cherrylaine

[patolemus]

Au with abo where Aemond and Lucerys are the only survivors of their families, and they decide to marry in an effort to save what is left of their House.

The implications of this are just great because they rightfully hate each other, but on the other hand… they are tired.

Their House has destroyed itself from the inside out because there were people who just couldn’t stop craving for power that wasn’t theirs to have. They were all used and manipulated for years until the only viable option was to fight each other.

And the thing is, both Aemond and Lucerys are a direct product of that. Aemond lost an eye because the division of their House was so great a fight between children got out of control to the point of extreme violence. He will never get it back. This incident will follow him forever. The realm will always know him as the One-Eyed Prince.

Lucerys lives with whispers behind his back. He lives with whispers told to his face. Everyone looks at him and thinks ‘that’s a bastard’. He is a prince of the realm, he is set to inherit a great sit of power in Westeros, and all he can think of is that he doesn’t deserve it. His claim is fake, and the only thing keeping it afloat is his Grandsire’s approval.

It is their encounter at Storm’s End that starts the Dance of the Dragons. It’s fitting that they too end it back at their ancestral home.

They have both lost their dragons. Everyone else in their House is dead. They are alone against a world that is ready to tear them apart if they think they have a chance to sit on the Iron Throne.

But House Targaryen can only fall by House Targaryen. And they refuse to let it happen.

They are alone and desperate, it is them against a court full of vipers ready to slit their throats. Their feud may be deep but for their House and all that their families fought for, they will stand united. Even if it means marrying each other, tethering themselves to the other until the Stranger claims them both.

They will get House Targaryen back to its former glory, no matter what they have to do for it.

Perzys ānogār.

Fire and blood.

[the20thangel]

As My Queen Commands

Summary: This was a request: The war has ended, leaving a few survivors for the Targaryen family. As the oldest living child of Queen Rhaenyra and King-Consort Daemon, you have been crowned as Queen. Your council worries this is insufficient to stabilize the realm and urge you to marry. So, a ball is hosted to find a potential husband. There, you happen to meet again a certain lord from Raventree Hall.

Targaryen!reader X Benjicot Blackwood

Tags: no use of y/n

Word Count: 1.9k

masterlist

It has been five moons since the war officially ended, with only a few survivors left: Your sisters, Baela and  Rhaena, You, and your brothers Aegon and Visery. In contrast, poor little Jaehaera was the only survivor of the greens. They wanted to marry the little princess to your brother Aegon to show peace to the realm, but you fought tooth and nail against it. Luckily, it worked, with the princess warding in Driftmark with Baela. Rhaena decided to stay in Kingslanding to continue helping in looking after Aegon and Viserys. You were forever grateful to her, not knowing how you would have juggled caring for two small princes and bringing peace to a kingdom on your own. 

You sighed as your maid finished braiding your platinum hair into beautiful Valyrian braids. Lord Corlys Velayron, one of your advisors, decided that if Aegon did not marry Jaehaera, a ball needed to happen; you required an heir. You needed to marry someone to strengthen your reign and have said heir. You grew upset at the news, stating that Aegon and Viserys were your heirs. You did not need to marry so soon but to focus on the realm. But the lords opposed it, stating that an alliance would help strengthen prosperity for your reign. After countless arguments, it started to weigh on you. You surrendered yourself to finding a husband to ease the tensions. You knew that, realistically, you should have been married already, but with a war, nobody besides Cregan Stark would have the luck to find a spouse. So it was decided the ball was a host to find lords who would gladly become king consort. 

“Thank you, Diana. That will be all tonight,” you dismissed your maid as you finished placing your red ruby jewelry on your body: a necklace, earrings, and rings. 

As you rose, making sure you seemed presentable, you heard a knock on your chamber doors, calling for them to enter; came in little Viserys, wearing a red and black doublet and a black cape. Smiling, you went to your brother, kissing him on the forehead, asking him what brought him to your room. 

“Aegon and I decided to escort you and Rhaena to the ball. I wanted to escort you!” Viserys excitedly explained, his purple eyes glowing. 

You smiled at him, your heart growing fond of his childish excitement at a party in his own words. You gladly extended your hand to him as you both walked to the ballroom. Servants, knights, lords, and ladies smiled at the scene of the young prince escorting his queenly sister. As you grew closer to the ballroom, your heart started racing. You needed to find a husband, a husband who would defend you without hindering your rule. A Husband who will love you and not stray in lovers. A husband who would be okay with not being the center of attention or being unable to spend time entirely at his keep. More importantly, you need a husband who would love your brothers as sons as you have grown to love them as your sons. These two boys suffered so much that they needed parental figures. You gladly took on that role, and you knew other lords would instead ship them off to the ward and focus on their children from your union. You would not allow that to happen; your brothers would be raised together with any potential children. 

As your royal titles were introduced, you entered the ballroom; the once somber room brought back to life like the times of King Viserys I. Numerous houses' colors and banners hang from the gilded walls. You walked with your head held high, noticing how every male in the room turned to you, looking at you like a piece of meat or prize to be won. Disgusted, you knew this night was going to be a long one. 

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

After two hours of mindless chatter and many toes sore from lords clumsy stepping on your feet, you felt like you would burst. If one more lord came up to you talking about their ��accomplishments” or your hand for a dance, you were considering feeding them to your dragon.

 Rhaena, noticing her sister’s mood, quickly went to her side. 

“Sister, why don’t you step outside for a while? I will distract the lords… tease them that I also might be willing to marry one,” advised Rhaena, squeezing your hand. 

You smiled gratefully at her; she knew you well as you nodded and sneakily walked out of the ballroom. You decided to go into the courtyard, where there was silence; walking alone, you sighed in relief. Away from the court’s hungry eyes, you felt like you could finally breathe; you heard the chirps of crickets and the noises of the small folk outside the walls. At least your people had the chance to have fun and eat after suffering for so long due to the war. If people were happy, then you would be willing to suffer through 100 more balls. Walking further to the training yards, eyes filled with tears. Remembering when you secretly train with Jace and Luke here once, you pick up a bow. You were more of an archer than a sword fighter. Feeling the need to release some stress, you notched your bow, aiming at the targets, letting it go. With glee, you smiled, seeing how it hit the center of the target. Notching another, you continue your meditation of aim, notch, release, and hit. You forgot about the outside world, silly lords, and their silly ideas. Let yourself forget the constraints of marriage that will soon find you one way or another. As you notched your bow again, you heard footsteps close to you; you aimed at the intruder, who quickly froze, raising his hands in peace. 

Seeing the familiar red and black clothing, you sighed, lowering your bow, “I would think you knew better than to sneak up on a dragon princess, Lord Blackwood.” 

“Dragon Queen, you mean? And I did not mean to; I was just walking around when I heard the sound of arrows, and my curiosity peaked, not expecting to find the queen here.” teased Benjicot, smirking at you. 

You snorted with an unamused brow raised. You tended to forget that you were now the queen, not a princess. 

“Hmm, what about you… Does the Bloody Ben not do ballroom dances?” you ask, not letting yourself falter from his teasing. You grin as you see him flush red and look down at the floor. 

“ I’m sorry, my queen, but I fear, no, dancing is not one of my skills, and after stepping on a few toes, I thought it best to save more maiden’s poor feet.” embarrassedly explained Benjicot, his eyes still to the ground. 

As you began to giggle at the mental image, he raised his head sharply, his eyes widening as he heard your soft giggles. He hoped you would not notice his cheeks flushing red even more, but he thought seeing you laughing was beautiful. He always admired you from afar during the war, but he was so busy leading the armies and you with the stress of your mother’s state. Neither had a chance to speak to one another properly. Then, after the war, he had to return to his lands and tend to them, and you were crowned the queen. 

After your giggles, you smiled at him, noticing how he stared at you like you were the moon, blushing you asked him to walk with you. Walking in serene silence, your fingers brushed against one another. You smiled at the feeling as you wondered how his lands were doing. 

Benji smiled at you, “It's going well; we are recuperating from the war; it helps that since my lady aunt Alysanne has married lord Stark, the Brakens haven’t tried to enter our lands…forgive me, I should…” Falter Benji worried you would become upset hearing about his house's feud with the Brakens. 

Seeing this, you turned to him, grasping his hands, “ Benjicot… we fought a war together. I saw how the Brakens treated your family. I do not mind hearing your worries, my lord. On the contrary, I wanted to ask why there hasn’t been an official border separating your lands from theirs?” 

Benji smiled wry at you, “We have in the past, but… no offense to your grandsire, but he did not deem it essential to discuss.” 

You sighed, knowing your grandsire had made many mistakes, including allowing Otto Hightower free reign in his kingdom. You will not make the same foolish mistakes. 

Smiling, you replied, “How about a moon after the ball? I invite houses Blackwood and Bracken to set a clear border separating your lands finally. Hopefully, this will stop the bloodshed between the two houses.” 

Benji gaped at you. He couldn’t believe you would do that for him and his family after many years and losses. He quickly thanked you, kissing your hand as you graced him with a pearly smile. You noticed you had been gone for a while, and Rhaena would probably start worrying. You two walked back towards the ballroom, taking your time, not wanting to leave each other's company, as Benji asked how he could repay your generosity. 

Humming, you finally clicked that he was here at the ball; he was an eligible suitor, and House Blackwood was loyal and fierce. What better match than them than him? 

“Lord Blackwood, I just remembered you are here tonight. Were you going to try for my hand like the other lords?” you asked, hoping he said yes. It would be easier to explain your decision to him. 

Benjicot froze as he tensed his shoulders. He hoped you had forgotten the purpose of so many houses here. He decided to tell you a white lie so your rejection would not hurt. 

“I came to celebrate you, my queen, but yes, I came to look for a potential wife… so many houses came that my advisors are pushing me to try and…charm a lady to want a marriage alliance with my house…but-” 

You frowned, a lady? “Not a queen?” you interrupted as you watched his face; he seemed shocked by your question.

Gulping, Benji noticed your eyes sharpened. “No, my queen, I could never insult you like that. What could my house ever bring to you in a marriage?” 

Your eyes softened at his humble words; all these lords came flocking their houses and praising what a potential marriage would bring to the realm and the crown. Yet here was one lord who truly enjoyed her company, not looking for marriage because he believed he was not worthy of such a thought. 

As you walked closer, you stroked his cheek before moving your hand to his lips, your thumb caressing his lips as you whispered. 

“House Blackwood stood by my mother throughout the war; you fought bravely in battles for my family, reclaiming Kingslanding and all without thinking of any sort of payment. Even today, while every lord flocked to me like peacocks showing off their ‘qualities,’ you humbly state how you feel you are not worthy. You still expected nothing from me, even once I said I would build a border to keep your lands safe from the Brakens. What more could I ever ask for a future king consort? You, my lord, are different, and I cannot help but ask for you at least think of marriage with me.” 

Benji smiled, leaning closer to you, “Is that a command from you, my queen?” 

Grinning, seeing how he never rejected your confession, you leaned closer, your lips nearly touching, “If it is, would you accept my lord?” 

Huffing in a quiet laugh, “As my queen commands of me,” he replied, kissing you sweetly. 

Melting into his embrace, you smiled at his kiss, feeling the future in his arms seemed brighter. 

[ariaste]

Ok I haven't seen anyone else talking about this yet, but I'm going insane about it so now it's going to be your problem. The question on everyone's mind during IWTV s1 is, "Ok but did you eat the baby, Louis?" and I'm here to tell you that I had an epiphany and I have concluded....

Yes, Louis did eat that baby. Because of Mardi Gras.

I know that sounds crazy, hear me out.

(Contains spoilers for the end of the book series)

First, for those of you who are unfamiliar, one of the most delicious traditions of New Orleans Mardi Gras is the king cake, which is a ring-shaped pastry of sugary, buttery death covered in purple, green, and gold sprinkles. (If you can get your mouth on a good one, it's divine. Mediocre ones are deeply disappointing. This is a case where quality matters. ...I am getting off topic.) Inside the king cake, according to tradition, is hidden a little plastic baby. Whoever gets the slice that has the baby in it is proclaimed the king of that particular Mardi Gras party and is granted certain solemn responsibilities, such as buying the king cake next year. It's not a very large plastic baby (about the size of maybe two jellybeans), so sometimes you find it in your mouth rather than on your plate. So: You eat the baby, you're the king.

Got it? Great.

Episode 1x07 shows us Lestat Very Definitely Eating That (Fake (Plastic??)) Baby, while being King of Mardi Gras, on the Krewe of Raj (which is probably meant to refer to the real-life Krewe of Rex. Rex and Raj both mean king). This is a wild sort of thing to do for no reason (whether Doylist or Watsonian), but New Orleans residents would probably parse this as a gruesome and tasteless perversion of the concept around the king cake tradition. Gruesome and tasteless perversions of ideas are exactly Lestat's type of humor. He knows what he's doing: He's making a Weird Statement about the legitimacy of his "reign".

Still with me? Ok. Here we go, last step.

The penultimate and antepenultimate books of the series are Prince Lestat and Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, in which Lestat is Democratically Elected (read: strongarmed/browbeaten/guilt-tripped by a jury of his peers) prince of the vampires. He mopes around about this because he doesn't want the job, but ultimately pulls himself together and makes big wet puppy eyes at Louis like, "plz plz plz mon cher plz come be royal consort, i literally cannot cope with this situation unless I have you with me" until Louis agrees to come be royal consort.

Now, the strangely intense and INTENTIONAL ambiguity of "did Louis eat the baby?" in 1x02 -- that is, the way that there is conspicuously no answer as to whether he did or not -- could just be a cool opportunity to make us think about vampires doing shocking, irredeemable things, such as the consumption of infants. But in parallel with 1x07 and the fact that this is New Orleans and Lestat's baby-eating incident was explicitly rooted in Mardi Gras traditions... it strikes me as foreshadowing. It strikes me as a clever little wink of secret jokes by the Unreliable Narration Show which has already established that it loves playing games with the audience and intentionally leaving little hints that pay off later in a BIG way.

It's New Orleans. It's Mardi Gras. The king eats the baby, and Loustat's destined endgame is Royal Power Couple.

Louis ate the baby. One hundo percent, he ate that baby. Five bucks says we find out the truth right around the time Lestat is crying and wailing and begging Louis to run the vampire government with him.

Season 7 when????

[libraryoffandomsuniverse]

the root of the root and the bud of the bud

Series masterlist

Not a drabble this time, but my headcanons about Rhaenyra and Reader's children! Don't worry, more fics are in the works.

Possible spoilers for future events in this series. Fic title comes from one of my all time favourite poets, EE Cummings!!

Jacaerys

Daddy's boy. Follows Reader around and mimics his mannerisms almost unconsciously.

Has the lightest skin out of all the children - just a shade darker than Rhaenyra. He also has black hair like Rhaenys, and dark purple eyes.

He was crowned Queen of Love and Beauty by Baela after she entered a tourney in disguise.

His first daughter marries Gaemon and succeeds him as Queen. His second daughter married Cregan Stark's son Rickon.

Rider of Vermax.

Lucerys

Mama's boy.

Very affectionate, he'd often run up to his parents and attack them with kisses before running away to keep playing.

Also has Rhaenys' black hair but resembles Reader more than Rhaenyra.

He was devastated when he realised that him being the Lord of Driftmark meant that Reader and Corlys would be dead.

Him and Rhaena slept together before they were wed and their first child was born 7 moons after the wedding.

Rider of Arrax.

Baelon (canon Joffrey)

Looks exactly like Reader photocopied himself - there's nothing of Rhaenyra.

Becomes Daemon's squire and earns a reputation for being bloodthirsty.

He was a biter as a toddler until Luke bit him back. He stopped doing so after that.

Travels across the Seven Kingdoms to dispense the Queen's (and later King's) justice for Rhaenyra and Jace.

Summerhall was built for him.

Rider of Tyraxes.

Aegon

The quietest out of all the children.

Has Rhaenyra's hair, which he keeps very short.

Has sailed to Essos numerous times and has almost been captured by pirates twice.

Oversees the Stepstones.

Loves art, particularly painting.

A family man, prefers to spend his free time with his children.

Rider of Stormcloud.

Gaemon (canon Viserys II)

The tallest of Rhaenyra and Reader's sons and you bet he bragged about it.

Studied at the Citadel and earned 4 links.

Travelled widely across Essos and owns a manse in Volantis.

The first of Rhaenyra and Reader's children to not have an egg hatch in their cradle. He later claims Vermithor when he's five and ten.

Becomes Jace's Hand.

Marries Jace's oldest daughter and becomes King Consort like his father.

Visenya

Loves fashion and prefers to wear blue or pink.

She can speak several languages including the Summer Tongue.

Acted as Rhaenyra's scribe when the Queen was hearing petitions.

Both her and Aemma are doted on and spoilt by their brothers.

Knows self defence, but doesn't like getting dirty. She does have a interest in poisons though.

Rider of Tessarion.

Aemma

Visenya's fraternal twin. Rhaenyra and Reader thought there was only one baby so they were very surprised when another appeared.

She likes archery and always carries a dagger with her.

Acts as Jace's unofficial Master of Whispers during his reign.

She sings and plays the harp.

Although her cradle egg goes cold, she eventually claims Shrykos when she is six name days.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I do wonder where Harry got the ‘co-reigning’ thing in his head, his goto approach is to weasel round those who he can charm to get what he wants. There is no way The Queen or now the King would have pandered to his unreasonable wishes, but both of them don’t like confrontation and through family love wouldn’t have totally squashed his ramblings or worse case ignored it and he would have taken that as viable. Plus he does/did believe the most popular royal other than the Queen’ stuff and probably still does or thinks it’s retrievable. When MM came on the scene we have the ‘you do the UK’ and we will take the commonwealth (re the commonwealth flowers veil) , and the idea of sharing the Duchy of Cornwall money. To any normal person it’s completely pie in the sky, but with these two such a high level arrogance/self esteem and people not ever really saying no to either of them has created a utopian ‘fair world’ where everything is ‘equal’ and they get what they want eventually.

Ancedotally it's because of Diana. She insisted on raising William and Harry equally, which the BRF (largely the Queen Mother) opposed. So because of that, any opportunity William received, Harry also received. Which, fair, makes sense. Two kids, send them to the same places, make life easy for yourself, right? Especially if you're separated/divorced from your partner, treating the boys as a single unit/a pair made it easier to track custody and other arrangements.

Then when Diana died, Charles probably figured it was easier to keep William and Harry together so they could help each other through their grief and shared trauma. (And also Charles most likely had his own trauma from Gordonstoun that made him unable to see how terribly misfitted Harry was at Eton, which most likely played a part in it too.) And that became the new royal brand: "Diana's boys, William and Harry." So much so that when Charles began to develop the vision for his monarchy, it was "William and Harry and their wives."

Now granted, it's hard to plan roles for people who don't yet exist, but the wives never needed to exist for the plan to work. All Charles and the BRF needed to do was say "William and his wife and Harry and his wife." Instead, their scheme was a scheme of three: William, Harry, and Wives - copying the scheme of Charles, Andrew, and Diana+Sarah.

So essentially, Harry grew up and spent his formative years being treated as equal to William. Then when William married Kate, they became "We Three" (or whatever cutesy little nickname you like) instead of spinning William and Kate off to do their own thing, which paved the way to Fab Four and Harry's rude awakening that "no, actually, you're not equal to William, you're not even William's consort, no matter how hard you try."

The what-if of it all is what would've happened if Diana hadn't died in 1997. Diana understood, fundamentally, that the boys had different futures because she always talked about William being King. She may have wanted them to have the same childhoods so the self-esteem issues and the insecurity Diana felt growing up weren't likely to happen for Harry. But at what age would she have encouraged Harry to make his own path and go his own way from William?

[officalroyalsofpierreland]

The Emperor's 30 Year Jubilee | Service of Thanksgiving

St. Windenburg Cathedral, Windensen, Pierreland

The nation held a Service of Thanksgiving for the Emperor to which allies and family attended.

First to arrive is HM King Alexios Constantine of Greecesim with his children, TRH Crown Prince Stephanos and Princess Sofia of Greecesim. King Alexios lasted visited Pierreland as Crown Prince at the Wedding of the Emperor and Empress. However, the Emperor and Empress have visited Greecesim many times over the years, with the two nations sharing a strong naval alliance. King Alexios celebrated 10 years on the Greecesim throne, with those celebrations ending yesterday.

Next to arrive is TIM Queen Vivianna II and King Phillippe of the Ionian Union. Apart of the family of Europesim, the Ionian Union has a shared history with Pierreland with a Princess of Pierreland being an ancestor of the current Queen. On a more recent and personal note, Queen Vivianna had a short relationship with Crown Prince Louis years ago but has since found happiness with the French prince. @funkyllama

Rounding out the monarchs of Europesim, TIM Emperor Napoleon V and Empress Charlotte of the French arrived with the doting pair entering the cathedral. The youngest monarch, young Napoleon V none the less has inherited a strong relationship with Pierreland and even served with the Pierreland Navy for a brief joint exercise while he was a student at the Polytechnic. @empiredesimparte

The start of family have arrived with HM King Henrik of Charleston and HRH Prince Michael of Charleston who is also the Grand Duke of Burgundy in Pierreland. They arrived with their children, TRH Crown Princess Aurora, Prince Damien & Princess Brigitta. The Charlestonian Royal family has spent time with members of the Pierreland Imperial family at private Imperial retreats where the reigning monarchs have be seen to take it slightly easier together over the years. @thecharlestonroyalfamily

Next to arrive are TIH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Siene. The parents of HIH Prince Anthony and HRH Crown Princess Minerva, the pair are the eldest members of the Imperial family. With some health scares over the past year, many do worry for the health of the Grand Duke and are surprised to see him at today's service.

Following the arrival of her parents, we see TRH the Crown Princess Minerva and Crown Prince Nicholas of Lunaria. Crown Princess Minerva is a beloved member of the Valois family, with her mark being made in her furthering ties with Lunaria, first as Pierreland's Ambassador to the nation but now as their Crown Princess. She comes back to Pierreland as often as her schedule allows to visit with her immediate family, her cousin the Emperor, good friend the Empress and their children. Her daughters arrived behind her, TRH Princess Alexandrine wearing blue, Princess Odessa in pink, and Princess Magdalena being accompanied by her boyfriend Prince Magnus of Argyll. Princess Magdalena has been seen in Pierreland studying at her mother's alma mater, the University of Brichester-Siene, and often in the orbit of the Scottish Prince. Princess Magdalena also has deep ties to the Imperial Family and Emperor David due to her close friendship with Crown Prince Louis since they were both toddlers. @simsroyallegacy

Arriving after his younger sister, HIH the Earl of Clairvaux arrived with his husband, Lord Consort Nashville of Clairvaux. The Earl has worked as a member of the Imperial Judicial Courts for the past 20 years and often advises the Emperor on legal matters. Meanwhile the Lord Consort is a former member of the Imperial Army.

Next to arrive are the members of the Scottish Royal Family, TM King Alexander III & Queen Marie Christine. Queen Marie Christine is the Emperor's younger sister and has held a deep love for her homeland and her family. The pair have ensured that their children have had exposure to both cultures with both families spending time at various royal retreats over the years. Meanwhile TRH the Duke and Duchess of Rothsey arrive, with the pair having their own unique ties to the Emperor. The pair are reportedly very well loved by the Emperor, who insisted on being their first state visit!

Next to arrive are the Emperor's adoptive children, the Grand Duke of Bordeaux & Mrs. Isabella Villa, and their families. First is the Grand Duke & Grand Duchess of Bordeaux and their three children, Lord Arthur, Lord Dominque and Lady Artemis. This is followed by Mr Sebastian and Mrs. Isabella Villa along with their two sons, Arthur and Jeffery. @royalhouseofcarrington

Last to Arrive is the immediate Imperial family. HIH Crown Prince Louis was all smiles and waves as he entered wearing a light blue waist coat with his morning suit while his younger twin siblings opted to go for a dark blue approach with HIH Princess Maria Aisha forgoing a hat or fascinator on this occasion. Last to enter, were of course TIM Emperor David and Empress Katalina. The pair, who have been married for the majority of the Emperor's reign, seemed to be in as love as ever as they carried on a conversation that they were having in the car.

The service, led by the Archbishop of Windensen, spoke of servant leadership (pretty apt due to the amount of monarchs and future monarchs in the room) and prayed for the Emperor's health and peace for the Empire.

[targayrenss]

A Dance With Dragons (I) -Daemon Targaryen x Velaryon Oc

pairing:Daemon Targaryen x Velaryon Oc

Content: Incest, Age-Gap,Angst

Jocelyn had never met her father's sister, but according to him, they were both very alike.

After her uncomfortable funeral, Jocelyn decided to go to the beach to soak her feet a bit, that was the excuse she gave her mother to get out of that uncomfortable place.

Looking at the sea she thought about how nice it would be to have a funeral like her aunt's, they were born from the sea and in her death they would return to hers, Jocelyn always thought of her as more Velaryon than Targaryen.

She loved her mother's house, she loved her dragon, star, she and her dragon shared a very special bond, Jocelyn loved everything about her dragon, from her star-like white eyes to her sea-blue scales.

She knew that one day it would be the dragon of one of her future children that would burn her body, she would rather become another fish in the sea than be reduced to ashes.

"I see your father didn't lie when he said you're the spitting image of him." Jocelyn tilted her head to see the owner of that voice.

Daemon Targaryen, Jocelyn had never met her uncle nor was she interested in doing so, and apparently her mother had no interest in her meeting him either.

—Uncle, I am very sorry for your loss, I would have loved to meet my aunt, my father always tells me the stories of his childhood shared with his sister

Daemon didn't answer but smiled at her, Jocelyn thought that was it so she turned her gaze back to the sea.

The prince took a seat on the sand next to her—It's beautiful, isn't it? I've never been so interested in the sea but now I can see how beautiful it is.

Jocelyn just nodded.

As she watched the sea, Daemon looked at her.

Jocelyn doubted if what she was going to ask was appropriate, she was comfortable and she was afraid that her question would ruin everything.

—Do you think I'll be a good queen?

-Who are they?

—Everyone! Everyone will hate me, they minimized my reign, the mother says that I will get married soon, the people will see my husband as their king, not as a king consort.

Smart girl, she was right in everything she said but at least she knows the truth, not like her mother who is completely blind to people's opinions.

—Whether they hate you or not, they will have to accept you as their queen, and if they don't, don't hesitate to burn them to ashes.

Jocelyn and Daemon looked at each other, both smiling at each other.

"My prince! Princess! His presence is requested in the throne room." The guard looked quite agitated.

Daemon took Jocelyn's shoulder and led them both into the living room.

The closer they got they could hear the screams coming from inside, Jocelyn hurried on until she flung open the door.

Everyone's attention fell on the young princess and the Daemon prince.

“Luke! Jace! What happened?” Jocelyn knelt down to her smallest brother's level, “Come on, show your sister.

“They attacked me!” Jocelyn looked from her to Aemond, the poor man mutilated.

Jocelyn shared a look with Daemon which did not go unnoticed by Rhaenyra.

She didn't know when or how, but the queen had thrown herself at her mother with a knife in her hand, managing to make a big cut on her arm.

"Enough, we can't go on like this! We're family!" Viserys yelled at everyone, "I'm not going to allow this family to separate anymore."

Jocelyn felt the king's gaze on her.

"My granddaughter, Jocelyn, and my son Aegon will marry, they will both inherit Dragonstone, and when their time comes, they will both reign together."

"Father." Rhaenyra tried to convince her father that this was a bad idea.

—It's an order! My granddaughter has already bled but she will be until she is sixteen days old when they should get married.

Jocelyn couldn't believe that she would have to marry Aegon, it was the compensation prize for a fight neither of them were involved in.

She went to sleep thinking that everything would improve but she did not, when she woke up she went directly to her father's funeral.

When her father's ashes were thrown into the sea, she Jocelyn headed to the beach hoping that if she went into the sea she would feel her father one last time.

Lost in her thoughts, she did not hear the footsteps that followed her.

"Sorry for your loss, niece."

Jocelyn was slow to answer, once again wondering if what was about to come out of her mouth was for the best, but she did.

I need you to do something for me, man.

Jocelyn turned back, seeing her uncle, he had more than thirty days of his name, he was taller than her, Jocelyn thought that even if she wasn't a girl he would still be taller than her, his eyes are the darkest violet she has ever seen.

"Take me to Dragonstone and make me your wife."

[myths0f01d]

On occasions Arthur would go out hunting. Though that is what he told Uther. He'd take Merlin and a few close guards, such as Leon, and ride out to a forest far and over the land. They would settle and Leon would nod at the two as they left separate to the party. The knights would hunt and those who wished not to, would go with Merlin and Arthur to a far village that did not know what the prince of Camelot looked like. So as the nights reigned on, Merlin and Arthur would drink their fill, gambling and placing bets and having a merry time. On rare occasions Merlin would be brave enough to take Arthur's hand, as it was common amongst far villages for men to be in love, and he would pull Arthur to the floor as they danced with others. Merlin dorned a large wondrous smile while other wore eyes of a love struck fool, a smile to match that of Merlin's. And they would dance. They would have fleeting touches as their breath grew tiresome from the laughter and their feet grew sore. And when all was well and done they would retire to a room upstairs. The candle light flickering softly to illuminate each feature on their faces. Arthur would trace a finger gently down Merlins face and Merlin would place soft kisses on Arthur's hand and knuckles. A sign of devotion and utter love each held for the others. These moments were rare. They happened few. They did not dare to do more for fear of Uther finding out. And so on these rare trips to outer lying villages as common with a man to another, the people would look away as they felt they were breaching an intimate and private moment amongst the two as they looked in eachothers eyes. With their secret touches when garnered. And so as the night went out and dawn rose so did they. Merlin and Arthur and any knight that joined them would head out back into the forest to meet with the hunting party, what they caught was their proof. And as Merlin and Arthur mounted their horses they pretended. The pretended to not hold such love for the other. Pretended their touch was little more then that of need and they pretended to be surface level friends as they bantered, such as what was appropriate for a servant and a prince. Though as they rode at the front back to Camelot, the knights looked on, they look with sorrow in their eyes knowing the two could be nothing more until Uther was well and away, no longer on the throne. And on those ever rare occasions when Merlin and Arthur were alone, Merlins eyes would light up with gold, Arthur's breath hitching as molten butterflies of many gold and sparkling colours the likes of jewels would flout around them, one landing on his very nose. They would dissappear in puffs and slow sparkles like the drizzling rain, Merlin would bless him with a kiss on the nose and nothing more would happen. This went on for many years, trips to outer lying villages. Forest for hunting and tavern nights lit my the stars and candle light, when laughter was a comforting sound and the people were welcoming of them. On those nights they both cherished.

And as the years went on and Uther passed and Arthur became king did he finally allow himself to court Merlin properly, in the light of day amongst many people, no longer holding fear and secret. Magic was returned to the land and they built Albion together from top to bottom as years passed. Druids were welcomed back to the citidale and any practice of magic was legalized. Though that of ill will and intent would swiftly find themselves at the feet of Emrys.

And as the bells rang day end and night out it signaled the final union of the two. Arthur taking Merlin as his husband. The kings consort. To rule by his side for ever and always.

And as the people looked upon them with peace and true happiness in a longer time then any would rather admit, they saw, they saw how in love the two were. Irrevocable and unconditional soul bound, so in love.

People would strive to find a love like the king and his magical consort. None ever coming close but always finding their happiness in the end.

And as the ages went by and Arthur retired the throne, he and Merlin went off to a land over on the other side of the forest, built a cottage and become farmers, a simple and truly happy life Arthur always wanted with Merlin. Their friends knew where to find them and if Canelot should ever raise her calls of need they would head her and help.

And that is how they spent out the rest of their days.

In flowered meadows and trickling streams, on grassy hills and sunny trees, on a breeze so light and warm and the air filled with honey and all things of comfort.

That's how Arthur and Merlin spent it with one another. No longer with secret touches or fluttering gazes. But instead with prolonged touches and eyes staring for hours in the simple being of each other.

They loved wholly and truly.

And that's how they ended.

In love and at peace.

[sparkyblizz]

Crown Prince Kirby

okay I just like how that sounds but that came from an idea I had for a story. I was thinking of making it an original story and tweaking the premise but it was inspired by Kirby, King Dedede, and Meta Knight, so here we go.

basically, both King Dedede and Meta Knight, having been bested by Kirby, decide they both want to take him under their wing as a sort of adoptive father, but neither of them will let the other do it alone, and so they compromise by deciding to do it together. however, hijinks ensue because the Dream Land government (run by waddle dees? I guess? that's a really funny idea to me, also Dedede would still be the head of the government) has a whole host of rules and hoops to jump through that would make becoming Kirby's legal guardians hard, and one thing that would make it easier is if they were married. you know where this is going (more under the cut)

the idea is that they'd commit to the bit and get legally married just to make adoption easier but instead of being able to just the sign the paper, Kirby gets wind of their marriage plans and is like "You're not gonna have the big party? :(" and they're like "I guess we have to do it now"

also neither of them think it through enough until one of the dees has to tell King Dedede that marrying Meta Knight makes him the Prince Consort of Dream Land (or King Consort depending on how you look at it because, at least in British monarchy, the husband of the queen, the reigning monarch, is usually prince consort because king is perceived as the higher title and the reigning monarch gets the higher title, but decidedly some monarchies will call the role King Consort so. it depends on how Dedede feels about the matter I guess. maybe they can argue over Meta Knight's title)

and then later when they actually adopt Kirby once again King Dedede has to be informed that because he has no other children or relatives to speak of that would be in line for his throne, that would make his adopted son the Crown Prince of Dream Land (now once again with the British monarchy, an adopted child would not inherit the throne because it's about bloodlines but like. Dream Land is not Britain so)

also worth noting, when discussing this with a friend we came up with the hilarious idea of there being just a Bureaucrat Waddle Dee who is in charge of all the annoying paperwork (and he wears a tie or something)

anyway of course King Dedede and Meta Knight would fall in love because I love romance but. this is just an insane idea that I wanted to write out because it's so funny to me

[empyreau]

=I know people like to joke about Radahn flippantly agreeing to be Miquella's consort when they're both children and then all the years later being held to that promise, but I think that's GODDAMN ADORABLE AND SWEET!

I like to think all of the siblings were at the very least somewhat close back then (there's that fanart of Miq, Radahn, and Malenia as kids that gets me right in the feels) and maybe it might have been said in an unserious moment but I don't think it was said unseriously. I don't think Radahn would say anything that could potentially be taken seriously as a joke?

And then later on STRONG FEELINGS develop between them (insert all of the 'what-if scenarios' of Miq and Radahn spending time together to foster such feelings before Radahn is cursed). A slow-burn for the ages. Like, oh I know we were close as kids but NOW IT'S COMING INTO PLACE CLEARER! I don't really care about figuring out how him getting cursed by Malenia fits into this. For some reason it happens.

And then stuff happens and in the end they finally live and love and reign eternally together as god and king consort! (also see siringadev's art for some feels hits and what inspired me to make this blog)=

[sarcasticsweetlara]

hiii, i have seen lot of ideas where the dance never happens like rhaenyra having a succesful reign, happy marriage life for jace-baela/ luke-rhaena. i think it would be funny if viserys run away to lys in a saera style for the drama, well my point is i like your au's so i wanted to know if you have headcanons for team black where the dance of the dragons never happened

There are many scenarios I could think of, actually...

And it depends how you want to see it because there are things that if erased creates more advantages and new situations, but could still stop the war.

1. Alicent accepts Rhaenyra's proposal of betrothing Jace and Helaena.

And Baela is betrothed to a Velaryon cousin (not a son of Vaemond due his infamy of wanting to take Driftmark from Corlys and his line), like a grandson of Malentine Velaryon (Maelor Velaryon; it's most likely Maelor is a Velaryon name; the son of Maerax Velaryon son of Malentine Velaryon) to support the claim of Lucerys and back him

<<Read more below>>

With Helaena becoming Queen consort she gives legitimacy to Jace's reign as well as Alicent getting her daughter as Queen consort, and with Baela being a backbone with the Velaryons then Luke will receive support as the Lord of Driftmark with Rhaena as Lucerys' wife as well; Jace's children could marry Baela's children and Joffrey as well marries one of the daughters of Baela to further legitimize his line.

Baela would be a lady-in-waiting for Helaena, and together they would arrange the betrothal of their children.

2. Jace marries Baela (now Daemon sees his daughter as Queen), Lucerys still marries Rhaena, and the children of Luke and Rhaena marry the children of Joff.

Now, in all of the scenarios present Aegon III would marry Daenaera as an alliance (they would always marry each other), and Viserys II would marry his niece Daena <<Daena deserved to become The Queen and be the mother of Daeron II and Daenerys, and of the whole dynasty>> to unite their bloodlines; and if baby Visenya survives, then Viserys would marry her (the original plan of Martin), and their son would marry their niece Daena to once again unite the bloodline with Daena being Queen and having her uncle and aunt as Hand and counselors.

3. Other possible scenario but this time after Rhaenyra: Aegon the Younger calls for a High Council once Rhaenyra dies peacefully, and he is chosen as king as the oldest legitimate son of Rhaenyra (Jace would no longer have the protection of Rhaenyra), Baela gets to Maelor Velaryon, and she becomes the Lady of Driftmark as a consort (we know Corlys would never choose her, but he could choose a great-great-nephew he liked), while Rhaena marries Corwyn Corbray, and Viserys would still marry either Visenya or Daena; but even then Aegon III would have mercy and spare the lives of Jace, Luke and Joffrey, and they would be married off to minor ladies.

Honestly, in the second and third scenarios I have to admit I think Aegon would eventually reach for the Throne because legitimately it is his.

...

Anyways, Rhaena's children would marry Baela's children, and Rhaena and Baela would be councilors to both Aegon III and Viserys II Targaryen.

I think it would be nice to see Daena or Visenya matching Viserys' fire and having a partner who is an equal and loves and supports him since he would be spared being a hostage of three different Lyseni families that threatened him and also would spare Westeros of the Rogare family, Aegon the Unworthy and the Blackfyre Rebellions.

Either way any of these relationships would mirror that of Baelon and Alyssa or Daemon and Rhaenyra.

But beyond that, Baela would be happy to become Lady of Driftmark, this time in a happy marriage, and would have a husband devoted to her; she would name her first daughter in honor of her mother and first son in honor of her grandfather Corlys; and Laena would be the grandmother of Aelinor Penrose through a daughter of hers (HC: Coryssa Velaryon) who married into House Penrose.

Rhaena would be free of the pressure of providing an heir quickly and therefore her first baby would be born, and would be able to use her dragon to quell the protestors against Joffrey Arryn (the heir of Jeyne Arryn) and Corwyn would live.

Baela would always introduce Daenaera to Aegon III, and Rhaena would take Viserys II on travels to Dragonstone and the whole realm.

Once Viserys II comes back, (if Visenya is not alive) Daena would meet him and they would fall in love and marry.

Baela's favorite niece would be Daena, followed by the daughters of her sister Rhaena, whereas Rhaena's favorite niece would be her little namesake.

Without the trauma of Larra Rogare and the need to overcompensate due to their involvement, Viserys II would see the practicality in sending Baelor to a Sept and therefore there would be no Maidenvault, and no threat of a religious war with the Stepstones, the Iron Isles and the North, as well as no disbalance of taxes going to the High Septons.

Rhaenyra and Daemon would be able to meet their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and if Rhaenyra's daughter survives, Rhaenyra would have loved spoiling her little princess.

If Baela and Rhaena's full younger brother survives as well, this little boy called Aemon in honor of his great-grandfather, would be completely loyal to his half-brothers Aegon the Younger and Viserys, he would have a keep of his own in the Crownlands given by Rhaenyra so he doesn't compete against the Strong boys

But even then, Aemon would support his legitimate younger brother's birthright.

If Aemon lives, he would marry Maris Baratheon and that's one more ally for the Blacks.

Aemon would claim Grey Ghost itself or steal one of its eggs, he's the son of Daemon and Laena after all, and want to fight but he would be beat to it by Baela.

Aemon would be a male mini-Laena being as adventurous, smooth and demure as his mother, and his sisters would tell him stories about their mother.

Viserys would claim Vermithor and if Visenya lives, then she can claim Silverwing, and Daena and Rhaena could get one of the other dragon eggs of their aunt Rhaena, Elaena's egg could also hatch as well.

Baela would get a new dragon from one of the eggs of Morning as well.

Daemon would teach all of his sons how to fight and encourage them to embrace chaos.

Baela and Rhaena would spoil their little sister Visenya, and as Baela is a tomboy and Rhaena a girl's girl, I like to think Visenya would be kind of an introvert with a stylish witch vibe.

Viserys II would bring his mother many treasures he found on his travels.

And without the trauma of seeing Rhaenyra die, Aegon would proudly wear the crown of Rhaenyra and Daena would wear it as well.

And Visenya would get special tiaras for herself and Viserys as the second and third in command of Aegon III and later Daena.

And I guess these are my headcanons.

[teecupangel]

An AU with King Altair, his consort Desmond, Ezio the royal guard, and Ratonhnhaké:ton the Hunt Master. In the grand hall, Altair rules over all. And behind closed doors, it's Desmond that controls the three men. (And the rumors are rampant about the royal consort sleeping with both the royal guard and huntsman behind his husbands back, when in reality, Altair is there for nearly all 'encounters'.) Basically it's a harem AU lol.

Not gonna lie, I saw “... there for nearly all ‘encounters’.” and my mind went for “Cuckling? We going for cuckling?” and I’m like “yeah, okay, I can get behind that” XD

Okay, let’s set this up…

(warning, there is hint of mpreg on this one)

Altaïr and Desmond married for political reasons due to certain complications concerning how Altaïr had succeeded to the throne.

William Miles is the head of the Grand Duchy of Miles withDesmond Miles being the oldest of his children and the only child he bore with his first wife. House Miles is one of the most prominent noble families in the kingdom, gaining more power and influence during the reign of Grand Duke William Miles as the head of House Miles. His first wife being able to trace back her ancestral line to the first rulers of their kingdom has also helped in adding more legitimacy to the possibility of the Grand Duchy being ‘worthy’ of taking the throne… in case there is a need to do such a thing.

And such a thing almost came to pass thanks to how King Altaïr had taken the throne. The previous king, King Rashid, had started to push forward concerning plans and laws that all seem to lead to one conclusion: “declaration of war to neighboring countries”.

Because of this, majority of the noble families tried to dissuade the king, many of them worried for the people while others did it because they knew the risk it possesses in their current standing in the nobility hierarchy. Rashid pushed forward with the plans, together with the support of the other noble families (either willing to go to war for greed or honor), and planned to strip those who opposed him of their noble ranks.

Including William Miles.

Now, this is where the story gets muddy.

Some would say it was Crown Prince Altaïr, grandson of King Rashid and his only remaining family, who went to William Miles, propelled by a desire to stop the war before it begins. Others would say that it was William Miles who approached the crown prince, promising him the throne if he was to side with his faction.

Those who believe the latter would also say that the main reason why the Crown Prince had sided against his own blood is that they did not actually share the same bleed.

Crown Prince Altaïr was officially the son of the late Umar, a knight from a minor house with a mysterious unknown origin, and Rashid’s daughter, the late princess. But the rumor was that the late princess had been barren and Altaïr was Umar’s son from another woman to ensure a successor.

It’s a rumor that had been gaining steam since the crown prince had shown how ‘perfect’ he is to succeed his grandfather.

Some would say ‘too perfect’… as if he was compensating for his ‘dirty blood’.

Regardless of the reason, the crown prince became the face of the noble faction against war and they were able to remove Rashid from the throne with minimal bloodshed.

The then Crown Prince Altaïr married Desmond Miles a month later.

And two weeks later, he ascended the throne as the new king.

Unorganized Notes:

A lot of people believe that Altaïr and Desmond married for political reasons. House Miles married into the royal family which means that House Miles’ influence had grown even further while Altaïr would quell any whispers of his questionable blood (which might not even be true) by marrying Desmond who has been recorded and confirmed to have royal blood thru his ancestral line.

Because of this, a lot of people liked to ‘joke’ that Desmond has all the right to have lovers on the side and, even if any children he bore are not Altaïr’s, they are still a legitimate successor since Desmond is the one with the royal blood.

House Miles would never speak of this to outsiders but Desmond had already been passed over as the next head of House Miles when he was a child because the grand duke considered him lacking in many areas and focused his attention on Desmond’s younger half-sister who showed promise, a girl William had with his second wife. (Whether this is Lucy or Layla is up to you). Desmond had been raised with the knowledge that he is nothing more than a bargaining chip to further House Miles’ influence.

Desmond’s mother isn’t dead. She and William divorced when Desmond was around 5 years old and she’s living in her family estates in the capital. Desmond would visit her every summer and that is when he and Altaïr had first met.

They’re not exactly childhood friends, they’re not even friends at all. At most, they were acquaintances who would sometimes be at the same tea party or gala or something and their eyes would just… find one another. Altaïr never knew him as a member of House Miles and Desmond isn’t stupid enough to not know he wasn’t the prince. Desmond developed a crush on him in that “he’s so far out of my league” kind of way while Altaïr… well… Altaïr wasn’t sure what he feels for Desmond was until his aide/royal guard Malik informed him that it was called ‘attraction’ while calling him an idiot.

Altaïr actually only learned that Desmond is William Miles’ son when he visited House Miles’ ancestral home to talk to the grand duke about Rashid. Before this, they barely talked.

Altaïr was the one who requested Desmond’s hand. William believed that Altaïr had done such a thing to ensure the legitimacy of his rule. Nope. Altaïr had been pining for Desmond for yeeeaarrrssss while Desmond had been pining for him at the same time and both of them are idiots who didn’t do anything because they believe their stations are too far for a relationship to be approved (Altaïr believing Desmond is a son of a minor lord and Desmond believing a ‘failure’ like him would never be given the time of day) and, now that Altaïr knew that William Miles needed his cooperation, he had an excuse to marry Desmond. (Because fuck courting, Altaïr is in it for the long haul)

Desmond went into the marriage believing it was a political one, only to be surprised when Altaïr treated him with kindness and, really, Altaïr was pretty clear when he straight out told Desmond that he had been carrying a torch for him for years… even if it took Desmond a few weeks (and a lot of gifts and awkward Altaïr trying to be charming) for him to believe it.

Their sex life did quite start off being quite vanilla and it’s only when they started experimenting that they realize how much they enjoyed a change of their dynamic where Desmond is the one in control.

Desmond taking in Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton would come quite a bit later when they’re both comfortable with their feelings for one another and it started off as something ‘fun’ they wanted to try out. Primarily, Altaïr wanted Desmond to have sex with someone while he watches and fuck Desmond after.

They both decided on Ezio because they believed he could be trusted and he’s hot af.

Ezio is actually the second son of a noble family that got burned by Rashid during the few last years of his reign. Ezio had been preparing to kill him in a suicide mission when he learned that Altaïr had taken the throne. He became a guard to check if Altaïr is worthy to be king and kill him if he’s not.

He did not, however, expected to like Altaïr as king and have a crush on Desmond that he wouldn’t do anything about… until he got invited in the royal couple’s bed and well…

He became a frequent visitor.

He and Altaïr grew close because of it and he likes to joke about Altaïr’s ‘kinks’ when they’re alone.

Being in love with Desmond came soon after that and he became Desmond’s lover with Altaïr’s approval (there was a bit of angst on Ezio’s part for being in love with a married man who is in love with his husband but that got thrown out of the window when Altaïr told him that they both knew his love for Desmond and that Altaïr wishes to nourish it).

Ratonhnhaké:ton was more of happenstance. To be more specific, Ratonhnhaké:ton saw Desmond during the yearly Royal Hunt and was attracted to him. Altaïr saw his potential and just… suggested him to Desmond during one of the Royal Hunts. After the celebrations, Ratonhnhaké:ton took the mantle of Hunt Master in the capital and never left.

Ratonhnhaké:ton is the illegitimate child of Count Kenway and there are rumors that he joined the royal court as the Hunt Master as a big ‘fuck you’ to the count who is part of the noble faction that is against (not openly) Altaïr’s rule. There are conflicting rumors of his ‘rumored’ relationship with the Prince Consort as either another way to insult House Kenway or is actually a ploy of Count Kenway to destabilize King Altaïr’s rule from the inside.

Nope. Ratonhnhaké:ton has cut all ties with the count even before he started sharing Desmond’s bed and he doesn’t give a shit about House Kenway after his last ‘confrontation’ with the count.

Desmond sometimes top… as a treat XD

“You would do anything for love, after all” is a phrase Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton have heard from Altaïr before and they’re not sure if it’s meant to be an explanation to why Altaïr is fine with Desmond having lovers or if Altaïr supporting their relationships was a way to ensure Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton would prioritize Desmond’s safety above all else in the worst case scenario. Altaïr never bothered to answer that one.

[aita-blorbos]

(🐇🏳️‍⚧️🗡️ OC)

AITA for...um... Committing matricide and abandoning my throne?

It's been a very long time since this happened, I couldn't really take it back in any meaningful way, and I wouldn't if I could, but I still wonder occasionally. I was technically born the crown prince of a small, constantly-threatened country. My mother, having been its queen for multiple traditional lifetimes, wanted above all else for me to be its responsible next ruler, and I was an only child. Because of our precarious status, every ruler had to be a peerless fighter and tactician.

After the death of my father, the King-Consort, she lost much of what had been holding her back from mistreating me. She wanted me to be strong, so she "made me strong", let her closest advisors experiment on me to make me "better than even she was". (Similar things had been done to her when she was young, and her mother before her, and so on..) It was nothing short of torture, but... she'd been through it too, I suppose.

Before and after that was years and years of grueling training - I hadn't lived in the actual castle since I was six, and instead was in a remote facility dedicated to elite "soldiers" like myself and my mother. Sometimes it was her, sometimes similarly skilled seniors, but all of them... brought me to the limit, and didn't stop until my life was at risk. I got used to that eventually, though. I met my sisters in that facility, as well - other trainees going through hell, and we supported each other.

But most importantly, when I was preparing to graduate into the main force of our order, I was sent to investigate a ruin near our border to the sea. I saved someone who'd been there a very long time, but barely scraped by on my official mission, and my mother was prepared to get physical about it, as she had been wont to do. My confidence had somewhat grown by then, and I actually let myself retaliate. I...took it further, though, and my home lost its Queen that day. I'd had enough, evidently.

In a scramble to get me ready to take her place, I was sent into the world earlier than most of our order. There, I met a foxen bard, F(25m). I(22m) ((both at the time)) realized he'd been the one I'd taken out of that ruin. He was delighted to see me, and soon we'd decided to travel together, though that was against the rules I was meant to live by. We spent most of the year together, and the next, my sisters were present as well. The year after that, though, for several reasons I returned to the royal palace. Despite my extensive training in every facet, the role of Crown Prince was clearly not something I was suited to.

At the same time, F and I became boyfriends, and in general our time together had taught me that what I wanted actually mattered. He could tell all of it was eating away at me, and did his best to help me, but I felt like trying to help the people through their difficult times was the least I could do to make up for my mother's iron-fisted reign. Eventually, though, I couldn't take it anymore, and when he gently suggested we take an "opportunity" to just leave and live the lives we wanted, I found myself packing bags the same night.

It has been years since, and I have not been back to that kingdom. It's no longer a kingdom, even, but an Alliance. My sisters occasionally give me and F (husbands, now, if you can believe it) updates when either visits the area, but beyond that, I did my best to ignore what was left in my wake. There is a lot of detail and nuance here that should not be written in one simple ask to tamp down on length, but I am happy to elaborate if it's asked of me. For the most part.

I am fully aware it was incredibly selfish, and I do feel plenty of guilt for essentially abandoning plenty of real people in real danger, but I have never outright regretted it. Is that...wrong?

[bigbarabelly]

Okay, what's the political power situation between Lucifer and Hades? I imagine that Hades is the ancient king of hell and that Lucifer is a powerful fallen angel who became Hades' Prince consort. Or are they both powerful Cukes of hell and now are Hell's power couple Mark Anthony and Cleopatra style? I want to know because your ocs are cool and horny reasons because I like my smut with complex politics.

@trtyutr

MOOD I make new ocs every five minutes and immediately give them a bf and figure out the angst and positives and who they actually are other than a completely one dimensional ab and belly dude of jerk off art u know?

Talking with my buddy about figuring their back story since we made these dudes basically in the last week akfjdhs but figure Hades has been in command of the underworld for god knows how long of ageless creation eons losing to Zeus on the power grab of duties. Lucifer getting his ass slam dunked to earth or straight to the underworld core for being kicked out of his Fathers heaven house for “clashing ideals” LMAO

and idk shit about either religions we are basic googling and ocifying the FUCK out of fiction and aesthetics lmao

and hades just kind of watching and learning who this odd god, human, or whatever wayward soul he is acting like he owns the place. He can’t quit figure out wtf he is in terms of not being the same vein of cosmic family as his Olympian godhood. Both eternally long living and existing and yet unknowing of each other as equals being in power and their own realms of control of the mortal and cosmic planes. Hades servants are like so should we kick him out? And he’s just kinda like wait I wanna see how this plays out. He’s kinda funky and new and I’m bored.

Hades is more calm and stoic but quicker to yell and impose his reign to remind his house of who is in charge. While Lucifer is viciously sweet and deceptively calm in his anger. He doesn’t yell but is so fucking serious you can feel it radiating through the dark depths of hell. Whereas hades when he’s mad or just emotive in general has his black hair crackling and fiery. Hades runs the general of everything while Lucifer deals with details and keeping things tight knit and things from slipping through the cracks of their control. Hades is imposing physical control while Lucifer is politics and spies to keep his organization in place. They’re both disgustingly sappy towards each other but Lucifer is more vile and way more eager to be nasty. Hades has a soft heart under it all.

They spoil the fuck out of their son cause he wasn’t really planned and they have no intention of giving up their ever eternal rule together. Which is fine with Ace cause he doesn’t want it. He’s a creation of their love and passion for finding each other and wants to explore earth away from his gross kissy dads to find his own love and longing for life away from the land of the dead LMAO

Hades fell for Lucifer first just watching him and being enamored with his flaunt and cunning. Lucifer fell for him harder tho and became obsessed. They’re so gross just “my love” “my heart” “my darkness”. Hades is shyer but will 100% say fuck it and make his servants please him. Lucifer does whatever he wants whenever he wants and will straddle hades mid meeting whether he kicks out the courts or not. Lucifer ended up knocked up and carried ace most of the pregnancy, but they magically trade off sometimes so he can rest and hades can bond with their bb too ;u;. Ultimately tho hades gave birth to ace and hoo boy it was not easy and he hated it LMAO but Luc was a shining partner the entire time for him and celebrations for their sons birth lasted agesssss

[floralcrematorium]

you got me thinking about Henry marrying Nyo England and getting mad when she kept coming back after he beheaded her because she can't bear children.

*reawakens from my Tudor queens hyperfixation*

I AM HERE

Get ready for the longest nonsensical ramble nobody asked for. Does this make sense? I don’t know, let’s find out together.

My personal headcanon is that Nyo!England, or Alice, wasn’t married off to other royalty but instead powerful nobles. In the 1600s after the fall of the Tudor dynasty specifically.

She hated it for obvious reasons.

On top of that, I have a feeling that she’s somewhere on the ace spectrum and is demiromantic. If she were ever to fall in love it would be the slowest slow burn of all. I also don’t see her having a gender preference, but I digress. She’s always been a bit of a prude regarding nudity and “risqué topics.”

In regard to the Tudor period, I think this is abouts when a lot of personal changes happen for Alice because of the English Reformation, her life at court, and subsequent arranged marriage(s).

As far as her relationship with the king, I don’t think Henry VIII would’ve pursued Alice as a romantic partner, but the thought of Alice continuously popping back up after being “executed” is an interesting thought.

I see her being a well respected lady at court, in rank nearly equivalent to Anne of Cleves’ following her divorce (Anne of Cleves was the highest ranking English woman after the Queen Consort and Henry’s daughters, who had by this time been reinherited. If I’m wrong, then at least Mary was reinherited thanks to Jane Seymour). Imagine whatever Arthur’s rank would be at court, but the feminine equivalent for the early 1500s. Alice relished being at court, it gave her a feeling of power she hadn’t felt growing up. She had more freedom in her adolescence, but this was the first time she had political sway (she was part of the Queen’s household).

She would have had a rather positive relationship with Catherine of Aragon. I think they’re actually both very similar; Well educated for women of the time, smart, enduring, and headstrong. Alice also would have been Catholic, seeing as how England largely practiced Catholicism until Henry VIII formed the Church of England and mandated the practice of Protestantism.

I think the English Reformation shatters Alice on a variety of levels; Her relationship with religion becomes difficult, she is reminded yet again that women are not safe regardless of their social rank (albeit royal and noble women had it far better than the average person — Tudor England had the highest rates of educated women among the nobility in Europe), and finds herself endangered as well.

The Wars of the Roses had been a tumultuous time politically and I haven’t figured out Alice’s role before the 1490s other than the ye ol’ horse girl to court gossiper pipeline.

This is when a lot of things click for Alice. This is when she’s no longer the perfect “English Rose,” an ideal lady of the court. I think this is when she starts to become more cynical, especially as she’s probably near reached physical adulthood (I haven’t figured out how she ages yet smh). She honestly probably would have gotten executed at least once for having a similar attitude to the progression of England’s governing and religion that Catherine of Aragon and Mary did. Clearly seen in Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and other high ranking women’s case, nobody was safe from the executioner’s block.

I don’t think she would have been unkind to Henry’s future queens (my personal bias), but there may have been some resentment. I have a soft spot for young Katherine Howard, though I feel like she would’ve been Alice’s least favorite.

Following the death of Henry, Alice would’ve fared alright during the reigns of his children. I have no clue what she was doing during Edward’s reign. She would’ve been fine during Mary’s reign considering her support for her mother. I also think she would’ve been fine during Elizabeth’s reign.

Admittedly my knowledge about English history and royal history fizzles out when the Stuart dynasty comes into play (1603 w/ death of Elizabeth I), but it’s around this time when Alice is used as a political pawn in marriage.

I could see her having formed some sort of deep connection with a human who is a constant presence in her life, or maybe another nation (you can take the person (me) out of Hetalia fandom, but you can’t take the FrUK out of the person). This is ripped away from her when England tests the waters with marrying Alice off for the first time. She’d had brief arranged engagements before, but they’d never gone through.

This one did and he was terrible.

He’s some made up man and all I know is that he’s terrible enough that Alice is willing to consider killing him to get out of the marriage and inherit his land.

Alice convinced her husband to have a nice countryside vacation, she studies some plants because she likes gardening, and one thing leads to another — he’s been poisoned and Alice is being tried for witchcraft in the 1660s/70s.

She gets put through ordeal by water.

She is very, very reluctant to return to court life, seeing as how the last time she was there she was treated like property. I’m unsure if she would retain her ex-husband’s estate after her second attempted execution.

She eventually does return to court because it’s a. her only choice and b. the allures of the potential for personal power and greed (enter the colonial period and imperialism).

Alice leaves the 17th century with newfound fears of arranged marriage (marriage at all tbh) and being fully submerged in water, a desire for some sort of control, and a discomfort living in rural areas despite her upbringing having been in small villages.

If she’s ever to marry again, it wouldn’t be until the late 20th century or beyond.

I also feel like her relationship with Arthur is. Difficult. They coexist but he will always be the main personification of England. They’ve had similar experiences, with both being immortals who age so slow that they don’t seem to age, but they can’t ever fully understand each other. In my head they’re related in some vague way, but have a strained sibling sort of relationship.

Admittedly I have a lot of research to do before I can feel comfortable with using my canon-divergent Nyo!England for anything. Most of my knowledge regarding English history comes from my AP European and World History classes in high school or my personal research into the royal family (Tudor and Victorian-Windsor period specific). My knowledge more so comes in the form of factoids about various English royals and not politics or culture, so I have a lot of blind spots. I’ve done my fair share of research into Tudor court life, but even then I’m not even sure if anything I’ve said above is valid.

Anywho, that’s the end of my ramble. Alice is a WIP because I have a lot of work to do regarding her role as a nation through each century. Hopefully when I’ve done the proper research I can do something with her, but my focus is on the Margaritaville AU right now. I’ll come back to her, though!!

[navree]

Why do you think Aegon the Conqueror couldn’t endure Visenya’s presence later in marriage during his reign as king? P.S. love your blog xoxo

Ah thank you, glad you like the varied ramblings <3

Honestly, it's entirely open to speculation as to why they fell out as spectacularly as they did. There is absolutely no documentation on how these two felt about each other at all, and the only mention we get that even approaches on anything touching the subject is the fact that there was an in-universe joke at Aegon's court that the reason why Visenya was put in charge of building the Red Keep was so that Aegon "would not have to endure her presence on Dragonstone". It's why I always say that any theorizing about the Conquerors always veers into straight headcanoning after a little bit, because we know so little that trying to extrapolate interpretations really just depends on how an individual perceives them as people and their relationships.

It could be that they were just never close and never really liked each other much, and as they got older were just less able to put that to the side and decided that the less they saw of each other, the better. If they already had a relationship fueled by enmity and never cared for each other, once they got what they needed from each other (an son in the form of Maegor, a spare to Aenys's heir for Aegon and a foothold in her own power for Visenya), they both agreed that they didn't need to spend any more time together and that it was best to split duties in order not to be in the same place at the same time. After all, when Aegon was an active ruler living in King's Landing with Aenys, Visenya and Maegor were at Dragonstone, and once Aegon decided to spend more time at Dragonstone while passing on most of his kingly duties to his son, he put Visenya in charge of the the Red Keep so that she'd be in King's Landing, still away from him (though Maegor was in residence on Dragonstone while he was there, which is a lot but also a matter for another time).

It could be that Visenya might have done something in those years to get on Aegon's bad side. Common perception in Westeros was that Visenya was the odd one out in her marriage, with the old saying like that "Aegon wed Visenya out of duty and Rhaenys out of desire." and the court noticing that "the king spent ten nights with Rhaenys for every night with Visenya" being very popular talking points not just in historical circles later, but contemporaneously while they were alive. With Rhaenys gone after her death in the First Dornish War, Aegon shooting down any suggestions that he take another wife, and Visenya then providing Aegon with a male child herself to disprove rumors that she was barren, Visenya was in the strongest position as a consort specifically than she had ever been since she got married. And Visenya might have let that get to her head, and since we know she wasn't shy not just about thinking Aenys an unfit king while he was actively reigning, but also about her opinions on Rhaenys herself, given that it was able to be recorded that "Queen Visenya thought her sister frivolous" (though I've discussed that quote and my thoughts surrounding it in detail and I do think it's more complicated than that), Visenya might have said some unkind things about Rhaenys that Aegon overheard. Maybe she mentioned Rhaenys's rumored infidelities (another thing I don't subscribe to personally) or just disparaged her as a person, or the fact that she died, and Aegon, who canonically never entirely got over what happened to his most beloved wife/baby sister, heard it and that led to a falling out that would eventually lead to being unable to endure having her even in the same part of the country as him.

It could also be that their grief over what happened to Rhaenys drove them apart. Grief is a really powerful thing, and it can sometimes create wounds that don't ever fully heal, especially if the grief is caused by an external factor, such as someone being killed by someone else's deliberate actions, for instance. It's why some couples end up divorced after the loss of a child, for example. It could honestly be that Rhaenys's death, already during a precarious time (in the middle of a war that wasn't going the exact way Aegon and Visenya wanted it to go), not to mention the way it created some immediate stressors for Aegon specifically in Aenys's mental breakdown and new worries for the succession, as well as weakening the Targaryens as a dynasty, might have just been too much to overcome, even once the war was over. Neither Aegon nor Visenya seem like people who were inclined to talk their feelings out or even try to vocalize them at all, simply preferring to internalize them, and that this meant they never communicated their needs to each other to try and be able to find peace with what happened to Rhaenys, and it ultimately drove them away from each other rather than bringing them closer together.

I do think, however, that the key thing to remember here is that the common elements that led to Aegon and Visenya being the way they were with each other later in life is that they were cold with each other, and grew more distant. That doesn't speak to them having a sudden argument and immediately hating each other, but a situation that got worse and worse over time. Which leads us into what I personally think went down.

My own personal theory, however, is a bit more complex. I've always viewed Rhaenys as having been the glue that held her family together, due to the fact that Visenya was never bothered by her inclusion in the marriage, Orys and her seemed to be quite friendly, and obviously Aegon adored her. So her unexpected and tragically early demise, especially in the way it happened (literally shot out of the sky and crashing to the ground amidst the death throes of her beloved dragon) affected both siblings deeply, possibly irreparably, like I mentioned above, though I do think it drew them closer together for a time when they were basically carpet bombing Dorne. And when Aegon made the seemingly unilateral choice to end the war with Dorne, in what appears to be direct defiance to Visenya's own desires ("Prince Nymor’s peace proposals encountered strong opposition in King’s Landing. Queen Visenya was hard set against them. “No peace without submission,” she declared, and her friends on the king’s council echoed her words."), I think Visenya was not only angry at the decision, but potentially offended that she wasn't taken into consideration as well as deeply hurt Aegon was willing to put what happened to Rhaenys in the past, considering Visenya was just as involved in the Dragon's Wroth, a direct response to Rhaenys's death motivated by grief and rage for it, as he was. And while I do think that Aegon had his own reasons for it*, I highly doubt that he shared those reasons with Visenya, so to her it looks like she was being treated not as the co-monarch she was, but just as a mere queen consort, which is insulting, and not given any consultation in a decision that involved not just the realm, but family as well, as Rhaenys was her sister too. So you now have two people I don't believe were ever super close, beyond the love that a brother and sister might have for each other, especially when compared to Aegon's relationships with Orys and Rhaenys, neither of whom were the kind of people capable or even equipped to either offer comfort to the other or express how they were feeling, and both heavily feeling a very profound loss that has affected the very fabric of how this family operates, now in a situation where they're drifting further away than they already might have organically due to circumstances that are never going to be addressed or rectified because of who they are as people. And this likely progressively got worse and worse as everything settled in, to the point of literally damaging Aegon's relationship with Maegor, that after a good few years it likely did get to the point of Aegon and Visenya not being able to stand being in the same city. And I do think it eventually became more Aegon based than Visenya based, considering that he was the one dealing with the most pressure and the most profound feelings about it, being a widower and having to take care of a kid who almost died as a result of all of this and living with the weight of his choices and being the primary source of governance for six out of seven kingdoms on an entire continent.

TL;DR There are a lot of reasons that generally depend on how you view the relationship between the two of them, but my own view is that the circumstances of Rhaenys's death in Dorne and Aegon's eventual decision to go for peace over Visenya's wishes exacerbated some already complex dynamics between the two of them into something genuinely unfixable and neither of them were willing or able to try. And thanks for loving the blog, hugs and kisses!!

*My pet theory has always been that Nymor's letter contained the revelation that Rhaenys had managed to survive Meraxes's fall (it's possible, given what we seen with Aegon II and Baela Targaryen later) and had until recently been in the possession of the Ullers, given that she was shot down over Hellholt, but that the Martells had taken custody of her and were sending her to Dragonstone so that Aegon could at least have her remains, if not outright get a chance to say goodbye, as she was likely still fatally injured. It explains why Aegon reacted so strongly to the letter, why he immediately flew to Dragonstone (to verify the truth, possibly say goodbye to Rhaenys if she was still alive when he arrived, and at least give her a proper Targaryen funeral), and why he was so willing to immediately agree to peace with Dorne and be on such good terms with the Martells later in his reign, realizing the kindness they did him with this and Aegon himself having likely already reached the conclusion that the war couldn't carry on. If Visenya found out that this was the reason, and that Aegon hadn't just made a decision without her input on something this massive but had denied her an opportunity for goodbye and closure with someone she loved dearly (as a sister and also in my other pet theory that Visenya was a lesbian and in love with Rhaenys too), then that's an added reason why she and Aegon grew further and further apart.