#not all of Sanna's lines up right but giving too much? that's her

[storyknitter]

OCs as poisonous flowers

I stole the open tag from @elveny and took this quiz here for Sanna and Ellie

Vassanna -- Lily of the Valley

This is the poison of giving too much. You feel yourself emptying out, dizzying, discoloring-- until you fear you will fade entirely and wither away. You have always had to give. You never had a choice before. They pluck your flowers for their beauty, they trample your leaves carelessly, they pull out your roots by the fistful and berate you for daring to grow. And now that you have a grove to spread out in, your rhizomes tangle and curl in on themselves. When cruelty is all you've ever known, thriving seems impossible. But the answer is not to make yourself small and offer every lovely thing you are to the world in the hopes it will have mercy on you. The answer is to let yourself dare to thrive for thriving's sake, to grow in the wild ways you wish to-- and to do that for yourself for once.

Eli’anara -- Belladonna

This is the poison of falling in love. You taste it and your heart beats fast. Your eyes dilate, you fall into deep delirium. You may be a bit dramatic and impulsive, and it gets you into trouble sometimes, but you just can't help yourself. It's in your blood. You love because it is the truest beauty you've found in this harsh world. Even when it's hurt you before, when it's poisoned you, you still find a way. They may call you naive for still believing in it, or vain for making yourself and your surroundings so meticulously lovely. But to love like this is brave and noble, and I hope you find the beauty you seek. Chances are, it's within and all around you already, if you know where to look.

Open tagging anyone who wants to do this!

[yumeisha]

Love In Print [Masaru] - Episode 1

“But Mari, I don’t WANT to go read this on Wattpad, I want to stay here on Tumblr!” Listen, my friend. Let me help you. Here’s all of Episode 1! (But the rest is over here if you decide you want to read it!)

— SATURDAY NIGHT —

 She’s started to think of it as the summer of weddings. Like purgatory, but with more flowers.

Reiko sighs. Another Saturday, another charming garden venue. Soft, flickering tea lights float in shallow porcelain bowls. It looks like something lifted straight out of Pinterest, and it’s pretty in all the right ways, hitting every obligatory aesthetic beat. The music is loud and many of the guests are amiably drunk, swaying in slow circles on the dance floor or queuing up for one more lap around the buffet.

Alone at her table, Reiko hides behind the towering lily centerpiece, nursing a headache. She fishes her phone out of the tiny, mostly useless evening bag she’s bought to go with this dress and takes refuge in her work inbox.

She’d love to go home, but it’s too early to make her retreat. Another two hours, she coaches herself. You can make it for two more.

“Come on,” says Ren, prodding her in the shoulder. Reiko jumps half a mile and nearly drops her phone, not that her cousin notices. “We’re missing a cake opportunity,” he whines.

As usual, Ren resembles a figure pulled directly off some runway in Milan. Impeccably attired, hair artfully tousled, a Rolex gleaming from his left wrist. Reiko plucks at a tuft of fur caught on the cuff of his tuxedo.

“You know, there is such a thing as a lint roller. You have one somewhere in your apartment.”

Ren peers down at the wad of cat hair slowly drifting down to the grass beneath their table. “Lint roller? What lint roller?” And then his face lights up. “Oh! You mean that tape-on-a-stick thing from the last time you came over?”

“Yes,” Reiko answers patiently. “That tape-on-a-stick thing. You use it to make sure you aren’t leaving the house dressed in cat fluff.”

Suzu pops up behind Ren. “He likes for everyone to know that he’s more complex than he appears. An insufferable playboy and a sophisticated cat bachelor.” She loops her arm through his and makes a show of sniffing at his clothes. “Ah,” she breathes. “The smell of too much money, layered over eau de too many cats.”

“I have three. How is that too many? And why aren’t either of you interested in getting some cake? This is a wedding. You go to weddings for cake.”

“That’s definitely the primary reason for attending weddings.”

“It’s from Fujiwara’s, you know. They never do weddings anymore. You’re missing the dessert event of your lives.”

Suzu straightens his boutonniere. “You accosted the Fujiwara grannies for these people?” A low whistle. “Wow. Dad must really like them.”

Reiko follows her twin’s gaze. Their father, Ryuuki, is busy holding court at a neighboring table. He laughs raucously at someone’s cheesy anecdote and is having the most fun out of all of them. “It’s all business, I suppose,” she says, unable to keep from smiling despite how little she’s enjoying herself.

Suzu snorts. “Of course it’s all business. Isn’t it always?” To Ren, she says, “Hey, how long before we’ve done our duty for the family market stall? I still have ten pages left to write on a research paper and it’s…” She grabs his arm in order to check the time on his fancy watch. “… 9:34. With half an hour’s drive back to my apartment.”

“You can spare ten minutes to have a slice of legendary cake, Tachibana Suzuna.”

“God, okay. But it better not be weird like that sheet cake you ordered for the charity auction last month.”

“Not weird. Avant-garde.”

“Uh-huh. Also, it tasted like beets and had radioactive magenta icing. So gross.”

“You and Reiko just really have no appreciation for the finer things in life. Let’s go, the line’s only getting longer.”

“Don’t want any,” Reiko pipes up. “I’ll have a slice vicariously, through Suzu.”

“Twin powers,” Suzu concurs, initiating the special handshake they invented when they were six. Almost twenty years later, they’re still augmenting the sequence with new moves. “Anything I ate, Reiko also ate. And vice versa. Page 2, Line 21 in the Twin Manual.”

“The worst plus-ones anybody ever brought to a wedding,” complains Ren. He pours Reiko a fresh glass of water from the pitcher on the table and gives her a pat on the head, a gesture of silent sympathy.

She watches Ren and Suzu as they stop to tease Ryuuki along the way. And then she blinks back the onslaught of unwanted tears, reaches for her phone again, and taps the newest e-mail notification. Three unread messages beckon through Reiko’s blurred vision. She scans the subject lines, head bowed over the glowing screen. Slipping into the steps of a familiar dance, she starts at the bottom with the oldest message first, because that’s easier than confronting her emotions.

PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGN - SPS OMNIBUS EDITION. A reply from the manufacturer about a shipment of Star Princess Sanna enamel pins she asked about on Friday afternoon. Delayed for another two weeks. Not ideal, but better than never getting them in at all. Reiko marks it for a response later.

TENJOU DELIVERY WEDNESDAY. Timestamped a mere ten minutes ago. She isn’t the only one working on a day off. Reiko notices right away that the message has been flagged as important, which is odd. This e-mail appears, without fail, every Monday of her life. Throughout the long history of this exchange, the message has never been flagged as important. At least, not that Reiko can remember.

She almost opens it, curiosity triggered, but then she sees the subject of the next e-mail and momentarily forgets everything else.

ALL DEPTS: QUARTERLY MEETING — MON @ 10AM

A thrill dances through her, momentarily displacing the throbbing ache in her skull. The sounds of the reception fade away. She taps the message and it unfurls into a calendar invite. Representatives from every department at her publishing house will be expected to attend, including Reiko and the other senior marketing staff.

Most meetings are a dreary prospect, especially when scheduled for first thing on a Monday. At these quarterly gatherings, it takes hours to discuss things like sales figures and future business plans. But this one is special, because they’ll finally present the twentieth anniversary plans for DUCHESS Magazine’s most iconic franchise to date: Red Thread. The first manga she ever read all the way through, start to finish. The reason why she applied at Yumeisha in the first place, as soon as she’d graduated.

Reiko accepts the invite and adds it to her burgeoning, meticulously color-coded calendar. She can’t keep from breaking into a smile. She’s still beaming at her phone when she hears the grass crunching softly under someone’s feet and looks up to find that she is no longer alone.

The someone is tall, just about as impeccably turned out as Ren, and wearing a pair of dress shoes so highly polished that Reiko can see her reflection in them. He’s shed the jacket and rolled up the sleeves of the crisp white shirt underneath.

There is only a bowl of tealights to see him by, so it takes a moment for Reiko to recognize the man now seating himself across from her. But if the head of blond hair hadn’t given it away, the green eyes and trademark smirk would have made it very clear within the next two seconds, anyway.

She blinks at him. “Oshiro?”

“Hi.”

“Um, hi. What are you doing here?”

He leans back into the chair and stretches his long legs under the table, instantly making himself at home. “Attending a wedding,” he replies. “Chatting with the bride’s aunties. Waiting for you to pay attention to me.”

“And sending e-mails?”

“No rest for the wicked, as they say.”

Reiko puts her phone down. “It’s weird seeing you outside of work. This is the last place I’d expect to run into you.”

“Why? Because you figured that I live at the office and camp out under my desk on days off?”

She laughs. “I mean, yeah.”

“To be fair, I’d expect the same of you.”

Well, that really is fair. Sometimes Reiko looks up from the endless loop between work and her apartment, her apartment and then work, and realizes that her entire existence can be summed up in three boring sentences or less. And then she’ll go back to her computer screen, her half empty coffee mug, the pathetic little granola bar that will have to serve as her lunch. But that’s just the way of things, isn’t it? At least she genuinely loves her job. It would be much harder to bear, otherwise.

“I’ve considered just packing myself a bag and living in my cubicle,” Reiko admits, without any real shame. In the background, the band segues into their much livelier cover of a depressing breakup anthem. Over the noise, she adds, “At least it would save me a commute.”

“So dedicated.”

She shrugs. “So lazy.”

“Anyone truly lazy wouldn’t be checking her inbox at a wedding reception,” Oshiro points out.

“Guilty as charged. Have you come to scold me for not participating in wedding activities?”

“No, I’ve come to ask you why you haven’t opened my e-mail.” He waves his own phone at her. “I checked three seconds ago. It definitely still says unread.”

“It’s flagged important and with a read receipt? Seriously?”

“Seriously. It’s high priority. Read it right now.” He angles a covert glance over her shoulder, in the direction he came from earlier. “Oh, and if you don’t mind, don’t reply until I’m back over there.”

“Wait, you want a reply, too? What am I supposed to say? You send me the same four lines every week. I have the thing memorized by now.” To prove this point, she clasps her hands behind her back and recites, “Heading to Tenjou on Wednesday. They need endcaps, window decals, sticker packs, blah blah blah, for insert-manga-title-here. I’ll stop by and grab them on my way out. Thanks. Oshiro Masaru, DUCHESS Sales, 81-4-8914-1111, extension 822.”

His demeanor shifts, now part bemusement and part blatant self-satisfaction. “Look, Tachibana, I’m beyond flattered that you hang onto my every word like this. Not surprising. I’m extremely eloquent in my digital correspondence.”

She rolls her eyes. “There it is. I knew it was coming.”

“You even know my extension by heart,” Oshiro continues blithely. “It’s like my wildest dreams coming true. But what I really need right now is for you to open that e-mail and write me a timely reply. By timely, I mean don’t hit send until I’m at my table again. And then I’ll read your response and write you back. So on, so forth, rinse and repeat, until this torture is over and we can both leave.”

“Ah.” Reiko crosses her arms. “You want a prolonged reason to be on your phone.”

“Correct.”

“Because you don’t want to be here.”

“Also correct, but needs clarification. I don’t want to be at this wedding. I do want to be at this table with you.”

He tips his head towards his original seating arrangements. Reiko risks a covert glance and notes that Oshiro’s vacated chair is surrounded by chattering ladies ranging from middle-aged to elderly. Somehow, without ever speaking to a single one of them, Reiko can tell that they’re the problematic aunties who don’t get along with any of the other aunties. Consequently, they’ve been placed where they can ostensibly do the least damage. From the looks of it, they’re having a fabulous time.

Reiko bites her lip, smothering a surge of laughter. “Wow. How did you end up with the best seat in the house? Like, who did you offend?”

“Ha ha. I owed the groom a favor and he cashed in, majorly.” Oshiro leans forward. “They’re a nice bunch, don’t get me wrong, but if they set me up with another of their nieces, I’ll be double booked from today until Christmas.”

“You’re welcome to sit here instead,” she offers. “We have an extra chair. My dad prefers to migrate between friend groups.”

“Thanks, but I can’t just abandon my post. I wouldn’t put it past them to follow me over here, or else I’d take you up on that suggestion. I figure random texts to my brothers will seem rude, unlike important work e-mails. So play along, won’t you? And keep in mind at least one of them will be reading over my shoulder the whole time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? What on earth do you think I’d be putting in that e-mail?”

“I’m just saying, don’t use this as an opportunity to confess your undying love or anything. Maintain professionalism and all that.”

“Gosh, what a tall order. How will I ever comply?”

“Dig deep, Tachibana. Find that inner strength.”

Reiko pulls a face. “You came all the way here just to make me do this?”

“Yes,” says Oshiro. “You’re welcome. I’ll look for your thank you note in the mail. I also like gift baskets. The ones with baked goods are okay, but no edible fruit bouquets or artisan cheeses. Nobody wants those.”

“But why me?” she persists. “Don’t you have anyone else you can trade fake work e-mails with? What about Ueda? Or your boss?”

“Hey, take it easy. I’m not used to outright rejection.”

“I’m not rejecting you, I’m just confused.”

“What’s there to be confused about? I don’t want to be here. Neither do you. Let’s help each other out.”

Neither do you. Reiko feels very, very obvious, now.

He watches her expectantly. She can tell that he’s fighting hard not to break into one of his insouciant grins. Reiko can’t decide if she wants to smack him or bask in the infectious warmth of his attention, like a deprived houseplant straining to soak up every drop of sunshine it can get.

This conflicted reaction is more embarrassing than being caught on her phone. For God’s sake, it’s just Oshiro.

Their departments — Sales for him, Marketing for her — are often flung together, which means running into him at Yumeisha is pretty normal. They take the same elevator from the lobby and frequent the same break room on the tenth floor. He stops at her desk most Wednesday afternoons, as promised in his e-mails. Once in a while, if she stays even later than usual, Reiko might see him striding ahead of her through the lobby’s sliding glass doors, crossing the street to catch the same train. They never talk much, though, unless it’s about work.

Still true, she concludes, as Oshiro stands up and pushes the chair into place, preparing to return to the Island of Matchmaking Aunties. He walks backwards away from her, hands in his pockets. “Talk soon,” he tells Reiko, smiling as if he’s guessed all her secrets. And then he’s gone, threading his way through the crowd while she stares after him, utterly bewildered.

Read more episodes on Wattpad!

[imagine-loki]

Yes, Mistress

TITLE: Yes Mistress CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 28 AUTHOR: angryowlet ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine after a heated argument with Thor, Loki turns himself into a woman out of spite. RATING: Mature/Explicit NOTES/WARNINGS: NSFW, This is a F/F BDSM relationship. If that’s not your cup of tea, don’t drink it. The events in this fic take place before the first Thor movie.

I was gonna write, then Endgame feels happened.

TW: Mild pain and nipple play in this chapter.

Also on AO3

The sight and sound that greeted Loki as she opened the outer door of her chambers was worth the rush.

Her Pet was lounging on the divan, reading a book and laughing aloud at it’s contents. She looked up when Loki came in and smiled warmly at her. She marked her place and sat up. She set the book down on the table and picked up a sheet of paper.

Sanna was wearing her new purple wrap over her thrall dress and let it slip off her shoulders as she stood, draping it over the back of the divan. She walked around the furniture to stand directly before her Mistress, presenting her with the lines she wrote as punishment for hiding her injuries that morning.

“Welcome home Mistress.”

“You’re in a good mood.” Loki took the paper and looked it over, counting the lines and smiling at her Pet. “Good girl. Now, why were you punished?”

“I was punished for hiding damage to my Mistress’s property.” Sanna said in a very contrite voice.

“Do you understand why you were punished?”

“Yes Mistress. I failed to tell you I had injured myself.”

“Will I have to punish you for this again in the future?”

“No Mistress. I swear it,” Sanna promised solemnly.

“Very well Pet. I forgive you. We don’t ever have to speak of it again.” The paper vanished, Loki stepped closer and kissed Sanna’s forehead. She whispered in her ear, “Now greet your owner properly little thrall.”

Sanna shivered with excitement as she turned to face away from her Mistress and knelt down with her knees spread and crossed her ankles. She pressed her forehead to the floor and crossed her wrists behind her back. She didn’t see her Mistress’s expression, but did just catch the whispered, “very good” as Loki walked past and went first into the bathing room and then the bedchamber. Sanna listened patiently for the sound of her Mistress’s return. She heard the rustle of her Mistress’s robe and the pad of her bare feet. She felt the cool touch of her fingers and breathed in the faint scent of the leather cuffs as they were fastened onto her wrists and ankles.

“Kneel with your legs apart and sit back on your heels,” Loki’s voice was soft, but her tone was firm. “Hands on your thighs, palms up.”

“Yes Mistress.” Sanna obeyed.

“This is another position you’ll become accustomed to, in time.” Loki spoke as she fastened the collar around her Pet’s neck. “I see you kept the rope on while I was gone. How did it feel, wearing it all day?”

“It was wonderful Mistress. It felt like you were with me the whole time. Whenever I was upset or nervous, it felt like your arms were around me, holding me. Giving me confidence.”

Loki stood facing her Pet and reached out, tilting the girl’s chin up to look her in the eye, rubbing a thumb over her cheek. “Why were you upset?” she asked softly.

Sanna swallowed. “It’s a long story Mistress. May I wait and tell you as we eat?”

Loki suspected her mother’s hand in the tale. “By chance, did your anxiety today have anything to do with the Allmother?”

“How did you–”

“She came to see me in the Archive and our conversation included your desire to know more of Lady Audney’s life at court. She told me she would speak to you about it.”

“She sent me an invitation to tea. We talked of many things,” Sanna gave her Mistress a shy smile, “including you and my position in the palace. But as I said, it is a long story and this floor is rather hard and cold.” She grimaced.

Her Mistress raised an eyebrow. “Yet another thing you will learn to endure. Now, get into the position you are to be in for inspection.”

“Yes Mistress.”

Sanna got to her feet and stood with her legs apart, mouth open, and her fingers laced together behind her head.

Loki used her seidr to remove the thrall dress and the rope. She moved behind her Pet and ran a fingertip from just below the collar to the cleft of her ass. Sanna shivered involuntarily at her Mistress’s touch.

“Stay still thrall. If you pass inspection, we will begin your nightly edging. There should be just enough time before the evening meal is delivered for what I have in mind.”

Loki circled her a few times, running her nails over her Pet’s back, squeezing her ass and giving it a few, gentle smacks. Commenting aloud about it’s firmness before moving on. She traced the faint lines left by the rope, whispering “beautiful” as she did so, rubbing the girl’s nipples into stiff peaks with her thumbs.

“So responsive Pet. But I think we will come back to these after your inspection is over.” Loki grinned wickedly at her.

Once again, Sanna felt like an animal at auction. Being poked and prodded, reduced to a thing instead of a person. She felt herself growing wetter and wetter the longer it went on. She tried so very hard to stay silent and still. Sanna wanted be good for her Mistress, but she also wanted to moan and squirm. To touch her Mistress. To touch herself! To kneel before her Mistress and pleasure her like a proper bed slave in order to prove she was worthy.

Both of her Mistress’s hands came up to cup her jaw, tracing the open lips lightly with a thumb before slipping inside and pressing down on her tongue.

“Push back against my thumb thrall.” Loki ordered.

She kept the pressure on her Pet’s tongue until Sanna was nearly drooling.

“Hmm… Not bad, but there’s always room for improvement. Your oral training will resume in the morning.” Loki released the girl’s tongue. Her left hand came down to wrap around her Pet’s throat, thumb rubbing lightly above the collar, squeezing gently.

“Eyes up. Look at me,” Loki commanded. “Keep your eyes on mine.”

Sanna obediently brought her eyes to her Mistress’s face.

“Shall we see if your other hole is as wet?”

Loki watched her Pet’s face as the fingertips of her right hand trailed down between the girl’s legs. She saw the sharp inhale of breath as she ran two fingertips over her Pet’s outer folds, tracing the damp seam before parting them to stroke the inner. Loki felt the vibrations of her Pet’s throat and the choked back whine when a probing finger found her clit and began to circle it.

“Such a responsive little thing. I barely have to touch you and your hungry little kunta is dripping for me.” Loki left her clit to circle her Pet’s entrance. “Mmm,” she slipped two fingers inside and felt her Pet instinctively constrict around them. “Tight, wet, and ready to be used. I think you’ve passed your inspection little hóra, shall we begin your edging? If you’re a very good girl, I may even let you cum at the end. Would you like that?”

“Yes Mistress. Please let me cum.” Sanna pleaded.

Loki removed her fingers and held them up to her Pet who obediently sucked them clean.

“We will see, little thrall. Put your hands behind your back.” Loki said, and moved to secure the cuffs when her Pet did as she was told.

The new position pushed Sanna’s breasts forward. Loki lingered over them, pinching and tugging her nipples. She squeezed them hard as she spoke, forcing Sanna to whimper.

“I think it’s time we did a little more with these, don’t you?” Loki used her seidr to call a small black box to her. She opened it and considered it’s contents. “Hmm… Where to begin? I think these might do, for now. You’re far too untrained yet for anything harsher.” Loki held up a matching pair of what looked to Sanna like grooming tools, yet these had little bells attached at one end.

“What– What are those Mistress?”

“A very special type of clamp.” Loki closed the box and dismissed it back to where it had come from. She shook them just enough to make the bells jingle, and pinched one of Sanna’s nipples very tightly. “You won’t have to wear them for very long Pet. Not yet anyway.”

Her Pet’s nipple was firm and hard as Loki positioned the pinching end of the clamp over it. She adjusted the pressure, keeping it light as this was the girl’s first time and Loki didn’t want to make her fear the bite of the clamps. She stopped when Sanna let out a small whimper.

“There are so many things you will learn to first endure and then embrace as my bed slave. A touch of pain can significantly heighten pleasure. Like the rope, it is another form of service to me. I wish you to feel a little pain now, so you may have greater pleasure later, but we can stop if it’s too much for you. Do you wish to continue?”

Sanna took a deep breath through gritted teeth. She nodded, “Yes Mistress. I wish to continue.”

The bell jingled softly and her nipple stung, as did the other one when her Mistress had applied the second clamp. It felt as if a cord of fire connected her nipples to her clit, and she could feel herself growing more desperate for her Mistress’s touch there.

“How does it feel Pet?” Loki asked as she gently caressed the sides of the girl’s breasts, careful not to touch the clamps where they dangled down.

Sanna whimpered, “I don’t– it hurts– but it feels… good?” The new sensation was confusing to her, but she knew she wanted more. “Please? Touch me Mistress?” The bells jingled again as she shivered.

“Oh I will Pet,” her Mistress stepped closer and hooked her finger through the ring on the collar, “but not in the way you wish. Now that you’re properly prepared, we can begin your edging.”

“Begin?” Sanna’s eyes went wide and she groaned softly as her Mistress lead her over to the divan.

Loki sat down in the middle and helped her Pet to straddle her. She spread the girl’s folds with her thumbs, touching her everywhere except where Sanna wanted it most.

“You are very wet little hóra. You were wet after your first punishment too. Do you remember my hand on your ass? I think you might enjoy a little bit of pain with your pleasure. Your body certainly seems to.” Loki blew a puff of air gently over her Pet’s exposed clit.

Sanna jerked and cried out, “Please Mistress? Please touch me? Please?”

“As you wish–”

Her Mistress’s right hand came up in a flash and lightly slapped the side of Sanna’s left breast making both bells jingle. A fresh surge of arousal flowed out and coated her inner folds as she cried out in surprise and pain. She whimpered, and Loki lightly slapped her other breast in turn.

“Gah! Too much! It’s too much Mistress! Please? No more?” Sanna begged, tears in her eyes.

“Shhh… Alright Pet. You’re alright…” Loki cooed at her as she ran her hands up and down her Pet’s arms and thighs, soothing her. “Let’s try something softer.” She ran her fingertips gently over the mounds of Sanna’s breasts, avoiding the clamps and gently massaging in little circles. “Better?”

Sanna sniffled and nodded, “Yes Mistress. Thank you.”

One of her Mistress’s hands continued to massage her breasts while the other trailed down to tease at her slick folds. Parting them, Sanna moaned when her Mistress finally moved to stroke her thumb delicately over her clit. She easily slipped one finger and then another inside Sanna’s entrance, gliding over her spot slowly. Too slowly. She pressed her thumb to Sanna’s clit again and worked it at a steady and deliberate pace.

“Thank you for using your words little thrall. You know you can always tell me to stop at any time with you safe word, don’t you?”

Sanna nodded.

“And what is your safe word, Pet?”

“Apple,” she whispered breathlessly. Sanna was trying not to move, not to squirm to get more friction on her clit.

“Good girl. We’re learning right now, you and I, where your limits are. In time, and with your enthusiastic consent, I’ll help you stretch yourself beyond those limits. To be the best thrall, the best bed slave, the best servant and companion you can be. And then we will see what you are truly capable of, won’t we Pet?”

“Yes Mistress.”

“My good, obedient little Pet. You’ll make me proud of you, won’t you?”

“Yes Mistress.”

Sanna bit her lip to hold back a whine. Her Mistress’s words –and fingers– were making her want more, but she also wanted to prove herself. To obey.

Loki touched one of the clamps. “I think it’s time to remove them, don’t you? The truly fascinating thing about clamps is that the real pain comes when they’re removed. Wouldn’t you agree Pet?”

Loki had eased the clamp off Sanna’s right breast as she spoke.

Sanna gasped as the blood came rushing back to her nipple. She stared at her Mistress– open mouthed– shocked at the sensation. There was pain, but that wasn’t all she felt. She didn’t know how to describe the feeling. Unconsciously, she clenched tight around her Mistress’s fingers. She was breathing hard and could only watch as her Mistress leaned forward to take the aching bud in her mouth and begin to suck. Sanna made a gasping, keening sound. She clenched hard around her Mistress’s fingers and began to shake.

“Mistress! I’m going to cum!” she croaked out.

Loki’s mouth came off her Pet’s nipple with a wet pop. Her thumb stilled on her Pet’s clit but she kept her fingers moving slowly and softly.

“Not yet Pet. We’re no where near the end of your edging. Remember, you can use your safeword at any time and we will stop.”

Sanna felt tears sting her eyes as she nodded. She watched, knowing what was coming, as her Mistress reached for the other clamp. She began to whimper before her Mistress had even touched it, bracing herself for the sensation. Tears fell down her cheeks as the clamp was released. She cried out again as her Mistress took her breast in her mouth, this time massaging it with her tongue instead of sucking. Stroking her clit and spot until Sanna was begging to cum, only to pull back at the last moment.

Over and over again, Loki used pain and pleasure to bring her Pet to the edge only to pull back and soothe her with praise and gentle touches before starting again.

Sanna slipped into subspace when her Mistress finally let her cum. She collapsed forward to rest her head on Loki’s shoulder. She didn’t notice when her hands were released or feel herself being shifted around and cradled on her Mistress’s lap. Loki summoned a warm, wet cloth with her seidr to clean them both.

“Good girl,” Loki whispered. “I’m so proud of you, my darling Pet.”

She lifted the girl with ease and carried her to the bedchamber. Loki set her down on the bed gently and pulled a light blanket out of one of the storage chests in the room. She covered her Pet, gently wrapping her in the blanket before lying next to her. She spoke soft, soothing words of praise in between kisses to her Pet’s face. Loki left her side only briefly to let the servant in with their evening meal before returning to her efforts to coax her Pet back to reality.

[memoirsofratasum]

Protector Tarnn: Long Live the Lich

We had been deep in the hidden library of the Astralarium when we received word that war had begun. Khalida had penned the message herself in code so Sahil had to be the one to read it out to the rest of us.

Joko had struck. And he struck hard. His so called invasion on Tyria must not have been getting the response his wanted. Massive coordinated attacks to different regions may have seemed impressive to the lich, but to Tyrians it was just another Tuesday. So he went with a much more direct approach.

A Pact aid ship bound for Amnoon had been infected on route with the scarab plague, timed perfectly to swarm the city as they disembarked. Thank the Alchemy that the Commander had been at the docks and had managed to hold back the scarabs from infecting the rest of Amnoon. But even if the invasion had failed, it still sent a clear message: Joko was back for good.

But, as the letter went onto explain, the rest of the world wasn’t going to allow the lich king to walk all over it. I felt a swell of Tyrian pride hearing that the Commander had carved out a foothold in Kourna. As if there was ever any doubt. When it comes to global catastrophes you can always count on a Tyrian to be the first in the fight.

The Sunspears and their Tyrian and Olmakhan allies would mobilize and join the rest of the war effort in Kourna as soon as possible. Dorne immediately sent a message back to the Sandswept Isles for reinforcements and the rest of us tightened up our gear. You could almost taste the nervous energy in the air. This is what the Sunspears had been fighting hundreds of years for and this seemed like the first real chance at Joko they ever had. What that chance entailed we weren’t sure of yet, that would come with the briefing in Kourna, but as I told Sahil, this time the Sunspears wouldn’t be alone. He seemed to relax, though only a little.

The way to Kourna wasn’t short despite the province being across the strait from Istan. Gandara, also known at the Moon Fortress, guarded the waters. There would be no assault from the sea. Instead the Commander had found a more round about way into Kourna, by way of a portal just outside the Tomb of the Primeval Kings. I’m not sure if I want to know how that came about.

It was so nice to be back in the Highlands. By all logic this region should not be a place one looks forward to. The Brand looms large, the Salt Flats are difficult to live in, and the death-energy from Vlast can still be felt as a woven undercurrent in the air. And yet the area feels refreshing. I can only imagine it’s due to being so far from Joko’s influence. Or maybe it’s just the mountain air.  

We arrived at the portal alongside a supply caravan. The branded may seem tame compared to a threat like Joko, but it’s still a threat. Getting supplies through the region, even with the assistance of the local ogre tribes, is a nightmare. Despite a dedicated escort one of the pack bulls got maimed and some of the supplies were lost under the talons of a branded griffon. It’s almost as if we’re fighting on two fronts, and if the supplies fail Joko has as good as won.

The portal itself wasn’t what I was expecting. It was less like an asura gate and more like a tear in the fabric of space-time. A stable tear that hopefully won’t cause a problem down the road. But right now it’s able to get us into Kourna. The tear was too small to take all of us at once, so we had to go through in waves. And we weren’t the only ones in line for the front. It seemed like half of Tyria had heard the call to arms and the wait for our turn for the portal took hours.

The air was the first thing I noticed about Kourna. While the Highlands had been refreshing, the air in Kourna was heavy, hot, and infused with an unclean greasy magic from Joko’s influence. I wouldn’t say it’s as bad as Orr but it was still pretty bad. The second thing I noticed was the Allied Encampment on the rise. The abandoned village had been turned into a boisterous staging camp. Medic tents, cook fires, repair anvils, training stations, if it wasn’t for the lack of trees you’d think you were back in Dragon Stand. Except for one detail. I didn’t notice it at first, but as we walked through the town to report in and receive our assignments it suddenly struck me. Everyone working inside the village was human. Every supply runner, medic, blacksmith, lookout...all human. The most I saw of any other race at that time was a squad of saluting sylvari before they rode out on their raptors, presumably to the front lines.

It wasn’t until we got a briefing from Spearmarshal Zaeim that we learned why. The scarab plague only affects humans, all other races native to Tyria are immune. That means any human members of the offensive now have to play defense. All other races had to go to the front lines. But even we aren’t any safer as the threat of awakening is very real.

Because of this unique consideration all assignments had to be divvied up differently. Sahil and and his Sunspears, despite all their years of training, had to stay behind in the village to see to the logistics. At least Sahil was important enough to be at the command table and assist in devising plans and seeing them carried out. Sanna and Dorne were assigned to the vine wall at the front lines to help keep the wall in one piece and see to any wounded that came through the gates. Sanna was ordered get as many as she could back on their feet and back into the fight, saving the rear medic tents for those worse off.

As for me, Zaeim was very interested in hearing that I was a blacksmith and had gone toe-to-toe with the Inquest more so than my experience in Orr or Dragon Stand. Supplies are at a premium out here and there is never enough to go around. But we can’t fight a war without the metal for armor and weapons, not at the rate they are trickling in. So we had to make do with what we had. And what we had was an old inquest lab in the Dabiji Hollows. There were no living inquest in the lab, they were all Awakened so there would be no food to find. But there would be equipment that could be salvaged into usable metal and magical components. My orders were to take a squad and raid the research vaults, identify good materials, steal anything we could carry, and getting out before the Awakened could retaliate. If we managed to snag some information then fine, but it was better to free any prisoners. Apparently the local hylek tribe were a regular victim and we needed them as allies.

I gathered a small squad from the allies that came with us from the Astralarium, both Priory and Olmakhan members with swift mounts and keen eyes. The goal was to get in, grab what we could, and get out. We didn’t need to get caught in any protracted fights were we could easily get outnumbered and lose precious materials. I only had a day to memorize the information Zaeim had gathered and to touch base with Quartermaster Yohana. The smiths were in dire need of not only metal but also arcane crystals for artificing repairs. Doable. If there is anything the Inquest would have in spades, aside from suffering and a superiority complex, it’s arcane crystals.

We set out early in the morning before the desert heat really set in. The mount of choice was either a raptor or a jackal. From what I overheard many of the raptors were turning their snouts up at the ibogas that were being hunted for their feed. Made me glad I didn’t have to worry about feeding my jackal.

The Inquest research vaults were in a cave system within the Hollows. The rock formations glowed with a red light that told us we were on the right track. There were a few Awakened patrols but not as many as I had anticipated. Most of them must be working on plague research. We snuck in as far as I dared before giving the signal. In a split second over a dozen mounts leapt into the heart of the Inquest lab, trampling Awakened under claw as axes cleaved into console banks. I was pocketing as many arcane crystals I could stuff into Spirit’s saddlebags when I heard the sound of someone yelling, but it wasn’t the angry shouts of formerly alive Inquest, it sounded more like someone was trying to get our attention.

In a row of electrified cages was a one of the smallest hylek I had ever seen. At first she was wary me, she probably didn’t know what an alive non-Inquest asura looked like. But taking my axe to her cage controls was a quick way to prove myself and she was now eager to cooperate. She introduced herself as Milin from Apizmic Grounds and in turn I asked if there were any others of her tribe imprisoned that she knew about. Milin believed she was the only one currently captured. That was good enough for me. I ordered Milin to mount up on Spirit and I blew a warhorn to signal to my squad that we were leaving.

As quickly as we had arrived my squad streamed out of the caverns. The whole operation had happened in under ten minutes and from the bulging saddlebags we had made off decent haul, plus rescued a prisoner. Not bad for a first time raid.

I left the delivery to Quartermaster Yohana to the squad, my first priority was to see to Milin. Sanna gave her a clean bill of health and what food and water we could spare while Zaeim interviewed her on any information she might have. She didn’t know much, but had overheard that the Inquest were breeding scarabs to infect the nearby village of Palawa’s Benevolence. By this point the operation was probably already underway. What a plan that was, release the plague behind our lines where it could infect our human troops while punishing his people at the same time. A win-win in Joko’s twisted mind.

Zaeim immediately called for the sunpears to send assistance to the village and to call on the Commander about the plague. I offered to see to the village myself since I had completed the raid, but Zaeim denied that request. They had bodies to see to a village, but knowledge of metallurgy was a rarer skill currently at hand and I was to assist the smiths in smelting what we stole and form it into usable ingots and then to prepare for the next raid. No matter how much we took it would never be enough for the war effort. Meanwhile Milin would be escorted back to the Apizmic Grounds once she regained her strength.

And that was the only the first morning of our tour in Kourna. When I wasn’t raiding the Inquest base at odd hours, I was preparing for the next or salvaging what we stole into usable components. In all my years of battle I’ve never had such an assignment. I can only assume I did a good enough job as I wasn’t replaced. Sanna and Dorne for their part stayed with the vine walls and Sahil assisted Zaeim with the battle plans.

It was weeks later when everything abruptly changed. The Commander was making the long anticipated assault on the Moon Fortress. Joko must have been inside. The orders had been for all non-human allies to join the Commander at the front, but at the last second Sahil pulled Sanna, myself, Dorne, and the rest from the Astralarium back from the line and assigned us to the vine walls. He said it was to keep the way open in case of retreat and to prevent the encampment to be overrun while the rest of the forces knocked on the Joko’s door. A tactically wise decision left to those he trusted, but I can’t help but wonder if he was trying to protect us. No way to prove it and he’d deny it if asked, but in the months I’ve known him Sahil has never been much of a risk taker, and this assault was risky. He wouldn’t put his people’s lives on the line just on some Tyrian commander’s say so.

So we hung back, taking potshots at the few Awakened that stayed to test the wall’s defenses. I have no idea of knowing what happened at the fortress, but we all clearly saw what happened outside of it. Aurene flew overhead, heading straight for the fortress like a blue crystalline arrow. It was almost like seeing Vlast fly again. Minutes later there was a surge of magic from the top level of the fortress and then the Awakened just...stopped.

Some threw down their weapons, some ran away, others fell to knees weeping. Not a single one of them kept fighting, not even when a couple Olmakhan risked approaching a crying undead and poking it with their staff. Something clearly had happened, but it wasn’t until the Commander returned that we heard the story.

Joko had been defeated, for good this time. Aurene had seen to that. What can you expect, she’s a dragon after all. Their teeth are one of their finer features. I’m sure the now late Joko had time to appreciate them as he was turned into her early dinner.

As for what happens now, there will be a lot of work for the Sunspears. How to do you replace hundreds of years of absolute rule? And what of the Awakened that remain? What of any loyalists that are still out there? I suppose we will all find out soon enough. But for right now Sanna and I have been relieved of our tour in Kourna and the Priory has given us leave to recuperate. We are free to return to Tyria and do whatever we want.

Maybe it’s time to see what has changed at the Labyrinthine Cliffs.

[fableweaver]

Arc of the White Sorceress

Arc of the White Enchantress

The evening was a blustery cold spring evening. Martel shivered thinking of that cloak she had seen back in the village and wishing she had asked for it. Her clothes were good, but not as warm as she would have hoped. They had flown from the village by the cliffs along the coast for nine days now, passing other villages. They had flown at night along the coast, Shankar and Durai leading the way through the night. Martel had seen lights of villages, and some lighthouses along the cliffs, but they avoided these places and camped in the wild. They were at last only one night away from Myr.

“I was thinking we should approach Myr carefully,” Xavier said as he finished strapping Kavi’s harness and bags on. “We should fly past it to land on the eastern side; there should be sea cliffs you can rest in.”

“Why fly past?” Kalyani asked.

“I thought of a story to explain who the mage children are and why I am with them,” Xavier answered. “But it only works if we are seen approaching from the east. I also need to go into the city alone first to get a few things. Martel.”

She hurried over when he called her name, Martel seeing him look at her pensively.

“What was your family name?” Xavier asked.

“My full name is Martel Sanna Voranos,” she answered. “Both my parents were dukes and after Atlas many families were left without heirs so I took both my parent’s surnames to preserve both houses.”

“Interesting,” Xavier said nodding. “Well for the sake of anonymity you’ll be a baroness now. You’re the daughter of a baron of little settlement by the Aldan border. Your father has decided to let you travel to Myr to see the city. The rest of the children are craftsmen’s children who live in the small village as well. I am your chaperone, a loyal servant who has served your family since they live close to the Aldan border.”

“Alright,” Martel answered, putting the details in her mind.

“Good,” Xavier said. “Make sure the others understand it as well later. Now let’s get going.”

They mounted and Xavier changed into a bird. Martel was absolutely astounded by that magic and wanted to learn it herself. She had tried but was unable to even touch the Elder Magic like Xavier could. She decided when she was older she would try to make a sigil that let her do the same. They flew through the night and around midnight they passed Myr.

Martel sat up, getting a face full of wind, and looked out at the city of Mages. It wasn’t as big as she thought it would be, but she was seeing it from the sky. Lights blazed everywhere in the city as it lay nestled in the curve of a bay. Martel could just make out the palace and a great tower across from it. That tower had to be the library Xavier had mentioned. Her heart pounded and she wished she could leap down and run into the city.

Sadly she sat back and they passed the mage city in the night to land in a sheltered cove further down the coast. It was the dog hours of the morning and everyone was yawning, especially the children. Martel was helping the children settle down for the night when she heard Xavier talking with Kalyani.

“You stay here and I’ll be back soon,” Xavier said as he checked his pockets and weapons. “I’ll be back before daybreak.”

“What is it you need to get in the city?” Kalyani asked.

“Clothes and real money,” Xavier answered idly.

“Get me some clothes as well then,” Kalyani said and Xavier laughed.

“I don’t think I’ll find anything that will fit you Kalyani.”

“You will, just get me some women’s clothes. I am right in guessing it is strange for human women to go about unclothed?”

Xavier stared at her in dawning realization.

“You mean… A skin?” Xavier asked. “You can take human form?”

“Of course, I tried a few times when you were not around,” Kalyani said. “I would like to see this city of mages.”

Xavier stared at her before he laughed and nodded.

“Alright but only you Kalyani,” Xavier said.

“I’m the only one that can do it,” she answered. “Raja can take control here for now.”

“I’ll be back shortly,” Xavier said. He took his bird form and took off into the night. Martel walked over to Kalyani.

“Thank you for coming with us,” Martel said and the griffin turned to her.

“I am interested in what your people have made,” Kalyani said. “If they are anything like you Martel then I bet it is a very interesting city.”

She blushed under the compliment.

“I can’t wait,” Martel said.

“Get some sleep, you’ll need it for the morning,” Kalyani said.

Martel nodded and returned to the sleeping rug with the other children. Morning came and they made breakfast, Xavier returning just as they started eating. Martel bit her tongue from barraging him with questions, seeing he was carrying a bag. He sat and she gave him a piece of travel bread and sausage which he promptly wolfed down.

“Did you get what you needed?” Martel asked when he finished.

“And more,” Xavier said. “News the most important. Tomorrow is the King’s one hundredth birthday; the festival will give us great cover for entering the city. Mages are arriving in droves from over the kingdom so we’ll blend right in. And there will be a great festival, the only time mages have a festival is to celebrate themselves and never the gods.”

“A festival?” Castor said puzzled. “What is a festival?”

“A celebration,” Xavier answered his eyes suddenly sad. “There will be tricks, feasting, dancing, music, feats of wonder, and much more.”

“What is dancing?” Nike asked raising her hand.

“You’ll see,” Xavier said. “Kalyani, let’s get changed so we can go.”

Kalyani nodded, grinning as everyone turned to her. She did what Xavier did when he was about to change form, she closed her eyes and stood perfectly still. A shimmer appeared in the air before her, and Kalyani stepped into it. One instant she was a griffin, the next a woman stood in her place. She was tall; nearly seven spans, her skin a burnished bronze. Her hair was jet black with a white streak in her forelock. Her eyebrows were bushy, and trailed like the points of her beard had, and her nose was pointed like a beak. Her eyes were green and slit like a cat’s, sparkling as she looked at them.

She was shapely, and Martel noticed Xavier staring at her with his mouth hanging open. She glanced at Lycus and the other boys and they too were staring agape.

“Right,” Xavier said looking away and clearing his throat. “Impressive Kalyani. I’m not sure what race you look like but with that height you’d have to have some Nyrgardic blood in you. Maybe we can say you’re from Xin. And your eyes are like a Rhodin’s.”

“It matters little,” Kalyani said. “But perhaps I should have some clothes now?”

Xavier took the pack and handed her the clothes she needed. She dressed in a tunic and pants, a pair of leather sandals, and a wide belt just under her tits. Xavier changed as well, he wore a tunic and pants as well, soft soled boots and a belt around his waist. Martel realized they were dressed the same and wondered why.

“This is how slaves or servants dress in Dridia,” Xavier said as if sensing her thoughts.

“Slaves?” Martel asked.

“Slaves are like servants, but they are not allowed to leave their professions or be paid for their labor,” Xavier said his tone dead. “I was once a slave.”

Martel didn’t understand, why could they not leave? She couldn’t see the difference between a servant and a slave.

“Come, we are wasting the day,” Kalyani said. “How long will it take to walk to the city?”

“A few hours,” Xavier answered. “We should arrive by midday.”

“Raja, you are in charge while I am gone,” Kalyani said. “If an emergency comes we will send word by sylph.”

“Safe travels,” Raja said with a bow of his head. They bid farewell to the griffins and left the cove climbing up the rocks to the grassy hills of the coast. For a while they walked through nothing but hills, the city not even in sight. Then they joined a road, a paved expanse stretching as far as she could see in both directions. There were a few carts traveling down the road, pulled by big creatures Martel hadn’t seen before.

“Form up into two lines and pair off,” Xavier said. “And walk along the side of the road. Hold hands and don’t get separated.”

The paired off and Martel held Lycus’ hand as Xavier took the lead and Kalyani took the rear of the line. Melissa held hands with Kalyani at the end of the line since they had an odd number. They walked on the side of the road, carts passing them with the drivers looking at them with mild interest as they passed. Martel saw some of the colorful wagons again, driven by the strange people with the cat like eyes.

“Xavier what are those animals?” Martel asked pointing to the animals that pulled the carts. He looked back at her and smiled.

“That one is a horse,” he answered. “The ones with the horns are oxen.”

Martel passed the words along to the others behind her, who were all staring like she had. As they walked more and more carts passed them. Some were laden with straw or hey, some with vegetables; one even had pigs like Xavier had bought at the village. One cart went by much different than the rest; it was ornate and covered in gold trim and sigils.

“What is that?” Martel asked as it passed by.

“A carriage,” Xavier answered. “A wealthy mage is riding in that.”

“I want one,” Martel said amazed and Xavier laughed.

“I’ll get you one someday Martel,” Lycus said and she smiled at him.

Some of the people that passed them rode on the horses rather than a cart. Soon they were joined by others on foot like them. Some carts were pulled by only a person, these seeming poorer versions of the carts. Martel was amazed at the people. She had seen a few mages, though they were of lesser power than she was used to since they didn’t even glow with power. There were also people with darker skin and black hair. The ones with the cat like eyes varied so much in looks their only common feature between them were their strange eyes. She also saw some very tall people with pale skin and yellow or brown hair. And there were some people of smaller stature with olive skin and black hair.

She pointed to each and Xavier told her their races, Martel passing the information along back to the other children. They were all so overwhelmed they were silent as they stared, so many questions in their minds they couldn’t voice them. At last they crested a rise and looked down at the city of Myr.

The city sparkled in the sunshine from thousands of glass windows. The buildings were great structures with pillars or domes, towering above the streets of the city. The city rested on two hills with a valley and the bay between them: on the far hill stood the palace of grand white marble and towering pillars. Over everything was the great tower, the top of which disappeared into the clouds.

“Myr, The City of Glass,” Xavier said. “Come on, we’re holding up traffic.”

He marched on down the hill and Martel hurried to follow, dragging Lycus with her. He was still staring as they walked, tears in his eyes. Martel turned to see Kalyani urging the other children on and they hurried after them. The ground leveled out and they started to pass a few outlying buildings, warehouses or stables. Martel moved closer to Lycus as the crowds became denser and they approached the city gate. It was a great arch like structure, the iron gate open to the flow of traffic.

They passed guards wearing livery that Martel had never seen before. Once past the gate the city buildings closed around them. The streets weren’t narrow, but the buildings were tall, none stood shorter than five stories. Martel resisted the impulse to crane her neck back to see the tops of the buildings.

The people they passed were of the same mix as before, but there were more mages. As they walked Martel noticed there were golems as well, some dressed like people but their featureless clay faces gave them away. She saw thousands of sigils on the walls and people, feeling the hum of the High Magic on her skin. She saw gargoyles perched on buildings, and even a few flying carpets pass by overhead.

She started to notice a difference in the people. Some were dressed like Xavier, those of a different race than the mages. When one passed them by she got a good look at him and noticed he had a sigil around his neck. She read it briefly as he passed and was puzzled to notice it was a constricting type of sigil, a seal.

“Xavier, why do some of the people have sigils around their necks?” Martel asked. She had noticed others, but the one around the neck was the most common and on the most amount of people.

“That’s a slave sigil,” Xavier answered not turning around, his tone was dark again. “It constricts if the wearer disobeys or tries to escape.”

“Constricts?” Martel asked startled. “But isn’t that painful?”

“Yes, it is,” Xavier answered. He kept walking and Martel was forced to follow.

“It’s a collar,” Lycus said and Martel looked at him. His face was dull, his glow low as his heart sank. “Martel, they’re wearing collars.”

She looked around horrified. Sure these people were different, they weren’t mages, but she could clearly see they were people. Some moved with a deliberate slowness, some as if they carried a great burden though they carried nothing physically. Others didn’t seem bothered at all, their faces set in mild platitude. Others even smiled or laughed. Yet Martel felt her mind reeling at the thought that these people were magically forced to do as they were told.

“Martel,” Lycus said tugging on her sleeve. He pointed and she followed his finger to a woman sitting in the lee of a set of stairs out of the crowd. She was skeletal and thin, her clothes filthy and flies buzzed about her. A child sat in her lap, its belly distended and limbs thin. They were both of the Elmerian race as Xavier had called it, tan skin and dark hair. As people passed her she held out a hand to them asking for aid.

“Xavier!” Martel said alarmed as she tugged on his tunic. He stopped and turned to her reaching for his sword. “Look, we have to help her!” Martel said as she pointed. Xavier looked and frowned shaking his head.

“Help who?” He asked.

“That woman and her child,” Martel said shocked. He looked again and frowned deeper.

“I’m surprised she’s here, I’d thought the guards would have cleared the streets of beggars,” Xavier said puzzled.

“Aren’t we going to help her?” Lycus asked. “She looks like she’s starving.”

Xavier didn’t answer because as they spoke two men walked up to the woman. They were wearing the same livery the guards at the gate had been wearing. Martel gave a sigh of relief to see the guards had come to help the woman. The sigh strangled in her throat as the woman cringed away shielding her child as the two guards grabbed her. She moaned and struggled, but they dragged her away like she was a wild animal. Most of the people they passed didn’t even turn to look.

“Where are they taking her?” Lycus asked. “She’ll be alright won’t she?”

“They’re taking her to Hole,” Xavier answered as he turned away. “And no, she won’t be alright.”

Martel wanted to ask him more but the words caught in her throat. Xavier sounded desolate, and from the brief look she had seen on his face he seemed broken. They walked on, Martel looking around at the city with a new eye. It was beautiful, but now she wondered what it had cost to make this city.

“I don’t think I want to live here anymore,” Lycus said lowly.

“Me neither,” Martel said. She looked back at the children to see they too had seen the woman dragged away and had understood what Xavier had said.

Xavier led the way through the confusing streets and uphill. They stayed away from the valley and bay, walking instead along the hill that stood on the east side of the city. Xavier stopped dead and Martel walked into him, Lycus steading her. She looked to see he was staring up at a building across the street, Martel noticing the sign read Peony House.

“Xavier?” Martel asked when he hadn’t moved for a few minutes.

“This was Zaire’s home,” Xavier said in a small voice and Martel felt her heart constrict. He sighed heavily and turned away from the building, leading the way down the street. Martel looked back at the building, wondering what he had once had there.

At last they arrived at a little red building standing only five stories. It was nestled between two other bigger buildings at the dead end of a street. A fountain with a fish spitting water out in a stream sat in the cul-de-sac, the sign over the door reading Traveler’s Landing. Xavier walked in, a bell ringing, and he held the door for the children to enter.

Inside it was a homey feeling, the walls wood paneled and room bright with mage lights and a fire in the hearth. Several chairs and tables sat around the room, a few men and women sitting around the room. Only one person took notice of them as they entered, a portly tiny woman that stood shorter than Martel. She had brown skin but dark red hair, her green eyes as bright as spring grass. She wore a dress and apron, a kerchief tied over her hair which was braided into two plaits.

“Greetins travelers!” She said brightly as she hurried up wiping her hands on her apron. “Welcome ta the Traveler’s Landin.”

She spoke with an odd accent, her words drawled out thickly.

“Greetings matron,” Xavier said. “We are looking for lodging and I was told you have rooms, do you have a room big enough for us all? Beds don’t matter; we’d like to stay together.”

“O course!” the woman answered warmly. “Not many travelers make it all the way up the hill ta my modest establishment. Name’s Rois, what might I call ye?”

“Xavier, this is my mistress Martel daughter of the Baron Sanna Voranos,” Xavier said. “And this is her betrothed Lycus. I’d introduce the children but there are many as you can see. By the door there is my colleague Kalyani. We are both free servants in the lady’s employ.”

“O course sir,” Rois said nodding. “Well I have a room plenty big enough fer all ye, beds too. That be ifn ye don’t mind the attic.”

Xavier looked to Martel and she blushed.

“The attic is fine,” Martel said timidly and Rois smiled at her.

“Ye be a shy lass fer a mage,” Rois said smiling.

“We are from a barony at the edge of the Aldan forest,” Xavier said. “My family has served hers for generations. This is Lady Martel’s first visit to Myr.”

“O course,” Rois said with a giggle. “Well come along then.”

She led the way to the stairs, going all the way to the top. She unlocked the door at the top of the stairs and let them into the room. Other than the low eves, the room was spacious, twelve beds lined along both sides of the room. It was clean and dust free, smelling powerfully of herbs. A round window stood on the opposite side of the room looking out over the bay and city.

“Will this be ta yer liking?” Rois said.

“It will thank you,” Xavier said. Coins exchanged hands and Rois handed over the key.

“There will be supper at five,” Rois said. “Though I suspect ye’ll wanna go ta the festival, it’s been goin all week!”

“Thank you,” Xavier said. “Yes we’ll be going to the festival.”

“Ye weren’t invited were ye?” Rois asked Martel. “Ta the King’s birthday party?”

“N-no,” Martel stammered and blushed some more.

“I’m afraid Lady Martel is a low level Baroness,” Xavier said. “She stands to inherit very little. I doubt the King even knows of her barony.”

“O course,” Rois said, she seemed to say that a lot. “Well I leave ye ta rest, have a pleasant stay.”

She bowed and left, Xavier closing the door after her. They set their packs down and began clamoring for beds, arguing over who could take what. Eventually they settled on Nike and Xenia sharing one bed, while Melissa and Jove another.

“Are you alright in that skin Kalyani?” Xavier asked.

“I should not sleep in it,” Kalyani said. “Would it be alright if I shed it and sleep in the middle of the room?”

“As long as we lock the door yes,” Xavier said.

“I wanna sleep with Kalyani!” Melissa said. “Jove picks his nose.”

“Do not!” Jove shouted quickly removing his finger from his nose where it had been.

“I do not mind,” Kalyani said. “You can sleep under my wing little one.”

Melissa cheered and hugged her. Kalyani’s face took on a loving glow and Martel realized it was the first time she could read Kalyani’s expressions well. Despite having lived with the Griffins for a long time she still couldn’t read their faces very well.

“I’d like to go to the library while I have the chance,” Xavier said looking out the window. “What about you Martel? Do you want to come to the library with me or explore the city? We’ll be here for a few days at least so you have time to do both.”

“I want to explore,” Martel said excited and the children cheered in agreement.

“Then you can explore all you like,” Xavier said nodding.

“You won’t be coming with us?” Martel asked startled.

“I can’t move around the city freely,” Xavier said. “I’m a wanted man by both the outlaws and the laws. The less I wander around the better. Besides you are mages in the capital of mages, you’ll be safe enough here. With the king’s birthday most of the streets have been cleared of any danger. Kalyani, do you want to go with the children or me?”

“I would like to go with you,” Kalyani answered. “The search for the song is my priority. But are you sure it is wise to leave the children unsupervised?”

“They aren’t, Martel and Lycus are looking after them,” Xavier answered. “And they have been on their own for a long time before they met me.”

“You were so adamant that the world is dangerous,” Lycus said.

“I still am and it still is,” Xavier said. “But I’ve been thinking thanks to you Lycus. I can’t babysit you and shelter you for all your lives, if I do you will never learn to live in the world on your own. So I’m letting you face Myr on your own, granted the city is safer than it could ever be right now.”

“But what about the bad powerful mages you mentioned,” Lycus asked. “Won’t they try to take us?”

“As long as you stay on this side of the city none of them will notice you,” Xavier said. “They’re all at the palace attending the King’s birthday celebration. I know it is still possible however so if anyone takes notice of your powers do whatever you can to escape or to lie your way out of the situation. And stay away from the valley and the docks along the bay, those places are not for children.

“The festival is going on all over the city so I’ll draw a sigil in this room that you can use as a beacon to get back here.”

Xavier drew a sigil in pure power on the floor, making sure all the children knew the answering sigil that would lead them back to this spot.

“If you get lost just draw the sigil and it will lead you back here,” Xavier said. “And one last thing, don’t eat too many sweets.”

“What are sweets?” Xenia asked.

“You’ll see,” Xavier answered with a grin. “Martel, here is some money.”

Xavier handed her a string with coins on it. There were a lot of copper coins on the string; one side had a wreath of oak leaves and acorns, the other letters and numbers. There were silver coins as well; these had grape leaves and grapes on them.

“The copper ones are copper pieces,” Xavier said. “Two hundred of those equals one of the silver coins which are called silver royals. Fifty royals equals one gold crown.”

“What are the names and numbers?” Martel asked interested.

“The year they were minted and the High King under which they were minted,” Xavier answered. “A bit of history, most of the Nine Kingdom’s current money was minted under the High King Anan Alvar, he became known as the Gold King in the history of the Kingdoms.”

Martel nodded; Xavier had taught them a bit about the Kingdoms but not much. She couldn’t even name all nine. She did understand though that each kingdom had their own king, who was only answerable to the High King of the nine. He had also said he had come from the old line of the kings, those that used to be Aldan before another line took over the throne.

“The pieces are more common to spend and I only gave you two royals so spend it wisely,” Xavier said. “Don’t spend it all, that money is all I will give you for this trip to the city.”

“Alright,” Martel said sensing he was testing her. If she spent all the money in one day she could tell he would be disappointed in her. In fact this whole thing felt like it was a test, like he wanted to see how well she would do looking after the children alone. Well she could do it, she had been watching after them for ten years since she was six.

“Come on Kalyani,” Xavier said heading for the door.

“Wait,” Martel said startled. “Aren’t you going to take us to the festival?”

“You can find the way,” Xavier answered. Before Martel could object he left, Kalyani following him with a slight grin on her face.

“Now what?” Lycus asked just as stunned.

“Maybe I can use a sigil,” Martel said trying to think.

“Why not just ask the round lady?” Xenia said. “She lives here.”

“The innkeeper?” Martel asked as she frowned to think. Xavier said she could find the way herself, but maybe he did mean for her to ask directions. After all she hadn’t been very good at talking when she had first talked to the innkeeper. “Alright, is everyone ready?”

“Ready!” the children shouted and Martel shushed them.

“Then let’s form two lines like before,” Martel said. She made a set of three with Melissa between Xenia and Nike at the end to make sure everyone had a partner. “Now everyone keep track of your partner, it’s just like hunting.”

“Yea but this is better,” Castor said excited.

“Lycus you’re the rear guard while I’ll take the lead,” Martel said and Lycus saluted like they had used to. She grinned at him and turned to lead the way back downstairs. Rois was busy wiping down a table as they came in and Martel straitened her back as she walked up to her.

“Excuse me matron,” Martel said, trying to imitate Xavier’s tone. “We have need to go to the festival, perhaps you could direct us?”

Rois looked at her with a beaming smile, tittering a moment before answering brightly.

“O course,” Rois said. “When ye leave here take a left on the road until ye reach Downin street, it be the main road n much wider than the rest n it be marked. Head south along that all the way down the hill n ye’ll reach the festival what bein held fer the workin class here. It be a real treat.”

“Thank you matron,” Martel said smiling back at her.

“O course!” Rois said laughing.

Feeling much more confident now, Martel led the way out of the inn and followed Rois’ directions. The streets were marked with sigils and with signs in the Dridian language and they found Downing Street easily. From there it was just a matter of following the crowds. Down the hill they reached a grand open square with an obelisk in the center. The square was full of people, mostly mages. Flying carpets flew overhead, and sigils blazed with colored lights and spheres to entertain.

At first they just stood back at the edge and stared in awe of the great multitude of people, overwhelmed with the sights and sounds. Music was playing, enhanced with sigils, and Martel had never heard music since she was a little girl. She saw mages of all ages around in the crowd, all of them of weak power. She even saw some that were so weak they weren’t even bleached, their hair and eyes holding some amount of color. Yet the look on all their faces was of wonder and joy so she could not feel pity for their lack of power. If anything seeing familiar features even those that were colored made her want to run into the crowd and embrace them.

A tug on her sleeve woke her and she looked to see Lycus next to her.

“Let’s get something to eat,” he said, his eyes as bright as rubies. She nodded and he went to take his place at the end of the line again. They stirred the others into wakefulness and braved the crowd. It was pressing at first but once they joined the flow it went easier. There were thousands of tents and little booths set up along the edge of the crowds, all selling marvelous things.

There were booths of enchanted objects, magic mirrors, glass flowers, bottles of every shape and size, crystal balls, magic carpets, talismans, wind knots, intricate clockwork, musical instruments that played on their own, sound shells, and much more. Looking at all these wondrous things made Martel realize that it didn’t matter that some of the mages around her were weak in power. Looking at the sellers of the objects many were of weak powers. It didn’t take much power to enchant an object, and once done the enchantment would keep going for as long as it had power. Any mage could use these objects, giving them their own power.

It didn’t matter how much power a mage had, just how they used it.

Passing these booths they crossed into the food stalls and were greeted with the greatest smells in the world. The food stalls were manned by servants or slaves, making foods that Martel had never seen before. There was meat roasted on sticks, breads of thousands of shapes and designs, vegetables and fruits cut and cooked into strange breads or other forms. There were foods from all over the kingdoms, and Martel had never seen such foods. It was overwhelming and none of them knew which to choose first.

Luckily there were servants standing by each stall with a tray of samples. They went by each stall trying everything, cleaning out each tray as they went along. Then Martel gave each child a coin and told them to go buy their favorite and to meet back at the foot of the obelisk. She went and bought what the vendor called chicken and waffles. It was a favorite of Hyria apparently, a piece of chicken battered and fried in oil before it was served wrapped in a cake cooked on a hot iron and slathered with honey.

She arrived over at the obelisk and sat on the stairs under its shadow, the others quickly joining her with their prizes. Martel did a head count and was relived to find all twelve children there. They shared bites around as they ate, enjoying the strange new food.

“I’m thirsty,” Jove said when they finished. Martel looked around for somewhere to get water, but didn’t see anything. So she went over to a nearby slave.

“Sir, can you tell me where some water is?” she asked politely. The man smiled at her and nodded.

“O’er there is a fountain miss,” the man said pointing. “Just under that blue bubble.”

“Thank you,” Martel said spotting the blue float sigil. She paused then looking at the man, he was Elmerian and older with gray in his hair. “Does it hurt?” She asked suddenly.

“Does what hurt?” the man asked startled.

“The sigil around your neck,” Martel asked. She saw a moment of surprise in his eyes with a touch of fear before he quickly covered it.

“No miss I hardly feel it,” he said a mild smile on his face. “Thank you so much of your concern but I like it the way it is now.”

“But…”

“Please miss,” the man said with genuine fear. “I can still be useful I swear it.”

“What happens if you aren’t useful?” Martel asked afraid. His eyes were fearful and he looked like he didn’t want to answer. Then Martel saw the sigil activate on his throat and constrict, the man gasping.

“I’ll be thrown away miss,” he was forced to answer. Martel felt her gore rise as she realized she had just inadvertently caused the man pain.

“I’m sorry,” Martel said. “Please I was only trying to help.”

“Yes miss,” the man said nodding to her. “Thank you miss.”

His groveling seemed even worse so Martel turned away and went back to the others.

“What’s wrong?” Lycus asked. Martel told him and he looked back at the old man. “Maybe we could remove his sigil.”

“And then what?” Martel asked. “Where would he go? I think he’s been a slave all his life. I want to help but…”

“There is a king right?” Lycus said. “Maybe he could fix this.”

“I think he lets it happen,” Martel said. “I’m starting to understand what Xavier meant about the Kingdoms.”

“Then there needs to be a new king,” Lycus said. “A good king. Or maybe a queen.”

He looked at her and Martel felt her face flush. Rather than entertain his suggestion she turned away and led the way to the water fountain.

It was a great fountain of water colored by sigils and the children were able to drink their fill and wash their sticky hands. When they were done they continued to explore the festival. There were performers of acrobatics, and they got to see what dancing was and participate though none of them were any good at it. They joined other children in games and dancing, mages and servant children playing together because children did not care about such things.

Hours passed and the sun went down, but the mage lights of the city made sure the festival could continue. When it started to get late after they had dinner Martel realized they should return to the inn. So she called everyone together and did a head count, only to find she was one short.

“Where is Melissa?” Martel said worried.

“I haven’t seen her,” Lycus said afraid as he looked around. “What if someone took her?”

Martel felt fear then and quickly stamped down on it. She needed to stay calm and she needed to think. She decided to use a seeking sigil, a sigil designed to find lost objects. It usually only worked in small places like in a house, but Martel didn’t have much of a choice. She drew the sigil and let it fly, the sigil flying out trailing a thread of power back to her. The line of power glowed white a moment before turning blue, it had found her.

“Come on!” Martel said hurrying to follow the thread of power. They didn’t have far to go, just outside of the crowds along one of the open streets. Melissa stood looking up at another mage. The mage was dressed in fine robes dripping in silver coins, her long white hair kept back with a silver circlet. Melissa turned and waved as Martel rushed up and pulled her back from the mage woman.

“Are you this child’s sister?” the woman asked. She was beautiful, thin and delicate like porcelain.

“I am her guardian,” Martel answered wrapping her arms around Melissa. This woman was a mage of power, though her power was lesser than Martel’s. “Who are you?”

“Careful child,” the woman said coolly. “You should speak with respect to a Princess of Dridia.”

“Princess?” Martel said surprised. “You?”

“Yes me,” the woman said waspishly. “Do you not know your own princess when you see her?”

“I am from a small barony on the Aldan border,” Martel said in a small voice. “I did not know. What is your name?”

“Country bumpkin,” the woman hissed. “I am Ileana Myrddin daughter to the King Nicias Myrddin whose birthday celebration you are attending whelp.”

“I am sorry milady,” Martel said bowing low. “I am an ignorant country girl and did not know better.”

“Indeed,” Ileana said angrily before she felt silent. Martel rose and looked at her to see she was examining her. “Where did you say you were from again? You have quite a bit of power for a lowly baroness.”

Martel felt her blood draining from her face in fear; Ileana was looking at her shrewdly.

“My power pales in comparison to your milady,” Martel said lowering her eyes. “You must just be sensing the power of the air around us, or your own power reflecting off the sigils here.”

She put all her will in banking her own inner fire, scrambling to hide it. Weather it was her explanation, her efforts in hiding her power, or simply the dim light of the street, Ileana turned away.

“No matter,” Ileana said. “I don’t even know why I bothered.”

“Thank you milady for your notice,” Martel said but Ileana was already turning away to her carriage. Martel waited until she was gone before she pulled Melissa away after her. The others waited hidden behind a stoop having watched the whole thing afraid. Martel noticed Lycus sheath his sword as she joined them and realized he had been waiting for things to turn sour before he came in to rescue her.

“Thank you for having my back,” Martel said.

“I knew you could handle it,” he answered smiling at her. She couldn’t smile back; instead she cast the return sigil to lead them back to the inn. They returned back and hurried up to the room, ignoring Rois’ greeting. Martel started to make sure everyone was ready for bed when Xavier and Kalyani returned.

“Can you lock the door?” Kalyani said to Xavier. “I need to take this skin off.”

Xavier nodded and did so, adding a seal to the door as well. Kalyani returned to griffin form and Martel found the sight of a griffin inside odd. Kalyani curled up on the carpet in the middle of the room and soon was joined by several of the children, Melissa among them. They pilled blankets and pillows around the griffin until they were around her in one big nest.

“How did it go?” Xavier asked and Martel turned to him. He was grinning at her which faded when he saw her face. She buried her face in his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, comforting her as she tried to control her fear. Then she told him about the festival, the slave she talked to, and about Ileana. He felt his tension at the mention of the princess and when she finished she looked up at him.

“Do you know her?”

“I know her brother well,” Xavier answered darkly. “It was a good thing you managed to escape her attention.” Martel nodded and he looked at her closer. “I’m sorry Martel that you’ve had to see what you’ve seen. But part of me is glad that you are so horrified by the treatment of the slaves here. It means that you aren’t like the mages of power here, it means you have a heart.”

She looked away wishing she didn’t have a heart because it was hurting right now. She decided to change the subject.

“How did the search in the library go?” Martel asked and heard Kalyani snort with distain.

“I will take us years to search through all those books,” Kalyani said. “What is the point of saving all that knowledge when it ends up like a forest?”

“We realized how daunting the task is,” Xavier answered. “I’m beginning to think it was just sheer luck that I had even found Rena’s journal in the first place.”

“Maybe I could come tomorrow and help?” Martel said. “I really want to see the library.”

“Sure but I don’t think we’ll get much work done if we turn it into a school field trip,” Xavier said dryly.

“We’ll behave!” Castor said.

“Promise,” Alex added.

“That’s really reassuring,” Xavier said sarcastically and rolled his eyes, the children laughing. “Now it’s time for bed.”

There was a general boo around the room, but they settled down into their beds all the same. Martel noticed Xavier standing by the window looking out over the city and joined him there. She looked out the window at the city lit with magic, still feeling awe at it all despite the darker parts of it she had seen.

“You did well today,” Xavier said and she looked at him to see he was looking at her with pride.

“You followed us?” Martel asked.

“Just until you got to the festival,” Xavier said. “I don’t think you realize how proud of you I am. You spoke to Rois like she was the superior one and not yourself. And how you said you spoke to the slave as well was impressive.”

“I don’t understand,” Martel said.

“Then let me ask you, why did you speak to Rois with such respect?” Xavier asked.

“Because my father taught me to be polite to adults and people of authority,” Martel answered. “Isn’t everyone supposed to be polite?”

“Yes, but not everyone is,” Xavier answered. “Especially when they have been taught that they are more important than others. Yes many children are always taught to be polite, but because you grew up alone you didn’t see how mages really treat servants and slaves. To them the servant or slave are little better than animals, used for labor and are meant to be ignored. They are beaten if they don’t obey until they do, and their spirit breaks. I sometimes thought some slaves really were like animals when their spirit was broken.  

“But you’re not like them Martel, you treated the servants and slaves like people.”

“They are people,” Martel said. “Even when their spirit is broken.”

“Yes I know,” Xavier said as he nodded and looked out the window again. “Why did you see them as people when they are so different from you?”

Martel had to think about that because she had just instinctively assumed every person she had first seen when coming to this land was an equal to her and needed to be treated with respect. And then she remembered the griffins.

“I learned the Griffins were people,” Martel said and Xavier smiled. “And they look a lot different. I could see the people here were different Xavier but I don’t see how that would mean that they deserved to be treated any less than you or me.”

“You really don’t do you?” Xavier said.

“Well for instance if we caught two squirrels and one had black fur and one had gray fur would I have to skin them differently?” Martel asked using the only analogy she could think of. “Their fur is a different color but they’re both squirrels so you skin them and cook them the same way.”

“So you skin and cook people the same way?” Xavier asked grinning at her.

“You know what I mean,” Martel said her cheeks glowing with irritation knowing he was poking fun at her. “Why should people be treated differently just because they look different? I understand treating someone bad because they are a bad person, but a person can’t help the way they were born.”

“You know the mages though treat all other races as inferior,” Xavier said; “Because they don’t have the High Magic. Do you think that the other races are inferior because they don’t have magic?”

Again she had to think of a proper response.

“The High Magic is great, and I’ve seen how great the Elder Magic is too so I don’t think either is better than the other. I don’t know how someone could live without magic since I’ve had it all my life. I imagine they don’t miss it since they never had it in the first place.

“But today I saw some acrobats doing amazing tricks and dancing. I could never do anything they did, and none of them were mages. So I think that everyone has their own skills and talents, some have magic and some don’t, and some of those skills are better or more important, and some people don’t have any talents I guess…”

Xavier was laughing now and she blushed more.

“I think what you are trying to say is every person has their own worth and deserves to be treated at least as a person at a basic level,” Xavier said and Martel nodded.

“Yes exactly,” Martel said. “I value Lycus more than a stranger, but there is still a basic level of decency that I treat everyone with.”

“And that Martel is what makes you a bigger person than all of the mages here,” Xavier said smiling at her.

“Not all of them are bad Xavier,” Martel said frowning at him. “We made tons of friends at the festival today. Everyone was really nice and kind.”

“Those were all the craftsmen,” Xavier said. “What about mages then? Should weaker mages be treated lesser than powerful mages?”

“No, because weaker mages can be just as powerful if they know how to use what they have at their disposal,” Martel answered. “I saw some marvelous enchantments today and even if a mage doesn’t have the power to make the sigil they have the power to use it.”

“And alter it,” Xavier said and Martel looked at him interested. “My lover managed to alter a sigil designed to make a homunculus into a gate sigil.”

“Mab’s tits!” Martel said and Xavier looked at her startled. “Sorry, I heard Raja use that swear once.”

“It’s an odd turn of phrase,” Xavier said as he laughed.

“But you do understand how impressive that is right?” Martel asked.

“Yes, it takes a genius to do that level of sigil work,” Xavier said. “It’s like making a time piece out of a clock work bird. The pieces are there but you’re not making it out of scratch. You have to know how the bird works, and then decide how you will make the time piece work.”

“That is a lot more complicated than simply making it from scratch,” Martel said.

“Zaire was a colored mage,” Xavier said, his face sad. “She had very little power, yet she was a genius with sigils. Her talent was wasted doing errands for petty mages.”

“What was she like?” Martel asked, wanting to hear more. Xavier was quiet a moment and she feared he wouldn’t answer her.

“She was the daughter of an astronomer and a carpet weaver,” Xavier said at last. He told her about Zaire’s past, how they had met, how the prince had held them captive, how Zaire had orchestrated their escape, and how she had died in the ship wreck.  

“She was like me, but good, while I always look for the bad in things she looked for the good. When she died… the only thing that kept me going was knowing it was what she would have wanted. Then I learned about the Phay and found you and the children. I found a purpose again, people that need me, so I feel better about life again.

“I just wish she was here.”

He said the last sentence in a painful whisper, like even voicing the thought gave him pain. Martel felt tears rolling down her cheeks and went to hug Xavier. He returned her embrace, tears of his own in his eyes.

[admittedlynotspartacus]

“Game of Thrones” Season VI: Episode 3 - Slay Queen

WARNING: SPOILERS for the latest episode below, so if you haven’t seen it and don’t know yet who dies, who fucks who, and how many costume changes Varys has, turn back now.

We begin July with a stop at my corner fire hydrant...

DRAGONSTONE

Remember back in Season 2 when everyone was like, “Wait a minute, how did Littlefinger get from King’s Landing to Renly’s camp to Highgarden in like an episode?” Well, everybody seems to have taken a hit of Littlefinger’s magic fairy dust because now they’re all fucking warping all over the goddamn place. Starting with J-Snow, who’s like -

and washes up on the shores of Dragonstone right from the get-go. And P-Dinky’s there like -

And J-Snow’s all -

While Michelle is just like -

Anyway, she makes the Dothraki strip-search J-Snow and co. and then she’s like -

But she keeps getting interrupted by Davos, who’s like, “Where ya from, girl? I couldn’t place your ACCENT.” Even though literally everyone on this show is like -

P-Dinky and J-Snow are catching up, giving recaps of their seasons since the show overtook the books and P-Dinky is like, “To be honest, I was drunk for most of it.” And D&D are like -

CUE THE DRAGONS, because remember? She has dragons. And they’re all like ROAAAAAR FLYING OVER HEAD and J-Snow is all, “NAZGUUUUUUULLL!!” But Michelle and P-Dinky are just like -

Cut to Melisandre creeping from above. Ya know, as she does. When she’s joined by Varys who’s using his newly-found confidence from his off-season Jenny Craig diet to rock this tight-fitting number that’s equal parts SS officer and... you guessed it...

They’re basically like, “You’re up to shit,” “No, YOU’RE up to shit” when Melisandre is like, “I think I’m gonna peace. See the world and all that. Oh and by the way, you’re totally gonna die.”

So we come to the moment we’ve all been waiting all our lives for - when D-Baby meets J-Snow. And it’s, like, fine. Michelle is like, “Paramount Pictures presents: Studio Canal’s presentation of a Fox Searchlight production, a film by Martin Scorsese, James Cameron’s Daenerys Targaryen.” And Jon is like -

Basically D-Baby’s like -

But he’s like -

It doesn’t go well. But at some point, Varys does run in like -

Later on, J-Snow is staring off a cliff like a Britney Spears music video when P-Dinky saunters over and is like, “I came here to brood. But I don’t brood as well as you.”

Basically, he wants to help. But J-Snow is being all -

And D-Baby literally can’t remember any of her lines except for -

so P-Dinky has to totally Dick Cheney the both of them into playing nice. After which D-Baby even seems like she’s kinda -

Again, she’s his aunt. Never forget.

KING’S LANDING

Uncle Freddie Mercury is PARADING through the streets like -

and everyone is so totally stoked to see him like, “Hosanna, heysanna, sanna sanna ho sanna hey sanna ho and -”

Because the surviving Sand Snakes are being dragged around and the crowd is basically the Internet. Like, at some point there’s literally a man yelling “YOU’RE THE WORST! THE WORST!” 

Anyway, he plops them down to Cersei, who’s instantly like -

Like, so much so that Uncle Freddie is already asking sex tips from Jaime (I believe he mentions butt play). Jaime, of course, is all -

Cut to Cersei wearing the loudest lipstick you’ve ever seen.

She’s rehearsing her Emmy submission monologue for Mama and The One Who Showed Her Boobs. And we’re all like, “Aight Cersei, enough talk, we all know you’re just gonna have Frankenmountain smash their heads in and rape them, right?”

But then Cersei’s just like so fucking turned on that she goes to The One Who Showed Her Boobs and is like -

And we’re all like -

But then we get it, ‘cause it’s poison. Except guess what? D&D don’t let us see The One Who Showed Her Boobs or Mama die. 

Oh, no. They’re going to keep Mama alive. So that at any moment... if we give them too much shit... they can bring... her... BACK.

At this point Cersei is wetter than a whore sweatin’ in church, so she goes to Jaime and she’s like -

And let’s just say it might look like Jaime’s the one who likes the finger up the bum, knowhamsayin? 

Anyway, they wake up the next morning (or something, time doesn’t matter anymore on this show), and Jaime’s like, “No one can see us.” But Cersei’s just like -

WINTERFELL

Meanwhile, Sansa is running around like -

and Littlefinger’s wandering around like the kid who can’t find a table to sit at in the cafeteria, being like -

And then he starts giving her like the most anti-Buddhist message of all time, like “Be stressed always.” At one point he literally says, “Everything that happens will be something you’ve seen before.” And I’m like...

But there’s no time for nostalgia, because somebody is at the gate! And we’re all like - OHMIGOD IT’S DEF ARYA, HERE WE GO! ...

It’s Bran.

Still, Sansa is like -

But Bran is just like -

Like seriously, Sansa is just trying to be all, “Sooo... how are thiiiings?” And Bran’s just like, “You had a really nice dress on the night you were raped.”

So of course, she’s like -

And he’s like, “K. I’m gonna stay by this tree, I guess.”

OLDTOWN

National Treasure Jim Motherfucking Broadbent is inspecting Daddy Mormont, who’s just like -

NTJMFB lets Daddy go, and Daddy EVEN GETS A NEW SHIRT. Seriously, he’s been wearing that yellow one since Season 1. But Sam is NOT out of the clear, because NTJMFB pulls him aside like -

And even though we’re still kinda like, “Wait. All Sam did was read the instructions and follow them and in all the history of Westeros no one at this super smart maester academy has EVER thought to do that?!?” Even though we’re still kinda like that, we really think NTJMFB is gonna expel Sam. When suddenly he’s like -

So then we think he’s gonna turn around and suddenly be like -

But instead he’s just like, “I need a shit-ton of copies.”

CASTERLY ROCK

P-Dinky’s monologue-ing as the Unsullied march on the Rock and he keeps talking about how it’s “impregnable,” but that somebody once told him when something’s “impregnable,” “impregnate the bitch.” And I’m like, “Whoever told you that (probably D&D) needs to wash their mouth out NOW, OKAY?!?”

Anyway, Barack’s there like -

And I’m like, “This is the end, my only friend - the end.” But lo, Barack sneaks in through P-Dinky’s whore tunnels and surprises everyone. And P-Dinky’s making us think they’re outnumbered, but Grey Worm is just like -

and lemme tell ya, he’s making. It. Work. He’s just like BAM KILLING BAM BAM but then he’s like, “Wait we killed everyone.”

HIGHGARDEN

All it takes is for me to see Jaime and the massive Lannister army marching while D-Rigg watches from her tower to be like -

Jaime takes the castle. Like really easily. Like too easily.

But whatever. Because all that matters now is D-Rigg. And lemme tell ya, she’s not leaving without one last bid for that Emmy.

First she’s ripping on him, him saying there’s always lessons in failures, and her being like, “Then you must be very wise.”

And then she’s like, “Hmm that’s a nice fucking sword you got there. Whose was that, your CUNT SON?!?”

And then she gets fucking real. She’s like, “Y’know Cersei?”

“And not only that... but she’ll be the end of you...”

So then, Jaime’s had enough, he’s like, “Drink your poison and be done.” And D-Rigg being D-Rigg, she doesn’t miss a beat, she’s just like -

And then. With one foot out of this life and one in the next, she’s like, “Oh yeah... I almost forgot to mention... 

I killed your son.”

“And I want Cersei to know.”

BODY COUNT: 2, plus loads of Lannisters, Unsullied, and Highgarden troops (RIP The One Who Showed Her Boobs and... of course... D-Rigg) BOOB COUNT: 1 pair EPISODE GRADE: B+

SER POUNCE’S STRAY THOUGHTS

Friendly reminder there are only TEN episodes left of Game of Thrones.

Melisandre says, “I’ve done what I set out to do. I’ve brought ice and fire together.” But she’s never really spoken of the war in the North in those terms before, has she?

Do we think she’ll be back this season? I would say she’s gonna need some time to go to Volantis and back, but she can probably get there in 5 minutes with these new warp capabilities.

And while we’re on the subject, the show’s depiction of time has ventured beyond forgivable into problematic. At a certain point around Season 5 it became clear that each story thread was operating under its own time rules; we’d jump forward to not see Jon travel from Hardhome and back, but the other storylines weren’t necessarily running exactly concurrent to his. However, now this is becoming a problem because everything is converging again. So if Jon can make it to Dragonstone in an episode, and if Jaime and Cersei hear the news of the Freys’ death in Episode 1 mere minutes after we’ve seen Arya kill them all, then it doesn’t really make sense that it would take Arya 4 episodes to find out that the Starks have Winterfell again. It’s refreshing to see the show moving quicker, but it also means that D&D can bend time to suit the needs of their plot, which is frustrating given the realism George brought to this world. On rewatch, this is going to be a very top-heavy series. The War of the Five Kings lasted three seasons, but Daenerys has gained and lost a whole host of allies in 3 episodes.

I don’t know why I actually expected Daenerys meeting Jon Snow to be this electric moment when Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington have been the least-nuanced performers of the cast for a long time (I think you could make the case they’re two of the least-nuanced leading actors on a highly-regarded prestige drama in history). Still, it was nice to see director Mark Mylod delay having the both of them in the same shot until the end of her speechifying.

Re: “I am the last Targaren, Jon Snow,” so those who have read the books know that there is this other Aegon Targaryen character who’s either legit or a fraud. Is J-Snow the real Aegon? I guess this matters more in the book, he would delegitimize the fake one, but he must have a Targaryen name right? He’s surely not Jon Targaryen.

D&D love their torture scenes, but the one with Cersei and Ellaria was interesting simply because the victims were just as ruthless as the torturer. I even found a small amount of empathy for Ellaria and Whatever Sand Snake That Is. And kudos to Ramin for that chilling reprise of Cersei’s end of Season 6 theme.

 Did we catch Jaime saying, “No,” as Cersei went in for him before their sex scene? Very frisky, D&D.

This was a much-needed solid Tyrion episode, although all of his plans from the last episode epic-failed. I look forward to the fallout. I’m ready for him to split with Daenerys already.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Sansa will be the queen at the end of all this.

Bran can see everything... except how to explain what being the Three-Eyed Raven means.

Although to be fair, I guess his speed-sync from last season before Max von Sydow died has left him with a fragmented manifestation of his capabilities.

Daenerys’ possessiveness of her dragons is being played up more than usual this season. Expect casualties.

If the Lannister feint seems familiar, that’s because it’s the same tactic Robb used in Season 1, leaving fewer troops to die against Tywin Lannister while leading the bulk of his men to kidnap Jaime. At first, I thought this was lazy writing. But it’s actually a really cool “Jaime learned his lesson” callback.

Oh, wait, there’s literally a line about this. My bad, I forgot D&D don’t trust us to figure things out for ourselves.

The Highgarden attack? Was it un-manned? Or was this just a case of they didn’t have the money to show a full-on battle here?

A note on Diana Rigg - truly one of the greatest assets of this show, and what an exit. Both D&D and her were so locked into that character - everything she said felt right and true. She will be missed. And hopefully Emmy awarded.

NEXT WEEK: D-Baby is done with clever plans, Theon with a boat, and dragons?!? I forgot she had those!!!

[mebell01]

Sanna Annukka

Growing up, British printmaker and textile designer Sanna Annukka would spend summers in Finland with her grandmother. While there she spent plenty of time outdoors. Sanna points back to these experiences as the main inspiration for her work. She is particularly drawn to culture and art of the indigenous Sami people of Lapland, an area encompassing the far north areas of Scandinavia. The patterns and mythology of other cultures around the world also make it into her designs (“About Sanna”).

Inn 1983, Sanna was born in Brighton, England. She studied illustration at the University of Brighton. The band Keane discovered her prints in a London shop and contacted her to do their album artwork. After this success, she joined the Marimekko team of designers where her work is sold as various housewares and prints. Along with Marimekko she takes on other clients and also has her own online store (“Sanna Annukka”). Despite the subject matter being nature, Sunna’s designs are generally geometric and pattern-heavy. In describing her own work, she says “My style is all about pattern. Simple, bold and folkloric” (Annukka).

“Sunset” is a screenprint. It features a thin rectangle with triangles and angular shapes that follow the edge of the rectangle, all leading up to the top of the print that has a white circle, indicating a sun. Although the patterns are geometric, there are curvilinear shapes as as well, representing hills, waves or another kind of landscape. At the bottom of the print are small triangle and circles, adding texture and detail. The colors are maroon, orange and a gold. White breaks up these colors and leads the eye back up to the sun. Overall, it is a successful, interesting design. The viewer immediately looks at the white circle at the top, then the two white curvilinear shapes directly below start the journey down to the bottom. It was a wise choice to leave the maroon area behind the sun a flat color rather than add more pattern, as it adds drama and a place to rest. My critique of this design is that the viewer isn’t sure what the area below the sun is. While I appreciate the abstraction, Sanna’s other work is a little more clear. The colors are also subdued. I think the gold could be a brighter, warmer yellow. Although the piece is entitled “Sunset,” it feels very cold. Arguably, she could be depicting the cold Arctic landscape she often does in her work, but the color choices are still dull.

“The Fir Tree” is a fairy tale written in 1845 by Danish author/poet Hans Christian Anderson. The story tells about a fir tree unable to appreciate living in the moment and always wishing for bigger and better things until it is too late (“The Fir Tree”). Sanna illustrated this entire book but unfortunately I could only find the cover artwork. The hardcover book is a solid bright green. A large and small tree stand side by side, each made out of a dark green triangle pattern. Gold foil triangles are mixed into the pattern as well, along with negative space shaped like birds’ heads. To the top right of the two trees is a gold foil sun, made out of triangles arranged around the center of the circle. The smaller tree has tiny dots making stripes horizontally along its length. The design as a whole has a limited color palette. The lighter, bright green and the dark green emphasize the story being about a fir tree, even before you read the story. The gold adds a grand, festive feel which is appropriate for a very old fairy tale. The use of any more color or anything other than green would be ineffective. Considering the brightness of the green, other colors would vibrate and clash. The gold is striking, even in its limited use as a third accent color. The sun does not have anything to do with the story but it adds another compositional element and the cover would be empty without it. The font choice for the title has interesting thick and thins that serve as a nice base to the tree illustrations, negating the need for tree trunks or a horizon line. The thin, small caps text of the author and illustrator’s name’s does not take away from the rest of the illustration or the title and was an appropriate choice. Overall, the design of the book cover is successful, with appropriate color and composition choices considering the subject matter of the story.

The album art for the British band’s “Under the Iron Sea” album kickstarted Sanna’s career. Years ago when I saw this album artwork and knew nothing about the band I was drawn to it because of the swirling, organic shapes of the sea monsters/horses and their bodies playing off the shapes of the waves. The cool ocean colors work well. The very dark blue, almost a black, represent an angry and stormy sea effectively. The smallest sea monster with its teals and greens give the entire design depth, as the larger the monsters get the darker the colors and the darker monsters are in the back. This particular creature is also closest to the front and breaks up the large, overbearing shapes of the rest of the creatures, preventing them from becoming one large blob. Three of the dark monsters have red eyes, which are distracting and my least favorite part of the design. The red, although very small parts, is still too much. It would be interesting to see the eyes be the teal or green of the smallest sea monster, which would draw the eye around the design more. The white dots for the other monsters’ eyes are repeated in the bubbles and foam of the waves. There needs to be another cluster of these dots in the bottom middle or bottom right to break up the waves a bit more. The patterning on the monsters helps make up for this. The inside sleeve of the album has an interesting pattern with the turtle/fish creatures and the missile shapes. The pattern is disconnected from the subject matter of the album cover at first glance. However, the design in the center of the record works well and connects these two elements. The viewer can imagine the fish/missiles coming from the sky and disrupting the more uniform wave pattern on the front cover and turning it into the chaos on the record itself.

“Kultakero” is a textile design created by Sanna Annukka for the Marimekko site. It features rolling magenta and red hills with the silhouettes of fir trees against a deep plum background. A gold, orange and plum stripe pattern that reflect the shape of the hills break up the dark colors. A horizontal uneven stripe pattern also breaks up the space and adds texture and interest. The horizontal stripes add contrast to the triangle-shaped fir trees. Although there is a lot of pattern and detail going on in the piece, the dark plum adds a sense of calm. As seen in her other work, Sanna doesn’t let the use of pattern make her designs cold and stiff. The imperfections in the lines and shapes give it life and add to its handmade quality, even though it is a mass-produced fabric in this case. Looking closely, each cluster of horizontal stripes is different from one another. However, the small dot pattern, gold stripes and the trees are exactly the same throughout the design. This piece would be more successful if all the elements were slightly different, like the horizontal stripe motif, and had variations instead of being exact copies.

“Nomadimaa” or “Nomad Land” is a two-color print that utilizes negative space as well as detailed patterning dark, solid shapes. The sun in the top left corner and a few hatched stripes below it is the only orange (and color besides black for that matter) in the entire design. Any other use of color, even the orange, would make break the solid composition of the piece and add confusion. While the compact design is a lot to take in at first, the more time you spend looking the more you will see the patterns and the negative space surrounding make up animals such as the horses and birds. The small trees in the top right make a horizon line with the activities of the wildlife taking place below. The small, thin hatching adds a great deal of texture, but the solid black shapes keep it from taking over. Sanna is a master of utilizing great deals of detail and texture without hindering legibility of the scene, and it is prevalent in this piece. The shapes and patterns have a combination of sharp and curved edges. The curved lines such as the horses’ necks repeat the shape of the sun throughout. This piece is successful because again, Sanna uses pattern but adds imperfections to keep it looking handmade and human. What could be a chaotic and confusing piece is expertly organized into a successful composition because of Sanna’s placement of pattern and shape.

Sanna Annukka’s illustrations are works of art on their own but also work well when applied to textiles and housewares. In each design, Sanna brings the landscape and culture of Finland and combines it with carefully-considered detail and patterning as well as interesting color palette to add life and uniqueness to any application.

Works Cited

"About Sanna." Sanna Annukka. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. < https://www.sanna-annukka.com/pages/about-us>

"Sanna Annukka." Finnish Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. <http://finnishdesign.com/sanna-annukka/>

Annukka, Sanna. Interview with Catherine Lazure-Guinard. Nordic Design. Nordic Design, 2011. Web. 9 Apr. 2017. <http://nordicdesign.ca/profile-sanna-annukka/>.

"The Fir Tree." Hans Christian Andersen: The Fir Tree. Zvi Har'El, 13 Dec. 2007. Web. 10 Apr. 2017. <http://hca.gilead.org.il/fir_tree.html>.

[anotherlifefic]

Chapter 23: First Lessons

When I awoke the next morning, Link had his arms wrapped around me. I felt warm and comfortable, and for the first time in a while, at peace. I turned my head to peek into the cradle, only to see Gareth also sleeping peacefully. Link awoke soon after me, kissing my cheek and yawning. „Good morning, love.“ „Good morning“, I replied tenderly, kissing him, taking in his warmth, his scent. „Did you sleep well?“ „Yes. This is the first time in a while that I could sleep without nightmares.“ He sighed contentedly. „So, what are the plans for today?“ „I promised Malon to get started on her dress right away. But in the afternoon, we can go see our horses.“ „Okay then.“ He smiled and kissed me again.

I decided to do the sewing in the bedroom, so I could keep an eye on Gareth while I worked. Link also stayed, cradling our little boy in his arms as he watched me. I wanted Malon's dress to be even more special than the one I had made for myself. She had done so much for me, so she didn't deserve any less. Malon had always wanted a fairytale-wedding, so I designed the dress accordingly. A wide, poofy skirt with a lacy overskirt and sleeves that were tight on the upper arms, but grew wide from the elbow downward. If everything would turn out the way I imagined it, Malon would look like a princess on her wedding day. As I pinned the pattern down, I thought about all of the things I had lived through with her. Our first meeting, as children who were just looking for a playmate. Then, supporting each other as we grew up. Adolescence took it's toll on us, like it did on anyone. I remembered the time when she came to me in tears, just a few days after her mother had suddenly passed away. Running a farm hadn't left her with much time to mourn. The animals didn't stop getting hungry. Life had to go on long before she was ready for that. There were few people who deserved happiness and peace more than Malon did. My gaze wandered over to Link. I knew that he and I had gotten married in a rush. Malon and Matthias had known eachother for an even shorter amount of time. I prayed to the Goddesses that it would go as well as it did for me.

Noon had come and gone without me noticing. Only when Link got up and touched my shoulder did I notice that the sun had already passed its highest point. „Oh dear. Is it so late already? I'm sorry. I was so focused on the dress...“ „It's okay“, Link replied. „Do you still want to go see Epona and Glory?“ „Of course. But let me feed Gareth first, so he doesn't get hungry while we're out.“

Once Gareth was fed, we left the house and went to the city stable. The same stablehand we had met before greeted us with a wide grin. „Hello! Your horses are doing great!“ I smiled. „That's nice to hear.“ We walked down the rows of boxes until we stopped at the ones Epona and Glory stood in. They stretched their necks curiously, trying to see what I was carrying. „No carrots this time, I fear“, I told them with a chuckle. Then I stepped a little closer. Gareth looked at the horses just as curiously as they were looking at him. Link laughed. „I can't wait for the day when we get to teach him how to ride a horse. If he ends up liking horses as much as we do, we can buy a horse from LonLon Ranch for him.“ Then he scratched the back of his neck. „Speaking of buying things... I still have a lot of rupees left from my adventures, but that won't last forever. So I've been thinking about getting a job. Maybe as a guard... or something like that. It's not the most exciting thing to do for a living, but at least I'd still get to handle a weapon, so I don't lose my abilities.“ I nodded thoughtfully. „That might be a good idea. Oh, and speaking of handling weapons... Yesterday, I enrolled in a fighting school here in the city. The lessons start tomorrow.“ Link raised his eyebrow at me. „A fighting school? You could have just asked me to teach you.“ „Using a blade and teaching others how to use a blade are two different things“, I gently reminded him. „Have you ever taught someone?“ „No“, he replied. „I guess you're right. Do you need to bring anything for your lessons? A weapon, for example?“ I shook my head. „Ashanti, the teacher, said that we would use the wooden weapons she has stored at the school for now. And she also said that I could bring my own weapon once I know which kind I want to focus on.“ „That makes sense.“ Link smiled and hugged me. „Once you know how to defend yourself, we can go on adventures together!“ „I know a little, adorable thing that speaks against that.“ Link's gaze fell onto Gareth. „Oh. Right. I suppose we can't do that until Gareth is older.“ „Maybe we can take him along then. Not adventuring, but traveling with him might be nice.“ I sighed. „My world was always so limited. I want Gareth to know that he is free to travel as he wishes, unafraid of what lies beyond the borders of his home.“ Link nodded with a smile. Then he looked around. „We should go home for today. You can continue working on Malon's dress, and I'll take care of Gareth.“ I kissed his cheek. „Sounds like a good idea.“

The next day, I stood in front of the fighting school, suddenly not so sure of myself anymore. The other students, two men and three women, stood with me, already making smalltalk. According to Ashanti, this was a class for people who had never held a weapon before, so I wasn't alone with that. A young woman from the group smiled at me when she noticed how anxious I was. She was holding a toddler of about six months in her arms. „Hello“, she said. „So is this your first time here, too?“ I nodded yes. „I've heard so many good things about Ashanti and her school. People come in as absolute beginners and leave as warriors worthy of knighthood!“, she continued. „Though I really don't want to be a knight. I'm happy if I can keep my little Evie safe while my husband isn't there.“ She smiled down at the child in her arms. „It's the same for me“, I replied. „And I hope that learning how to fight will give me a bit of confidence.“ „Oh I'm sure it will“, she replied. „What's your little one's name?“ „Gareth“, I replied with a smile. „Oh, what a lovely name for a cute little boy!“, she cooed. Just then, the door to the school opened and Ashanti stepped out. „Ah, there you are. Let's see... yes, everyone on the list seems to be there. Come right in!“

As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a young Gerudo sitting by some cradles. Children's toys were scattered across the floor, and a baby with the unmistakable features of a Gerudo crawled around inbetween them. She got up and smiled. „Hello there! This is your first time here, right? I am Sanna. I will babysit your children while you're inside.“ Noticing my questioning gaze, Ashanti explained:„Sanna is my daughter and takes care of my student's children on my behalf. She's also still nursing her daughter, so she can also feed your little ones when they get hungry.“ „Don't worry, your kids are safe with me!“, Sanna exclaimed cheerfully. „Well“, the woman I had been talking to before said. „Looks like Evie will be making a new friend today!“ She sat her daughter down next to the tiny Gerudo, and the two girls started eyeing eachother like curious puppies. I hesitantly handed Gareth to Sanna. She smiled at me comfortingly when she noticed my trepidation. „This is the first time you have someone else take care of your child, right?“ „Yes“, I replied. „He's been with be around the clock ever since his birth. The only other person who occasionally takes him is my husband.“ „Well, don't worry. Remember that he's always just a few steps away from you.“ Ashanti crossed her arms in front of her chest. „It's time to start the lesson.“

We were lead into the training hall. Two of its walls were lined with weapon racks, holding everything from swords, axes and spears to bows and crossbows. I had never seen some of the weapons displayed there. Some where hoops of wood, others looked a bit like batons. At another wall stood a group of straw dolls to practice on; the last wall was built up to be a shooting range. Ashanti turned to us and smiled. „Today, we will start trying to find out which weapons suit each of you best. Start by taking any weapon you like from the racks.“ The whole group walked over to the racks, picking up weapons. I chose a wooden sword. Starting with the basics seemed to be a good move. Once everyone had picked a weapon, we walked over to the practice dolls. Ashanti paced in between us, correcting our stance or the way we held our weapons. „You stand too far away“, she told me as she came closer. „Fighting with a sword requires you to get up close and personal with your enemy. The only kind of fighting more intimate would be hand-to-hand combat. If you have reservations about getting close to an enemy, a sword is the wrong choice for you.“ I lowered my head, earning a chuckle from her. „Ah, don't be discouraged. You are only just starting. How about you try a different weapon? Think hard this time: What are you good at? What kind of tools can you handle in your everyday-life?“ I looked at the floor. „A pitchfork. I used to work on a ranch.“ Ashanti clapped her hands. „Alright, a naginata it is, then!“ She took the sword from my hand and walked over to one of the weapon racks, exchanging it for a broad wooden blade on a long handle. She gave that to me. „This is one of the traditional weapons of my people. Now try it!“ I gripped the weapon tighter, taking the same kind of steady stance I used to clean the stables at LonLon Ranch. It felt good. Natural. And with that balanced feeling, I continued my training. Whenever Ashanti walked past me, she would give me advice on how to better handle the naginata. But apart from that, this seemed to be my weapon.

The lessons lasted about two hours. By the time we were done, my muscles were sore, but I was satisfied with the progress I had made. I picked up Gareth, who was sleeping peacefully in one of the cradles, and went home. Link just came down the stairs as I entered. „Ah, Rebecca! Perfect timing. I just finished preparing a bath for you. How was your first lesson? No, wait. You can tell me everything after you're done bathing.“ I kissed him and handed Gareth over to him. „Thank you, Link. You're the best.“

I sighed in relief as I climbed into the tub, feeling how my sore muscles relaxed in the hot water. I heard Link talk to Gareth downstairs, though it was too muffled to understand anything. But I heard how happy Link sounded. It was good to hear his voice like that again. He sounded like a man who loved life. I knew that the wounds left by the war and his previous journeys would not heal that fast, if ever. But that made these small moments of happiness even more precious. I closed my eyes and smiled, swearing to protect his happiness with everything I had.

[airoasis]

"The Mainland" | Father Ted | Series 3 Episode 4 | Dead Parrot

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/the-mainland-father-ted-series-3-episode-4-dead-parrot/

"The Mainland" | Father Ted | Series 3 Episode 4 | Dead Parrot

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Chickenfoot by the way I get it no nods don’t be silly I think you will not put that away now do not be stupid mrs. Doyle no no no no now just put your money away you’re mad no no no no I reckon that stage I was once consuming over a pint of vodka a day sure yes all I would feel about was once where the next drink was coming from drink I failed to give a damn about my wife our youngsters yeah no with your whole support i’m coming through it i’m simply taking it at some point at a time thanks Ronald now I notice that we’ve a brand new member of the workforce with us in these days Heather would you love to tell us your story satisfactory proper unusual to let all of it out great it’s so actual so proper and this right right here is surely granite how lengthy would that be there Oh many thousands of years relatively as long as that some judges fascination how come all the rocks are one of a kind sizes that we all know what stated on the whole one-of-a-kind size good how discovering there are all kinds of things I in no way knew about rock of path at the time most of this whole field would have been submerged underwater how did everyone breed a couple of reason all right Wow look at that rock over there well this is absolutely the oldest part of us or at this specified table shaped greater than fifteen million years in the past oh wow i’m going to open it up a little early to say so that is okay that’s okay so long as i don’t must hear that bloody catchphrase again oh i will certainly got here on this right k i am so hungry i’m starting to hallucinate and do adult exaggeration and discontinue worrying we get a human let’s slide this way will you do the fandango about the lightning very very horrifying me gallileo gallileo figaro Magnifico oh i am only a bad boy no one loves me but from a negative household say from his existence from this monstrosity effortless come easy go will you let me go fast no let me go – Mila with just a little procedure oh no no no no no no no no no individuals on the desk to make a decision for me for me for me as I was once saying I feel the object to do is to try and in finding an exit before the caves closed for the night good proposal Charla how long have you ever been in right here two days now father I consider it’s two days we have now been having a fine laugh Maya I just think that is it truely everybody would like to get out of here and get some instances get residence okay screech the loudest let’s have a screeching competitors as Albert JP is your purpose I received ample father oh go on aah easy I particularly believe we must believe about looking to get editor Oh God possibly you’re right we do not get out we write up the convenient each and every other there’s no place like that cinema live with an enthalpy in money after which the bees all their neighbors seem amazing Tony don’t when you go oh no get off me i am now not useless yet hello pickle boy but i am hungry Tony i am gonna tackle oh no go we go together with your he would not you Tony ha ha sure Tony’s dance good my feet Tony why did you return it concept it used to be our only Son today i guess the funeral cannot be going some hoops is healthier to not my shut up shut up shut up shut up what good I’ve in no way I’ve under no circumstances Tony i am putting you on my list of enemies there you are in entrance now Tony ah Holies k so am i able to learn you miss me come on let the feminist with a screeching competition to intend I do see Glover go go on is handy ah I quite wouldn’t try this no ah it wasn’t me and harbor token and but consider would not you that anybody like criticism used to be extra enjoying round with the likes of honor and you’d be proper he did not wish to hand your hours of the intention good day i go mad yes sorry no rather not worried about being trapped under that massive pile of rocks discontinue it is all she want you here to keep me company and the most up-to-date group might be back which ends with any moment they say they were just going to seek out the tour advisor 10 mi was once buried beneath a gigantic pile of rocks and are available correct again that’s four tickets to Paraguay however I favored English nation’s very complicated and a long way fetched and very very boring that is my style of movie I just like the piano as good did you see Harvey Keitel walking around within the meat one can find that shit hate leaving those we’re doing a no just right sitting around taking note of him screech please please be trustworthy onto that huge pile of rock let’s let’s get ourselves that we are able to worry about no then God where is that this anger tank of eternity can reduce a woman’s bra it’s after unraveling oh my god dougela we are able to to find our approach backwards you have undoubtedly snagged on something if we use this we will give you the chance out appear like God circles with me out no time should you be willing to get off like that or should we not be following it what well what use will or not it’s when you’re finished winding it all achieved don’t feel us correct French thanks thanks the indoor father I will not mean you can do it I know it hurts but believe me you’re going to thank oh thanks excuse me there is any person buried point out he’s alright however I fairly suppose you should get somebody in there rapidly thanks please hurry come on do ladies wish to get away before the rescue come on to the relaxer or food to be right here in a minute hey hiya is that father trillion yes this is him we’ve got been seeking to contact you all night time are you aware a mrs.Dyle first identify mrs. Choi do i do know a mrs. Joy sure yes sir she’s our housekeeper well i would like you to return all the way down to the police station she’s been in a spot of drawback listening if there’s a pleasant or something i know come on Dewey Huckabee eita father Jack out of jail i am very very sorry you should not have a lasagna or a fowl courier no ok good might be I simply have a bag of chips and i might have a fan tour injured wealthy did you know the place you might be there is a police station correct and if that’s the case i will just have the bird satay and Pinot I just hope you don’t think this sort of factor goes on always we’re now not all criminals and troublemakers in the church you already know i’m hoping this is not going to put you off going to mass i am a Protestant surely father rather the straight option father he does they pay a 200-pound plane or they spend the night in the cells well I shouldn’t have that sort of money on me she’s probably in the situations and great in the cells perhaps the simpler alternative off to go hiya it will be quieter I was once simply all proper all proper right here here here is your blood cash but just let me say this there used to be a time when the police on this nation have been acquaintances of the church do not driving bills cost parking tickets or no longer even a blind eye to the odd murder but now almost convinced I gave them the money why don’t you do what presupposed to one of the crucial pleasant good I did they’re pleased once again you could have made me appear like the whole extra frontal real people thank you so much correct to be sincere head I forgot I had the money I was once going to claim your fly’s open god – what did I say there’s at all times challenge for me go to the mainland I have got to make a ordinary under no circumstances ever going again there once more on that is totally unavoidable which it isn’t sadly you and bassam’s ladies they make the Rockies

[batterymonster2021]

"The Mainland" | Father Ted | Series 3 Episode 4 | Dead Parrot

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/the-mainland-father-ted-series-3-episode-4-dead-parrot/

"The Mainland" | Father Ted | Series 3 Episode 4 | Dead Parrot

Come on Dougal flip off the video okay that’s a quality exhibit though is not it he’s mad at me i do not believe it he mentioned which one were you gazing however we get a form of 1 foot within the grave where you are looking at huh so that you simply completed looking at it don’t recall anything from us i do not suppose it that is what he said hurry up we’re off to the mainland ray why it’s go to the betting shop to collect my winnings 200 pounds and father title writes within the limbo competition cause they don’t know is there anything flawed along with his again and he normally walks like that i do not suppose it whats up JB unnecessary Oh Dougal you higher get that mended there’s a whole factor to Tokyo tank-prime particularly dead i do not think it haha notable yeah can we go to the caves in after we go to the betting store will we go will we please say 5050 we go to the king outstanding go to the cave i do not feel i don’t consider it quality now not now father we’re going to the opticians and rounds kid don’t forget you get you a fine pair of glasses we should all be very cautious on the mainland there may be numerous crime round i’m sanna some muggers in every single place my friend mrs.O’Dwyer was once robbed last week oh no did they get a lot no truth i do not believe you have an understanding of she used to be robbed they stole her horrible factor when an historic individual are not able to even stroll down the avenue for worry of being stolen come on Google I don’t want in the actor me father that you can drop me off right here correct so hi there father evidently howdy mrs. Danube we shot mrs. Janine we will have a bit of a chat there correct so i do know God Google would imagine spending any more time with up Oh 200 significant ones Dougal what Oh God Ted i’m so completely happy the sun’s out and we’re in an optician I don’t know any better than this acquired it I just bear in mind something it is got to have any breakfast we get from it later don’t worry oh god i’m so hungry there’s no development i couldn’t die might I from The hunger i don’t believe so not for a few hours anyway i’m completed now father well I ought to say i’m pressured these eyesight seems to be higher than ever before he learn right all the way down to the very last line and even I are not able to see that one I consider i know what happened you see father Jack has a great fondness for saying that unique word oh I failed to understand endorse unit that I cost definitely I bought a three with a promotional crater Carlsberg hiya you Randy like a plate of chips or a burger a couple of chops i am out of my head with the starvation no i’m going to just get the other chart so what was the great last period answers no suggestion he used to be long past out of the apartment for a few minutes when he got here again they have been long past he cannot appear to maintain on to a pair yo lady you have got got your scar I farted that is going to make the effort very well we are going to head off so come on Google we go to the top pray now father this chart was given to me by savatya most effective lens producers throughout industry you remember this expertise fast she used to be on her method to the shop the other day and a man came over to her and killed her and retailer her pen this is where they believe so they’re maintaining her in for assessments good you understand what occurred instructed mr.Candy some younger fellas broke into his apartment and began messing with him and for the reason that of rock on him Oh God negative mr. Sweeney he wasn’t like this at all I heard the world over 200 cases of forced transvestitism worried in the city last year what’s the world coming to something proper now a further be taught this used to be its director ooh kiddo yes your man from one foot within the grave dee I do think it man oh good that’s effective looks from there you understand he’d be aware of what recognize so he came as much as me and stated his catchphrase oh yeah he is your fuck you must without doubt do that though oh yeah I said no person ever does that who you believe you’re hilarious you already know this is this sort of times once I certainly a hundred million percent certain that you just’d be doing the right factor i will be able to say should you say you without doubt obviously won’t remorse doing that i’m going to do it jail we’re like yeah go on holy hey good what did he say did ya no snow no nothing i am going to sit down now oh god no I could by no means be a kind of have a gauzy euros I didn’t be aware of my historic straight I heard it on snap after which it was once just a case of mendacity on high of them except the hills too proper we higher be off mrs.Doyle I get it oh no mrs. Chickenfoot by the way I get it no nods don’t be silly I think you will not put that away now do not be stupid mrs. Doyle no no no no now just put your money away you’re mad no no no no I reckon that stage I was once consuming over a pint of vodka a day sure yes all I would feel about was once where the next drink was coming from drink I failed to give a damn about my wife our youngsters yeah no with your whole support i’m coming through it i’m simply taking it at some point at a time thanks Ronald now I notice that we’ve a brand new member of the workforce with us in these days Heather would you love to tell us your story satisfactory proper unusual to let all of it out great it’s so actual so proper and this right right here is surely granite how lengthy would that be there Oh many thousands of years relatively as long as that some judges fascination how come all the rocks are one of a kind sizes that we all know what stated on the whole one-of-a-kind size good how discovering there are all kinds of things I in no way knew about rock of path at the time most of this whole field would have been submerged underwater how did everyone breed a couple of reason all right Wow look at that rock over there well this is absolutely the oldest part of us or at this specified table shaped greater than fifteen million years in the past oh wow i’m going to open it up a little early to say so that is okay that’s okay so long as i don’t must hear that bloody catchphrase again oh i will certainly got here on this right k i am so hungry i’m starting to hallucinate and do adult exaggeration and discontinue worrying we get a human let’s slide this way will you do the fandango about the lightning very very horrifying me gallileo gallileo figaro Magnifico oh i am only a bad boy no one loves me but from a negative household say from his existence from this monstrosity effortless come easy go will you let me go fast no let me go – Mila with just a little procedure oh no no no no no no no no no individuals on the desk to make a decision for me for me for me as I was once saying I feel the object to do is to try and in finding an exit before the caves closed for the night good proposal Charla how long have you ever been in right here two days now father I consider it’s two days we have now been having a fine laugh Maya I just think that is it truely everybody would like to get out of here and get some instances get residence okay screech the loudest let’s have a screeching competitors as Albert JP is your purpose I received ample father oh go on aah easy I particularly believe we must believe about looking to get editor Oh God possibly you’re right we do not get out we write up the convenient each and every other there’s no place like that cinema live with an enthalpy in money after which the bees all their neighbors seem amazing Tony don’t when you go oh no get off me i am now not useless yet hello pickle boy but i am hungry Tony i am gonna tackle oh no go we go together with your he would not you Tony ha ha sure Tony’s dance good my feet Tony why did you return it concept it used to be our only Son today i guess the funeral cannot be going some hoops is healthier to not my shut up shut up shut up shut up what good I’ve in no way I’ve under no circumstances Tony i am putting you on my list of enemies there you are in entrance now Tony ah Holies k so am i able to learn you miss me come on let the feminist with a screeching competition to intend I do see Glover go go on is handy ah I quite wouldn’t try this no ah it wasn’t me and harbor token and but consider would not you that anybody like criticism used to be extra enjoying round with the likes of honor and you’d be proper he did not wish to hand your hours of the intention good day i go mad yes sorry no rather not worried about being trapped under that massive pile of rocks discontinue it is all she want you here to keep me company and the most up-to-date group might be back which ends with any moment they say they were just going to seek out the tour advisor 10 mi was once buried beneath a gigantic pile of rocks and are available correct again that’s four tickets to Paraguay however I favored English nation’s very complicated and a long way fetched and very very boring that is my style of movie I just like the piano as good did you see Harvey Keitel walking around within the meat one can find that shit hate leaving those we’re doing a no just right sitting around taking note of him screech please please be trustworthy onto that huge pile of rock let’s let’s get ourselves that we are able to worry about no then God where is that this anger tank of eternity can reduce a woman’s bra it’s after unraveling oh my god dougela we are able to to find our approach backwards you have undoubtedly snagged on something if we use this we will give you the chance out appear like God circles with me out no time should you be willing to get off like that or should we not be following it what well what use will or not it’s when you’re finished winding it all achieved don’t feel us correct French thanks thanks the indoor father I will not mean you can do it I know it hurts but believe me you’re going to thank oh thanks excuse me there is any person buried point out he’s alright however I fairly suppose you should get somebody in there rapidly thanks please hurry come on do ladies wish to get away before the rescue come on to the relaxer or food to be right here in a minute hey hiya is that father trillion yes this is him we’ve got been seeking to contact you all night time are you aware a mrs.Dyle first identify mrs. Choi do i do know a mrs. Joy sure yes sir she’s our housekeeper well i would like you to return all the way down to the police station she’s been in a spot of drawback listening if there’s a pleasant or something i know come on Dewey Huckabee eita father Jack out of jail i am very very sorry you should not have a lasagna or a fowl courier no ok good might be I simply have a bag of chips and i might have a fan tour injured wealthy did you know the place you might be there is a police station correct and if that’s the case i will just have the bird satay and Pinot I just hope you don’t think this sort of factor goes on always we’re now not all criminals and troublemakers in the church you already know i’m hoping this is not going to put you off going to mass i am a Protestant surely father rather the straight option father he does they pay a 200-pound plane or they spend the night in the cells well I shouldn’t have that sort of money on me she’s probably in the situations and great in the cells perhaps the simpler alternative off to go hiya it will be quieter I was once simply all proper all proper right here here here is your blood cash but just let me say this there used to be a time when the police on this nation have been acquaintances of the church do not driving bills cost parking tickets or no longer even a blind eye to the odd murder but now almost convinced I gave them the money why don’t you do what presupposed to one of the crucial pleasant good I did they’re pleased once again you could have made me appear like the whole extra frontal real people thank you so much correct to be sincere head I forgot I had the money I was once going to claim your fly’s open god – what did I say there’s at all times challenge for me go to the mainland I have got to make a ordinary under no circumstances ever going again there once more on that is totally unavoidable which it isn’t sadly you and bassam’s ladies they make the Rockies

[amigos-americas]

Yucatan Updates

Galyn's Route Update:

The communities of Yalcoba, Chechmil, X-Cohuo, and Sisbicchen have seen a lot of progress in their CBIPs and extracurricular activities and the participants in every community already have experienced a lot of exciting and challenging things that have pushed them to grow a lot in a short amount of time. In Yalcoba, Shayna and Kayla have facilitated the community project of improving the cemetery by adding a cement floor to the room where they hold services, a cement pathway, and a gate to the entrance. In Chechmil, Emma and Ashley have very successfully involved the community in the project of building a fence in the center of town to protect the church area and make it safer to play. Because of the dedication of the community and the hard work of the participants, Chechmil also received the Bevil Grant, which will allow them to also do a renovation of their central park. In X-Cohuo, Carmen Jack and Sari have worked with the whole community on creating the plans for a fence to enclose the local clinic to protect the equipment and medicine inside. In Sisbicchen, Patricia and Helen have worked hard to organize the creation of a community garden in the center of town and even formed a youth group to ensure its sustainability. 

Brittanie's Route Update:

Supervisor Brittanie and her 9 participants have loved working with the Centro Cultural Communitario de Yaxunah this summer! With only a week in community left, participants are cherishing their remaining time with friends and family, while working on their community-based initiative projects! In Popola, Lesly and Athena spend their days working on their two projects, the first: window repairs for the community Molino, and the second: a community library for all ages! In the evening the girls are almost always found in the park playing soccer with local youth or being challenged to a UNO game by adults and children, alike. In Yaxunah, Christian and Gerson have been painting a Mayan monument and helping reforest and improve the community park. They have also been hosting day camps for the children of over 60 KIDS! They enjoy cooling off in the local cenote with friends almost every day. In Kancabdzonot, Avril, Valeria, and Mattie have fundraised 1800 pesos for their playground project. They even solicited the help of the president of the municipal and recently received another 3000 pesos toward replacing the play structures for this community with an enormous amount of children! They spend their days cooking with their host families and cherishing the sunsets of Kancabdzonot. In Chimay, Alma and Rose have been assisting in Mayan lead meetings to organize the implementation of their community Palapa project. They spend every afternoon playing soccer with the local teenagers and mothers and have taught almost everyone how to make a friendship bracelet. Though the first week or two may have been filled with homesickness and unease, everyone is now feeling right at home and appreciating their last week in their communities 

Shayan's Route Update:

Life in Cha-Cha-Chayote's route has been quite well for the participants in San Diego, Muchucuxcáh, and Chibilub! Alongside some awesome talleres in regards to cleaning up after trash, keeping water clean, and looking after the environment, their projects have all begun. In the communities of San Diego (Vivian, Sara, and Ariana) and Chibilub (Elian and Eduardo), the communities have begun hammock microenterprises to preserve the Mayan tradition of hammock weaving. With the women, both communities will be having workshops where some women will share their knowledge of weaving designs into the hammocks and after they will have another to teach the youth in the community the same skills to pass on the tradition to the next generation. In the community of Muchucuxcáh they are building a traditional Mayan palapa in the center of the community as a meeting place for people when the sun is too hot or the rain is too strong. The two participants, Sharon and Clarissa, met with the municipality president and he offered to give a playground to add on to the new community center, and he gave them a free pizza! The summer is going amazingly and everyone feels at home in their communities as we all hope they would. 

Nacho's Route Update:

This week all the communities have been doing a great job! In Dzitnup, Lesley and Carina have finished their CBIP action plan, it was approved and they have already started buying the materials. The community will work to improve the soccer court, which include painting the lines and building a fence.  Lesley and Carina are doing a good job with the extracurricular activities. They love the kids and they have a lot of fun together.

In Chichimila, Taylor and Cora are super excited about the new community project idea. They will work with a youth group to fix the public spaces such as the plaza, games, and they will even paint a mural. They are helping in a municipality summer program for kids, and they are really happy about it. They work with a lot of kids where they have workshops about creativity, education and physical activity.

In the community of Tekom, Chris and Evan are getting day by day even closer with their host brother Edgar. They spend a lot of time together playing basketball, playing the guitar or just watching a movie. For the community project they are working together with the youth group on improving the public spaces. They will get their materials this week and they will work cleaning, painting and fixing the plaza, cleaning the cenote and plating some trees.

In Tixhualactun, Sofie and Sanna are doing a great together. They have finished the action plan, and they have already bought the materials for the project with the local committee. These will be about implementing and creating a trash system in the community, not only putting trash cans but also establishing a system to collect the trash. They are really into the idea and it is something that will benefit the community so much.

Emily's Route Update:

La ruta de Emily has had a very productive and fun week! In all four communities, participants have begun Summer Course, extracurricular activities organized by the partner agency, Fundacion de Haciendas del Mundo Maya, and facilitated by community leaders, youth, and the AMIGOS participants. All Summer Course programs have around 50 kids and are for four hours each day, so the participants have been kept very busy! In Tixcacaltuyub, Gerardo, Lily, and Melissa worked hard to organize a few meetings with good turn out to discuss the final logistics of beginning construction of a palapa for the community to have meetings in. The trio is collaborating with community members to hold fundraisers all week long to finance the extra costs of the project. In Xcanchakan, Annamaria and Isabel are having a great time in Summer Course, and they are getting ready to buy materials for the community's project, a bus station, for which the construction will begin this coming week. Annamaria learned how to make tortillas and empanadas with her host family, and both of the girls joined in on the youth photography club's activities. Sam and Daniel are preparing for the opening day of the three clubs that members of Itzincab are creating as the project: there will be English classes, makeup classes, and a movie club. Sam has played basketball a few times at night with local youth, and Sam and Daniel both learned how to make a traditional Mexican dish with one of the families on the rotating meal plan. They are excited to buy materials for the project with two community members so that the clubs can begin! Finally in San Antonio Chun, Daily and Jessica went with a local youth and I to buy materials for the seating that is being constructed around the base of six trees in the field where people play soccer in community. The end of the construction will coincide with a graduation in the community, and it will be a great occasion for celebration of all of the hard work that has been put into the project, as well as serve as a farewell to Daily and Jessica.

[storyknitter]

Twelve Days of Christmas Prompts - December 18th

Visiting A/B’s family

This takes place the Life Day after Nathema. It turns out that Vassanna's family hosts one heck of a soiree!

(Also, Drunk!Theron - happy, sad, or in between - drops a lot of F-bombs. Like, a lot. Be warned.)

Read on AO3

The Jedi next to Theron stumbled sideways, an arm flying out to brace herself, and a small giggle echoed down the hallway of Kethrys Nabeshin’s home on Mirial. He slipped an arm around Sanna’s waist to steady her, nearly tripping over her ankle in the process; she turned and shushed him exaggeratedly, one finger pressed to her lips.

The pair managed to make it to the guest room, wobbling and weaving together, stifling yawns and giggles along the way. Perhaps he shouldn’t have had that last drink – it turned out that Sanna’s family sure knew how to throw a holiday party.

“Look,” Theron said, louder than he’d planned, “I can read people really well.” Sanna raised a brow as the door slid closed behind them. “Okay, fine. Not as well as you Forcies, but still. Your family seemed to like me well enough. Right?”

“What?” Her speech was slurred and she didn’t appear to remember the conversation they’d started only a few moments prior.

“Your family. All sixty-two billion of ‘em that came in for Life Day. For the most part, it seemed like they liked me. Approved of me. Your husband.” His chest constricted, warmth flooding him, as he turned the words “husband” and “wife” and “married” around in his head for the thousandth time. Would that feeling of astonishment and awe ever go away?

Theron wondered why he needed an answer to his first question so desperately. Sanna loved him – hells, she’d tied herself to him forever, tattoos and all – and that was really all the approval he needed. Not that he needed anyone’s approval, but... Dammit, he really shouldn’t have had that last drink, whatever it was. It was making his mind trip over the simplest thoughts.

“It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether they like you or not. I love you and that’s what’s important,” she murmured, resting her palm less-than-gently on his cheek. “I am a grown adult and they have to respect my decision to marry you, sweet.” She gave him that smile of hers that always proved to be his undoing and he kissed her forehead. Why didn’t her words of assurance calm him? And why the hells did it matter so much?

“But yes,” she said, tapping her finger on the tip of his nose. “They like you.”

He snorted at her impish grin and another round of giggles erupted from her lips, ending with a hiccup. Stars, he hadn’t seen her this tipsy in a very long time, but there was no way he’d ever tire of hearing her laugh.

“Besides, it’s too late now – I’m never giving you up. Never, Theron.”

It didn’t matter how mumbled her words were, the significance of them knocked the breath out of him. How’d he get so damned lucky? He needed to change the subject or else he was going to get sappy.

“Hey, what was that family whiskey your uncle was handing out like candy? I don’t think I actually emptied a glass of it tonight. It was pretty good, but damn,” Theron said, running a hand down his face as the room tilted slightly on its axis. “It hits like fucking freight loader.”

Sanna’s eyes widened, her jaw dropping before bursting into uproarious laughter. She collapsed into the bed, gasping for air between cackles and shrieks.

“What? What is it, San?” he asked, his gut twisting and adrenaline shooting through his veins. Had he screwed something up?

“That ‘family whiskey,’” she wheezed, “is my great-great-great-times-a-bunch-grandfather’s moonshine recipe. It’s ridiculously strong. Like, pretty much straight alcohol. No wonder you were so relaxed!” Another giggle-hiccup punctuated her explanation and she continued. “How much did you have tonight?”

“I dunno. Like I said, my glass never actually went empty.” Theron shrugged, ignoring the slight slurring of his own words, and sat next to her on the fluffy bed, propping himself up on one arm.

“Wait. How are you not face down on the floor right now?” Her features went from shocked to suspicious. “Do your implants process alcohol for you? Because that’s cheating – you should be absolutely inebredated right now. Inibreeeate... inbreat... drunk,” she finished.

Theron giggled – there was really no other word for it, he fucking giggled like a damn twelve-year-old – and Sanna gaped.

“Eh, fuck it,” he mumbled and ended this line of conversation the best way he could think of: he reached out, pulling her close, and kissed her hard, lips slanting over hers. She sighed and melted into his touch, her fingers slipping into the hair at the nape of his neck.

Sanna sat up abruptly, breaking the kiss with a whimper. “I can’t... oh stars, I have to sit up. ‘m sorry, everything's spinning,” she said, propping her head in her hands. He smirked, rubbing her back, and leaned in to kiss her cheek only to miss wildly, his lips crushing into the side of her neck. Hells, he really, really shouldn't have had that last drink.

“Well, lucky for us,” Theron said, “there's an oversized, overstuffed recliner a few steps away. Think you can make it, love?” He stood on unstable legs and offered his hand. She nodded, groaning slightly, and rested her hand in his. Dropping into the chair, he pulled her onto his lap and grunted as her elbow slammed into his stomach.

The two settled in, despite the rough start: Theron’s arms wrapped around Sanna’s shoulder, her head on his chest and legs draped across his and over the arm of the chair. A smile crept onto his face as he felt his wife – his wife – relax against him, softly snoring. He pressed a kiss onto her hair and swiftly followed her into sleepy bliss.

[shatteredskies042]

Dangerous: Part I

“Petty Officer?” A blonde head of hair popped up at the voice. “Yeah?” She wiped the grease from her brow and stepped out from under her ship. She wiped her palms on a greasy rag as she approached the ensign, “what is it?” “Rear Admiral Pierce sends his regards, ma’am,” the ensign saluted. He withdrew a data chip from a pocket and offered it to the blonde. “This chip contains your orders.” “Direct from the Admiral himself?” Aliana Judge asked, slightly awed. “Did he give a timetable for these?” “As soon as possible, ma’am. Good luck,” he wished, before saluting and striding away. Aliana looked at the chip in her palm, wondering what.. or who, could be so important. She returned to her ship, finished the minor repair, then boarded her ship. Sitting in the docked craft, she punched a command to bring her personal vehicle: a Faulcon deLacy Viper Mark IV, optimized for the fighter role. Her first true ship, as the others she had were loaners, Federation property. She stopped by her cabin to change into her skintight dark green flight suit. She took her seat in the singular chair. She plugged in the data chip as she activated her systems and prepared for a long flight. As her reactor warmed, she examined the contents of the data chip. The first was a preface from Rear Admiral Pierce himself, uncommon in her typical mission orders: “Judge, this mission is not exactly your typical operation, but you’ve probably guessed that by now. The man we’re sending you after... he interdicted the pirate ambush on your father’s funeral ship when it passed through Epsilon Indi. Attached are the classified reports confirming this fact. He’s proven himself capable, and I want you to bring him in. Her breath hitched, remembering her father’s funeral. She remembered the report of the attack, remembered the two Eagle pilots credited as heroes for thwarting the assault on the medical transport carrying her father. Why had it been covered up? Pushing the emotions from her brain, she looked at the current location of her target, and locked it into her navigation computer. Regulus, an out of the way system without much to offer. Firmly in the Federations hands, interesting. “Daedalus Control, Pad Thirty-Four, requesting launch clearance,” she spoke into her helmet before she slipped it over her head. Adjusting the fit and making sure it connected with her suit, she sealed the environmental controls and watched the displays scroll and activate. “Pad Thirty-Four, deLacy Juliet Alpha, clear for launch. Mind the traffic, pair of cruise ships coming in,” the controller responded. “Copy Deadalus Control,” she replied, taking off and angling her Viper out. Exiting spaceports was painstaking, it took so much time due to speed restrictions. She kept her speed just under the requirement as she exited the circular spaceport in Martian orbit. Once clear, she increased power to get free of the mass lock of the Red Planet. Once clear, she engaged her Frame Shift Drive, and began her trek to the white star of Regulus. She opened the full file, and read the name of her target: Michael Voron. She skimmed the entry, what they knew of his past, and statistics gathered by analysts culled from transactions he had made. One piece of data in particular jumped out at her: An organization known as the Pilots Association kept data on every pilot in the galaxy. Their data was free to access, and would be displayed when a ship was scanned. The three main surveyed traits revolved around trading and economic skill, navigational ability, and combat prowess. The latter trait was surveyed from the lowest rank of Harmless to Dangerous. Fewer than one tenth of one percent of all pilots would ever earn the rank of Dangerous. Her target, Michael Voron, was rated a Dangerous combat pilot. The bar was decrepit. Most pilots bars were. Men and women who spent millions of credits on their ships to purchase and outfit them were often the stingiest and most frugal of drinkers. All their money went into their craft. They were a mixed bunch, but they mingled together well. The drink flowed, and as it had been for time immoral among gatherings of pilots, so did the lies and exaggerations. At one corner table sat a scout, a trader, a handful of Federation security pilots, and one other. “So, this Lance is coming up on the asteroid I’m parked behind, and I ping and scan him. He thinks it’s one of you guys, because I don’t say anything and I’m running silent. He’s sneaking up on Nguyen's ‘Conda, and I can tell he’s fangs out and about to engage. I throttle up and sit behind him, come out of silent and flash my own fangs. He takes a shot at Nguyen, and I light him up.” The speaker was a man, of average height and build, possessed of light gray eyes and short brown hair. He sat in a chair with a glass of amber liquid in front of him. He wore a gray leather jacket over a white shirt, as well as dark pants with a holstered pistol strapped to his hip. “Is that the guy you were off chasing when we were in that furball with that five man wing?” One of the Federal pilots asked. “He was the fifth man,” the pilot confirmed. He could easily be any sort of pilot in this room, with the cool confidence of a man who knew the score. “So, he takes a shot at Nguyen, and I start hitting him. Dude panics and tries to break off, but I’m right in his wake the whole time.” “I thought I saw a plasma shot flash by my cockpit,” another Fed pilot, Nguyen presumably, spoke up. “How the hell did your Cobra keep up with a Lance?” The pilot grinned, “I duplicated his every move. He boosted, I boosted, he tried to sidestep, I drift and sidestep behind him. The Fer-de-Lance is a great ship, but you have to pour some money into it and watch your power distribution. Manage it on the fly. He didn’t, so I was able to keep behind him and keep pinging him until his reactor detonated.” “See, I don’t believe that,” the trader spoke. “The Fer-de-Lance is a heavy fighter. It’s got a class five weapons hardpoint for god’s sake,” he swirled the ice in his drink. “It would have gutted your Cobra in seconds.” “It would have,” the Cobra pilot agreed. “But who’s here telling the story?” he grinned. “It is a tall tale, Mister Voron,” a female voice rang out. g out. A short haired blonde approached them, a red half-jacket made of synthetic leather and what looked like a uniform under it. She leaned down and set her palms against the table, watching the bounty hunter. “I too, would think so, but I happened to check at the authority office before coming here.” Michael Voron narrowed his eyes, setting his elbows on the table and leaning forward. “And you are?” “The woman who just bought everybody at this table a drink, it’s up at the bar,” she winked at the others. A means to get Voron alone, it seemed. As the chairs cleared out, the woman sat across from the bounty hunter, looking him in the eyes silently. “You’ve got my attention,” he told her, taking a sip. “Of course I do,” she said confidently, bordering on cockiness. “You’re Federation,” Michael pointed out, seeing the insignia peeking out from under the corner of her jacket. “A petty officer, a pretty new one at that, seeing how shiny the insignia is,” he observed, watching her. “Who are you?” “My name is Aliana Judge, and I want to offer you a job,” she said. Violet eyes interrogated gray, as outlined what she had come here to do: “The Federation is putting together a special squadron, fully comprised of Dangerous level pilots.” “Not interested,” he said flatly. A crack appeared in the woman’s confidence. “You can have everything you want. Top of the line upgrades, any ship you want, the riches of the Federation at your-” “I have everything I want,” he promised, glaring at the woman. “I don’t want any part of your war.” Maintaining an icy confidence, Judge glared at him: “then if you did, why did you protect my father’s convoy?” “What convoy?” he asked curiously. A soft bang came as she pound her fist on the table, “don’t play dumb with me. You know what I’m talking about.” “Petty Officer Judge,” Voron said slowly, “you’re causing a scene. You offered me a job, and I declined. I’m happy with my lot in life. Bounty hunting is always good, and I’ll take courier and even strike contracts on occasion. I’m free to choose my own targets and jobs and go where I please.” “You’re going to regret this,” she said spitefully. Aliana pushed from the table, and quickly made her escape from the bar. ----- Four Months Later... “Jade Angel breaking off, nearly Winchester,” Judge called over her communications link to her fellow Federal pilots. She’d been in an active conflict zone in Sanna for the last half hour, and nearly shot her kinetic weapons empty. She funneled her power into her Viper’s engines, accelerating away from the battlefield to jump into supercruise. Once she made the jump, she relaxed, letting out a deep breath. She was safe, for the next hour at least. That was until the direct message scrolled through the communications window. [DIRECT] CMDR Voron: Judge, we need to talk. Ali’s left hand danced over the keyboard as she checked local contacts. She responded with a standard Federation response: THIS IS A FEDERATION CRAFT. CLEAR OFF OR YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON. [DIRECT] CMDR Voron: Canned responses won’t faze me. Then her HUD flashed, her drive and engines decreased in pitch. She had returned to normal space, and for this second, she was dead in space. She looked through her canopy as she tried to reboot her systems. Michael Voron’s ship sat in front of her, weapons trained on her.

[storyknitter]

This scenario has been floating around in my head since I read the datamine for 5.4 and I can’t seem to get rid of it. Not sure the voicing is quite right and I’m concerned that it’s a little out of character, but... meh. Have some angst anyway and tell me if you think I’m off-base?

Clearly, 5.4 spoilers/theories below the cut. And angst. (Because I’m nothing if not predictable.)

Theron was working on decrypting a file for the Order -- an insulting waste of his talents if he really thought about it; he’d decrypted these kinds of files practically in his sleep before. His problem today was a lack of focus. All he could think about was her. Had it really only been a week since he’d left her and the Alliance? He sighed and refocused, remembering why he was pulling this crazy stunt in the first damn place. I have to keep her safe.

His comm rang, startling him out of his reverie, and he answered without looking. Instead of his handler or his new bosses, there was a woman with a messy bun and chevron tattoos on her cheekbones. Someone he’d never expected to see on this new holocomm frequency. Someone who was biting her lip in concentration and focus in that way that always made him want to kiss her to distraction.

Vassanna looked up with a triumphant cry, brandishing a slicer’s spike and grinning. “Stars above, I can’t believe I actually got that to work! Theron-- no wait, please don’t hang up! Just give me a minute or two, please. Please.”

His hands fisted and he frowned at her, willing her to disconnect before he had to push her away. She had to leave him alone -- he was fairly sure he was still being observed -- or else the Order might think him suspect. Well, he was, but they didn’t need to know that yet. Wait, did she seriously just slice my holocomm? That’s impressive. How did she even-- No, stop. Focus, Shan.

“Theron. I... I don’t know what I did or what’s broken, and I don’t know how to fix it until I understand it. Please, I need your help to understand what went wrong and where. I want to fix it, but I don’t know...” She looked down for a moment and he saw her trying to maintain her composure.

Are those circles under her eyes darker than they were, or is it just the lighting? Please just be the lighting...

“Theron, please. I... I miss you,” she whispered. The way she looked at him made him want to drop everything and run back to her side, to take her in his arms and reassure her that everything would be okay. “Our quarters... the bed... it’s....” Now that she’d finally found him, she was having a hard time putting her feelings into words. “Umm, it-- it all just seems so... everything's just... it’s so empty without you here. I lov-- please, will you... we can fix this, I know we... please, just--. Theron, come home.” Her voice broke on the last word and he clenched his jaw tighter than he thought was possible. You can do this, Shan.

“I already told you. The Alliance is rotting away; it’s too far gone, and you can’t manage to bring peace. You failed at what you wanted for the galaxy, but I found something else that will succeed instead.”

“What I wanted?” A frown crossed her face and Theron thought he saw anger flash in her eyes, but it was hard to tell over the comm. “What I wanted? I never wanted any of this.” She threw her arms out in a gesture encompassing everything around her. “And you know that! I never wanted the Throne, or to be ‘Commander,’ or to lose most of my friends while slowly dying in carbonite!” She was shouting now, composure completely gone. “I most certainly never wanted Vitiate in my head for over seven years of my life. Seven years!” She paused, closed her eyes, took a deep breath. Two deep breaths. Three. Quietly, she continued, “The only thing I ever really wanted, in all my life, was you. Just you.”

His heart squeezed in his chest and he felt a lump starting in his throat, but he pushed past it. “And peace? Did you ever want that?”

“You bring me peace, Theron.”

Dammit, he thought. I can’t, I can’t do this to her. But then he thought about the Order’s plan to remove her from the Throne and the need to protect her -- to keep her alive -- at all cost kept him going.

“What about the rest of the galaxy, huh?” She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears, arms wrapped around herself. He froze slightly, suddenly seeing the line in the sand she’d accidentally shown him, the line that meant going too far into unforgivable territory, the line that he should never, ever cross. Dammit, Sanna, I don’t want to hurt you... ugh, this is gonna kill us both, but I need you to give up on finding me. I’m so sorry. He forced himself to glare at her and took a breath.

“You know what I think, Vassanna? I think that maybe you got a little too comfortable with Vitiate in your head.” Her eyes widened with shock and Theron steeled himself to keep going. Shit, this is gonna hurt. Forgive me, Sanna. “I think that he hung out in your mind, in your psyche, a little too long and you got used to it.” She slowly shook her head in fear and denial. “That it numbed you to how you used to think, back when you actually gave a damn about saving the galaxy. That maybe, when he tried to take over your body on the Throne, you didn’t quite get rid of all of him. That he’d sunk his claws in too deep for you to ever be just yourself again. That you’ve become like him. You’re a benevolent dictator now, right?”

She jerked back as though he’d hit her and gasped out a small, shaky, “No...” 

Oh fuck, this hurts more than I thought. I’m so sorry.

“No, you don’t mean that Theron, you can’t...” Her voice trailed off and he watched her face slowly fill with horror at what he'd said, watched the tears stream from her eyes as he ‘confirmed’ her worst nightmare, hand pressed to her aching heart. He couldn’t, wouldn’t look away, though. He owed her that much, at least.

“I’m sorry it has to end this way, Commander.” I’m so, so sorry. Theron ended the call before he could see her face crumple and her shoulders heave with sobs. Coward! Trying to calm his shaking hands and ignore the lump in his throat, he attempted to file everything he’d just said under the “repugnant, but for The Greater Good” section of his memories and ran a program to erase all the information from the comm. As it finished running, he saw in his mind’s eye the broken look she’d given him just before he disconnected and he threw the holocomm across the room with all his might, smashing it into a million tiny pieces, before sinking back into his chair and hanging his head in his hands.

[memoirsofratasum]

Protector Tarnn: All or Nothing

We should have known it was all going to go hell, all the pieces were wrong from the very start.

It all started with the call to Thunderhead Keep, the massive dwarven fortress high in the Shiverpeaks. The entirety of the Pact was tasked with mobilizing and manning the fort in an effort that should have taken months. We were only given a few days. What was once a place occupied by a few teams of Priory archaeologists became a hotbed of Pact activity.

It was for the commander it was said. They were on some sort of vision quest and we had to be prepared for their arrival. Ogden seemed to know the most, not that he was willing to share much, only vague mentions that the time was foretold and that we needed to move quickly.

The Thunderhead Peaks sit at an even higher altitude than the Priory. Even those of us used to the mountain air had to be careful while we adjusted and Sanna spent a lot of time the first few days treating those who passed out in the snow or in the long stone hallways. And that just compounded the dangers from the branded that prowled the slopes. Yes, Kralkatorrik had been here too and his minions did not seem to suffer from altitude sickness.

But despite all that, airships full of troops and supplies arrived in a steady stream at all hours. Dolyaks and golems hauled sledges of barrels to the Deldrimor Cellars. It was an impressive sight, seeing everything towering above. But that just lead to another wrong piece being forced into the puzzle.

The quartermaster of this entire get-up wasn’t an experienced Pact member, but an asura I only saw glimpses of back in Kourna and Jahai. His name was Gorrik and it was clear from day one that he was in over his head. He had a knack for numbers, I’ll give him that. But numbers are only a small part of the job. He had no idea how to interact with the troops, was completely clueless as to handling moral, and most frustratingly was at odds with the medics. Sanna relayed me stories after hours about Gorrik thinking that “don’t get hurt” was good advice or how she spent more hours arguing with him over what supplies they needed than seeing to the injured. She’s not often pushed to her limits but Gorrik was making her spit fire. I heard rumors that he was put in this position to distract him from his brother’s death, whoever made that choice should be court marshalled. That is the worst reason to put an inexperienced civilian in charge of such a large and important outfit! Hell, even an experienced quartermaster would have been relieved of duty after such a loss. This was bad and I can’t believe Marshall Thackery turned a blind eye to it.

I only fared slightly better in my duties. As an experienced blacksmith I was placed under Forge Master Hilina with some of the other blacksmiths and zephyrites to work in shifts to craft the dragonsblood spears. It was hot work, standing right over the Forge’s lava, but it was definitely important. It took a few days to clean the Forge, place the mold in its setting, aligning the crystal, and make sure it was heating evenly. But it was inevitable that we hit a snag that put a stop to the whole procedure.

We were able to use branded crystals, there was plenty to go around, to form the spears, but they run hot and need to be cooled carefully. The necessary oil for quenching was locked behind the local dredge. We attempted to negotiate for oil but while we waited to hear back we experimented with other options. Different mixes of oils all resulted in the spears shattering and Gorrik quickly cut us off for “wasting” inventory. As if anything for the war effort could be wasted. But Hilina didn’t wanted to argue the point and said we should wait for the dredge oil.

I don’t know how long we would have waited if it wasn’t for the commander’s arrival. It’s possible nothing would have gotten done. The commander not only got us the oil but a replacement spear mold after the first had cracked. What Hilina failed to mention to the commander was that the mold didn’t crack due to age or mishandling. Being underground it wasn’t surprising that we’d be subject to “seismic activity”. But, and I’m no earth elementalist, the shake that dislodged the old mold from its setting and caused it to snap in half didn’t seem normal. Hilina quickly requested a new mold while whispering about the shake to Taimi. At about the same time ghosts started appearing. They weren’t hostile, in fact they were part of the war effort. They were part of Glint’s army in the Mists and needed to speak with our commander right away.

I don’t know exactly what happened in The Auditorium, I wasn’t there. But there were plenty of rumors about Aurene and Caithe and branding. What happened to Caithe didn’t look like any type of branding I’ve ever seen. Some saw it as a symbol of hope, but others were less sure and saw it as Aurene being no better than Kralkatorrik. Obviously a ridiculous notion, but that didn’t stop the whispers around the mess hall.

The plan, the Big Plan, they didn’t share with us right away. The news was broken to us in a less than ideal fashion. I was working my shift at the Forge making spears. A lot of adventurers were drawn to the heat so there was always a sizable crowd, I never paid them much mind as long as they stayed out of the way. But an angry roar from a charr was enough to silence the entire room and grab everyone’s attention.

A big charr I vaguely recognized was arguing with the commander by the windows to the Auditorium. He was someone I had met a long time ago, a druid associated with a warband I know, he had spent years wandering Tyria as a cartographer. And now he was here and throwing accusations of incompetence in the commander’s face. From what I could gather, the druid had presented maps of potential staging grounds to face Kralkatorrik, places where we could be fortified and gain an advantage against the dragon. But the commander had rejected all of them in favor of...pulling Kralkatorrik into Thunderhead.

I don’t think I can describe the communal chill that lanced through the room at that. Here? The safest place we’ve been to in Tyria and the commander was going to invite an elder dragon inside of it? There had to have been more to the story than that, but the damage was done. We had all heard it from the mouth of someone who was offering another choice.

The druid didn’t stay after that. In a fury he called for his raptor and immediately left the fortress. Headed south I heard, towards the Labyrinthine Cliffs. Even if he didn’t make it there in time it wouldn’t be difficult for a ranger of his caliber to survive out in that wilderness.

The commander worked double time to rally the Pact after that blow of confidence. They ran around the Grotto talking personally to the soldiers, fetching water for the builders, and helping with the medics. A show of goodwill and a chance to talk can go a long way. But would any amount of good will be enough to justify bringing the crystal dragon through our front door?

Things suddenly started moving a lot faster than they had before. Too fast. I was in Orr. I was in Maguuma. The campaigns against Zhaitan and Mordremoth were organized and deliberate. And most importantly they took time to formulate. Certainly longer than a couple days. But we had our orders and we had to follow them. Sanna was kept back at the Observation Deck to watch over the outer medic station, perhaps as punishment for fighting with Gorrik so much. She was sore about being kept away from where she thought she needed to be but secretly I wasn’t complaining. I was also kept away from the front lines, I was to assist in the continual forging of the spears. We didn’t have the time to stockpile enough so we had to keep making more throughout the battle and just hope we could get them to the front.

The morning arrived and I prepared for a day of standing over lava. Dozens of barrels of new spears were already filled by the time the first of the soldiers started to file into the Auditorium and set the final preparations. Despite knowing how important my job was, I still felt a twinge of guilt for not being on the front lines with the rest. But deep down I also felt a small sense of relief. I wasn’t feeling good about this plan. Kralkatorrik could bring the entire mountain down around our heads even before the branding starts, dwarven architecture or no. I wish I had gotten a look at those druid’s maps.

It was hard to tell what happened first. There was a surge of magic and the whole mountain shook accompanied by deafening roar. The windows to the Auditorium were sparking violently with purple magic and Hilina had to called back those who had abandoned their work to see Kralkatorrik with their own eyes.

It became difficult to work. Every thrash of the dragon caused the entire Observation Deck to quake and Hilina was terrified that we’d lose another mold. My eyes though were on the grating above the lava, wary of any splashback and warping metal as the ground shook. We still did what we could, sending spears by the armfull down the halls to the fight.

But we weren’t able to keep up the supply train. It wasn’t long before the couriers were running back, undelivered spears still underarm. It was hard to hear their shouting over the roars of an angry dragon, but the purple glow at their heels told enough. The hallways were being blocked by branded crystals. The offensive was cut off from both help and retreat!

We didn’t have a contingency plan in case we got cut off, there hadn’t been enough time to form one. There were questions on if we should fall back deeper into the mountains, others asked each other if they knew of some alternative paths into the Auditorium. Most though had taken up their weapons and stood ready for any branded minions that would come through those doorways.

But the only thing that hit us was another earthquake, hard enough to send us to our feet, and a roar that is still ringing in my ears.

And then…

It was quiet.

We all looked up and could see through the slatted windows a giant form of purple crystal and hardened stone pulling back, as if trying to dislodge itself, and a giant purple eye blazing with anger and pain. I don’t know if Kralkatorrik saw us, the eye was not focused in our direction but at something in front of him. Another shakes of the mountain and the dragon was gone, seemingly having freed himself from the hastily laid trap.

The disappearance of Kralkatorrik released the building tension, like a breath being collectively exhaled. The immediate source of danger was gone. We didn’t know who was still alive and who was dead, but what we did know was that we were in a safer position than we had been moments ago.

Hilina took charge, ordering that the dragonsblood spears we still had to be passed around and to use them to break through the crystals blocking our way to our allies. Sanna roused the medics left in the Grotto to follow us through the newly crystalline hallways, pull out everyone they found, alive and dead alike, and carrying them back to the familiar warmth of the Forge.

It was slow work, shattering pieces of crystal and then the spear breaking in our hands. We salvaged intact spear barrels to keep pressing forward while the couriers resumed their old job and brought us even more spears. Let me tell you, the dwarves certainly knew how to build a maze. I had little sense of location and orientation, just that there were was the crying of the wounded ahead of us and the crystal was barring our way.

I don’t know how long we were in those twisting and turning tunnels, could have been hours could have been minutes. I nearly stumbled when a crystal broke and a gush of wintery air blasted at us. We had reached the Auditorium at last. It was in a much worse state than we could have ever guessed from windows at the Observation Deck. There was almost nothing to see but rubble and purple crystal. But once my eyes adjusted I could make out the faint figures and shapes on the platforms, only some of them were moving. But what really struck me was how little sound there was. There was faint crying and sounds of pain, but not enough to fill such a vast space.

The near silence was shattered by Sanna’s barking orders to the medics, directing them with a fire more akin to a sergeant. Her gentle bedside manner could wait, they needed to get the wounded out and they needed them out now. The medics wasted no time in searching the rubble, finding the dead, triaging the living, getting those better off back on their feet and pressing them into helping those worse off back to the Forge.

It was when I was picking over the rubble, looking for more survivors that I saw something I had missed in when we first broke in.

There at the far end, almost glowing from all the crystal reflections, was Aurene. Or what was left of her. Her body was twisted unnaturally and pieced with crystals not unlike the spears I had been forging. She had to have been what Kralkatorrik had been staring at when he withdrew from the mountain, his anger and pain focused on her form. What had she done to him?

A whimper by a crystal drew my attention away from the dragon. A zephyrite, a member of the choir, was huddled under a brand crystal but his wide eyes were focused on Aurene. I had to work to get his attention on me instead of Aurene’s still form, but when he realized I was there he found his voice again. He went on and on about Aurene to me, about how she was the light, the very hope of this world. But now she was dead. There was no more light. What could we possibly do now without that hope?

I barely listened as I checked him over using my healing magic, just enough to see that he wasn’t seriously hurt. All he had were some cuts and bruises that could heal on their own, some people fared better than others during the battle it seemed. But something about his last comment, asking what could we possibly do without hope, sparked a fuse in me.

I grabbed his shoulders and pointed him away from Aurene and toward the medics, couriers, and my fellow smiths who were trying their damnedest to save the lives of every soldier they came across. That’s what we do when we have no hope. We try to save as many as we can because to give up is to sentence the survivors to death. And not a single person here will leave others to their fate just because we merely lost some hope. And after that? You dig your heels in and keep going forward if only because you don’t know how to stop, defiant until the end. If he didn’t believe me he just needed to ask the closest sunspear.

I then hauled him to his feet and told him that since he wasn’t hurt it was his job to help those that were. I don’t know how much he absorbed, and I’m sure the mourning for all of us will come eventually, but right now it is time to focus on the living.  

In that focus I did not turn to face Aurene again.