallow her whole. 

She really had thought he was going to go in a different direction with this.

He grinned at his staff. Was it Asha’s imagination or was the staff glowing? “Between this year and the last I’ve practically defied every scientific law that has ever existed, and none of that could have happened had it not been for the possibilities granted by none other than magic itself.”

As if to prove his point, he released a wave of glowing blue magic through the room. Soon several books began to rearrange themselves on their bookshelves, as the charts began to float. Their numbers and calculations rearranged themselves before they began to circle the table, leaving the scholars and advisors to watch in awe.

Then with a simple gesture from the king, the charts simply put themselves back as he gave her a look that could only be described as triumphant. “So I do agree with you, Asha. Science may give you order but magic,” his grin sharpened, as his eyes turned towards the statue that sat in the center of the room. “Oh magic can give you so much more, especially when put in-” he gestured to himself. “-The right hands.”

The crowd voiced their agreement once more. Their voices grew louder and louder as the king’s smile grew.  Soon the agreement turned to cheers, and she knew that she’d effectively lost.

Any hope for her projects being funded had died the moment the advisors and scholars stood to give the king a standing ovation.

“But-,” he paused, holding up his hand. “That is not to say that I do not see the potential in your ideas. There was a lot there in that book you didn’t get to share…So why don’t we compromise?”

“Compromise?” she repeated, feeling her heart fall at his words. She knew any compromise with the monarch would inevitably lead to him both using magic and taking most, if not all of the credit for her ideas.

He nodded, “I’ll give you this, at this ceremony, why don’t you wish for one of your little inventions to be made? Who knows with your string of luck you may very well be one of the lucky few who gets their first wish granted!”

The advisors and the scholars nodded in agreement.

“That’s a splendid idea you’re highness!”

“Simply marvelous!”

“Agreed,” both head advisors nodded in unison. “Not only would it ensure that no money or time is wasted, but with your highness’s oversight, I doubt that any errors will be made in the final product.”

“It is the perfect solution!”

The king straightened himself, soaking in the praises of his advisors and scholars alike. “It truly is, isn’t it? So why don’t you go take some time to think about it a bit more, Asha? We look forward to seeing your wish at the ceremony, right after the ball of course!”

“The ball’s theme is masquerade this year, isn’t it?” one advisor asked.

The king nodded, “That it is! So I hope you’ll all come prepared with appropriate costumes-,”

“Will you and the queen be leading the dance this year?”  Lady Rothschild asked.

“We’ll have to see,” the king answered, casually looking over his staff. “It's been a while since we’ve last done it, but skills like those are hard to forget when mastered.” 

Everyone nodded in agreement, everyone except for Asha who was discovering a new form of dread at that moment. Asha had nearly forgotten about the dances. Wait. If the king expected her to participate in the ball, then…did that mean she would have to dance?! Oh boy… ballroom dancing had never been her strong suit…

“But on that note, I think it's time we shift gears for our next meeting. Asha-,” the king started before looking at her.

“Y-yes, your Highness?”

“You’re free to stay if you wish, but I must warn you, Social welfare is lethally dreary-,” he commented as the Social Welfare advisor frowned.

“Ah, thank you, your highness, but I believe that I should spend more time thinking about what you’ve said.” She stood up, quickly giving him a curtsy. “I appreciate you all giving me this opportunity.” That was a lie, of course, but they didn’t need to know as she quickly scurried out of the study and back to her quarters where her animals were eagerly awaiting her return.

Seeing their hopeful expressions had been far worse than hearing the king, his advisors, and scholars reject her ideas.

She’d always been expecting a no. She’d grown accustomed to it. But to see the light in her birds and Valentino’s eyes flicker as she quietly shook her head, well, it just made everything a bit more painful.

“Hey guys,” she smiled before gently picking up Valentino. “Don’t be sad. There’ll always be next year, right? We just…have to be patient.” 

 But hadn’t she been patient? Obediently waiting from one year to the next, hoping for her turn. She’d seen it happen to others, and she was more than willing to wait for her turn, or at least that’s why she’d tried to tell herself.

“Come on Valentino,” she says softly as she sets him down. “Let's go see if Dahlia is done with our pastries.” The goat gave her a small smile, eagerly pleating as he followed her into the hallway.

“Here we are,” Safi smiled as he led the horse named Lucille to the wooden stall marked ‘CHARLOTTE’. Gently he knocked on its edge before returning to the horse behind him. “Usually I’d do the introductions, but I feel like it isn’t needed here-,”

“Mom?” Lucille squeaked, as an older horse came into view. “Mom! I thought I’d never see you again!”

The older horse neighed in reply, her words lost on all save for Safi. ‘Where have you been? All I could remember and think about was the yelling and shouting and how they took you… I thought I’d lost you forever..’

“I was on Antaris!” Lucille sobbed. “It’s a small island a few miles away, but it’s ok! It’s ok! I’m home now and I’ll never leave you again! Never!” She turned to Safi sniffling, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she sniffled. “I couldn’t have done this without you and Asha-,”

“Yeah…Asha,” Safi uncomfortably stepped back, watching as the two horses greeted each other as he reached for the stable latch. 

“Whoa,” came Dario’s voice. The stable fell silent as he stumbled in, his hair ends were noticeably fringed as he pointed towards Lucille. “Is it just me or is that horse talking?”

“...Neeiiiggghhh?” Lucille smiled nervously at Dario as all of the other horses looked on.

Safi sighed, “Yes, Dario. She’s communicating with her mother. All animals have some form of communication.”

“Yeah I know, but I’m pretty sure that horse was using words-,”

“In horse language, yes.”

“No, like in people's language- you know! With actual words.”

“Words in horse language, yes.”

“No that’s not what I meant-”

“So what did you mean? Please tell me this isn’t another one of your ‘the-statues-are-alive!’ Moments..”

“It’s not! Look, I heard what I heard and I’m telling you! That horse! That horse’s using people's language, man!”

While the two apprentices began arguing, Lucille’s mother turned to her, looking relatively surprised as she looked her daughter over. ‘You’re…you’re talking…like a human?’

“Yeah…so… funny story” Lucille sheepishly whispered as she remembered Asha’s words before glancing at the apprentices. 

“What? What do you mean by in peo-,” Safi paused, his eyes quickly searching the stable. “Hold on a second, did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Dario asked before Safi gestured for him to be quiet. Then they heard it, the sound of something shuffling nearby.

“Whoa,” Dario breathed. “What was that?”

“I don’t know…but I think it’s coming from over there-,” Safi pointed towards the stable’s pile of hay. The two boys exchanged glances, before firmly nodding as they approached

Standing before the hay, Dario whispered, “Do you see anything?”

Safi shook his head, “No. But it doesn’t look like anyone has been back here today.”

“Oh…” Dario relaxed. “So what did we hear moving back here?”

Safi shrugged. “I don’t know, it might’ve just been a mouse running around the place looking for food. Maybe we should bring them some spare food from the reception, I’m sure they’d appreciate it t-AAAAHHH!” he screamed, stumbling backward as a hand burst from the top of the hay.

“AAAAAHHHHHHH!” Dario screamed, catching his friend as both watched another hand emerge, followed by a head then a torso. 

“Ugh, I’m starting to think that ‘get lost’ wasn’t meant to be taken in a literal sense,” the figure shrugged, shaking his head, before waving a small greeting to the few surrounding horses that greeted him.

To Safi’s horror, he watched as the strange person easily slipped out of the hay and onto the ground next to them, releasing a scream of his own that caused Safi to gasp. His vision swarmed as he stumbled around, this time running into Dario before the two fell to the floor, leaving the star to stand over their unconscious forms rather awkwardly. “Huh, I thought screaming was how they greeted each other in this country… Did I scream in the wrong key?”

“Nah they’ve just been a little antsy,” Lucille called, from her stable. “They could probably use the rest.”

“So it seems,” the star thoughtfully replied.

“Now come over here! There’s someone I want you to meet!” Lucille squealed.

The star nodded, casually stepping over the bodies of the unconscious apprentices before making his way towards her stall.

She leaned towards him, allowing him to pet her as she started, “Mom there’s someone I’d like you to meet! He’s the reason why I can talk… This is…is - ah, what was your name again?”

“My name is-,” he halted, turning his body around to face the shadows near the entrance as a strange silence filled the stable.

The two horses exchanged uneasy glances, before Lucille turned back to him, “Um hello? Is…is everything okay?” 

He didn’t answer, opting instead to stare as 

a familiar young woman slinked out of the shadows.

 Her eyes met the stars before she panickily squeaked and hurriedly disappeared into the darkness she had once emerged from.

“Shadow walking,” the star commented, not taking his eyes off the spot where Bazeema had once stood.

“Shadow walking?” Lucille repeated, a bit surprised at the star’s thoughtful expression. 

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that human,” Lucille’s mom commented as if trying to ease the star’s mind. “She's very shy and has a habit of popping up every now and then. Although I will say she and her friends  are usually the ones scaring people with their strange abilities, not the other way around.”

“Oh?” The star smiled pleasantly before leaning towards the horses. “Do tell.”

“I always knew they were idiots,” came Dahlia’s voice as the two girls sat by the kitchen window. “Those old people wouldn’t know a good idea if it came up to them and slapped them in the face.” By the time Asha had reached the bakery, she’d been surprised to find Dahlia both finished and alone. The baker had claimed that Hal had left roughly fifteen minutes before her arrival, looking for the lost royal cat.

Asha could only let out a small noise of acknowledgment as the smell of the freshly baked lemon cake filled her nose. Angrily, she rubbed her temples, “Oh, who am I kidding…how can they care if the king himself doesn’t?”

“They could at least have their own opinion-,” Dahlia started. 

“Having your own opinion doesn’t get you far in court life Dahlia. Pleasing the king does.”

“Have you tried asking the queen?” Dahlia asked as Asha slid out of her chair and began to pace. “Of course, you can’t do it now, but I’m sure she’d love your greenhouse idea when she's better. The prince says she has a soft spot for flowers.”

“Yeah I know, but I doubt it’d do any good. Why would she care when her husband can just magic up some roses for her with little to no cost?” She groaned, before slumping over. “Ugh…It’s all just so pointless, trying to sell scientific ideas in a magical kingdom…Dahlia, am I stupid? Be honest.”

Dahlia shook her head as she stepped towards the oven and opened it. “I don’t think you’re stupid-,”

“Well if I’m not stupid then I’m definitely insane,” she snapped. “Isn’t it insane to just do the same thing over and over again while expecting different results?” She rubbed her temples. “Maybe you were onto something earlier…”

“Oh?” Dahlia shifted uncomfortably.” What’d I say this time?”

“Something about my career path,” she continued pacing. “I need a new career path. Something, anything’s gotta change. I’m at my wit’s end.”

Dahlia tensed, quickly placing the hot rolls on the cooling counter before turning back to Asha, “Ha, I was just joking when I said that-,”

“Were you?” Asha asked, remembering how the baker hadn’t looked as if she’d regretted her words at the time. But maybe that had been because of the prince’s presence back then. “Because I’m starting to think that-,”

“Hold on Asha,” Dahlia interjected with a small chuckle. “Let's not jump to conclusions yet. Think about it, if you leave now, then who else is going to fund your projects? The king is of course the richest person in the kingdom, and even if you convince, let’s say, one of the town officials or nobles by chance, that wouldn’t exactly be ideal either, not if it could compromise their position at court or favor with the king.” She glanced nervously from Asha to the kitchen door. “Look at what happened to the Clariveaus. I doubt most of them wanted Julian to go crazy, but they were all exiled. Who else in the court do you think would be brave enough to test their luck with the king?”

 No sooner had she said the name ‘Clariveaus’  than did Asha feel herself voluntarily tense. The guilt slowly began to gnaw at her once more. She’d already been more or less indirectly responsible for one family’s banishment, hadn’t she? It would be a sin if she caused another. “Okay…” she relented. “I see your point… but let’s not act like me staying here is a guarantee that anything will change. The king can just keep on telling me to know for as long as he likes.”

“Well, why don’t you wait until the wish ceremony? The king’s been so public with it that he’d have to at least grant your wish, right?”

She rolled her eyes, “Dahlia, please. Nonsensical magic aside, you see how he stores them in his room like they’re his literal toy collection. Run some numbers and think about it, most of the wishes in that room will never be granted. Ever. How many people do you think have died without seeing one of their wishes granted?”

Dahlia cringed, “Ouch…I see your point…but still, maybe you should give it some time before you take any action. I get that you’re frustrated and want to walk away, but the pay is still pretty good, and I mean…you’ll be missed.”

“Missed?” Asha spat. “By who exactly? The castle’s doorknobs and locks? Because I know the other apprentices won’t care, nor will the king or the prince.”

“The prince would care-,”

“Dahlia be serious.”

“I am being serious!” She argued back. “He’d care and he wouldn’t be the only one!”

“Oh yeah? Who else would care?!” Asha retorted.

“Me… I’d care…” Dahlia said softly as Asha’s anger slowly began to dissipate. “I don’t think the castle will be the same without you…I'm not saying that you should stay if it makes you unhappy…but promise me that you’ll at least wait until after the Astral Ball to make your decision, ok?”

An uneasy silence followed as Asha found herself unable to make that promise. Although part of her was suspicious of Dahlia’s sudden change of heart, a part of her had to admit that Dahlia was right. This wasn’t a decision to be made impulsively…but what could she do? The whole situation with the star combined with her recent failures had left her feeling frustrated. Frustrated, and angry and- and-

Chirp!

Chirp!

“Oh!” Dahlia cried, looking towards the window 

 as the sounds of the chirping got louder. “Asha, is that your bird?”

Her bird? Her eyes cut towards the source of the chirps, as she watched Carmen fluttering around. Her feathers were ruffled, as she landed, fervently hopping up and down as Valentino neared her.

“Carmen?” Asha asked, nearing. “Carmen what’s wrong?! Where are the others?” Carmen could only let out a series of more panicked chirps before she turned her attention back to the window.

Something was wrong.

Valentino panickedly bleated before bolting out of the kitchen as Carmen landed on the counter in front of Asha. It was only then Asha realized that Carmen’s feathers weren’t just ruffled, some of them were missing.

Something was very wrong.

“I’ll be back,” Asha promised Dahlia, as she followed the goat out of the kitchen towards the courtyard. 

The sounds of screeching and shrieking filled the air as she neared the housing.

Her body trembled as she stopped at the gate that had guarded the bird housing, realizing that it had been unlocked.  

But…she hadn’t left it unlocked. She knew she hadn’t. So how?

She shook her head. She’d have to deal with that later, right now her birds needed her.

Forcefully, she pushed the gate open before bolting towards the housing. Her heart roared in her ears as she stepped into the area. The once pristine birdhouse was now in ruins as her gaze landed on the floor near the entrance gate where the still form of Abril resided. Her leg was gone and her throat nearly ripped open as she lay in a pool of blood and feathers. 

No.

She took a step back, the image of Abril’s gray lifeless body flashing in her mind’s eye before melding with the sight before her.

No.

Her breathing grew shallow as she felt her chest tighten. 

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there until she heard the sounds of the other birds screaming, snapped her out of her daze as her eyes searched the area for them.

Finally, she spotted them, perched up high near the top of the nearby stone wall as their eyes and cries begged her for help. Shock filled her as she realized that most of the birds she’d seen perched up that high were ones that had barely started flying yet. What could’ve forced them to fly so desperately? She wondered before she spotted the culprit. 

Near the middle of the stone wall far above the ground was none other than the figure of the Royal cat, Charo, clawing his way up towards them.

She could see the older birds dive-bombing the cat in a desperate attempt to take his attention off of their children. But their efforts hadn’t left them unscathed, as several of them now had missing or bloodied feathers.

The cat ignored them, nearing a pair of tiny birds who chirped in alarm.

Mara chirped, fervently flying around Charo’s head to draw the cat's attention away from her younger siblings. Her efforts were soon rewarded when the cat hissed, stopping its ascent to claw at her. His claw was only inches away from hitting her when Enrique intervened, colliding with her as he narrowly pushed them both out of the way with a harsh chirp to his sister. 

The cat hissed. His tail curled in anticipation as he grinned, revealing a mouth full of blood and feathers. 

She had to do something. But what could she do? He was so far above the ground that she doubted she’d be able to reach him in time. Maybe she could throw something? No, if she did that she’d run the risk of hitting one of her birds in the process.

If only she’d gotten out here sooner. 

She looked around the clearing for something, anything to use as the cat neared the birds. He was nearly about to attack until Adelina dive-bombed him, buying the other smaller birds some time to escape as they slowly flew higher. Furious that he had lost his easy prey, the snarling cat turned his attention to her.

“Adelina No!” Asha screamed, helplessly watching as the bird began to dive-bomb the cat once more. But her luck had vanished as the cat anticipated the attack. He dodged her with surprising agility, before grabbing her with his sharpened teeth.

 Adelina didn’t even have a chance to chirp before the cat dug his teeth into her body, violently thrashing her around, before dropping her lifeless body. 

Asha raced forward, barely catching Adelina’s body as she felt herself begin to tremble.

No.

His satisfied eyes met Asha’s as if taunting her, as she looked from Adelina’s body to him.  

She screamed, using her free hand to grab the largest rock she could find before throwing it with all her might. A strange mix of horror and satisfaction filled her as she watched it sail through the air before grazing the cat’s back.

His grip loosened as he turned around to hiss at her, displaying his bloody teeth.

But this position would cost him dearly as Enrique moved swiftly, pecking the cat as hard as he could. Charo snarled, swiping the small bird so hard that he knocked him towards the ground, as he landed at the foot of a bush with a hard thud. Asha gasped, watching in horror as the cat grinned victoriously, but his victory would not last as he began to wobble, clearly having lost his sense of balance before falling backward. 

Sensing that this was her only chance to restrain him, Asha raced towards the cat, ready to grab him as he twisted and contorted his body mid-air to stick the landing. 

Asha wasn’t surprised to see him land perfectly after such a great fall, no it was the speed that he used to move after landing that caught her off guard as he bolted past her, scratching her ankle before he took off towards the bush where the unconscious Enrique lay.

She could hear the other birds scream, helpless to save their friend as the cat neared him. 

He’d nearly reached Enrique when Valentino charged, ramming the cat back toward Asha as she reached forward, but to her horror, the cat was faster. He ducked underneath her arms, moving like a demon, that was hell-bent on taking Enrique’s life.

“Charo no!” Asha screamed, but it was too late.

The wicked cat lifted his paw and brought it down. It was only moments away from hitting Enrique when she watched Mara dive, pushing her brother’s body out of the way as the claws dug into her.

 Her final chirp was muddled by the sounds of her flesh ripping apart as she landed in a bloodied heap. Charo reached for her body, intent on destroying her, just as Asha’s hands grabbed the cat, yanking him backward with all her strength. 

Over the cat’s flailing limbs, she could see Enrique slowly re-awaken as he looked around before rushing to the side of his sister who lay in ruins.

Chirp . He gently nudged Mara. 

Silence.

Chirp. He nudged her again.

Somewhere in between her screams and yells, she could remember cursing the cat, just as he unleashed his claws and teeth onto her. But, the pain wasn’t enough for her to let go. Her fingers tightly dug into the cat’s fur as the cat screamed. His voice nearly distorted as his claws began to cut her hands and wrists. He bit her with as much force as he could muster before reaching towards her throat, when Valentino rushed forward once more, colliding with the cat as he flung him off of Asha and towards the gate.

She’d nearly rushed after him until the sounds of Enrique’s chirp caught her attention. He hadn’t left his sister’s side, as the other birds gathered around the fallen forms of Abril and Adelina, all helplessly looking at her, as if pleading with her to do something, to save them.

Could she save them?

She quickly climbed to her feet, gently gathering the bloodied and torn bodies of the three birds within her hands. The tears quickly fell as her heart began to ache, painfully beating within her chest.

She would’ve ripped it out if she could, if only to stop the pain as she heard Enrique chirp, still waiting for his sister to reply.

How could she tell him?

How could she tell any of them?

She couldn’t save them. She couldn’t even protect them.

Their blood quickly caked her fingertips as she held their bodies close, unable to stop the tears that continued to fall. 

She couldn’t save anyone.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, the tears falling faster as her birds looked on sadly. “I’m so sorry…” she gasped, a sob tearing through her as she began to shake.

This was all her fault. 

If only she hadn’t failed. 

They wouldn’t have been out here.

She wouldn’t have taken so long to come and save them, but she had, and now it had come at the cost of their lives.

Her nightmare had become her reality.

“Please,” she pitifully begged as she began to sob harder. “Please..please hold on. I…I can..fix this…Please…”

Valentino screamed as the cat began to retaliate, its claws catching Valentino’s face as it began to charge the goat. But he never reached the goat as Charo was suddenly lifted from the ground, screaming as he flew into the nearby stone wall.

He landed with a sickening thud, shaking as all eyes landed on the figure standing at the edge of the now-opened gate. 

The star. He didn’t move, nor smile as the cat slowly struggled to his feet. Charo was in pain as his body trembled. But every trace of pain vanished as his eyes met the star’s and he bolted, running as fast as he could away from the area before disappearing into the shrubbery. 

“Asha,” came the gentle sound of the star’s voice as he silently approached.

She didn’t look at him. 

She couldn’t look at him. 

Her vision was too blurry to allow her to see him. But she knew he was there. 

“Please,” she begged him. She’d never been one who was above begging. Her time spent pleasing and flattering nobles who’d never respected her had taught her that much. Gingerly, she held out her hands, sobs racking her body as she could only whisper, once more, if only for the life of the birds in her hands. “ Please .”

She could feel his presence as he kneeled next to her; his hands gently taking hers into his own.

A sudden warmth filled her hands, as little by little, their hands began to glow a combination of brilliant blues and yellow as the light engulfed the birds in her hands. She could barely see their wounds healing before the light overwhelmed her.

Then it disappeared, leaving behind three birds who showed no trace of injury or missing limbs. Even her hands and ankle had been completely healed.

She could barely believe her eyes as she watched her three birds stare back at her in equal disbelief before looking around, chirping and stretching their wings. 

Hesitantly, Enrique neared, landing on her sleeve as he chirped to Mara who chirped back in reply, followed by a series of chirps from Adelina and Abril.

The star smiled, as the room erupted into a series of brilliant chirps as the three birds took flight, leaving in their wake stray feathers. 

Valentino pleated a greeting as he neared the star. He chuckled, his hand resting on Valentino’s head as the goat’s wounds glowed a familiar golden before disappearing.

Several of her birds flocked towards the star, huddling and basking in his glow as they too began to heal.

The star beamed, evidently appreciating whatever they were chirping to him as a few landed on his shoulder...

Asha smiled, but her tears quickly overtook her happiness as she felt herself begin to sob once more. 

She hadn’t meant to, not when the star had done the impossible of reviving her birds whilst healing her. But she couldn’t help it.

She just felt wrong. Everything felt wrong.

All day she’d been trying to ‘conquer’ magic, and all day she’d been failing. 

She’d failed to beat the star, and then she’d failed to convince the sorcerer-king and his officials, that magic hadn’t been what they made it out to be. 

But then the royal cat had attacked. She’d seen him ruthlessly kill Abril, Adelina, and Mara, just like she’d seen in her nightmare, and she’d known that no amount of science in the world could’ve saved them.

But magic had.

The star’s magic had put them back together. He’d brought them back from the verge of death and had even healed her hands and ankle while he was at it. And all she’d done was try to get rid of him.

Now she felt awful.

“Asha?” the star called as she felt Valentino gently nudge her. “Asha, what’s wrong?”

She couldn’t answer that, at least not when she was sobbing this hard. Embarrassment filled her as she pulled her hand away from the star’s. Gingerly wiping her eyes as she failed to stop the tears.

She couldn’t believe she was crying in front of the star of all beings! Just how pathetic was she?

Slowly the star’s hands gently held hers again as he drew closer. Neither said a word as she felt his warmth soak into her hands and bones.

Soon, her sobs began to die down as she drew shaky breaths, trying to calm herself. She felt her birds gently nuzzle her before they began to sing once more.

How odd was it that they, the ones who’d been so close to death were the ones comforting her now?

It was pitiful, wasn’t it?

She didn’t deserve them, not after how she’d failed them.

“I’m sorry,” she began, hanging her head in shame, if only to hide her incoming tears from the star. She could feel his eyes on her, practically burning with concern and curiosity as he watched her.

But neither said anything as her birds continued to sing, allowing her mind to wander back to how he’d healed her hands both in the forest and now. When he’d healed her hands then, there’d been no glow, and, his power, his aura, had strictly been a golden color. 

But the power he’d used just then…it’d been a mixture of blue and gold. The same two colors she’d seen Sirius under.

She blinked through her tears, curiosity slowly but surely filling her as her gaze met the star’s. 

Maybe the prince had been right about the star all along.

Maybe Cepheus…Cepheus was Sirius.