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thecandywrites · 3 years

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Blood For Gold Chapter 15

Oooh, Audra's deepest darkest secret becomes known and puts her that much closer to danger of entrapment while the Voyambi's have to admit the ugly truth of their current view of their own heritage vs their station in English society.

@punkhorse96 GURL. Buckle up Buttercup because we are almost getting to the peak of this roller coaster. Because the Komoba battle will be the peak, the court case- the fall and then it's the throws and twists and lurches to follow.

Also Stregabor from the Witcher? Who else could play the most devious of mages? Who else I ask you? Who?

Blood For Gold

Chapter 15

“Oh there you are Axal, I need you for just a moment.” Yalin insisted as she saw him leave his rooms, having waited outside of them for the last half hour for him to emerge since she had gotten up extra early to catch Axal at the earliest moment possible.

“Is everything alright?” He asked as she grabbed ahold of his hand and drug him down the hallway.

“Yes, yes, of course, it’s fine, I just need a private word with you.” She did her best to reassure him but Axal could sense her panic before she pulled him into a spare room and dismissed the servants in the hall so their ears could not eavesdrop.

“Do you have any affection for Ramsey? I need you to be completely honest and transparent.” Yalin pressed.

“I do.” Axal slowly nodded as he frowned deeply in confusion at her, not knowing where she was going to go with such a line of questioning.

“Then I need your help to find him a wife as soon as possible.” Yalin insisted.

“Uh, I don’t..quite..” Axal frowned deeper.

“Axal, I will be perfectly frank and honest with you, Gregori has long had his eye on your sister Audra for Ramsey ever since Ramsey said that she was the only one for him at her wedding to Count Edward Morrigan of all places.” Yalin began. “And it is clear that Audra has no interest in him and I have already given Audra my word to protect her from a marriage of convenience but little love and I fully intend to keep my word, but before Gregori has a chance to pressure her into a match she will find no joy or happiness in, I need to find another for Ramsey. Do you know of anyone, anywhere, in any court who could both be a lady of good wealth, breeding and most of all availability?” Yalin pressed him as Axal simply blinked in surprise at her as realization seemed to dawn on him.

“I must be clear, I have no issue with you having affection or attachment or romantic entanglements with Ramsey. And Audra seems happy for your happiness. And I know she must love you. And I know she would rather much leave Ramsey’s heart to your care than her own. But Gregori has his mind made up and I need someone who will satisfy Gregori’s need for an heir from Ramsey, so that leaves your sister free to pursue a union with another who can give her the love and care she deserves without the expectation of an heir because such endeavors would endanger her life, but...you see what bind we are in.” Yalin expressed.

“Yes, I’m aware. That’s why I have already reached out to Lady Octavia Lafronze, she’s only 27, she can still bear a child or a few even, she has a companion who can pose as my own wife if we need to keep a ruse going for the public. She will be here only the day before the Komoba battle. She’s on her way already. Audra knows of my attachment to Ramsey and until Octavia can get here, she has agreed to “play along” until then and even Ramsey has agreed to switch his “interest” when she does arrive. And Lady Octavia will fill our need. We just need to be patient.” Axal revealed.

“Oh thank the heavens.” Yalin breathed in relief as she leaned against a nearby table and clutched her middle.

“Ok, so here is the other thing. Audra’s case against the Morrigans, I don’t know if it would be best to go forward. I fear it may be more troublesome than it’s worth and whatever justice that Audra has already gotten, I fear that is all she may ever receive.” Yalin hinted.

“Audra prizes her peace. She may not want to revisit the past and rehash and open up old wounds. I will feel her out on this.” Axal reassured her.

“Thank you.” Yalin nodded as she blew out another breath of relief before Yalin gave him a reassuring squeeze to his hand before she hastily made it out of the room and quickly went down to breakfast before an attendant came and handed Axal a note, instructions to him written by his grandmother as Axal nodded and quickly asked for directions to where he had just been instructed to meet with the rest of his family before he went back into his room to get redressed in the approrpriate attire.

By the time Yalin got down to breakfast, hardly anyone was there.

“Where is everyone?” Yalin asked as it seemed that only the Voyambi’s and the Raymonds were at breakfast before Jane came into breakfast and sat down next to Charlotte.

“Jane dear, do you know where Audra and her family are this morning?” Yalin inquired.

“Yes, Audra’s grandmother got her up quite early this morning and they asked for breakfast to be brought to the gardens, they are all preparing for the kamoba battle. Apparently they all plan on participating.” Jane answered.

“Ah, that...that does explain it.” Yalin realized as she sat down as she noticed all the Voyambi youngsters seem to eagerly inhale their food before excusing themselves from the table, Ramsey and Charlotte included, leaving just Jane with the Duke and Duchess Voyambi and Gregori and Yalin.

“Do you not wish to see the training yourself?” Duchess Voyambi asked her curiously once Jane was invited to sit closer to them towards the head of the table.

“No, for the last two years I have watched Audra continue her training in private, although my parents forbade her from actually wielding any weapons, she was able to practice with sticks in the gardens and practice the drills in her room after waking up and before going to bed. Mouras take physical fitness to an extreme, even the women are trained like soldiers.” Jane explained.

“Like the orcish shield maidens of old.” Duchess Voyambi noted to her husband with a grin which he soon mirrored.

"And warchieftesses too." Duke Voyambi grinned.

“It is quite the spectacle. I remember watching my Dearest train for hours before the battle, even the exercises are quite intense.” Gregori noted with a sweet adoring smile to his wife that she did her best to return but Gregori could see something in her eyes and that her smile did not reach them as he gave her a curious look before she quickly looked away and blushed just a little under his scrutiny.

“Well it’s been ages since I even tried the exercises, I think it would do me good just to try to see how much I still remember.” Yalin said as she excused herself from the table after eating only a few bites, to get redressed into the more appropriate attire as Gregori got up and followed his wife before Jane excused herself from the table as well, leaving the Duke and Duchess Voyambi to sit in bewilderment.

“What is troubling you Dearest?” Gregori asked as he helped loosen the ties of her corset and untie her dress from her body.

“You are.” Yalin confessed.

“How do I trouble you?” Gregori asked before Yalin turned around and faced him.

“Audra drank a gallon of mourkatili. A gallon of it Gregori. With such a dosage, it is a miracle she is even alive. She is tainted and poisoned beyond repair. She can not bear Ramsey heirs and Ramsey needs a legitimate heir and woman of good breeding and nobility to give it to him. Likewise, Audra deserves a mate who can be loyal and faithful to her and I know her well enough that she will not put up with disloyalty in her marriage mate. She deserves faithfulness and devotion in all things. She has suffered more than enough as it is and before the ball at Havenfield, she came to me at the Gold Finch and asked me to guide her to a match who would treat her with kindness, respect, reverence, loyalty, devotion and faithfulness.” Yalin insisted.

“Do you think Ramsey incapable of giving such things to her?” Gregori posed.

“Yes, because he is already giving those things to her brother, which Audra is actually happy about. It would make her miserable to know that Ramsey would have to choose between Axal and herself and she would much rather have Axal be with Ramsey privately. But publicly, she can not be expected to act the perfect wife in public but in secret to know that she would share her husband with her brother of all people. And separating Axal from Ramsey would hurt all three of them. You and Ramsey both need to give up on the idea of Audra being Ramsey’s future wife and we need to consider other possibilities and I gave Audra my word that I would guard her against a marriage such as that and I have every intention of keeping my word. She is not the same woman who her master makes her out to be. She has suffered and changed too much at the hands of the Morrigans and she can not produce heirs. She is of no use to us, she is a dear girl but she is a lost cause.” Yalin maintained, choosing her words carefully.

“Oh I disagree, I think this palace is the perfect place for her and she’s plenty useful still, I think she’s finding her stride here and just because she can’t have heirs, doesn’t mean she can’t mother Ramsey’s illegitimate heirs to adopt them and make them legitimate and Axal is free to stay and keep Ramsey company as long as Audra plays her part publicly. She can have whatever affairs she wishes to have, because such seed taking root is obviously null and void.” Gregori readily shook his head no in friendly disagreement.

“How?! How in the world, is she still of use to us?” Yalin demanded.

“Dear, did you not get enough sleep last night? You aren’t thinking this through or not seeing this clearly then. We can use her treatment from the Morrigan’s hand to win over all of their fortune to her in court. You read the letter from the Mage, we have more than enough proof to string them up in the town square. She’s still an heiress of a great fortune and breeding.” Gregori insisted.

“But what of Jane? Of young Count Edward the third Morrigan? Jane is only a teenager and the young count is still a child. What would become of them?” Yalin asked.

“Audra has a good heart, she has affection for Jane, she will make sure Jane is taken care of and of course Jane, by Audra’s insistence is innocent. Besides Audra’s brother seems to like her enough. I’m sure he could always play the hero and take her and her little brat of a brother with him back to Dorierra to live happily ever after and save her from her monstrous parents and the Morrigans can be made an example of. Think of all the gossip papers you will sell telling everyone all about it.” Gregori incited.

“But what if Audra does not want that? Doesn’t want to be in our family? We can not force her to marry Ramsey just because you want her wealth and the court may not do as you say, we can’t afford to buy off every judge and juror to win it in Audra’s favor and the Morrigans have enough wealth to appeal it to the highest of courts where such measures are forbidden.” Yalin pressed anxiously.

“Oh once she sees all the benefits of being in the second most powerful family in England, no woman can resist. A life of lavish luxury with only having to smile and wave and play the tiniest of parts to enjoy it. The komoba battle will reawaken every moura instinct she has, she will see reason and see that our family is the only family she needs or should want to be a part of.” Gregori insisted as he kissed his wife’s knuckles sweetly before he called for her attendants to help her get dressed as she stood there in only her shift, her clothes long since fallen off to the floor.

“I’ll see you down in the gardens Dearest. Don’t worry about a thing, I have it all under control.” Gregori reassured his wife sweetly as Yalin just stared in thinly veiled horror at his back. She knew her husband well, he was not going to be easily swayed and she feared of what other measures he had already taken in the endeavour.

Gregori left and immediately went down to see you in particular as Demsey and his own brothers had gotten changed into appropriate fencing attire so that they could participate as well since Demsey and his siblings, his brothers especially had done nothing but gawk at you and the other mouras in small, very form fitting white work out clothes and bits of white leather armour in places in the outfit.

Demsey had thought he had walked into a fevered dream, watching you wield a sword and a small shield like a true shield maiden and every orc instinct had been screaming at him that at last, he had found a true warchieftess and he needed to show off to you his own fighting ability, as limited as it was compared to the other fighting styles you were clearly displaying. Being in high society, he was used to fencing and shooting, but that was the extent of it. Some of the common orcs still held brawling battles with the weapons of wars of old, like battle axes and broadswords and the like in the clan halls, but such things were seen as unseemly to the orcs in higher society and seen as barbaric and Demsey and his family as well as the other orcs in high society had made efforts to distance themselves from the “common” orcs in such things in order to be accepted by the rest of the gentry.

But now- seeing the style of which mouras fought- the style similarities were clear and perfectly natural. However the manner of the komoba fighting was much more aggressive and meant for a battlefield, meant to actually slay and kill your opponent, with the match only ending when it was clear that the opponent would be one pass from a weapon away from decapitating or dismembering the opponent with blows that would kill the other in quick succession. It was both beautiful in it’s violence, devastating in efficiency but yet had a dramatic flair that was impossible to resist being drawn in to see how each match would play out, where fencing played out on a thin strip of space, this was set in an octagon shape. The spaces lined out with paint in the grass itself.

One had to have a keen eye and lightning fast reflexes to strike and counter strike and the weapons, although these were made of wood or very dull metals, they were dipped in paint to show all the blows and strikes and “kills” that shown up on the white leather armour of the participants with barrels of water and cloths to wipe away the paint after each match with buckets and buckets of paint for the weapons to be painted in- in every color of the rainbow and then some.

Your paint color of choice was a brilliant turquoise and Demsey had watched with eager anticipation how when sparring with your grandmother- whose color was a brilliant copper orange- how your grandmother who was clearly the master and teacher of the group, all others taking instruction from her.

At first she had simply gone over the drills with you, all of you sitting in grid pattern, doing the exercises and drills with your grandmother staying close to you, using surprising gentleness in her critique, offering just as much praise as she did censure about your form of the various stretching poses and fighting poses as she was the first to spar with you, seeing how much you had remembered and how much your body remembered and how much you had lost over the last two years of neglecting the practice.

At one point she had blindfolded you and had short staff and a longer one in each hand and walked around you and occasionally would gently tap at your body to signify attacks, some of them light, some of them more forceful, to see how you reacted, evaded and counterattacked, leaning on your other senses besides sight to do so and Demsey had never seen anything more captivating and it made him ache and yearn to be a part of it, thus, the fencing attire, he and his brothers now sported.

Not even boxing fighters in a ring had so much contact with their opponents as this style of fighting did. Sometimes the key was to keep the enemy at a distance, other times it was to get as close as physically possible to deliver the devastating blow, sometimes it even involved grappling and pinning the other to the ground first. It struck Demsey to see the methods and philosophy behind each move and style of fighting and how it seemed to encompass everything and style and way of thinking and how there was clearly an array and a scale to it. Some of the styles were very simple, others- much more complicated but when blended made something awe inspiring.

Gregori had watched the match with your grandmother until she noticed that Gregori seemed to be waiting to speak with you and ended the session for the moment so that you could speak with him in private.

“Yes?” You asked Gregori as he pulled you aside and took your arm into the crook of his elbow after you had wiped off all the copper paint from your body so that none would get on Gregori or his clothes.

“How are you liking things here at the palace?” Gregori asked.

“It’s a palace, everything is exquisite.” You answered pleasantly, already on guard as you could tell Gregori was about to try his best to sell his son to you as a husband.

“Has everything been to your liking so far?” Gregori asked.

“Yes,” you nodded as you smiled politely.

“Could I speak candidly with you?” He asked politely.

“Please do, I thoroughly enjoy honest and candid conversation.” You encouraged him.

“I understand that from partaking in mourkatili, even with as high of a dose as you have been forced to partake in, that your reproductive abilities are hindered.” He began.

“That...is true.” You nodded, even though in truth you had tried to take pains to use eastern medicine to recapture it. But you could not be sure of your results.

“I want you to know that if you and Ramsey were to ever enter into a romantic attachment that you should know that we would never, ever, expect you to mother heirs. Your life is worth more than any hiers you would risk your life trying to bear.” Gregori assured you.

“...ok.” You blinked in surprise as you frowned in confusion, which was utterly adorable.

“You see Ramsey has had several lovers and already has many illegitimate heirs and if you were to ever marry, you could always save those illegitimate heirs and make them legitimate by adopting them. It would bring them out of poverty and give them the lives they rightly deserve but yet, Yalin and I, our hands are tied so to speak to do any better for them than we already have.” Gregori explained.

“And I understand that your brother and Ramsey have already become attached and it would only be right that he should remain by your side, to live out his days to make sure that you never again suffer and both of you could live perfectly comfortably and happily here with us.” Gregori offered.

“But such a life...it would not be honest,” you began to softly and gently counter.

“But it would be fair. So far the investigation with the Morrigans have found solid evidence and proof of their attempts to murder you. The courts will surely award all that they have to you for recompense. We have the power to make that happen. We can elevate you to that of Dauphine in English society and as a Dowager among the stables. We can get you justice and revenge for what you’ve suffered. We had a mage help with the investigation. He found your scene catcher spell, with the password, we can have all we need on Agnes and Richard.” Gregori revealed as you blinked in surprise as fear seemed to bloom in your chest. If they had already broken the password, you could be finished.

“But Jane and I corrupted some of the feed. The moment of Edward’s death, he was in the act of…” Your voice broke as even now tears came to your eyes at the horror and violence of the moment came flooding back to your mind. “He was in the act...of raping me and he had….he had a heart attack and died. It was so horrific. I had Jane help me strike it from the record. So just by that alone, it’s corrupted and it’s been tampered with. It won’t hold up in court.” You confessed lowly as your big gold eyes welled with tears.

“Just that admittance alone is enough to justify why that isn’t in the record, the judge will allow it and allow the rest of it to stand on its own and it will be taken as gospel and if there is anything else that you would like to keep from it to preserve your own integrity and dignity. That will be allowed as well. You are a lady after all. Not everyone needs to see every little thing, this investigation is to expose the Morrigans, not you.” Gregori reassured you.

“But what about Jane and little Eddie?” You asked.

“It is clear that you wish to protect them, that is truly amiable despite their parent’s treatment of you. I believe your brother Ocearian can save Jane from the shame of what her parents have done. She is, as you say, innocent. Ocearian I’m sure will happily take Jane home to Dorierra and with her- little Edward.”

“What if I want Jane to have her fair share of her family’s wealth? I don’t want to leave her or her brother with nothing and no choice but to flee to Dorierra. What if they wish to stay here in England. Could I at least leave Broadcove to Jane and Edward?” You asked.

“If that is your wish. Of course, it will be all available to you do as you wish with it.” Gregori agreed.

“Do you need my answer now, or can I think it over?” You asked him.

“Think on it as long as you need to, no rash decisions need to be made today.” Gregori reassured you gently which you greatly appreciated.

“Then do you have a piece of paper?” You asked him before he produced a small notebook and a small pencil.

“This is the password to most of it, it should give everyone all they need for the court case.” You said.

“Excellent, I shall get my best men on this, you will get justice and your just rewards for your pain and suffering, I swear and promise you.” Gregori grinned victoriously as he kissed your temple the same way his own daughter before he left again and you returned to the others.

“What was that about?” Axal asked you.

“Gregori asked for one of the keys to my ace. I gave a small one to him.” You hinted as you dabbed at your eyes as you steeled yourself for what was to come, both in the battle and in the court case afterwards.

“So you’re going through with the court case? What about your precious peace?” Axal asked.

“I’ve had a year of it. After this court case, I’ll have a lifetime of it.” You said as you got your wooden weapons redipped in your preferred paint.

“But what was his price for it?” Axal asked.

“That IF Ramsey and I were to ever get married, that I would consider adopting his illegitimate heirs and share Ramsey with you, whereas you would get to live with me and “protect” me from further abuse here. I didn’t give an answer one way or another and all I told him was that I would carefully consider it.” You reassured him before you got into sparring positions with Axal.

“And when Octavia comes, I’m sure she’ll happily comply with those terms as well.” You offered as you blocked his attack and counter attacked with ease. “Just make sure Ramsey knows to put on a good show of being captivated by her and wanting her and only her when she does come so I can get off clean.” You insisted as you dipped and dodged his attack and struck a gut blow with your shorter “dagger” on his middle.

“I will.” Axal reassured you.

“And what will you do with your hundreds of thousands of pounds?” Axal asked.

“Share them with Jane so that she is taken care of as well, hell I’ll even give Octavia a share of it, if it means I don’t have to marry Ramsey and you for that matter so that you can care for Octavia’s lover as your own wife.” You readily offered.

“Because I’m sure Yalin and Gregori only wish to see Ramsey happy, and once they see that I can not make him so and that you and Octavia can in all respects, then that can settle the matter.” You insisted.

“But what about Duke Demsey, won’t he need an heir?” Axal questioned as he used his shoulder to knock you away and off balance before you regained it.

“He does, that is what gives me pause. I do not think his affection for me may outweigh his own obligations and duty to his family. But we are still only friends. He may not wish for anything more from me. There may be another he has his eye on anyway, I will just have to wait and see. For all I know, I’m offending him even now. Proper English ladies do not participate in hunting or fencing or anything like that. It’s unladylike. So the fact that I know swordsmanship may be turning him off of me as we speak, look, even his own sisters sit by the side and only watch and do not participate themselves.” You mused as Axal and yourself finished your own sparring to rest and take a breath of air as you sat in the shade of a nearby tree and watched the others spar as you sat side by side.

“He’s an orc, his orcish heritage means shieldmaidens and warchieftesses are coveted. If anything I think you’re turning him onto you now more than any other. You were too focused on sparring with Grandma to notice how he was practically drooling and because of that, he was the first to insist that he dress in fencing attire to properly take part in all of this. He’s a decent swordsman, but that is all he is. He has no other skills, at least any that I can see.” Axal mused as he watched Demsey and Sierge fence each other in the very English style.

“In this society, he doesn’t need any other skills besides those, and even though they have that past, clearly they don’t embrace it in the present.” You shrugged as you again nodded over to where Amara, Kiera and little Callie watched on.

“Do you like English society?” Axal asked.

“It has its quirks and moments, rules of etiquette are extensive and date back to the medieval period for most of it and they like to pride themselves for having “polite, civilized and polished society”. But with industrialization, their business practices can be barbaric and ruthless, some men make or lose their fortunes in weeks or months, bask in the sunlight one moment or be shattered on the rocks the next with the tides. There are terms like “old money” and “new money”. The Morrigans have the old noble heritage even though most of their wealth has been amassed fairly recently, just in the last two generations. But the Morrigans are considered “old money” and the Voyambi’s are considered “new money” only because they’ve had their noble title and wealth within the last three generations. Their classed society makes movement restricted and women are property of their fathers then their husbands and I’ve seen women in this society choose peace over their dignity because while they are expected to be at home and run the home, their husbands are expected to bring income yet can splurge most of that income into gambling or whores or misstresses of plenty, even Richard has several whores, his favorite lives in Broadcove and his little bastards are being trained as stable boys and game keepers or gardeners, he keeps her to her appartment of rooms like a parrot to it's cage and his illegitamate daughters are being brought up to be ladies maids in the house in fact my first paid companion was his eldest illegetimate daughter came with me to Mirador as my own maid because I felt sorry for the way Agnes always treated her, in fact most of Richard's bastards followed me to Mirador because I treated them like people. Who had no power over who their father was. It is wholly barbaric in of itself. But because that is the norm, it makes competition to find a gentlemen in both name, status and breeding important, but of character- with how polite society and it’s customs dictate, it’s a gamble and true happiness in marriage is a chance. Not a given,. And what a man may be like in public may not be the same kind of man in private. Yalin and Gregori seem to be the exception, not the rule.” You admitted as Axal blinked in surprise at your revelation.

“Do you think you’d be happy with Demsey though?” Axal pressed.

“I honestly don’t know, we get along and we are friends and we have moments where possibilities threaten to ignite but something keeps it from actually doing so. I tried feeling him out last night to see if he would be open to anything and he...he was withdrawn and wouldn’t...he would not make himself available in spirit, he was...he was closed off to me, even with drink in hand, I could feel it in his energy, he was missing someone. He really had to push himself to stay with me mentally- in the moment. Which makes me think that there might be someone else that has caught his mind and heart, who is not Kate Whitesale, or me. But someone else, someone in the past. Maybe one of his workers, maybe one of his secretaries, maybe his favorite maid at Whydah. But polite society means I can not ask him about any of it or even his sisters who would be offended at me implying anything by asking while being none the wiser and completely unaware of their brother’s private lives and are purposefully kept in the dark about almost all of it." You sighed in defeat as Axal just stared in bittersweet fondness at you.

"And who am I to demand answers to such questions from him? He has made no declaration of intent towards me other than friendship. He has only stated that he wishes to be my friend. That is all he has said. And that is all his actions have said as well, at least so far. And I have no choice but to take him at his word. But the longer Demsey and his brothers participate but his sisters do not, makes me think that the same applies even in their family, even with them being orcs, notorious the world over for their proficiency and fierceness in battle even evenly among the sexes, which again leads to be believe that I offend him in the knowledge that I can fend for myself physically.” You confessed lowly to Axal before Demsey approached.

“You fence well Demsey.” You praised as you noticed he was drenched in sweat already and smelled wholly delicious as the very inappropriate thought of licking some of that sweat off of him popped into your head before you tried to swish it away mentally as you damned your own body for it's natural physical reaction to him.

“Thank you, I didn’t know if you had noticed, I know my skill can hardly compete with your own.” He praised which surprised you.

“Well you could always spar with her. See for yourself.” Axal suggested as you turned and looked at Axal incredulously.

“I would be honored.” Demsey readily agreed.

“Are you sure?” You asked Demsey.

“Yes, I’m sure I could learn several, if not dozens or even hundreds of things from you, if you would be willing to teach me.” Demsey insisted as you blinked in surprise as your jaw fell, leaving your mouth just slightly agape, just a little as your mouth ran dry as your brain once again was eager to supply all of the things you’d like to teach him, like making love to you right for starters, before Axal practically pushed you towards Demsey who offered his hand to you to help you up off the ground before you took his hand and let him help you to your feet.

“You would not feel emasculated or embarrassed if I bested you?” You asked. “I do not wish to embarrass you, especially in front of your family or mine.” You whispered to him as you walked with him back to the group.

“Not at all. You are granddaughter to the Great Saharan Viper, and her most prized pupil, how could I possibly be embarrassed to lose to such a champion?” He flattered you as you blushed and smiled bashfully and had the ground had the slightest bit of unevenness, you probably would have tripped and fallen straight onto your face.

“But my skills are rusty, I have not held a sword in two years. I may have forgotten most of it.” You tried to excuse.

“Audra, you will not hurt my pride, do not disparage yourself. I was watching you, you have retained more skill than I think you give yourself credit for. It’s like riding a horse, once you learn, you never fully forget and the style is most intriguing to say the least, so what color should my weapons be dipped in?” He encouraged you as he stood with you in front of the other buckets of bright color paints.

“Whichever strikes your fancy, and whichever you like best.” You shrugged before he chose a wonderful purple color that was a nice contrast to your own turquoise.

“Are you sure you want to try this? The rules of komoba are wholly different from the fencing you are used to. Because all those rules that fencing prides itself on- get thrown out and no longer apply, the object is to strike down your opponent by any means necessary, using everything you have to your own advantage and what can get you disqualified in fencing get you a win in komoba.” You gently warned him.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life, komoba is...everything a proper fighting sport should be, realistic with real battlefield applications, fencing is pointless on a real battlefield.” Demsey reassured you and once again those butterflies started fluttering in your stomach as your heart fluttered delightfully as your smile turned bashful once again and your cheeks flushed beautifully. It seemed Demsey’s own reserve the night before- had seemed to vanish now as a new boldness seemed to take hold of him and you adored it.

“Then why don’t you use the battle axes that orcs are supposed to be so fond of?” You questioned only to see him falter slightly.

“Um, well, I’ve...never had an opportunity or reason to wield one before. My grandfather’s from the war- they along with his armor hang on the wall, and the late king gifted my grandfather a golden enamelled set but they are strictly decorative.” He revealed.

“So...you have no experience with any other weapons besides the swords of the fencing variety?” You asked him.

“Not even broadswords or longswords or…” You asked him in confusion as Demsey’s shoulders sagged in shame as his head dropped a bit as he had to shake his head no.

“No, the commoner orcs still practice such things in the clan halls and of course soldiers do. But since my family and others who are in the gentry, we do not partake in such things and take pains to distance ourselves from such things for fear of others in the gentry to view us as “barbaric” too.” Demsey confessed lowly.

“But do you think such things are barbaric?” You asked worriedly because if Demsey thought komoba was “barbaric” you were going to force yourself to lose interest in him because you were sick of having to divorce yourself from your own moura heritage, you had done it enough with the Morrigans, never again would you do it, you had sworn yourself an oath.

“No. I think it’s part of our history that we should be proud of. In fact I insisted that Whydah have a proper gymnasium to take up the practices again, granted in private because to do so publicly would damage our reputation.” Demsey tried to explain as his cheeks flushed into a deep pine green.

“But komoba is by far the most elevated form of fighting in the world. And it’s a sport I wish I had much more experience with and I wish I could build a proper komoba battle ground at Whydah so that we could take up the sport there too.” Demsey offered, trying his best to not to sound as hypocritical as he felt.

“Well, I’m biased but I feel the same way, that komoba is the best form of fighting however I can understand the need to protect one’s reputation. The Morrigans forbade me from holding any kind of weapon, often instructing the chefs to serve my dinner to me precut so that I would not wield so much as a dinner knife because they thought my komoba training was unladylike and uncouth and would tarnish the Morrigan name and wished to divorce me from it and any other parts of my moura heritage that didn’t fit the more proper “English” lifestyle.” You explained.

“And such measures are an egregious sin, no one should be so divorced from their own heritage, especially when such a heritage is so rich in tradition and color and splendor.” Demsey tried to praise as you just shook your head because clearly Demsey had done the same to himself and his own heritage.

“So, obviously, you clearly resent their efforts in thus.” Demsey realized from your tone since it had sounded pretty resentful to him which gave him hope that he could seperate himself in your mind and make himself as appealing as possible because he wanted to accept you and your heritage with open arms.

“I do. Which is why I’m surprised you asked to spar with me.” You noted.

“Why?” He asked curiously.

“Because while you are eager to learn the komoba style from me, I see that your sisters sit on the side lines, watching with eager eyes and jealousy to watch Benny and Calla and their siblings as well as myself and my own siblings of both genders take part in the komoba training. And it makes me wonder if you or your parents would be taking the same stance with them learning it as well. Orcs are known to have shield maidens and warcheiftesses do they not? Or does your family also wish to distance itself from that history in order to embrace the more proper “English” ways? Especially in it's womenfolk?” You questioned as Demsy looked at you in shock yet realization as he looked from you to his sisters and back to you again as once again, shame and embarrassment began to eat at him.

“Audra, please, please forgive me, I didn’t even think...or consider...any of that. If you will excuse me for just a moment, I need to rectify this, immediately.” Demsey realized as he put his weapons down in the grass and immediately left and went over to his sisters who were sitting under a canopy to protect them from the morning sun.

“What’s wrong? I thought you looked to be just about to get your wish and get a chance to spar with Audra?” Amara asked curiously.

“I was...until she brought it to my attention of how unfair it is that Sierge, Tzane and I are trying to partake and participate but that you and Kiera and Callie are being excluded and it isn’t right. You all should feel just as welcome and just as included to participate in this as we are.” Demsey insisted to his eldest sister.

“Thank you! Finally!” Kiera exclaimed exasperated before she got up and went over to Benny and asked if Benny had an extra set of komoba clothes as Amara smiled happily and did the same with Calla as Callie bravely went up to you as you readily agreed to let her borrow your own spares as all of you re-entered the castle to get redressed just as the Duke and Duchess Voyambi left the palace to join everyone in the gardens as Yalin also emerged wearing her own day komoba battle clothes from her youth, although she did have to be squeezed and cinched into them because her body had changed a fair bit since her youth.

“So where are you ladies off to?” Yalin asked.

“Oh the Voyambi ladies wish to also try to learn komoba with us, we were going to be lending them our spare day clothes for it.” You readily offered as the Duke and Duchess were surprisingly pleasant with the news.

“Oh of course. With such masters of the sport here, it would be a shame to not take advantage of such an opportunity.” Duke Voyambi reassured his daughters who practically squealed in delight.

“Thank you Papa,” they thanked their father with a kiss to his cheek before you all eagerly went back to your room to change.

“Thank you for saying something to Demsey.” Kiera thanked you as you finished with Callie’s suit and then turned your attention to Amara.

“You’re welcome. Whenever I see injustice and unfairness, if I can equalize it, I like to try.” You answered her.

“Women in English society are restricted enough just in the wearing of our corsets and being “polite” in society, especially on the train to gentlemen who feel entitled to converse with you and invade your space. No need for much more than that is there?” You giggled as you laced up the covers over Amara’s forearms.

“No truer words have ever been spoken. That’s why we never go anywhere without our brothers for that very reason.” Amara confessed.

“So in Dorierra, how young are you when you first learn komoba?” Callie asked.

“Three. As soon as we learn to walk and don’t fall over just trying to walk from one end of the house to the other as young toddlers do.” You answered her.

“Three?! That’s when orcs of old used to learn to fight too!” Callie offered.

“Speaking of, have any of you ever learned any of the old ways?” You asked them as Kiera, Amara and Callie all shook their heads no.

“No, once grandfather got the Duchy, he forbade our father from ever learning any of the old ways. Because the gentry turned their noses up at us and the other orcs, trolls and the like who had gotten into the nobility at the same time were our only society. But at the same time, the common orcs who fought side by side with him in the war, would not socialize with us either, thinking that because we had the duchy, that we were too good for the likes of them. And they wouldn’t even let us go to the clan halls, thinking that we would take them over with just our nobility instead of honoring the old ways of tradition. They would allow father and grandfather into the fencing houses but as soon as they would enter, the other patrons would quickly leave. It wasn’t until Demsey and Sierge were born and were brought to the fencing places that others found that they had no skills whatsoever, and would lose almost every match that they accepted Demsey and Sierge and then Tzane until they got to be proficient. But the moment any of them use their full strength, they get disqualified for “overpowering” their opponents. It pushes them to walk almost impossibly fine lines and it’s only when Demsey championed for the unions that we got welcomed back into the clan halls again, but only for meetings to discuss clan affairs, never for the fighting or anything like that.” Amara explained.

“Oooh, that, that explains it then. I know what that is like. The Morrigans forbade me from even wielding a dinner knife, much less any other kind of weapon. Because they didn’t want any parts of my moura heritage to tarnish their Morrigan name and proper English sensibilities. And I know what it’s like to divorce yoruself from your own heritage to survive. So your family has my sympathy and empathy in this matter.” You offered before you left the room.

“Yeah, that’s probably why I’ll never settle on English soil then.” Benny confessed to you and Calla as you left the room and locked the door behind you.

“Oh poor Sierge, he’ll be so heartbroken to hear that.” You cooed to her sarcastically which got her to snort a laugh.

“When I had said something to Sierge about how it wasn’t fair for him to participate but his sisters were simply watching, he insisted that proper English ladies never should be allowed to participate, and no lady worth her honor in English society would even want to because it should serve as a distinction between the sexes’.” Benny confessed which made you and Calla gasp.

“But yet one word from you and Demsey had the opposite reaction.” Calla realized.

“What I’m curious about is, how you responded to Sierge’s comment.” You put to Benny since the Voyambi sisters had practically jogged down the hallway to get to the courtyard as quickly as possible.

“He couldn’t say much around the mouthful of golden yellow paint I put in his mouth with the short dagger stick before I put him into the ground so hard all the air got knocked out of his lungs, I think he’s probably still throwing up from having swallowed so much paint.” Benny proudly beamed which got you and Calla to bust up laughing.

“Put him in his place, I like it.” You offered with a mischievous smile.

“If he thought that way about proper English ladies, what did he think of us then?” Calla asked Benny.

“Oh he thought we were the exception because we were moura and would continue to be the exception because of it.” Benny answered.

“Double standards at it best I suppose.” Calla sighed tiredly.

“Well then let’s not waste this opportunity to show off how truly amazing mouras can be.” You insisted.

Meanwhile Bellfast, the Mage came to the Palace of Windsor to see Gregori personally, as he watched from a safe distance to see you and the other moura’s leave the palace for the gardens.

“Ah, Bellfast, my good fellow, Lady Audravienne has given me the password to the scene catchers.” Gregori happily said as he showed Bellfast the password.

“Yes, I already have divined it and the second and the third.” Bellfast reported with a meaningful look to Gregori before Gregori quickly led the way to a private office.

“And?” Gregori prompted.

“You need to see this.” Bellfast insisted as Gregori had ushered Ballfast into a private office as Bellfast cast the moment of Edward’s death onto a small mirror in the office as Gregori watched on intently. Frowning in disgust at the scene before a loud crash boomed through the room and Gregori gasped as his eyes went wide as he covered his mouth with his own hand and watched as the scene unfolded before Gregori’s own servants knocked on the door to make sure he was alight and safe which Gregori quickly reassured them and ordered them to leave immediately and to not say a word of the sound to anyone or they would be whipped and then dismissed immediately.

“Who else has seen this?” Gregori demanded of Bellfast.

“Only you, myself, Audravienne- because she lived through it, and Miss Jane Morrigan who came up with the third password to help Audravienne destroy it. It was completely struck from all the records so that even the sound of the crash was gone, the Morrigans were out to dinner and little Edward was asleep, but even the other servants heard it down into the basements. But Jane bribed them to keep quiet about it and old Edward’s doctor simply said he died of a heart attack and the bed was quickly set to be burned and was ash by the time the Morrigans got home. I can recreate the bed if need be.” Bellfast offered.

“No need right now. Do not let on that you know of any of this. I have my own uses for this. For now, only use the first password that Lady Audravienne has provided and compile all you can in a case against the Morrigans for time’s sake and make the second and the third passwords appear invisible and all that they contain inaccessable for now and do not use anything that is protected behind those other two. String everything else together in such a way that the poisoning of Edward is hung on the Count and Countess Morrigan so that they could fully inherit the estate sooner but make it so that it looks like they are framing Audra for it, which they clearly feel she did, and obviously their poisoning of Audra and all abuses to her by them and by the old Edward, I want any judge and jury to find Audra as innocent as the white dove she is and will continue to be and appear so, but also, if Lady Audravienne will not cooperate further, do your best to hang the Wolf Eye on her and obviously the murder.” Gregori instructed.

“That won’t be difficult to do. Also I have recreated all of Lady Audravienne’s mail and all four postmen are currently in prison and their confessions are on the record, as are all the servants who were involved in Lady Audravienne’s poisoning. But all the others who were involved with covering up Edward’s true cause of death are still free and Lady Audravienne's servants at Mirador that followed her from Broadcove are most intriguing." Bellfast said as he handed the latest report to Gregori who took it and read it over, almost giggling in his chuckle as he read it over.

"The Morrigans are of course panicked but claim they have the proof of the Wolf Eye coming from Audra, which other than coercing their own remaining servants to say so, the scene catchers clearly contradict which means we can pin insanity onto them and Dr. Rickets is simply awaiting instruction and of course is eager to say either way in order to keep his liscence to continue to practice his medicine, he claims he did something to the mourkatili to make it less lethal and less damaging to Lady Audravienne's person, claiming to the Morrigans that such measures were to "intensify" it's effect but in all actuallity it was only to protect your interests and claims that he can cure Lady Audravienne so that she can bear heirs without any ill effects and reverse the mourkatili, even at such a dose as was given to her.” Bellfast offered.

“Excellent.” Gregori beamed proudly. “How much is owed to you for such services?” Gregori asked as he went into his own box of funds in the room.

“Oh, for now my bill is with the Morrigans, but I will still happily take my agreed payment from you, however when Lady Audravienne wins her case, I’ll ask for a tip from her in her preference.” Bellfast began to chuckle darkly which Gregori soon mirrored as Gregori handed over a thousand pounds in a stack of bills.

“Yes, she will. I can’t wait to see what she is truly capable of. For now though she is hesitant and weary, let us win her trust and confidence first and only if she becomes uncooperative, then we can use this as leverage, but otherwise she has been a dream to work with and responds best with a gentle guiding hand and kindness, which considering the abuse- is no wonder to anyone. Yes, tender loving care will be all that is needed to pacify her and keep her happy and content. After the komoba battle, every moura instinct in her will be truly awakened and she will come to all of her senses that the Morrigans tried to dull. Oh and if I may request one more favor, just incase Dr. Rickets can not provide what he has offered, find the best mourkatili antidote you can with the added benefit that Lady Audravienne’s womb will be restored to her and her full health that she enjoyed when she left from Dorierra, just in case Dr. Rickets is not to be trusted.” Gregori requested before Bellfast simply took a very fancy glass bottle, wrapped in silk cloth to keep it safe, out of his coat pocket and unwrapped it before he put it on the desk in front of Gregori with a smug grin before handing over the silk itself.

“Only have her drink it after the court case, for now the mourkatili will still show up in her hair under blacklight, since it will purple, if it is still strong within her, it will also show up in her eyes under black light as well.” Bellfast instructed.

“Excellent.” Gregori beamed before he took it and rewrapped it and put it into his own pocket.

“Good work Bellfast, as always, you are the best Mage in all of Europa and I’m so happy that you answered my invitation.” Gregori praised him.

“Thank you for the invitation in the first place. I will happily use these funds to further my own research.” Bellfast grinned as he took his payment and tucked it away into the pocket the antidote had previously been put into before Gregori saw his guest out before he called his servants over.

"Do not let the Dauphine or anyone else know that the Mage Bellfast was here today, this report was sent by a messenger and there was no sound of a crash in the study, was there?" Gregori practically snarled at his servants who nodded yes as their knees had to be locked to keep from knocking together in fear.

"Yes your Grace." They answered obediantly before Gregori smiled victoriously and straightened up and returned to the gardens where your grandmother was now teaching all the Voyambi's, the Duke and Duchess included the basics of Komoba along with Yalin who he took aside and slipped the report into her hands.

"Just delivered just now from the Mage from a messenger." Gregori told his wife as she read it as her eyes got as large as saucers.

"Oh my, this is the scandal of the century." Yalin had to admit.

"And I can't wait to read all about it in the gossip collumns when the matter is brought up in court." Gregori incited with a scheming smile to his wife that she was powerless to resist from mirroring.

"Yes it will." She agreed before she got back into the grid to finish her own refresher course in kamoba.

#Blood For Gold #Blood For Gold Chapter 15 #regency era orc drama #regency era orc #it's getting hot in here #so take off all your corsets #mouras #orc x reader #orc romance #monster boyfriend #exo #exophillia #woooooooo

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writingwhimsey · 3 years

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The Tiger and the Oda Princess Ch. 3

Chapter 3

It was the week of Shingen's birthday. My period had never come and my symptoms were still getting stronger. I was indeed pregnant. There were also new symptoms added, one of them was that my breasts had grown more tender...and boy was that a hard one to hide from Shingen.

I had finally figured out how I would give Shingen the news. I was going to tell him on our outing the day before his birthday. We were going to be staying the night at an inn. The same one we stayed at for our honeymoon, actually. It was perfect.

I had started on a little sewing project that I would have finished in time for our trip. I had some plans for what we would do during the day, planting hints all day and then I would give him the gift when we got to the inn that night.

I smiled as I worked on my little project. It was my first dive into the baby fashion world, but I knew it would be perfect. I kept picturing the smile on Shingen's face as I continued to sew. Yukimura had caught me falling asleep in the middle of my other sewing projects a couple of times, but luckily he hadn't caught me throwing up again.

Somehow I had managed to not throw up around Shingen. Though part of me wondered if he suspected something. He was very perceptive and attentive, especially when it came to me.

It was then that I heard Shingen's footsteps coming down the hall. I quickly tucked my sewing project away just before he could open the door. He eyed me suspiciously as he walked into the room. "What were you up to?" He asked.

"Just sewing." I answered.

Shingen walked over to sit down beside me. He then pulled me into his lap. "You're hiding something from me."

"Well...if you do remember correctly your birthday is coming up...is it too much for you to assume I am working on something for you?" I replied. As long as I told him the truth, I didn't have to worry about him digging too far into what I was truly hiding.

"You being by my side is gift enough." He told me.

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him, resting them on his shoulders. "That may be, but I still want to make you something special. Besides, I know you're going to love this."

"I'll love anything you make for me." He said, placing a tender kiss on my lips.

Oh, you've no idea how much you're going to love this one. I thought, unable to hide my smile.

Shingen looked at me in the eyes. He lifted a hand and gently rubbed his thumb beneath my eye. "I hope you're not working too hard...you look tired." He told me, nothing but loving concern in his voice.

"Says the man who fought a war while facing a crippling illness." I retorted. "And acting like it was nothing."

"You just won't ever let me forget that, will you?" He asked, his tone teasing.

"And I'm not the only one." I replied.

"Thankfully an angel came to me and saved me." He said. "And has made all of my dreams come true in the process." He was then moving his hand around to the back of my head and pulling my lips to his.

I felt myself melting into him and our kiss. Oh how I loved his kisses. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Pardon the interruption, Lord Shingen." Came the apologetic voices of one of his vassals.

Shingen and I both sighed as we broke our kiss, though he still kept an arm around me, holding me in his lap. "What is it?" He asked.

"A visitor has come for an audience with you and I believe he brings a gift and well wishes for your birthday." The vassal answered.

"I'll be there in a moment." He told his vassal, who bowed and then left, closing the door behind him.

Shingen sighed and rested his brow against mine. "I suppose we'll have to pick this back up later."

"Though I hate having to share you, I am glad so many people love you enough that they want to come wish you a happy birthday." I replied. "And we have the rest of our lives. I can share you for a little while."

"My angel is so gracious." Shingen replied, smiling at me. He was then giving me another tender kiss. "Just make sure you and Yuki aren't too busy planning my party that you tire yourself out before tonight."

"What...how did you...but we were so careful..." I sputtered, my eyes widening in surprise.

Shingen chuckled. "And that just confirms that you are." He told me, his tone teasing.

I narrowed my eyes at him, playfully. "You tricked me."

"I had my suspicions." Shingen replied.

"You're too smart for your own good." I teased. "And I always fall right into the palm of your hand."

"And you love it." He said, teasing.

"Only because I know how good you are with those hands."

We shared another kiss before pulling away from each other and Shingen headed out to meet with the visitor.

I was getting ready to pull my sewing project back out when a wave of nausea hit me once again. I was quickly grabbing a nearby pot and revisiting my lunch. That was of course the moment Yukimura chose to come to my door.

"Ava..."

"Just ate too much at lunch." I said, when I had finished.

Otsuna was then coming in behind Yukimura. "What in the world? My lady, are you alright?" She asked, motherly concern in her voice as she came over to kneel beside me.

"I'm fine." I replied.

"You know it was a couple of weeks ago I caught you throwing up before." Yukimura said.

"And I had just ate something that didn't agree with me that day." I lied.

"If you're sick..." Yukimura said.

"I'm not." I argued.

"Lord Shingen should know." He said.

"He will...just not yet." I countered.

"I'm going to go tell him." Yukimura said.

"No! I will tell him, just not yet, okay?"

Otsuna was looking at me, a knowing look on her face. She then looked at Yukimura. "Yukimura, let Lady Ava be the one to tell Lord Shingen. It is obviously important to her." She told him.

Yukimura seemed conflicted for a moment before letting out a big sigh. "You know, if you're trying to wait till after his birthday because you're afraid of ruining it, you really shouldn't. You know he just wants you to be healthy...we all do."

I gave Yukimura a smile. "Just trust me on this? Otsuna clearly does."

He sighed again. "Alright, but you rest. I'll work with the maids and vassals on finishing up the preparations, alright?"

"Deal." I agreed.

He was then turning to walk out the door. Otsuna grabbed the pot from me and took it out to be cleaned. She returned a bit later with a cup of cool water and a rather delicious smelling soup. "Here, this should help." She said.

"Thank you." I told her.

"You're with child aren't you?" Otsuna asked me.

I nodded. "Yes...I've known for a while now. I just wanted to wait till Shingen's birthday to tell him. I thought it would be a nice surprise for him."

Otsuna's smile grew and I could see the genuine happiness on her face. "This is wonderful news!" She exclaimed. "And yes, I am sure Lord Shingen will be excited to hear it. How do you plan on telling him?"

I smiled and then reached for my sewing project. "I am making this and I plan to give it to him the night before his birthday when we are at the inn."

"Oh, how cute. That is an adorable idea." She gushed. "And don't worry, I will help you keep this surprise a secret. I know he's already found out about the party, but at least we can keep one surprise left for him."

"I really appreciate that."

"You should eat this soup. It has a mixture of herbs that will help settle your stomach. It always worked well for Lord Shingen's mother. I made it for her every day while she was pregnant with him."

"Thank you."

Otsuna made me the herb soup mixture every day and it really did help settle my stomach. I wasn't exactly sure what was in it, but I was very grateful. I finished my little sewing project the day before our trip and I wrapped it in some cloth and tied it closed with string. It was small enough that I was able to tuck it in the folds of my kimono.

The morning of our trip arrived and Otsuna made me the herb soup mixture for breakfast and gave me a packet of the herbs to mix into my food at the inn, should I feel like I needed it.

Shingen and I were on his horse, Yukimura, Otsuna, and a few other vassals were seeing us off. "Have a safe trip." They wished us.

"And have lots of fun and rest and relax...both of you." Yukimura said, eyeing me in particular. He still didn't trust that I wasn't sick.

"We will." Shingen replied. "Are you ready, Ava?"

I smiled up at him. "Yes." I answered, leaning into him a little more.

As we rode off, I could see Yukimura speaking to Otsuna. I wasn't able to hear their conversation, but I was later told about it.

"You really think she's okay for this trip?" Yukimura asked, looking at Otsuna.

"Yes, she is perfectly fine. Just trust me." She said, smiling happily.

Shingen and I made our way through the forest and to the neighboring village. "So, I know you have some things planned?" Shingen asked, looking at me as we approached the village. "What is first on the list?"

"I was hoping to stop at that tea house. I've been craving those sweet dumplings they had there." I said, dropping my first hint.

"I like the sound of that. Enjoying sweets with my sweet." He said, kissing the top of my head.

We soon arrived at the village and took the horse to a stable we had been able to rent for the trip. We were then walking to the tea shop and sharing those sweet dumplings and the delicious tea.

Afterwards, I led Shingen to a small stage that was set up in the town. There was a group of children putting on a play. "They are quite lively and cute." Shingen said.

I smiled. "Yes, I heard about this and I thought it was something we might enjoy watching."

Once the play was over, we just walked around the village, taking in the sights. There were children everywhere, running around and playing. Some were even being chased down by their mothers for bath time or other such activities that the kids did not want to do.

I smiled fondly as I watched them all. "I can't wait." I said, quietly.

Shingen looked at me. "What was that?" He asked.

I gave him a smile. "It's a secret." I answered, bringing a finger to my lips.

"I have ways of getting those secrets from those beautiful lips of yours." He replied, playfully.

"You'll just have to wait." I told him. This was my final hint of the day.

"You plan to tell me this secret soon then?"

"Yes." I answered.

He pulled me close then and kissed me gently on the lips. "I look forward to it."

We were soon heading to the inn and settling into our room. Once we were in our room, Shingen turned to me, a devilish grin on his face as he put an arm against the wall and leaned into me. I smiled as it reminded me of our first day together. He lifted his other hand to cup my cheek. "Now, how can I get my princess to share her secrets?" He asked, his tone teasing and seductive.

I gave him a coy smile. "Hmm...I was planning to just tell you in a bit, but I'm tempted to see what you'll do." I replied.

Shingen smiled as he leaned in closer, heading for my ear.

It was at this moment, my nausea had finally decided to hit me. No! No! No! Not now! I thought. We've made it this long without Shingen seeing this!

Shingen noticed the shift in my expression and pulled back. "Ava?"

I couldn't answer, the bile was already rising to the back of my throat. I reluctantly ducked under his arm and headed for the adjoining room to ours that was used as a "wash room" and found an empty basin to empty the contents of my stomach into.

Shingen was right behind me. I felt him gather my hair into his hands and hold it out of the way. Once I had finished he was grabbing a hand towel and dampening it. Then he was pulling me into his arms and patting my face with the towel.

I had spent the last couple of months trying to keep him from seeing this, but it was nice to have him here taking care of me. I rested my head against his chest. "Are you alright, my love?" He asked me, concern coloring his tone.

I nodded. "Yeah."

We stayed there a few more moments before he picked me up and carried me back to the room. He laid me down in the futon and then went to fetch a cup of cold water for me from the inn keeper and to get the basin cleaned up.

"If I had known you were feeling sick, we would have stayed home." Shingen said to me as he sat beside me in the futon.

I gave him a small sheepish smile. "I've been doing my best to make sure you didn't find out."

He quirked a brow at me. "If you were worried about ruining my birthday..."

Before he could finish that sentence I was shaking my head. "That's not it." I told him. I was then fishing the small package out of my kimono and handing it to him. "I know it's a little early, but I think if you open this, you'll understand."

"How does a birthday present have anything to do with my beloved feeling ill?" He asked me, his eyes curious.

"I've been dropping hints all day." I told him. "Just open it."

He untied the string and began to open the cloth. When he did, he was holding up the tiny pair of booties I had made. His eyes widened in surprise and then he looked at me. "You're pregnant?" He asked.

I nodded, smiling. "Yes."

A huge, unabashed, truly happy grin came to Shingen's face. He was then reaching over to me and pulling me into his arms. "You really must be a goddess for making all of my dreams come true." He told me, before showering my brow, cheeks, and nose in kisses.

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips nor the joy that I felt. I was having a child with the man I loved and he was overjoyed at the thought, too. "So, is this the best birthday present ever or what?" I asked, teasing.

Shingen smiled. "Every day and every precious moment with you is the best gift I have ever gotten. Though this is definitely the happiest I have ever been for my birthday."

"You always say the sweetest things." I told him, as I leaned into him, once again resting my head on his chest.

"You said earlier you were trying to keep me from seeing you sick...how long have you known?" He asked.

"A little while." I answered. "I...I was late a couple of months ago and I wanted to skip another one before I would say for sure I was pregnant...I also figured I'd make sure of all the symptoms before."

"So...you've been suffering all this time?" Shingen asked me.

"I just...I wanted to be sure before I told you...if I was wrong I didn't want you to be disappointed."

Shingen let out a sigh. "Ava..."

"But then by the time I knew for sure it wasn't that far from your birthday, just a couple of weeks. So, I wanted to surprise you with the news."

"I suddenly regret being so busy these last weeks with the negotiations." He said. "I was so busy I didn't even notice my wife wasn't feeling well."

"To be fair I hid it very well." I said. "Though I do think I've worried Yukimura."

"Yuki knew?"

"He caught me getting sick a couple of times when we were meeting to plan your party." I answered. "But he just thinks I'm sick and not telling you because I don't want to ruin your birthday."

"So you really have suffered alone in this?"

"I did want you to be the first to know...though Otsuna figured it out and has been making me an herbal remedy that has helped. She said she gave it to your mother when she was pregnant with you."

"She would know everything." Shingen said with a nod. It was then that he began to think. "And now I don't know why I didn't see it before."

"What do you mean?"

"The foods you've been eating have been lighter...you haven't been eating as many sweets. You haven't had any sake...and your breasts are tender, aren't they?"

"So you did notice that?"

"I just can't believe I didn't put it together."

I let out a small laugh. "I just can't believe I was actually able to keep it from you for this long. Between how smart you are and how easy to read I am...and how excited I have been. I've been imagining every day the look on your face."

Shingen shook his head a look of love and happiness on his face. "Just...damn." He said before pulling me in for a deep kiss. In the kiss I could feel his love, his passion, and his joy. Everything he wanted to communicate to me, was in that kiss.

I poured my own feelings into the kiss, wrapping my arms around him. He soon had me back on the futon and was undoing my obi. We spent the evening celebrating our love and joy making love.

Back at Tsutsujigasaki Palace...

Kenshin and Sasuke had arrived an hour or so after Shingen and Ava had left. "I'm surprised we were able to pull this off without Lord Shingen finding out." Sasuke observed as he began helping to set things up.

"Well about that..." Yukimura said.

"You mean to tell me the master of spies was able to find out?" Sasuke asked.

Yukimura nodded. "Yeah, he wouldn't say who spilled the beans but I'm pretty sure it was probably Ava."

Sasuke nodded. "She does have a hard time keeping secrets."

Otsuna smiled as she heard the boys talking about Ava. She had a big secret she was managing to keep from them all.

"Though I imagine part of her reasons for not being able to keep it secret is she's been keeping something else secret." Yukimura said.

"Ava, having secrets from Shingen?" Kenshin asked, joining in on the conversation, though he still did his best to look bored.

Yukimura nodded. "Yes, she's been sick."

"Sick?" Sasuke asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, just a couple of days ago, I went to talk to her about the party and she was throwing up."

"Perhaps she had eaten something bad? Or too many sweets trying to keep up with Lord Shingen?" Sasuke suggested.

"Or drank too much sake? She strikes me as the type who wouldn't be able to hold her sake that well." Kenshin added.

Yukimura shook his head. "No. I found her throwing up a couple of weeks ago, too. She mentioned the food then, but I know she was lying. She wouldn't let me tell Lord Shingen either, saying he had too much other stuff to worry about. And I know she didn't want to say anything now because she doesn't want to ruin his birthday...but she'll ruin it by not telling him."

Sasuke nodded. "Maybe when they return tomorrow we can convince her to tell Lord Shingen what is going on."

"Oh, I think she is probably telling him now." Otsuna said.

"What?" Yukimura asked. "And don't act like that. You've been helping her hide it these last few days."

"Because I know what she's hiding." Otsuna replied. "Trust me, Lady Ava is well and I am sure our lord knows now what ails his wife."

Kenshin narrowed his gaze as he looked at the woman. His eyes then widened in understanding. "You don't mean..." He asked trailing off.

Otsuna saw the understanding on Kenshin's face and nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Kenshin shook his head. "Well, it's not that surprising given how they are." He muttered.

"What are you talking about, Lord Kenshin?" Sasuke asked.

"If you two can't figure it out, I'm not spelling it out for you." He was then stalking off to the room he would be staying in.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yukimura asked, looking at Sasuke.

"Just that you two have a lot to learn and have such thick skulls." Otsuna answered. "Now come on lets get back to work. We have a banquet to prepare for and lots of celebrating to be done tomorrow!"

The next day...

I awoke to the early morning light streaming in through the open window and the cool December air on my skin. Though it was starting to get chilly, I was nice and warm all snuggled up in Shingen's arms in the futon.

"Good morning, my princess." He greeted me, smiling.

"Good morning and happy birthday." I greeted him back.

Shingen smiled as he pulled me close for a tender kiss. "I think you being the first one to wish me a happy birthday is one of my new favorite things." He said. He was then pushing the futon cover away and leaning down t kiss my belly. "And good morning to you, too my littlest love."

I felt myself gushing internally at the way he spoke to the child I carried. I let out a happy "squee" noise.

Shingen looked up at me, smiling. "I really enjoy all of the sounds you make."

"I'm just so happy." I told him, feeling my cheeks flush. "Besides, the way you just talked to our baby...it just...it was adorable."

"You're the adorable one." Shingen said, kissing my brow.

I giggled as I snuggled closer to him and buried my face in his chest.

"It is a shame we only had the one night here." Shingen mused.

I nodded. "Yes, but we have a party to get to for you today."

"True...but I'd rather spend my birthday here with you." He replied, his fingers tracing from my cheek, along my, jaw and coming to rest under my chin before pulling my gaze up to meet his. He was then kissing my deeply.

I quickly melted into the kiss and his arms. I swear, I'm powerless to this man and these lips. I thought to myself. I found myself laughing as we pulled apart.

"Hmm...my angel laughing after a kiss. I am not sure how to feel about that."

"I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Wondering how I ever resisted you before when we first met." I answered him. "If I had known then just how good you were..."

Shingen couldn't help but to laugh with me. "It's all worth it to have ended up here with you now." He told me once he had finished laughing. He then began to stroke my hair. "Though if I had known then just what was possible, I would have tried harder to win that bet sooner."

"You mean you weren't giving me every trick you had up your sleeve?" I teased. "I mean you even brought out a bear cub on me."

"And Koro almost got you, too." Shingen teased back.

"To be fair, I was probably smiling internally...and also swooning a little."

"Swooning, you say?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"That was the first time I'd seen you doing your carpentry...I found the sight very attractive...nor had I ever been jealous of a piece of wood before."

Shingen chuckle. "So that's why you enjoy watching me work when we work on our projects together?" He asked.

I felt my cheeks reddening. "Something like that."

"I love you, Ava."

"I love you, too Shingen."

We were then heading for a kiss when I felt my stomach begin to churn. "Hold that thought." I said, bolting up from his arms and the bed, heading for the wash room again.

Shingen followed me and held my hair back once again. And when I had finished, he was caring for me, with a damp towel and cool water. "Sorry." I felt myself saying.

"You have nothing to apologize for my love." He told me. He was then lovingly placing a hand over my belly and kissing the top of my head.

Shingen held me for a while, stroking my hair while I rested my head on his chest. When the sick feeling finally passed we got up and began to get ready. I put the herb mixture Otsuna had made for me in my breakfast the in keeper had prepared for us and that seemed to settle my stomach.

We were soon on Shingen's horse, heading back home to Kai. I sat in the saddle in front of him, between his arms. While I knew how to ride a horse and was even pretty good at it, I really enjoyed riding with Shingen.

"What is my beautiful goddess and mother of my child thinking of?" Shingen asked, gazing lovingly at me.

"Just how much I like riding with you." I answered. "I know I can ride by myself, but I prefer riding with you."

"You know, when we first came back to Kai and I started showing you around, I couldn't help but to think how much I enjoy traveling on horseback with you." He said. "It's nice to know you enjoy it as much as I do."

"Any time I get to be close to you, I enjoy it." I replied.

Shingen gave me a tender kiss then. "If it weren't starting to get too cold, I'd say we need to take a detour again as we did when returning from our honeymoon."

"It is a bit chilly." I agreed. "Though I don't think I'd feel the cold."

Shingen hugged me tighter to him.

I leaned into him, nestling into his embrace. "But we do have your party to get to. I think Yukimura might hurt us if we were late...especially since I'm the one who helped him plan it."

Shingen laughed. "You're probably right...and I am excited to share our news with everyone."

I smiled. "Me, too." I said, my hand going to rest on my belly.

Shingen placed a hand over mine, while keeping the other one on the reins. His gaze was warm and loving. "I still can't believe I didn't see it before. You do have that glow."

I giggled. "It's not like it's obvious yet."

"I'm looking forward to when it is." He said. "You're already adorable...you're going to be even more so." He was then nuzzling the top of my head in affection.

"I don't know about that..."

"It is a good thing for you, I do know." He replied. "I think you're going to be so cute that I will have to keep you pregnant often."

I laughed and felt my cheeks reddening. "Well, given how much I enjoy the activity that led to me getting pregnant...I can see that happening easily...however, let's just see how this first one goes."

Shingen kissed my cheek. "I love you, Ava."

"I love you, Shingen."

We were soon returning to Kai. Throughout the city everyone was lined up and wishing Shingen a happy birthday. It made me happy to see how all of his people loved him. We arrived at home. After taking the horse to the stables, we walked towards the castle, Shingen keeping an arm around my waist and holding my close.

He leaned over and kissed me.

I smiled up at him. "And what was that for?"

"Do I need a reason to kiss my wife?" He replied. "Though it's all because I can't help myself when I am around your beauty...or when you make me so happy."

"You know you make me happy, too Shingen."

"And to think there was once a time when you wouldn't have dared utter such words or share that beautiful smile with me."

"You definitely made it hard for me."

We were stopping and Shingen was pulling me into a deep kiss. When we parted, he rested his forehead against mine, still holding me close. His gaze was locked on mine. He lifted a hand to cup my cheek. "I am so truly happy to have you...to share my life with you...and I can't wait for our baby to get here. Another adventure I am looking forward to sharing with you."

I smiled as I returned his gaze. "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Here they are!" A familiar voice shouted, pulling us from our own little world we had been locked in.

We turned to see Yukimura standing there looking at us. He had called over his shoulder and Sasuke came with Kenshin not far behind him.

"How can you two have gotten worse?" Yukimura asked, looking at us.

"You should have seen them in our time." Sasuke remarked.

"Yuki, I have failed in your education if you think there is anything wrong with showering the woman you love with affection. Not to mention it is my birthday. Shouldn't I get to choose how I celebrate?"

"No because if it were up to you, you two would be locked up in your bedroom." Yukimura replied.

I felt my cheeks reddening.

"There is something seriously wrong with all of you." Kenshin said with a bored sigh.

"Says the man with even more serious issues than me." Shingen countered.

"Can we all just go inside for the party?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

After a few more moments of the back and forth, we all headed inside. Shingen and I went and changed for the party and then joined our friends in the main hall. We took our seats and trays were brought in. Shingen's tray was of course piled high with sweets.

Otsuna made sure to pile my tray with plenty of light food, including my soup. Kenshin had a tray full of sake and pickled plums. I was so grateful. The food and the sake began to flow, and everyone was having a good time. Some of Shingen's vassals made toasts to him.

I could feel Yukimura and Sasuke watching me. Yukimura had to have told Sasuke about me getting sick and they were both watching for signs of me getting sick again.

After a few more toasts, Yukimura stood up to give a toast. "Lord Shingen, I just want to say what an honor it is to celebrate your birthday with you this year and how happy I am that you'll get to have many more. You may be a pain, but I am glad to have you as my lord."

Shingen smiled. "Awe, Yuki I am touched." Shingen said. "Now if only you can learn to speak to women so nicely."

I giggled and then playfully swatted Shingen on the shoulder. "Come on now, he said something nice. You can't just let it go?"

Shingen smiled at me. "Of course not. I can't give up on Yuki." He said. "I only want him to learn how to talk to women so he can one day experience the same happiness we have." He was then wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close, kissing my cheek.

"I swear, you two really are worse." Yukimura said. "What happened on your one day trip...wait never mind, I don't want to know nor do I need to know."

Shingen looked at me then. "You think it's time?" He asked.

I nodded. "I think so."

Shingen then stood up, commanding the attention of the room...not that my attention ever really left him to begin with. "First I want to thank all of you for coming to celebrate my birthday. It means a lot to know that you're all happy to celebrate my life." He began. "And this birthday is a special one. For so many special reasons...all of them thanks to my lovely wife, Ava. And just when I think she can't give me anymore, she gives me yet another wonderful gift. Last night, she gave me the news that we are expecting our first child."

I was pretty sure I heard Yukimura and Sasuke's jaws hitting the floor. There were cheers throughout the room from the rest of the vassals and the maids were squealing with delight at the thought of having a baby in the castle once again. Kenshin just sat in his seat, popping another pickled plum into his mouth.

"So...that's why you were sick?" Yukimura asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "And now you know why I didn't tell you. I wanted Shingen to be the first to know."

"Second really." Otsuna said with a wink. "But I've just been around long enough to know these things. Not to mention I have been so looking forward to this day. I've been watching you for signs for a while."

"I think I can forgive you knowing first...especially since you figured it out." Shingen said to Otsuna with a smile.

"Congratulations Lord Shingen and Ava." Sasuke said, giving us a small yet happy smile. "I think you'll be wonderful parents."

I smiled. "Thank you Sasuke."

Shingen was sitting back down and pulling me over into his lap. "I am certain Ava will be an amazing mother." He said, kissing me on the forehead. "And I am excited to see how adorable she'll look." He was then placing a loving hand on my belly.

I felt my cheeks reddening. "Shingen..."

"Do you have nothing to say Lord Kenshin?" Sasuke asked, looking at his liege lord.

"Only one thing." Kenshin said. "Shingen you better have a made that a son. I will need a worthy rival in the future. You're clearly no fun to fight any longer."

Shingen laughed. "I thought you missed fighting me."

"Yes who you used to be. I don't think you'd be any fun for me any more...unless of course I took Ava hostage."

"No one is taking me hostage. Once was enough." I said.

"Look how good that turned out for you, though." Shingen said with a playful smile.

"Yes, but that won't happen again."

"Anyway Kenshin, you may just be out of luck on having a future rival. I am hoping for a girl who looks just like her mother." Shingen said looking at Kenshin.

"I don't know Shingen...having a boy who looks just like his father wouldn't be so bad." I said, smiling at my husband.

"Maybe you'll have twins." Sasuke said.

I shot Sasuke a glare. "Don't you dare wish that on me! One at a time!"

"Twins could be fun." Shingen mused.

"Says the one who doesn't have to be pregnant or give birth." I replied.

"That is a fair point." Shingen agreed, still a playful smile on his face.

"Well, this at least explains why you two seem worse than usual." Yukimura spoke up.

"Of course, there is no greater joy than starting a family with the woman you love, Yuki." Shingen said. "Nor is a woman more beautiful than when she is with child."

"Really? I think she looks worse, with those dark circles she's had under her eyes and all." Yukimura replied.

"You know I may be a pacifist but one of these days I will probably hit you, Yukimura." I found myself saying.

"There's no need for you to do that, my love." Shingen said. He was then reaching over and smacking Yukimura on the back side of the head. "That's what I am here for."

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips.

Yukimura just glared at us, but there was a smile on his face. "Someone has to be honest with her."

"I am always honest with my goddess." Shingen replied. "I can't believe I failed so miserably in your education though." He added this last part with an exasperated sigh.

"Hey, I know all I need to know."

"Except you have no tact." I replied.

Shingen smiled as he patted my belly. "Well, if this is a boy, I won't fail with him."

"In that case I hope all you have are girls, Lord Shingen."

"Oh, I would love that." Shingen said. "Of course, I would have to teach them how they are to be treated."

"If we have a girl, you'll have her so spoiled no man will ever be able to measure up." I said.

"How is it you always see through my plans?" Shingen asked me.

The party went on for a while longer. Everyone was happy for us, congratulating and toasting us and wishing for a healthy baby and an easy pregnancy for me. I was starting to feel utterly exhausted when I could normally stay up a while longer, enjoying the festivities.

I glanced at Shingen, who was having a conversation with one of his vassals. He looked to be having a great time still. If I could just make it a while longer, he is enjoying his party. Or maybe I could find a way to sneak out. I knew if I told him I was tired, he would go with me. I wanted him to stay and enjoy this. He deserved it and it had been a long time since he could truly celebrate his birthday.

It was then Shingen was excusing himself from the conversation with his vassal. He was then standing up. "Well, everyone I think it is time to bid you all goodnight. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for this celebration. Stay and enjoy it as long as you like. It truly means so much to me that you all came to celebrate this day."

Shingen was then offering me his hand. I accepted and allowed him to pull me to him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and we exited the room together. As soon as we were out in the hall, he scooped me up into his arms.

"Shingen?" I asked, looking at him.

He smiled at me and kissed my brow. "You looked like you were about to fall over in there." He told me. "You're already so tired, I didn't want you to completely exhaust yourself walking to our room."

"You could tell?" I asked, feeling my face flush.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, my angel." He told me.

"I should be used to this...considering how attentive you are." I told him. "I guess since I was able to keep one secret from you I was getting overconfident."

Shingen chuckled and kissed my forehead again. "Your face is my favorite to read."

"You know...I'm not that tired that I can't walk to our room."

"I know." Shingen replied. "But you've been hiding how terrible you've been feeling from me in order to keep the surprise...I have a lot of time to make up for in caring for you."

I felt myself melt at his confession. "Shingen..."

We were soon in our room. Shingen set me down in the futon. Before I knew it, he was getting my night robe for me and helping me change. I wasn't sure why, but having him help me change for bed felt more intimate than it should have. I felt my cheeks reddening.

"What is it, my princess?" He asked me, cupping my face between his hands.

"I just...I...can dress...myself you know."

"I know." He told me. "But as I already said, I want to take care of you." He was then placing a gentle peck on my lips. "You've been feeling sick and tired all of this time and I haven't been there for you..."

"Because I was trying to keep it a surprise." I said.

"I know...and it is the best surprise." He told me. "But you suffered through all of that for me. If I would have known, I would have been there for you through every second of it...so now that I know, I want to take care of you through all of it."

I smiled up at him. "Well, when you put it like that how can I refuse?"

Shingen kissed me tenderly and then finished getting my night robe on before changing into his own. Once he was finished, he was climbing into the futon and pulling me down next to him, holding me close.

I smiled as I snuggled closer to him, resting my head against his broad chest. "I love you, Shingen."

I felt his lips on top of my head. "And I love you, Ava." He was then gently rubbing my back. I felt my eyelids growing heavy as I was comfy and warm in his arms. I quickly drifted off to sleep, nestled in his embrace.

Shingen looked down at Ava, sleeping so peacefully in his arms. My beautiful princess. My angel. He thought, his gaze loving and tender. "I still can't believe what a lucky man I am to have you by my side."

He then placed a gentle kiss on Ava's forehead and then rested a hand on her belly. "And I can't wait to meet you, little one."

He laid there gazing at his sleeping wife, limned in the silver moonlight. "I still can't believe it." He murmured softly. "How could I have not known?" It was then that it hit him, that Ava would be needing a midwife. He knew exactly who to call on.

Delicately and reluctantly, Shingen pulled himself away from his sleeping wife and went over to write a letter. Once he had finished the letter, he called on one of his vassals to deliver it, urgently.

Once that was taken care of, Shingen climbed back into the futon and pulled Ava into his arms once more. "Shingen..." She murmured in her sleep, making him smile.

"I am glad to be in your dreams, my angel." He whispered, kissing her forehead, before snuggling closer and closing his own eyes.

Follow the link for chapter 4!

https://writingwhimsey.tumblr.com/post/656170072075894784/the-tiger-and-the-oda-princess-ch-4

#ikesen shingen #ikesen #fanfic #romance #chapter 3

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laurore-stormwitch · 4 years

Text

I honestly live for Genya and Nikolai’s friendship. Second part following from the fight in the war room between Nikolai and his general. Here he and Genya share a drink and some sincere words. (it’s awfully long but i love them)

we will fight for you -AO3

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He took another long sip of brandy from the glass he was holding. He didn’t remember how many drinks he had. He just wanted it all to fade to nothing, to be able to finally rest. And yet here he was, in front of the fireplace, revisiting everything that happened in the last two days. Somehow, after the disastrous meeting, he got through the rest of the day and the day after that. Zoya made a brief appearance in the war room that morning, swallowing her pride. His heart skipped a couple of beats when she appeared: she made a quick nod of her chin at him avoiding his eyes, playing the part of the respectful general, and stayed in the room for a brief time. It was worse than not seeing her at all. She picked up her files, gave a couple of instructions to Genya and left as swiftly as she came, leaving him with scrambled thoughts for the rest of the day. Tonight, he had dinner in silence with Ehri, barely keeping up the appearance of the lovely soon-to-be-wed couple they were not. Ehri was stubborn, but smart and observant. It took her ten minutes to unravel what she was seeing in front of her.

“Still brooding over the fight with your General, my King?” She asked sweetly, with a pretence of innocence.

“I see words travel fast in the palace.” Was all he said, picking his herring apart. He didn’t feel like eating. He felt Ehri’s eyes studying him. She fell silent for a while, then managed to say something that caught him off guard.

“You should tell her you’re in love with her before it’s too late.”

A small smile curled her lips at his shocked reaction. She was having fun. He stopped picking at his food, looking at her. Frankly, he didn’t have the strength to fight this, or deny it for all that mattered. There was nobody else in the room. He was at a loss of words. He felt the pain of their confrontation coming back in waves. He was deeply ashamed, hurt and lost. Ehri got up from her seat, directed to her chambers. She stopped at his side, casting him a pensive look.

“You don’t know me and I don’t know you. But I do know what it’s like to love someone, and I do remember how it felt when I lost her. I think if you stop putting your energies into denying your feelings, and direct them into finding another solution for this situation, we would all be better off. Don’t let this go so easily. Love is the only thing worth waging a war for.”

Ehri stepped away from him, opening the door. She turned to him one last time before disappearing to her chambers, saying something that ignited a feeble spark of hope in his heart.

“If you want to discuss other plans, I’m up for it. I want my throne back, Your Highness. You need an alliance and the liberty to go after the girl you want. Maybe we can find a way to work together and get our happy endings, after all.”

“Your Highness, may I come in?”

Her words were torturing him. He didn’t reply to her at dinner, letting her leave in silence. And he knew she was just jumping at the tiniest chance to get free from this wedding. But the things she said were stuck like a worm in his brain, which was now working frantically. He didn’t think, until now, that there was another way. But maybe, just maybe…he couldn’t let go of the foolish idea that he wanted someone he loved beside him. As a wife, as a ruler, as a queen. Marrying Ehri was a pragmatic choice, securing the alliance with the Shu. But what if they could work something else out? He could help Ehri get back the throne, get his alliance, and leave his heart free to pursue whoever he truly loved. The idea of having the chance not to lose Zoya was too strong to be ignored.

Someone knocked at the door in that instant, interrupting his train of thoughts. He heard Genya’s voice gently calling him.

He took a long breath in, trying to blink away some of the brandy. He opened the door for her, welcoming her in. “Please Genya, do sit with me for a while.”

He tried a smile in her direction as she walked in the room, gesturing to the empty chair beside the one he sat in. Genya’s visit was a welcome distraction: he’d come to really appreciate her in the times they’ve worked together. She was a good friend, a glowing presence, with her sweet and soothing ways. And beneath her honey demeanour she hid the spine of a fiery warrior, always looking after the people she loved. While she graciously sat down, he pondered why she was here, having a displeasing hunch about it. The suspicion came that this was not going to be an easy conversation. His instincts were only confirmed by her behaviour: she was shifting her gaze uncomfortably from the fire to Nikolai, clearly trying to assess the best way to give voice to her thoughts. He waited without rushing her until she spoke, carefully looking at him.

“Can I talk to you as a friend, Nikolai?” There she goes, he thought, his mood already souring even more if it was possible.

“Not only you can, dear Genya, I ask that you do.” He gestured to go on, encouraging her to speak. She cleared her throat, never leaving his face, a firm look in her amber eye.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday in the war room." She sighed, taking the glass Nikolai offered her, slowly choosing the next words. Nikolai grew only more worried.

“You can’t look at your General like that, Nikolai.”

The King let out a tired breath. He didn’t need to ask who they were talking about. Even so, it was startled by how direct Genya was being and shook by the seriousness in her gaze. Not that he didn’t think the others suspected something, and if there was someone who could smell romance miles away that was Genya, but still…How did he look at her? Genya didn’t wait for him to reply, catching the question hidden in his eyes.

“You do it every time she enters a room. You look at her like she’s your saviour. Like she’s everything good and right in the world, like you just started breathing again after risking drowning. Like she’s the storm, and the first ray of light after that. I know what that feels, believe me. But still, you can’t look at her in public like that.”

He stayed silent for a bit, turning his gaze away from Genya. Like before, with Ehri, he felt there was no point in denying it. No point in having a discussion, in being bold, arrogant, and flirtatious as ever. He wasn’t even fooling himself; he clearly hadn’t fooled Ehri. He didn’t stand a single chance in fooling Genya. And yet, somehow her honest words comforted him. He let go of every pretence, feeling the weight of the world on his chest becoming slightly lighter. He chuckled, contemplating the irony of the situation, and then let out the first true laugh in what felt like an eternity.

“Am I that obvious?” Genya seemed to relax at his reaction, sliding back on her chair, with a true affection in her look. A little laugh escaped her mouth too. She shook her head.

“To anyone who’s a little observant? Yes. To anyone with a good pair of eyes? Still pretty obvious.”

He laughed again. He really was hopeless.

“I had the suspicion that the two of you were going to be the last ones to realize these feelings.” She scolded him, crossing her arms.

“I’m pretty sure the only feeling Zoya has towards me right now is homicide, Genya.”

Saying her name felt strange on his tongue; the sound of her was still accompanied by a sharp pain. He had some problems acknowledging his own feelings, talking about them felt...weird. It made them real. It forced him to face them. He sensed Genya make a face beside him, with a disbelieving click of her tongue.

“You can’t be that oblivious, Nikolai. I fully expect it from Zoya, as I expect her to get violent with me if I try to talk to her about this, which is the reason why I’m here with you. But you can’t be clueless. You’re usually quite clever.”

He turned to her, looking as if he was just struck by lightning. “Usually”, was all he managed to say. Genya let out another irritated noise, leaning towards him.

“Do you really not feel the way she looks at you? It’s the same you do with her. And you’re both pretty obvious.”

“She hasn’t so much as cast a glare at me in two weeks.” He tried to protest. She snorted.

“Just because she’s trying to be a little more subtle than you. The fact that she does it when you’re not noticing doesn’t mean that other people don’t notice.”

He really wanted to believe her; he felt the hope lying in his heart flicker. Maybe he really wasn’t alone in this. Maybe it made sense to try and find some other way. He had felt it in the Fold, as much as he tried to deny it. She is already a queen, a little voice in his head reminded him.

“Which is why you can’t be like that in public. It’s one thing if the whole palace thinks you’ve taken a mistress. It’s another if we have a full star-crossed lovers situation going on. You don't watch her with lust; you watch her with love. Ehri has enough reasons already to stop this wedding, I’m not sure you want to give her another excuse and risk the alliance.”

Genya’s tone was sweet, tender as the look in her eye. She had a sad smile on her scarred face, and she put a hand on his arm while speaking the words. She knew how hard the reality of the situation was. She knew she had to tell him, and she knew it would hurt him. He understood that she was just trying to protect them, especially Zoya, from being in more pain than they were already.

“And the fight you had didn’t help. She’s hurting, Nikolai, I can see that under her armour. I don’t know what happened between the two of you in the Fold, and I’m not going to ask. But you need to work this out. You can’t go on like that.”

The idea of hurting Zoya sent another wave of shame against him and he had to catch his breath. He knew his reaction was wrong, and that he said the worst words he could have said to her. He knew he had to make this right. And sadly, he also knew Genya was perfectly right, as much as he didn’t care what other people thought of them. Though that may not matter anymore. He took another sip of brandy and waved a hand in front of him in a dismissive way.

“I’m afraid you’re too late with that problem. Ehri already knows. She told me at dinner, and as you predicted she also offered her help in concocting a plan to avoid marrying me and getting her throne back to secure the alliance.”

Genya’s eyes widened in surprise. She crossed her arms again with an amused chuckle.

“I knew she was smart. Well, you and Zoya haven’t been, to be fair. But she still is pretty smart.”

They stayed silent for a while. For the first time in days, Nikolai felt a little better. He didn’t know if it was the brandy or Genya soothing ways but keeping this secret hidden had been tiring. He could share the burden now. Genya turned serious again, a resolute look in her eye.

“If that’s the case, then I’m afraid you have a choice to make, Your Highness.”

“I do?”

She mustered the courage to speak, carefully pondering every word. “I don’t believe Ravka needs a queen that doesn’t love this country, as sweet as Ehri can be. This is a broken place. It needs mending. It needs someone caring, ready to give this wretched place everything to see it flourish. It needs someone strong, ruthless, and brave. Someone who could lead it to be whole again.”

Nikolai looked at her, feeling the pride reverberate through her words. “All my life, all I’ve wanted was to feel protected. To feel safe. Can you imagine what a Grisha ruler can mean for this country? I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, or that it’s the perfect choice. But can you see it? Grisha from everywhere in the world are going to know this is home. We can rebuild the Second Army, unite it with the First. We can bring this divided country together.”

She took a long breath in. “And we both know that for all her pettiness, her rude ways, and icy words, Zoya is already the queen our home needs. She would fend for Ravka until her dying breath.”

He took every word in, waves of feelings towering over him. He thought of the Fold, of the letter he gave Zoya naming her the protector of Ravka. Of the first time he envisioned her as a Queen. As his Queen. He thought of following his heart, of things he usually didn’t let himself linger on: Zoya in his arms, Zoya in his rumpled sheets in the morning, on his lips, his hand in her hair, the smell of wildflowers around them. Zoya holding his hand. Zoya bleeding in the snow, protecting the cubs. Zoya with a silver crown at his side. He felt his heart full of yearning for these visions, full of warmth and desire. He thought of losing her, the pain like a sword through his chest, like a mountain on his shoulders.

“And I want to see her happy, Nikolai. She deserves happiness.” She touched his hand kindly. “You deserve happiness. You deserve someone who loves you as fiercely as she does. She deserves your kindness; you deserve her proud heart. We would want nothing more than to see you build a life together. Build the future together."

He didn’t miss it. He emerged from his thoughts, trying to steady his breathing at the ferocity of the truth that lay behind his friend’s speech. “We?” She curled her lips in a devious smile.

“As I told you, we all expected you two to be the last to acknowledge this. You’re both pretty funny to gossip about. If you can believe it, Tolya was the first to notice. Months ago. I had to explain it to David of course, but the others were all pretty quick to catch up.”

The thought of their friends whispering about them sent affection and amusement through him. He still couldn’t quite believe he managed to surround himself with this little strange family. He smiled back. Genya caught his hand, tightening her grip.

“We will fight for you. If you decide this is the course you want to take, we will fight for the both of you. We will stand at your side, defending Ravka and your right at happiness and peace. Just think about it.”

He nodded, staying silent at the enormity of this revelation, deeply moved by Genya's sincere words. He felt a warmth he didn't remember was possible to feel, the chance of a joy so intense it caught him off guard. It still seemed like a fragile hope; but it was a spark he was going to protect at all cost. His confidence was building up again. A decision: that’s something he was good at. He could already see the roads taking form, he could see where they led, what he would have to do. He could do this. His brain was already working around a plan. He would need to talk to Ehri and see what she had in mind. Maybe they really could save themselves from this. But there was something else he needed to do first, something that’s still scared him a little, and it most certainly was going involve an unpleasant and hard confrontation with a raven haired harpy who was likely to burn him on the spot.

"Why do you think she's so mad at me? Avoiding me and everything? I’m sure you’ve noticed that too."

Genya waved a sarcastic glare in his direction, furrowing her brows at him and lightening the mood a little.

"I'm going to take a wild guess here, but maybe the fact you announced your marriage right after whatever happened between the two of you? Maybe?"

"Very funny." He huffed, throwing his arm in the air. “Nothing happened, by the way. Nothing...explicit.” Unfortunately, he thought grimly, images of Zoya clouding his mind again. He shook them away, trying to regain his focus. "What am I supposed to do?"

"All Saints Nikolai, I didn't think you were such an idiot when it came to relationships. You tend to be so charming."

"Not helping."

She laughed. Saints, she was enjoying this. "Maybe talk to her? That would be a nice first step."

Great, like it's easy. He groaned, pressing his hands on his eyes. Genya was totally right: what was happening to him? He was indeed charming. He was used to charm his way out of every situation. Unfortunately, the one person who always seemed to be immune to his ways was the one he desperately needed forgiveness from. Honesty might have been the only plausible course of action.

“Talk to her about what? My feelings?”

Genya burst out laughing again. His pride hurt a little bit. Maybe Zoya wasn’t easy, but it was not like he was a boy anymore.

“Sure, if you want her to punch you in the face and run away as fast as she can. Do you know Zoya, Nikolai?”

Never mind, I am a fool. His friend was of course right, again. What he thought he would do, show up and ask her to marry him after everything that happened? Run to Zoya and tell her you love her after you insulted her, great way to gain a quick death, Nikolai. He sighed at the redhead in front of him.

“I’m hopeless, fine, would you please help me my dear friend?”

She huffed her hair theatrically. “Ease her in a little bit before the whole feelings talk. Say you're sorry. Show you care. Mend the rift in your relationship, draw her close again. Make her believe that she wasn't wrong in trusting you and open her heart to you. Just a couple of suggestions. Start with this, and see where it goes.”

Okay, he could try this. See where it went from there. He brought up the glass of brandy, looking at the liquid inside. On second thought, he put it on the table again; he needed a clear mind for this. He took a deep breath, feeling some sort of calm wash over him. He was tired. But he felt good, he felt in control again.

The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to lend true.

His heart found its aim. He had lost himself, but he found purpose again. He saw a way, some twisted hard way to give his eager country what it needed and not lose the most important person in his life in the process. He looked at the girl still sitting patiently beside him: he owed her a lot. Hadn’t she come to talk to him, hadn’t she been brave enough to speak these words...he didn’t want to think how much more time it would’ve taken him to see the truth, o how much he could have lost. The gratitude he felt in this instant was immense. He held her hand pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“I don’t know how to thank you, Genya.”

“Thank me by not being an ass anymore, Nikolai." She hadn't lost the light tone, but he could see she was only half-joking. "And come ask me for whatever help you need, all right? It can’t have been easy to keep everything for yourself.”

No, it hadn’t been. Gentle as always, she got up with a fond smile.

“And please let me tailor those dark circles under your eyes. We need you at your best.” She winked at him, moving towards the doorway.

“You are a good friend, you know. Not just to me. To Zoya, also. We’re lucky to have you.”

“I’m also great at concocting plans and I thrive around secrets at court, remember that. I’ll be glad to be of use. With your terrible relationship skills, also.”

“I’m far from terrible, my dear friend. Just a little rusty.”

“Sure, whatever you say. And Nikolai, not that I want to rush you, but don’t lose too much time on your decision. We still need to move quickly."

This time, he was the one shooting a sarcastic glare.

“Like you didn’t know the second you walked through that door what choice I was going to take.”

Another wicked smile flashed through her features.

“You know, I’ll even avoid killing you for all the time I spent on organizing the wedding. Mainly because there’s still time to change the bride and have it anyway.”

He chuckled. “She still has to forgive me, first. Then there’s the matter of talking about feelings. And from that to accepting a proposal...well, I’m afraid we’re a long way from a royal wedding.”

Genya seemed unfazed by all of these trivial matters. She shook her shoulders.

“Never say never. Zoya often has a way of surprising people.” That much is true, he thought.

“Do tell me how it goes. In the meanwhile, goodnight, Your Highness.” Genya nodded in his direction, taking a step out and leaving his chambers.

“Goodnight, Genya.”

He stood up, walking around his room for a while. As exhausted as he was, he was also too lost in thought to actually sleep. He opened the window, resting his elbows on the balcony, leaning towards the dark night sky lit up by stars. It was too late to go to her, and yet she was everything he could think of. The desire burning in him was almost unbearable. He couldn’t stand the thought of her angry at him, alone in her room. Or worse, not alone in her room. He shook his head, inhaling the cold breeze, trying to ignore the useless jealous thought. She really was driving him insane. He needed to think, to set a plan and get things in motion. She could sulk in the idea of killing him for one more night; just another thing he would need to ask forgiveness for. He wouldn’t give up, this time. If he was going to do this, he was going do this right. No matter how hard it was going to be to convince her, or how many times she was going push him away. He wouldn’t give up on her. Let’s see who was more stubborn.

I’m gonna find a way to do this. He gazed at the Little Palace, its roof shining dimly under the moonlight. I promise you I’m gonna find a way. I’m not gonna lose you. I’ll keep fighting for you.

Sleep finally caught up to him after a few hours. That night, like so many others, he dreamed of her. But she wasn’t far and untouchable like in the other dreams. She was next to him. She was brushing her fingers on his cheek, waving a hand through his golden curls, her blue eyes full of light. She was smiling softly, calling his name, holding him close.

In the morning, for the first time, he awoke with the slight and impalpable sense that these dreams may had a chance of coming true.

#zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lantsov #zoya and nikolai #zoyalai #genya safin #ehri kir taban #friendship #rule of wolves #king of scars #nikolai duology #fan fiction #my writing

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lilacpotter · 4 years

Text

The things you do for me

Even woke up to bright sunshine hitting his cheek. And he blinked. He blinked several times until he was convinced he wasn’t dreaming.

Sunshine during February in Oslo was a rare sight, with only at most three hours of it, the chilly cold added up to his gloomy mood throughout the whole day.

It didn’t help that he was just recovering from an episode. A month ago, it would have been pretty bad, but right now it felt like he was slowly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. His depression was slowly fading away, and the bright, happy version of himself suddenly didn’t seem too far away.

So when he woke up to sunshine this morning, it brightened his mood twenty times up and he yawned with a smile, feeling life run through his weak veins and muscles.

A distinctive smell made him sniff the air out, and he looked to his side only to find that Isak wasn’t there.

He was about to burrow back into his blankets for a bit more when his eye caught a light card by the nightstand.

Curiously, he pulled it out. It had Isak’s handwriting on it.

Happy Valentine’s day, baby! And a very good morning. Just wanted to remind you that I love you. And that you mean so much to me. I have so much planned for today, and no, don’t worry, it does not include us going out and skating on the snow only for you to fall on your ass. I may not be as romantic as you but I do know things, okay? Stop smiling.

Love you,

Now get out of bed and fresh up ;)

Even was indeed smiling. Isak had planned things. It made his heart soar.

And holy shit. It was feb 14th. The valentine’s day.

Even suddenly felt a bit guilty that he hadn’t remembered about this even yesterday. Shit. Now that he realized, he wondered if he had missed any references that Isak might have tried to make. Had he?

It only started giving him a slight headache, so instead of dwelling in his thoughts much further, he took a few deep breaths before getting up off the bed and heading to the bathroom to fresh up like Isak told him to.

By the time he finished brushing his teeth up and washing his face, the smells from the kitchen intensified and a very flushed-looking Isak brought a plate full of baked French toast, complete with fresh berries and maple sauce.

“God morgen,” he wished Even, pecking him briefly before pulling his boyfriend back into the bedroom onto their bed.

Even watched him lay down the plates in fascination as he settled back onto the mattress.

“You made these?” he asked in disbelief, pointing to the delicacy on the bed.

Isak let out an offended scoff. “Of course, I did,” he continued when Even arched an amused eyebrow at him. “I was working so hard for the last week to achieve this perfection, Even, mind you.” He said, then breaking into a smile when Even laughed. “You have like it. Even if it tastes bad.”

Even couldn’t believe his boyfriend. “Even if it tastes bad?”

“Yes,” Isak nodded.

“And what if I don’t?” Even asked with a wink.

Isak faked a look of shock. “You would never do that to me!”

Even shrugged a little, as if he was considering it. “I mean…”

“Even!” Isak said, making Even laugh out loud. And he saw a glimmer of joy on Isak’s face.

Even had missed it. He might not have looked like he cared but he had missed it. Missed Isak’s playful banter, his precious laugh and his joyful face. The past year had been rough for them both, just like it had been for the rest of the world. And in the midst of all this, Even having an episode definitely didn’t help things.

Isak’s smile paused, before he inched closer, pulling Even into himself with another kiss.

“Let’s eat,” he murmered.

And how beautiful he looked in the early morning pale sunshine. Even felt himself get lost in his honey shaded curls, at the tempting dip beneath his pink lips, at his gorgeous green eyes.

They ate in silence, although it might not be considered silence if they both kept moaning at the taste.

“It tastes so good, Isak. Much better than it even looks.” Even said, and a bit of a surprised tone might’ve leaked into his voice because the next second Isak was laughing, shooting a “Fuck you,” in his direction.

Even smiled along. “I can’t believe it’s not burnt this time,” he teased.

Isak groaned aloud. “Oh my god, that was one time, Even.” He sighed dramatically. “you won’t let me live that down, will you?”

“Never,” Even stole a kiss from his cheek. “But seriously though, thank you, baby,” He murmured, leaning down. “I love you.”

The younger boy stared back at him with dark eyes. “I love you too,” he said, voice dripping with desire.

But before Even could pull him back to kiss him again- much more fervently this time, Isak wriggled off his embrace gently.

Even pouted at him. “Come on, baby,”

Isak gave him another peck before saying, “Not now, Evi. Let’s save this for evening,” he winked. “But only if you want though,” he said, suddenly serious.

Even knew what he was talking about. And he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet. He was still in his depressive mood even if he was functioning like a normal human being these days.

But he couldn’t deny he was feeing a bit hopeful today.

“Yes sure,” he nodded with a smile.

They spent the rest of the morning curled up in bed, revisiting all the valentine’s days they had spent together till date.

Last year, they had spent their time at the beach, basking in the sun while they sipped on their cold drinks.

The before year had been spent in Oslo itself, but the pandemic wasn’t there yet and so they had a double date with Jonas and Eva. It had been fun.

They both watched their favourite show for a while, gossiping about it for almost half an hour before Isak got up to do some work.

Even didn’t ask him what, he knew what was happening. It had always been him who made all the grand gestures on Valentine’s day. And for the first time, this year, Even couldn’t do it.

He knew Isak had taken his role. He could see the way their bed was littered with all the beautiful rose petals, or suddenly how clean their desks and shelves were suddenly looking, or how there was this lovely, soft atmosphere all around unlike the gloomy shroud that had inhibited their room until yesterday. He could see.

Isak was doing it for him this time.

And the thought itself gave Even butterflies in his tummy. He was giddy with happiness. He hadn’t felt this happy in a long while.

Isak returned back with his forehead slightly sweaty, but it was nothing compared to how they both were after a session of ridiculous dancing to Gabrielle.

Half an hour later at Isak’s demands, Even found himself slowly sinking into the warm water in their bathroom with a relaxed sigh. He wished to live here forever, to die here, to build his life here.

It was too good.

Bright red petals kept floating on the warm, scented, frothy water around him. And a light soft melody played around. Candles flickered, casting a warm glow all around as they stood on the edges of the bathtub and Even inhaled in the sweet scent of the room, watching the white ribbons of vapour of the water fly up, up and up.

He let his head fall back, his legs stretch and his arms spread on the bathtub’s sides.

Fuck, this was good.

The door opened softly and Isak stepped inside with his towel around his hips. Even grinned at him mischeviously and watched him roll his eyes, before dropping the towel shyly and walking upto Even.

Even’s mouth watered at the sight of him, and he felt a jolt in his heart thinking how long it had been since they had done anything intimate.

Isak kneeled down beneath the bathtub, his face glowing in the pale warm candlelight as he leaned in to Even with a knowing smile.

“Enjoying yourself?” He asked, his hand twirling around in the water slowly.

“Mhmm,” Even nodded, giddy and relaxed. He hadn’t felt this in so many months. His muscles that had been frozen seemed to be slowly easing back and he kept hearing little, tiny pops as he moved his limbs around in the water. “Get in with me,” he said to Isak, suddenly bent with desire.

Ten minutes later, Even found himself with an armful of naked Isak flushed against his chest. Both of them enjoying the sensual calmness as they sipped on their champagnes. This was so romantic, the roses, the music, and the candles, that Even couldn’t help but feel his heart soar at the thought that Isak had done all of this for him.

“I love you,” he whispered into his boyfriend’s neck for the tenth time that day. It never felt like enough. Telling Isak he loved him. Because it was true.

Isak tipped his head back, looking dazed with love. They kissed again, slowly, softly. Until they had to break apart for air. Until their lips felt spent. Until they started craving for more. Until they couldn’t ignore the gnawing sensation between them both.

Isak was trailing his hand down Even’s chest and he paused before getting a hold of him.

“Is this okay?”

Even nodded, his eyes dark with lust. “It’s more than okay,” he replied, and Isak smirked back, obviously delighted that Even’s libido was coming around.

“Fuck, Isak, just like that,”

“You’re so fucking beautiful, baby,”

“Even, are you fucking serious right now!”

Isak spluttered, his face covered in white flour. He looked adorable.

“What!” Even chuckled, dusting his hands onto the napkin.

It was evening. And after a very fruitful session on their bed all noon, Isak had finally agreed to get up and help Even in making cupcakes and his “ridiculous” heart shaped candies.

“Clean me up,” his boy demanded, pointing a spatula at Even warningly. “Or else..” he trailed off as if Even should know.

“ooh, kinky,” Even teased making the younger boy scoff at him.

“I’m serious. Or else, I’m not gonna help you out in making your cupcakes anymore.” He said while Even turned back to the batter in front of him.

He dropped a few chocolate chips and sprinkles before pouring them into the moulds.

“Baby, I think it’s safe to say that I did most of the work in here,” Even said with a wink.

Isak rolled his eyes at him. “No fucking way. Should I remind you who made the breakfast?”

Even feigned a dramatic sigh. “Shit yeah. How could I forget! The delicious and brilliantly put together baked French toast. Although, I thought the berries were way too sweet.”

Isak flipped him off while Even laughed heartily. But his laughs died down abruptly when his sneaky little shit of a boyfriend threw a handful of flour onto Even’s face.

He spluttered in disbelief. “Wha-”

“Revenge,” Isak said simply, dusting his own face off with the napkin. A grin playing at his mouth.

“You can’t do that!”

“Oh, there are rules here now?” Isak asked.

“Uh yeah?” Even said, mimicking Isak’s facial expression the first time they both had kissed.

They both exploded out in giggles. First Isak, then Even.

They had tried recreating their first kiss a while ago in the bathtub, except it ended being more disastrous than anything close to romantic. But Even loved it.

“Drittfyr, it still doesn’t explain why you threw flour over me!” Isak pointed out, suddenly remembering why they had been bantering.

Even shrugged at him. “Because I wanted to see your grumpy self,” he admitted. “I was missing that side of you.” He teased, and earned another handful of flour onto his face and shirt.

“Fuck you,”

“We just did that, baby,”

“Oh my god!”

“And it was spectacular too-”

“Even”

“Don’t worry. You look super cute when you are grumpy.”

“ugh”

“Even…”

“Isak…”

“I hate this movie, god.” Isak groaned aloud in the dark.

They were both cocooned cozily between the blankets for the night, the tv playing one of the old classics that Even loved.

He smiled down at his boyfriend who was half-sleeping by his chest. “You can sleep if you want.”

Isak scoffed by his chest lightly, burrowing deeper. “I didn’t mean that,” he murmured, already closing his eyes softly.

Even carded his fingers through his hair with a laugh

“You should go to sleep, baby. You did so much for me today.”

They had a luxurious dinner date a while ago at their home itself. Even couldn’t believe all that Isak had done to make their date seem perfect. And it was perfect. Even more so than that.

It was perfect, cozy and sweet.

But the thing that left him with happy tingles in his body was Isak cooking up most of the dinner for them both. Even couldn’t get enough of watching Isak move around the kitchen with a calculated look and an observing frown.

They spent the rest of the evening playing silly games- Even winning more times than Isak, then video calling their friends, and finally watching the stars outside for a while out in the balcony with Isak pointing out his favorite constellations.

Isak let out a scoff again. “It was nothing compared to how much you do for me always.”

Even pulled him closer to himself. “That’s not true.”

Isak sounded so small when he said, “No?”

Even wished he could hold this boy and make him see how much today meant for him.

“No,” He said, pressing a light kiss to his boy’s curls. “Everything you do means so much to me. Today..” he took a deep breath. “Thank you so much for today, baby. It was perfect. I think I feel so much more happier today than I felt in the last two months combined.” He admitted.

“But, we didn’t even go out anywhere,” Isak said, sounding insecure. “No fancy date at restaurant, or somewhere else. We could have done so much-”

“-Isak…” Even cut him off. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing else compares to the things you do for me.” He said firmly, staring into Isak’s green irises. “You- I wish you could see how much today means to me. It was perfect, baby. More than perfect. You doing all this just for me, it’s a lot. And it’s more than enough. I don’t need anything else. If I could redo this day again, I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I love it the way it is. Everything about it. I love you. And everything you give me.”

He heard Isak’s breath hitch slightly, before he turned his face up and looked up at Even with his big, doe eyes. So adorable.

“You mean that?” he asked, unsure and shy.

Even nodded, pecking him once. “I absolutely mean that.”

Isak watched him for a minute or two from beneath his eyelashes, before he turned his face back down to smash it against Even’s chest.

He shrugged. “I learned the dinner from Eva. So I guess she does know how to cook.” He admitted to the dark, and Even raised his brows in amusement.

“And the idea of bubble bath and the roses, candles..?” he prompted.

Isak shrugged again. “Magnus’s.”

Even laughed out loud in disbelief, causing Isak to quirk a smile. “Seriously?“

“Yeah,” Isak grinned.

“holy fuck.” Even said. “And…the sex part?” he added slowly.

“That was mine! Wtf,” Isak quickly said, looking flustered, and making the older boy chuckle. “Drittfyr,” He muttered in offence as he punched Even’s stomach lightly.

“Ouch,”

Isak exploded out in little giggles, and they wrestled playfully for a while until the movie on the screen came to an end and they both yawned loudly.

“Let’s sleep?” Even asked, but Isak was already pulling him down to the pillows. He nuzzled up to his chest and nodded.

“Happy Valentine’s day, Even.” Isak said.

Even kissed his forehead after turning off the tv screen. “Same to you, baby. Thank for making this year’s so special”

He will never forget this day.

“Jeg elsker deg,”

“Love you too,”

Somewhere around the time when Even felt like drifting off to sleep, he thought he heard Isak say, “There’s still one more gift left. Cabin trip this weekend. I have got tons of shit planned.”

#drabble #skam #evak #evak drabble #Soo another one for V day #its full of fluff #thats it #my drabbles #isak x even

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is-it-madness · 4 years

Text

Sweet Treats

A/N: Well, well, well. As we know, today is the lovely Tom Hiddleston’s 40th Birthday, and to celebrate, I’ve decided to revisit a wonderfully smutty sub!Tom fic the darling @fadingfics wrote for his birthday last year. This fic had me sweating the entire time, so definitely give it a read and show it some love. You can find it here.

Summary: You’ve been preparing Tom for almost two weeks for his birthday celebration. Now it’s time to reward his commitment.

Madness List: this is a list of my thoughts of the fic, so major spoilers ahead.

1) ‘No matter how hard he tried, Tom could not make out what you were doing. The array of sounds around him was confusing, and his own fidgeting did not help. What he could hear were your giggles. You were clearly amused by his current predicament.’

Wonder what’s going on here 👀😏

2) ‘“I’m gonna be ready soon, my sweet.” You kissed his head.’

Cute 🥰

3) ‘Tom whimpered softly, and took a deep breath. Blindfolded and ordered to remain on his knees, hands behind his back, there was not much else he could do but wait.’

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH OKAY OKAY I SEE

4) ‘He had been waiting for so long! You had denied him orgasms for two weeks, making him wear his cock cage round the clock, with the promise of making it up to him while flaunting the damn key around your neck.’

Hehe

5) ‘And tonight, during his own party with friends and family, you had made him wear his bluetooth anal plug, turning it on and off periodically, teasing him to his breaking point. The plug was still in his ass, vibrating on the lowest setting. He was so ready, his cock and balls were straining against the cage.’

... man is gonna cum by the lightest touch

6) ‘Tom stood up slowly, and removed the cloth from his eyes. His breath caught, and he growled deep inside his chest at the sight of you, sprawled naked on the bed. Strings of chocolate sauce covered your breasts, belly and thighs, like decorations on a cake.’

Thomas, your mistress needs to be cleaned. Thoroughly. Don’t miss a single spot 😏

7) ‘“Are you my chocolate cake, Mistress?” Tom asked in a low tone and half a smile.’

So cuuute bebe 🥺

8) ‘Wasting no more time, Tom crawled on the bed on top of you, and kissed you hard. He took one second to glare at the golden key on your neck, before he started to lick the chocolate off your upper chest. His skillful tongue worked over the chocolate lines almost with ease. All his oral training paying off as he eagerly sucked and licked your skin clean. He took extra time to lavish both your breast with his attentions before he continued his way down. You opened your legs for him, and Tom grabbed the back of your knee to lick the chocolate from your inner thigh.’

The urge to say ‘good puppy’ is just ready to burst from me. Also, totally random, but I don’t think I could ever do this. Too ticklish 😔

9) ‘Scooting up the bed to lay against the pillows, you opened your legs wide. “You may claim your cake now.”’

YASSSS!!! Damn, I am loving this 😌

10) ‘Tom leaned down and circled your thighs with his arms, pulling you close to his mouth. His tongue parted your folds to find you already wet. He moaned, relishing your taste. He pulled you even closer to his face, eating you as if your arousal had ignited something inside of him. He sucked your clit hard, tongued and teased your entrance and drank all your juices while staring right at you. Your orgasm was his prize and it came fast and hard, making you clench your legs around his head.’

Tom:

11) ‘Tom’s blessed mouth had you on the edge again in no time.’

‘Blessed’ 🤣 that’s definitely one way to describe it.

12) ‘Tom smiled up at you and rubbed two long fingers between your folds, getting them wet and warm before sliding them inside your cunt. His mouth went back to work on your clit while his fingers slid in and out, rubbing against your spot. Another orgasm rolled in, making you arch your back as you came shouting his name.’

Not me getting weak right now-

13) ‘In the afterglow, you watched Tom lick his fingers, wearing a rather proud smile. You took a moment to compose yourself before you sat up and beckoned him closer.’

Full of ourselves, are we? 🤨

14) ‘“On your knees, right here…” You patted the bed in front of you, and grabbed the chain around your neck. “Hands behind your back.”’

👀👀

15) ‘Tom did as you said, and held his breath as he watched you take the small golden key off your necklace and unlock his cock cage. He groaned loudly when you finally set him free.’

Also Tom:

16) ‘“You’ve been such a good boy Thomas, wearing your submission obediently.” You rubbed your nose against his, watching him blush. “Now, I’m gonna make it up to you. As a birthday present and a reward for being my good little slave.” You kissed him again. “On your back. Lift your legs up and open wide for me.”’

17) ‘You poured lube on the strap-on, making sure it was well covered, and then some more around his hole before sliding inside. You went slowly, letting him get used to the girth of the toy. Tom’s mouth fell open, his exquisite moans and gasps filled the room.’

*Inhale* I am thinking some dirty thoughts right now, and imagining him moaning and gasping is NOT helping.

18) ‘But you would not be rushed. You kept thrusting in and out, getting more of the toy inside with each slow thrust. It was driving Tom insane . It had been too long. He wanted to be ravaged, and he desperately moved his hips to meet yours. You had to scold him and hold him down to make him stop. Only when the toy was completely in did you increase your pace, angling your hips to make sure the toy rubbed against his prostate. Tom cried out when you hit the jackpot, and you went harder.’

😏😏

19) ‘“Mistress-” He grunted. “Can I- I want-” “Words, Thomas.” You half-smiled.’

🤣🤣 I’m afraid the poor man can’t hold out much longer

20) ‘You kept your hand around his cock as his hips spasmed, cum spurting on his belly. You stilled inside of him, letting him ride down from his first orgasm of the night. Smiling down at him, you pulled out and removed the strap-on. Immediately, you grabbed another toy from your stash and covered it with lube, pushing it inside of Tom, taking advantage of how open he was. He hadn’t fully recovered yet, and moaned loudly when the toy started to massage his prostate. You knelt on the bed between his legs, and grabbed the flogger. “Touch yourself, Thomas.” You leaned down to kiss and nip his inner thigh, setting the massager on low. “What?” Tom lifted his head up, as if he hadn’t heard you right. “Touch yourself.” You repeated, sucking marks on his thighs. “You haven’t done it in weeks, now you’re gonna do it, and put on a show for me. I wanna see that cock getting hard and leaking again.”’

I swear I’m getting so flustered and squirmy but I’m also like ‘Keep going 🤤’

21) ‘“You paint such a beautiful color, my prince.” You said, tracing the lines on his thighs with your fingers. “So pretty…” “Tha- thank you for making me pretty, Mistress.”’

Awww!! That’s so cute!

22) ‘You crawled on top of him, kissing his chest and you went, until you straddled his hips. Sliding your wet pussy lips on his still half soft cock, you used the flogger to mark his chest. Your rhythm was slow, taking time to tease his nipples, and kiss the pink marks of the flogger. You ran your hands down his stomach, feeling the tense muscles ripple under his skin, and you tried to soothe them.’

... pretty sure this is going to be his most favorite birthday after this 😆

23) ‘“You are going to come…” You started moving your hips again, up and down his length. “…when I say so.” You increased your pace, feeling him swell inside you. “Because you belong to me. Your body belongs to me.” Tom was breathing in short shallow gasps, eyes fixed on yours. “Your pleasure and your orgasms belong to me.” Your voice started to quake. “I own them… and I control them. Yes?”’

Why is this so hoooooot 😩🥵

24) ‘Tom grabbed your hips and turned you over, your legs automatically wrapping around his waist. Fuck me! And he did, hard, deep, relentlessly, as if he was making up for all those weeks you kept him from doing it. As much as he liked to play, nothing ever compared to feeling your cunt around his cock. Hot and wet and perfect . It was the best prize you could ever give him.’

I’M MELTING I CAN’T THIS IS TOO HOT I- brb, I need to get some cold water. I can’t continue without.

25) ‘Catching your breath back wasn’t easy with Tom crushing you. You knew he had come on command right when you did. You could feel his cock still twitching inside of you.“Tom?” You pushed on his arm. He didn’t move. “Oh, shit…” You giggled to yourself: Tom had gone into subspace.’

Mehehehe 😈 I guess the plan to fuck his brains out worked :D

26) ‘He was dead weight on top of you, but you managed to get at least part of your upper body from underneath him. Running your hands up and down his back and playing with his hair, you waited for him to come around, regretting the position you were in, as you would have loved to look into his eyes.’

WHAT THE-? MA’AM YOU GOT ME FROM HORNY TO SOFT IN .1 SECONDS

27) ‘“Mistress?” Tom propped himself on one of his arms and looked at you, eyes still glazed and unfocused. “I’m sorry-” He added, trying to move away.’

So sweet, so bebe 🥺

28) ‘“Come here.” You cupped his chin, making him look at you. “You did so good, my prince. I’m proud of you.” You kissed his forehead and then his lips. “Thank you, Mistress.” He said with a small proud smile and a slight blush on his cheeks. His body wiggled happily as he snuggled against you.

YOU CAN’T JUST MAKE ME GO FROM RUINED PANTIES TO UWU-ING LIKE THAT IT’S RUDE 😤

29) ‘You allowed a moment to rest before you pushed Tom off the bed and into the bathroom. You were both covered in chocolate, sweat and cum, and in dire need of a shower. After getting cleaned up, and despite Tom’s exhaustion, you made sure he drank enough water and had a few snacks. As soon as you disposed of the bed cover, you both slid in between the clean sheets underneath.’

*still grumbling about being soft*

30) ‘Tom cuddled up to your neck, arm wrapped around your waist. “Thank you,” he mumbled. “For everything.” You smiled and kissed his head, holding him close, legs tangled with his. “Happy birthday.”’

🥺🥺😭 THAT’S SO CUUUUTE AND SWEEEET AND NOW I JUST WANNA CUDDLE WITH HIM!!!! *sigh* ;-;

#Madness List #Sweet Treats

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sinsbymanka · 3 years

Audio

Hello!! It is @rare-egg-hunt month which means we are officially celebrating all our Solas rare pairs!

If you're following this blog you may be somewhat aware I've been "painting" my eggs all through March. Starting next Monday I'm going to be pushing out a multichaptered story built around 12 of the prompts from the Rare Egg Hunt. It's called Cheating the Dread Wolf and will focus on the post-Trespasser love story of Maria Cadash, Solas, and Varric Tethras.

Maria Cadash hung up the Inquisitor's mantle for the Viscountess' crown, but she's unable to stop her desperate and impossible struggle to stop Fen'Harel from destroying the world both her husband and daughter inhabit. The fact Varric, Maria, and Solas are all madly in love with each other just means she may have enough of an edge to win this game.

In other words, everyone is poly and happy but first there's some shit they've gotta go through. I promise there will be angst, fluff, smut, dad Varric, dad Solas, and mama Cadash. Plus an absolutely ADORABLE baby as a treat.

I also have a playlist to go with it! Here's a list of all my songs and why I've picked them as a sneak peek!

Things That Stop You Dreaming by Passenger

If you can't be what you want You learn to be the things you're not If you can't get what you need You learn to need the things that stop you dreaming Oh the things that stop you dreaming

The PINING at the beginning of this story is outrageous. It is honestly a sequel to two fics, the first of which was written by the lovely @blarfkey who inspired, enable, and beta'd this entire project. (seriously. It would never have happened without her and I owe her so much for the idea and the love she's poured into it alongside me).

The two fics can be found in the series Three Liars Mend Broken Hearts on AO3. It shows the way Solas and Maria can't seem to stay away from each other and the ill advised sexy times that happens as a result (yes these are both smut with plot and feelings). So by the time we start Cheating the Dread Wolf they've already acted on their feelings even though they shouldn't and they're all a bit of a mess.

Rest of the playlist below!

Never Really Over by Katy Perry

Two years, and just like that, my head still takes me back Thought it was done, but I guess it's never really over Oh, we were such a mess, but wasn't it the best? Thought it was done, but I guess it's never really over

I revisit the theme of not being able to let go and move on a lot in this story - in both good and bad ways. Varric, in particular, is completely unwilling to give up on Solas no matter what. Solas is unable to let go of his past. Maria can’t let go of her distrust. It’s all a mess.

Power Over Me by Dermot Kennedy

So we hide away and never tell You decide, if darkness knows you well That lesson of love, all that it was I need you to see You got that power over me

This is such a good smut song. I will live and die on this hill. It’s on my smut playlist too. ANYWAY. This is a good song for Maria and Solas. Also. Smut.

That Man by Caro Emerald

Ooh that man is like a flame And ooh that man plays me like a game My only sin is I can't win Ooh I wanna love that man

This is a recommendation from @blarfkey and is the quintessential Varric romance song. I picked this one for a very specific chapter where Varric in effect tricks Solas into a tea party with him and Varric and Maria’s daughter.

Hold My Girl by George Ezra

I've got time, I've got love Got confidence you'll rise above Give me a minute to hold my girl Give me a minute to hold my girl

This is actually for a chapter that mostly focuses on parenthood and how it brings our trio together. It’s very angsty and heartwrenching and I love it so much.

You are the Reason by Calum Scott

I don't wanna hide no more I don't wanna cry no more Come back I need you to hold me (You are the reason) Be a little closer now Just a little closer now Come a little closer I need you to hold me tonight

This is THE OT3 song and the unofficial theme song of this fucking fic. I have listened to it on repeat more than anything else on this playlist.

Me and the Devil by the Fratellis

Tell one last beautiful lie for me Make all your promises rhyme for me Keep me in line but do it honestly Make it real, make it slow, stay alive for me Come on, babe where the line goes dead I'll be fire, I'll be rain, I'll be joy, I'll be dread Come on, baby don't be shy All I want is you and I Out on the street I'll be every face There'll be no man alive That can take my place

This song just gives me Solas related chills. I cannot with it. These two verses in particular scream Varric, Solas, and Maria. This is also on the playlist at approximately the part of the story where shit starts going down. Also another @blarfkey recommendation.

Move by Saint Motel

This girl, this beautiful girl, with eyes the size of the o-o-ocean. This man, this dutiful man, he's got these mixed up emo-o-o-tions. I want it, can't have it. Oh I can hardly stand it. Oh what's a man to do... Gotta get up, I gotta get up. Move!

A recent addition to this playlist thanks to @paisleybees who sent this to me as I was writing a chapter that fit it PERFECTLY. I actually picture it as a Varric/Solas song for this work.

Monster by Paramore

I'll stop the whole world, I'll stop the whole world From turning into a monster and eating us alive Don't you ever wonder how we survive? Well now that you’re gone, the world is ours

Another “shit is getting real” song and another @blarfkey recommendation. This is a McFighterson Cadash song for sure. It’s also what I picture for the sole action sequence in this fic.

Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars

You only know what I want you to I know everything you don't want me to Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine You think your dreams are the same as mine Oh I don't love you but I always will

Enemies and Lovers. Enemies and lovers. Need I say more?! This is SUCH a good song for that trope!

Silence by Marshmello (featuring Khalid)

I found peace in your violence Can't tell me there's no point in trying I'm at one, and I've been quiet for too long I found peace in your violence Can't tell me there's no point in trying I'm at one, and I've been silent for too long

Circling back around to themes of letting go and holding on. This kind of starts the happy ending bit of this work (YES I SWEAR THERE’S A HAPPY ENDING).

This Year’s Love by David Gray

This year's love had better last 'Cause who's to worry if our hearts get torn When that hurt gets thrown Don't ya know this life goes on? Won't ya kiss me on that midnight street? Sweep me off my feet Singing, "ain't this life so sweet?"

HAPPY ENDING. A bittersweet but ultimately hopeful one <3

Glitter and Gold by Barns Courtney

Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men Who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things In the dark? The dark, the dark, the dark I am flesh and I am bone Arise, ting ting, like glitter and gold I've got fire in my soul Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

This is for the epilogue. It’s called the Dread Wolf Cub Rises and I refuse to give any other details.

BONUS

Problem by Natalia Kills

I'm your dream girl This is real love But you know what they say about me... That girl is a problem Girl is a problem Girl is a problem problem

Bea Cadash shows up a lot in this fic with her background sweet angel boyfriend Cole. There’s been a couple times where I need to write Bea and this is just the perfect song to capture her goddamn attitude.

Anyway! Happy egg hunting!

#Spotify #manka writes #manka does playlists #cheating the dread wolf #RareEggHunt2021 #solas #female cadash #varric tethras #female cadash/solas/varric tethras #maria cadash #song recs

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bimboamyrose · 4 years

Text

Unfamiliar (Ch. 11)

Unfamiliar - A Metamy Fanfic

First two chapters

Previous (Ch.10)

Chapter 11: Thoughtful *Check end notes for a bit of extra content!

It had been some years since Amy seriously studied and read the cards. There was a time when she would perform daily tarot pulls first thing each morning, reflecting on a goal for the day and reading a single card for guidance. It was rare that her insights led her astray, but the entire practice had fallen to the wayside in the past two years. Her friends found her uncanny predictions too eerie and refused to indulge her any further. Without anyone to share her talents with, Amy became dispirited with fortune-telling, and her interest faded over time. Now, ever since she’d taken the opportunity to recount her earliest readings with her house guest, Amy began to doubt her ability to interpret the cards at all. After years of convincing herself that patience and perseverance would manifest her romantic intentions to no avail, she decided it was finally time to revisit and reinterpret that faithful hand.

Though she’d never gone, Amy knew of a semi-annual gathering of fortune-tellers and spiritualists that occurred on the equinox. Spring equinox was just around the corner and it was there, Amy hoped, she could find some additional wisdom and guidance. But first, it was time to get reacquainted with her favorite deck.

Amy looked at her nightstand. A sunny tulip rested in a jar over a ceramic coaster. She pulled a deck box from the drawer, clearing a thin film of dust from atop its wooden frame. She set off on the ritual of cleansing and charging that had so long been neglected before finally preparing for her daily pull. A shuffle and an affirmation later, Amy picked the top card from her deck with a nervous breath. The Page of Cups. Creativity, intuition, and the inner child.

A nostalgic smile spread across Amy’s cheeks as memories of her earliest studies and readings danced across her mind. So many years were spent faithfully cultivating her understanding of the practice and training her abilities. It used to be therapeutic- fun, even. She remembered feeling optimistic and prepared for each opportunity. But after so many hardships, predicting the next challenge began to feel tactful, stressful. At what point did she stop looking forward to the day ahead?

Amy decided that it was high time she reconnected with that childish enthusiasm. If nothing else, it would help her understand her reading better. She looked back on all her time spent at the library reading every tome and pamphlet she could find on tarot and resolved to visit her local branch that very day. After a short while getting ready, she emerged from her bedroom much later than intended.

It was close to noon. Amy had skipped breakfast and there was hardly a thing to eat in her fridge. “Guess I neglected the groceries again,” she sighed to herself. Another errand to run for the day. Metal wasn’t in the living room, so she stepped out through the backdoor to find him crouching close to the shore some ways away. He turned to look at her when she called out to him, beckoning her over.

“Good morning.” Amy joined her friend near the seashore, leaning over his shoulder. “Whatcha looking at?” Metal lifted his hand. A hermit crab crawled over his fingers slowly, a smaller shell sitting in Metal’s palm. The smaller one was long and prickly while the crab wore a much smoother and opalescent shell as it crawled around Metal’s hand. “Made a new friend?” Amy giggled. She crouched next to him but the sudden movement scared the critter into hiding. “Oh, oops… sorry.”

Metal handed Amy the crab’s old shell. She examined its ridges and dull spines. “Did it just molt?” Metal nodded as the crab began to stir in his hand again. He turned back to watch it. “It’s so cute,” she sighed. “You’ve been out here a while, huh? It really warmed up to you.” Metal emitted a soft mechanical ring and slowly lowered his hand onto the beach. The crab scuttled around his palm for another moment before hesitantly climbing down onto the sand. He observed as it burrowed down through the sand and disappeared, leaving its tiny footprints in the damp ground.

Amy couldn’t keep her eyes off Metal. A dreamy expression made its way onto her face as she watched his gentle interaction with the little creature, the heartwarming sight inviting a soft flush into her cheeks. So sweet, she thought, once again noticing his careful demeanor. Their feuding seemed so far away now.

The tide nipping at their feet soon brought Amy out of her trance. “Don’t get too wet,” she cautioned as she straightened herself and took some steps back from the chilly water.

It took Metal another moment to get up. He’d spent the last hour crouched there, keeping the vulnerable critter company as it hesitantly came out of its shell, exposing itself to the harsh world for the opportunity to grow in its new home. Metal had pushed the new shell closer to the crab and stood over it like a scarecrow ready to fend off any stray predators. When it was finally settled in its new home, Metal continued to sit still as it scuttled across the sand slowly, like a child breaking in a new pair of shoes. Finally, the crab thanked Metal by climbing onto his outstretched hand and entertaining him for a short while. Then it simply went about continuing its day. Melancholy made its presence aware as Metal thought about how incredibly temporary the interaction was. He lifted himself off the wet sand and stood back near Amy, listening to the gentle waves coming ashore. She tapped him on the shoulder.

“Are you gonna keep it?” She held the spiny shell out in her hand.

He looked at it briefly before placing an uncertain hand on the shell. Amy met his eyes with an encouraging smile. Taking it in his hand, Metal examined the crab’s former home and committed its many ridges to memory before placing it back in the sand.

“Oh, good call. It’ll be useful for the next crab that comes along, huh?” Amy breathed the salty air in deeply, thinking about the day ahead. “I’m heading to the library, then I need to do a little shopping. Wanna come?”

----

The friends made their way into town after a quick stop to get Amy some breakfast. She’d brought a wheeled shopping trolley along to carry her groceries back and suggested they walk. “It’s so nice out,” she’d insisted. But Amy had neglected to mention the very uncomfortable bus ride that came along with that suggestion. All eyes were on them as they rode- or more accurately, on Metal. Perhaps they recognized him, or perhaps the sight alone was just strange enough to incite a reaction. Amy continued jabbering to him, attempting to make a pointy unblinking robot casually riding the bus with his companion seem more normal. Unfortunately, it only served to draw more attention to the pair. They couldn’t arrive at their stop fast enough.

They seemed to attract just as many stares inside the library, though some apparent social norms kept strangers from ogling or whispering too obviously once they were inside. Amy practically dragged Metal by the arm from section to section, mumbling “Sorry,” to him between forced waves and smiles to anyone that recognized her. “They’ll get used to it, don’t worry.”

Amy picked up several volumes as they traversed the building: A sewing guide for a project she’d hit a snag on, a cookbook whose instructions she would likely ignore in favor of preparing meals her own way, and a couple of novels to keep her entertained at bedtime. All the while, people stopped to look at Metal, some whispering to their companions when he walked past. As his irritation grew, so did the constant whirring of his engine. The buzzing became painfully apparent and worried glances in his direction shifted to those of annoyance. A particularly stern-looking librarian shushed him as they walked past her. Metal shot a glare back at the brave woman who returned with a sour look. Amy whispered an apology and dragged him away before the woman could give them a verbal warning.

Amy then spent longer than she’d wanted browsing the occult section. There wasn’t even a large collection- but she felt so out of practice as she skimmed through each of the newer books individually, looking for answers to her questions. She nearly brought half a dozen back with her before realizing they took up a third of the space in her trolley. Settling for the two that seemed the most promising, she placed the last of the books in her basket while ignoring one librarians’ concerned stares. “Anything you want me to check out for you, Metal?” she whispered.

He’d been browsing along with her, though none of the topics she’d looked at were interesting to him. She eventually convinced him to give a pair of her favorite novels a shot before continuing to the checkout counter and transacting with a very distressed clerk. Amy tried making her usual small talk with the man as he was regularly quite chatty, but he clammed up as Metal loomed behind her through the process. The annoyance was becoming harder for Amy to disguise.

Several more bystanders took a double-take at Amy and Metal on their short walk to the market, someone narrowly avoiding crashing their bike into a fence pole while gaping at the pair. Amy’s face held an unusually irritable expression as she completed her shopping in record time with Metal trailing restlessly behind. Most people turned and hid away the moment he made eye contact with them, but he couldn’t help having his guard up in such an unfriendly environment.

As they checked out, the two women that queued behind them stood far away. They clicked their tongues and whispered spitefully. Metal had heard every breath and murmur that had been uttered around him all day, but Amy could just barely pick up pieces of the womens’ conversation. “Dangerous,” and “appalling” made their way to her ears as she paid for the groceries. Metal’s discomfort may have been apparent only to her, but it was no excuse for the harsh words. Livid was an understatement.

She turned to them with a sudden glare, raising her voice. “Do you two have something to say?”

Taken aback, the women turned away somewhat shamefully. They continued to side-eye Metal as Amy finished her transaction with a rather alarmed cashier, putting away the rest of her purchase. Once they assumed Amy was out of earshot, however, they continued their hushed conversation. “It’s an absolute monster,” one of them remarked.

Metal froze momentarily. Countless thoughts ran across his mind. Remembering his frightening appearance in Amy’s mirror some days ago stood out. The unwelcome feeling he’d had during the team meeting came rushing back. He also recalled how it took nothing to lose his cool when Sonic showed up and how crucial it was to keep it from happening again. Then, he noticed the pure rage in Amy’s face as she whipped her head back around, eyes blazing at the women queued behind them.

“How dare you!” Amy took a menacing step toward the women as they gasped and scrambled backward some paces. “How could you possibly be this rude? Apologize!” The ladies turned to the cashier, stammering something about calling security. “Did you hear me? Apologize to my friend right now!”

By that time, a small crowd had formed around the queue. Amy didn’t back down, taking further steps toward the gossiping crones, causing them to scutter back into the throng of customers. “Ma’am,” the cashier began nervously, “I’m- uh- I’m going to have to ask you to leave, please.”

“Are you serious?” she scoffed back at him. “Did you hear what those hags said about my friend? I’m not leaving until- hey!”

Amy was staring at the floor from above before she knew what was happening. Metal had scooped her up by the waist, dragging her trolley behind as he shuffled toward the exit with Amy under his arm. She squirmed and groaned at him to let her go until they were well past the shop’s main entrance. He set her down in a small alley with a huff. At least there they were away from prying eyes.

“Why’d you do that? They should’ve said they were sorry!” Metal stepped in front of Amy to prevent her from making the rash decision to run back in and continue threatening the pair of pearl-clutchers. “Ugh! Get out of my way!” She just managed to slip past him when he grabbed her by the wrist. She wasn’t able to stifle a pained yell as Metal’s iron grip tightened around her- He let go just as suddenly, recoiling with guilt as she held her sore wrist.

In a moment of clarity, Amy gasped at the realization that she’d let her temper get the better of her. Worse, the way Metal remorsefully turned away sent her own guilt skyrocketing. “Metal…” He refused to look at her. “I’m sorry! Please don’t be upset.”

Even at his most careful, even stripped of his weapons, Metal couldn’t help how dangerous his body was - how dangerous he was. For however much he enjoyed Amy’s company and appreciated her support, he couldn’t seem to subvert the expectation that he could cause her harm at any moment. He could cause anyone harm- it’s what he was made for, after all. Those women were right about him; perhaps monster was an apt description. It seemed that every little shred of comfort and normalcy he experienced was fleeting, a temporary feeling punctuated with anger or sadness or guilt. It felt wrong. What was he supposed to do in between those positive moments, anyway? The deep discomfort of the moment made him want to fly far away, rush home- but there wasn’t one to run to.

“Metal, I’m fine! I was just surprised.” She held her wrist up to him as proof. “See? Please don’t feel bad.” He wanted to swat her hand from in front of his nose in annoyance but stopped himself- why was his first instinct so aggressive? Instead, taking a gentle hold of her hand, Metal examined her wrist. It did look fine- but her earlier yell had caught him so off guard.

His soft hold over her hand was also a surprise. Amy stammered bashfully. “I-It’s those old crones! I can’t stand that they said that about you. I just- ugh!” she had to consciously stop herself from getting steamed up again. “I hate when people judge others like that. They’ll never know how wrong they are about you...” she trailed off, somewhat embarrassed and particularly flushed.

Amy’s kind words and willingness to stick up for him stunned Metal. Not knowing how else to respond, he emitted a low, apologetic tone and slipped his hand away from hers.

“Don’t apologize,” she sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong; Actually, I would’ve done something stupid if you hadn’t stopped me.”

It was gratifying that Amy would defend him so earnestly- not only from cruel bystanders but from her own indiscretion as well. Still, he’d already told himself he wouldn’t rely on her to come to his aid. So then, why was it so endearing? He shrugged and rubbed his arm with some chagrin, unsure how he should feel about… everything.

“It’s annoying, isn’t it? I was in such good spirits this morning. Crazy how fast something can sour your mood.” She pouted pensively, remembering her draw from that morning. The Page of Cups stood as a positive reminder to embrace her intuition- to have fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to town with a friend. Then, an idea popped into her mind and Amy’s face softened, her sweet smile returning. It would be foolish to ignore it.

“Metal, I know we’re carrying a lot of stuff, but do you mind if we make one more stop?”

His shoulders slumped. Dragging the rolling case full of books and groceries around didn’t bother him, but Metal was reluctant to visit yet another place full of people gawking at him. He would need time to get used to it.

“Please? Consider it a favor. It won’t take long.”

Amy’s eyes were suddenly twinkling with enthusiasm. He couldn’t tell if he was being manipulated or if anything that could come from denying her request would genuinely please him more than seeing her that way. It didn’t matter for long, as he gave in, taking hold of the trolley and flashing her a hesitant thumbs-up.

“Yes!” she beamed. “You won’t regret it, come on.” Amy led him by the hand excitedly, cutting through alleys and back streets. If anyone had stopped to ogle at them along the way, Metal didn’t notice- he was too enraptured with the instant delight that seemed to spill from Amy as she pulled him along.

Soon, the pair had arrived at a tall building with an open ground floor. Claw machines and brightly-colored lights filled the inside. “Bet you’ve never been to an arcade,” Amy grinned. “It’s nicer to see at night I guess, but the games are fun whenever. Here,” she skipped over to a row of skill games. “It’s probably cheating, but…” Amy took a quick glance around, scanning for attendants. “Ah, who cares, not like they give out prizes for these here. Try this one!”

Metal had soon been thrust in front of a tall machine that glittered with multicolored lights. A shiny metal handle stuck out from the lower part of it. The top read “TRUE GRIP” in bold font. He looked back at Amy with some confusion.

“It’s a grip tester. The harder you hold the handle, the better your score.” She placed a coin in the machine and it chimed a playful tune. “I know you can beat the high score,” she winked. “Try it!”

So this was her game- Amy wanted to put on a positive spin over grabbing her too roughly earlier. He had to admit, it was clever. Even though he could see through her plan, Metal was heartened by her attempt to cheer him up with such an obvious ruse; The least he could do now was indulge her. He confidently took hold of the handle with his usual grip strength, resting his other hand squarely on his hip. The lights on the machine danced around the “strength-o-meter” as it sang a cheery tune. After a few moments of this, the machine decided that on a scale of “meek” to “super grip,” Metal landed squarely in the middle. “KINDA WIMPY,” the game announced. Amy burst into laughter the moment it stopped.

Metal’s engine buzzed incessantly as he let out a series of indignant beeps. He then glared at Amy, who was doubled over and cackling. “Oh man,” she managed to splurt out between fits of laughter, “that was too good! Got a little cocky, huh?” He was far less amused. Metal stuck out his hand to her, making a grabbing gesture with his claws. “Oh? Another round?” she giggled. “Alright, don’t waste my quarter this time, you wimp.”

He shoved the coin into its slot the second she dropped it in his palm. As soon as the lights flickered, Metal grabbed the handle. It seemed simple enough- he got halfway up with his first round, so using twice as much force should be enough. He took hold of it with several times more power just to be safe, staring directly at the tip of the game’s meter with anticipation. Much to his chagrin, the lights stopped just below the top spot. “KINDA TOUGH,” it sang out this time.

Amy was reeling. Metal turned to her angrily and shoved his hand in front of her face, once more gesturing for another coin. She pushed it away between giggles. “Pfft, no way, you’re gonna break the thing!” Metal stomped his foot on the ground angrily in response. “Don’t worry,” Amy placed a hand on his shoulder with a grin. “These things are rigged. You won’t get the high score even if you rip that handle out,” she chuckled.

Metal crossed his arms in annoyance. Not only was he embarrassed at losing a silly arcade game, but he was surprised to learn that he’d misread Amy somewhat. He assumed she brought him there for an easy win, but she was well aware that it was unlikely to happen. Admittedly, he didn’t feel very guilty anymore, and he supposed it was rather amusing… Was that her intent? Metal turned back to Amy, who was wiping at her eyes happily. She really just wanted to ease the tension and have some fun together- and Amy even knew he’d be a little irritated. She was just being... playful. Like friends are.

A giddy smile filled her face as she came out of her laughing fit. “Sorry, just wanted to tease you a little. I don’t want you to feel so bad about being strong- I’m tough, I can handle it,” she assured.

Metal rolled his eyes, his stance softening significantly. Once he realized how silly the whole situation was, he may have even found it somewhat humorous himself. Still, it would be far more amusing if he could get her back. He gestured toward the machine that stood beside the grip tester, inviting her to try it. It was a similar test of strength, this time with a punching bag.

Amy grinned coyly. “I get it, you wanna see me fail, too. I’ll indulge you,” she shrugged. “But only ‘cause I feel bad that you’re such a wimp.”

As Metal bobbed his head mockingly, Amy rolled a quarter into the coin slot. She stretched her arms casually, giving the game a moment to warm up. Once all of its many lights were on and the screen read “PUNCH,” she pulled back her fist and went for a forceful hook, knocking the punching bag up into the sensor. The lights flickered up and down the meter for just a second until the optics at the very top of the machine exploded with colors. “SUPER STRONG!” the game rang out.

If Metal had a jaw to drop it would be on the floor. So much for the games being rigged- Amy knew exactly what she was doing. He would have been vexed if it wasn’t so impressive. He watched as she shook her fingers off and turned back with her beaming smile. “I’m doing that to the next person who calls you a nasty name,” she giggled.

She was nothing short of incredible. Metal recalled her old file in his memory. Weak. That was certainly no longer the case. He took a snap of her then, looking cheerful and victorious, and logged it as the main photo in his memory. The word weak no longer applied and was promptly crossed out. Before he could alter the file any more, Amy had taken hold of his hand in her tender way, gazing into him with her soft eyes.

“You know, you’re one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met. I think it’s really admirable how willing you are to be gentle even when it’s a challenge. Don’t ever believe otherwise.”

Metal was stunned by her kindness yet again. What was it that Amy saw in him that others did not? Surely it wasn’t just naivete, given her willingness to be combative in his defense- no, she was no doormat. And Amy didn’t see Metal as fiendish, at least not anymore. But it still took her some time, however less than it would have taken anyone else. Strangers, on the other hand, are temporary, there wouldn’t always be time to show them his true self. Metal did not know how he could possibly appear less menacing to bystanders, nor did the idea of trying to do so appeal to him. He wanted to understand, to calculate if creating an existence as a regular person, grasping at a fleeting sense of belonging, would even be worth it should he succeed. But it was unpredictable. Incalculable.

Amy had said it herself: “Crazy how fast something can sour your mood.” But it worked conversely as well- on any day, at any given moment, Metal could be more elated than he ever remembered feeling. And there was something so sweet about feeling that way after having his mood soured. It was endlessly more rewarding. So what, then, was the point of lamenting over the impermanence of those moments? There would always be rude strangers, always challenges ahead. No one would ever know him fully. All the more reason, then, for Metal to get to know himself as intimately as possible. Thoughtful was a good place to start.

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(notes contain chapter spoilers)

hello babesss i hope you enjoyed this chapter.

i like to think that amy has some latent magical powers and her being able to beat the ever loving shit out of a rigged arcade game is just part of her magic. also, she’s stronk.

also! i’ve been working on a small playlist with songs that remind me of each chapter, but i’ve drawn a blank for a few. if anyone has any songs they associate with the fic (or with metal/amy in general), please dm me your suggestions! i love hearing your thoughts and i’m a geezer that is too stubborn to listen to new music unless someone shoves it in front of me.

here’s the playlist so far!

#metamy #metal sonic #amy rose #metal sonic x amy rose #sth fanfiction #unfamiliar #ch 11 #the playlist is unlisted by the way so hang onto the link or check back if you want to hear it again!

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