#the bravest knight I ever did see

[marichive]

𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 : 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

Writing / roleplay prompts collected from the POV chapters of Daenerys Targaryen in A Storm of Swords , the third book of the ASOIAF saga. Feel free to adjust pronouns / etc. as needed.

tw: dark & mature themes, death, violence, suggestive / sexual content

❝ He was a fool about that, and so much else. ❞

❝ Another year, or perhaps two, and he may be large enough to ride. ❞

❝ Is he lost again? ❞

❝ We are the ones who are lost. ❞

❝ How big will he grow? Do you know? ❞

❝ There are tales of dragons who grew so huge that they could pluck giant krakens from the seas. ❞

❝ That would be a wondrous sight to see. ❞

❝ They were bred for war, and in war they died. ❞

❝ It is no easy thing to slay a dragon, but it can be done. ❞

❝ Men are men. Dragons are dragons. ❞

❝ Did you ever meet my father? ❞

❝ Did you find him good and gentle? ❞

❝ He could be very harsh to those he thought his enemies. ❞

❝ A wise man never makes an enemy of a king. ❞

❝ Did you know my brother as well? ❞

❝ It was said that no man ever knew him, truly. ❞

❝ Go on. You may speak freely to me. ❞

❝ A change in the wind may bring the gift of victory. Or a lady’s favor knotted round an arm. ❞

❝ Be gentle, my knight. ❞

❝ I will require sword and armor. It seems I must be a warrior. ❞

❝ You would be wise to take his words well salted. ❞

❝ A queen must listen to all. ❞

❝ One voice may speak you false, but in many there is always truth to be found. ❞

❝ I am still half a world away from home, but every hour brings me closer. ❞

❝ Even upon the sea queens take precedence over captains. ❞

❝ I am sorry to disturb your sleep. ❞

❝ I wonder if I might have a few private words? ❞

❝ A dutiful son pays his father’s debts. Even blood debts. ❞

❝ He might want me dead . . . if he recalls that I’m alive. ❞

❝ It might all have been a ploy to win your trust. ❞

❝ I need clever men about me if I am to win the throne. ❞

❝ Clever men hatch ambitious schemes. ❞

❝ He means well. He does all he does for love. ❞

❝ It seems to me that a queen who trusts no one is as foolish as a queen who trusts everyone. ❞

❝ Your path is dangerous, I will not deny that. ❞

❝ He is not what he pretends to be. ❞

❝ I am his queen, not his woman. ❞

❝ You . . . you should not have . . . ❞

❝ I should not have waited so long. ❞

❝ I should have kissed you every night and every day. You were made to be kissed, often and well. ❞

❝ That was not fitting. I am your queen. ❞

❝ My queen, and the bravest, sweetest, most beautiful woman I have ever seen. ❞

❝ There is no man in all the world who will ever be half so true to you as me. ❞

❝ They might be adequate to my needs. ❞

❝ He has larger breasts than I do. ❞

❝ I call that madness, not courage. ❞

❝ Even the bravest men fear death and maiming. ❞

❝ There are other ways to tempt men besides flesh. ❞

❝ What a soft mewling fool this one is. ❞

❝ Such wonders do not come cheaply. ❞

❝ Even those who bent their knees may yearn in their hearts for the return of the dragons. ❞

❝ I will gladly serve her . . . and service her as well, if she is more woman than she looks. ❞

❝ Leave this place before your heart turns to brick as well. ❞

❝ The magisters and archons fed him wine and promises, but his soul was starved to death. ❞

❝ Better to come a beggar than a slaver. ❞

❝ There speaks one who has been neither. ❞

❝ Do you know what it’s like to be sold? I do. ❞

❝ He made a queen of me, but if he had been a different man, it might have been much otherwise. ❞

❝ Do you think I have forgotten how it felt to be afraid? ❞

❝ Only lies offend me, never honest counsel. ❞

❝ I have a dragon’s temper, that’s all. You must not let it frighten you. ❞

❝ He has a good face, and great strength to him. ❞

❝ Could he be jealous that I have found another man to talk to? ❞

❝ No true knight would ever kiss a queen without her leave. ❞

❝ He wants to kiss me again, I see it in his eyes. ❞

❝ You’re no bedslave. ❞

❝ The blood of my enemies I will shed gladly. The blood of innocents is another matter. ❞

❝ There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs. ❞

❝ I wanted an answer, not a compliment. ❞

❝ He fought valiantly, he fought nobly, he fought honorably. And he died. ❞

❝ I mean to prove a few things of my own. ❞

❝ I can give you freedom, but not safety. ❞

❝ All men must die, but not for a long while, we may pray. ❞

❝ He knows my moods too well. ❞

❝ You ought to be asleep. ❞

❝ You’ll need your strength. ❞

❝ I was alone for a long time. ❞

❝ I was such a small scared thing. ❞

❝ He should have protected me, but instead he hurt me and scared me worse. He shouldn’t have done that. ❞

❝ Why do the gods make kings and queens if not to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves? ❞

❝ Some kings make themselves. ❞

❝ He was no true king. He did no justice. Justice . . . that’s what kings are for. ❞

❝ I dreamed a dream, no more. Go back to sleep. ❞

❝ A dragon is no slave. ❞

❝ The clever ones will see it for a chance to gauge my strength. ❞

❝ I am only a young girl and do not understand the ways of war, yet these odds seem poor to me. ❞

❝ I have heard that sellswords are notoriously unfaithful. ❞

❝ You bray like an ass, and make no more sense. ❞

❝ Woman? Is that meant to insult me? I would return the slap, if I took you for a man. ❞

❝ I would remember a man of such magnificence, I have no doubt. ❞

❝ You are worth fighting for, it is true. ❞

❝ I would gladly let you kiss my sword, if I were free. ❞

❝ And perhaps a kiss besides, eh? Or more than a kiss? For a man as magnificent as me? ❞

❝ I will like the taste of your tongue, I think. ❞

❝ You have a big thirst. ❞

❝ If blood is what you wish, let it flow. ❞

❝ You shall rue this arrogance. ❞

❝ Why? Because you are so beautiful. ❞

❝ I count no day as lived unless I have loves a woman, slain a foeman, and eaten a fine meal. ❞

❝ My sword is yours. My life is yours. My love is yours. My blood, my body, my songs, you own them all. I live and die at your command. ❞

❝ Then live, and fight for me. ❞

❝ Is that what you’re telling me? You are the only man I should ever trust? ❞

❝ Do you think I’m still some virgin girl, that I cannot hear the words behind the words? ❞

❝ You have been a better friend to me than any I have known. ❞

❝ I honor and respect and cherish you. ❞

❝ I do not desire you, and I am weary of your trying to push every other man in the world away from me. ❞

❝ It will not make me love you any better. ❞

❝ I cannot sleep when men are dying for me. ❞

❝ Your place is here by me. ❞

❝ A man who fears battle wins no victories. ❞

❝ I will see them. I will see every one, and count them, and look upon their  faces. And I will remember. ❞

❝ It’s his city I want, not his meager manhood. ❞

❝ I will not march my people off to die. ❞

❝ Can I send men to die in the dark on such a slender hope? ❞

❝ Take me back to my tent. Please. ❞

❝ I have told you no lies. Yet there are truths I have withheld, and for that and all my other sins I can only beg your forgiveness. ❞

❝ What truths have you withheld? ❞

❝ The crow calls the raven black, and you speak of betrayal. ❞

❝ If he sent you to kill me, why did you save my life? ❞

❝ I am yours, if you will have me. ❞

❝ There has been an informer by your side selling your secrets. ❞

❝ Do all gods feel so lonely? ❞

❝ She is brave as well. She had to be, to survive the life she’s lived. ❞

❝ I am going to take you home one day. I swear it. ❞

❝ I am content to stay with you. ❞

❝ Is this the face of a conqueror? ❞

❝ Harsh justice is still justice. ❞

❝ The widows will curse me all the same. ❞

❝ To prove his faith, he offers to seal your alliance with a marriage. ❞

❝ He means to put them all aside if you consent to wed him. ❞

❝ Whatever I do, all I make is death and horror. ❞

❝ I must be strong. I must have fire in my eyes when I face them, not tears. ❞

❝ Some truths are hard to hear. ❞

❝ Why ask for truth if you close your ears to it? ❞

❝ He once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. ❞

❝ So I am a coin in the hands of some god, is that what you are saying? ❞

❝ You warned me against everyone except yourself. ❞

❝ I am no man’s creature. ❞

❝ I must not weep. I must not. If I weep I will forgive him. ❞

❝ You are trembling. ❞

❝ I wish I could have known him. ❞

❝ If I want him, I need only say so. ❞

❝ Never lie to me. Never betray me. ❞

[sentinelprompts]

━━ ⟢ SENTENCE STARTERS : EXCALIBUR ( 1981 ). all of these were pulled from the final draft of the script as it is available online. perfect but not limited to fantasy / historical muses and verses ! feel free to edit as needed.

❛ i spit on your truce, [name]. ❜

❛ [name], what is this wagging of tongues? ❜

❛ you will be mine. wife and queen, bed and crown. ❜

❛ i want no other crown and no other bed than those i have. ❜

❛ sometimes i give, sometimes i take. it is mine to know which, and when. ❜

❛ i know the storm inside you, and what it has wrought. ❜

❛ you will swear by your true kingship to grant me what i wish. ❜

❛ this is magic - making solid what is in the mind, and unsolid, that which is already solid. ❜

❛ it is done. the future has found root in the present. ❜

❛ but what shall become of me, and the child i bear? ❜

❛ three horses died under me, so hard did i spur them here. ❜

❛ the child is mine, [name]. i have come for [him/her/them]. ❜

❛ it’s not for you, [name], heath and home, wife and child. ❜

❛ to kill and be king, is that all? ❜

❛ you strike me with words as hard as steel. ❜

❛ [name]... i loved you, mighty child. ❜

❛ it is a dark hour… everywhere lawlessness and destruction, and no one to lead us out of it. ❜

❛ you wrong me, for i have never stolen from others, or destroyed the fruit of the land. ❜

❛ a good squire doesn’t forget his knight’s sword. ❜

❛ i was your son before i became your king…if i am king. ❜

❛ [name], we haven’t forgotten you. this is more of your trickery. ❜

❛ ‘help me, help me’. help me get up. ❜

❛ i was hoping i could ask you for a little magic help, but if it makes you so tired… ❜

❛ it will be a good lesson. the best, if it’s not the last. ❜

❛ let’s finish this with a show of force. we have no more tricks and no more advantages. ❜

❛ you are in my hands, to slay or to spare. ❜

❛ swear faith to me and you shall have mercy. ❜

❛ you, [name], will knight me. ❜

❛ well, then, i shall tell you which knights have maiden daughters, so you can avoid their castles. ❜

❛ quiet, or i’ll sew up your mouth too. ❜

❛ i love her. if she would be my queen, my dreams would be answered. ❜   

❛ there are maidens as fair, and fairer than [name]. ❜

❛ you’re not listening. your heart is not. love is deaf as well as blind. ❜

❛ i should have left you to fend for yourself. ❜

❛ that is a wild boast. you lack a knight’s humility. ❜

❛ never have i met my match in joust or duel. ❜

❛ yield. i have the advantage. ❜

❛ fight me from your horse or on foot, but fight me. your avoidance mocks me. ❜

❛ i sought only not to harm you. ❜

❛ thanks to god, you are alive. ❜

❛ i love you, my king. ❜  

❛ it is i who must love you, for through your courage and patience you taught me a bitter lesson. ❜

❛ make me your champion, and i will always fight in your place. ❜

❛ i would pledge to you all that i still own : muscle, bone, blood and the heart that pumps it. ❜

❛ the war is over. one land, one king. peace. ❜

❛ i swear never to rest twice on the same pillow till all men live at peace. ❜

❛ i hear the stifled cry for help, i smell the reek of fear… ❜

❛ for your gift, ask a gift of me. ❜

❛ don’t start a war on my wedding day! ❜

❛ look, [name]. the maids and ladies whisper about you. they all dream of winning you, young and old, fair and ugly. ❜

❛ you're the bravest and strongest knight they’ve ever seen, and beauty has kissed your brow. ❜  

❛ and is there no maiden in the whole world who inspires you? ❜

❛ i would swear my love to you. ❜   

❛ i will see you in all women, and i will defend them as i would defend you. ❜ 

❛ [name], don’t you join the celebration? ❜

❛ you’re an angel! not a devil… ❜

❛ who will give me my sword? ❜

❛ i want to write poems about you with moonbeams, make the sea sing your name… ❜

❛ what good are songs and poems to me? they are the barter of ordinary love. ❜

❛ tell me, [name] : have we defeated evil, as it seems? ❜

❛ where hides evil, then, in my kingdom? ❜

❛ i will champion you, my lady. ❜

❛ when i act as your king, i cannot be your husband. ❜

❛ the laws, my laws, must bind everyone, or they are not laws at all. ❜

❛ [name], i fight against myself… ❜

❛ i demand justice, as is my right. ❜

❛ i yield to your mercy, [name]. ❜

❛ flesh on flesh. i will heal you. ❜

❛ they miss the battlefield. i think we do too. ❜

❛ you will be sorely missed. heal yourself and come back. ❜

❛ you think yourself a kingmaker. ha! a meddler, more likely. ❜

❛ the gods of once are gone forever, it is time for men. ❜

❛ [name], make a man out of me. kiss me. ❜

❛ do you think i am ignorant of your stupid little games? preying on the weakness of others. that’s your power, a petty evil. ❜

❛ i will ride forth in the name of that quest, and commit my strength and my soul to it. ❜

❛ [name], a dreadful fear is upon me, that we may never meet again, that the fellowship will be no more… ❜

❛ [name], i know your heart yearns to go, but i am prisoner to my duties, and you must be to yours, at my side. ❜

❛ [name], forgive me. i die without the secret. i have failed. ❜

❛ where are you going, [name], in your iron tomb? still trying to save the world? ❜

❛ i have come to claim what is mine. ❜

❛ i recognize you only as my son, no more. ❜

❛ i cannot offer you the land, only my love. ❜

❛ we will embrace only in battle, and i will touch you only with the blade of my spear. ❜ 

❛ i will muster a great force of knights, and i will return to fight for what is mine. ❜

❛ i have waited long for you. ❜

❛ i am wasting away and i cannot die. and i cannot live. ❜

❛ i didn’t know how empty was my soul until it was filled. ❜

❛ [name], accept my forgiveness, and put your heart to rest. we have suffered too long. ❜

❛ i have always loved you, and i still love you. ❜

❛ i loved you much, as king, and sometimes as husband, but one cannot gaze too long at the sun in the sky. ❜

❛ i was not born to live a man’s life, but to be the stuff of future memory. ❜

❛ now once more i must ride with my knights to defend what was, and the dream of what could be. ❜

❛ i never dared to hope all these years that it was in your keeping. ❜

❛ i have often thought that in the hereafter of our lives, when i owe no more to the future and can be just a man, that we may meet, and you will come to me and claim me as yours, and know that i am your husband. it is a dream i have… ❜

❛ [name], i need you at my side as you were once, my friend, to give me courage. ❜

❛ quiet. you’ll wake the men, and they must fight tomorrow for their lives. ❜

❛ you brought me back. your love brought me back. ❜

❛ what’s behind that beauty? a wizened, cold-hearted snake. ❜

❛ you are mine at last. i am the sea and you will never escape me. ❜

❛ in this battle there is one thing i must do, that no one else can. ❜

❛ [name], i will save you…don’t die. ❜

❛ let my heart do its job, [name], and pump me empty… ❜

❛ the fog is lifting. only we remain alive. ❜

❛ [name], prepare to meet your death. ❜

❛ obey me, [name]. you must act for me. it is my last order as your king. ❜

❛ [name]! will you return? ❜

[someguyinc]

hello i saw you in the notes talking about arthur and morgana's relationship and i would love to hear you talk more please. i am unhinged about them.

(no pressure tho if you don't feel like it)

this is literally the best thing someone could say to me after a 16 hr flight 😭 bless u anon

also me too. so i'm just gonna ramble ab my headcannons and then also their canon relationship below the cut bc it is so interesting to me and i really have a lot to say and i really mean. A LOT.

so let's start off with season 1/pre-canon and the source of all their problems: uther pendragon. uther pendragon is fucking insane and possibly one of the worst parents ever,,, like def top 10 worst fathers i think

pre-season 1 time line as I see it:

- he marries ygraine from the house of du bois after becoming king,, probably like 3-7 years after,, he claimed he loved her (heavily debatable!!) and she seemed to as well so they assumedly married for love

- now uther has a best friend at the time: Gorlois (now if this is his name-name or surname i'm not sure so i'm just going to go say surname since they're nobility) This man is known by Uther had the bravest man he's ever met,, and his wife the Lady Vivienne probably lost him in battle bc later in season 3,, Uther says a much and says Lady Vivienne was: "lonely so he consoled her"...

- now, this is where my headcannon comes in,, I'm pretty damn sure morgana is older than arthur,, meaning that I'm pretty sure that Uther cheated on ygraine out of that shared grief and around this time ygraine probably was showing growing signs of being barren/unable to become pregnant which probably worried the court ngl

- so morgana conception happens,, vivienne goes away,, gorlois thinks she's his,, during this time uther finally gives in and sacrifices ygraine's life for arthur's and ultimately blames it on arthur/all of magic (remember the talk w uther and nimueh when he says: i wish he'd [arthur] never been born bc it meant losing ygraine essentially like,,,. ok. wow.)

- now season 1: there is so much evidence uther is an abusive shit:

- he throws both of his children in jail whenever they toe the line in a way he doesn't find amusing (ie: s1e4 and s1e12)

- arthur straight up says (he's about 20/21 atp): i never knew you were proud of me,, in fact i always thought i was a disapointment (meaning: uther never went out of his way to show him otherwise for a solid 20-21 years.)

and uther doesn't actually say he's proud of him he just goes: i wouldn't wish for another son (after drugging him so he wouldn't duel being a hypocritical king)

so all of this: leads back to morgana and arthur's relationship

morgana and arthur in season 1 have a somewhat tentative relationship,, we can see that most of the kingdom thinks the two of them are going to marry one another (including themselves at times) ie: gwen saying morgana would make a great queen one day,, but they also bicker all the damn time

snipes here and there,, but ultimately it usually comes down to their differences in how they reacted to their upbringing from uther:

arthur became the dutiful/exceptional son: he became a knight at 20 (usually took knights till mid twenties-early thirties), later we learn he led druid raids pre-canon (this traumatized him also again fuck uther) this would also be exceptional seeing as he probably wasn't a fully fledged knight even then, and is known throughout Camelot (and most of Albion tbh) as a master swordsman,, and while he did have his own thoughts on magic he often bit his tounge in front of his father in order to prove himself,, we also know that unlike morgana: he learned exactly how to navigate around uther so he could do what he wanted against uther's will while not embarrassing in front of the court (ie: when he went to go save gwen after saying to his father and the court that it was probably a lost cause)

morgana was the people's princess,, but she def got the "i am my father's daughter" syndrome BADDDDD: we see in s1 she's often stood up to Uther in front of the court numerous times, so much so that when she gets thrown into prison (s1e12) it's not the first time,, arthur tells her: "i promised him that this would be the last time you acted out against him like this" (paraphrasing) and morgana replies "you're a good man, unlike your father" (line that makes me insane)

they are parallel from the start within these two episodes specifically!!! many may argue morgana was good and kind from the beginning,, but she often did things FOR HER OWN MOTIVES!!! when she helped gwen's father to escape without consulting gwen,, it confirmed it for me. she may have convinced herself it was for gwen,, but she never even asked,, she did it to piss of uther not thinking it all the way through,, opening his cell and leaving him to fend for himself against a bataillon of knights. now i'm not saying morgana has never done anything out of pure kindness,,

but whereas arthur is constantly set up as a righteous and noble man in his heart but his actions can appear to be... for lack of a better word, extremely dickish

morgana's actions appear to be kind and generous, but can often endanger those around her in her conquest for the things she wants, sometimes ending in death. (AGAIN NOT ALWAYS!!!)

NOW this leads me to the fact that once again they were the only two who grew up under Uther really and are the only ones who know what that's like,, they probably already felt more like brother and sister by the time s1 hit just bc of that but endured it bc they weren't blood and swallows the fact they were probably gonna be married but you can see it in the scenes alone,,

morgana does push arthur to be better and to challenge the things uther taught them bc that is what she instinctively does!! morgana questions uther and in return teacher arthur to question uther (ie: pushing arthur to save merlin in s1e4, helps him to strike down valiant s1e2, makes him argue back when gwen was wrongfully imprisoned s1e3) and we see that morgana does care for arthur!! she threatens sophia when she noticed something is off and often rushes to the defense of her friends,, her tactics can be destructive though just in a parallel way to arthur's

arthur's destructiveness comes from his inability to choose a side, or based his assumptions on prejudices something that becomes even more apparent when morgana turns away from Camelot and it's people

morgana was probably rooting for arthur as a king for a certain point,, but even though the grew up together and she should know arthur's MO is usually 'just say yes in front of dad and do whatever the fuck is just later' morgana doesn't trust him. and as her powers grow this also becomes more apparent and her support wanes until she believes someone else should be on the throne,,,

and when she learns that uther is her father??? that's when she flies off the deep end.

now for me morgana being older than arthur is one of the only reasons why she would have a valid claim to the throne!! we see that mithian as the only girl succeeded her father as QUEEN not just princess meaning the laws of succession COULD include women it just depended on the region,,

now imagine being morgana:

you grow up at home with your father, he is kind, brave, and gentle, and a fearsome warrior, he is the kings best friend. he dies and you move in probably around the age of 8 and you see this 6 year old boy. you later learn the kingdom expects the two of you to marry. you're still grieving but you know what this means. you take the etiquette lessons, you learn to wield the sword, you become proficient in horseback riding, you gain the education fitting of a queen. you are 15, the prince is 13, he is already one of the most promising squires. it's alright though you're learning to love him, not as a romance though (not anymore at least, he tried to flick his booger at you once at the age of 8, the flame was staunchly out out.) you two appreciate one another, you get older, it is improper for the two of you to be alone together, you witness your first execution. he's being killed for the crime of sorcery (he saved a little girl from a burning building), you don't understand. you meet your maidservant, she is one of the most lovely people to grace the earth. you love her, as a friend. you grow older, you're still expected to marry the prince (he is 18), he has killed many. he has watched even more die. he is different, you are different. you watch another man die for the crime of sorcery, you don't understand. two years pass, you're tormented by dreams you cannot comprehend but always seem to come true, a serving boy arrives, he changes the prince again. you watch another man die. you don't understand, but you hold your tounge now until later. the king's temper is short. years past and the sleeping draughts aren't working, your dreams are getting worse. your maidservant is in love with the prince. you're jealous, you don't understand. you think you have magic, you see the prince become his father. you don't understand, you just want someone to tell you it'll be alright. after years of anger and bitterness you finally understand, you hate the king and all he's done, the world would be better if he were gone, arthur would be better if he were gone. arthur loves him anyways and it kills you. you meet a woman who claims to be your sister, both of blood and in magic. you take her hand, she promises to teach you all there is to be taught. your anger for the king festers. the prince you once loved turns out to be your brother. the king you hate turns out to be your father. you beg him to recognize you, and give you the family name you were stripped of. he doesn't. you kill him. you kill s lot of people. you don't care if they're innocent or not anymore. you connive, and you plot, and you scheme. you try to kill the prince, who is now king. your sister dies. you miss your best friend, the handmaiden who is now queen. she says she hates you. you hate arthur. you die trying to make him as miserable as you.

now arthur:

one day your father brings a girl home, everyone is telling you that they you expect to marry. father doesnt say anything. you think she's pretty, you accidentally flick your booger at her and she looks at you like you've wiped horseshit on her dress. you watch a man die for the crime of magic. you don't understand, you will soon. your father looks at you like there is someone he can't stand to see. he cherishes this girl he's brought home. you work harder than any squire seen before. you get promoted early, everyone says it is just because of the king, you beat them in everything so they can't secondaries you ever again. you watch more sorcerers die, your father says it is because they killed your mother, you secretly feel like a bad person because you don't understand why all sorcerers deserve to die for the crime of one death. even if it is your mother. you twist her ring. your father's ward is beautiful, you try to impress her, she's too busy hanging out with her maidservant. you get older and complete your first druid camp raid, you don't understand, so many of them are women and children, so many of them die anyways. you change. you grow older, you become the youngest knight in camelot, you think it will turn your father's ward's attention to you, she's infatuated with owain, the oaf. you get older, and you meet the most insufferable boy with the most outrageous ears and the most obvious lies. he changes you. morgana becomes more distant. you learn that your mother's life was given for yours, you try to kill your father. the manservant you trust most in the world says that sorcerers lie, you finally understand. you hate sorcery and despise any practitioners of magic from now on. you grow older, you begin to fall in love with your sister's manservant, you understand her infatuation. you grow as a prince, and person, you gain alliances in unlikely places, you don't think you'll marry morgana anymore. you learn your father's ward is your sister, you watch as she usurps the throne. you don't understand. you fight back. you become king. you marry the love of your life. she betrays you with a close friend. you become lost. you forgive her, you trust again. you are fighting your sister. always. you don't even recognize her anymore, you wonder if you ever did. you later learn that magic was never evil, on your deathbed, and that your soulmate had it the whole time. you wonder about your sister. she tries to kill you again. she dies in your best friend's arms and all you can think is how she finally looks peaceful for the first time in forever. you die the same way not too long after.

anyways: morgana and arthur parallel each other so hard it's crazy,,, and the pendragons are a family of self-fulfilling prophecies

like that is your sister/brother and you love them and you hate them and nobody else couldn't possibly get it and they hate you but you will always love them and you are home but you can never go home and -!

[thephantomcasebook]

Team Green Highlights for 1x09 “The Green Council”

As usual - well, newly usual - here are my “Spaghetti Night” notes and observations for the current episode.

Note: As I’m writing this the site I usually use does not have the screencaps for the opening - which you’ll see is very important below - and the backup site I use has not updated with screencaps yet.

So if I post this and there’s no screencaps of the opening credit sequence than that’s why.

Alright, let’s get on with the music.

1.) A Sapphire for Aemond.

We see - for the first time - Alicent’s dial in the opening credits. Viserys blood lines meets with hers and we get three blood lines (No not four, LET ME FINISH!)

We see a spider sigil for Helaena’s dial, A bound naked woman for Aegon, and a sapphire for Aemond which - if you read the book then you know - he wears instead of a fake eye. 

A little hint of what’s to come next episode.

2.) Enter the Hero - Daeron Targaryen.

Right off the bat we’re introduced to a new character via the Opening Credit’s sequence - probably the first time any show has ever introduced a character in such a way.

We see a dial placed all the way to the left of Alicent’s sigil.

This is Daeron Targaryen, youngest son and child of Viserys and Alicent who has not appeared or been mentioned in the show.

Apparently there was behind the scenes infighting which Miguel Spotchnik did not want Daeron to be a part of the show - but Martin insisted on it. And once Spotchnik was fired, George announced Daeron’s inclusion in Season 2 - which is still two years off.

A quick overview of Daeron. He is Alicent’s favorite child and person in the world. Though, with that being said, the book does not go into detail why, but he was sent away at a young age to be raised by Otto as a ward in Old Town and is nearly a man grown when he returns to King’s Landing.  

The reason I suspect that Spotchnik didn’t want Daeron in the show is because he is very much cut from the Jon Snow and Robb Stark cloth of being a clear cut classic fantasy hero archetype. He is the bravest of all the Targaryens - Green and Black - and is extremely honorable and just. He is a contrast to most of his family, but all of the Greens are very protective of him - Criston and Aemond basically puts him on Alicent guard duty for most of the war to keep him out of danger. Daeron is also fiercely loyal to his siblings - and to Alicent - to the very end. There are two times that the Greens (and the realm) offer him and insist that he take the Iron Throne. But both time he  refuses out of loyalty to Aegon.  

He also has a very different relationship with his dragon Tessarion, because, he hatched and raised him away from the Dragon Pit and Valyrain dragon tamers, with only ancient books in the High Tower and Citadel to guide him. So Tessarion and Daeron’s bond will be quite different than the other Targaryens with their dragons. His relationship is much more akin to Daenerys and Drogon than the usual Valyrian way of doing things we’ve seen in the show.

At the end of the war, he is the last man standing on the Greens, and becomes an incredibly important and almost main figure in the finale of “The Dance of Dragons” conflict. He is also considered one of the greatest battle commanders in Westerosi history - King Daeron II “The Young Dragon” is named after him and “Daeron the Daring” and his legacy is still held in reverence nearly two-hundred years later by knights and soldiers across the Seven Kingdoms.

In the books he is Jon Snow’s childhood hero. 

My guy loves his mommy, his books, and kicking ass.

And Rhaenyra is gonna learn that the hard way when she takes his mommy away.

3.) A+C=D confirmed?!

Alright!

This is kinda big and I’ve been hyping this up.

So, when we see Daeron’s dial it is strangely placed in juxtaposition to Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond. Daeron’s dial is on the extreme left of Alicent’s dial, above and away from her other children.

(As you can clearly see there is more than enough room for four dials at the bottom of the ravine.)

Also, a big reveal is that the blood line that comes to activate Daeron’s dial trails off from Alicent’s dial, not Viserys blood. You can see where the blood splits off and that the angle is clearly coming from Alicent’s dial. 

I take this to mean that the graphic is showing clear ambiguity of not being entirely sure that Viserys’s blood is activating the dial or if it is purely Alicent.

More over the placement of Daeron’s dial on the far left, away from his siblings looks like a family tree in which a said member has a t-shape branching for children with multiple partners.

(Exhibit A)

If you look at the way this official promotional family tree is placed notice how Rhaenyra is placed versus, Alicent and her children. How it is a direct line from Viserys to Rhaenyra.

This is exactly how Daeron’s dial is almost directly under Alicent’s with a weaker trail of blood that is coming directly from Alicent.

Now, I know the argument people will make.

“Fuck you, Matt! You Alicole son of a bitch! This is just the show showing that Daeron is away from home right now!”

I hear you unreasonably angry Tumblr user. But, the problem with your theory is that never - not once - has the show used someones’ geographic location to move their marker. Viserys, Daemon, and Rhaenyra’s markers have stayed absolutely consistent from the Pilot and onward no matter where they went.

So, logic dictates. Daeron put on the left of Alicent and away from his clear Targaryen siblings is the show trying to introduce the concept that there are clear questions of if Daeron is actually Viserys son. And it could be that he is far on the left, because there is a missing dial of his true father to mix with Alicent’s blood who remains a secret.

in the immortal words of Aemond Targaryen ...

“Mm”

4.) The Waifu Protection Squad: Fuck Around and Find Out Division

So we see an immediate call back to 1x08 with parallels to Daemon and Criston protecting the honor of Rhaenyra and Alicent.

Like Daemon with Vaemond, Criston does not immediately react in violence to Lord Beesbury’s rant.

But when both Vaemond and Beesbury start crossing the line, that’s when Criston and Daemon both make up their mind about what is going to happen next.

And just like when Vaemond calls Rhaenyra a whore and Daemon cuts his head in half. When Beesbury accuses Alicent of murdering Viserys - impeding her honor and integrity - Criston responds in anger, smashing his head into his attendance sphere.

Both Rhaenyra and Alicent are momentarily shocked by these violent displays, but quickly brush it off as the price for insulting them.

Also both Daemon and Criston are confronted by the Kingsguard for both murders - but are summarily exonerated under the royal clause of “Fuck Around with the women we I love’s Queen and Princess’s reputation and find out” code of chivalry.

Just like they drew the law up.

5.) The Beast Under the Boards

Alright, we cut to Aegon and Helaena’s apartments where Helaena philosophizes to the nanny that she thinks that people basically want what they can’t have and often take it from others that have it.

I think we’re led to believe that she’s talking about the twins ... but, uh, well, we’ll get there.

So Alicent sits by Helaena to break it to her gently that Viserys is dead - of which I’m pretty sure Helaena knows already, and probably has known for years. And Helaena interrupts Alicent snarling “There’s a beast beneath the boards!”

Now, while, I think that we’re supposed to infer that she means the Dragon at the end of the episode ...

Uh, rap for me a moment.

What if she’s talking about Aemond?

Remember, what she tells Nanny about wanting what others have.

We know that Aemond wanted Helaena from early in childhood.

And even as an adult he’s visibly pined and longed for her.

He also tells Criston later that he should be King.

It seems to me that Helaena is channeling Aemond and his inner turmoil, perhaps sharing in his anxiety through some psychic connection between them. 

This would not be the first time in the show that Helaena and Aemond were connected.

Remember the first time we met her, as a tween in 1x06 the very first scene - before Alicent even had a chance to ask what happend to Aemond - Helaena looks up worriedly and say in distress “He’s done it again!” as if knowing already what’s happened to him.

Also, deeper cut, is that the dragon that Aemond approaches in the Dragon Pit in 1x06 is Dreamfyre ... Helaena’s Dragon.

And of course we know the famous line.

“He’ll have to close an eye.”

It seems that all of Helaena’s prophecies are always connected to Aemond in some way. 

This brings it all around that I pretty sure that “The Beast Beneath the Boards” is Aemond and his ambition and desire for what Aegon has been given but never earned.

And I believe, this look when Aemond comes in ...

Is Helaena realizing for the first time that all the emotions and anger she’s been feeling has been Aemond. I also believe in this realization is the sudden dawning that Aemond had been in love with her for years and maybe ...

She feels the same way.

Also a point of emphasis this is shot very similarly to when Alicent was questioning Criston about Rhaenyra and Daemon.  

Another scene of a surprise confession of a secret love affair.

More on this later.

6.) Intermission!

Time to get out your lighter and sway to the montage of screencaps and edits of the journey so far to the quintessential Alicent/Criston song.

(These images aren’t bullshit by the way. If you go back to the pilot there are two distinct times that they close in on Criston and Alicent notice each other from afar. Yeah .. I know, listen, I know. I was impressed that they set it up that early too.)

Okay, we good? 

Cool ...

Back to the Marathon

7.) Aemond is in The Know.

Now, for the scene of scenes in which we get almost concrete evidence - nigh proof - that Alicent and Criston are in love. 

(They’re basically touching foreheads for crying out loud!) 

Side Note: I usually don’t like watching reactions on Youtube to this show, cause it’s basically a bunch of filthy casuals who stan Team Black under the ridiculous assumption that “Rhaenyra is progressive gurl-boss that slays!” ... like that shit is a thing in Westeros. 

But I do love seeing people’s reaction to this scene - the gasp or emotional reaction to “Everything you feel for me ... as your queen!” for everyone who hadn’t realized how they feel about each other, yet. 

Anyway, back to the long post. 

Beyond my love for this scene ... on interesting detail is the fact that it seems they’re unafraid to have this deeply emotional and revealing moment in front of Aemond. It seems that he is fully aware of how his mother and Criston feel for each other, probably for a long time, and is cool with it.

If you think about it, Criston is probably more of a father to Alicent’s kids than Viserys ever was - so I’m sure that most of Alicent’s kids know and are good with this courtly love. They were raised by it. 

However, more interesting, is despite knowing that Aemond knows, Alicent and Criston still maintain a facade and level of decorum to have a private and emotional conversation. That they still refuse to fully let the side down. 

We see Alicent give Criston a verbal hint. 

Then, Criston turns to Aemond with a look of permission. 

And finally, Aemond makes his trademark “Mm ...” and turns his head away. 

Only then do we see that Alicent lets her guard down fully and goes to Criston to have the emotional and revealing conversation. 

It’s fascination that even in private - with a trusted party - that they hold back from saying or admitting their feelings for another. I always postulate that they know that if they slip, even once, that they know they could never reel it back in ever again. 

They’re so tortured and in love ...

and I’m here for it. 

8.) What Others’ are Given Freely that You Must Toil For.

We get a great scene between Aemond and Criston on the street, where Aemond verbalizes frustration in wanting to be King - that Aegon is unworthy of ruling (or being married to the woman he loves). And we get a father-son talk from Criston that he knows what it is to toil for what others are given freely. 

Now, I’ve seen online discourse about how this is about Rhaenyra or his lower classes origins. 

But I think that he is talking about VIserys taking Alicent for granted. In the show we’ve seen Alicent be incredibly caring, loving, and generous to Viserys and he has either laughed about it or spurned it. And we’ve seen Criston Cole be in attendance to some grievous ones. 

in 1x04 when Alicent is trying to help VIserys patch things up with Daemon and Viserys makes fun of and humiliates her in front of the entire court. 

in 1x06 when Alicent is upset and distraught about how Aemond is being bullied and Viserys doesn’t seem to care. 

also in 1x06 when Alicent does a lot of work to make an ailing Viserys comfortable in his chambers, only for him to make her and her efforts the butt of jokes to Lord Strong, then thoughtlessly toss her comforts aside, and finally expect her to do it all again. 

in 1x07 Criston was standing right there when Viserys humiliated Alicent in front of everyone by caller her Aemma. 

(Look at the rage in this manz eyes because of the hurt in Alicent’s.) 

Also in 1x07 we see that when Alicent was distraught and afraid when Aemond’s eye was taken, Viserys only seemed to care about the names that Rhaenyra’s children were called - not that his his son lost an eye. 

I think this one haunted Criston, cause Alicent called upon him to help her, to support her, when she needed someone, anyone, to be on her side in that moment. But he was helpless to protect her and make it better. 

I think, for 16 years, Criston has resented bitterly how taken for granted and abandoned Alicent and her children have been, especially when he would probably give up anything to be her husband and their father. 

9.) The Beast Under the Boards II

Now, we come back to where we left off in 5.). 

It’s interesting to see that since Helaena has given that sudden look of recognition to Aemond that she had become suddenly very lucid and cognizant.  . More so, she also is shown to be incredibly incredulous and stern. 

Almost as if since she realized that it’s been Aemond she’s been feeling and in tune with - since perhaps she learned he’s in love with her - she has begun to feel what Aemond has for years and years. Angry at what was taken from her ...

A husband that would’ve loved her.

In this sequence we several interesting things. 

We see Helaena glaring hatefully at Aegon as he’s being anointed . 

She can’t bare to look at him being crowned. Also, we see her look away, turning instead to Aemond for comfort while in Anxiety - something she also did in 1x08

Once more feeding into my theory that Helaena and Aemond are psychically connected some how.

There is also a strange detail that while the crowd his starting applaud King Aegon and cheer, we see in the background that Helaena is leaning in hard to Aemond and seems to be having a conversation with him. We see her talking intensely while Aemond is nodding slightly. 

Now this could be just be the two actors - who have worked together on multiple projects already - not realizing that they were in the shot or that they were filming. But, either way, it made it on camera and now it’s canon. 

We also see a big character step for Helaena when Rhaenys springs out from below the Dragon pit - Like daises! 

While Rhaenys is committing a stunning and brave war crime of girl-boss levels of carnage toward innocent people that I’m sure will not affect the Blacks reputation to the common people at all - *shot of me making the Jerk-off motion with rolled eyes to the sky* - we miss a very small detail. 

We get a close up of Aemond and Helaena watching “ YESSHH,Quweeyn Slaaayyy!” And there is a very subtle piece of characterization. 

As Aemond is putting a protective hand on Helaena’s belly ... we see that Helaena is stroking Aemond’s arm as she watches in hypnotism.

(Go back and watch, it is super clear she’s stroking his arm.)

It’s a pretty big character progression for someone that doesn’t like to be touched and or touch others - to stroking Aemond’s arm. 

I’m telling you, people are sleeping on that earlier scene of Helaena being awoken by Aemond when he strode into her apartment. 

10.) Get Helaena!  

No, big reveal here. I just wanted to highlight the ‘Been Married for 16 years’ chemistry between Alicent and Criston in this scene. 

At first we see Criston standing protectively in from of Alicent as she is clutching his arm, terrified of the (S)hero breaking that glass ceiling of murdering innocent people.

But once she turns her dragon on the family, both Alicent and Criston go into full parent mode and go to protect the kids.  

Cinematic Poetry! 

Alright, that’s all I got. 

Congrats, reader, you’ve survived to the end of the post! 

[adhd-merlin]

okay listen. arlance. arthur x lancelot. the sheer flavour is immaculate. the two bravest and most noble and most dedicated knights... kissing. a prince who pretended to be a commoner/an ordinary knight x a commoner who pretended to be a nobleman. arthur wishes he were as noble and pure of heart as lancelot, and lancelot wishes he were like arthur and of noble blood so he could serve camelot. the once and future king and the most devoted knight, who "wishes only to serve." the man who set out to close the veil and save camelot and the man who actually did it. they want each other as much as they want to be each other. they think the world of each other and the worst of themselves.

their love is courtly and romantic because they're both noble men who adhere to the knights' code. they share looks across the room, exchange pretty words, both too nervous to risk expressing their feelings in certain terms. arthur fears for uther's reaction and failing in his duty to camelot, and lancelot fears for burdening camelot and arthur with his love. they're both so repressed and yet wear their hearts on their sleeves and care so very deeply about those around them. they are kindred spirits and feel a deep rapport due to their similar natures and goals. they can communicate in a way that doesn't require words; just as well, because they so rarely truly express their feelings.

to arthur, lancelot is everything the knights' code stands for. to lancelot, arthur is the perfect man under which to serve. they idolise each other as saintly figures and secretly worship at the altar of the other. they see each other as truly deserving of happiness and will do anything in their power to deliver it to them.

okay to break the waxing of poetic, my favourite canon moments are just every interaction they have in 1x05. lancelot was arthur's bisexual awakening. the homoeroticism of their fights?? the way arthur trails the tip of his stick over lancelot's bare chest while tonguing his cheek when they fight in the streets? bro you're lucky lancelot thinks no one could ever love him COULD YOU BE MORE OBVIOUS??? the admiration arthur clearly has for lancelot after he beats him and becomes a knight, and when he kills the gryffin. arthur would fight his father tooth and nail to keep lancelot around. lancelot so clearly admires arthur and is willing to risk it all for him. i feel like arthur begins by just thirsting over lancelot, but by the time he's knighted, he truly likes him, and lancelot likes him back. not that they'd ever do anything about it. did you SEE arthur's expression when lancelot left? *bart simpson voice* you can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half.

anyway arthur is in love with lancelot and wants to fuck him so bad but is far too guilty to act on any of it, especially the latter part. lancelot loves arthur as his liege and wishes to serve under him, and buries the part of himself that loves him as a person, too. they're a sad repressed duo how could anyone not love them.

tl;dr: arthur and lancelot want to crawl inside each other's skins and become each other and one being.

what a marvellous analysis, I've got nothing to add really

[beevean]

Mactor + Escape :)

call me the spanish inquisition the way I pop up when you least expect it forgive me i have to physically brawl with my brain to get shit done

Happy birthday bestie <3

~

"Hector, come with me."

Mathias extended his hand towards his knight, frozen in surprise by his sudden request. Only the rustling of the dead leaves could be heard in the courtyard, but Mathias waited with all the patience that was necessary.

"Lord Cronqvist... You can't mean..."

"But I do. When the Count finds a way to send me back home... I ask you to join me."

A soft gasp escaped Hector's lips.

Perhaps he had expected him to propose to run away from the castle, like an eloping couple. Mathias had considered it, in the past days. But he was no fool: of the many, displeasurable things he had learned ever since he had been brought into the far future, the worst and most important one was that Count Dracula made fire and brimstone rain from the sky when something took his possessions away from him.

Only seeking refuge in another world would protect both of them from the monster's ire.

Hector, poor eyewitness and victim of said ire, still hesitated to respond, his gaze darting back and forth. Mathias held onto the thought that the knight was not rejecting him in full, ignoring what his racing heart was screaming at him.

"I understand your apprehension. To be flung in a different century, so far in time as to almost be a different world... It's disorienting. Nothing will be the same." He shook his head. "But surely it would be better than this life you're living."

Hector's fingers flew to hide the ugly purple bruise on his neck, hardly concealed by his uniform. His Lord was growing more shameless by the day - and it did not escape Mathias' notice how the vampire's nostrils flared like a hound's every time Hector approached him, and how he'd shoot a deadly glare at the younger Lord that nearly soured the sweet taste of Hector's lips on his.

Mathias had a tendency to keep his loved ones close to him, that was for certain, but it disheartened him to learn how petty he'd become in the future.

He no longer had the words to express the sickness that took his stomach when Hector returned to his quarters, pale as the undead creatures that roamed in the castle and with eyes just as devoid of life. There was only so much his embrace could do to soothe the shivering man.

They were both prisoners in that cursed castle, at the mercy of the Devil. But Mathias did not have the heart to seek freedom for himself, leaving the man that had captivated his soul behind.

A good Lord would do anything to protect his most important knights, and it was high time Hector learned it.

"I... It would be betrayal," the man finally whispered, in that tone typical of children terrified that their parents might overhear.

"Betrayal of what?" Mathias snapped. "Of a mindless slaughter of your own kind? Of a monster who only sees you as a meal to satiate his filthy appetite with? Do you truly want to place your loyalty in the claws of a creature who doesn't even deserve to gaze upon you?"

The Count's icy, cruel voice resounded in his head, cackling and wicked, that Mathias was not the one who saved the boy's life and thus had no right to claim him as his. What could he hope to achieve, after only a handful of months, while the vampire had years of time to shape Hector to his leisure and fill his mind with despicable lies, such as that he loved him?

But he could hope that he had done a good job as showing Hector what love truly was. The way the knight was balling his fists, instead of rebuking more, comforted him.

"Hector, please. You're too precious to waste yourself in a place like this. And you know it." Mathias refused to hold back: he approached Hector and put a hand on his shoulder, on the armor that marked him as one of Count Dracula's Generals. "You're one of the bravest, most noble men I've had the honor of meeting."

"Even if I'm a sinner rejected by your own God?" Hector asked with a wry smile, that Mathias reciprocated in full.

"Especially because you're a sinner, dear."

Count Dracula may have done his best to ensnare Hector's body and soul, but Mathias highly doubted that he had ever seen him with such warmth in his icy eyes, a deep sentiment that surpassed the mere loyalty of a knight. That sight was for Mathias and Mathias alone, and he nearly swelled with pride.

Hector's fingers brushed against Mathias' hand on his side. But still, he did not grasp it.

"Lord Cronqvist," he sighed, "you're asking me to live with humans. I can't do that. I do not belong with them, no matter in what time and place. I'm not a mere sinner: I'm a cursed being."

Mathias suffocated the wave of fury inside his chest. He wished he had crosses and holy water with him, to reduce the vile Count to ashes for what he had done to such a pure man, for the shackles he had put on his mind.

"I'm not. I'm asking you to live with me, my Hector."

The most he was able to do was to offer Hector the key to escape his prison.

The rustling of dead leaves was deafening, now. Hector looked at him, through him, eyes no longer warm but whet with sharp determination. Then, he took Mathias' hand with his ungloved, callused one, and placed his lips on its back, and took the key.

"Very well... my Lord."

[paulinawoodpecker]

Tad the lost explorer and the spear of blood and tears sneak peak:

Zulo knows his secret and identity and hurts his feelings and heart

Tad: zulo!

Zulo: huh?

Zulo: what are you wearing? A costume for a kids party?

Tad: this is not a costume. It’s my king outfit.

Zulo: king? Oh ho! What do you know about being a king?

Tad: I’ve been a king on many adventures!

Zulo: oh really?

Zulo: how about this?

Zulo: since thanks to the cucumber man and his friends who knew their secrets, I think I can find out yours.

Tad: wh-what do you mean?

Zulo: first of all you used to be a construction worker.

Tad: well not anymore!

Zulo: and then due to all the times you’ve been fired, you changed to be an archeologist.

Zulo: and then you got scared and afraid of everything during your missions and journeys and then you changed and became the bravest hero from the legendary Ramirez who taught you.

Tad: but…

Zulo: and you went to so many much more and even the one in Atlantis!

Tad: *gets out his sword of pride* how did you know that?!

Zulo: you’re just as pathetic as everyone else.

Tad: …

Tad: so? What does that mean?

Zulo: I know who you are inside and outside your knight and brave hero self, scaredy cat fat fascist hero…

Tad: well of course i-

Tad: 😨

Tad: *drops his sword*

Tad: 😰 what…did you just call me?

Zulo: I said you’re a scaredy cat fat fascist hero…

Zulo: and since your bravest hero energy is ending, it’s best if I end it now!

Dagenia, Ramirez and Victoria enter while watching

Zulo: and that’s what you’ll always be.

Tad: but…but…

Zulo: *mocks tad* but but but *laughs*

Zulo: oh you still remember when you first saw me. You’re just the same archeologist as I met you…

Tad: who-who taught you that?

Zulo: it was given to a few old enemies of yours called the impossible three…

Tad: what? 🥺 they taught you?

Zulo: I learned it from the best, especially for that cucumber man who I am always jealous of! And maybe I can do the same as you!

Tad: like what?

Zulo: THIS!!

Zulo: *slaps tad hard*

Dagenia, Ramirez and Victoria: *gasps*

Tad: …

Zulo: *laughs*

Zulo: you want to be an archeologist yet you don’t know how to face your fears. And look at that, your bravest hero energy is now officially drained…

Tad: but why? Why are you like this? Why does everyone hate me?

Zulo: because you’re such as ridiculous as you self…

Tad: but wait… what does it have to-

Zulo: I hate you okay?!

Tad: 🥺🥹

Tad: *sheds tears* oh yeah? You really hate me that much?

Tad: well that’s too bad…even for you and me…

Zulo: *collects Tad’s tears*

Tad: huh?

Zulo: and I succeeded to know your secret and your true identity. Wait till I’ll tell everyone, your family, friends, army, the triple team, the royals of Africa even Dagenia…

Zulo: as soon as I tell them, you’ll be kicked out of Africa and go to the same path Dagenia’s father had: chopping his head off!

Tad: but you can’t!

Tad: I’m the bravest hero! I’m supposed to save the world! It’s my job-

Zulo: enough with the bravest hero thing toad!!!you’re not the bravest hero anymore! you’ll never become the bravest hero again EVER!!!

Tad and zulo: …

Tad: 🥺

Tad: *sheds tears*

Tad: fine…

Tad: if that’s what you want…

Tad: although, this will be my last adventure being the bravest hero…

Tad: it was…so nice to meet you again…

Zulo: get out…

Zulo: now!

Tad: *was about to cry* why did you become my enemy anyway?!

Tad: *runs away crying*

Ramirez: tad wait!

Victoria: come back!!

Dagenia: *groans in anger* Zulo, This is all your fault!!!

zulo: another word from you and I’ll show you what my fist can do to your face!!

Dagenia: *clenching teeth* you and I will have a told about this later! *leaves*

Zulo: ugh…you disgust me toad… wait till everyone else sees who you really are both inside and outside…

[just-a-little-dragon]

A Soft thing inspired by @goodboyaudios

Albus never thought the children of the orphanage would ever be interested in him. Then again, they were being raised by Faithful.

"Mr. Demon?" A little boy asked.

"Hm. Yes?" Albus smiled. The boy giggled nervously.

"Why are you here? I always see you sitting somewhere." he fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "I always see you with Momma."

Albus couldn't help the soft smile the appeared. "I'm here to protect you and your Momma." Albus pat the grass next to him. "And my name is Albus."

"Why though?" the little boy asked as more children walked up. Curious for a story.

"Your mom is the bravest woman i know. She saved my life a few times and now I'm here to protect hers."

"Is that why you have horns and a tail?" A little girl sat next to the boy as other sat.

"Uh... yes actually." He couldn't tell the full truth. Faithful would have his head. And he needed that to have fun with her. "But i got it because I was cursed."

"Cursed? how?" another boy asked.

"A bad guy forced me to make a deal with him and when i refused. He turned me into a demon as punishment. I went really crazy for a while as a side effect."

"Oh no!" some kids gasps. "Did momma save you?"

"Yes actually." Albus chuckled. "She used this magic key and entered my mind and knocked some sense into me." That wasn't a lie. If you counted her slap as knocking. "And now I'm a good guy."

"How did you meet momma? She says you guys came from really far away."

Albus smiled, leaning against the tree as the children scooted closer. Faithful didn't look like a local but that didn't stop her from creating a place for herself.

"Before she was your momma, she was part of an order that helps knights and people like me." Albus explained, a boy soon leaning against his legs. "When we met. She wasn't too happy to see me, but she bandaged me up and asked for my help."

"Momma asks for help?"

"Yup." In more ways but one. But again. He like his head being on his shoulders. "You see, her brother had taken Korsano to be... given to the gods."

"WHAT?!" the children screamed. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he was an especially bad guy. But before we could go to him. We had to get a ship. And we met my brother. Devlin York." Albus didn't quite know why he was explaining the story. All he knew was some cussing slipped and the kids were eating it up until Faithful called for dinner and the kids groaned.

But they obeyed and Albus followed. Seeing Faithful raise a brow at him.

"Thought you couldn't stand them."

"Well one asked why I was here and more joined and asked how we met-"

"ALbus!" Faithful laughed.

"I didn't say anthing too bad."

"He said fuck!" A boy giggled before running back inside and Albus felt himself glare at the child.

"Oh well. You can make it up to me tonight." Faithful chuckled as she walked inside with Albus smiling. He never did mind her smile.

[pokemonknight]

Were you close with your Zelda?

Yes. She was... one of only two people to genuinely understand me.

Unlike three of the other Champions, she and Mipha were the only two I ever told I did not feel like I was a good fit for the role of Zelda's Knight. Her escort and her guardian. At first, she... didn't like me overly much. I was only established in that role due to my... skill as a swords"man", and it took me close to a month and a half after being assigned to stop her from nearly screaming at me for just... existing near her.

But it wasn't her fault. The circumstances hurt her. And it's not my place to say what those were. There's apparently another Zelda or two in this world somehow, and I would despise myself if I brought her pain in revealing it. I only hope she knows I never blamed her. Never.

<Go on...>

Once we started getting to know each other, I stopped really seeing "the Princess". I began seeing "Zelda". A girl so emphatically enthralled with the world she was in. The history of the kingdom, the flora in the woods, the fauna of the fields. I remember one instance rather vividly of her handing me a frog and telling me to eat it with the broadest grin on her face because it had stamina rejuvenating properties. That was Zelda. That was who I wanted to protect. That was the person I thought I could trust to help me right back. She was the hero of Hyrule to me. One of the strongest, bravest, most selfless people in the world.

... and I almost lost her once. And the second time, I...

... I hope she's happy, at least.

...... I don't normally say this much. Even in print...

<... Yeah. You haven't said an actual word this whole time. Only typed. But... I got a good vibe from ya, Lianka. It's alright. You might wanna get some rest, Twilight's already beat you to the bed.>

Right.

<There's a smile.>

[ria-writes-stories]

Title: When I see your smile

Ship: Thuzi

Genre: Romance, wholesome(fluff), a *th*ad of glass(angst)(the h is silent bc french )

(No one's pov)

Life on copper 9 was ruthless. You had to hide or die, you couldn't have freedom without death, and you couldn't have a life without being locked behind walls. Wasn't it so infuriating? Living behind doors. Living behind these empty hollow walls?

That's why she wanted to become the most dangerous drone there was.

That's why he wanted to become the strongest drone there was.

Avenge those fallen and take revenge on those responsible for what has happened in the past that determined this present, and that is doomed to represent their future.

To protect those unable to protect themselves, to protect the future of the colony and all the innocent lives in it, like a guardian, like a knight, like a true hero.

Then it came to her, a perfect idea. A railgun. She could do it with such ease. With her intelligence and skills, before you knew it in just under a month she has made the most dangerous weapon known to this world they live on.

Then it came to him, the perfect idea. To train so hard, and to be the bravest that there was. With his patients and determination, before you knew it he was the most popular jock in school, and the most appreciated person in all of the colony, everyone knew him, and just few special knew of his dream...

Maybe she hated her old man, but she had to admit somewhere in herself that if he didn't have such programming for engineering, she wouldn't have had it as well, but that didn't matter, well, it did, it mattered so much, despite all that she feels in her. Despite what she feels like late at night trying to figure out where she is going wrong, she wants to make him proud, at least this once, at least once, once at least...

Maybe he wasn't always around the best company, but he had to admit somewhere in himself that if he was always around good people, he wouldn't have this fire flowing through his veins to become even better, because when all is sunshine, you tend to become docile and forget your ideas.

Two lovely drones with nothing in common, isn't that right now, hm? Well what if I told you, that there was more then meets the eye? What if I told you that the outcast and the most popular drone were brought closer by fate in a way that you couldn't even imagine in this life?

Two broken mirrors hanging on a wall each shattered by the inner demons. In on a girl looked at herself with despair, in another the boy looked at himself with hatred.

'Freak' 'Outcast' 'You freak us out' 'Ew it didn't kill her' but the final blow, what really got her down, the look in her father's eyes. Looking at her as if searching for something as if she was a fragment of the past he so desperately missed, and she couldn't live up to it, no matter what, so, she decided to be better than it.

I didn't stand a chance. That disassembly drone moped the floor with me!' 'Weak!' 'Hahahahaha! Come on Thad! Be more realistic!' 'Pffft sure, you can't spell your ABC's but you want to be a WDF? HAH!' Ever since he can remember, he has learned one thing, if you tell anyone about your dreams they will give you their opinions on them, and not all are kind, but what drove him the most was for the hatred he had for himself. He had to get better. He had to...

That is what they think, that is what they tell themselves, that they do it to be something, to be worth something, to be someone. Heh. Petty little liars these two, don't cha think? Because they already knew why they were doing all of this, but they forgot, but not their heart, never their heart.

"Hey!!! Leave her alone!"A boy's voice shouted as a couple others laughed. "Is that your boyfriend?" a girl teased. "Let's get outta here!" Another panicked one said as she ran off with her friends.

Uzi had bitter tears running down her cheeks as she was sitting on the ground, one leg laid and another standing up. She scrapped her knee when one of those girls pushed her. 'Freak!' 'Weirdo!' 'Creepy!' all said with a smile, such cruelty.

"Uzi! Are you ok?" Thad asked as he knelt down. They were maybe four or five that day. Thad had a chipped tooth, so, sometimes, just sometimes, some words he said sounded weird. "Y-yeah." The girl said looking away. "You're injured!" "I'm fine Thad..." Thad used his jacket and used it as a bandage for her wound, it quickly dirtied in her oil. "?!" "There! Is this better?" He asked with a beaming smile as he looked at her with hopeful bright eyes. "Yeah, but, you're jacket..." Uzi said quietly. "Who cares about that? Come on." Thad said getting up and giving her a hand. His green emerald eyes, his warm charming smile and his perfect sun kissed hair as if it was made out of sun rays. Uzi blushed lightly and got up on her own. "I'm not a baby!" "I didn't say you are one..." Thad said confused rubbing the back of his neck as Uzi huffed as she continued to have a small blush on her visor. "Are you ok?" "Stop asking! I'm fine!" She said huffing. Thad just chuckled, even now he remembers how they met.

"Hahahaha! You can't even spell your ABC's and you want to be in the WDF?!" "L-leave me a-a-alone!" Thad had a slight problem with his voice box, which caused him to stutter. A boy pushed him, then another, and another... "HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU MEANIES!" A girl's voice rang. "Oh look, the purple freak! What are you gonna-" The boy didn't finish his sentence for Uzi punched him in the face without hesitation, the other two boys got afraid and ran eating the dust as soon their 'fallen' friend joined them, crying for his mommy. "Are you ok?" "Y-yea-A-h." Thad said looking at the strange girl with a small blush. "Did they damage your vocie box?" "Oh- n-no tha-aAT-h's how i-i-iT iS-sSs." When he as nervous it would get worse. He looked away embarrassed. "Oh... I think it's cool! It's different, so that's nice." Uzi said bluntly. "R-really?" Uzi nodded as Thad blushed a bit more.

The two kids began to play together after that, every single day.

"I'll be the next WDF leader!" Thad announced proudly while walking with Uzi to the nursery. "Ugh, really? Well, please do, dad's never around...What even is so great about it?" Uzi said mumbling the dad part between her teeth as she looked at the ground sadly before looking back at Thad puzzled. "Cuz! I will be fighting murder drones, and I'll keep everyone safe and- and no one will hurt you!" Thad exclaimed with pure joy. He looked so proud of himself, as a soft gentle green blush rested on his visor as Uzi looked at him in disbelief as her own cheeks got a tad purple. "Well, I won't need protection!" Uzi said crossing her arms as she began to walk in front as Thad's face dropped, turning puzzled as he looked at her so lost. "How so?" He asked as he rushed to catch up with her. "Because I will destroy the murder drones! I will be an awesome solo and amazing fighter!" "Sooo, a hero?" "Not a hero! A...a...I don't know what but not that! I refuse to go by the social norms of this society!" Uzi said so sure of herself as if she came from another world, as if she wasn't from this colony and from somewhere where worker drones eat murder drones for breakfast. "Well... why?" Thad asked so confused. "Cuz you can't look after me if you can't even look after yourself." Uzi said in the heat of the moment but then realised her words. "I- I didn't mean it like that I meant- I meant I am tired of you looking out for me, so, I'll spin the ship around and lead!" "Why a ship?" Thad seemed completely oblivious to Uzi's earlier comments. "Cuz... on ships there is a captain...and a captain is the one who leads on a ship...?" Uzi didn't know what she was saying either. "Checks out." Thad said simply as he shrugged.

Thad looked up at Uzi's father. Founder of WDF. Little did he know back then what a father he, better said, wasn't... as for Uzi, she looked up at Thad's bravery. She always acted on impulses, he acted on courage, and that inspired her.

She wanted to be the most powerful, but it was so hard...she lacked the courage he had. He on the other hand appreciated her as his best friend, but, he lacked that fire that she had, and he was never able to tell her what he felt. Oh to be young and clueless...

The years went by, they drifted apart, and yet...every time Uzi went to the nurse's office, Thad was close behind, it just became an instinct, he just...knew when she was there, and even if they didn't talk everyday, even if they didn't see each other all of the time... they still talked as if they did every single day, neither realised it, but both felt a comforting feeling deep in their core when they got to talk with each other.

God how they drifted, Gow how they knew everything of each other and now they knew nothing and yet...

Outside of the colony, late at night, after a lovely little walk outside, Thad's idea, to catch up with Uzi, check on her, as he has become more concerned for her well being, Uzi tried to ran off, constantly checking the hour as if the sunrise meant she'd die, but it was far from sunrise, it was midnght for goodness sake!

'What if I snap? What if I hurt him? What if- Oh Robo-Jesus what if I- No, no, no. I can't control myself, this was a bad idea, why am I so stupid? Stupid! Stupid!' Uzi thought to herself as she ran off, as the snow helplessly crushed under her feet.

'Did I say something? Did I do something? No, wait, please. I am sorry. Come back. I didn't mean to drift apart from you, I just- I became so focused on all of these sports to be stronger- please.' Thad thought as he reached his hand out. No. These weren't his dreams and when he'd wake up nothing would have happened.

"UZI!" He screamed on top of his lungs as he bolted from his spot, running after her. Uzi froze in her place, confused, as her eyes widen in shock while she turned around. Before she knew it Thad was right in front of her, as if he was as fast as a disassembly drone. How did he...?

He was desperate. 'Run. Run you fool, you will loose her! RUN!' His mind screamed at her as his heart cried out for her. But the closer he got, the more unsure he became, what to do? What can he do? Embrace her? No, that would be so sudden... ki- no, no, that's not even in the equation that would be so weird, so then what, what could he possibly do, say, to make this less awkward, to... to make her feel better...? To make her feel better around him?

Uzi's eyes widen even more if possible as she looked at him in utter shock, unable to respond to what she saw before her, unable to move. The way he moved, like an animal pushing it's limits for the last chase of their life, as if it was this or nothing, as if...as if what he was chasing was always there but he didn't see it until it was almost too late...almost.

The moon shined upon the two drones, here, in the middle of nowhere in this God forsaken winter wasteland, nothing more, nothing less other then the two of them and the cold of the night. The moon light shinning against their metal surface, as if putting in the spotlight, two snowflakes, or better said ninja star's since they were snow-flake shaped sort of, made out of iron.

Thad's body acted without him knowing, acted without him thinking, acted before he could because his senses knew that he wouldn't be able to think it through in time. He found himself kneeling before her, taking her hands into his. His hands so beaten up. Basketball, box, dodgeball, boxing, so many sports that he signed up for hoping to toughen him up. Her hands, so precise and gentle to be able to engineer such fascinating things, yet such dangerous deadly weapons that took away more than one life.

"Please, I love you." he said breathlessly without skipping a beat as his green eyes, like the fresh lively grass that appears in spring looked into her purple galaxy eyes. She didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do, as he stood there, knelt before her.

As if he was making an oath, a knight to it's princess. "Please." he said again.

Before Uzi's eyes flashed the image of a boy that once upon a long time ago she defended from some 'meanies', the same look of fear, confusion and innocence in his perfect green eyes. A boy she always followed with the edge of her visor, to ensure at least he was doing fine, like a queen looking out for her loyal knight.

Before Thad's eyes flashed the image of a girl that once upon a long time ago, he stood by her side for so long yet lost himself in the training he took upon himself to be strong enough to protect her, like a loyal knight fighting life day and night to become enough to protect the queen that has made him what he is.

Uzi didn't have words. What words could you possibly have in such a moment? Neither did he have any, but those were the only things he was able to split out, and he had no clue what he'd say if she spoke, he'd make something up, find something in this hurricane of feelings, anything just to not leave her hanging. But words...plenty meaningless words are the poverty of one, aren't they?

So, they did what the most primal animal knows how to do when showing joy, and she took the first, just like she did so, so, so many times. She smiled. That perfect smile of hers. The smile he hasn't seen since they were young kids. That smile when she said so proudly that she won't need his protection, before quickly and nervously trying to explain that she won't need it because she will look out for him, and what else could he do? He smiled like the fool her was. His true genuine smile that was only ever given to her, followed by a few tears in his green perfect eyes.

"Heh..." He said breathlessly as he got up warping his hands around him as she hesitantly warped her hands around him as well. Two fools smiling without even knowing what they are smiling for and yet...this made them the happiest they have been since the last time they were together.

The end

[ladyofthelake]

okay but we don’t talk anough about how Arthur loves Merlin. Merlin’s devotion is clear to us (and to an extent Arthur minus all the stuff he didn’t know about yet) but does it ever make you go insane that Arthur loves Merlin just for him, not knowing of a destiny or anything (though I truly believe that Merlin just grew to genuinely care about Arthur anyway, the destiny stuff could have been a side job for him but he actually bonded with Arthur and the rest is history sadfghj) and Arthur loved/s Merlin for exactly who he is, confirming his jokes were never meant seriously, that he actually thinks he’s the bravest man he’s ever met (above all the knights of Camelot) and that he wouldn’t want a thing a single thing about him to change and he took exactly 2.0 seconds to get over his magic because all it did was cement his loyalty and devotion to an even more profound degree than Arthur was already aware of and realised that because it was Merlin who had magic it wasn’t an evil or bad thing because it was Merlin who had it and used it only for him and fuck Arthur had 3 days to process all this and come to realise just how much Merlin had done for him, for no recognition, no reward, simply because he cares and loves him and wow I’ve never see a man so happy and at peace to die (even though he’d miss Merlin so fucking much and realised too late all this truth) like literally HE WAS SMILING all he wanted was to be HELD BY MERLIN (giving his last moments to Merlin) and HE WOKE UP AGAIN WHEN MERLIN CALLED HIS NAME AND HE’S GONNA BACK TO HIM

Arthur Pendragon loves Merlin so much its beautiful and I need to lie down

[hyacinthinegrace]

[ SHOW OFF ] You, of course, are a brave soul, keen of eye, and have some people to impress. Friends? Crushes? Rivals? You scoff at the mere idea that someone could scare you with some cheap parlor trick and roam about the hallways with crossed arms and plenty of skepticism.

Luke was the bravest, most knightliest knight anyone had ever seen, and he was especially courageous with someone lovely at his side. There was no point in being brave without witnesses, right? He gave Leon a cocky grin before stepping int the haunted corridor.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from the biggest spiders!" Luke twirled his cape and, stepping in, opened with a cackle.

"HahahAAAAAEIIII!" His laugh turned to a shrill scream as he launched himself backwards. A zombie popped out from the side of the hallway and he backpedaled so badly he bumped back into Leon.

Most things didn’t really scare Leon. Most of his fears revolved around more…abstract concepts. The fear of dying alone, the fear of growing old or becoming ugly…those were much scarier than ghosts and whatever creatures he saw pop up back in Valentia. Even if he did find them frightening, Leon couldn’t see what about being scared was so fun— but if his date companion wanted to prove himself, who was he to deny him the satisfaction?

“My hero,” he says with a chuckle, following Luke inside without pause. Deep down he had a feeling Luke was overcompensating…

…But he was hoping he would last a bit longer than that.

“Hey—!” Leon grabs onto Luke’s arm with a huff, slightly annoyed by being bumped into. It was a shame that Luke could be spooked by something so small (to him, at least), but…even after such a pathetic show Leon felt oddly endeared. He moves to hold onto Luke’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Well then, looks like I get to play the role of the knight today. Just hold onto me if you get scared, alright?”

It was impossible for the archer to hide his smug expression as he turns to face the zombie head on.

[coffinospiders]

"A whole, and a crown"

The sounds of clumbering rocks and the shattering stones of the cavern as the two ran, hearts pounding from terror, knowing well that their infinite destiny is in the hands of their hearts. His boots clattering against the floor, his obsidian armor clanking together, his sword in it's sheath, his hand held in hers. Her hair, done into braids, frizzing from horrors of their journey for the amulets of the sacred times for their people, Her light blue dress that cut directly below her tan knees moving with her as her bare feet lifted off the ground and back onto the hard stone floor, feeling cracks and holes every now and then from the breaking cave. Her glimmering and glossy emerald green eyes filled to the brim with tears of fear glancing at everything that passed. The echoing of the screams of soldiers and warriors from the enemy sides whirling around behind them, being almost, almost drowned out by the shard fragments of hard earth falling from above and crumbling away beneath as the world they were in crumbled beneath them. The light shining from the end getting closer, and closer. The crumbling around them getting worse, but the amulets they had searched for were in hand, the hand of the knight she had followed, she was no more than a mere princess who was the last for the throne, the youngest of 2 princesses. Her knight being her best friend, her pal, her only other half. Although, did you perhaps think, the universe would actually ever allow her to have the one thing that kept her from feeling as though she didn't belong? No, of course it wouldn't. She wasn't special to the concept of time, and so, the crumbling became the cause of his body slipping, and falling to the floor with a thud. She was no strong child, her attempts to help him would be futile. "no, no! why? Why must I lose my bravest knight, and only half, just because I couldn't stay in a building meant to cage me when my people are in crisis? If the world wants to take him, then so be it, I shall then go too." She stayed, he begged her to go, to see the crowning of her sister to become queen, but she refused. "how must a half, make a whole, if the needed half isn't there at all?" She sat with him, blood seeping from his head and neck. The stones coming down. Yet, she didn't move. His pale blue eyes, becoming nearly white, his last breathe arriving as his other breathes slipped from his lips, leaving, as if trying to run away. His eyes closed as she felt a stone collide with her back, turning her head, she was met with a boulder falling at her, crushing her pathetic face beneath it. That morning, the princess, the one who had waited patiently for her sister to return, had been told news of the cavern collapsing, and her absence was a run-away case, and she had died, with her half, in the cavern. The princess pretended that she was only sorrowful, and not utterly devastated, she pretended to be strong. The second the messenger left the doors of the majestic palace, the princess was alone. She was queen that day, that golden crown placed upon her head, she's been queen almost her entire life any ways, but only not by law. mother and father were never there, so she kept care of the second heir, but now, she had no one but herself anymore. Her eyes grow weary looking as she grows to be the best queen the kingdom has ever had. Her younger sister forgotten with her ruling, but never forgotten by her. The sickening knowledge of how the gold and silver jewels upon her head glimmer and shine, when no little voice to say "Oh my! how lovely you are sister!" like when they used to run in the flower yard, with their night gowns and tiaras. The Queen smiled, knowing that though a great loss has been found from the years, the loss of two halves, they were now beneath the world, with the soil that made the blooming white flowers the youngest loved so dearly, they were now a whole.

[allsystemsblue]

This makes my heart so happy. 🥺

[queerofthedagger]

I honestly feel like we should talk more about Arthur's, "I always thought you were the bravest man I ever met," because the thing is, I don't think Arthur necessarily meant bravery in terms of like, a knight. I mean yes, he probably meant that too because Merlin accompanied him on every mission and into every fight, but I think what he is actually referring more to is how Merlin never feared speaking his mind to Arthur. The very first thing he did upon meeting Arthur was to call him out on his shit, not even backing down when he realised who Arthur was, and he never stopped doing so.

It's why Arthur comes to trust and rely on Merlin's advice so much, because he is certain that Merlin will never tell him what he wants to hear, that Merlin will always be honest with him. Arthur's trust in Merlin's honesty is one of the cornerstones of their whole relationship, and considering that Arthur is the prince and later king, that he doesn't always initially react well when Merlin tells him what he doesn't want to hear, that does take a lot of bravery.

And it is also why Arthur follows it up with the verbal punch of, "I guess I was wrong." Because Camlann isn't some small mission, some random fight with bandits. It is going to be the battle Camelot has been heading for, the battle that will see either Arthur or Morgana dead, and whichever one it is, neither is going to be easy. Merlin hasn't let Arthur go alone anywhere for the last ten years, and this is the time he says that he won't be coming with Arthur—because of a "vital errand he has to run for Gaius"?

Of course Arthur doesn't buy that. Of course Arthur knows that it's a blatant lie. And I do think that Arthur has always been aware that Merlin kept some things from him and simply trusted him enough to let him have those, but this is so vastly different, and it makes absolutely no sense to him why Merlin wouldn't trust him enough to tell him at least the truth about why he is leaving Arthur now, of all times.

That's the, "I guess I was wrong." I guess I was wrong about believing that you weren't afraid to tell me the truth when it mattered, that you trusted me enough, that you would never leave my side when it mattered.

It isn't even so much about Merlin keeping a secret; it's about the poor, blatant lie, because the next time Arthur hears from Merlin is when he dreams of him, and he still immediately trusts in what Merlin tells him.

Only to then, the next time they see each other, find out just how much Merlin has been keeping from and lying to him.

Which, obviously, Merlin had his reasons for. And once Arthur understood that, he forgave him anyway because it ultimately proved all over what he said—just how brave Merlin had been, even if it looked a little different than Arthur originally believed.

[makerofmadness]

Kirby: The Great Super Kirby Clash Fight! Chapter ☆11: Dear Friends

Chef Kawasaki’s tavern was absolutely packed in.

For the guests who couldn’t get in, tables were set up around the village square, and food and drinks were carried out to each of them.

In the middle of the tavern, of course, were Team Kirby Z- no, now powered up with everyone’s strength, SUPER TEAM KIRBY!

There, Burning Leo stepped forward before the Kirbys. Burning Leo was usually in high spirits, but now he seemed so disheartened that the flames on his head were fading.

“Sorry for being so harsh on you guys.”

Burning Leo looked downward.

“I shouldn’t have been so mean...”

The other villagers all followed:

“We’re really sorry.”

“Seeing the house I worked so hard to rebuild get destroyed, I just didn’t know what to do...”

“The fear was unbearable, and I ended up taking it out on you guys.”

“I’m so sorry, from the bottom of my heart!”

“Guys, it’s fine, we forgive you,” Doctor said on behalf of the team. “C’mon, we’re supposed to be celebrating the defeat of our toughest foe yet. Now, I propose a toast!”

Everyone held up a glass in their hands.

“Well then, cheers!~”

“Cheers to Super Team Kirby!~”

A fun party had begun.

The first to ask questions was Meta Knight.

“Tell me, who exactly was that swordsman you four defeated?”

“He’s called the Aeon Hero. He’s a legendary swordsman,” Doctor answered. “Parallel Nightmare summoned him to fight us.”

“And what exactly came of that Parallel Nightmare guy? He seems to have disappeared...”

“Get this: he was cut right in half by the hero he summoned!” Hammer answered. Doctor elaborated:

“He didn’t realize that he summoned someone far more fearsome than he is. He was way more powerful than he had expected, he got taken down in seconds.”

Several voices came up from amongst the villagers.

“You guys really managed to fight an enemy that terrifying?....”

“Wow, I knew it. You guy are the bravest heroes ever!”

“We thought we were done for,” Kirby said, “but then everyone cam running in to give us new gear.”

Beam nodded.

“Yeah. If it weren’t for the gear, we’d have had no chance of winning.”

“Don’t forget about Chef Kawasaki’s rice balls!” Hammer added. 

“What about the gear?” Doctor asked. “How did you get such incredible gear-”

“Oh, you can thank Meta Knight for that,” Burning Leo answered.

“Huh??”

“He was the one who told us we could help you guys out.”

With his back turned to everyone, Meta Knight let out a chuckle.

“It was nothing, really. To fight powerful foe, strong equipment is a necessity. I merely stated the obvious.”

“It wasn’t obvious. It was thanks to Meta Knight that we were able to make the Starlight gear!”

“Starlight...”

“Yes.”

Meta Knight nodded his head.

“I’ve been interested in weapons and armor for quite some time. I’ve researched all sorts of things. The strongest gear in the Dream Kingdom- that’s what the Starlight gear is. They hold tremendous power, but they’re quite difficult to craft. That’s why some call them the Phantom Gear.”

The Kirbys took the armor they had been wearing and gazed into them.

“Sparkling like stars... no wonder they’re called Starlight,” Doctor said. “But if this gear is really that hard to get, then how did you...?

“First, I consulted Magolor,” Meta Knight answered. “While he may be a greedy liar who overprices his goods, he certainly knows what he needs to run a Shoppe like his.”

A small sneeze could be heard from somewhere, but Meta Knight paid no mind to it and continued. 

“Magolor’s researched the recipe to craft the Starlight gear. For it, it said we needed to gather many precious, valuable treasures.”

“Valuable treasures...?”

“Yes. Fire Fragments, Water Fragments, Light Fragments... and rarest of all, the Rare Fragments. We couldn’t gather enough of them, however.”

“That’s where we come in,” Burning Leo said. The flames on his head burned proudly. “We all split up to gather the necessary fragments.”

“It was really, really tough!” Bronto Burt said, flying around. “But for those fragments, we went through fire and water!”

“I opted out of the fire, though!” Chilly shouted. “Grasslands, Dunes, Seaside... we searched all over the place, through all of the Regions in the kingdom.”

The villagers were all chatting excitedly.

“Digging up the ground, smashing rocks...”

“Diving under the sea, climbing up the volcano...”

“I got attacked by monsters once. I ended up dropping all the fragments I worked so hard to collect while running away...”

“It took a while, but we all worked our hardest every single day to gather them all up. And eventually, we had gathered just the right amount to make four sets of weapons and armor!” 

“To be completely honest,” Meta Knight said, “I wasn’t entirely convinced that we’d be able to make the Starlight gear. However, they were determined. They were all desperate to help you four.”

Burning Leo laughed.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s our fault you guys left the village in the first place!”

“We all felt really guilty. It was the least we could do to make it up to you.”

“Above all else, we were moved by the words of the Gem Apple guardian. If it weren’t for him, we...”

The villagers, all hit by a realization, looked around the establishment. 

“Huh? Wait a second, where is he right now?” Burning Leo said. 

“That Bandana Waddle Dee guy, where did he go? He was so excited for the party.”

The villagers were all bustling. Kirby laughed with a big smile on his face.

“Oh, I’m sure Waddle Dee’s just guarding the Gem Apples right now!” he said.

“What? He didn’t come to the party?”

Kirby nodded.

“Yeah. I mean, he’s the hardest worker in the whole world! He spends any time he working hard on his job!”

~

It was just as Kirby had said.

Bandana Waddle Dee was sitting underneath the Gem Apple tree. He could hear the happy voices over the wind. He wanted, just a little bit, to go and join in on the Kirbys’ fun, but he was content.

“I can talk to Kirby tomorrow. We’ll toast drinks together, just the two of us...”

Then.

Bandana Waddle Dee noticed a strange sound. 

Mixed in with commotion from the party, a clear sound could be heard.

“Huh?... This is...?”

Bandana Waddle Dee stood up and looked toward the direction of the sound.

“This... this sound-!”

~

The party was finally at its climax. It was time for a wonderful feast.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, here we have Chef Kawasaki’s specialty pizza, fresh out of the oven!~” Chef Kawasaki shouted, carrying many extra-large plates. “Tomato and cheese and bacon and mushrooms and shrimp, anything you could ever ask for, all piled on top! The tastiest pizza you could ask for!~”

Inside the establishment, many cheers rang out.

“Please cut two slices for me, pretty please!” Kirby shouted particularly loudly. “I’ll take one of them to Bandana Waddle Dee!”

-then, just as he said that...

Bandana Waddle Dee burst into the tavern.

“Kirby! Kirby, it’s urgent!”

The villagers, noticing, all greeted Bandana Waddle Dee with a smile.

“Oh, well look who finally showed up!”

“Now aren’t you late, Bandana Waddle Dee. And you’re the one who planned this whole thing.”

“C’mon, sit down, sit down. I propose a toast...”

However, Bandana Waddle Dee ignored the other guests, looking right at Kirby, and shouted:

“The bell just rang!”

“...what?”

Kirby was surprised. 

“The Adventurer Bell has rung!” Bandana Waddle Dee yelled. “The door to another world has opened!”

~

The Kirbys left the tavern and headed straight for the bell.  

A golden bell hung in the village square, overlooking the sea. Up until now, the bell, as if rusted, would not produce any noise. However, now it made  beautiful ringing sound.

Kirby looked up at the bell.

Now that they had defeated those enemies threatening the Dream Kingdom, the Adventurer Bell was suddenly trying to fulfill its final purpose.

Kirby turned to look at his friends.

He had kept this secret for so long, unable to spit it out. Now, he finally had to confess.

“There’s something I really need to tell everyone.”

His three companions all looked at him without a word spoken.

“I... I’m not actually from the Dream Kingdom.”

Bandana Waddle Dee was staring at Kirby anxiously. All the surrounding villagers were shocked.

“When the Adventurer Bell called me, I cane here from my home, Dream Land. Basically... I’m from another world.”

He didn’t know whether they’d believe him or not. He was expected them to pass it off as a joke.

However, his three companions all smiled.

“Yeah,” Doctor said, “we know.”

“...what?”

“We were wondering when to talk about it. Seems you’re finally comfortable enough to spit it out.”

“Wha-?!”

Kirby was so shocked he almost fell over.

“Doctor... Hammer... and you too, Beam?”

“Doctor told us,” Hammer said. Beam nodded.

“At first we couldn’t believe it. We thought Doctor had to have been wrong, but...”

“But after hearing Doctor explain it, it all made too much sense.”

“Doctor... how did you know?”

“Oh, it’s really pretty simple. I mean, the Adventurer Bell is a bell that calls adventurers from other worlds. So when you showed up after the bell called you, obviously that meant you had to have come from another world.”

“...so you really knew all along, huh?...”

“No, I wasn’t convinced. But then you were acting so strangely. At first you said were in a nearby village, then you said you were living in a village far away. You didn’t have any Gem Apples with you, you had no idea about the monster attacks going on everywhere, it was all just too strange.  That’s what made me think it was possible.”

“Oh... oh my gosh!”

Kirby, losing all strength, fell into a sitting position on the ground. 

“Well if that’s the case then you should’ve told me sooner. I was really really anxious about how I was gonna tell you guys!”

“We’re really sorry. But wherever you came from, it didn’t matter to us.”

Doctor took Kirby’s hand.

“I mean, as Super Team Kirby, our bond is stronger than ever! Who cares if you came from another world? That doesn’t change the fact that we’re best friends forever!”

Hammer and Beam nodded.

The villagers, who were watching over the scene intently, each let out their own surprised exclamations:

“Wait, what?! Sword’s the hero of another world!?!”

“I never could’ve imagined. That Sword guy...”

“I never would’ve thought, he seemed just like the other Kirbys.”

Kirby laughed.

“Yeah. That’s because I am Kirby!”

Doctor looked up at the bell.

“I guess it’s time to part ways, Sword,” he said. “C’mon, before the bell stops ringing.”

“Yeah.”

Kirby gripped his friends’ hands.

“Thanks, everyone. I had a lot of fun here.”

“Us too!”

“Really enjoyed fighting by your side.”

“Thank you for saving the Dream Kingdom.”

Kirby approached Bandana Waddle Dee, who was standing with the crowd, hugging him tightly.

“Goodbye, Bandana Waddle Dee.”

“Goodbye, Kirby. Take care!” Bandana Waddle Dee said, giving a smile wider than ever before.

Even more so than when they had last parted.

Not a tear to be seen. Because Kirby needed to leave. Bandana Waddle Dee had decided that.

The sound of the bell rang even louder. Kirby waved to everyone.

“Goodbye, Dream Kingdom!”

Engulfed in everyone’s applause, their sad voices bidding farewell, Kirby was sucked up by the bell.

Just before he lost consciousness.

Kirby realized something awful.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no... wait a second....!”

He had to get back to the Dream Kingdom!

That’s what he thought, panicking, but it was too late.

“I... I.... Noooooooooooooo!!!!”

Kirby screamed as loud as he could:

“CHEF KAWASAKI’S SPECIALTY PIZZA, I FORGOT TO FINISH MY SLIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!!!!!!!”

Previous Chapter

Table of Contents

Next Chapter