#my girl neith............ why have they done you like this..........

[wrenqueenisboss]

Chapter 18: Foxglove Sevaan

wc: 3,458 this is from the pov of Zira's older sister. Foxglove is Kamara's eldest daughter and the heir to the throne. tw: weapons, body horror, implied abuse, war, implied ptsd, implied trauma responses

note! this is very roughly edited :)

ENJOY!!!

Foxglove straightens her circlet, brushes invisible specks of dirt off of her gown, and takes a deep breath before knocking on the door to her mother’s office. Just in case, she sweeps a delicate hand over the rich, terracotta-colored fabric, other hand holding a folder full of papers.

The rings on her fingers make loud sounds when they connect with the wood.

One, two, three sharp raps on the door. Same as always.

Stuffing her hand back into the hidden pocket of her skirts, Foxglove runs her fingers over the smooth hilt of Zira’s knife, the one she picked up from the hallway floor while frantically trying to convince the guards to stop restraining her sister.

That was three days ago, the girl reminds herself. Three days, and you still haven’t mustered up the courage to go return the knife.

Returning the knife would mean facing Zira again. Facing the young girl would inevitably bring back memories of that day, everything that had been said and done. Facing her would mean remembering the nearly deadly reflex, the complete unresponsiveness, and the truth in her sister’s trauma.

Zira won’t notice if you keep the knife for a few more days.

Queen Kamara’s lady-in-waiting opens the door. She steps aside and gestures for Foxglove to enter, bowing her head slightly.

“Good, you’re on time,” the queen says from her desk chair as Foxglove sits down across from her. “We have much to discuss.” She busies herself with a stack of papers, signing and reading as she waits for her daughter’s response.

Foxglove tries to sneak a glance at the papers her mother pores over. “Have you received anything from Lazian royals?”

Kamara sets down her pen atop the documents, sifting through them. “I was sent a very angry letter from Queen Anastasia.”

Foxglove huffs a laugh. “What is she mad about now?”

The queen hands her daughter a piece of paper. “She found Zira’s interview with Mr. Callidus from The Imani Post extremely offensive, and demands that we have it removed.”

Amusement pulls at the corners of Foxglove’s lips as she reads the Lazian queen’s letter. She skips the formal pleasantries, past the exhaustingly diplomatic greeting and dry introduction.

Princess Zira’s interview is insulting to both of us, the letter reads. It makes you look like a fool and it makes my family and I out to be evil and cult-ish. Have the piece removed immediately, and I’ll refrain from mentioning you in my next interview.

Foxglove sets the letter down. “Empty threats again?”

Kamara waves her lady-in-waiting over, whispering something in the woman’s ear before sending her off to complete some mystery task. “I’m not sure this one is, but there’s nothing Anastasia can say that hasn’t been said before.”

At Foxglove’s raised eyebrow, the queen merely scoffs and waves a dismissive hand. “My point is, I don’t see the point in wasting time negotiating with the Post to get the piece removed.”

I see where Zira gets her over-confident recklessness from. We can’t afford to anger them if we want to maintain the people’s favor.

“Tell Mr. Callidus that if he can get the Post to remove the interview pieace from all future issues printed, that he has a guaranteed exclusive interview with Lady Sidus and I after we present our project,” Foxglove offers, decisive in problem solving.

Queen Kamara’s eyes narrow as she writes a reminder. “Why do you care so much about this, Foxglove?”

“We need peace,” the princess answers simply. “This war has gone on too long. Too many people have died and I’m tired of you doing nothing but anger the Lazian’s even more.” Foxglove traces mindless patterns on her skirts, quelling her brewing frustration. “We need to work harder towards ending this.”

The room darkens. A shadow twitches.

“Despite our best efforts, neither side has been able to agree on any form of settlement.” Queen Kamara says slowly, threateningly. “The land we’re fighting over is extremely valuable. Both sides would benefit from the ocean access and the sheltered bay.” 

She takes the letter and places it back on the little stack of papers.

“Unless you’ve suddenly sustained an amnesia-inducing injury, you should be quite familiar with this, child. Achieving peace isn’t simple. You know this too.”

Foxglove feels her eyes blaze, feels her own powers buzz in response to her anger.

“How much blood on your hands are you willing to have on your hands because it just wasn’t simple?” Foxglove sneers, spitting out the last two words 

“Excuse me?” Kamara challenges, cool anger turning her irises silver. The crown sparkling atop her head makes her look more like a queen than a mother.

Kamara’s eldest daughter may not be General of the Army, but she certainly wasn’t raised to be weak. Spinelessness is a shameful quality no self-respecting member of the Sevaan family would ever be caught exhibiting.

Foxglove doubles down.

“While you sit here, pondering the semantics of arranging a peace meeting with other conceited royals, our people are being slaughtered in a war that could have been settled diplomatically!” the princess shouts, slamming her fist down on her mother’s desk.

Queen Kamara picks up her pen a mere second before it would have rolled onto the floor.

“Sit down, child,” she says, even tone and blank expression hiding how livid she really is.

Kamara’s eldest daughter may be neither weak nor spineless, but even still, she knows when to shut up and listen. When the queen herself demands something of you, there’s no other option than to obey.

I feel no better than a dog, Foxglove thinks as she sits back down.

“Ruling a kingdom is no easy task,” the queen starts. “You can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it is during wartime.” Her eyes flash, silver swirling with the beginnings of fury. “No matter what decision I make, people are going to die.”

Kamara silences Foxglove before she gets the chance to speak, taking off her gold crown and setting it on the desk before her. Her fingers twitch before they pull away, manicured nails barely brushing the diamonds set into pristine metal.

“I have blood on my hands, no doubt, but queenhood wears down everyone’s conscience.” 

Foxglove shivers when her mother meets her eyes again, wringing her hands together.

“Some day, Foxglove, you will be forced to do things that make you question morals you thought were set in stone,” Kamara says, every syllable spoken gravely. “If you don’t have the stomach to make those choices, then you should abdicate and leave the throne to your sister.”

The queen sighs, reaching up to massage her temples. “I’ll whip that girl into shape soon enough.”

Fury blazes a hot trail through Foxglove’s body. Her powers react accordingly, shadow doubling in size as she bursts up from her chair.

“No,” the princess snarls, the arm of her shadow darting out. She manages to get a hold of her anger before it could attack the queen, taking a frantic breath to quell the emotions sizzling in her veins. “I will be a better queen than you could ever be, and you will not harm another hair on Zira’s head.”

Kamara grins, flashing white teeth with a feline curve of her lips. “My child,” she almost purrs, “the throne is no place for weakness.”

Foxglove snaps her fingers and her shadow withdraws, returning to normal. “Prove to me, right now, that you still have a heart– that you can still feel remorse,” she demands, chin tilting upwards.

“How would you suppose I do that?” the queen shoots back, perfect posture unnerving as she smiles wider. “Should I cut my heart out of my body and present it to you? Would that be enough?”

It’s been a while, Mother, but once again, I find myself afraid of you.

Rolling back her shoulders, Foxglove clasps her hands firmly behind her back, hating the way she has to hide the way they tremble.

“Tell me, how many people have died because of your inability to make good decision– or even a decision in the first place?” she demands, letting confidence lilt the ends of her sentences.

The queen scoffs. “I don’t keep a list, Foxglove. Asking me to remember every one would be like if I asked you how many breaths you have ever taken.”

“So it’s as easy as breathing for you, letting people get killed?”

Kamara rolls her eyes. “Your debate skills are lacking, child. Stop pretending you know what you’re doing here.”

In the safety of her thoughts, Foxglove laughs, and it’s bitter when the sound rings through her headspace. I know well enough what I’m doing.

“Overconfidence is fatal. Needless boasting makes you an easy, pliable target,” Queen Kamara had said years ago, as Foxglove pored over the thick volumes assigned to her. “Exploit this weakness in others.” Kamara had pointedly met Foxglove’s eyes then. “You may not be on a battlefield, but you still go in for the kill.”

Foxglove takes a breath, and follows the old advice.

“If you did have a list, Mother, would Dad be on it?”

Kamara goes still, color bleeding from her face.

Time freezes, like it always does in the suspenseful seconds before someone crumples to the floor, blade still embeded in their guts.

So used to only dipping her toes in the ruthlessness her sister and mother so readily seem to bathe themselves in, the shock of jumping in fully shakes Foxglove to her core. Malice soaks into her bones, expelling empathy.

Vindictive, Foxglove twists the knife.

“Will Zira’s name be on that list?”

Much to the princess’s surprise, Kamara doesn’t explode.

The queen points at the door to her office. “Get out,” she whispers, broken voice echoing off of the rich wood surfaces in the study. “Leave, right now. Get out of my sights.”

Unlike her sister and mother, Foxglove’s cruelty is quickly followed by overwhelming guilt. Remorse feels like molasses as she stands up and backs away, only the light sound of terracotta fabric swishing filling the tense silence.

 Halfway across the threshold, the girl pauses, opening her mouth to speak. Her mother cuts her off.

“Someday. Foxglove Sevaan, maybe you will begin to understand that leading a kingdom is not easy. If you kill your weaknesses, maybe you’ll survive on the throne.”

I’ll do just fine on the throne. I’ll make this kingdom thrive, and I won’t need to ruin my family or sacrifice other lives to do it.

A shadow closes the door.

◄ ◆ ►

Foxglove stirs underneath her the heavy comforter on her bed, still restless. She looks at the clock on her wall, realizes she has wasted hours staring at the high ceilings of her bedroom chambers.

Through the gaps in her curtains, moonlight shines through, creating little slivers of silver on the floor and the edge of the bed.

Why do you have to hold the moon so high tonight? Foxglove whines to the God of Night. 

She turns her head, dragging thick locks of light brown hair across the soft fabric of her pillowcase. Foxglove’s gaze falls to the knife still resting on her bedside table, the sharp edge of the blade illuminated by the moon.

“I am not falling asleep anytime soon,” she mutters into the silence, as if the interruption could ground her hurricane of thoughts.

Foxglove moves with the fluidity of a river as she gets out of bed and throws on a long cardigan over her silk slip dress. The fabrics wrinkle and fold like ripples. Every little sound adds to the silent symphony of a tranquil night.

Before she can talk herself out of it, Foxglove grabs Zira’s knife off of the bedside table and drops it into the pocket of her sweater. It tugs the garment down slightly, an incessant reminder of its damning presence as she slides on slippers.

The door to the princess’s bedchambers opens silently, and Foxglove slips into the hallway, paying the guards at her door no mind.

I haven’t done this in years, Foxglove realizes, thinking back to the times she and Zira would wake each other up to steal pastries from the kitchens. I feel bad waking her up, but heavens above, we need to talk.

The few portraits on the walls and suits of armor stare accusingly, demanding to know why she’s still awake so late into the night. Ignoring their gazes, Foxglove focuses on the shadows blanketing the hallway.

With a hitch of her breath and a small flick of her slender fingers, the shadows melt away, parting like a log splitting the flow of a running river. They ripple and shudder as the princess walks past, but Foxglove’s control keeps them at bay.

Only when they’re behind her does she finally let the shadows return to their original spots.

She walks further down the long palace corridor, passing guards and maids cleaning the floors and polishing the gaudy decorations hanging on the walls. With every step, her face heats up more and more, self-consciousness bringing a blush to the apples of her cheeks. 

Every footfall feels incriminating, soles of her slippers making soft sounds against the cold, white marble. Still, Foxglove continues, ignoring the crawling feeling of the guards’ gazes trained on her back.

I’m just going to visit my sister. I’m not doing anything wrong.

Foxglove knows that if the guards noticed the knife in her pocket, they’d tackle her on the spot. She messes with it, rubbing her thumb over the hilt.

Her pace slows at the sight of four guards stationed outside of Zira’s door, lips curving into a deep frown.

“What are you doing here?” the princess calls down the hallway, voice raspy with hours of disuse. She draws nearer, irritation increasing her pace. “Is something wrong?”

One guard steps forward, and Foxglove doesn’t miss the way his hand drops, likely straying to a weapon.

Foxglove thinks of the knife in her pocket again, thinks of the sharpened blade and its innate ability to maim, she finally stops, just short of Zira’s door.

Her hand drops too.

“Why are there four of you outside my sister’s door?”

The guard swallows nervously, shooting a glance back at the other three sentries behind him. “Her Royal Majesty stationed us here, said it was a necessary measure after Princess Zira’s outburst three days ago.”

Lithe fingers dip between subtle cuts in fabric, finding their way around a smooth hilt.

Shock and confusion steal the words off of Foxglove’s tongue, swift and coordinated as they summon rage to take their place.

“What?” she breathes, the single syllable barely audible.

The guard’s face pales. “Your Highness, I’m sorry, but Queen Kamara stationed us here for a legitimate reason.”

A vague shape on the marble floor, the guard’s shadow twitches. The shift doesn’t match its owner’s movements.

“Zira won’t hurt anyone.”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, she tried to kill you.” The guard smiles tentatively. “This is for your safety, Princess.”

Foxglove’s face falls, melting into anger.

And though she shares some features with her late father, she’s never looked more like her mother.

“Leave.”

The guard splutters, looking back at the others again. “Your H-”

“Right now. All of you.” Foxglove points down the hallway, eyes fixed on the wood of her sister’s door. “Go before I get rid of you all myself.”

Foxglove Sevaan is a princess, heir to the throne. She has been taught the ways of a puppet master and has learned to play the role well, expertly tugging on the strings of those she needs to control.

The guards’ retreating footsteps mimic distant cheers of victory.

Foxglove rubs the knife’s hilt again, finding comfort in the smooth surface.

She takes a step forward, breathing shakily as her other hand drifts forward, seeking the cool gold of the doorknob. Her fingers hang in limbo, a hair’s breadth from the shiny thing.

This is stupid. Zira needs to sleep.

Foxglove’s hand, the one in her pocket, strays too far. Her thumb grazes the sharp blade of the knife. A glimmer of pain shoots through her nerves, but she doesn’t withdraw her hand from her pocket, not wanting to see the little cut.

She tears her gaze away from the door, looking down both ends of the hallway. Of course, no one rounds the corners, still sleeping soundly in their beds.

The guards must have warned off the maids, too.

Foxglove sits down next to her little sister’s door, long sweater and silk slip riding up slightly as she slides down the wall. Her tired body groans. The floor feels oddly comfortable, though, when she finally settles.

Royals are supposed to be more than comfortable with silence, but something about the cold marble or lack of light feels eerie. The suit of armor’s empty stare from across the hall only adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

It feels like the closed door is breathing down my neck.

“I’m sorry,” Foxglove blurts out, then winces, because her voice sounds far too loud as it echoes around the lifeless space. “I’m sorry,” she tries again. This time, she whispers.

Of course, there is no response. No one calls out to comfort her, but the princess keeps talking anyway.

“I’m sorry for everything you’re going through, little sister– both with the war and with our mother.”

Foxglove lets herself laugh, sad and bitter. “I’ve noticed you don’t call her “Mother” anymore. She does too.” She looks to the side, at the door. “Do you do that to hurt her, or to protect herself?”

 Something about the simplicity of night steeps her very being in unfiltered honesty, brewed truth spilling from her lips.

“Mom tries her best, Zira, even if it doesn’t seem that way,” Foxglove begins again. She thinks back to the reports of random bruises, barely restrained anger, and obvious flinches.

The princess takes a deep breath, trying to combat the stinging feeling in the corners of her eyes and the knot in her gut. 

“You and Dad look so much alike,” Foxglove chokes out. “Mother sees it too. It’s what scares her– seeing him every time she looks at you, because we both know his death changed something in her.”

Foxglove’s gaze falls to the floor. “It changed something in all of us.”

“Mom compares you to Dad, because that’s what she sees. She’s pushed you to fight on the battlefield because that’s what he did. She’s human, just trying to ease her own grief.” Foxglove wrings her hands in agitation. “She’s trying to ease her own pain, and in the process, is making ours worse.”

The princess leans back, back of her head knocking painfully into the wall behind her. The dull thunk echoes faintly, bouncing around the practically vacant space.

A sob sneaks up on her, forcing its way past her lips. It makes her chest cave.

Foxglove breaks. “That illness wasn’t supposed to take him. He was supposed to live, but it weakened him too much.” She weeps, tears soaking the edge of her sweater when she goes to dry her eyes. “Mom wants you to be strong, Zira. She doesn’t want to lose you too.”

Her breath hitches, and it’s a struggle to draw air back into her lungs.

“I don’t want to lose you.”

The admission shatters her last remaining sliver of resolve.

Foxglove Sevaan cries and cries.

The steady stream of hot tears erodes her cheekbones, carving deep chasms, permanent reminders of her lingering grief. They puddle next to her, each new droplet creating perfect ripples.

She remembers the knife in her pocket, its smooth hilt and sharpened blade. She wonders – amidst drowning in sorrow – if picking herself apart to cut out the cracked parts of her heart would hurt less.

It’d be so simple.

We humans are fragile; we are damaged too easily, choosing to repair ourselves with more mutilation, because sometimes, the best solutions are the ugly ones.

Foxglove thinks about it, how cathartic it would be to flay the grief and pain and suffering from her skin. The gory mess would be worth it, worth being freed. Scarlet bloodstains would replace tear-hewn fissures, heartlessness would replace agony.

It would be worth it.

The body has limits, though, and Foxglove coughs, wheezes as she struggles to breathe. Her tears dry on her cheeks, leaving behind almost sticky tracks. Every fiber of her being trembling and aching, Foxglove forces herself to stand on shaky legs.

She faces her sister’s door, presses a hand to the wood surface. Absently, she manages to take pride in the fact that her body remains in one piece.

Foxglove speaks, even though she knows the girl she’s talking to won’t hear.

“Come find me tomorrow, little sister.”

[raijinhasverybigpecs]

i think my main problem with the announcement of the new gods is that i really don’t feel like new gods are really gonna get me hyped about smite. it’s good to finally get requests like horus and set (side note: i can’t believe we got king arthur and merlin before these super important egyptian gods like...) but they don’t interest me like they should, it just feels more like hi-rez just putting out gods bc they have to? or something like that

hi-rez should really be putting more focus on polishing what makes smite great instead of trying to churn out more content bc there’s such a disappointing disparity between the old gods who need texture updates/remodels/rekits and the new gods that are visually stunning and have p interesting kits. isis still looks repulsive and her abilities are so basic looking while merlin is out here outdoing the goddess of magic with a single stance lmao.

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Forty-Eight part One

Chapter Forty-Eight Continued: "...i am just waiting for the day...he's hanging in those trees.."

Word Count 1.8k

Warnings: none

You watch your daughter's eyes flutter in your warm embrace, as she gently falls asleep. You hum to her while the people around you shout and fuss around you. Hvitserk notices how loud it was getting in the room, and gets frustrated. 

Hvitserk "Aye, the baby is trying to sleep! Have some respect huh?!" He shouts as he gets up from his seat to defend her. 

"My apologies, my queen." An older viking said. You nod and just try to get Asta to fall back asleep. 

Ivar "He is gone." You look up from your gaze. "Is she asleep?"

"Almost."

Ivar "Well we can wait to leave until she is asleep, huh? I do not want to wake her."

"Thank you." 

Ivar "No need to thank me, I love Asta. You know that."

"Yes, yes of course." He leans down and kisses your cheek before grabbing something to eat. 

As soon as Asta was asleep, Ivar insisted on leaving immediately. To you, that was odd. Why was he in such a rush to leave Kattegat? You do nothing but oblige and you walk out the doors with your husband. You get on top of Neith and you see Hvitserk walking out with Asta in his arms. He waves goodbye to you with her little hand and your heart hurts. You wish that she was old enough to come with you and Ivar, but that is out of the question. 

You mouth, i love you, to which he says it back. And just like that, you and Neith flew away and into the vast horizon. 

Ivar "We will return soon, you and Ubbe are in charge-"

Hvitserk "I know, go on brother." Ivar nods and clicks his tongue and whips his horse to command it to gallop. But to your surprise, you look behind you and notice both of your dragon's flying a distance away from you. 

You giggle to yourself, "Sure..you can come too boys.." Neith's noises became playful, making you laugh even harder. "You three are supposed to be scary, you know." She picks up her speed, proving a point. "Okay, I take that back." She growls and then slows back down. "I love you girl, it feels good to be with you again, hmm?" She coos as if she was whimpering from happiness. You pet her scales as she glides over the water bed. There is no feeling like this one. 

Ivar is alone with his thoughts, yet again. But how could he tell you not to ride with your dragon's? They are yours after all. So there he is, riding through the trees, passing the stream that you just did. While watching your dragon's fly close behind you. Ivar does not know what Daario said to you, but he intends on finding out. He does not like that man in the slightest. It is only a matter of time before you see Daario Naharis's true colors. 

…

Ivar makes it to the spot before you did, which he did not understand. He sat on the sand, watching you and your dragons fly above him and thinks to himself, "where did she go?" You land and dismount her and Ivar greets you. 

Ivar "What took you so long huh?"

"Neith got a little excited, she took the long way."

Ivar nods, "uh huh." And walks away from you. 

"What is it, Ivar?"

Ivar "What did Daario say to you, hmm?"

"He congratulated me on having Asta."

Ivar "That is it?"

"No, he complimented me as well." He nods and his jaw clenches. You can tell that he was infuriated because he lost eye contact with you. He only does that when he does not want you to see how angry he is. So as the wife you are, you cup his cheeks and kiss his lips. He immediately melts in your touch and forgets why he was so angry. 

"Listen to me my love. Naharis is like every man, he flirts with beautiful women. But I am not like other women who fall under their spell. I love you Ivar Lothbrok. You are my person, aren't I yours?"

Ivar "Yes. You are mine and so much more."

You smile, "So do not allow Daario to get under your skin. He wins if you do that. Do you want him to win?"

Ivar "Of course not but-"

"Then don't let him. He knows how it makes you feel when he looks at me, he does it on purpose Ivar. Do not let him see your anger."

Ivar licks his lips, "Okay, my love."

"And one day, if he goes over the line, I want to make the first wound." He chuckles at that, mission accomplished. 

Ivar "Yes, my queen."

"I am serious.."

Ivar "Okay but do not kill him, I want those honors."

"Mmm, I will have to think about that one beloved." Ivar crashes his lips to yours and grabs your waist. His kisses are sweet and gentle, with love and passion. 

Ivar pulls back, "I remember the first time I kissed you."

"It feels the same. The same spark-"

Ivar "It has never faded."

You agree, "How could it? We are fated to be together." he smiles and kisses your entire face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Hvitserk takes care of his daughter, he gets this vision. But it is not a horrible vision, in fact it is one of the most beautiful visions that he has ever gotten to witness. As he is holding baby Asta in his arms, he is also watching her grow up right before his eyes. In his vision, he can see her running in the fields of Norway, her long blonde hair trailing behind her as she runs through the wind. And you are running beside her and he can hear you two giggling away. Once the two of you stop running, Asta, who looks to be around 5-8 years of age, looks at him with the biggest smile. He could feel his heart just about explode in his chest at such a sight. He opens his arms long and wide and she runs into his arms as he lifts her off the grassland. As the vision fades, he returns to the present moment and realises how blessed his life has become. 

Ubbe "What are you smiling about, brother?"

Hvitserk "hmm?"

Ubbe "You are staring at the wall and smiling-"

Hvitserk "ah..yes."

Ubbe sits down, "Well..?"

Hvitserk "I had a wonderful vision, Ubbe."

Ubbe "A wonderful vision?"

Hvitserk "Yes! I have never experienced one like it."

Ubbe "Tell me everything, I'd love to hear some good news." Hvitserk gladly told his brother every detail of his vision as he watched Ubbe smile with pure joy and excitement on his face. 

Hvitserk "I have never been this happy in my entire life, Ubbe. I have never felt so much joy."

Ubbe "That is what children do, my brother."

Hvitserk "But I never thought that this day would come for me Ubbe..I always wished to become a father like we all do but now that I am, it all feels like a dream."

Ubbe "You are not dreaming Hvitserk, she is really here. She is in all of our lives."

Hvitserk looks down at Asta, who is now wide awake and fussing in his arms, "Shh shhh shh..I know you want your mother but she is not home."

Ubbe "What do you think Ivar is talking to her about right now?"

Hvitserk "Knowing Ivar, he is probably asking her all about Naharis and the conversation that they had."

Ubbe "I am just waiting for the day he crosses that line and he's hanging in those trees." 

Hvitserk chuckles, "I am pretty sure that he will not die that way, my brother. That would be too easy."

Ubbe grunts, "You are right."

Hvitserk "Hopefully we are wrong and he is a noble man. But something about him worries me."

Ubbe "At the same time..he did save her life."

Hvitserk "At Wessex..I know."

Ubbe "So maybe we are just being..overprotective."

Hvitserk "How could we not be? She has gone through-"

Ubbe "I know, I know. But everything will work out just fine Hvitserk. I am sure of it."

Hvitserk nods, "For all of our sakes, I hope you're right." Ubbe stands up and takes Asta out of his arms to cradle her in his arms as tightly as he possibly could without breaking her like a twig. 

Ubbe "You are too perfect, little one."

Hvitserk "Mm, isn't she?"

Ubbe "I'm going to steal her-" he said before sprinting down the hallway and into the throne room. Hvitserk rolls his eyes and laughs as he rushes out the door to retrieve his daughter. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Ivar holds you as you two lay down by the water, Ivar begins to play with your long blonde hair. You hum from the satisfaction of that warming feeling. 

Ivar "Asta is going to have your long hair, I can see it in my mind."

"Mm, and I will braid it. And I will do her hair for her first battle-"

Ivar "Oh..that day will be.." you turn to face him so that you could look into his eyes. 

"Ivar?"

Ivar "Frightening."

"You worry about her?"

Ivar snickers, "Yes, my love. She may not be mine but she is a part of you. When I look at her, I see you. So yes, I worry about her and her future."

"She will be strong, Ivar. She will be a warrior, just as I am and you are."

Ivar drops his head, "I am not a warrior, I am just a king."

"You are a warrior." He sighs, "You are. And everyone alive, who knows of your name, knows how strong and powerful you are, Ivar."

Ivar smiles softly, "I do not deserve you, Y/n."

"Why do you always say that?"

Ivar "Because I do not. Your love is so pure..you are so beautiful inside and out and I am the opposite." You turn your head in confusion, "I am feared by my people and you are loved by yours-"

"Not by all. I was almost executed by one of my women because she did not wish for me to be her queen. Do you not remember?"

Ivar "Yes. But I have done unimaginable things to people that did not deserve death."

"Everyone makes mistakes Ivar. No one is perfect but the gods."

Ivar "I just want you to know that I am not that person anymore, my love-"

"I know that you are not."

Ivar "You..changed me Y/n. You made me a better man, a better brother and king. I love you.."

"And I love you." You kiss him softly before getting up. "Come on, let's go home."

Ivar smiles as he gets up after you, "Yes, my queen." You walk towards your dragons and look up at them.

"I am going to ride with them, you go on." They shriek and leap off of the soft ground, shaking the earth underneath them and fly off into the horizon. "Let's go see Asta."

Ivar "Yes..I miss her." He offers you his hand with a smile as he helps you into his carriage and you two go home to your beautiful daughter. Connected in a way that you were not earlier this day.

@hvitserkmarcosource @youbloodymadgenius @ivarsgoddess @heavenly1927 @saldelys @krissydclayton93 @readsalot73

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - Hitch

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

< Part 17 | Part 18 Hitch | Part 19 >

Disclaimer: sad fluff, some body insecurities

Author’s note: Can you tell it’s Monday? It’s Monday. Gosh I feel like I need a hug after writing this. 😭

Word count: 1.764

(Link to my Masterlist)

Dear readers,

Do you ever look in the mirror, just to study the way you are slowly changing? I don’t want to say older. Just, changing. My eyes are practically always the same shade of brown, like milk chocolate, and my hair is often an equally chocolaty mess, pulled up in a bun. And I like it like that, too. 

And then there is my skin. Sometimes pale like porcelain, sometimes sun kissed with a hundred small freckles, dusted over my cheeks and nose. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t like their freckles by the way. I absolutely love mine. Unfortunately now that winter has come, I mostly look tired. Thank heavens for concealer!

I wonder by the way if men also look at themselves in the mirror like that. Especially since it’s generally far less accepted and normalised for them to wear make-up, even if it is just a simple concealer.

Anyways. It’s winter and I look like a walking, talking zombie, my once fresh looking skin now showing some mean little creases and fine lines. Admittedly, I do sometimes rub my skin with a little bit of extra cream when I see those lines. Not that I am willing to invest in those luxury treatments or get my panties in a twist, but still. It does, in some way or form, influence the way you feel about yourself.

I embrace change, but today? I am most definitely wearing make-up. Thank you very much.

Done-with-winter-already,

Ali

With the loudest of sighs I flung the refrigerator door closed, my shoulders slumping visibly as I plopped down on my chair at the dinner table, dinner long cleared away from the table but my parents still sitting there. 

My mom was the first to pick up on my sulking mood, her careful eyebrow raising up over her reading glasses as she put down her Swedish crossword, pen still in hand.

‘Looking for something?’ She asked casually.

‘No.’ I grumbled, looking over at dad who was still hiding himself behind a folded open newspaper. Mom sniffled and shook her head. ‘Then what is it, Ali dear?’

‘It’s just…’ My lip trembled - not even make-up could make me feel any better today. ‘..things are not working out like I want them to and..’ Sniff. ‘..it’s so frustrating.’

Slowly my dad lowered his newspaper. Usually it was my mom who dealt with any off-days on my end, which truly were sparingly. I didn’t really wish to share my troubles and thoughts with my parents too much, fearing they’d continue to see me as “their little girl”. I wasn’t a little girl for crying out loud. I was a grown woman of 37-years. I shouldn’t need my parents anymore, right?

‘Is this about eh..’ My dad started, squinting his eyes as if looking for any signs that I would go for his jugular right here and now. I didn’t. ‘..eh..Henry?’ He swallowed as I started to cry, shaking my head no.

Mom quickly moved aside her crossword and pen, reaching out her arms to smooth her warm palms over my shoulders. Even through the tight knit of my dark grey sweater I could feel the soothing calm of her touch. ‘What’s the matter baby? Tell us.’

‘UGH..it’s just.’ I sniffled and angrily wiped a few rogue tears away. ‘I..ugh..this feels so stupid. I just thought I had found a place of my own. I’ve been looking at some apartments..and..I thought I had found one. Ten minutes from here. Perfect. Finally. But..’ I furrowed my brows. ‘..I couldn’t get it. The owners chose someone else, despite me being first choice. I just got the news.’

Mom was quiet for a moment and dad swallowed harshly, the two of them deciding on how to go about it. I sniffled again and looked up. First at mom, then at dad, the both at them suddenly looking even older then I remembered them to be.

‘Oh..’ Mom finally exclaimed, seemingly relieved. ‘I thought it had to do with Henry. Woof! Thank god for that.’ She quickly pushed her chair closer to mine, wrapping a bony arm around my shoulder and pulling me in for a mom hug. ‘Come here.’ She hummed, squeezing me even tighter to her chest. ‘Hmmm! Well, you know you can stay here for as long as you want. We love having you here with us. Close to us. It gives our life a bit of…’ She leaned back and smiled, shrugging slightly. ‘..joie-de-vivre!’

I snickered, shaking my head in disbelief. ‘You could get a dog too, you know.’

‘Hahah oh we might, we might. We actually discussed it the other day. Would you like that, a dog?’ She asked at me, dad snuffing in amusement - either because he absolutely didn’t want a dog or because this whole shift of moods was amusing him.

Women.

‘That is yours to decide mom…dad.’ I gave him an exasperated look and he chuckled, quickly grabbing his newspaper again, hiding the cheeky grin that lingered on his lips.

‘But really, I am just glad that it’s not Henry. You and him are just such a fine couple together.’

‘Thanks mom.’ I smiled, wiping the last remains of my tears. I laughed. ‘I eh..actually confessed I love him the other day.’

‘OOOHHH.’ Mom near jumped with excitement and my dad quickly duck even further away behind his newspaper - he really felt uncomfortable with all this girl chat. Me and mom both grinned and before long we were deep in conversation about what had transpired between me and Henry the past few weeks. A talk that was long overdue honestly, because of course mom had HEARD  a gazillion things, but in her motherly role she had decided to wait for me to spill the beans.

Well. The beans were spilled. And I couldn’t be happier to hear how enthused and adoring my mom was about everything Henry concerned.

—

Henry carefully read the words on the screen of my phone, the both of us sitting on my parents couch, the rest of the house quiet as my parents were out. 

It was an e-mail I had received that afternoon. Bad news. Again. As if losing that house wasn’t enough, of course more shit had to happen. He slowly furrowed his brows as he licked his lips, scrolling back up - as if checking he didn’t miss anything in his careful read.

‘O..kay..’ He finally said slowly, sighing visibly. ‘Yea..’ I bit my lower lip and reached out for my phone, retrieving it from his hesitant fingers. ‘Are they even allowed to..’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘..make such a suggestion?’

‘I don’t know Hen. Ugh. What is it with this week?! I hate it. Two weeks ago it was all fine and now this? Please let it be over..’ I sulked, reopening the e-mail of the fertility clinic and giving it a once-over. Yep, there it was really in black and white; due to a rapidly growing waiting list they suggested that me and Henry would perhaps first check out “other means of fertilisation”, before enlisting for a sperm donor. Meaning, most probably and quite rudely; just forgo the condom and see where that takes you.

There went my plan B. My back-up plan. At least for another extra 6 months of extended waiting as they had simply pushed me back on the list now I had a “partner”. Could they do that? I don’t know, but it sure was a blow in the gut.

‘What would you do in this situation, Hen?’ I asked quietly, seeing him shift his weight to turn towards me. ‘Well, believe it or not. I think this is my situation too now.’ He swallowed and reached out for my hand, tentative fingertips stroking my palm.

‘True.’ I smiled with watery eyes.

We were after all a team now. Together. Boyfriend and girlfriend.

‘I eh..’ He shook his head. ‘Okay this is going to sound so stupid now, but I want to get it off my chest. Before I did the Durrell challenge, just really a few weeks before, I had a chat with a..’ He sighed. ‘..a woman who would wish to surrogate a ..-’

‘WHAT?!’ I sat up a bit and swatted his hand away.

‘No no..Ali. It..nothing happened. I just..’ He swallowed awkwardly. ‘I guess I just started my very own path in trying to become a father. It’s a thing that’s been on my mind for a long time now. I want it. Though it immediately became clear after that conversation with that woman that I could not do it like that.’ His eyes searched mine, hoping I would not hate him for it, understand him.

I sighed. ’Gosh..I thought you were going to say you had like a kid on the way and..-’

‘Ali.’ He grabbed my wrist and looked me even deeper in the eyes. ‘There is nobody else. There is no kid on the way. It’s just you and I.’ - ‘Okay.’ I quietly nodded and swam through the depths of his stormy blue eyes. I near drowned in them. 

‘So, you want to be a dad, hmm?’ A tear rolled down my cheek before I could stop it and Henry’s eyes instantly tracked it as it moved over my cold skin. With a tender finger he brushed it off, his lips curling in a sad smile. ‘Badly.’ He swallowed harshly.

He suddenly looked so fragile, like I could see right through those big bulking muscles and handsome features and see within, see the most deep and hidden away piece of Henry that I had ever gotten to see. 

With pensive blue eyes he was looking down, his hand re-interlocking with mine, his other hand now aimlessly hanging by his waist. He looked a bit forlorn, lost at the sea that I had found in his cerulean gaze.

The sea that was Henry. Sometimes calm and soothing, something strong and unbending. 

A sea that wanted what I wanted. Badly. 

Without words I crawled over to him, using whatever strength I had to pull him into my chest, his head resting in the crook of my neck and his breath slightly shallow. He was such a large man that it was hard to actually make him surrender and lean into me. Usually he was the one who was to protect and be strong. Now it was the other way around. Sighing harshly he finally gave in, his nose sniffing as his arms slowly folded around my waist.

‘All I learned is that I don’t want to do it alone.’ He finally gulped, softly.

I closed my eyes and let a hand roam over the soft material of his sand coloured cable knit sweater. Poor bear. My poor bear. I nodded.

‘Neither do I, Hen. Neither do I.’ I pushed my nose in his neck and whispered into his skin: ‘And I think you are going to be an absolutely great dad.’

He swallowed back a cry.

‘In fact I KNOW it is so.’ I smiled, pressing up a number of kisses on his skin until I reached his lips. ‘And all other things are just a hitch, a hiccup. What I really, really need.. is.. you. Let’s..let’s make this work.’ I sniffled. 

--

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[fullrangeofemotions]

Cafe Ophelia: Coffee Shop AU Part 2

Welp, here is part 2. Donna finds closure, gets more friends, flirts with all the ladies, and Laira and Hal finally meet. Guy is still no where to be found. Next part, though, I SWEAR. To all you who read this, once again, thank you for putting up with me.

-------

Donna tilted her head back, basking in the warmth of the sun. The winter air was crisper than she remembered it being. After a moment of steeling herself, she squared her shoulders and found herself slipping back into the old Donna.

There was no hesitation as she made her way up the steps and into the court. She kept her hands in her pockets, rushing up the remaining steps as an officer on his way out held the door open for her. She smiled in thanks, giving him a nod before slipping into the, thankfully, warm lobby. Donna made her way down the hallway, not quite dreading being there yet but also not quite comfortable. It was not hard to spot Arianne, leaning against one of the columns, a phone pressed to her ear. Donna raised her hand and offered a wave, letting Ari know that she was there but Donna did not wish to cut Ari’s conversation short. Not when she had people to see. She moved farther down the hallway until she saw a familiar face. Rachel turned around, brightening when she saw Donna, her arms opening as she rushed at her old friend. Donna squeezed Rachel into a tight hug, not bothering to let go until the sound of someone clearing their throat forced them to step back from each other.

Donna turned her head and smiled, moving to pull Mike into a hug as well. She felt him hug her just as tightly, “you did not have to come,” she heard him whisper against her ear. She knew he was not talking about the subpoena, for that was out of her hands. Donna pulled back after a long moment, her gaze taking his face in, noticing the dark circles around his eyes. Donna turned to look at Rachel and saw the same tiredness on her face. She pulled the both into a hug, needing to feel them in her arms one more time, to remind herself that they were there.

“How come no one told me we were hugging?”

A familiar voice cut in, making Donna pull away and whirl around. It was all it took for Louis to move in and hug her tightly; she ignored the sniffling coming from him, not surprised by his emotional response. Donna rather missed it. She looked over his shoulder at Jessica, who offered a small smile.

“I missed you too Louis,” she muttered, patting his back until finally pulled away, wiping at his eyes.

“Donna.”

That voice had Donna tensing, her defenses coming up immediately. Still, her smile remained in place as she turned her head to look at Harvey. There was a fragility to his gaze, almost as if he had seen a ghost and for a second, Donna wanted to do anything in her power to make it go away. After all, she had spent more than a decade taking care of him….

-

“Donna and I have a long history, mostly, of me getting her out of trouble,” Arianne started, before stopping to take a quick sip of her wine, “hmm, she has the quickest hands I have ever seen. Anyone in New York who ever lost a watch? Probably my girl’s doing.”

Donna rolled her eyes, “first of all, I had a hobby and I was good at it, second of all, no court ever prove I stole anything,” she defended herself, plucking out one of the breadsticks to dip into the olive oil before taking a bite. Those years felt like a century ago, when was the last time she tried to lift something? Donna paused, alright, she still sometimes lifted or slipped papers, but it was usually at the behest of Harvey or Jessica. It had only been something she did because she could, because she had been good at it.

“It seems that you two make quite a pair, hmm?” Laira chuckled as she swirled her wine around her glass before taking her time sipping at her wine, lipstick staining the rim. Donna and Ari shared a look, both of them looking thoughtful before shrugging at the same time.

“Yes, well, Donna stopped being fun when she got with that second-rate lawyer of hers,” Arianne commented, voice light and airy but there was no hiding her disdain. Donna was not surprised for her friend had never hidden how much she disliked Harvey. Arianne had every right to dislike that man and to resent Donna as well. (Except, Arianne didn’t resent her at all. She just hated him.) Ever since she started to work for Harvey, her time with Ari, and the Martell’s as a whole was cut down.  She had not meant to, but Donna had gotten busy, and then Harvey made no effort to disguise that he was not a fan of the Martells. Although, they did not technically handle the same kinds of cases, they ran paths enough for Harvey to know that there was no beating them.

It was a well-known fact that, regardless of how much Donna loved Harvey (because she had loved him, part of her still did) her friendship with Arianne would win out. Harvey had to have known that. He would never dare to ask her to choose. Neither had Arianne.

“The one in the newspapers, I take it?”

Donna looked over at Laira, surprised for a second before turning to look at Arianne. “This trial is in the newspapers?” she hissed, dreading this even more now than she had already been. “What did you expect? That man doesn’t know how to do anything without you there holding his hand,” Arianne muttered under her breath before taking a bite of her lasagna. Donna glanced down at her plate, no longer hungry as she thought about the firm, about her name, being in the papers. This was not how she wanted to get her name in the papers.

“Hmm, and you are here to testify for the trial?”

Donna looked back at Laira, not seeing any kind of condemnation or judgement. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before letting out a soft sigh, “had no choice, it would be a huge fault for the prosecution to not call the legal secretary in to testify. After all, what kind of secretary worth her worth would not know what transpired in those offices?” Donna did not regret it, her knowledge, all the cover up. She had told Jessica once, why she had done it…Mike was good for Harvey. He shook everything up, changed everyone and Donna knew they were all better for it.

“You were more than a legal secretary, you helped run that place,” Arianne cut in, pointing her fork at Donna, who only picked up her glass of wine. She was more than that, Donna had believed it, still believed it…she knew it, so why was she doubting herself? The silence was telling enough. “You will not sacrifice yourself for them, for him. Not this time,” the words were spit out, startling Donna out of her stupor, words of defense slipping out of her mouth before she could help it. It was what Donna always did, defend him, because she knew him, she understood him, “he has never asked-“

“Bullshit.” Arianne glared at Donna, forgetting where they were, who they were with in that moment, all she felt was righteous anger, “he has always expected you to give everything up for him and you do, you always do. You sacrifice yourself for him every fucking single time.”

Donna hated her in that moment, because she was right. Arianne was right and Donna hated it. Donna had been defined by her relationship with Harvey and Donna had allowed it. Even now, after everything, Donna was still fretting, still willing to give it all up for him. “I would do the same for you,” Donna answered, because that was true too. Donna was selfish in so many things, but never when it came to those she loved.

“I know, but unlike him, I would never ask you to.”

Silence fell upon them after that, Donna lowered her gaze back down to her food. Arianne continued to eat her lasagna. It was not until Laira cleared her throat that the two even remembered she was there. Donna was horrified but she hid it away, focusing instead of trying to eat her pasta.

“From what I read in the papers,” Donna tensed, wondering what Laira was going to say, “you will be here for a couple of days Donna. There is an exclusive show of next Winter’s collection being held tomorrow, I can add you to the list if you wish to attend the event.”

Donna looked up at Laira, surprised that after what she had just witnessed that was what she would say. Slowly a smile bloomed upon her lips and Donna laughed, tension sliding off her shoulders.

“I would love that.”

-

“Harvey…” Donna took in the haggard appearance, trying not to worry but failing, “you look tired.” She didn’t notice the way the others moved away, too focused on trying to understand how she felt about the man before her. She had spent twelve years by his side….

“You look like you always do,” he stated, voice soft, softer than she had ever heard from him. At least, when it came to her. Even softer than the night he gave her so much hope. He was not one to give compliments, and when he did, not to her. Her life had truly been full of disappointment, all coming from him…

“Do you miss me?” she asked him, the words out of her mouth before she could stop them. She did not regret them, because she had to know. She had been courageous that night in his office, breaking whatever was between them. Donna knew now that she could live without him, that she was someone without him, that she was better without him. She knew it now.

“I once told you, I could not be me without you…I meant it…”

Those words caught her by surprise. She remembered that day, when he came for her, brought her back. He was so good at reeling her back in, keeping her waiting for him to be ready. But Donna had not wanted to be needed, what good did that do? She had wanted him to choose her, to want her, to know that he would choose her over everything.

“You said you needed me, but I wanted you to want me, to choose me. I made myself be comfortable with the co-dependency, with being your security blanket….but I know now that I wanted to be loved.”

She stared at him as she said this, as she told him her truth. The failure was from both keeping quiet in fear. She did not push, did not try for more but neither had he. There was pain in his eyes, anguish that urged her to try and make him feel better, but she didn’t. She could not. There was no taking back those words, she wouldn’t silence herself anymore. There was also something else there, an understanding, a clarity.

“I will always care for you, Harvey. Always. Perhaps one day, you’ll care for yourself,” she reached out and squeezed his arm, surprised when he reached up and took her hand in his, giving it a slight squeeze.

“Sorry, not sorry,” Ari cut in abruptly, pushing herself between the two of them and forcing Harvey to drop Donna’s hand, stepping back.

“Martell.” “Specter.”

Thankfully, before Arianne got into trouble for punching the man, they were called inside. Donna locked her arm with Ari’s and began to drag her into the courtroom, offering Harvey a parting smile. She had said her piece, had spoken her feelings to him and she felt…better. It did not suddenly heal the disappointment and heartbreak, because those were years of putting herself last…but Donna would work on it. All she had to do was get through testifying.

-

Donna walked up the steps of the MET, surprised that the event would be taking place within the walls of the institution. The exclusivity was emphasized by the lack of crowds, no red-carpet, no big lines. She was still surprised at how easily she was led in; her name had been clearly printed upon the list which also had a picture of her to go with it. It spoke of just how exclusive this event was. Donna walked down the hallway; her navy-blue clutch held within her right hand as she took in the sights. She had forgotten what it was like to visit the MET, an institution she could admit she missed.

“Right this way Ms. Paulsen,” the sudden voice startled her, but she quickly smiled (despite wondering how the attendant had known who she was). About more than half of the chairs were filled up, while the rest of the guests were mingling by the bar. The dress-code was thankfully not over the top which meant that Donna’s strapless dark green gown fit right in.

Not in the mood for a drink, Donna turned to the attendant, “is there a specific seating arrangement?” she asked, wanting to ensure that she did not accidentally take the seat of someone important.  “You have a seat reserved Ms. Paulsen, right at the front,” he smiled and pointed to the seat right next to the runway. “Thank you,” she responded, hiding her surprise that she had been given such a seat. “Would you like a drink Ma’am?” the attendant asked her but she shook her head, “not at the moment, thank you….” Donna glanced at the nametag, “Josh.”

It was not the first event of this kind that she had been to, but it had been a while. She slid upon the chair that had been designated for her, one leg crossed over the other, as she let herself people watch. “Sorry,” a breathless voice cut in as the seat next to her was taken. Donna turned her head and was surprised to see a face that almost looked familiar. Where had she seen it? Ah. “You are Daenerys,” Donna spoke up, pleased that she could remember that fact, her hand coming up for the woman to shake. Daenerys brightened up, smile stretching from ear to ear, blonde-almost platinum- hair framed her pixie like face. If Donna thought that Laira had fine chiseled cheeks, they were nothing compared to Daenery’s smaller yet more pointed features. “I’m Donna,” she continued, sure that Laira’s sister had no idea who the random woman sitting there was. Or perhaps she did if she read the newspaper.

“Did I not see you in a Shakespeare production not too long ago,” the woman asked and suddenly Donna froze, her breath hitching. Donna had forgotten that had been something Donna had done. The feeling of being on stage suddenly came up and Donna let out a breathless laugh, nodding, “The Merchant of Venice, are you a Shakespeare fan?” she couldn’t hep asking, it was not everyday she found someone that shared her love for theater, and more specifically, Shakespeare.

“Cannot say I am a fan, but I do enjoy theater. Went with my partner, he was adamant that he needed to go. Something about needing to see one specific actress….”

It dawned on her in that moment exactly who Daenerys was talking about, suddenly remembering that one of Laira’s sisters was dating Arianne’s uncle. “Oberyn never mentioned that he was there,” she blurted out, surprised that she had not known or that he had not once mentioned it to her.

“Wait, how did he find out?” she asked, still remembering the terror of failing that kept her from sharing the news with anyone. Donna had not wanted to risk choking on stage in front of people she knew.

“You were fantastic,” Daenerys beamed, reaching over and squeezing Donna’s arm, surprising her with how tactile she was. As Donna slipped into retelling all the craziness of putting on a Shakespeare play, she found her passion returning, remembering why she had loved it so much in the first place.

“Are you planning on being in any future productions?”

The questioned stumped Donna, the answer was no, at least it should be no. “I would love to, but first have to make sure that my coffeeshop doesn’t go under. Perhaps once I’m better established, I’ll think about doing another play or two.”

Conversation came to an end after that, for the show started.

-

Donna stood up in one swift motion as she was called to the stand. She placed her hand on the bible and vowed to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help her God. Donna felt the eyes of everyone upon her and it almost reminded her about how it felt to be on stage. Had she not always wanted to be the center of attention? She let her eyes wander over to where Harvey sat, but she was quickly pulled away as the questions began.

The confirmation of her name was easy enough, but then the real questions began, and she met Arianne’s gaze.

“I take the fifth.”

She stared at the lawyer before her, her gaze and tone steady as she repeated the same answer to every single question. It was her right.

-

“Rest assure I will find my way to California and visit that shop of yours,” Arianne muttered as she pulled Donna into a tight hug.

“You better,” Donna huffed, hugging her friend back just as tightly. She could never thank her friend enough for bailing her out every single time. “Tell me about any cute boys you see,” Ari added as they finally parted ways. Donna rolled her eyes, but she laughed.

Donna was still trying to heal from her last…. whatever Harvey had been to her….there was no time for cute boys.

“Oh! You already have a cute boy!” Ari waggled her eyebrows as she motioned to Donna’s buzzing phone. Hal’s name was flashing at her and Donna wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“No, Hal is an annoyance,” she stated, although she was sure she did not manage to hide her fondness like she wanted.

“Are you going to jail?” where the first words out of his mouth.

Donna snorted at the question, because of course that was the first thing the man asked. Still, Donna could hear the worry in his tone. “Good morning to you too,” she started as she cradled her phone between her ear and shoulder, leaving her hands free to fold her clothes and tucked them back into her suitcase. All while trying to ignore Arianne who was pretending to be helping.

“Of course not, I told you I don’t look good in orange,” she huffed, humming softly as she forced her clothes down, wondering why suddenly it felt like she had brought a lot of clothes with her.

“Are you okay?” the question came after a long minute of silence and Donna smiled at it.

“I think I’m ready to go back home,” she answered, the first time she called California her home.

“Good, Helen misses you.”

“I miss her too.”

Arianne looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “Nope, he is not uncomfortable to look at…..but…not my type. I think….he is my first Californian friend….” She admitted to Arianne who immediately softened, “I’m glad. Well, maybe he is Laira’s type. She needs a cute boy in her life too.”

Donna laughed because of course, “Ari, never change.”

-

Being back in her shop was a bit strange but also a welcomed relief. She felt good. Donna busied herself with getting everything dusted and ready for the crazy morning. She hoped her customers had not forgotten her and gone somewhere else.

But, like clockwork, as she flipped her signed at six in the morning, her first customer walked in already telling her they were glad she was back.

-

Donna plopped down on the sand, part of her regretting this because it was freezing but she also missed it. The sounds of the crashing waves were soothing and scent of the salt in the breeze felt like home.

“Oh, hey,” a voice cut into her thoughts, startling her slightly. She turned her head to look at the jogger, the one with the platinum hair. For a second, Donna thought back on Arianne’s comment about a cute boy….it had been a time since Donna had been with a cute girl. The woman before her was beautiful, with crystal blue eyes and platinum hair that contrasted with her tan skin. Then she remembered the woman’s partner, the boyfriend who was usually by her side.

“By yourself this time?” Donna smiled, because she was definitely not ready to get out there and be thinking about romance. Friendships, though, now that she knew that California was where she wanted to be, were welcomed.

“My partner got caught up at work, you know how it is.” The words were clipped but not rude, it was the accent but Donna couldn’t put a name to it.

Donna smiled wide, “I definitely do, I have been there and been that person many times,” she answered causing the woman to laugh. “I’m Tora,” she stuck her hand out and Donna took it, “I’m Donna,” she said, trying to hide her surprise at how cold Tora’s hand was. The woman smiled apologetically, “sorry, I always happen to be colder than most.”  

“Well, should start heading back, see you tomorrow,” Tora called out as she began to jog away, leaving Donna to stare at her.

That was a strange encounter, she thought. She wasn’t actually expecting to see Donna again, was she? She shook her head and decided to not think too hard about it. Donna was sure to see Tora and her boyfriend around again, they clearly lived in the area and so did she.

-

Her phone rang and the name had her rolling her eyes.

“What? Its five in morning on a Sunday, you better be dying,” she growled into the phone but of course Hal was unfazed. God, he reminded her of herself and wasn’t that annoying. She still did not remember when she had given him her phone number. How did he get it? She could not have possibly given it to him. Then again, Helen might have asked and Donna found it hard to say no to her.

“How fast can you get to Ferris Air?” “For the last time, I’m not getting into a plane with you,” she grumbled, because if he woke her up for this she really was going to kill him, “look, you have not flown until you’ve gotten into a plane with me but not why I’m calling. Last minute call from the CEO about last minute meeting with our biggest investors.”

“Who, the general of the armed forces?” Donna huffed out, already feeling her sleep fading away. “Yes.”

“Why do I need to be there?” because why did any of this have to do with Donna? She didn’t work at Ferris Air. “We need coffee…….”

She hung up. Donna was not a catering service. The phone rang continuously for five minutes.

“If I do this, you will owe me big time,” she stated as she answered the phone, hoping he could feel her murder intent through the phone.

The drive to Ferris Air was not a long one which explained why Hal was able to show up at her shop and still make it to work. She was quite impressed with his work, he was good at what he did, but she would not be telling him that. After all, she was showing up for him at five in the morning on a Sunday, if that didn’t say she was fond of him, nothing ever would.

She waited until the guards checked that she was meant to be there before she drove in and towards were, she hoped was the office building and where she was meant to be. She hummed as she took her little cart from her truck and began to pile the boxes of coffee inside, placing the boxes of pastries on top of those, precariously making her way to the entrance. The guard that stood there was, thankfully, a kind soul and offered to help her take it to the meeting room. The meeting room looked exactly like how she expected it to. She still could not believe she was in an office she did not even worked at, bringing her signature coffee. She really was insane.

“Oh, thank God, coffee, can you pour me some? With two sugars and creamer, sweetheart?”

Donna froze, before slowly exhaling and deciding to ignore the man. After all, she did not work there, and she refused to interact with anyone. “I know you heard me.”

“Are you speaking to me?” she asked, her tone dripping with boredom as she finished laying out the pastries on two platters.  “No one else is here sweetheart, just the two of us.”

Donna rolled her eyes and turned around, completely unamused with some cheap suit wannabe. “My name is not sweetheart, and clearly you have two working arms and two working feet,” she told him, one eyebrow raised, happy to watch the man scowl at her. “I can get you fired,” the man spit-out and Donna wondered, were these really the type of people Hal worked with?

“To bad for you, I don’t work here,” she told him, picking up her bag and readying to leave. She had done as she was asked, the coffee and pastries were ready for this meeting.

“Do you know-“

“Look, I don’t care who you are. Your suit is clearly from a sale, the jacket is too big for you, at least get it tailored. The hair shows you are trying too hard. Perhaps if you did your job instead of coaster on other people you might get the promotion you clearly think you deserve,” she told him, steel in her tone. Donna might have had to put up with men talking down to a lowly legal secretary, but Donna was her own boss and she would not let some asshole talk down to her.

“What the did you just say to me?” the man stood up and took a threatening step towards her.

“I hope I am not interrupting,” a smooth voice cut in and Donna watched with pleasure as the man paled as if he had seen a ghost. Clearly, the boss had arrived. Donna turned her gaze over to the doorway, recognizing the face of Carol Ferris, current CEO of Ferris Air. She looked quite intimidating in the photo used for her Wikipedia page, but there was nothing like seeing her fury directed to the annoying man.

“Ma’am, I did not realize you were there,” the man stammered out, all wide eyed and Donna couldn’t help but grin.

“Clearly,” the woman’s tone was clipped, it reminded Donna of Jessica. Carol’s gaze moved over to Donna, the anger replaced by curiosity, “Ms. Ferris, I’m from Café Ophelia, delivering the coffee and pastries that were ordered,” she stated, motioning to the goods she had brought with her.

“You are a life-saver, most shops are not open this early in the morning,” the woman stated, moving over to the table to pick up a coffee cup. “Well, I’m a fairly new shop, must get business where I can,” Donna answered quite honestly, figuring she had nothing to lose. There was a flash of recognition, “I see.”

“It was nice to meet you, Ms. Ferris,” Donna stated and meant it. There was something about meeting strong, independent, gorgeous women.  “Not you,” she then stated as she looked over to the asshole, giving him a sweet smile because they both knew that he would be in trouble come Monday morning.

Perhaps Donna would not kill Hal for waking her up and forcing her to show up at his job. He was on thin ice though.

-

“You are on thin ice,” she told him early Monday morning as he came in for his usual morning coffee, “and don’t try flattering those eyelashes at me, you know how it freaks me out.” She told him, but she was already smiling.

“So this is where you get that coffee,” a voice cut in, startling both Hal and Donna.

“Carol?” “Ms. Ferris?”

“That’s me,” the woman smiled, this time it reached her eyes and it made her look kind in a way that the photos online never did.

“You never told her about my shop? You are supposed to be helping me advertise, what kind of friend are you?” Donna huffed as she glanced at Hal, before smiling wide at the CEO and his boss. “I know just the blend for a busy CEO,” she stated confidently before turning around and quickly moving to create a blend for Carol.

“Let her work her magic, she tends to always be right about whatever she makes,” Hal offered, lifting his cup up to his lips. Carol looked at him for a long moment, her smile turning slightly sly, “you here a lot then?”

Hal wrinkled his nose, “it is nothing like that-“ “definitely not like that,” Donna reiterated as she turned back around, a cup in hand. “Rest assure that I’m single and free, in case you were wondering,” Donna added with a wink as she pushed the cup forward towards Carol.

“Don’t,” Hal said at the same time that Carol laughed, returning Donna’s wink.

“See, this is exactly why I never said anything,” Hal said with a huff, while Donna only flipped her hair behind her shoulder. She was teasing but a part of her would say no to a gorgeous woman asking her out either.

Donna and Carol shared a look and Donna knew it was going to be a good week.

-

The redhead glanced at her calendar and then froze because she realized winter was upon them…but it was almost the holidays. How did that happen? she wondered. Had she really moved to California around February? A full year was just around the corner. Oh God, Christmas shopping, she thought.

“Did I come in at the wrong time?” a teasing voice cut into her thoughts and Donna was turning with a big grin. “Laira! It is never a wrong time for you. I would drop everything for you, I’m sure you know this by now,” she told the woman, slipping some innuendo into her words, waggling her eyebrows, pleased at being rewarded with a soft chuckle.

“Are you here for a business meeting? Putting a runway show?” she asked as she quickly moved into making a chrysanthemum tea this time around, sure that Laira would enjoy it.

“Actually, been working on opening a boutique here,” Laira answered, her gaze flitting over the pastries currently on display. “You mean I’ll get to bask in your presence more often?” Donna let out a dramatic gasp, while Laira tried to hide her smile at Donna’s playfulness. “Is this your way of asking me out, because you must know I’ll say yes,” Donna continued to tease, turning around to offer Laira up the cup of tea.

“Oh? I remember you professing your love to Ari not too long ago,” Laira stated, tone completely serious but Donna could see the spark of amusement in her eyes.

“My heart is big enough for the both you,” she responded but suddenly the door burst open and a tiny little ballerina came running in.

“Miss Donna! Uncle Hal says that The Nutcracker is not actually that good, tell him he is wrong,” Helen called out, clearly horrified that her uncle would say such a thing. And then, it dawned on Helen that they were not alone. She turned her head to the side and up, eyes widening, “you are so pretty. Are you a princess?” came her whispered question, making Laira smile wide, but before she could reply Hal came stumbling in.

“it is the same thing every single….” Hal began to grumble but lost his train of thought the moment he caught sight of Laira.

And Donna would never forget that moment as Hal completely lost all brain function at the sight of Laira. Donna was going to have to call Ari and tell her about this.  

[tyrannoninja]

Dribble Like Me

The sunset lent a warm, almost cozy glow to the stacks of scarlet-washed terraces that supported the buildings of Mutul. The city was stuffed with more pyramids than any place Neith-Ka recalled from her native Khamit. Her people might have buried their Pharaohs in monuments of equal or even more mountainous scale, but these peculiar Mayabans laid every one of their structures on top of stepped pyramids, none less than two stories high. Everyone had to hike up a succession of stone stairs to reach the summit.

Neith-Ka shook her foot to dull the pain chewing away at her tendons. Already, the woven papyrus of her sandals had started to splinter apart from wear. The Khamitan people may have taken pride in the grandeur of their monuments, but never would their architects dare subject anyone to so many tortuous steps. You weren’t even supposed to climb the royal tombs back home.

Huya, Neith-Ka’s high steward, clicked his tongue with a frown. “You could feign a good attitude, Your Highness.”

Neith-Ka drew in a deep breath through her nostrils. “I’ve done my best. Please show some understanding.”

“I saw you pouting. And, I swear by the scales of Ma’at, I heard you mutter a curse while shaking that leg. You don’t seem to remember that you’re representing your father, your family, and all the Black Land here, princess. I’ll see no more lip from you tonight!”

With another inhalation, Neith-Ka straightened up and nodded to her steward. As he and their entourage of guards and servants marched up yet another ramp of steps, she huddled close behind while keeping her focus on their destination. Looking back down the pyramid’s height only intimidated her further. Even more so with the lighter brown locals crowding behind her, fixing upon her the gawks of strangers who had never seen a dark-skinned person their entire lives.

The lip of the stairway connected to a platform that supported a ring of rectangular buildings around a courtyard, all plastered with a blazing red base. Yet these were not monochrome edifices. Elaborate reliefs of jade-plumed gods were mounted on its walls and over its doorways, along with snarling gold leopards (or were those called jaguars here?), and strings of complicated square images that constituted the Mayaban culture’s written language.

Neith-Ka had heard foreigners complain that Khamit’s hieroglyphs were impossible to read. Yet no mortal could possibly even draw their Mayabic equivalents!

From one short, wide building at the far end of the complex, a faint yet spicy odor floated, its thin trails of steam snaking out from tiny windows in the walls towards the left edge. Dark green curtains, splashed with reds, golds, and purples, hung behind the gallery of square columns that supported the remainder of the building’s length. Standing in front were a pair of native guards, stocky men in padded cotton vests who parted their obsidian-fringed spears upon noticing the Khamitans’ arrival.

Huya bowed at the waist to both guards. “Excuse me, my good man, but where would His Majesty the Ahau and his family be?”

“Already inside, waiting with as much patience as they’ve got,” one of the guards said.

The second glanced at Neith-Ka from the corner of his eye. “And you’re the one he’s waiting on, I presume. Not so ugly as far as your kind goes, if a bit overcooked. I’d advise you to stay clear of his youngest daughter.”

Neith-Ka gave him a subtle smile to hide the prickling sensation that crept up her back. “I’ll…uh, keep that in mind…my undercooked friend.”

“Princess! What did I say?” Huya hammered the butt of his high steward’s staff twice on the stone pavement.

“Aw, give your woman a pass,” the first guard said. “She was only telling my friend to show more hospitality. Right, Yaxkin?”

After strutting away from the two guards as they argued in the Mayabic language, Neith-Ka plunged herself through the curtains and into the royal dining hall.

##

All chatter within the dining hall halted when she stepped inside.

Two circles of people were already congregated at opposite ends of the space, enclosed by the curtains and columns. To the right, all women and girls sat on pillows fringed with blue and scarlet macaw feathers, whereas to the left, the men sat around a stone platform tapered like a miniature pyramid. Both parties stared at Neith-Ka with slackened jaws and silence, a few of the men’s eyes glinting with that all-too-familiar male emotion.

She gave a nervous chuckle with a retreat towards the curtains, an uncomfortable warmth blushing within her cheeks. “Did I interrupt something?”

On the leftward pyramidal platform sat a short man whose physique seemed much too gaunt to support his towering crown of deep green and red plumes, or even his necklaces and bracelets of gold, jade, and animal fangs. He raised a drinking cup of red clay and gave Neith-Ka a smile, as dark brown liquid dripped from his thin, wrinkled lips.

“No, no, we’re more than thankful to see you so soon, daughter of Amenhotep,” the bedecked old man said. “No need to worry yourself with formalities tonight.”

His ensuing belch rumbled between the columns.

Neith-Ka raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you the Ahau of Mutul?”

“Call me B’alaj. It’ll be easier on your tongue than all my titles. Now, before you indulge yourself in the finest cuisine of any of the Mayaban cities, I owe you my thanks for all that treasure you sent us. Mountains of ivory, ebony furniture, all those exquisite animal hides­­­—even though, I daresay, your jaguars are rather dwarfish compared to ours—and then all the gold, copper, bronze…you Khamitans sure know how to buy yourselves a trade deal.”

Huya, who had already entered with the rest of the Khamitans flanking him, bowed to the Ahau at the waist. “Glad to hear you appreciate our tribute, Ahau B’alaj.”

The Ahau extended his arm to the low table-like platform that sprawled over the central third of the hall, cloaked with jaguar hides held down by flickering gourd candles at the corners and a vast, jumbled array of bowls and baskets holding food. “Help yourselves. Your hunger’s the limit. Though I say, the tamales and the chocolate are the best.”

Neith-Ka had not come to the banquet with a bottomless stomach, but the variety of delicacies on display would have boggled even her father’s best cooks in Khamit. The various bowls held piles of multicolored beans, bulbs of squash, slender red peppers, and a lumpy paste that gave off the scent of avocado. In the baskets were stacks of thin yellow flatbreads, tropical fruits collected from the rainforest beyond the city, and cobs of maize scaled blue, red, and yellow. Roasted hunks of turkey, venison, fish, and even dog meat rested on the platters, and a fat pitcher streamed out a tendril of steam from its spout. Next to it sat a pile of folded corn husks stuffed with chili and some sort of dough.

After gathering a couple tamales for her plate, Neith-Ka poured herself a cup from the pitcher. What came out was a liquid the color of coffee from the kingdom of Habesha (which bordered Khamit on the southeast), only thicker and frothier. “I guess this is your chocolate?”

B’alaj raised his cup again. “The beverage of royalty such as yourself, daughter of Amenhotep!”

Neith-Ka took her cup and tamales to the side of the room, where the women of the Ahau’s family dined. They shoved themselves aside to give her a wider berth before she had even taken her own seat. None could take their eyes off their Khamitian guest, even if they murmured unintelligible gossip from the corners of their mouths.There was no point in calling them out on it, she thought, and not only because it would embarrass her entire civilization before the people of Mutul. As Neith-Ka and the Khamitians always said back home, those who hate would always hate.

She took a sip of the chocolate drink and grimaced, daring not to spit it out. It tasted every bit as bitter as the Habeshan coffee, except the Habeshans at least had milk and honey to improve the flavor. If only these Mayabans had the same!

“It’s an acquired taste, I know,” one of the Mayaban ladies said. “You’ll warm up to it later.”

Neith-Ka nodded as she took a second, longer sip. It pleased her no more than the first. “I’ll go look for some water next.”

Between two portly middle-aged women, the petite hand of a girl no older than six popped out. “Why do you not like chocolate? Aren’t you Khamitans all covered in it?”

It was time to take another deep breath. Neith-Ka scooted herself a hand’s span further away from where the child sat, and then pinched the skin of her own arm. “We don’t paint ourselves with your chocolate, little one. It’s our natural color, see here? Am I to assume that your people paint yourselves bronze?”

“Don’t get too mad at my little Itzel,” the elder of the two women next to the girl said. “She won’t bite. She simply hasn’t grown out of her…mischievous streak yet. We’ve all been there at her age, haven’t we?”

Neith-Ka grumbled. “Fair enough. Though if we’re going to comment on each other’s appearances, I must say I like how your nose plugs looks. Are they green malachite?”

“Why, thank you, but they’re plain old jade. I don’t even know what that stuff you call malachite is. You yourself have some exquisite gold on you, not to mention that seductive black eyeliner.”

“You mean the black kohl? It’s not supposed to be ‘seductive’. It helps protect our eyes from the desert sun’s glare and disease—”

Something tugged onto Neith-Ka’s braided hair.

She turned. Nobody was behind her. “Who was that?”

The Mayaban women responded with blank, blinking looks. Neith-Ka noticed that the girl Itzel had disappeared beside her mother.

A second, stronger yank on Neith-Ka’s hair almost uprooted it from her scalp. With a shrill yelp, she spun back and clasped her fingers on a small wrist. Itzel giggled without fear or regret.

“All you foreigners think it’s funny to touch our hair without asking, don’t you?” Neith-Ka asked.

“All my friends tell me your hairstyles are all fake,” Itzel said. “They tell me you women from Khamit always wear weaves because you don’t like how kinky and frizzy your natural hair is.”

Neith-Ka tightened her grip on the girl’s hand to the point where she could feel the bones beneath the skin. She snarled, baring her teeth. “You mean wigs. And we only wear those after we shave for special occasions. The rest of the year, we’re as proud of our natural hair as any other women, and I won’t let a puny Mayaban brat like you tell me any different!”

The child squirmed and wriggled her arm with a piercing squeal shriller than a chimpanzee’s angry screech. “You can’t be mean like this to me, you nasty Khamitan woman! My father is the Ahau!”

“I don’t care if your father was none other than Amun’Ra in the flesh! Say sorry or I will rip you apart!”

Instead, the girl chomped Neith-Ka’s arm. Blood trickled where the tiny teeth punctured her flesh, while the girl scurried back to her mother.

A high steward’s staff banged on the floor, twice, as two shadows loomed over Neith-Ka. She shrank like a child before Huya and the Ahau B’alaj, both of whom glared down at her with the stern intensity of scolding parents. B’alaj’s face darkened into a reddish hue not unlike the plastered masonry around them.

The Ahau clenched his hand into a fist, one finger thrust down at Neith-Ka. “You do not threaten my Itzel like that. You do not threaten any of my children like that. I thought myself generous and forgiving to you, but you showed me my error in ever trusting your kind!”

“You see what you did there, young one?” Huya said. “I told you to represent our nation the best you could. You couldn’t even do that.”

Neith-Ka trembled, buckling under the crushing mass of shame these two men had thrown onto her—together with her own sizzling anger. “You think I’m at fault here? Listen, O Ahau of Mutul, you need to teach your children, and even many of your grown-up subjects, some basic respect for my people. Did you even hear what your daughter said to me?”

The Ahau shook his head with crossed arms. “She is only a child! You threatened to tear her into pieces, all for the ignorance every child is born with. And, since you talk of respect, remember that you are in my city, in the land of Mayab. You’d do well to respect your hosts.”

“And they would do well to respect their guests. It should go both ways!”

Huya’s features softened as he sighed. “In all honesty, the daughter of my Pharaoh raises a good point. This has all been a misunderstanding, O Ahau. How about both parties apologize to one another, make amends, and put this little altercation all behind us?”

B’alaj rubbed his hand over the graying hair that flowed below his headdress, humming in thought. His frown rose up into a grin, but his eyes did not lose their malevolent glimmer in the least. “I did have plans to entertain you with some sports next morning. How about…letting your princess play a little game of ball with us?”

Neith-Ka laughed, casting a glance at her guards, part of her visiting entourage. “You mean me and my men against yours?”

“Oh, no. You, alone, against my best team. You have played ball before, haven’t you?”

Not even the muggy warmth of the tropical night could melt the icy chill that ran up Neith-Ka’s spine. She would not dare reveal it before this audience. “Of course. My sisters and I would chase each other around our palace with a warthog’s bladder filled with—”

“Pig’s bladder? That’s all? We’ll see how you fare with a real ball, then. If you, by the mercy of fate, were to win, I will pardon you for everything. Lose, and I shall deal with you as I would anyone else who has struck one of my family. In which case, please send my greetings down to the Twelve Lords of Xibalba.”

Huya turned to wedge himself between Neith-ka and the Ahau. “What? You can’t do that! She’s the daughter of our Pharaoh. That would amount to an act of war!”

“This is Mutul, and I am the Ahau. I may treat your Pharaoh’s daughter however I see fit!”

Every note of the Ahau’s croaking cackle sent a shiver pulsing through Neith-Ka’s flesh. Whomever those Twelve Lords of Xibalba were, they sounded like demons in the underworld. She doubted the Mayabans would even bother to preserve her body for that meeting.

The whimpering cry of a child moaned like an undercurrent beneath the rest of the commotion. Hugging her mother’s plump arm, little Itzel peeked back at Neith-Ka with cheeks still shimmering wet with tears.

“I’m sorry,” the girl’s lips spelled out.

##

A dense low mist swamped the tight alleyway that ran between two blood-red walls, each towering straight and vertical on top of the sloped terrace at their base. Already the moisture floating in the air, together with her own perspiration, had soaked the fringes of the band of cloth Neith-Ka had wrapped and tied around her braids. It sharpened the cold tingle sweeping down her skin as she treaded down the alleyway, the dark-stained pavement stabbing her feet with stray particles of grit.

Her sandals, already worn beyond usefulness, had gone missing that morning. That only layered a stinging insult over her fear and shame.

Each of the two walls beside the court had a stout pyramid adjoining it from behind, with people filing out from its summit shrine to stand over the wall’s upper edges. Gazing down from atop the left wall were Huya and the remainder of the Khamitan envoy, the guards holding their spears and cowhide shields while the servant women murmured nervous prayers. On the right wall were the nobility of Mutul, who parted to make way for their swaggering Ahau B’alaj.

He held between his hands a ball of dark gray rubber. “Welcome to our royal ball court, daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep of Khamit. In a moment, you’ll be introduced to your opponents, none other than the finest players in all Mayab—though I may be biased in that regard… Ooh, what’s that? They’re already here!”

They emerged first as a line of hulking shadows in the mist, pushing it aside like buffaloes through reeds until they met Neith-Ka in the middle of the pinched court. Padded bands of cotton covered the men’s torsos, knees, and elbows, accentuating their already thickset forms. All wore helmets of shaggy, dark reddish-brown hair shorn from the scalps of Mayaban jungle bison, the centermost player wearing the animal’s arching horns atop his helmet. He ran his eyes up and down Neith-Ka with either a sneer or a leer. Or both. “You going to play against us in that puny linen tunic, woman?”

She could not deny the validity of his argument. Neither could she betray her resentment at the Ahau for not providing her with armor of her own. Not in front of this human gorilla. “I happen to think what I got suits my svelte curves better. As for you, big boy…all your curves go out instead of in.”

B’alaj laughed. “Khamitan or Mayaban, women will always be too vain to save themselves. These would be the Mutul Bison, our champions. It’ll be you against them, girl.”

He turned his head to face a third, even higher wall on the far end of the court, a vertical gold hood gleaming near its lip at the center. “There will be eight rounds, each ending when either team passes the ball through that hoop. The team with the most hoops after round ten wins. Play ball!”

With the hoarse blare of a conch trumpet, B’alaj tossed the ball high into the air. It shrank into a tiny dot within the sky before plummeting from its zenith, whistling through the wind as it swelled to the size of Neith-Ka’s skull.

Kicking herself up, she caught the ball between her fingers.

The Ahau puffed high-pitched notes through his conch twice. “One more rule I forgot to mention, my Khamitan guest. Never touch the ball with your fingers or palms, nor with toes or soles. Throw it up again.”

Shaking her disbelief away, Neith-Ka complied. She lowered herself to the court’s floor with clenched hands, keeping her eyes focused on the descending ball.

The leader of Mutul Bison beat her to it. With his elbow, he batted it towards one of his teammates. Neith-Ka leaped to intercept it, but a third player bumped her off course with his shoulder. She skidded over the court floor, the grit raking down her skin, until she crashed into the left wall. Her own followers hollered with horror while the Ahau and his nobles hooted with glee on the opposite wall.

Neith-Ka staggered up to find the Bison gathered farther away, below the hoop on the far wall. Their horn-helmeted leader had already knee-kicked the ball through it.

The conch screeched again. “Round one for the Bison!”

Neith-Ka fluttered her eyelids. She had only touched the ball once, and already these overgrown barbarians were on their way to beating her.

In a flash, the world turned dark gray before her. Firm rubber rammed onto her brow, flinging out white sparks.

Her vision cleared to show the Bison passing the ball between themselves with their elbows, shoulders, knees, and hips. So that was how these Mayaban players could move it around without palms or feet! How did the Ahau expect one princess from across the Western Ocean to match his best team?

He hadn’t expected that. He would never have arranged this ordeal if he had.

“Round two to the Bisons! C’mon, princess of Khamit, even you can do better than that. Right?”

The ball hopped back towards Neith-Ka. She did not miss this time. With one swat of her forearm, she redirected it to the left wall. It was now her entourage’s turn to hoot, the Khamitan guards pounding their spears on the stone alongside Huya with his staff.

Their jubilee halted once an opposing player claimed the ball with a strike of his shin. More passing between the Mutul Bison led right up to the hoop again, and B’alaj announced a third round win for his team with his conch.

There was no way Neith-Ka could overcome these giants. They had not only more muscle, but more practice and skill at their own game than she could ever achieve. She could not play ball the way they did.

Then why not play it the way I do with sisters?

The third time the ball returned to Neith-Ka, she slammed it down with the back of her hand. She countered its next launch with her forearm, bouncing it between her limbs and the floor as she ran to the far wall. Her people chanted her name with jubilant fervor as silence descended upon the Ahau’s side of the court. The Mutul Bison watched her, dumbstruck, as she sprang and flicked the ball through the hoop with her wrist alone.

A low drone emitted from the Ahau’s conch. “I guess Round Four goes to the Khamitan princess. Tell me, girl, what do you call that trick?”

“It’s a technique, and we call it ‘dribbling’. Want to see more of it?”

She had already reached past the court’s halfway point away from the hoop, the ball still thumping beneath her forelimbs, the Bison of Mutul stampeding after her. With a backward pivot of her leg, Neith-Ka dashed towards the far wall, parallel to her pursuers. Her supporters continued to embolden her with their cheering songs.

However, she did not count on one of the players sticking out his leg to trip her. As she fell, she had to roll aside to avoid the Mayaban team trampling her. They reclaimed the ball and scored.  

“Round Five to the Mutul Bison! Good work, my men!”

“Come on, that must count as a foul!” Neith-Ka cried out.

The Ahau grinned down at her with smug remorselessness. “Plenty of games allow tackling and roughhousing. Why not this one?”

After staggering back to her feet, Neith-Ka stormed over to the left side of the court, growling the vilest curses in her mind. If that Mayaban tyrant would not let his men play fair, why play this stupid game at all? An all-out war between Mutul and Khamit would resolve the problem with much more fairness. No… it would also mean much more bloodshed, death, and loss for innocent people. What could Neith-Ka, daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep of Khamit, do?

Something much lighter than the ball rebounded off the back of her neck and rolled to her feet. Her sandals.

The condition of their woven papyrus strands had not improved, but somebody had sown thick scrappy pads of rubber to their bottom. She looked up to the top of the left wall behind her, yet nobody new among the faces stared down at her with as much confusion as she felt. The only change in the heavens was the ascendant sunlight beaming down on her through the fading mist. “Thank you for this blessing, mighty Amun’Ra,” Neith-Ka whispered as she put on the padded sandals.

“Round Six to the Bison! Come on, Khamitan woman, stop dawdling and face my players once more!”

When Neith-Ka bolted over to catch the ball, she did so with the velocity of a cheetah in full sprint. Never had she ran with such a sudden burst of speed. In less than half a minute, she won back the ball. She zipped in circles around the befuddled Bison, taunting them as they lunged after her and crashed into one another.

The leader of the team threw himself between her and the hoop. “Don’t think you can outrun yourself out of this one!”

“I won’t,” Neith-Ka said. “I’ll jump.”

She jumped twice — once from the floor, the other off the dumb brute’s helmet. She batted the ball with her shoulder and won Round Seven.

The leader of the Mutul Bison threw his dented headdress on the ground and crushed it further under his feet in a ranting fury. “You can’t get away with that so easily!”

Neith-Ka cocked an eyebrow while still dribbling the ball. “Oh, really? Serves your team right for tripping me back in Round Five.”

“Let’s see if you can keep it up without your ‘improved’ footwear.”

Another teammate, the same one who had tripped Neith-Ka before, swiped the back of his hand at her. She vaulted away from harm with two back-flips, but lost control of the ball. The Bison of Mutul laughed among themselves with sadistic assurance as they bounded the ball between their bodies below the hoop.

Yipping the Khamitan war cry like a hyena on the hunt, Neith-Ka pounced onto the man next to receive the ball. One shove of her hips knocked it up into the hoop.

The Ahau blew his conch with a prolonged, bleating note. “Round Eight goes to Neith-Ka of Khamit, again. You heard that right, she won the last round.”

Everyone on her side of the court broke into a joyous dance of chants, hoots and clapping, the Khamitan guards clattering their spears onto their shields. Even Huya, the high steward, twirled his staff around his body in an ecstatic frenzy.

Neith-Ka could not resist the music of her victory. Yelling in triumph, she skipped and spun about like a desert dust-devil, taunting her exhausted opposition with shakes of her hips and backside.

“Hold up, you didn’t win the whole game,” Ahau B’alaj said. “You won thrice, but my Bison won the rest. Give me my spear and thrower!”

A servant handed him the quiver of weapons. The Khamitans’ celebratory dance ended when the Ahau fastened one spear to his thrower and aimed it down at Neith-Ka. “This is for my daughter!”

A girl screamed. Hurrying over from the left corner of the ball court, little Itzel embraced Neith-Ka by the legs with a defiant glare at her distant father. “You will not kill her, Father! I won’t let you!”

“Get away from her, my child!” the Ahau said. “She wanted to kill you, remember?”

“No, she didn’t mean to hurt me. I pulled on her hair and hurt her feelings. It’s my fault. Don’t kill her because of me.”

“What in Xibalba do you mean? I’m doing this for you, my little princess!”

“Then why won’t you listen to me?”

The rhythmic trebling of cicadas, and the chirping of jungle birds, passed through the silence that fell over the court. It ended with the clanking of B’alaj’s spear and thrower as they fell onto the bottom of his court, splintering in half.

He took off his feathered crown and held his head low. “You speak with more wisdom than I have ever known, my daughter. I shall have her pardoned, with not one drop of blood spilled. Neith-Ka, daughter of Amenhotep, will you accept my forgiveness?”

Neith-Ka nodded to him. “I forgive you in turn.”

Tightening her hug on Neith-Ka’s legs, Itzel looked up, her eyes still trickling tears. “Will you forgive me too, Princess of Khamit? I’m sorry I pulled your hair. I did it because these other girls in town said they’d be my friend if I gave them a lock of your people’s hair.”

She knelt to the child with a smile before playfully scratching her hair. “Those girls wouldn’t be your friends then. You need someone who will appreciate who you are as a human being.”

“But if I don’t make them like me, nobody will want to be my friend.”

Neith-Ka’s eyes verged on melting. She may have enjoyed plenty of sisters in Khamit, but it was true that girls born into the comfort of royalty didn’t always win the love of their less privileged peers. Even children could learn to resent their socioeconomic superiors.

“Hmm…perhaps, instead of pulling on Khamitan women’s hair, you need to show the other girls your positive qualities. Treat them with respect as you would your relatives. Share your toys, or your spare wealth…speaking of sharing—”

Neith-Ka took off one of her sandals. “Was this your work?”

Itzel grinned innocently while hiding her hands behind her. “My mother helped me with the sewing.”

“Maybe I should repay you, somehow. Hey, do you like playing ball, too?” Neith-Ka picked up the ball and twirled it on the tip of her finger. “Because, if you’d like, I could teach you to dribble like me.”

This and other short stories can be read in my self-published collection Beasts & Beauties.

[calliecat93]

Star Trek Episode 67-69

Elaan of Troyius: So this episode had a secent idea, having an arranged marriage to bring peace between opposing cultures but remain at odds during the voyage with Kirk trying to act as a diplomat between them. Elaan is... not a good character. She’s a spoiled brat who acts disrespectful to Kirk and outright ungrateful and argumenative to everyone. Though at the same time she IS being forced into a marriage that she doesn’t want and no one, not even anyone on the Enterprise, shows any sympathy... but again consideirng her attitude and behavior, she hasn’t given them much reason to. There was a decent idea here with culture clashes and could have gone into things the nuance of these arrangements since they are unfair, but there are reasons why it is that way. But the characters are unlikeable, the plot is nothing special, and the themes of opposing alien cultures was done better in episodes like Journey to Babel. Then they have Kirk put under a love spell... again. Seriously, was that necessary? Or was Kirk making out needed to give the episode something to look forward to? TBF he mostly kept it together and broke out of it without any problems, but still. We don’t need to throw a girl at Kirk to keep the plot spicy, just saying. Not gonna lie though, Spock and McCoy just standing there when they catch them making out and asking him if he’d step out to talk with themfor a moment was pretty funny. They look so displeased, haha! That being said not a great episode, not at all. 2/5.

Whom Gods Destroy: My memory could just be fuzzy after almost 70 episodes, but I think this is the first episode with a shapeshifting antagonist since The Man Trap. Shapeshifting plots are always fun. So Kirk and Spoxk get teapped in an insane asylum where the inmates have taken over. This... really doesn’t reflect well on how mental health is handled. For example the episode begins with saying that they discovered a medicine to cure mental illness. Despite there being various types, and they aren’t something that can just be cured and I doubt that changed in the future. It shows how badly of an understanding we had of it back in the 60’s. It sucks since having an episode about mental illness in different beings and how they are treated/mistreated in professional care could have been interesting. The main villain is an over-acting man child and neithe entertaining nor intimidating. I guess this episode is also where the whole ‘Kirk makes out with green-skinned alien women’ came from... honestly S3 is likely where most ‘Kirk is a womanizing skirt chaser’ comes form cause this season in particular really enjoys the ‘throw women at Kirk’ plot. I just zoned out after a while on this one. Oh and if you expect me to believe that Spock had a hard time identifying the real Kirk when he had done so easily in the past (ie What Are Little Girls Made Of?) then... sorry, nope. It’s not the worst episode, I liked it slightly better thant he last one, but once more not great. I would like to see a modern ST series tackle mental illness though, good thing I’ve got plenty of those up ahead. 2/5.

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield: Racism is an awful thing. I shouldn’t need to say that because it should be obvious to any rational person... but the recent years have made it clear that many of us aren’t rational beings. ST was made in the 60’s and at this time they were in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr’s asassination and the threat of the Cold War. While it’s easy to overlook now, ST was quite progressive at the time for featuring PoC in prominent positions, such as Kirk having had at least two officers ranked above him who were both Black men. We’ve seen various Black crew members, have an Asian man in a prominent command position with Sulu, and Nichelle Nichols story about the impact of Uhura is utterly beautiful. We even had an interracial kiss (a non-consensual kiss but still) which was controversial for the time. Now many of these things can be seem as not at all enough nowadays and it’s hard to disagree, but for the time these were HUGE deals and to appreciate progress, we must remember the steps taken to get there. And Star Trek was a big deal because they were willing to take those steps at a time where so much as including one non-White person would cause major backlash.

Why did I bring all of that up? Because in this episode we tackle racism head on. We have had other episodes tackle bigotry in some form, such as the Romulans intro episode where some officer was bigoted towards Soock for being Vulcan and Kirk made it very clear that he better get over that attitude. This one puts it in full focus. And... it gets it’s point across well enough, but it’s not perfect. The episode protrays the two sides as equally guilty for the hate and violence between them... despite it being ade VERY clear that the one man was driven to ciolence because the other side tormented and abused him and his people. I don’t condone violence and the end is very much tragic due to the continued hatred, but I think that the recent times have made it clear that blaming a side who was driven to violence because the other, much more powerful side tormented them into it... well, it’s not good to put it lightly. That being said, for the time, it has a powerful message and even if modern times reveals the flaws, the message of mutual violence and hatred against different races and how it can end in utter tragedy with everyone of both sides dead is a strong one. They also make sure that depsite what I said about the one side, the other isn’t presented as good either. We also see both spreading their view onto the crew, a third party who are dragged into it and have to try and deal with it without letting things escalate. With what was happening in the world at the time, it was probably necessary to have this kind of episode and as I said, it does so overall well. There were some strong scenes, like the three commanding officers initiating the self destruct sequences to try and force the enemy to returning the ship to it’s proper course. That was dang intense! The episode has it’s issues mainly due to the evolving times, but the message is still a strong one, and it is one that is needed even to this day. 4/5.

Nine episodes left to go. The seaosn has been... a thing. But there’s no turning back now. Three more tomorrow, we’ll see what’s in store then.

[zens-ponytail]

Hello!! Can I ask for a friend zoned MC feeling unrequited love to the RFA + V & Unknown which ends in a "I like you god damn it" confession?? And they like you back?? Thank youuuu (: I love your blog btw

Author’s note: sorry this is so rushed I have to post Saeran/V’s separate bc this is so long || So some of these aren’t as much confessions asthey are cute, BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM NONETHELESS ♥

Yoosung

“To the left, MC!!!! NO, YOUR OTHER LEFT!”

You smashed the buttons of yourcontroller down, hoping something good would happen

I have no idea what I’m doing.

“Uhh, Yoosung?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I just died.”

“WHAT?”

You set your controller down andglanced over at your best friend

His eyes were glued to the screen,tongue sticking slightly out just like it always does when he’s focused onsomething

The light from the monitor flashedwhite and Yoosung jerked forward, causing your knees to collide

You felt your face heat up at theskin on skin connection

“A-Ah, Yoosung?”

“Not now, MC, I think I can winthis!!”

Yoosung leaned over in front ofyou, trying to get a better angle of the screen

You got a whiff of Yoosung’s shampoo and your heart skipped a beat 

I don’t know how he smells this good after playing video games all day.

You involuntarily reached out andran your fingers through his hair

“…So soft.”

For a second you though you feltYoosung leaning into your touch

But that’s probably my imagination…

The screen flashed again andYoosung turned around to look at you

He was still leaning over on yourside, your faces now inches apart

“I won!”

Yoosung gave you a close eyedsmile

…That damn smile.

When you didn’t respond to him,Yoosung frowned

“What’s wrong, MC?”

“…”

Screw it.

You summoned every ounce ofstrength you had and closed the gap between his lips and yours

Before Yoosung could react, youpulled away

“U-Uhhh,” you looked at Yoosung’s brightred face, “Congrats on the win?”

Do it!! Tell him how you feel!

“Yoosung, I-“

“M-Me too.”

Zen

It was just another average frienddate with Zen

You, him, a small bistro, hundreds of fans all begging to get apicture with him

Just a normal day

“Zen, over here!!!”

“Sorry about the flash, I justHAVE to make sure it’s a good picture.”

“Are you stupid??? ALL of Zen’s pictures are good!”

You turned to look at your friend,who was soaking up as much of the limelight as possible

This dork…

He stood up and tapped on hisglass with a fork

“Ladies, ladies, you can all get a picture with your Zenny, just be patient!”

“Since when are you theirs?” you mumbled, crossing yourarms

Zen glanced back at you

Crap, did he hear me?

You gave him a big smile and athumbs up

That ought to throw him off his tracks.

Zen turned back to the sea of fans

“I’ll be outside in ten minutes,so if everyone could make a line outside, that would be perfect!”

In the blink of an eye therestaurant was empty again, a flood of screaming girls and guys retreatingoutside to wait for their prince

A sigh of relief escaped your lips as Zen sat down

“Are you mad at me?”

You looked down at your food andbegan messing with it

“Don’t play with your food, MC.”

“Okay, mom.”

He sighed, “If you aren’t going toanswer my question I’ll just go outside right now.”

Zen put his hands on the table andstarted to push himself up

“W-Wait.”

You grabbed his arm and pulled himback down

“I’m not mad at you,” you sighed, “I’mjust mad that we never get to spend time together like we used to.”

Zen put his hand on top of yours andleaned in toward you

“What do you mean? I see you allthe time up at work!!”

You stared at his hand

He’s touching me.

He’s holding my hand.

ZEN is holDING MY FREAKING-

“MC???”

You awkwardly coughed and pulledyour hand away

“Y-Yeah, uh no… what were wetalking about?”

Zen leaned back in his chair

“Never mind… let’s just eat.”

He lifted up his glass of water tohis lips

Those lips…

“I love you.”

“WHAT?”

“DAMNIT ZEN!”

You pushed away from the table andstood up

“You spit all over my shirt,” yougestured down to the wet material that clung to your chest, “my WHITE shirt!!’

“W-Well you said that you… youlove me.”

“Ah… that.”

And all of sudden, the floorbecame veryyyyy interesting

I wish I had the power of invisibility…

“MC, look at me.”

While you were contemplatingsuperpowers, Zen had taken the time to walk over and stand in front of you

“Nah, I think I’m good,” you continued looking down, “the floorhappens to be my favorite shade of… brown.”

A soft and warm hand tilted yourchin up, and your eyes met his scarlet ones

“I love you too.”

You slowly leaned in-

“ZENNY, WE’RE WAITING~”

Offff course.

Zen stepped back and glanced atthe girl peeking through the front door

There was the click of a cameraand a squeal, and she was gone again

Zen scratched the back of his head

“Sorry, I guess it’s-whoa whoa WHOA, what are you doing????

You flung your wet shirt over theback of the chair and shivered

“Man, this place is kinda cold,”you looked up and smirked, “then again, I am wearing just a bra.”

You heard a very inhumane noise come from the back of Zen’s throat

“The fans can wait.”

Zen grabbed your wrist and pulledyou into his chest, his lips crashing against yours

The beast was NOT contained thatnight

Jaehee

On your way out of the RFAbuilding you glanced at your watch

Damn… it’s already 11pm? I stayed waaaaayyyy too late.

When you walked past the break roomyou heard the familiar sound of the copy machine clunking turning on

“…damn Jumin and his damnreports-“

I wonder if that’s…

“-with his damn cat and the damncat wine.”

Yup, that’s Jaehee.

You peeked in the room and watchedas she stuffed a stack of papers into the copy tray

She wiped her hands on her skirtand sat in the chair next to the whirring machine

“You should go talk to her.”

“WhAT THE-“

Seven put a hand over your mouthand pulled you away from the door

Jaehee glanced up and sighed

“Anyone there?”

Seven removed his hand and youlowered your voice to a whisper

“What the hell do you want?”

He glanced at the breakroom andthen back to you, giving you his famous ‘I have an idea that could go horriblywrong or perfectly right’ look

“Good luck,” was all he saidbefore grabbing you and harshly shoving you in the breakroom

“WAIT-”

But it was too late

In a flash the redhead was gone,and you were alone with Jaehee

She looked up and smiled

“MC? I didn’t know you were hereso late! It’s nice to have some company.”

You stared at her, unsure of whatto say

S-So cute…

“U-Uhh, yeah…”

Jaehee stood up and stretched,letting out a tiny yawn

“How much longer does Jumin haveyou here?”

She picked up the warm copies fromthe tray and leaned up against the machine

“I just have to run this back tohis office and I’m done! At least, until he inevitablycalls me at midnight asking for more cat food…”

You walked with her to Jumin’soffice, continuing to listen to her rant about his late night antics

When the two of you finally gotthere, she plopped the papers in a box outside the door

“H-Hey, Jaehee?”

She glanced over at you

“Hmm?”

“You wanna go grab some late nightcoffee? Since, you know, Jumin should be calling you in about,” you checkedyour watch, “30 minutes.”

“Sure!! That’s exactly the pick meup I need, a nice little friend date!”

Hold up.

“…Friend date?”

“Yeah, I was thinking-”

“I like you. A lot.”

Jaehee stopped and turned to you

“A-As a friend?”

You stepped closer, “More than a friend.”

Her eyes widened and a deep blushspread across her cheeks

“Oh…”

“Oh?”

You felt your heart break in two

She doesn’t feel the same… dammit, this is why you never fall in love with a straight girl.

Tiny hands wrapped around yourown, causing you to look back up

Jaehee had a soft smile spreadacross her lips

“Me too… a-about the not friendthing.”

Her gripped tightened, “Not that I don’t consider you a friend! I’m just, well, what I’m tryingto say, or rather, what want to say-”

“Would you two KISS ALREADY???”

Both of your heads snappedin the direction of the voice

“Seven, whyyyyy are you still here?”

“Still?”

“Yeah, he was here earlier when-”

“-When I set you guys up!”

As you and Seven began arguing, Jaeheelooked between the two of you and sighed

She interlocked fingers with youand pulled you away

“Sorry, Luciel, but we have a dateto get to.”

You stuck your tongue out at himand he rolled his eyes

“Whatever… have fun you two lovebirdddssss!!”

You looked over at Jaehee andsmiled

Oh, we will.

Jumin

Dammit, he closed the blinds.

You rolled your chair closer and angledyour head in an attempt to see into Jumin’s office again

“Peeping tom much?

“Shut it.”

Zen sighed and leaned up againstyour desk

“I still don’t understand what yousee in him.”

You rolled your eyes and lookedover at Zen

“You promised you’d be supportive-

“-And I am,” he held up his handsin surrender, “I just think you could do better.”

“What? Like date you?”

“Well, not that much better.”

Zen smirked and you playfully hithim in the stomach

Within the next second the two of you burst out laughing

“Wow,” you wiped a tear from youreye, “I don’t even know why that was so funny.”

“Me neith-”

“MC,” Jumin’s voice boomed, “Can Isee you in my office?”

Zen raised his eyebrows and pushedhimself off your desk

“Good luck,” he glanced back,“with him, you’ll need it.”

You rolled your eyes and stood up,cringing when your knees made a loud pop

Could my body, like, not embarrass me? No? Alllllllrighty.

You walked into the room and Juminclosed the door behind him

“So, what’s up?”

Jumin turned around and sighed

“I believe some… congratulationsare in order.”

Huh?

“Did I get a raise?”

Jumin chuckled, taking one bigstep toward you

“No, I’m talking about you andZen.”

…Huh?

“I’m a little lost… what do youmean-”

“Your relationship. Are you notromantically involved with each other?”

“Huh?”

Said that one out loud this time…

You mentally kicked yourself, “Zenand I are just friends.”

“Just friends?”

“Purely platonic.”

Jumin scratched his chin,completely lost in thought

You took a deep breath

Here goes everything nothing.

“…I actually have my eye onsomeone else.”

Jumin snapped back into reality

“Who? If that, well, if it isn’ttoo much to ask.”

Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrap-

“Is it really not Zen?”

Oh my god.

“You know,” you grabbed his tie,“you’re pretty clueless for a CEO.”

In one gentle tug, your lipsconnected with his

After a few seconds, Jumin pulledaway

“So, it’s me then?”

You shook your head and grinned

“Of course, you-“

Jumin’s lips crashed on to yoursagain,his hands cupping your face

And let’s just say you were now verythankful for the closed blinds

Seven

“Wrench.”

“WRENCH!”

“Screwdriver.”

“SCREWDRIVER!!”

You grabbed the two tools fromSeven’s hand

“You know, you don’t have torepeat everything I say.”

“Repeat everything I-OUCH! MC, why’d you kick meeee?”

Seven hugged his shin and hoppedup and down

I’m surprised he has this much energy at 2 in the morning….

You looked back up at Seven, whohad miraculously gotten over his bruised shin and was chugging a can of Dr.Pepper

…Who am I kidding, he never sleeps anyways.

It had been about an hour sinceSeven called you asking for help fixing his chair

You had gone to the furniturestore IKEA anyone??? with him earlier that day and actually took the time to READ the damn manual

“Anddddd, done!”

You clapped your hands togetherand smiled

“Wanna test it out?”

Seven gave you a mischievous grin

“Don’t mind if I do!”

Before you knew it, Seven grabbedyour waist and pulled you into his lap, causing both of you to fall back intothe chair

It creaked under the combinedweight of you and Seven, but surprisingly remained stable

“Hey, you really did fix it!!”

Seven began spouting off nonsenseabout how crappy it was earlier, but you were too busy thinking about the factthat you were sitting

In his lap

INCHES away from his face

He’s so warm…

“-Plus, it kept making weirdnoises! I’m so glad you came over tonight.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Uh, earth to MC?? Agent 707calling, can you read me??”

You shook you head, zoning back in

Seven sighed, relaxing back intothe chair

“Thank God Seven you’re okay… I can’t have my best friend dying on me…literally,” Seven chuckled at his own joke

I love that little laugh.

“Dammit…”

Seven looked back at you

“What’s on your mind, MC?”

“You.”

DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD?

“W-What?”

Here we go.

“Seven, I like you.”

“You mean,” Seven furrowed hisbrows, “You like me, or you like-likeme?”

You rolled your eyes, how old is he again??

“You’re so ridiculous.”

Seven looked at you patiently

“I like-like you.”

You felt lips lightly press on the back of your neck

“Well that’s not fair,” Seventightened his grip on your waist, “because I love-love you.”

[10theredqueen01]

Dance with the Devil

Chapter One: I Hear Someone's Thoughts

Present day - 23/05/2017

"Death is death. Two need to die tonight." A quiet voice whispered in my ear. I shot up with a start and fell sideways, onto the floor. I heard laughing from all sides and I looked around to see that I was in class and everyone had just seen me fall from my chair and onto the floor. I grinned sheepishly at everyone.

"Is my class so boring Miss Black, that you feel the need to fall asleep?" I heard my teacher Mr. Valez ask me.

"Ummmm...no sir?" I asked, unsure of my own answer. He looked down his nose at me.

"Then why did you fall asleep during my class?"

"Well sir, I was up all of last night, finishing the assignment you gave us." I answered quietly.

He looked stunned for a moment and the rest of class sent giggles around the room, calling me a nerd and a no-life. They weren't wrong.

"Well Miss Black, did you get it done?" Mr Valez asked sounded sceptical.

"Ummmm...well yeah. I was going to give it to you after class but I could give it to you now if you'd like?" I suggested, feeling a little awkward on the floor at the feet of my teacher.

"Yes, Miss Black, I would like to see what you believe is a well completed assignment after only two class lessons." He sounded as though it would be fun to give me a detention.

I stood up and opened my bag, looking for the folder that contained my ancient history assignment. Upon finding it, I grabbed it and ripped it out of my bag. After setting it down on the desk, I opened the folder and flicked through the pages. I took each of the pages for my assignment-essay and handed them to Mr Valez.

Everyone in the class was silent as Mr Valez leafed through the assignment. He looked at me with distaste.

"Who did you choose for your historical figure, Miss Black, why did you choose them and what did you learn from them?

"Well-" I began but was suddenly cut off by Mr Valez.

"Why don't you present it to the class, Miss Black?" I was annoyed. First, is it such a terrible thing to fall asleep in a class with which I already knew all the content? Second, I am questioned as to why I had fallen asleep, and thirdly, I'm told to present on front of everyone in the class!? No. I was not just going to present it to the class, I was going to make it a show.

I looked up to see Mr Valez, looking down at me. I grinned a little. I slammed my assignment onto the desk in front of me and Mr Valez looked taken aback.

"Women in History! What do you think of them? Useless? Servants? Cowards? What part of history are you reading about? Cause it sure as hell isn't as interesting as the one I'm reading from. Women throughout history are described as being exactly what I called them. But do you know why this is the case? You don't?" I began, faking apprehension to the last question. Then I hardened my voice. "Well I do. Throughout history, women have been motivated to do spectacular and absolutely riveting deeds, from fighting off the Chinese or defending their town and home while the men were away doing the same elsewhere. I have read of women that despite all odds, have conquered lands and created working economies and basically creating a town on the water. The reason why women aren't acknowledged throughout history, is that men wrote the books. Ridiculous, right? Well luckily, there were a few women that couldn't escape the public eye and that those few were acknowledge as legends, warriors and many times over, saviours.

Ever heard of Ching Shih? Probably not. Want to know a little? You don't? Well too bad! Ching Shih, an amazing Chinese warrior and pirate lord who started off as a prostitute. After marrying her husband, ¬¬¬¬Zheng Yi, she then became a pirate, believing it was a better fate than being a prostitute. Sadly, her husband died pretty soon after and not wanting to return to her life as a prostitute, took control of her deceased husbands' fleet and created her own place. She lorded over these fleets which grew and grew! She made a name for herself and when she finally wanted to settle down, she disappeared into the country. Her fleets, continued to rule over the seas.

You think she's the only female pirate? THINK AGAIN!"

By now I had everyone's attention, including Mr. Valez, who was fuming. I had turned his normal lesson which would have been about the males through history into a lesson of the accomplished females who rarely got acknowledgement and he wasn't impressed. Everyone in the class was staring at me in wonderment as I continued. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see people gathering at the windows of the class, intrigued with what I was saying. Mr Valez saw this as well and he began to glare at me even more. I smiled. I knew I had dug this deep and I thought, 'In for a penny, IN FOR A POUND!'

"Throughout history, there have been many women rulers and pirate lords and war lords, who later became renowned. Penthesilea was a Queen of the Amazons, Nefertiti was a queen of the Nile, Artemisia was the woman ruler of Halicanassas. Cartimandua ruled the Brigantes, Lei-Tzu ruled China, Meryt-Neith ruled Egypt and Tzu-hsi was an Empress of China and Zenobia was a warrior queen of Palimyra, Syria.

The Trung sisters, Tru'ng Trac and Tru'ng Nhi, were Vietnamese war lords who fended off the Chinese for years before one day they were outnumbered. Before they were captured by the enemy though, they committed suicide, knowing that death was better than giving themselves to the enemy.

The Lady of Cao was a tattooed sorceress queen who was unearthed not many years ago, along with many others.

Grace O'Malley was a 16th century Pirate Queen of Ireland, who after her husband was killed by England took to the sea and ruled with an iron fist. She made people pay tolls for being in her waters and her fleet continued to grow and grow until eventually! The English couldn't ignore her any longer. They sent a fleet of ships after her. Scary, right? Well not for Grace. Grace destroyed the fleet and sent them back with only one or two. Her first title was Grainne Mhaol, from maol meaning bald or having cropped hair. She gained this title by cutting off most of her hair when her father tried to use her hair getting caught on the ship as an excuse to not take her on his expeditions. She gained the title 'The Dark Lady of Doona' when she took a tower simply for the reason that they killed her husband. She married a man for no other purpose than to gain land and locked him out of his own castle while crying out from the window 'Richard Burke, I Dismiss You!!!!', which during those times was the equivalent of a divorce. When she finally settled down, she made a deal with the English Queen herself. The deal was that she would stop being a pirate and would stop charging people for using the waters she owned if she was allowed to quietly disband her fleet, if her pirates were allowed to keep the loot they made and if she was allowed to quietly disappear.

Out of everyone throughout history, it has been women who have had the best adventures. Between revenge and freedom, it was women who changed the tides of battles. Mulan who dressed as a boy to save her father, and no! I do not mean the Disney movie. I'm talking about the real Mulan who started as being adept in her martial arts. Xun Guan charged into battle to alert her fathers' allies of what was happening in her province. She Was 13!.. So the next time you call someone a girl because they can't do something, or you say a girl can't do something, remember that there have been many 'girls' throughout history that could kick your ass and still have more left over for your best friend."

Everyone in the room and corridors was quiet for a peaceful moment as they all stood or sat there in wonderment. The eyes of the girls were flashing with pride and the boys had eyes filled with wonder.

All of a sudden, Mr Valez shot out of his chair, the only one with hate in his eyes and stormed to the front of the class and proceeded to lecture me.

"What do you think you're doing Miss Black? Not only have you disrupted my class but also the classes around us! Even Miss Jason's class from the other end of the hall has come to watch you make a fool of yourself!" I began to tune out. His lips were annoying me. How could someone be so annoying when I can't even hear what they're saying? I looked around the class, watching everyone in fascination. Their eyes were focused on Mr. Valez and myself. The boys had regained their bored look, a wonder leaving their eyes and the girls began to look down, the pride that made them sit up a little taller and look fierce was gone.

The students from other classrooms had begun to walk back to their classes with a few stragglers walking as slow as they could, avoiding going back to their classrooms where all they would be was bored to death. As I observed the students in my class again, I noticed one boy who was still watching me. His eyes hadn't begun to lose their fire yet. He looked at me questioningly and that was when I heard the string of thought that hung in the air.

'What are you going to do now? Your speech has ended and so has your spell...'

I looked back around and I knew that the thought was right. I listened closer to catch its last remaining tendrils.

'...You spoke of women who were fierce and frightening but will you follow in their footsteps?'

With its question still in my mind, I didn't even think. I looked straight at Mr. Valez. His face was as red as blood and if he was a cartoon, there would have been steam coming out of his ears. I began to listen into what he was saying again, trying to catch the remnants of his lecture

"Do you think this is a joke!? Are you even listening to me right now Miss Black?" He stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to answer him. I waited a moment before answering him, purposefully annoying him.

"No, I wasn't." I stated matter-of-factly. Peoples' eyes looked up and straight at me, surprise evident in their faces, while I noticed the boy at the back of the class looking at me curiosity. It was his thought that I had heard and he knew that I was standing up to Mr Valez because I had seen something when I looked at him. "I really wasn't listening to you Mr. Valez. Quite frankly your lecture was boring and I couldn't help but zone out. Not only that but you are a sexist pig who only teaches of the males in our history and not the women who were to be feared, and don't even think I haven't caught you staring at the girls in your class inappropriately. Staring at their breasts and ass as if they're a piece of meat for you to objectify."

If Mr Valez was annoyed before, he was absolutely furious now, to the point where smoke coming out of his ears would have been completely reasonable and as he opened his mouth, I knew that I would be late to my bus this afternoon.

"DETENTION!"

And there went my relaxing afternoon at home.

[labellerose-acheron]

1,3,5,7,8,9,12,23 for all

1: Do you have a crush at the moment?

Belle: her HUSBANDSimba: BERLIOZZ Toulouse: tbh we don’t fuckin know Bambi: uhhhh theo (but also /whispers: dash)Perdita: paul she guessesSweet: nah not particularly...he did like bridgetteMaui: pfft noAttina: ROBIN!!!!Hercules: all cute pretty nice girls--kiki, elena, georgette, he loves all of them he’s hopeless help himAkela: no :’(Peach: nah she ain’t got time for crushes she’s climbin that social ladderUrsula: hera probably lbr. mel when she meets her... her girls at the court

3: Longest relationship you've ever been in?

Belle: a year on thursday!! w hades obviSimba: two years, end of this month--with berliozToulouse: his marriage lol which when you think about it they only dated for like 3ish months. my poor bab Bambi: theo!! officially for like 2 months, but unofficially for like pffft 6-7?Perdita: paul -- 2ish years where the fuck are theySweet: 6 years, his ex-fiancee fuck you annaliseMaui: neverAttina: her first boyfriend, they dated for like 9 monthsHercules: his girlfriend in egypt he dated her for like 6 monthsAkela: his wife I CRY they were married for like 15 yearsPeach: lol phillip so like 3 monthsUrsula: has never had a steady relationship

5: How is your relationship with your ex?

Belle: doesnt really have an ex? i mean she went on a few dates in secondary, then there was adam...they never dated tho but that relationship is a bit strained Simba: his second girlfriend and him are still on good terms, they don’t ever talk but they’ll like occasionally like a big life event of the others. his last bf tho ahha he hates andrewToulouse: lol he pretends she doesn’t existBambi: doesn’t have an exPerdita: well they’re back together now so great! (hates her first bf and will punch him in teh face if she ever sees him.)Sweet: if there was a person sweet hated, it’d be annalise. since she outed him as a magick and made him lose his job.Maui: doesn’t have oneAttina: heh well she erased his memories so, that’s,, not goodHercules: they still keep in like--vague touch. Akela: doesn’t have an exPeach: doesn’t have an exUrsula: doesn’t have an ex

7: Have you ever cheated?

Belle: no.Simba: hell no. but been cheated on (by like lol most his relationships)Toulouse: would never tbh; has also been cheated on (tho #unconfirmed)Bambi: no but lowkey probably wouldPerdita: nope. but guys have cheated on their gfs w herSweet: probably he tries not to think about itMaui: nope but def has slept w girls who have bfs. has tried to be mroe careful these days bc #prnightmareAttina: lol all the time, literally every relationship if they didn’t just dump her from the startHercules: no!! my pure baby how could u do that to himAkela: nope! his wife and him loved each other v muchPeach: no but she’d def cheatUrsula: nah but has seduced ladies away from their husbands

8: Would you date someone who's well known for cheating?

Belle: no, she already has trust and abandonment issuesSimba: he would have to consider it, but if he really loved the person, yesToulouse: nope. cheaters are vile.Bambi: sure why not--just don’t cheat on mePerdita: sureSweet: not if like--everyone knows about it and it’s obvious but if his partner like confessed they had done it in the pastMaui: eh sureAttina: definitely not lolHercules: probably he’s so sweetAkela: certainly notPeach: eh sureUrsula: if you cheat on her she’ll do really bad things to you so yeah, she would date a cheater but fuckin watch it

9: What's the most important part of a relationship?

Belle: having someone you can depend on and share your life with; who loves and supports you and encourages you to be betterSimba: love--everything about it: snuggles and kisses and sharing a life together and going places together and having a person that’s yours and you’re theirs.Toulouse: trust. companionship. loyalty.Bambi: is too young really to know the meaning to this questionPerdita: a partner in crime.Sweet: understanding, companionship, pure, unadulterated love, chosen family, wanting to help each other achieve greatness. Maui: sex.Attina: having a person who is loyal to you and who loves you for who you are and accepts you and family!! of course!Hercules: companionship. unflappable loyalty.Akela: a mate. a partner. a family.Peach: status.Ursula: relationships are for weak people

12: How many people have you ever hooked up with?

Belle: kissed 4 or 5; slept with 1Simba: slept with probably around ehh 20 (if we don’t count the cross-europe depressed-sex-a-thon that number drops down to like 7-8)Toulouse: jesus i don’t even know so many, like 20ish is probably a good number could be more, def not less he’s been hooking up continuously since he was like 14.Bambi: virgin bab but he’s kissed uhhhhhh 3 now? /squints ber, theo, why do i feel like there was someone elsePerdita: the number scares me tbh 30+Sweet: a solid 10 probablyMaui: he’s making his way up to 20ishAttina: kissed around 20 probably, slept with 2Hercules: kissed around 3, slept with 1Akela: has only ever been sexually involved w one personPeach: kissed 1, lil virginUrsula: lots man, lots.

23: How many relationships have you had? 

Belle: one, with her HUSBANDSimba: 5! if we are just counting his ~official relationships and not like cute little kid ones. Catherine (dated for 6 months --16), Kamaria (dated for 10 months--17-18), Megan (dated for a little under a year 19), Andrew (20-21), and Berlioz (24~)Toulouse: 2, with Anita (dated for about 3 months) and there was probably some girl when he was like 16 idk let’s name her Sabine, sure. they dated for a summer so 3 months.Bambi: 1, with theo--currentPerdita: 2, one with her ex when she was 15 connor...i think that was his name.../checks yes i was riGHT they dated for like 6 months. then paul, obviously.Sweet: i’d sayyy 6? probably. his first relationship was a girl, named -- julia (dated about a year--17-18), dated someone in college probably the whole time bc sweet is a long term relationship kinda guy, let’s call herrr alexandra (dated about 3 years 20-23); his first male relationship was in med school so he was like 25, they dated about 2 years probably -- raymond was his name. then uhh he was p busy for a while, didn’t date again until he was like 30, that’s when he met his ex-fiancee, they dated from the time he was like 30-35 i think that works w my timeline /squintsMaui: never datedAttina: im just gonna list them bc it’s exhausting: Ross, Collin, Warren, Jamie, Dylan, Randall, Jamie, Tyler, Aaron, Oscar, Liam, Stewart, Anthony (these are in reverse chronological order)Hercules: neith, from egypt, they dated when he was 16-17Akela: his WIFEYPeach: phillip.Ursula: lots of hook ups

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three: The Midday Vision

Word Count 2.9k

Warnings: angst, mentions of physical harm

A week has gone by and you have been watching Daario's movements like a dragon stalking its prey. Hvitserk laughs at you for it but this is your people's lives at stake here, and you will watch him until you leave Wessex. Until that day, he will be under your radar. Ivar has been sending letters back and forth since the day you got to England, but you have only written him twice. So that is what you will do today, write to your beloved while Hvitserk takes on your responsibilities for an hour or so. 

Hvitserk "He is probably worried sick-"

"I know, I know. It just has slipped my mind. I feel horrible!"

Hvitserk "I am sure that he is fine, kitten. I will watch Daario while you write your letters. Come find me when you are done, yes?"

"Of course."

Hvitserk "Good," he kisses your lips before taking a step back, "I love you." 

"I love you too." And then he shut the door behind him and left you to your thoughts. 

You gathered your writing instruments and sat down at your table. You thought of what to say and how to say it for a good while before you actually put your pen to the parchment. Eventually, you took a deep breath and began to write:

Dear Ivar, 

Please forgive me for not writing back sooner, my priorities have been taking up my time and writing has just left my mind. I have taken your advice and have been watching Daario's every move and as of now, he has been staying true to his word. He has been kind and gentle to my people, he has been teaching the young to fight, and has been guiding people in my village. Hvitserk has changed his opinion on the man, which puts my mind at ease quite a bit. I hope that you have been well, my love. I miss you dearly. I plan to be home by the weeks end, if not sooner. I love you Ivar, see you soon my king.

Yours, Y/n.

You hurried your way down the stairs to reach your letter carrier and he left with great haste. You smile as you look behind you to see your dragon's. You walk your way to Ryuu, Neith and Eldr, and you sit down beside them all.

"I miss your daddy, y'know." Eldr scuffs some heat out of his mouth. "What?! I do. This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing Ivar." Eldr places his head down by your feet, for you to feel some comfort. "We will go home soon, my loves. Just one more day or so, I just need to make absolutely sure-"

Daario "That what..?" You jolt up and look behind you, "that I won't burn this place to the ground."

"I'm sorry-"

Daario "No, don't be. If you weren't watching me like a hawk, then you would not be a good queen. I respect you Y/n."

"Thank you."

Daario "So, you really talk to them do you?"

"Of course I do. They understand me and I understand them."

Daario "Oh yeah? Are they talking now-"

"I know that you must find it absurd but-"

Daario "Not at all. I am just trying to understand this whole dragon thing. Before I met you, I thought that dragon's were a myth."

You giggle, "Well as you can see, they are very much real."

Daario chuckles, "Yes they are."

"So mainly it is all psychological. When I look into their eyes, I can tell what they are saying."

Daario "That is a true gift."

"Mmm," you look up at Neith, "I got to raise them, that is the true gift."

Daario "I swear, you are the most selfless person I have ever met. Especially given the fact that you rule over two kingdoms."

"Thank you, but I only rule over Wessex. My husband rules Kattegat."

Daario "I am confused."

"I only feel that I rule over England, I do not feel like I rule over Kattegat."

Daario "Well in that case, I am more than grateful to lead by your side in England, my queen."

"Well technically-"

Daario "I know, you won't be here.." you nod, "but it's still a nice thought to think about." You pause but you feel a pair of familiar hands grab the small of your back.

Hvitserk "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for the two of you."

"Sorry Hvitserk, Daario was just asking me about my dragon's."

Hvitserk "Oh yeah? They are incredible aren't they?"

Daario "Truly. I guess I should go and check on everyone. It was lovely talking to you."

"You as well Naharis.." you watch him walk away and join your people at one of your homes. 

Hvitserk "He got a little too close there..for my liking."

"Flirting, but he is a man Hvitserk. He can't help himself."

Hvitserk "I warned him not to ever-"

"I believe you. But look at me," he looks away from Daario and down into your eyes, "We are going home soon, and he will be far away from all of us, okay?"

Hvitserk sighs, "Fine."

"I don't wish for your day to be ruined over a little flirt."

Hvitserk "It's not, kit..I just don't like when people look at you like you are a meal. It infuriates me. After all you've been through, I find it my life's duty to protect you." You pull him in for a warm yet hard embrace and hold him close for a while.

"You do protect me Hvitserk. You keep me safe and warm..and loved." He smiles, "Ever since the day we met, you've kept me safe. But once our daughter is here, I need you to protect her more than me."

Hvitserk "I-"

"Promise me Hvitserk." He loses eye contact, "Our daughter's life comes first. No matter what, you keep our daughter safe."

Hvitserk "I swear it, Y/n. But that does not mean that I won't not protect you."

"Of course it doesn't. But if there ever comes a day where it is between me or our daughter to save, save our little girl." Hvitserk looks away to hide his tear that was falling from his eyelid. He quickly wipes it away and clears his throat before looking back at you. 

Hvitserk "I will." You smile and nod, "But let us pray to the gods that there will never come a day where I have to save only one of you.."

"Yes. Now, let us have a good day today."

Hvitserk "With you, it's always a good day."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Back in Kattegat:

Ivar has been having sleepless nights without you in his arms. He has been worrying nonstop, waiting for you to write back to him. He has gone to Ubbe, asking for his guidance but he has been brushing him off and telling him, "she's with Hvitserk, she is fine." He knows that is a fact, but he also knows that something could have happened to the both of you. So he waits and waits for your letter to arrive. As he waits, he sits on his throne, motionless. When all of a sudden, he hears none other than his own brother scream out his name from outside those double doors. He is in a panic that he crawls his way to the doors instead of walking to them. He looks around and does not see his brother so to save time, he gets into his carriage and commands his horse to ride to the noise. When he finds Ubbe, he is sitting on the ground with tears in his eyes.

Ivar "Ubbe, what is it?!"

Ubbe "It is Y/n. Something is going to happen to her-"

Ivar "What are you talking about?"

Ubbe "A vision Ivar. I had a vision-"

Ivar "A vision..during the day?"

Ubbe "Yes, brother. We both know that that has never happened to us before."

Ivar "Tell me.."

Ubbe "There is this woman. I could see her like I am seeing you right now. She goes into their chambers Ivar.." Ivar's eyes start to water as he anticipates what he is about to say next. "She takes Hvitserk's dagger and.." Torvi's eyes are red from crying, as she looks up at Ivar.

Ivar "And what?"

Ubbe "She kills them both." Ivar's tears overflow now. "She goes to the extent of slitting her belly..Ivar. She kills all of them."

Ivar "I, how..what?" He is in shock and he cannot truly make out what to say.

Ubbe "We need to go Ivar, we are losing the sun!"

Ivar "Did you see her face?"

Ubbe "Wha-yes! Ivar we need to go! If we wait any longer, we won't make it by nightfall!" Ivar does not waste anymore time before he rides out of Kattegat, heading straight to you. Ubbe hurries his men to join him while Torvi takes over Kattegat. 

Torvi "Come on boys..please save them..please save them." She says over and over as she cries, fearing that they will not make it to England in time.

~•~

Ivar looks up at the sky as he forces his horse to run like the wind, seeing the sun fade away and into the horizon. He fears that he will be too late and he would see his family gone, right in front of his eyes. He knew by the sound of his brother's screams that it had to deal with his wife. Why else would he scream? Why else would he be on his knees, crying? You are loved, Hvitserk is loved, and your unborn child is loved so much that the thought of losing you three is bone chilling. 

Ivar "Come on...COME ON!" He continues to hit his horse but the horse is physically incapable of going any faster but he cannot help himself. He is out of breath, even though he is not the one running. His heart is already in pain with the picture in his mind of how horrible it would be to witness such a scene. 

Ubbe "We're not going to make it, brother!" He shouted from his horse that is racing beside his carriage.

Ivar "We are going to make it!" He shouted back at him. His voice cracking from the sadness he is trying to hide. If anyone has to be strong, it is him. And he will be strong, and he will make it. He has too.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Wessex England:

As the sun settled behind your kingdom and below the hills surrounding it, you felt the sense of unease. So as a gut instinct, you stay very close to Hvitserk. Practically joint at his hip. Daario notices your change in behavior and immediately goes on high alert. 

Hvitserk "Y/n, are you alright? You seem frightened."

"I have this unnerving feeling."

Hvitserk "Tell me what you are feeling."

"I have this sickening feeling and almost an electrical pain going across my belly.."

Hvitserk "What?!"

"I already looked, there is nothing there."

Hvitserk "Is sh-"

"She's still kicking..yes."

Hvitserk "Then why are you feeling this?"

"I am not sure. I just feel like something is coming. I just don't know what."

Hvitserk "I don't want you out of my sight, do you hear me?"

"I'm not going anywhere, you asked what was wrong so I was not going to hide what I have been feeling since the sun went down." 

Hvitserk "Well, I believe you Y/n. I'm not going to let anything happen to you-"

"Funny.."

Hvitserk "What?"

"I was just telling you if it ever came down to me or our daughter, save our daughter."

Hvitserk "She is still in your womb, kitten...so right now, I am watching over you."

"What did I ever do to deserve such a protector?"

Hvitserk "Just you being you. Anyone who meets you loves you Y/n. Everyone who meets you wishes to protect you."

"Why? I don't understand that. I am just an normal person-"

Hvitserk "It is because you have been through so much trauma that you did not deserve, everyone is aware and wishes to give you a new and safe life. And you are far from normal Y/n. You are a mother of dragons, how is that normal?" He bursts out laughing and so do you.

"I guess you are right. I love you, you know that."

Hvitserk "Of course I do."

"Good." You rest your head on his shoulder and rest your mind. That is until you hear a woman shout behind you. Hvitserk takes out his sword and so do the guards that are around you at all times. You find Daario holding a woman by her mouth, keeping her silent. 

"Daario! What is the meaning of this!?"

Daario "She was going to kill you!" He holds up the dagger that she had in her hand. You walk up to her, to conform Daario's own words.

"Is this true?" She does not answer at first, but she nods because her mouth is still covered by Daario's large hand. You look up at him, confused. "But why did you wish to harm your queen?" She forces Daario's hand off of her mouth and Hvitserk holds his sword up to her throat.

Hvitserk "Try anything, and you'll meet your precious God in the matter of seconds."

"I am unarmed-" she said.

Daario "Yeah, you are now-"

"What was your reason?!"

"You should not be queen! Any spawn of your fathers will destroy this kingdom and its people. This kingdom needs new blood, new reigns..not you." She said with a straight face. 

"I am sorry that you feel that way. But I am nothing like my father. I love my people and I love my kingdom, I would never do anything to put it in jeopardy."

"Funny, that is what your father used to say-"

"I burned my father alive." She takes a step back. "I am not my father. I got rid of my father. I am aware of what he has done, who he has killed..I am also aware of everything that he has done to me, to which I think that you have no idea about." She does not respond, "So do not kill someone who is trying to save her kingdom. Do not kill someone who loves her people."

"..I..I am sorry." She finally said, but before you could answer, you hear horses coming from behind you and by your gate. 

"Hvitserk.."

Hvitserk "Get behind me." Daario lets go of the girl and gets beside Hvitserk to guard you. Your dragon's fly to the top of your palace to get a clear shot if you demand them to kill. 

"Wh-is that..Ivar!?" Hvitserk puts away his sword and sighs out of relief to see his brother's instead of a whole unexpected army. "What is he doing here?" You walk up to your husbands carriage, confused.

"Ivar, what are you-" he pulls you into his chest, stopping you from talking. He is shaking and he is sobbing. 

Ivar "I made it..oh gods, I made it."

"You knew?..How did you-"

Ubbe "Hey sis." And then it clicked, he must have had a vision. 

"What did you see Ubbe?"

Ubbe "I saw that woman," he points to the woman that is being held back by Daario, "come into your chambers and kill the three of you."

"Our chambers..but it just happened?"

Ubbe nods, "Sometimes visions are not exact, but they show the true fate of the one's that you love."

Ivar "So this is the woman."

"Ivar-" He does not listen to you. He makes his way passing his brother and grabbing the woman by her throat, shoving her up against the wall of your palace.

"..please..don't kill me.." she tries to get out. 

Ivar "If you ever try to kill my wife, my brother..and my unborn child again, I will crucify you..do you understand me?" She cries out, agreeing and pleading for her life. "The only reason why your neck is not broken is because my wife is behind me. And I know that she would not wish to see you die. She has too good of a heart."

"I am so sorry, my queen." You do not respond, only stare. "Please forgive me. I was not thinking, I was only remembering all that your father put my family through!"

"Understood, Ivar..let her go." He lets go over her throat and she runs to you, kneeling her your feet. 

"Please..forgive me. I am truly sorry!" She said, crying and shouting for forgiveness.

"Please stand." She does so and you take her hands in yours, "I forgive you. But I need you to think before you act. If Daario was not here to stop you, me and my child would be dead by your impulse. Think before you act and only act if you have facts and knowledge on the person you wish to kill."

"My queen, I am so-"

"I have already told you that you have been forgiven. I will give you a second chance, please do not fail me."

"Yes, my queen."

"Go to your mother." She runs away and rejoins her mother and siblings. You look in front of you and see Ivar, Hvitserk and Daario shocked but proud. 

"Hello..my beloved." He couldn't help himself from giggling.

Ivar "Hello, my sweetheart."

@hvitserkmarcosource @heavenly1927 @saldelys @youbloodymadgenius @ivarsgoddess @conaionaru @readsalot73 @a-mess-of-fandoms @houseoftoomanyfandoms @dreamycream17 @nevlahhh @krissydclayton93

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Scare

Word Count 3k

Warnings: slight angst, heavy fluff

The day after your father's attempt to end your life, you finally gave your best friend a proper burial. You and her mother wept the entirety of that day which you knew was bound to happen. You lost Thyra and you can never bring her back, but her mother informed you continuously that it was not your fault. But deep down, you will always feel a sense of guilt because the man that took her life was none other than your own father. Nonetheless, she is in a better place and is having the best time with the gods above, which brings you as well as her mother, some comfort to this tragedy. After Thyra was buried, her mother went back to Wessex, but not without having this conversation with you:

Helga "Thank you, Y/n. The burial was beautiful."

"Mmm, I am glad that I could do that for her. She did not deserve this." You began to cry again.

Helga "No she didn't, but in the end, she died for what she felt was the right thing to do."

"I would much rather have her here than her gone, Helga. She did not have to sacrifice herself-"

Helga "Your father didn't give her that chance. He killed her because she never left your side. She loved you, she still loves you."

You sniffle, "I loved her all the same. She was my sister, even if we weren't blood, she was always my sister." She nods and wipes a tear off of your cheek.

Helga "And you were hers, my sweet girl."

"Well on the plus side of life as we know it, the king is dead and Wessex will be safe again."

Helga "Oh, that is wonderful isn't it?" You nod, "But who will rule the kingdom?" You still have not thought of the concept because of all of the chaos, so you do not know what to say to her.

"I-For right now, I would like for you to gather a list of good men and women that you think will suit for being in charge, and send me the list. Once I have the letter, I will return to Wessex and give the final decision."

Helga "In charge?"

"Exactly. You see, they will not be a king nor a queen but the kingdom needs a sense of guidance and leadership in order to stay a kingdom." She nods, "But I will return every chance I get to check on everyone, especially you Helga." She smiles, "And as for a king or queen, my daughter will be queen of Wessex when she is of age."

Helga "Oh Y/n, that is so wonderful!"

You smile, "Yes. But my ruling is beside my husband. Wherever he is, I am. Ivar is the king of Kattegat, therefore I am the queen of Kattegat."

Helga "I understand."

"So, when the time comes, my daughter will rule with honor and dignity."

Helga "And so she shall."

"Now, you get home safely, yes?"

Helga "Yes. Thank you again sweetheart."

"You are so welcome." You hug and say your goodbyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five Days Later…

Ivar has sent a letter to the prince of Kiev to ask for his approval of traveling to visit. It is only a waiting game as of now. 

Hvitserk "He is just going to love you, Y/n."

"Oh yeah?"

Hvitserk "Yes. He is a sucker for beauty such as yours." He caresses your cheek, making you blush.

Ivar "Yes but this time, I will be going there with my own queen." He smiles.

"A very pregnant queen, at that." You say as you rub your growing belly and sigh because you feel huge. You still have a few months to go before your little goddess joins the world but you think to yourself, 'how am I going to get any bigger than this?!'

Ivar "You are glowing, my sweet. You are more than perfect."

"Thank you, my love." He leans down and kisses your lips, "I'm just so excited to meet her."

Hvitserk "She will bring so much joy to our lives."

Ivar "Oh that is certain. As soon as she is born, she will be a new and bright, shining light in all of our lives." You smile at the thought. You and baby girl have gone through so much together and she hasn't even been born yet. She will be told stories about how strong she is and she will learn of her legacy and past ancestors. She will know all and then she will make her own story, create a wonderful life for herself, as you did. 

Hvitserk stands up from sitting down on a tree stump and walks over to join his brother in eating some chicken wings. You use your belly as a table as you snack on little bits of whatever you could find. You catch Ivar just staring at you and smirking.

"What?"

Ivar "Oh nothing." Hvitserk chuckles.

"What is it? You were staring."

Ivar "What?! I cannot stare at my beautiful wife?" He shouts, making you giggle. 

"But I am just eating, how can I be-"

Hvitserk "It does not matter, you are always beautiful, Y/n." You don't know what to say. They make you feel so special and so loved that you are lost for words most of the time. 

"Thank you, Hvitserk." He winks at you and continues to eat. After a few minutes, Ubbe and Torvi come join you three outside, enjoying the weather. Today is the first warm day of the year which brings your heart joy and warmth. 

Torvi "Uh, it is so lovely today." She says as she sits down next to you.

"It is."

Ubbe "Maybe it will melt the little snow that we have left." 

"I'm sure that my dragons are enjoying this weather.." you say as you look over at them, playing with each other. 

Ivar "Mm, do you remember when they experienced their first snowfall, my love?" 

"Oh of course I do. They were so small." You smile at the memory, "Their eyes sparkled!"

Ivar smiles, "It was the cutest thing!"

Hvitserk "Where was I?"

"On a trade shipment with Ubbe." He nods as if he remembered.

Hvitserk "Now we have new memories with them-"

Ubbe "And many more to come, aye?!"

You smile, "They are such a blessing, aren't they?"

Torvi "A true gift from the gods, just like your daughter." She places her hand on your belly.

"Mmm." That's all you can say, really. You are just so grateful to be carrying this miracle child in your core that you can only say the bare minimum. 

Ubbe "So, has Prince Oleg sent a letter yet?" 

Ivar "Not yet. He will though, I am sure of it."

Hvitserk "Will you be coming with us, brother?" Ubbe looks over at Torvi and she looks saddened. She hates it when Ubbe is gone for long periods of time, and if he were to go, he would not be home for two weeks. So Ubbe thinks for a moment before answering his brother. 

Ubbe "I do not think so."

Ivar "And why is that?"

Ubbe "Because I would like to stay home with my wife and children." Torvi smiles.

Ivar nods, "I see, well, will you look after Kattegat while we are away, huh?"

Ubbe "Of course." You three spend some time together before you all had to attend to your responsibilities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Few Hours Later…

"Do you hear that?" Ivar looks over at where the sound is coming from and nods.

Ivar "You go inside and rest-"

You and Ivar have been helping around the village: checking in your people, feeding them and making sure of their wellbeing, while Hvitserk and Ubbe tended to the hunting. You were just about to go inside to rest your body when you heard commotion going on by your dragon's resting rock. 

"No, I can rest later." You don't let him respond before you walk off and towards your dragon's. Once you see what the noise was, you were infuriated.

"Hey! They are not toys, get off of them!" To your shock, there are children attempting to get on top of your dragon's, making them very irritated.

Ivar "Aye, you four, c'mere!" Once Ivar joined your side, the kids left your dragon's alone. When the four boys got in front of you two, they could not look either of you in the eye. 

"Why would you do that to them? They are not a playground." 

"I am sorry, my queen." They said.

"You could have gotten seriously hurt, boys. I care for your safety, as well as my dragon's safety. So please, do not attempt to get on them anymore. Do you promise?"

"We promise." The eldest one said for the four of them.

"Right...you boys run along now." They scatter as soon as you give the order. But soon enough, their parents come to you, begging for their forgiveness.

Ivar "The only person or person's allowed on those dragon's are your queen and I."

"I understand completely, my king." The mother said, "I turned away from them for a second and-"

"They are fast kids." The father said.

"I understand, truly I do. Anything can happen in a matter of minutes or even in the matter of seconds. Your children could have gotten seriously hurt."

Ivar "It is a good thing that your queen heard them in time."

"And I am forever in your debt, my queen." The mother said. 

"All I ask from you is to keep a better eye on your boys. I might not be able to come to their aid the next time something occurs."

Ivar "In fact, isn't that your job, hmm? As their parents, you two should watch over them and keep them safe, no?"

"Yes!" They both said.

Ivar "Then keep them safe by keeping them close. If those dragon's weren't kind and gentle, your children could have been eaten in seconds. Do you understand?" They nod.

"Good. Now, I suggest you inform them of what we told you."

"Of course, my queen." The father said. 

"Very well, if you'll excuse me." You walk past them and towards your dragon's who are very agitated. You place your hand up for them to sniff you. Once they do, their senses calm instantly.

…

"I know, I'm here." Neith lays her head down by your feet so that you can pet her scales. 

"I won't let anyone use you as their playground. Any of you." You say as you look over at your boys. They blink at you so that you know that they understand you. 

"Tomorrow, we can go flying, how does that sound?" All three of them bolt their heads upwards in a playful manner.

"I will take that as a yes." You laugh. You feel a pair of arms wrap around your waist. 

Ivar "Are they okay now?"

"They are. They were just confused is all."

Ivar "Mm, I could only imagine how that made them feel."

"I told them that I would fly with them tomorrow. We haven't done that in such a long time..just me and them."

Ivar nods and kisses your forehead, "Just be safe while you fly, hmm?"

"I will." He smiles and takes you inside for the both of you to rest.

As night fell, all you could think about is taking a warm bath and then placing your head on a cold pillow and falling asleep. Your feet were swollen and your legs felt like they were going to break in half so you figured that a warm bath would suffice. Therefore, you asked for a maiden to run one for you, to which she obliged. 

Ivar pulls you into his side while you wait for the water to fill up. When you are in his arms, you forget all about being sore. 

Ivar "A bath will help, my sweet."

"Mm, I know." 

Ivar "Oh look," he looks at the entrance, "the idiot's are back." 

"Hey.." he laughs.

Ivar "Sorry, I know." Hvitserk smiles as soon as he locks eyes with the mother of his daughter. He makes his way over to you and he sees how swollen you are and he frowns.

Hvitserk "Are you alright?"

"Oh I am fine. Just been on my feet for too long. The maiden's are running me a bath."

Hvitserk "Oh good." He kisses your head.

Ivar "Any big catch today, my brothers?" 

Ubbe "Three deer, a few rabbits.."

Ivar "That is good. Now that it is getting warmer, more food to catch aye?"

Ubbe nods, "That is true." 

"My queen, your bath is ready."

"Wonderful, thank you dear." She bows and tends to other matters. "I will be out soon."

Ivar "Do you need help getting in, my love?"

"I think that I can manage." You offer a warm smile before wobbling your way to the bathroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you undress to get into the tub, you realize how hard it is to balance by yourself. Your feet are the size of pumpkins *to you, they feel like they are* and your legs feel like they are about to go numb from the aching. You try and hurry to get yourself into the tub before you physically can't do it yourself. But in rushing, you fall short of breath and have to take a breather by the vanity. You look at yourself in the mirror and realize that this feeling is not a burden, it is a pleasure to be able carry a human within you. This calms down your breathing but you hear a knock on the door, making you hurry up to cover yourself.

"Uhm, who is it?"

Hvitserk "It is me."

"Oh, come in." When he enters, he offers a small smile. 

Hvitserk "I had to come to see if you made it in safely..."

You sigh, "I am kind of glad that you did."

Hvitserk "How can I help?"

"I can't get the back of my dress." He walks over and undoes your dress and helps you into the tub without hesitation. "Thank you." Your eyes begin to close as the warmth of the water sinks into your skin and through your bones. Hvitserk kneels down and sits by the tub.

Hvitserk "Of course, kitten. I'll always be there to help you."

"And I will do the same for you, Hvitserk." He giggles, "What?"

Hvitserk "Nothing, sweetheart. You are just so sweet is all."

"I try to be. All of the time...it's draining.." you sigh as he begins to play with your hair. 

Hvitserk "I know this to be true. I try to be as kind as you but sometimes it gets me nowhere.."

"I suppose I am the way I am because of my parents."

Hvitserk "That is why. Our parents shape us, but our pain and suffering strengthens us."

"You are right."

Hvitserk smiles, "Are you feeling a little better now?"

"You always make me feel better Hvitserk."

Hvitserk chuckles, "No I meant, is the bath helping you."

"Oh, yes it is. Thank gods.."

Hvitserk nods, "Good. That makes me happy, love. But, I will be outside if you need me, I am starving." He kisses your head.

"Okay." You say as you laugh. As he leaves, you can't stop smiling.

When you get out of the tub, your muscles are so relaxed that you had to force yourself to get out of the warm bath to get to your bed. You can't take the chance of falling asleep submerged in water, gods know what could have happened if you did. So without hesitation, you got out of your bath and slipped on a soft robe and made your way to the door. As you open it, Ivar is waiting for you on the bed. 

Ivar "My sweet, how was your bath?"

"It was divine!"

Ivar "Mm, that is good." He smiles and then he frowns. 

"Ivar, what is it?"

Ivar "Nothing Y/n, I've come to the realization that Hvitserk has not had the pleasure of your company in quite some time."

"Oh, yes I know. Just with the battle and everything, I needed to be by my husband's side at all times." He smiles and kisses your lips. 

Ivar "I love you so much, do you know that?"

"I do, I know it well. I love you too, beloved." He kisses you again but more passionately, making you both moan.

Ivar "You go ahead. You can sleep with him tonight if you'd like."

"Are you certain?"

Ivar "Absolutely. I always seem to forget that that little princess in there is not truthfully mine, she is my brother's-"

"She is still your daughter, Ivar. Just in a different way."

Ivar smiles from ear to ear, "I know she is, but I have to be kind...you taught me to be kind and loving. So, yes..go be with him tonight. If you need me, you know where to find me."

"Sweet dreams, my love." You kiss him once again.

Ivar "You as well, princess." You are so happy that Ivar said those words because you were hoping to be with Hvitserk tonight. You haven't been in his arms since the night before the battle. With great haste, you made your way to Hvitserk's room. He was already in a sleep state when you opened the door and found him on his bed. 

Hvitserk "Hey..is every-"

"I just wanted to be with you tonight, is that okay?" He rises from his position and opens his arms for you. You allow him to engulf you with his arms and immediately feel a sense of tranquility run through your body. 

Hvitserk "I was hoping that you would be with me tonight. It's been so long."

"I know. Ivar suggested it because we have not been able too, so I was not going to refuse his offer." You laugh.

Hvitserk "I am glad that you are here, kitten." He kisses your head but you pull his face down and towards your lips. He captures them with love and affection. It feels like the very first time he ever kissed you and that feeling is one of the best feelings that you have ever experienced. 

Hvitserk "I love you."

"And I love you back." He smiles and kisses you again. After a while, you both fell asleep in each other's embrace. Today had its obstacles, but it ended in a wonderful way.

@hvitserkmarcosource @youbloodymadgenius @ivarsgoddess @a-mess-of-fandoms @herestherealproblem @saldelys @heavenly1927 @conaionaru

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Sixteen: Fresh Air

Chapter Fifteen

Word Count 1.9k

Warnings: lots of fluff, slight angst but ends with more fluff

Today is like every other day in Kattegat. But this particular day is the first snowfall of the year. It is crazy to realize that you have been living this new life since spring. You have changed so much since you left Wessex. Your dragon's have grown and you have grown as a better person. You can be yourself, you can genuinely smile and not have to fear your father's bipolar behavior. You are now with child, Hvitserk's child, and you are on cloud nine. To be able to say that you will be a mother in nine month's time is still surreal to you. But in your heart, it feels so real and right. 

You walk to your dragon's feasting on their meals, and witness these amazing creatures. You fiddle with the wedding ring on your left hand and feel another besides it. You look down and see the dragon ring that your father gave you on your twentieth birthday. Your heart wrenches in your chest. When he gave this to you, he was acting like your father: kind and generous..full of love. Then you remember the day he banished you from your own home. Threatening to kill you for marrying a cripple. You look up at Neith, whose eyes are glossy from seeing your face fall with such sorrow. 

"I'm okay, dear one. Continue your meal." She looks back at you before eating, "I know, I love you so much." You take off your dragon ring and walk towards the closest source of running water. In your case, it is a little lake. You take one last look at it, and throw it into the lake. When you see it sink all of the way down towards the bottom, you feel a sense of yet another weight lifted off of your shoulders. That was the only thing left of your father's, besides your dragon's. But they are one of the greatest wonders of your life, besides the child in your belly. You audibly breathe loud and hard and you feel a pair of familiar hand wrap around your torso. 

Ivar "Hello, my sweet."

"Mmm-hi."

Ivar "You alright?"

"Oh yes. I am very happy." You turn around to face your husband.

Ivar "That is good to hear. Now that you are with child, I want you to be happy..always."

"I will, Ivar. Do not worry about me so much, yes?"

Ivar "Yes. I cannot help it. I am sorry. I just care about you so much. I want nothing but the best for you and our child."

"Ivar-"

Ivar "I know, I know..it is not mine. But I will treat him or her as such. I will love him or her as my own, you know that."

"I do. I am very lucky, and so is she." 

Ivar chuckles, "You are so certain that it is a daughter?"

"I am. All of my visions are of a daughter."

Ivar kisses your cheek, "That is wonderful. I am happy for my brother, Hvitserk. He always wanted to be a father, as myself. Our brother Ubbe, got blessed with many children. Some are not his own, but he claims them as his own. He is a wonderful father."

"I have witnessed that. Ubbe is very kind."

Ivar "Yes. But back to the topic at hand, I am happy for you and Hvitserk. I know that the circumstances are not as I would have hoped. Because I am a cripple, I cannot truly be a father. But you have given me that chance of loving a child, even if it is not my own. I am truly happy."

Your heart is so warm, so content. "Thank you, my beloved. I love you more than words could ever describe. I hope you never forget that."

Ivar "How could I?! I am the luckiest man to be married to such an incredible woman! A mother of dragon's, a mother of this miracle child! To be able to call you my wife, is my blessing."

"Oh Ivar. I am the lucky one. You have saved me from my past life. You have taken me away from there, and have given me this extraordinary life here in Kattegat. Where I can be happy, where my dragon's can be happy. For you, I am lucky and truly blessed by the gods."

His face lights up with pure joy and gratitude, "I love you, princess."

"And I love you, my king."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you and Ivar return to the house, you see Hvitserk and Ubbe laughing away, enjoying a horn of ale. 

Ivar "Look at them, already drunk and it is not even mid-day."

You giggle and lean into his side, "Oh let that have their fun." Ivar chuckles and agrees. You walk over and sit next to your close and dear friend, Torvi. 

Torvi "There you are, where have you been?"

"Outside with my dragon's. I wanted to spend some time with them."

Torvi "I still cannot wrap my whole head around the fact that you have three dragon's. Especially given the fact that I did not know that they were real creatures until a few months ago."

You two laugh together, "Yes. It is hard to comprehend but they are real and my babies. I can still remember the day that they hatched. Now look at them, almost fully grown."

Torvi "Are you worried about your child being around them?"

"Oh not at all! They are trained very well: to be kind and gentle until given orders not to."

Torvi "That is wonderful. How is Ivar taking the news?"

"He is excited to be a father."

Torvi "That is good. I hope that he will treat it well."

"What do you mean?"

Torvi "Well before you, he was not the same man. Not the same king that you know. He would kill senselessly, he would torture and harm for the slightest reasons. So I hope that he will not return to that same behavior." Your heart kind of started to race. You have heard great stories of Ivar the Boneless, but never thought that many of them were truthful. But I guess they all were. 

"Oh I see. Well, I don't see him changing anytime soon. Especially not towards my child. He promises to be a good father."

Torvi "Yes. I hope that for you. You are a wonderful woman, and I am so lucky to call you my friend."

"Me too, Torvi. Thank you for the kind words."

Torvi "Of course."

…

Ivar joins his brother's at the table and starts to drink. He is a fun drunk, most days. Some days, he is a loud drunk and likes to make a ruckus. But you do not mind it. He is king after all, and needs some days to unwind. You watch him bond with his brother's and it is a nice thing to witness. It is crazy to you that you are living such a life. But you are feeling very lucky, especially on this day. 

Since you cannot drink, you cannot drink, you ask torvi if she wants to take the horses and go riding for a bit. To which she agrees. You walk over to the boys and tell them that you will be back by nightfall.

Hvitserk "Why are you leaving?"

"I want some fresh air. I cannot drink, Hvitserk."

Hvitserk "I know, but I do not want you to go."

"I will be back before you know it. I will be with Torvi and some guards. The dragon's will fly above us."

Hvitserk sighs, "Okay, be safe please."

"I will."

Ivar gets up and talks to Torvi, "Keep her safe, please."

Torvi "We will be safe, Ivar. We are strong women. We can take care of ourselves."

Ivar's jaw clenches, "Of course. You girl's have fun. My love, be back before nightfall, hmm?"

"Yes. Goodbye." 

Hvitserk watches you walk out of the doors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You mount your black horse and begin to ride, alongside Torvi. Guards follow on all sides of you and Torvi: front, behind, left and right. 

"HOVER!" You scream out to your dragon's, and they fly high above you and your group. They do not fly too far ahead, strictly above as you commanded. You watch your beautiful creatures flying high and strong, with a proud smile on your face. 

Torvi "They are magnificent!" She shouted to you.

"Aren't they?"

Torvi "I am blown away. You are an incredible woman, Y/n."

"As are you, Torvi!"

You ride around Kattegat, aware of your surroundings. The trees barely have any leaves on them anymore. The sky is gray as the clouds form for another snow fall. The guard's holt for a moment, then continue. 

The leading man, "It is starting to get dark, my queen. Let's head back."

"Okay." You command your dragon's to turn around and stay above. You can tell that the guard's are rushing a bit, for what reason, you are uncertain.

Torvi "What is it?!"

Guard's "We see horse tracks that are not our own. It is time to head back." You and Torvi look at each other and realize that they were not kidding and clicked your tongues for your horses to start galloping. 

….

When you get back, your dragon's fall asleep and you and Torvi head inside. Hvitserk and Ivar have worried looks on their faces, as well as Ubbe. 

Torvi "What is the matter?"

Ubbe "We just got a little worried about you guys. How was the ride?"

"It was nice. We saw tracks that were not ours, so we headed back a little bit before nightfall."

Hvitserk walks up, "I told you that I did not want you to go. What if you got ambushed?"

"Hey, nothing happened. We are okay."

Ivar "Alright well, let's get you warm and some food in you, yes?"

"Okay."

Hvitserk's jaw clenches and his face scowls. He hates that no one knows that you are carrying his child, not Ivar's. He hates that he has to keep his love that he has for you, to himself. But he knows that it is for the greater good. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After you are done eating and telling Ivar about the ride, Ivar heads to bed early. His head was pounding from too much ale. You, however, are not so tired so you decide to sit with your dragon's by the village's fire. 

Hvitserk joins you after a short while.

Hvitserk "I was beyond worried, y'know."

"Why, tell me?"

Hvitserk "I had a vision of you and Torvi getting ambushed by men with cloaks covering their faces. I couldn't tell who they were or where they came from, all I could see was them taking out the guards, and you and Torvi-"

"That didn't happen, okay?"

Hvitserk "I know, but it almost did, Y/n. And what if it did, hmm? I could've lost you and our child."

"I am sorry. I just wanted some fresh air."

Hvitserk "I am not mad at you, just got scared that is all. I am glad that you are here and safe."

"Me too. I had a bad feeling at the end there, but you have forgotten that we had my dragon's with us, Hvitserk. All I would have had to say was one word and all of them would have been burned alive in seconds."

Hvitserk chuckles, "You are right. I did forget how badass you are. I shouldn't underestimate you, for that I am sorry."

"Don't apologize for caring. Thank you for caring about me and our child. We are lucky to have you."

Hvitserk "I love you, kitten."

"I love you too. Now let's not talk about what almost happened, and talk about our daughter, hmm?"

Hvitserk "That sounds lovely."

You and Hvitserk talk about your daughter and your visions of her and her growing up as a strong shield maiden. It was a perfect way to end the day.

@hvitserkmarcosource @ivarsgoddess @youbloodymadgenius @a-mess-of-fandoms @conaionaru @heavenly1927 @saldelys @ivarzeitgeist @herestherealproblem @jzr201 @kaitieskidmore1

[raijinhasverybigpecs]

I would like to see a post from you rating all the skins of a single theme (like all the chibis or the mystical guardians (even though you probably love all of those))

i’ve actually been meaning to make a collection of all the skin families and make an edit out of that so i was gonna do that for this instead….. but i got lazy lol

anyways i have A Lot Of Feelings about the mystic skins so i’ll break down my thoughts under the cut:

1. mystic nu wa

pros

the abilities are a lil boring but what hi-rezo does with them is great and i love the wings when she uses her ult (so cute!!).

the model is absolutely gorgeous, nu wa has got a flawless base and what hi-rez have done w/ the skin is so nice. i love the lil animation on her dress as well and the colour scheme is easily the best out of all the mystic girlies

i’m not 100% on nu wa’s voice pack but the va does a really good job, she’s super cute and i’d literally die for her omg. an anon on the confession blog reminded me about that directed voice line towards erlang shen and when erlang shen does get a mystic skin i might consider joining the mystic nu wa X mystic erlang shen ship

(also i’m kinda biased bc i own this skin and i’ve gotten excellent games w/ her asdkfljdslkjikljlkljkl)

cons

i have no idea who the fuck chose goddamn mystic perfume bottles for her different elemental powers but it’s such a weird decision. still pissed that hi-rezo didn’t go with the obvious choice of having her wield elemental stars like…… :////

what always annoys me is the lil flap things under her dress, the skin would look so much better if they were on top of her dress or if they were just removed ENTIRELY… it’s like daji w/ her tails, there’s too many things going on and it’s really distracting

also this is a major complaint for every mystic skin but the hair colours are just waaaaay too much, i know they’re meant to be colour coded but holy shit would these girls look much better w/ darker hair. i’d kill for a brunette mystic nu wa

final rating: 9/10, nu wa setting the standard for everyone to aspire to once again

2. mystic artemis

pros

another really good model (although the shortness of the dress is… questionable), tusky is also p cute. i really love the heart arrows, that’s a cute lil touch

artemis ability-wise doesn’t have much to work with but the skin is still p cute, her 3 is unexpectedly good?? her animations are also really nice

voice pack is golden, artemis is always super shady and has some of the best lines out of the mystic crew + the voice actresses delivery is flawless

cons

her HAIRRRRRRRRRR!!! CAN WE GET ANOTHER COLOUR???? same with the outfit, kinda would’ve liked to see a darker red like sailor mars but w/e.

just in general it’s kinda boring bc artemis’ design and abilities aren’t super flashy, most of the skin is really quality but she just doesn’t have the same flashiness that someone like nu wa has lol

final rating: 8/10, a lot of the quality owes to the fact that she was in a major bundle but it’s still a choice skin and easily one of the better mystic skins

3. mystic athena

pros

love love love her leader personality!! it’s really nice that athena of all the goddesses got a mystic skin as she’s a perfect representation of what i wanted in the mystic set of skins aaaah

abilities are super cute, gives some much needed colour to athena’s fighting tbh. the ult really stands out and the taunt is nice as well

the model is p good, it somewhat manages to fix athena’s unfortunate face and it gives her boots instead of high heels!! thank the lord!!!. also it’s good to see athena in a nice looking outfit for once, most of her other ones are weirdly sexy??? even her base has the stupid slit on her dress lmao.

her lines are also really good. perfect and super fitting voice as well

cons

athena’s face still looks weirdddddd

hair? hair. it’s just. a lot. i just want her to have black hair man :(

final rating: 8/10, only just below artemis due to her sister’s superior model. athena’s mystic skin is still really amazing (it was the first one i got as well hehe) and she fits very nicely into the role of team leader :’)

4. mystic neith

pros

neith tried, a trendsetter as always. she died so that we could get more mystic skins

abilities are cute, love her passive. her ult is also good

cons

her voice sucks holy shit, the snorting is just…. ewwwww. i feel like the vp is kinda a mockery of the whole magical girl deal tbh

i have no idea what the outfit is? why’s it so plain? why is her hair that colour? what were the colours meant to be? she has wayyy too many colours there; just stick to a few in the same range omg

HER EYES ARE ALSO TERRIBLE ASLJFDLSAKJLKJKLKJLK, THEY’RE SO BIG FOR ABSOLUTELY NO GODDAMN REASON AND IT LOOKS SO WEIRD

every time you select the skin this terrible animation of her suspended in mid air and posing plays for half a second and then she goes instantly down. all i want her to do just just stay suspended for a lil while longer but her doesn’t and it annoys me so much asdklfjadsjkljljlkl

final rating: 6/10, i love you neith but we both know that this isn’t one of your better skins. neith, the flawless skin queen that she is, deserves a re-do of her mystic skin so that she fits in with the rest better

(thanks for the ask as well, i love ranting about skins lol)

also if you’ve made it this far down this post then i’d just like to say that literally any of wjsn’s title tracks (esp. dreams come true & secret) would totally fit the mystic au hehe