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writingformymentalhealth · 3 years

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Chapter 5

The Black Brothers

Josephine Fawley or as her brother liked to call her the tomboy Princess had a striking romance with Hogwarts very own Pureblood rebel Sirius Black.

Sadly her parents deemed his Brother the so called Slytherin Prince as a better fit and arranged a marriage with the younger Black.

Tw: Arranged marriage, possible smut, swear words, lots of fluff, angst, mentions of abuse and depression,

Part 1

Wattpad link

Masterlist

The Newts went by in the blink of an eye and before any of them knew they were back at the platform 9 3/4.

“I will miss you so bad,” Isa said and Joey’s insides felt warm. Isa wasn’t one for sentimentalities usually and having her openly talk about missing her made her happier than she would ever admit.

“I’ll miss you too, Isa.” She said, pulling the girl in a quick hug.

“Hey Isa, don’t steal away my girl,” Sirius’ voice said from behind, earning him a playful shove from Joey.

Isa waved a last time before going to look for her parents, leaving the couple to bid their goodbyes.

“Farewell Princess.”

“We’ll see each other at the next boring pureblood ball.”

“I’ll still miss you like crazy.” His hand cupped her cheek, making a blush creep up on her. How could he make her feel this way, even after all these years?

And then kissed her. He kissed her like it was the last kiss they ever shared.

After pulling back, both teens were slightly panting.

“I’ll miss you too, Black”

“Write to me, love.”

“Every day.”

And with a last playful wink the boy disappeared between the people, going to find his parents - or hiding from them.

Just seconds later, Quentin appeared next to the girl.

“Let’s go, mum and dad will be waiting.” He said, nudging her.

It only took the twins minutes to find their parents chatting with the Malfoys, and even though Quentin’s expression remained rather neutral, Joey could practically feel her brother’s blood boil at the sight of Lucius.

Their Mother was the first one to see the twins hugging them both and mumbling something about having missed them. Their father just nodded at the scene, bidding his goodbyes to the Malfoys.

“We have something to tell you when we come home.” Cordelia whispered to her children before grabbing Joey’s hand.

Joey and Quentin exchanged a look.

With a plop the family landed back at the Fawley residence and Joey inhaled the familiar scent of Lavender and Moth balls that always seemed to linger in the old house and didn’t pay much attention to her mother asking for a teatime with the family to discuss ‘important matters’. At least until Quentin took her hand, and she felt just how clammy and sweaty his hand was.

“It will be alright Quen.”

He shook his head. And Joey prayed they weren’t going to tell her that his depression got worse.

With a weird feeling in her stomach, she made her way to the sitting corner in which the Fawley family always drunk their tea, carefully pulling Quentin behind, who seemed almost frozen into place.

Their parents sat opposite to them, both seeming suspiciously smiley.

“What’s up?” Joey asked, not able to take the tension anymore.

Her mother inhaled sharply before letting her catlike green eyes meet her daughters. “We arranged a marriage for you, Josephine.”

“You what?” The siblings asked simultaneously.

“We arranged for you to marry a respectable pure blood gentleman.” Her father explained, not looking his children in the eyes.

“Absolutely not.”

Her mother pursed her lips. “I fear you don’t have a choice, Darling.”

“You were always against that bullshit,” her brother spat, his voice being louder than ever.

“Things change, circumstances change.” Their father said, just earning a scoff from his son.

“It is the best for all of us.”

“Not for me.”

Her mother looked at her sadly, “You don’t have a choice.”

“Oh hell, yes I do.” Joey screamed, standing up, running into her room, still faintly hearing her brother argue with her parents.

In her room she pulled out her trunk, chaotically throwing clothes, pictures and other prized possessions in it. She didn’t know where she was going to go, but she knew she needed to go. Hot tears streamed down her face, she always thought her parents were different, sure most pure blood families had some weird beliefs about keeping their blood pure therefore arranged marriage looked like the best thing to do, but her parents always seemed to accept that their children would go their own way.

A faint knock on the door alerted the girl of her mother’s presence.

“Can I come in?”

“In your words, I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“We made a deal with the family years ago,” her mother sighed suddenly looking decades older, “we promised them you would marry their son in exchange for safety from the dark Lord.”

“What has Voldemort to do with all this?” her Mother flinched by the mention of his name.

“The family is very close to him. They inform him about blood traitors, eventual followers and all that.”

“So I don’t have a choice?”

“Not if you want your loved ones to live.” Her Mother said simply giving her daughter a reassuring squeeze before going out of the room leaving Joey at a complete loss.

After the initial shock, there was only one thing on her mind: Sirius.

She fidgeted with the silver ring on her left hand, knowing that she always wanted to marry him, spend her life with the boy she loved above everything else, and now she would have to face a relationship like Narcissa had with Lucius.

The lump in her throat grew bigger and bigger, and she barely noticed the tears streaming down her face mercilessly.

Perhaps the worst heartbreak isn’t getting broken up with, perhaps the worst heartbreak is knowing you have to break up with someone who you still love with every fiber of your body.

Two days had gone by, but Joey didn’t even seem to notice. Everything went on in a blur and no words from Isabella, who she wrote to immediately nor her brother, could pull her out of her misery.

“You know you need to break up with him, don’t you?” Her brother just asked, while soothingly drawing circles on her back.

“Isabella said I should break his heart really bad to make it easier for him,” Joey scoffed, tears still rolling down her cheeks.

“That’s a terrible idea, even for Isabella.”

“You just say that because you hate her. She said, I should just tell him I am in love with someone else.”

“Josephine, don’t do it, please. People will know about the arranged marriage just like they know about Lucius and Narcissa.”

“I could still love him though.”

“Sirius isn’t stupid - not that stupid at least.”

“If I tell him the truth he would try to fight the bloke in some deathly duel or something,” she laughed humorlessly, “he’d do anything for me.”

“You don’t need to tell him a reason to break up with him.”

“Don’t you think I owe him one?”

Her brother stayed silent, engulfing her in a hug, while her tears left a wet patch on his shirt. Quentin knew better than to argue with his sister. She already made up her mind.

Joey had asked Sirius to meet her at the park bench he once gave her the promise ring at. Her face was stoic, almost unreadable. She knew she couldn’t show weakness in front of him. She couldn’t make him question her decision. She needed to be confident and cold.

She already saw him from afar, his long hair hanging in his eyes while he comfortably sat in the grass even though a perfectly intact bench was right next to him.

As soon as the boy saw her his eyes lit up and he stood up to hug her, but she took a step back making his eyebrows snap together in confusion.

“We need to talk.” She said instead of a greeting slowly making her way to the bench.

“What’s wrong, love?”

She forced herself to look into his concerned eyes that were so full of love for her and she knew Isabella was right. She would have to break him so he could let her go.

“I am breaking up with you.”

Sirius’ eyes widened in disbelief, his hands fidgeting with each other like they always did when he got overwhelmed, and Joey had to resist the urge to hold them.

“Why? Joey we can fix this I-“

“I made my decision.”

He swallowed hard, and she saw tears starting to pool in his eyes.

“Why?” He asked again, his voice cracking.

“I found somebody else.” She said simply, not daring to look into the stormy grey eyes she was still very much in love with, “and I am in love with him.”

“I love you.” Sirius said, his voice barely above a whisper and it took everything in Joey not to say it back.

“I should go.” She said, not waiting for an answer before standing up and taking fast steps towards the point she knew she could Apparate away in safety. A small part of her hoped he would run after her, tell her he saw through her act, tell her he knew how to get out of it but he didn’t so she let the tears that she was holding in since the moment she saw him sitting next to the bench fall but to her surprise she didn’t feel the hurt anymore. Instead, her heart felt cold, as if it was made of ice or as if someone had just burst through her rib cage and taken it out, leaving only an empty space.

Sirius Black felt like he was having a heart attack, and for a short second he thought about admitting himself into St mangos hospital but he came to the conclusion that maybe having a heart attack right now wouldn’t be too bad because the one person he trusted and treasured over anyone else made his worst fears come true. He knew he was always jealous, but that was just because he knew deep inside that a guy like him could never keep a girl like her. That a girl like Josephine didn’t settle for family disappointments with lots of baggage, but he still tried and for a brief moment he thought he could be happy. Now he knew that some people just aren’t meant to be happy.

For the first time since the couple started dating, Sirius lit up a cigarette, inhaling the deathly smoke deeply, hoping that it would kill the sadness in him.

Sirius Black’s world became dull that day.

Unbeknownst to both they had the same essential question running through their head, ‘who is this other guy’ but while Sirius would have to wait some time till his question got answered, Joey had the option to confront her parents.

Of course she could have done this earlier, but she had to admit she was scared of the answer. She knew most pureblood families and couldn’t say she particularly liked them. Additionally a family that was close to the Dark Lord was bound to be involved in the dark arts and at least to some extent evil.

She shuddered at that thought; she heard all the stories about arranged marriages - the regular rape, the abuse and the fear and she wasn’t keen on joining that club. So when she saw her Mother that day ready to confront her - she couldn’t.

She couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Actually, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything besides lay in bed and sleep, she didn’t even have it in her to cry anymore. Even after her Mother informed her she was going to meet her future husband for dinner, she didn’t have it in herself to react.

In the end it was her brother who brought back the girl’s spirits on the day of the dinner.

“Oh no, you are not meeting your future husband looking like that.”

“Why? He has to marry me, anyway.” Joey said, rolling over.

“Go shower. Now. You smell, and if you don’t shower, I will conjure a bucket of ice water and shower you myself.” He said while rummaging through her closet.

Joey frowned, not being used to her brother being so authoritarian, but she did as he said, too tired to argue with him.

Even though she would never admit it, the shower did make her feel better, and the dress her brother chose made her feel like a real life princess.

“You have to do your clown paint on your own, I have no idea what that stuff is.” He said gesturing to her makeup and for the first time in eleven days Joey chuckled.

She was just doing her eye makeup as her mother came in, a sad smile decorating her face. “You never asked who.”

“Does it matter?” Joey asked, applying mascara.

“It’s Regulus Black.”

Joey almost poked her eye out as she heard that. Her heart hammered desperately against her chest.

“Why not Sirius?” Quentin asked the question Joey wanted to ask so desperately. “Isn’t he the oldest?”

Her mother made a sound with her mouth, “We discussed this matter but Sirius and his family have a complicated relationship, they want regulus to make the proud.”

And Joey felt like her heart broke all over again. She was so close to getting what she wanted, yet destiny had ripped it away from her again. If this was a story, the Author had to be downright cruel to put her through this.

At the Black Mansion Sirius - for the first time in his life felt completely and utterly broken. Hot tears ran down his face, and he couldn’t contain the sobs coming out of his mouth.

He almost didn’t notice his Mother coming in hitting him with the stupid Black family ring she was so proud of turning it outward so it would leave deep cuts on his cheeks.

“Crying is something for muggles and weaklings. Not for Blacks.” She screeched, but he didn’t care, he never cared for anything his parents wanted or said, he only cared for her and his friends and maybe Regulus even though his loyalty to their parents could be infuriating sometimes.

“We have guests this evening. If you aren’t on your best behavior, I will crucio you right in front of them.” His mother sneered, and Sirius knew from experience that she meant what she said.

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?” His Mother grabbed her wand and Sirius bit his lip till it started bleeding.

“Yes, ma’am.” he grumbled quietly, just hoping that she would disappear soon so he could be sad in peace.

Walburga strutted out of the room, locking the door behind her, making Sirius sigh.

He looked around his room trying to ground himself, the red gryffindor flags, the muggle band posters from bands he didn’t know just to spite his mother, the pictures of the Marauders and of course the pictures of Joey that he didn’t yet have the heart to take down, her smile illuminating the whole room even through a picture. Tears filled his eyes again, yet he didn’t dare to cry. Instead, he got out his wand, muttering some spells to heal the wounds.

A few hours later Sirius was well aware of how horrible he looked, skin pale, deep rings under the eyes and his usually shiny hair hanging matted over his eyes, this look being further enhanced while standing next to his brother who looked more and more like Sirius every day, sharing his aristocratic features. But other than Sirius;, Regulus looked amazing, his tie in place, his hair combed and his shoes cleaned.

Sirius saw the disgusted face his mother gave him before gushing about Regulus and he couldn’t help but feel accomplished at his disheveled appearance that hopefully would disgust any weird poor blood family her mother invited for today.

“Adrian, Cordelia! How nice to see you.” Walburga greeted, making Sirius’ blood run cold at the mention of Joey’s parents’ names; and really just behind the two middle-aged wizards and next to Quentin, the girl of his dreams, stood. Her usually wavy hair was curled and neatly pinned up, leaving just a few strands to frame her beautiful face.

Sirius stood there frozen as the other people greeted each other. Joey stiffly shook his hand. Her eyes looking cold and disinterested, just like the first time Sirius saw her at the pureblood ball.

Joey, on the other hand, felt immensely grateful for her brother standing beside her, as she didn’t know where she should look. She was scared to look in Regulus eyes seeing the familiar cold and steely gaze of her future husband and even though she wanted to, she knew looking in Sirius’ eyes would just open up a Pandora’s box of feelings.

The dinner went over like a blur, Walburga asking lots of questions that were being answered politely, mostly by Cordelia.

As dessert came - crème brûlée, finally the point of the entire dinner was made clear.

“Josephine, Regulus, as you both know we arranged a marriage between you two, binding two of the most pureblood families together by law.” Orion said, his voice cold and calculated just like Regulus’ voice was. Sirius started coughing uncontrollably, choking on the water he just tried to drink, earning himself dirty looks from the pureblood parents, Orion especially looking at Sirius like Walburga looked at discounter clothes. “Don’t mind my son, he doesn’t take news like a gentleman, another reason why we chose regulus over him.”

Joey looked up from her plate - the first time this evening and her mask broke for a short second and Sirius saw how deeply horrified she looked before she went back to smiling politely with the same cold disinterested eyes every pureblood kid learned to have at a young age.

“We expect you to be a pleasant couple till you marry, no drama or other nonsense.” Orion continued.

“Josephine, darling, I suspect your parents already informed you about the risks of acting out?” Walburga asked, and Joey’s stomach turned at her sickly sweet voice. Her eyes automatically found Sirius’ for comfort, but his eyes were clouded with shock and something Joey could only interpret as realization.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Very well, how about you two go up to Regulus’ room to get to know each other better, while we discuss the details of the engagement party?”

Regulus nodded wordlessly, taking his future fiancée’s hand leading her up the stairs so familiar of the noble house of black, into his room.

It was the first time that Joey saw a room except the ball room and Sirius’ room and she was impressed at how unimpressive the room looked. The walls were empty except a Slytherin flag over his bed; the room was almost hauntingly neat, and she didn’t see even one personal item.

“I apologize for all of this.” Regulus said, looking at the stoic girl in front of him.

“No need to apologize.” She whispered, her voice sounding hoarse as she took in the room, looking anywhere but into the boys’ eyes.

“I’m sure no girl wants to have that kind of proposal.”

She chuckled at the absurdity of his words, sitting down on his bed, surprised at the softness of the mattress, yet shuddering at the thought of her having to have sex with him on that mattress - or anywhere, for that matter.

“We are practically engaged and you don’t even know my favorite color.” She said, looking into his eyes for the first time this evening.

There was a deep breath, and then Regulus sat beside her.

“Josephine-“

“Why are you marrying me?”

He looked shocked at the question and Joey wished she could take the words back, knowing that she crossed a line and being basically the property of Regulus now, she should maybe at least try to keep the comments to herself.

“Josephine, it’s what our parents want from us.”

“Nobody calls me Josephine, except my parents.” Joey whispered, her voice restrained from the fear pulsing through her body.

“I know, but I didn’t know if you wanted me to call you that.”

Joey looked into his steely eyes, and they looked surprisingly soft and understanding. And a small glimmer of hope tugged at her heartstrings.

“Why do you care what I want? Am I now not your property?” The words came out harder than she intended, and Regulus flinched slightly.

“I’m not a monster.”

Joey stayed silent.

She was glad, as Walburga called them downstairs, looking at them as if she just won the lottery.

“Splendid news, we will hold the engagement party in one week.”, Joey forced a smile but by the falling face of Walburga she could already tell that it came out more like a grimace, “and the even better news is that you will spend all summer with us so you and Regulus can bond and have some appearances as a couple before you marry.”

Joey’s stomach turned. Spending all summer with the guy they forced her to marry, her ex boyfriend who still gave her butterflies and their psychopathic parents sounded like a nightmare.

“We will have a guest room ready.” Orion added coldly, and from the corner of her eye she saw Sirius exhaling in something that looked like relief.

“Oh no, we aren’t in the eighties anymore. She can sleep in Regulus room, they can practice for their wedding night.” Walburga grinned wolfishly, and Joey felt so sick she was sure she would throw up all over the carpet.

Masterlist

Part 6

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dawnthread · 11 months

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[...] I could look at the lovely view to east and south, and unthinking of and uncaring for the dust, composed myself for sleep. - Jonathan Harker's journal, kept in shorthand, May 16.

and then he slept peacefully until morning and nothing upsetting happened to him at all, right?

... right?

the yarn i'm using isn't a true ombre, it's a gradient palette of solids, so i'm cheating a little bit and using row-by-row leapfrogging to get the transitional effect. this works out great, actually, even though strand management is a bit of a bear, because i had to get a second skein pack to make up the yardage and even the most meticulous hand-dye is going to take differently skein to skein - by leapfrogging like that even on the solid sections, i can equalize any tonal differences between the skeinpack AND maintain the row pattern for the transition stripes at the same time!

the castle of otranto skein pack i'm using was created by teatime fibers (also on ravelry!), and i am SO jazzed to be working with it, this yarn is DELICIOUS to handle. the skein pack itself was a little pricey, but you know what, it's dracula season and i deserve a little treat ;3c

#dracula #dracula daily #re: dracula #knitting #lace knitting #knitblr #dawnposts #knitalong #dracula's bride shawl #in the center panel closeup you can see me reppin' merch from my local yarn store!#it came along with one or two other little goodies a pre-order bonus for the mini-skein set i'm using #teatime fibers is our in-house yarn dyer and she does a FANTASTIC job #i linked to her instagram below the cut if anyone wants to go check her out!!

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erahsae-ffxiv · 4 years

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FFXIV RP Events for the week of 2020.07.20

As a reminder, please send new events to me at http://xiv.page.link/new. This goes for any datacenter, though right now events advertisements are focused on Crystal and Light. Additonally sorry for the delay getting this out. There have been some 'fun' connection issues involving the severing of fiber lines, and then a bit of a rush to catch up on missed out of game obligations. My apologies. This has made me re-think my stance about moving this service into the cloud instead of at a NOC to prevent outages like this in the future. ~ Erah'sae - erroch#5348

Have an event you want to put on the Calendar?

Submit it here or send us an email.

This Week's Events:

Monday - 7/20/2020

7:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - Lounge at Reverie - [Mateus] The Goblet Ward 8, Plot 60

8:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - [M] Club Cobalt - [Balmung] Shirogane Ward 17, plot 41,

8:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Teatime at Shroudrose Teahouse - [Balmung] Lavender Beds, Ward 5, Plot 58,

8:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - The First Mistake - [Balmung] Lavender Beds Ward 1, Plot 28

8:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT - Steppe Ramen - [Mateus] Shirogane, Ward 18, Plot 27

9:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - [M] Lady Luck Casino - [Mateus] Goblet Ward 4, Plot 43

Tuesday - 7/21/2020

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT - The First Steps - [Odin] Goblet Ward 10, Plot 47

4:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT - Wayward Star Bar - [Balmung] Mists Ward 14 Plot 2

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT - Cafe de Chocobo - [Mateus] Goblet Ward 9, Plot 32

8:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - Rissa's Snack Shack - [Mateus] Goblet Ward 20, Apt 2

8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - The Blue Miqo'te Tavern - [Mateus] Shirogane Ward 1, Plot 29

10:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Third Eye Sushi - [Coeurl] Shirogane Ward 11, Plot 34

Wednesday - 7/22/2020

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT - Cazbah Cafe - [Balmung] Shirogan Ward 20, Plot 46

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT - The Sinner's Den - [Lich] Mist Ward 11, Plot 14

5:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT - Art Gallery from Sonja Rysti - [Balmung] Mists Ward 17 Sub. Apt 11

6:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - Morning Star Cafe - [Mateus] Mist Ward 21, Plot 37

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT - Lotus Apothecary - [Coeurl] Lavender Beds Ward 14, Plot 18

8:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - Aetherwatch Society Medical Clinic - [Mateus] Lavender Beds Ward 6, Plot 58

8:00 PM to 9:30 PM EDT - Azure Cafe Night - [Mateus] The Goblet Ward 5 Plot 13,

8:30 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - [M] The Talley: Performance Night - [Balmung] Lavender Beds Ward 21, Plot 4,

9:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - [M] Calamity's End Bar & Grill - [Balmung] The Mists Ward 16, Plot 11

9:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Arcana Obscura - Open Shop Hours - [Malboro] Goblet Ward 3, Plot 49

9:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - The Fire Pit - [Mateus] The Goblet, Ward 5, Plot 60

9:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - The Icebreaker Grand Opening - [Mateus] The Goblet, Ward 13, Plot 1

10:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - New Saronia Public Night - [Balmung] Mist Ward 19, Plot 17

10:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - [M] Voodoo Lounge Open Mic - [Mateus] Lavender Beds Ward 5 Plot 11

Thursday - 7/23/2020

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT - [M] The Dragon's Pit - [Balmung] Goblet Ward 9, Plot 57

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT - Everbloom Cafe/Flower Shop - [Goblin] Lavender Beds Ward 5, Plot 9

3:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT - Buscarron Regulars Meetup - [Balmung] South Shroud, Buscarron's Druthers,

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT - The Hunter's Haven - [Lich] Goblet Ward 1, Plot 38

4:30 PM to 6:30 PM EDT - Oak's Tradepost - [Balmung] Mists Plot 29 Ward 2

7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - The Lotus Flame Club - [Balmung] Lavender Beds Ward 14 Plot 58

8:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - [M] A Sewercat's B-Side Show - [Balmung] Goblet Ward 18, Plot 5

10:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Velvet Rose Lodge Open Bar - [Balmung] Lavender Beds, Ward 18, Plot 28

Friday - 7/24/2020

6:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Maid's Basin Tavern night - [Mateus] Goblet, Ward 13, Plot 13

7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - Forgotten Knight Pop-Up RP - [Balmung] Foundation, The Forgotten Knight

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EDT - Thavnairian Nights - [Balmung] Goblet Ward 10 Plot 19

8:30 PM to 10:30 PM EDT - [M] The Blind Tiger - [Balmung] Mist, Ward 5, Plot 38

9:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Bar Saisei Open Nights - [Balmung] Shirogane Ward 9, Plot 38

9:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - Bokh - Xaelic Wrestling - [Balmung] Mist, Ward 19, Subdivision Beach

9:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - Maria and Draco - [Balmung] Mist Ward 7, Plot 15

9:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - NightRaid Bounty Call - [Coeurl] Shirogane Ward 11, Plot 58

9:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - [M] Siph Shiro Steakhouse - [Malboro] Lavender beds (Ward 19, Plot 25)

9:30 PM to 12:30 AM EDT - Gyr Abanian Gauntlet - [Balmung] The Lochs, Ala Mhigan Quarter, Royal Menagerie Gardens,

10:00 PM to 1:00 AM EDT - Final Heaven Tavern Night - [Balmung] Goblet Ward 20, Plot 3

11:00 PM to 1:00 AM EDT - [M] The Golden Whisker - Casino - [Mateus] The Goblet, Plot 5, Ward 16

11:00 PM to 1:00 AM EDT - The Galbadia Bar and Lounge - [Mateus] Goblet Ward 9, Plot 30

11:00 PM to 1:00 AM EDT - Uranami Onsen Host & Hostess Club - [Mateus] Mist Ward 15, Plot 5

11:00 PM to 3:00 AM EDT - Warm Embrace Casino - [Mateus] Lavender Beds Ward 19, Plot 35

Saturday - 7/25/2020

12:00 AM to 6:00 AM EDT - Opening Night at The Raven - [Goblin] Goblet Ward 14 Plot 58

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT - King of the Ring Tournament - [Balmung] Eastern La Noscea: Wineport

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EDT - Eternal Sonata Tavern and Casino - [Lich] Shirogane Ward 5, Plot 37

4:00 PM to 7:00 PM EDT - Drunken Moogle Open RP - [Balmung] Lavender Beds, Ward 12, Plot 33

6:00 PM to 9:00 PM EDT - The Garden of Words Book & Teashop - [Balmung] Lavender Beds Ward 8, Plot 27

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT - The Apothecarium - [Mateus] The Mist, Ward 13, Plot 2

7:30 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - [M] Coeurl Karaoke Night - [Coeurl] Shirogane Ward 11 Plot 58

8:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - Sultana's Breath Shopping Arcade - [Balmung] Goblet Ward 18, Sultana's Breath Subdivision

8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - The Bottom of the Barrel - [Balmung] Goblet - Ward 15, Plot 49

8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - Lapis Luxury's Monthly Auction - [Mateus] Kugane: Pier 1 Docks

8:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - The Builders Bazaar - [Mateus] Lavender Beds, Ward 16, Amethyst Shallows

9:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Hanakotoba Izakaya Open Night - [Mateus] Shirogane Ward 20, Plot 29

9:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT - [M] Open Bar Night at The Other Three Walls - [Zalera] Goblet Ward 15 Plot 5

9:30 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - [M] Little Ferret Smol Auction Night - [Coeurl] Mist Ward 14, Plot 58

10:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - Grindstone Tournament - [Balmung] Cen. Thanalan (21, 25)

Sunday - 7/26/2020

9:30 AM to 10:30 AM EDT - Templars of the Moon - Open House & Bar Social - [Coeurl] Goblet Ward 16, Plot 30

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT - [M] Everbloom Escape - [Goblin] Mist Ward 13, Plot 7

3:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT - Stray Sheep Bar - [Lich] Lavender Beds Ward 11 Plot 3

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT - Lucky Sparrow Entertainment Troupe - [Balmung] Lavender Beds Ward 16, Plot 36

7:00 PM to 10:00 PM EDT - The Jeweled Cypress - [Mateus] Mist Ward 14, Plot 45

8:00 PM to 12:00 AM EDT - [M] Club Cobalt - [Balmung] Shirogane Ward 17, plot 41,

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ythmir-writes · 5 years

Text

fandom: Midnight Cinderella character: Nico Meier

warnings for slight spoilers, and pain; occurs in Nico’s route after his return to Wysteria from Stein

originally posted on main original timestamp: 26 January 2016

You Can’t Come Back

“Princess?”

(Y/N) snapped out of her reverie as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turned around and met Leo’s frowning face. “Yes?”

“That was the third time I called out to you.” Leo peered at her through his glasses.

Giles was behind Leo, looking just as worried as the older Crawford twin. It took a moment before (y/n) realized where she was and what she was doing.

Wysteria. Briefing. Plans to disperse the opposition to the princess system.

She had documents in her hand but couldn’t quite remember how she had gotten them. Leo must have handed it to her. Or had it been Giles?

She looked at Leo again - had they been discussing something? Was it her turn to speak? “I…” she hesitated, gripping the documents tighter, feeling the paper crumple slightly in her hand. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

The question didn’t quite register itself inside her head. Or maybe it was that it did and that would explain why her heart ached and sank. Was she all right? She wasn’t sure. She wasn’t quite sure of anything at the moment. But she had slept a dreamless sleep hadn’t she? And she had a hearty breakfast earlier. Besides, it had already been two days since her return from Stein, so why was she…?

“I’m okay.”

Even she didn’t believe the sound of her voice.

“I’m just…”

She bit her lip, trying her best to steady herself and not let the fact that Nico…

That Nico was not…

The tears pricked at her eyes and she quickly tried to wipe them away as subtley as she could. It was no good to cry, no; no good to bawl out and be emotional about something that even she was powerless to change.

“Princess,” Leo said gently, glancing at Giles who nodded his head, “If you need to take a moment, Giles and I will -”

“No.” Her voice was firmer this time. To continue letting things get out of hand was irresponsible. She’d been coddled enough, and almost always allowed someone else to take care of things for her. And the last time she allowed that… things hadn’t exactly ended the way she wanted.

She took a deep breath, composing herself, steeling every fiber of her being before looking at them both. “Let’s continue discussing the plans.” She looked at the documents in her hands.

She needed to concentrate.

She needed to be productive.

She needed to be strong.

That was why she had agreed to move herself outside of palace, she reminded herself. Opposition from the rebel citizens would best be dealt with if their movements were far from prying eyes and earnest ears. Too many nobles and beaurucrats had taken advantage of her little stint in Stein to try and grab the throne. Included in those efforts were attempts at trying to recruit as much of the palace staff as possible to serve as spies. Some have been dealt with but Giles wanted to be certain.

Focus.

He and Leo - even Duke Howard for that matter - had done what they could to keep the princess system intact. Her sudden reappearance had caused most of the dissidents to recant and pledge allegiance to the princess elect but there were still enough of the rebel group to try and stage something radical. A coup. An uprising. Heaven forbid, even civil war. There was no telling what could and could not happen.

Focus.

Protea had interpreted her disappearance as an act of allegiance with Stein, and was preparing for the worst. Laurelia had acted neutral for more than three decades but rumors of spearmen marching into the city using the cover of night, and the all to real fact that it was repairing and strengthening its walls, were the kind of rumors that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Too many openings and too many avenues for mistakes. They needed to act swiftly to stamp any and all opposition out. Or at the very least, render them ineffective.

She needed to focus on that now.

“Most of the kitchen staff has been checked and double checked.” Giles said. “Additional measures were implemented to make sure that no one could infilrate us in that way again.”

“That’s a relief.” (Y/n) flipped through the papers as fast as she could. “Oh! The checkpoints we placed are proving to be an effective deterrent.”

“Yup. No more surprise armsdealing. Some nobles had a fit about that though.” Leo chuckled.

“We will have to thank Duke Howard.” (Y/n) said.

More discussions. More plans. Most of it was coming from Leo and Giles, who had more experience in the matters than her. Despite that, (y/n) felt hopeful as the hours passed by. Hopeful, yes. But mostly relieved, finally able to focus her thoughts more on productive matters, and less on self-pitying thoughts about how Nico…

No. Not again.

Not anymore.

Letters came in: declarations of loyalty, invitations and offers of help, some were wellwishers, from families who were glad that the princess was safe within the country again. At teatime, more documents were carried by the knights into the study. (Y/n) began going through them immediately.

“Page twelve has the locations of the remaining meeting places we haven’t been able to shut down.” She said. “Most have been taken care of… in two days?” (Y/N) scanned the page quickly before looking behind her where a map of Wysteria had been pinned to the wall. Red tacks had been used to mark possible buildings used as fronts to support the dissidents. And there were a lot. “That’s amazing! I didn’t know we had enough knights to be able to cover the provinces fast enough -”

“It wasn’t just my knights.” Alyn entered the room, face scowling as Leo greeted him with a wave. He stood next to (y/n), putting her between him and his twin. He then looked at Giles, focusing his gaze so he didn’t so much as have Leo in his line of sight. “You were right, Giles.”

“I try not to let that get to me too much.” Was the royal adviser’s reply. Part of (y/n) expected Giles to be smiling but his lips were getting thinner by the second.

“I don’t understand.” (Y/n) said. “This is supposed to be good news, right?”

“If we knew who was helping us.” Alyn replied. “But we don’t.”

“What?”

“Which could mean two things. It may mean that they’re actually helping us. Or they’re not and they’re busy pushing their own agenda.” Leo added.

(Y/n)’s gaze shifted from Leo to Alyn. “If this group is taking out our enemies, shouldn’t we be at the very least relieved? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?”

“It isn’t a group.” Alyn’s voice was low and (y/n) stared at him. “We have an idea but I don’t trust that information broker one fucking bit.”

Giles sighed loudly, putting down his cup. “Sid has never been wrong either.”

(Y/n) slowly turned her head to look at Giles, hoping that the rush of emotions she was feeling was anything else except dread.“You all know something I don’t, don’t you?” She said in a quiet voice.

Nobody in the room said anything.

(Y/n) placed the documents in her hands unto the table as casually as she could, schooling her features carefully into an emotionless mask. One step. Two. Four. Then she stopped and looked at the three men who had all stood up and were watching her. It was only Leo who had a sympathetic look on his face.

For a moment, she almost didn’t want to continue but if there was anything she learned from Stein, and from the current political situation she was trying to extract herself from, it was that she was the one wearing the crown. She had responsibilities. She had duties. Yes, she could never hide nor unburden herself of that. But there was something else she had, that for too long she had refused to utilize.

Not anymore.

“Giles Christophe. I am your princess, am I not?”

“(Y/N) -”

“Am. I. Not?” She asked again, steel in her voice now. Steel that she was using to hide the tears she could feel were threatening to show again.

And she had damn nearly spent the whole day -

“Yes, your highness.“Giles said.

"I assume you decided to hide this information on your better judgment?”

“Yes.”

“And that this better judgment dictated upon your conscience to hide a small detail. A detail that could have been easily overlooked where it not for someone hinting at it?”

Giles’ eyes were narrowed at Alyn, who raised his hands in defeat. “Yes.”

“And that this detail would not have affected any of the plans that were already laid out.” It was (Y/n)’s turn to narrow her eyes at Giles. She paused for a moment, seeing the bigger picture. “As a matter of fact, you already took it into account.”

“Yes.”

“Giles is our dangerous wolf.” Leo piped.

“Dangerous indeed.” (Y/n) repeated, clasping her hands together to stop herself from shaking. But it wasn’t anger she was feeling.

Giles sighed loudly, crossing his arms. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he looked at (y/n), it was surprisingly gentle. “I had intended to reveal it at a later time, (y/n). It’s something better off your mind and i wasn’t - still not, to be honest - convinced it would be productive to discuss plans with a princess whose state of mind is clearly on something else.”

“Not your call.” (Y/n) shook her head.

“It was a bit presumptious, I know.” Giles answered.

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

“I was simply trying to protect -”

(Y/n) raised her hand to stop him from continuing. Her insides throbbed with a thousand emotions she couldn’t name, each turning and crashing with each other that she felt like she was going to burst. She balled her hands into fists, nails digging into her palms so much it hurt.

“Next time,” she finally said. “Be more forthcoming about these things.”

“Princess…” Leo started, hesitated, and then went on, “There’s no reason for you to push yourself like that.”

“There’s no need to coddle me. I can handle this much.”

“(Y/n) -”

“Please.” She insisted. “If you keep protecting me like this, how else will I move on?”

The three men looked at each other, and somehow without saying anything came to a consensus.

“Of course.” It was Giles who spoke.

“Thank you.” (Y/n) looked at them and was surprised to see them smiling. “What?”

“Nothing, really. Just that the little princess is all grown up now.” Alyn was smiling. He blew out breath, then added. “I can still remember how you used to scale palace walls.”

“Alyn!”

“Don’t forget the time she almost cried because she bumped into a Contessa on her first saloon.” Leo teased.

“I did not cry!”

“You were so innocent back then.” Giles’ tone was almost wistful. “To think that you would pull an authority card against none other than me.”

“I didn’t mean -”

“Stop with those excuses, you nitwit.” Alyn’s hand was on her head now. “I don’t know what happened between you and that little runt and frankly I don’t care. You’re here now. And we’re here for you, you got that?”

The tears that threatened to spill were no longer tears of sadness and she let out a small choked gasp as she fumbled for her handkerchief. As she wiped at her tears and listened to Leo teasing Alyn for making her cry, with Giles offering her his own handkerchief, her chest swelled with love and gratefulness for them.

This was what she had now.

This was her family now.

Despite the fact that the worst scenario could happen to Wysteria, (y/n) felt a little hopeful. There were better days to come.

Until two weeks into her stay in the mansion.

As an additional measure of protection, it had been decided that the Princess Elect should take up lessons in self defense. Alyn had been teaching her the basics and when he was away, some of the knights pitched in to help. She learned how to wield a sword and throw knives, how to deflect, and how to gauge an enemy’s skill by the way they held their weapons. She was no expert and quite frankly, had nearly zero talent and built in athleticism.

But she was observant. And she had sharp eyes. Or at least, that was what Alyn had added as a footnote when he listed her “knightly qualities”. Which had been next to nothing.

“Remember,” Alyn added. “What do you do when you see an intruder?”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes. “Call for help.”

“Damn right. You think ten days of holding a sword makes you invincible?” He pointed at the pair of knights in the corner. “Alfred and Tobias are my best men. You go to them when I’m not here.”

And Alyn wasn’t here now.

She had been practicing parrying for half a day now with Alfred and Tobias. Alfred was commenting on the way she was using her wrist and was about to say something else when both he and Tobias jerked their heads towards the woods, tensing.

“Is everything all right?” She asked.

The two knights gave each other a look. And (y/n) recognized that look. It was the same look Alyn had when things weren’t all right.

“Yes.” Tobias coughed uncomfortably.

(Y/n) frowned, sheathing her sword. Tobias was a bad liar and he looked away in shame when she gave him a stern look.

“Princess, you should head back-”

“Oh no.” (Y/n) cut in. “We are going to go there and see what’s hiding -”

“With all due respect, your Highness.” Alfred continued. “Our instructions were to keep you safe.”

“I will be safe. I’m with you two.” And before either knight could object, (y/n) beelined towards woods, giving the two men no other choice but to follow her.

To be honest, (y/n) was hoping it was just an approaching messenger, or a random animal. It was just an hour past noon, and the sun was still high in the sky, but the dense foliage had an eerie feel to it. Alfred and Tobias both looked wary and uncomfortable and as they went farther and farther away from the mansion, (y/n) felt like they were being watched. And Tobias merely confirmed (y/n)’s gut when he motioned for them to stop.

“Princess,” Alfred said. “Needless to say, this is bad idea.” His jaw was tense and there were more lines between his brows that (y/n) could count.

“Let’s hurry back.” Tobias said.

(Y/n) hesitated. Somehow she felt like she needed to go further but couldn’t quite place a finger on why. Frowning, she looked at Alfred. “Are we expecting anyone today?”

Alfred shook his head. “Sir Alyn isn’t expected to return until tonight.”

One last look into the forest then (y/n) turned towards Alfred. “All right. Let’s go back. Tobias, let’s -”

“(Y/n), watch out!”

Before she could even react, someone pushed past her, shoving her away from where metal clanged loudly against metal.

“Princess!” Hands pulled her up unto her feet and away from the sound of grunting and fighting. It was Alfred. But then who was -

“Nico!”

There was no mistaking the lean frame and the messy tussle of carnation hair. And the short sword. Oh my god, (y/n) could recognize the short sword from a mile away.

“Don’t hurt him!” Was all (y/n) could scream. There was hesitation in Nico’s movements and what could have been a fatal wound was maneuvered into something less final and bloody. Nico jabbed the hilt of his sword into Tobias’ stomach, forcing the man to recoil before thrusting the same blunt end square unto the knight’s jaw.

“Why you little -” Alfred stepped forward, placing himself between (y/n) and Nico. He drew his own sword and Nico turned his attention to the blond knight, leaving the gasping Tobias behind him.

There was a flurry of movements faster than (y/n) could follow, faster than any training she had had. And for a moment, she could only stare in disbelief, realizing her utter incompetence.

Ten days doesn’t make me a knight.

A knight’s fight was not her fight. Alyn had made that clear.

But she had her own unique weapons, didn’t she?

“Nico, stop it!” (Y/n) shouted as loudly as she could. “Or so help me god, I will put you under arrest!”

That forced Nico to stop midswing before backing away from Alfred. He stared at (y/n), confusion giving way to disbelief.

“Please, stop fighting.” (Y/n) continued. “These men are Wysterian knights. Alyn placed them as my bodyguards.”

“I’ve never seen them before.” Nico’s eyes turned daggers as he looked at Alfred.

“They were never at the castle often.”

“Princess,” Alfred’s gaze never left Nico. He still held his sword defensively, placing it inbetween him and the other knight. “We should apprehend this traitor at once.”

“What the hell did you call me?” Nico’s frown deepened.

“I called you a traitor.” Alfred said. “A Stein knight going undercover to infiltrate Wysteria.” Alfred spat. “You shame a knight’s honor. You have no place -”

“Alfred, stop it.” (Y/n) stepped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She heard Nico scowl but paid him no heed. “Get Tobias back to the mansion.”

“B-but my lady!”

“Nico will not hurt me.” (Y/n) said firmly. “I want to speak to him. In private.”

“He can do that inside the mansion walls, my lady.” Tobias was on his feet now, blood running down his nose.“In chains.”

(y/n) took a deep breath “Nico will not be coming back to us.”

“What?” It was Nico this time who was confused. “(Y/n), I’m here because -”

(Y/n) forced herself not to look at Nico. “Alfred, please?”

Alfred shook his head. “Tobias and I will watch you from there.” He waved his hand behind him. “I’m sorry your highness, but I cannot leave you alone like this and sleep well at night.”

(Y/n) hesitated. She didn’t want the two knights eavesdropping into their conversation. But there was no way in hell that Nico would lay a foot in the mansion and survive. “Very well.”

(Y/n) watched as Alfred motioned to Tobias. Undiscernable hand signals were exchanged and (y/n) wondered if Nico understood. She looked at him and felt her chest tighten again as she saw that he was staring at her and none of the earlier ferocity was to be seen. Nico’s golden eyes were gentle and kind. And he smiled at her almost as if they were the only ones there.

(Y/n) tried smiling back but her chest felt like a thousand waves were crashing against each other, and whatever emotion crept to her face made Nico pout in worry. (Y/n) tore her gaze away, taking in a deep breath.

Tobias and Alfred each took a side opposite each other, walking only as far as eavesdropping was impossible. (Y/n) waited for them to move further but neither knight budged.

“(Y/n)…” Nico had sheathed his sword and was smiling again now yet she could see the creases of weariness in his eyes. He sighed and then chuckled. “I missed you.”

“Nico, I…” She missed him. She missed Nico so much. As much as she hated to admit it there hasn’t been a day when she didn’t think of him.

For a moment, (y/n) forgot everything she had gone through and all she felt she needed to do was to run into Nico’s arms and never let go. She wanted to kiss him, to feel him in her arms, to feel the way he lifted her in arms in turn. And his laugh. Gods, she missed his laugh.

But that was only for a moment.

Things were different now.

“Reports have been received that a mystery man is going out and about and overthrowing those opposing the princess system.” (Y/n) forced her tone to be as neutral as possible. “Was that you?”

Nico sighed again, his smile rueful now. “Yes.”

All the pent up emotion she felt the past three weeks suddenly came rushing back into her chest that she shook as she stepped towards Nico. And before she could even begin to completely understand what happened, she had smacked Nico hard in the face.

The sound shocked her as much as it did him. Nico’s eyes were wide, his hand barely touching his cheek that was quickly turning a shade of red.

“Did King Byron order you to do this?” (Y/n) demanded. “Did he?”

Nico made no comment.

“Did King Byron as the sovereign of Stein ask you to lend a hand in the political issues of Wysteria?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here?” (Y/n) felt the first tear run down her cheek. Then another, and another.

She didn’t wipe away her tears this time. No. For too long she had been holding in her emotions - or was it that she had been holding them at arm’s length? And now that Nico was here… Now that Nico had returned…

(Y/n) almost jumped. Nico was suddenly near her, placing a hankerchief on her cheek. “I wanted…” his voice was barely a whisper. “I wanted to protect you. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

No…

“It wasn’t the same. I was always looking for you, always wondering if you were okay.” He looked at her squarely now and she could see the pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry, (y/n). We’ve talked, I know. But as the days went by, I understood what you meant. I shouldn’t have -”

“Stop!”

“What?”

“Just fucking stop!” All manners were beyond her at this point and she pushed Nico away from her. “No. Enough of that. I’m not going to go through this again!”

How many times had they had this conversation? Too many. How many times had she cried for him to not go? Too many. How many times had she tried talking to him, explaining to him, practically coaxing him to stay? Too many.

Even she had her limits.

“(Y/n) listen to me,” Nico’s voice was pleading as he tried to reach out to her but she took a step back, then another, and another, shaking her head all the while.

“No.” Even to her ears, her voice was loud and firm and laced with everything she had felt when he left her carriage on their way back to Stein. It was angry. It was bitter.

It was hurt.

“You come into Wysterian territory without a formal order from Stein. You interfere with political issues without so much as a sanction from your king! This is wrong, Nico! You should stop from engaging in these acts -!”

“This isn’t for King Byron!” Nico was holding back his own tears now, his hands balled into fists. “It was for you. It was for me.”

“Stop it! You think you can just leave and then expect me to welcome you back with open arms as if nothing has changed?”

”(Y/n), I’m sorry for all -”

”I don’t need that now!”

“It was for us, (y/n)! I did it for us!”

(Y/n) shouted in frustration, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at Nico point blank. To say that Nico was shocked would be an understatement. He had gone pale, his eyes round and horrified, his mouth open in disbelief.

“Leave! Or by the authority vested in me as Princess Elect, I will put you under arrest!”

Enough.

They’ve said their goodbyes weeks ago.

There would be no point in repeating all that.

#midnight cinderella #nico meier #ythmir writing #ythmir fanfics

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