#this scene kills me he's so relieved arthur lived but he thinks he's going to die my heart BREAKS!

[atdawn]

“The prince lives.”

MERLIN 1.13 (Le Morte d’Arthur)

[downthe-f4ndom-rabbith0le]

The Way Back Home (Spencer Reid x Reader) - Prologue

The Way Back Home (Spencer Reid x Reader) - The Prologue Word Count: 4001 Reader Insert: she/her pronouns Warnings: major angst, major fluff, mentions of murder, crime scenes, near-death experiences, slow-burnish romance, death, canon violence, rape, swearing, guns, knives, prostitution, canon cuteness of the team. Spoilers: Maeve's death, mentions of previous cases or canon events from seasons 1-10.

Spencer and you have an unspoken connection with one another. Nothing has ever happened between you two, especially since everything went down with Maeve, but your love has grown and overcome and is now clear as day to everyone. However, just when Spencer builds up enough courage to ask you out officially, you're requested on an undercover mission that halts your budding relationship in its tracks.

Months go by without a word from you until bodies of prostitutes start showing up in New York and the BAU is brought in to help. Spencer and you finally reunite as both your cases collide, but your lives and your love are both on the line now.

Will you and Spencer be able to find the way back home this time?

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Epilogue

~~~

You released a tired, relieved sigh as you and the rest of the team exited the elevator and walked back into the bullpen. You'd just landed back after a week in Utah chasing a serial killer who turned out to be a mormon. He killed in the name of burning out the false children of God from humanity - literally. The Unsub managed to burn six innocent people alive before they apprehended him.

'I cannot wait to go home for a hot bath and a good glass of scotch,' Rossi said, rubbing at the kink in his neck from the sleep home on the plane.

'Ditto,' Alex said. 'James is home for the weekend, and he has promised me some home made pie that I am very much looking forward to.'

You smiled as you reached your desk, the echo of the others adding to the conversation of what they were looking forward to when they got home warming the usually busy room as they passed you. A sense of comfort and relief washed over you as you placed your go-bag on your desk. Hearing all your friends' voices back in the office after a mission was never a guarantee, so you relished every time you heard them, regardless of the conversation.

You looked up when a figure entered your peripheral vision, and that comfort and warm feeling spread further through you when you saw who it was.

'What about you, Y/N?' Spencer said by way of greeting, a soft smile gracing his own tired features. 'What is waiting for you at home on this fine Friday evening?'

You paused to think about it for a second, a content smile tugging at your lips at the thought. 'Well, unless I've been robbed in the last few days, I will be enjoying a nice glass of moscato while I order pasta from the restaurant below my apartment, and snuggle in with my book that I've spent literally months trying to finish,' you said dreamily, the thought of good food and good wine and a good book sounding almost too good to be true. But Garcia had informed the team before landing that no new cases had been submitted and so you had the weekend to yourselves.

'That all?' he asked, amusement dancing on his lips.

You chuckled, shaking your head. 'I know. First Friday night home in DC in a while and I am choosing to stay at home instead. The utter shame of it all.'

You both laughed, and it pleased you to see his amber eyes light up after the long week you'd had.

'I didn't mean that as a bad thing,' Spencer said, brushing a stray curl from out of his eyes. Even though it was the shortest length it'd ever been, some rogue curls still managed to dangle out of confinement every once in a while. 'What book are you reading?'

'Don't laugh at me, but... The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.'

Spencer's brow furrowed curiously. 'Why would I laugh? I love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work.'

You shrugged, casually leaning against your desk as you crossed your arms. 'I know, it just seems a little silly that a federal agent is reading some old detective stories.'

'Actually, Doyle was one of the forefathers of detective fiction, as he brought in the concept that the science of deduction isn't just physical evidence but psychological observations. He created a space where all the sciences we know today can help in solving crime, and actually paved the way for more psychological avenues to be taken more seriously in academia and law enforcement. If you think about it, without Sherlock, you and I may not have our jobs as profilers right now.' Spencer paused when he realised he was rambling, and despite your soft, encouraging smile, he saw the tired blankness in your eyes.

Spencer licked his lips before speaking again. 'What I'm trying to say is... I don't think it's silly at all.'

You nodded your thanks although you knew you didn't need to. 'So what about you?', you asked in return. 'What will entertain Dr. Spencer Reid on this "fine Friday evening"?'

His words repeated back to him kept the smile on his face, more importantly the life in his eyes. But he began to fiddle with the strap of his satchel bag, and you couldn't help but notice he slightly swayed. Like he was nervous or something. It was cute.

He was cute.

You forced the rising heat in your cheeks to stay underneath the surface to not give away your embarrassment or your inner thoughts. Thoughts you'd been having since the day you'd met him six years ago. Thoughts that you'd suppressed so as to not interfere with your work, and then later so it wouldn't ruin your hard-built friendship.

When he told you about Maeve, you'd had mixed feelings. Of course, you'd been ecstatic for him that he'd found someone he could be himself with, and even more so when he disclosed to you that no one else knew about her - just you. But you couldn't deny the twinge of sadness that pulled at your heart knowing that that someone he could be himself with wasn't you.

But you hadn't hesitated, hadn't faltered when he'd needed a shoulder to cry on when Maeve was killed. Once he decided to open up and accept help, you were first in line to help keep the young doctor afloat in his sea of grief and loss.

It's been over a year since Maeve's death now, and while she would always remain important in his heart, he had, for the most part, moved on, slowly getting back to be his usual, quirky, logical self.

The past year and a bit has only brought you two closer together, and as much as you have tried to hide how amazing that makes you feel, you've had plenty of conversations with Penelope and others on the team about finally asking the boy wonder out. It's not like you didn't want to, but if Maeve was his type of girl, you just weren't sure you were what Spencer was looking for in a romantic partner. Besides, you were happy with your friendship.

It was by far the most precious relationship you had aside from your family - why ruin it?

You quickly realised you'd both been silent for a while, Spencer still not having answered your question yet. 'Spence?' you prompted gently.

The cute doctor managed to grasp his satchel strap fiercely and ground himself back in the present. 'R-Right. I too have a book at home. The one you got me for my birthday, actually.'

'Oh yes!' The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. You'd been hooked from the first line, and by the time you finished, all you could think about was how much you thought Spencer would enjoy it. So you instantly wrapped up your own personal copy and waited for Spencer's birthday to roll around. You never told him it was yours, you just hoped he didn't notice the slight bend in the spine or minuscule tears in some pages from you flipping them too quickly. 'I've been meaning to ask you if you enjoyed it or not. I just assumed you'd read it already.'

'We've just been so busy with cases lately. I haven't had time to even consider picking it up.'

You rolled your eyes. 'Come on, we both know you could've finished that book on one of our plane rides.'

He shrugged, eyes dipping for a moment before landing back on you. 'I know. I guess... I just wanted to give it the time and attention it deserved,' he settled on, and the honesty in both his words and his eyes threatened to steal your breath.

A silence that rested between comfortable and awkward settled upon you two. This had happened many times in recent weeks although you weren't quite sure why. Regardless of your hidden feelings and the tragedy of Maeve, neither of you lost your comfortability with one another.

'So... we've both got book dates tonight,' you said in an attempt to break the silence. The rest of the team was still chatting just a little away from them, but it felt like it was just the two of you sometimes when you talked.

'Well, actually, maybe...' Spencer started, and his fingers were twitching again. 'I was wondering if maybe you'd want t-to bring your book over and... join me, tonight.'

The request wasn't an unusual one. In fact, you'd conducted your own mini book club between the two of you on plenty of occasions. Mainly because you both found out you were the kind of people that liked your personal time and space, but didn't like the thought of being completely alone. This wasn't new, but it warmed your heart all the same at the gesture.

'That sounds great, Spence!' you said heartily. 'Give me half an hour and I'll be around at yours-'

'Actually,' Spencer interrupted, 'I was thinking we could grab some dinner together first. You know, like at a restaurant or some place you can sit in at.'

'...Like a date?' you asked softly, breathlessly. The words just kind of slipped from you before you even contemplated how they would affect Spencer. It just felt natural and right.

Your heart pounded like a jackhammer between your ribs, but you were more concerned at what expression Spencer would pull in the next five seconds.

To your relief, he smiled that small little smile of his that spoke volumes of his insecurity but also of his genuine intentions. 'Yeah. I guess it is like a date,' he finally replied.

Oh my goodness. He was nervous. His words were rushed and higher-pitched in tone. but you still managed to understand him, as well as what dinner implied.

A half-smile pulled at your lips. 'Dr. Spencer Reid,' you began softly, half-scared, half-excited to speak the words you'd been holding back for so long. 'Are you asking me out on a date right now?'

At your words, his anxiety seemed to disappear, as he stopped fidgeting with the satchel strap and took a daring step closer to you. 'I guess I am.'

You couldn't stop it now, the smile of pure joy you'd been holding back from splitting your face open. After years of suffering silently, of repressing the truth, it was all worth it for that one question.

'So what do you say, SSA Y/N L/N,' he quipped cheekily. 'Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?'

The answer was right there in the tip of your tongue, almost spewing from you, when your name was called out across the bullpen for all to hear.

The globe of silence and serenity that had built around Spencer and yourself suddenly shattered as you both, alongside the rest of the team, turned to Hotch standing in his office doorway. But while you all looked at him, his hard gaze was honed in on you.

'L/N,' he called again, having your attention now. 'Can I see you in my office, please?'

You looked between him and Spencer, unsure who to answer first. In the end, you were still technically on the clock so you nodded at your boss and said, 'Sure, I'll be in there shortly.'

'This can't wait, I'm sorry.'

It was the seriousness and discomfort in his voice that caused you to throw aside your personal agenda, giving Spencer an apologetic look before quickly making your way through the bullpen, up the stairs and into his office. You tried not to look at your team too much as you did, but you felt their gazes on the back of your head nevertheless.

They were just as confused as you were, then.

'Close the door,' Hotch instructed gently, to which you obliged. He pointed to the seat on the other side of his desk. 'Have a seat.'

'Everything okay, Hotch?' you asked, taking a seat in the chair. 'Oh no. Did I make an error in one of my reports again?'

'No, nothing like that,' he reassured you, which didn't help your already built up worry. For a moment, it was just you two sitting in his office in silence; you waited for him to explain his mysterious actions, while he seemed to struggle to find the right words.

He never struggled to find the right words.

You leaned forward in your seat, worry furrowing your brow. 'Hotch. What's wrong?'

'Nothing is wrong, so to say,' he insisted, but his frown remained. 'I've just been in contact with your old unit chief from Organised Crime. They believe there is an underground operation being conducted by gang leaders in Manhattan that involves the transporting, selling and purchasing of girls and women in the prostitute industry.'

'Okay,' you drawled out, more confused than ever. 'What has this got to do with us?'

'It doesn't,' Hotch answered immediately. 'Just you. Your old unit chief wants you back to go undercover in the case.'

'What?' You stood up from your seat instead of shouting, but goodness it took all your strength not to. 'Why do they need me? They have a whole squadron of agents to choose from.'

'They want a profiler to help them find out who these people are first, then go undercover and become part of the operation's inner circle and report back to them,' Hotch explained, although his tone displayed his displeasure in saying so. 'Y/N, you have more experience in undercover missions than anyone else on this team, even before you joined us as a profiler.'

You knew his words to be true, but the reality of it all was an ever-growing weight on your chest. 'What they are asking, Hotch, could take weeks, months even. Those kind of people will not trust so easily,' you tried reasoning with him.

You couldn't help but look through the blinds to your team still standing and talking outside in the bullpen. To Spencer, who had joined the team since you had left, but just looked at the window as if he could find out what was going on behind the glass and blinds if he looked long enough. It broke your heart to think you wouldn't see him for months, maybe even years.

Because that was the thing with undercover missions. Once you assumed the life of someone else, your old life became non-existent. That meant no contact with anyone outside of the case as a safety precaution.

That meant no talking to Spencer, or anyone in the BAU, until the case ended. Or unless you were killed, in which case you wouldn't be able to do a lot of talking anyways.

You turned back around at the sound of Hotch standing from his seat and coming around the desk to speak directly in front of you, no walls to hide behind. 'You know I wouldn't be asking if I hadn't tried to change their mind first. But even I can't argue that you are the best agent for the job.'

You nodded your understanding even if you hated to admit he was right. 'I guess it's not one of those jobs that I can decline, is it?'

Hotch shook his head regrettably. 'Head Chief requested for you personally. You've already been taken off the roster here at the BAU so you're not disturbed by other cases.'

Hearing that was just rubbing salt in the wound, and you hated the burning feeling of tears rising at the back of your eyes. You were already gone from here, like a ghost that didn't realise she was one to begin with.

Hotch's hand rested heavy on your shoulder as he comforted you. 'We can discuss your return to work when your mission is over. You will always have a place with us, Y/N.'

You attempted a smile, but it was strained as you tried to force back tears. You wiped at the strays that dribbled down your cheeks, pulling yourself back together before speaking again. 'All right. How long do I have before I am expected in the Big Apple?'

'There's someone waiting for you at your apartment already. They'll take you to their headquarters when you're done packing tonight.'

You sucked in air as you felt your whole world tilt unstably. Tonight. You had to leave tonight. Again, you found yourself seeking out Spencer through the half-closed blinds.

'So what do you say, SSA Y/N L/N? Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?'

You bit your lip as you blinked your tears away, trying but failing to ignore the cry of your heart as its strings were pulled harshly. 'Tonight?' you asked in the hope you'd misheard.

But no such hope existed, unfortunately.

'Yes,' Hotch said, that one word the final nail in the coffin of your impending suffering. 'I'm sorry. This goes without saying, but don't mention any of this to the team as you leave. Only myself and Section Chief Cruz will know where you are and the details of your mission.'

You huffed out a joyless laugh. 'Hiding truths from a team of profilers is like playing poker with a mirror attached to your face,' you said, and you didn't bother to hide your displeasure and sadness when you did. 'They're going to ask questions, and they will find out the truth eventually.'

'Let me worry about that,' Hotch said gently, letting go of you and leaving a cold mark where his hand once was. 'You've got bags to pack.'

'Right.' You sucked in a few deep breaths before making your way to the door. tears burned at your eyes again but you couldn't let the team see you like this. You couldn't let Spencer see you like this.

Because you had a job to do. And you always finished a job.

Before you could open the door handle, however, Hotch stopped you once more. 'Y/N.'

You looked at him, forcing an expression of blankness and indifference. 'Yes, sir?'

He must've seen your inner struggle, as he offered one of those genuine smiles of his that were oh so rare. 'We'll see you when you get back,' he said.

It wasn't a promise or a done deal, but it was the most hope you could ask for right now. So you smiled your thanks, nodded your goodbye, and opened the door back into the bullpen.

Immediately, all eyes set upon you and the room grew quiet. Your first instinct was to cry, then to run, then to blurt everything out because you hated keeping secrets. But you remembered what had just been said, and you whipped a bright smile onto your face to hide your despair.

'Don't you guys have homes to go to?' you asked cheerily, walking down the stairs as casually as possibly. You would've bee-lined for your bag, but if you moved too quickly they would suspect something. 'I recall hot baths and scotch were awaiting most of us, are they not?'

Thankfully Rossi took the bait, and picked up his go-bag in a huge huff. 'The lady is right. I spend enough time with you people as is, I am not wasting anymore not drinking and soaking.'

'Soaking in what? The bath or scotch?' JJ asked, also picking up her go-bag to make her way back to the elevator.

The group devolved into laughs and other jests, and you breathed a sigh of relief as you picked up your go-bag and followed them. Before you could though, a gentle call of your name halted you in your tracks, out of both politeness and frozen fear.

'Hey,' Spencer started, looking between you and Hotch's office. 'What was all that about?'

'Oh, uh, nothing super important,' you said, scrambled as you words were. 'Just a paperwork issue. Again.'

He broke out in smile that set your heart aflutter despite your inner turmoil. 'You know, you really shouldn't do paperwork on the plane when you're tired if you're just going to make a mistake. You're better off leaving it to the morning when your brain and body has rested enough to comprehend what the paperwork is asking of you.'

'Well sorry if I don't want to do a mountain of paperwork when I come back into the office,' you countered, grateful for the playful distraction as you made it over to the elevator. The others were just piling in when Spencer halted you again.

'So...' he dragged out, eyes flickering between you and teh floor nervously, '...what do you say?'

'To what?' you asked.

'To dinner. You didn't have time to give me an answer before.'

Shit. Your voice failed you now as you grasped at words - any words - to tell him. Your heart screamed yes, but there was someone waiting for you back home. A home you wouldn't be visiting for who knows how long.

Capitalising on your gaping mouth, you forced out a yawn and feigned covering it up out of embarrassment. 'Oh my goodness, sorry about that. Um, actually, now that you mention it, I am pretty beat. I'm just... going to go home and sleep it off if that's all right.'

It pained you to see his smile drop at your words, to see the hope leave his beautiful eyes at your rejection. And you knew you shouldn't say anything or make promises you couldn't keep, but you couldn't just leave him with no hope.

'Maybe next week sometime,' you offered, hoping your smile could bring some of that light back. 'You know, you've never tried the Italian Restaurant under my apartment before. We could go there. On me.'

Instinctively, you reached for his hand, relishing in the warmth it held and brought into you. To your relief, he didn't pull away. Instead, you got your smile back, and a little light returned to his eyes. You were kind of glad you wouldn't be around when the light left him completely.

'Okay,' he said softly, surprising you with a gentle squeeze of your hand in his. 'It's a date.'

'Yeah,' you replied, trying and failing to push aside the fluttering sensation his words gave your heart. You were only prolonging not only your pain, but his.

Selfish. So selfish.

'Come on, you two,' Derek called out from the elevator. 'I can't hold these doors open forever. Savannah will kill me if I miss our dinner reservations.'

You both quickly made it in to the elevator before Derek let them close on you, and then you were caught up in the chaos that was your team. You weren't sure how you got onto the topic of what scotch goes best with what foods, but you didn't care. It made you happy to know they never let the weight of a dark case get in the way of living their own lives to them fullest.

You all reached the car park and before you could make a run for your car, Spencer called out to you. 'See you Monday, Y/N!'

You turned back around to face not only him, but Derek, JJ, Penelope, Alex, and David as they all slowly went for their cars too.

You caught yourself staring at them, taking their happy faces in one last time before you left them behind. Hotch said you'd always have a place with the BAU, but you weren't sure how long this mission would take. And if you'd be replaced by then.

You forced a smile onto your face and waved them farewell. 'Yeah, see you then.'

You hated the bitter taste the lie brought to your mouth, but you managed to keep it together long enough that you got in your car and drove out of the car park without any more issues. That's when the tears came.

You wouldn't be there next Monday, and were not getting that date with Spencer next week.

It hurt you more to think that you may not get that date at all.

[weakforarwen]

I love Gwen's outfits, makeup, and hair so much in season 4. She looks so pretty. And I love her outfits in The Sword in the Stone Part 2, especially the pants and fur vest, but also her last servant dress. I don't really care for the big, fancy dresses she wears as Queen.

Gwen was pretty badass in this episode. She didn't hesitate to knock someone out with a sword. That may not seem like much, but unlike Arthur, Merlin, Tristan, and Isolde, she was not used to combat and had little fighting experience. She was almost completely unprepared to fight Helios and his men but she still did it, just like she had in The Moment of Truth. She also bravely faced Morgana. And remember what Morgana told her?

G: What did I do to make you hate me so much? M: It's not what you did, it's what you're destined to do!

Know who else was destined for something in this episode? Arthur.

Angel is such a good actress! "Yes. With all my heart.", she said. She was so cute! Her smile just lights up the room. The coronation scene almost made me cry. I was so happy to see Gwen be made Queen. Gwen placing her tiny hands on Arthur's bigger ones, "I crown you... Guinevere... Queen of Camelot.", the kiss!, Long live the Queen!

Gwen tried so hard to reach out to Arthur throughout the episode. She'd been hopeful after he hugged her and told her he missed her in Ealdor, but Arthur was still, understandably, too hurt to welcome her back with open arms. Isolde told Gwen that love was stronger than anything, and, fortunately, that was true. Love was stronger than Morgana, at least.

Still, Arthur was touched when Gwen told him she'd never stopped loving him. He was so willing to see only enemies, to believe he only had Merlin, but that wasn't true. There was a reason Arthur didn't lump Gwen in with the people who had betrayed him: "I was a fool. I misjudged everyone: my uncle, Morgana." He knew Gwen loved him and had not wanted to hurt him.

I was so happy when Arthur and Gwen got back together I almost cried. Gwen loved Arthur so much she was cleaning up his room first even though the entire palace was a mess. I hate that Arthur allowed Gwen to stay in Camelot. She was a citizen of Camelot, it should've been her right to live there. Did she kill anybody or something?

So, their reunion scene could've been better. Arthur was too relaxed and unbothered, too willing to dismiss Gwen's guilt and her previous actions, and Gwen felt so guilty she wasn't even allowed to begrudge Arthur for banishing her. But I think Arthur had agonized over his decision long enough. He didn't want to lose her, so he wasn't going to push her away anymore. He had broken off his engagement with Mithian for Gwen, but when he had within reach it had hurt too much and he had pushed her away. Not anymore.

I've said this before, but I love Arthur and Gwen's reactions to Isolde's death. I loved how Arthur looked at Gwen and how she met his gaze. He looked so heartbroken and scared, so vulnerable and young, like it was Gwen who was dying in his arms. And, at first, Gwen had wanted to look away from his gaze, worried that he didn't want her comfort, that she didn't deserve to comfort her, but as he continued to look at her, she understood what he was feeling and trying to tell her: that he missed her and was scared of losing her. After that, Gwen held his gaze, and tried to convey with her wonderful facial expressions that she understood, that she felt the same, that it'd be okay. It wasn't a happy moment, but Gwen had looked so relieved and grateful that Arthur needed her again, that he wasn't shutting her out, that he was reaching out to her for comfort, that he loved her so much he was moved to tears by another man losing his lover. I really, really love that scene.

Too bad we had to watch Tristan kiss Isolde. I have one word: eww. He looked like her actual father, I was so grossed out. Tristan was the weakest part of the episode. The way he kept insulting and bringing Arthur down was ridiculous. How did that even help Arthur prove his worth as a King? Tristan complained that Kings didn't care for their people and waged wars to get richer, but we already knew Arthur wasn't like that. What were the writers trying to show us? That Arthur was different from other Kings? We already knew that. We've known that since season 1. Those scenes of Gwen telling Tristan that Arthur was different and cared even for servants were pathetic. Also, been there, done that already, with Gwaine, back in season 3.

I know Arthur's biggest obstacle in season 4 had been lack of faith in himself. Agravaine's betrayal, losing Camelot to Morgana, and losing Gwen too, had torn whatever self-confidence he'd had left to shreds. He had needed to learn to trust himself again, but the key word was learn, not get tricked into it by Merlin.

How hilarious was it that Arthur felt foolish for trusting the wrong people, for not being discerning enough, yet easily believed he had pulled a sword out of a rock? He didn't even ask how. Surely, he knew it to be the work of magic... Right? Was he not anti-magic...?

As moving as that scene was, it was also very ridiculous. Merlin pretty much did everything in this episode. He killed Agravaine so Arthur avoided a confrontation with his uncle and having to kill him himself; miraculously remembered to think ahead and strip Morgana of her powers (paralleling that time Morgana used a similar tactic on Uther in The Tears of Uther Pendragon); took out Helios's men with Kilgharrah's help, and then had the dragon find where the people of Camelot were hiding; for some reason, managed to lead the people of Camelot to Arthur (did Kilgharrah convince them or something? lmao) all in a night's work; took out Morgana before she killed Gwen (Gwen didn't even ask why Morgana had suddenly flown backwards); and, most importantly, made Arthur believe in himself. It was already bad enough that he took Arthur's will from him to lead him away from Camelot, but he also tricked Arthur into thinking he was "destined to be Albion's greatest king". In Merlin's defense, that's what Merlin believed, and he had needed little to no proof to believe it, so why would Arthur need more than a fake story based on "true facts"?

I couldn't even appreciate Merlin's efforts. He was running around the whole episode time, putting out fires like it was no big deal, to the point where nothing he did even seemed impressive. We weren't given any time to actually appreciate his cunning, or his bravery, or his power. He managed to infiltrate the palace, spell some sort of voodoo doll, and get it to Morgana's chambers and place it under her bed, all without being detected, all in a night's work! In that same night, he also found Excalibur, which had been conveniently placed within their reach, and where the people of Camelot were hidden. Even his big confrontation with Morgana took only a second.

Essentially, everything he did was secondary to Arthur's story. It was all to convince Arthur and us that he was The Once and Future King, Camelot's true King. But what a lot of good that did when Albion's greatest King couldn't even fight for it without a divine intervention. Arthur had merit for leading the fight for Camelot, for inspiring even Tristan to fight at his side, for his compassion and last ditch attempt at making peace with Morgana, for fighting so bravely despite his injury, but he couldn't take the credit for everything else. He'd been willing to give up on Camelot, had pretty much decided he no longer wanted to be King. I doubt he would've abandoned his people, and I doubt he would've sat around doing nothing forever, but the writers robbed Arthur of the chance to pull himself together.

Of course, Arthur would've fought to take back Camelot, especially once he'd found his people, who needed and believed in him. Arthur never failed his people where it mattered. Gwen wouldn't have let Arthur do nothing either, as wouldn't have Merlin and Tristan. They would've all talked to him, made him see reason. Arthur didn't need to believe in himself to fight. He just had to believe in Camelot and in its people. That would've shown his strength and bravery. Fighting even though he thought it hopeless, just because it was the right thing to do, because he believed in something bigger than himself, would've shown true strength. Arthur could've gone into battle not believing he was worth his Kingship, but would've left it knowing he had won and his people wanted him as King. What else did he need apart from the support of his people, who he lived to serve? Winning the battle wouldn't have erased his doubts, but it would've been a start. Time, and Gwen, would've done the rest. It's not like pulling Excalibur out of stone had magically fixed everything. He'd still had doubts, yet Merlin's parlor trick had been a good self-esteem boost.

Now, Morgana... She'd looked so scared of Emrys I thought for sure Helios would betray her once he realized she was weaker and more vulnerable than he knew. Why would he want to die for her? And how did Morgana evaporate into thin air again?

I really liked the scene of Arthur and Morgana facing off though. She was genuinely moved by Arthur. "What happened to you Morgana? I thought we were friends." were powerful words. They clearly struck a chord with her. I doubt she ever dreamed of being alone and hated by the people she'd once loved. I admired Arthur greatly in that moment for still trying to show mercy and compassion toward Morgana. He put away his sword because he had hoped they could solve things peacefully still, and that he could understand her:

A: You can't blame me for my father's sins. M: It's a little late for that. You’ve made it perfectly clear how you feel about me and my kind. You're not as different from Uther as you'd like to think. A: Nor are you.

Arthur had looked touched by her words, by the knowledge that he was hurting Morgana's kind. Why was this not Arthur's great moment of revelation? Why did he forget her words so easily? Why didn't he reconsider, once and for all, Uther's magic ban? He saw what became of Morgana because of Uther. After a season of Arthur emulating his father's behavior and nearly bringing ruin upon Camelot, that was the writers' chance to show us that Arthur was truly different from Uther and destined to unite Albion.

The season could've ended with a promise from Arthur to rethink the magic ban. I don't care if that messed up their plans with Morgana and Mordred; it's not like Morgana would've given up her crown. But there would've been real resolution to the inner conflict that plagued Arthur the entire season, and we would've seen Arthur become the King we were promised. Merlin could've, at last, revealed his secret before the fucking finale, where he couldn't face any repercussions for his deceit because Arthur died. So many missed opportunities...

One of the best moments of the episode was when Merlin revealed he had magic to Agravaine and killed. It was a big moment for Merlin, because he'd never watched someone he knew die at his hands. It was a turning point for Merlin. He wasn't happy to kill Agravaine, but he had no choice and he didn't feel particularly guilty either. I liked that he stood up for himself and showed who he really was for once. Colin's acting was great too. He had looked confident and calm, like killing Agravaine was too easy for him, even gleeful to have someone acknowledge his power and to be able to take his revenge.

Something I forgot to mention about the last episode was Agravaine and Morgana. She knew he liked her, and used that to her advantage, but hadn't even tried to seduce him. She'd shown him no respect yet he still followed her. Morgause had at least seduced Cenred. Helios was the same as Agravaine, showing true loyalty for no reason.

Agravaine was such a weird character. He was actually interesting and well played, but so aggravating. When Elyan was being tortured to give away Arthur's location, Agravaine had been bothered by his screams... why? Shouldn't he have been used to it? It's like, in the last episode, they tried to redeem his character somehow, and show he wasn't really a monster.

Also, did Morgana want to fuck Gwaine or something? Why would she keep Gwaine, Elyan and Gaius alive? Was it that entertaining watching a man fight for his life?

Anyway, this episode is pretty decent, and I love Arwen a lot, and Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana, but the whole premise of it was wrong.

[prettyvampiress96]

The Malfoy Secret - Chapter 3

Since the traumatic death of her last living relative, Anna had since been a guest in the Malfoy manor . Although she was by now a little more than a guest. Her aunt was peacefully laid to rest and throughout the whole ordeal the Malfoys were her absolute anchor to reality. Anna however still couldn't put her thoughts in order at the situation. On one hand Anna had wanted to go home but on the other hand she rather enjoyed the company of the Malfoys. Anna had previously attempted to return home twice. The first time Anna had gone to return home , Draco begged her not to leave claiming he wanted to make the most of her company before his return to his last term of third year next week.. The second time Cissa began fretting about her wellbeing. Her being worried about Anna all alone in that big house. So Anna agreed to stay to ease Cissa's conscience but did say that she would return before her first day of work at the Ministry. What Anastasia didn't know was that she would be the right hand assistant to Lucius himself. The letter enclosing said information remained unopened in the Rosier mansion.

The following week Narcissa and Lucius bid Draco farewell at kings cross station whilst Anna was already in the Ministry of Magic for her first day along with another student from her year . Anastasia now knew that she would be working with Lucius , she was relieved at least it was someone who wouldn't judge her by her name. Though the thought of being in such a confined space with the white haired man had butterflies filling the pit of her stomach. Lucius strutted into his office in the department of Magical Law Enforcement, halting in his footsteps at the sight of his darling Anna stretching on the tips of her feet to reach a book higher up on the shelf, Lucius held back a laugh as he took in just how miniature she was even in a pair of heels. Even though he adored that about her , he couldn't help picture in absolutely nothing but those heels all stretched out for him and for cissa of course. Anna hadn't yet realised he had entered the room she was too caught up in finding the book Mr. Crouch had requested. Lucius took this as his moment . He walked as quietly as he could towards her . When Anna was in his reach, his large hands held her hips , his long fingers digging in slightly. Anna's back pressed flush against his broad chest. Leaning down to her ear. "You want my help with that darling ?" He whispered pressing himself further into the girl. Anna blushed at the feeling of his hardened member making itself known. Easily reaching for the book , his hand could reach without him even trying. "By all means you can say no and I shall just sit back and watch as that little skirt rides up more and more. Its taking I have not to throw you over my desk and worship you right here babygirl" Lucius smirked as Anastasia let out a squeak at the pet name he called her. Lucius brought the book down to Anna's eyesight, offering it out to her , Anna still pressed against the overly large shelf. Before Anna could respond in walked Narcissa. Narcissa drank in the scene in front of her , the sight of her husband and hopefully her soon to be princess. Anastasia's face flushed a deep red as she resisted the urge to run into Cissa's arms. " My darling how lovely of you to join us isn't that right princess?" Lucius turned to face cissa while slipping a wink to Anna. "I .. Uh..you...I should get this book to Mr. Crouch " she said shyly unsure of how to respond , after all neither of them had spoken since her and cissa kissed. Anna couldn't help wondering is Narcissa regretted it. Bowing her head Anna moved to rush from the room. "WAIT, STOP" Narcissa called after her smiling as annas feet immediately come to a halt." Hurry back darling there's something we should all talk about". Anna nodded in response quickly exiting the room. Anastasia walked with the book in her arms just down the hall, knocking respectively , Anna awaited permission before entering. " Mr Crouch I'm terribly sorry if I am interrupting I'm just bringing the book you requested from Mr Malfoy" Anastasia informed showing the book as if she needed the proof. "Ah right yes, good good I do believe you may have just missed crossing paths with our young Mr Weasley. He took it upon himself to retrieve that book . A good boy he is . If that is all Miss Rosier I am rather busy I'm afraid" Mr Crouch, the minister of Magic himself said without raising so much as his head. Anna walked back to Lucius's office , the sound of her heels clacking with every step, when suddenly body blocks her way. "You know you'd think the slimy Slytherin's would crawl back into their holes rather than working for the Ministry . Your father was a blind fool to follow the dark lord . Tell me what would daddy think of his daughter now. Oh no thats right he got himself killed before you could wipe the drool from your chin? " Percy Weasley sneered at her . Anastasia's blood fuelled an inferno of rage and Percy was about to get a taste of the fire. Passer's by began to stop and watch while office doors seemed to open for the fellow workers to do the same. Annas eyes glazed over and she smiled a

sweet smile. " Don't you ever speak of my family in that way do you hear me ? You want to know what my 'daddy' thinks , insult me again and you'll be finding out" Anna threatened in a low voice her wand drawn and pressed into the younger Weasleys throat. Lucius Malfoy was the first to intervene , his hand pushing anna's armed one down. He ushered the furious girl into the office and she slowly began following. " Enjoy freedom while you can I'm sure they've got a cell in Azkaban with your family's name on call it an heirloom. As cold, dark narcissistic murderers run in your family dont they. When you slip up Rosier and you will . I will be the one to put you there myself" Percy shouted at her back. Taken off guard Percy hadn't expected Anna to throw 'stupefy at him knocking him down the hall by a few good feet . " Funny that if I'm to go to Azkaban it'll be for killing you. You're a no good blood traitor and yet you think you actually have the audacity to think you stand a chance against me. I know spells your mother couldnt even dream of mastering . You think you can talk about my family when you know absolutely nothing . I'll escort myself to Azkaban right now once I've sent your cold body to your mother. That dark enough for you saint Percy? Anna fumed her wand raised . Arthur Weasley emerged from the crowd , his wand drawn protecting his son. Lucius drew his wand and stood directly in front of Anastasia.

"Princess go, back to the office head held high cissy is there and I'll be right behind you "Lucius whispers so low only Anastasia could hear it. Anna nods confirming she had indeed heard his words but she was reluctant to walk away. When Lucius firmly commands her once again to go as she reaches the offices, she can already feel the tears fill her eyes and the burning sensation in her chest. Anna just wanted to scream . Instead she shuts the door and walks to her desk with her head down. Realisation hitting her like a tonne of bricks Anna slides down the nearest wall. Narcissa immediately running to the sobbing girl sitting next to her , Cissa cradled anna against her chest, rocking slightly whilst rubbing a hand soothingly on the black haired girls back.

"I'm not a bad person I've followed every rule. I've never put a foot wrong yet I'm still painted with the same brush as my father am I destined to be alone. Perhaps Azkaban is the best place for someone with a name like mine". Lucius having now dealt with the pathetic Weasleys returns just as Anna sobs those words. Seeing her so broken and seeing his wife so affected at those words only tempted Lucius to go back and seriously damage the disrespectful boy. Weighing his options, nothing was more important than his family and as of that his girls needed him. Narcissa who was still holding Anna raised her head to look at her husband , she tilted her head to the side silently asking what had happened out there.

He ushered Narcissa over to him which she does hesitantly. Torn between leaving Anna and finding out what had occurred . Narcissa's curiosity got the best of her. "Anna I'll be right back darling" Narcissa whispered assuringly. Lucius explains in a hushed whisper briefly what happened. Narcissa can't believe what she's heard. How could someone say something so cruel about her baby girl. Lucius made his way over to Anna and bent down, lifting her chin up to face him. " Don't you ever let me hear say that about yourself . We would never allow you to be put in that wretched place. A name does not define you. That boy knows nothing. He is nothing. You are my everything. Our everything " he would say pulling cissa to him as she steps nearer not wanting to scare Anna . "I'm yours. Like both of you?" Anna questioned back , her green eyes wide and her pink lips pouted in slight confusion. " Why don't we all go back home a discuss this over a drink hmm?" Cissa hinted holding her hand out for her husband and Anna to take .

They arrive back at Malfoy Manor and Anna takes a seat on the sofa in the front room with Cissa sitting on one side of her and Lucius on the other side. Lucius gently takes one of Anna’s hands in his and with the other hand gently turns her head to face him “Anna I meant what I said earlier you are our everything and I want to discuss you becoming apart of our relationship” He nods at Cissa before continuing “There is no pressure Anna, you can say no and we’ll respect your decision. It won’t affect our working relationship either.” Anna doesn’t respond straight away, feeling a little shocked at his offer. “Should you agree to be with us boundaries would be set in place, which leads me to my next question. What are your boundaries Anna?” Lucius’ voice soft as he looks into her eyes.

“I don’t have any boundaries as I’ve never done this before” Anna answers honestly as she holds his gaze for a moment before looking down at her lap, a look of confusion washes over his face “Anna had never been kissed before I kissed her two weeks ago” Cissa explained. Lucius places his fingers under Anna’s chin lifting her head up “Just to confirm Anna, you are a virgin?” She nods at him and feels her cheeks heat in a light blush. “We’ll take things nice and slow; we’ll go at a pace that suits you…if you agree to be ours that is.” Lucius tells her with a smile on his lips and Anna couldn’t help herself, she looked down at his mouth and licked her lips. Cissa nods agreeing with her husband “We will look after you. You will be safe with us…always” Cissa took hold of Anna’s other hand in hers and begun rubbing small soothing circles on the back of her hand with her thumbs.

Anna looks between Cissa and Lucius before speaking “I’d like to be yours, both of yours but I’m worried I cannot offer you much in return” Cissa turns Anna’s head so she is looking at her “Just by agreeing to be with us is giving us more than you can imagine. All we want to do is to make you feel loved, safe and of course pleasure you beyond your wildest dreams” Cissa smiles and leans forward pressing her lips to Anna’s in a quick but sweet kiss.

“If we overstep a boundary or you start to feel uneasy or anything just tell us. In fact, to be sure we are all comfortable with this arrangement I recommend we use safe words” Lucius said softly, his breath warm against her ear “Safe words?” Anna asked shyly and he chuckled lightly “Ahh so innocent my sweet girl” His fingers brushing her hair aside as he placed a soft kiss to her neck before continuing “Each of us picks a word that once spoken the others know enough is enough. The moment the word is spoken everything stops…straight away, no questions or explanations needed” Anna turned her head slightly so she was looking at him over her shoulder “I’d like to be yours, both of yours” He smiled at her before capturing her lips with his.

Lucius and Narcissa both hand in hand with Anastasia began escorting her up the winding black marble case not stopping until they reached the door to the master bedroom. Both Malfoys stood watching Anna's reaction as Lucius twisted the handle of the door pushing it open , allowing Anna the first step inside. Anastasia was in awe at the decoration. With a flick of his wrist Lucius had set candles alight causing a rather romantic atmosphere. Anna's hand was still laced with Cissa's, she was reminded off that when Narcissa squeezed her hand. " What do you think babygirl?" Cissa asked brushing a loose strand of Anna's hair from her face, leaning in she placed a soft kiss on Anna's lips . "It's beautiful Cissy . It really is" Anna breathed looking behind her for Lucius. When Anastasia noticed him still stood by the door only now minus his dress shirt , she reached her hand towards him wanting to touch . Lucius noticed Anna's hesitation and stepped into her reach, taking her hands he placed them on the centre of his broad chest. Anna's hands ran up over his bare shoulders and linked around his neck attempting to pull him down to her level due to the height difference. Anna could feel his intoxicating scent overwhelm her and she took the plunge pressing her lips to his . His kiss was different to that of Cissa's it was rougher and more dominant . Lucius's hands reached over the curves of Anna's ass and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he walked them to the bed . A naked Narcissa joined the pair , running her fingers up anna's bare legs causing anna gasp allowing Lucius access to her tongue . Anastasia pulled back from her make out session , glancing at Narcissa, her eyes tracing over the perky nipples of her breasts. Anna's mouth ran dry . She had no idea what she wanted but god that woman was it. " Remember Darling we can stop whenever you like , tonight is all about you my pretty babygirl , mommy and daddy will make you feel so good I promise princess you just have to trust us" Narcissa spoke softly tapping her finger on the top button of anna's shirt. " Can mummy take this off baby " Cissa cooed , anna nodded and proceeded to remove the shirt herself only for cissa to stop her. "Let mommy do it angel please" Cissa asked again this time Anna nodded and allowed cissa to removed her top. Narcissa dropped the shirt to the floor her eyes never looking away from Annas full breasts, leaning forward cissa placed a wet kiss to the tops of her breasts. Ana in response arched her back unaware that her hips had rocked against the very non discreet package in Lucius's trousers. Narcissa's hands travelled lower and lower until they reached the waistband of the very tight skirt Anna had on. Cissa's fingers hooked into the band but waited for permission from Anna . "Princess Mommy's waiting for you "Lucius whispered in Anna's ear. Anastasia nodded fervently glancing down and the sight of a naked Narcissa between her thighs . Anna couldnt peel her eyes away. In a split second her skirt and panties were removed , Anna's core now slick and bare to Cissa who licked her lips in delight at the prize in front of her . "We can stop if you want to little princess, you just have to say and we promise we wont be disappointed in the slightest or should mommy continue" Lucius reminded . " No please Don't stop please dont stop "Anna pleaded . Her pleas were music to their ears. Lucius interlocked his fingers with Anna's , watching over anna's shoulder as his wife's head leant even closer to Annas blazing sex. Narcissa hummed as she dragged a finger through Anna's wet folds, shivering at the breathless gasp she made in response. Narcissa placed a soft kiss to either side of Anastasias inner thigh before connecting her warm tongue to her wet pussy. Anna's hips rose from the emerald sheets , her head thrown back into the crook of Lucius's neck and her grip on his hands getting tighter. " Is mummy making you feel good baby girl ? Let us hear those beautiful noises of yours petal" Lucius teased in advance. Anna mewled , feeling

an unfamiliar weight in the pit of her stomach. Narcissa continued flicking the sensitive bud while she introduced a single finger into Anna's tight hole preparing to stretch her out for Lucius. Slowly and gently Cissa began thrusting that finger in and out in time with the flicking of the bud . With her fingers getting so slick from Anna's running juices , cissa added a second finger and with every thrust in began spreading them apart . Anna's walls began to clench around Cissa's fingers locking them in place and her thighs tightening pulling cissa closer than she was. " Oh Oh Oh " Anna screamed as she rode her first ever climax down on Narcissa .Anna felt shifting from behind her as Lucius moved himself from the bed taking Cissa's place between Anna's thighs. Climbing above her Cissa placed a kiss to Anna's lips. "You did so well darling mummy's so proud of you. Does Daddy want a taste do you think? " Narcissa beamed down at her baby all glistening in sweat , glancing to her husband smirking. Lucius's hand reached across grabbing cissa at the chin, passionately kissing his wife all the while tasting the sweet nectar of his princess on her tongue. At some point during the exchange Lucius had removed his remaining clothing. Lucius tapped on Anna's thighs grabbing her attention. Narcissa sat near Annas head now it was her turn to watch the faces her baby pulled whilst screaming from the pleasure she was receiving. " Princess you need to listen just for a minute okay? Are you sure this is what you want? I won't lie to you my girl it might be a little uncomfortable at first but that passes. Are you absolutely sure?" Lucius needed to make her aware he'd never forgive himself if he hurt her . " Please I trust you Daddy I'd like to try. Help me try" Anna begged her voice sounding like a whine. Lucius wrapped his hand around his painfully hard cock swiping the pre-cum from the swollen head to lubricate it slightly. The combination of that and Anna's cum should be just enough.

As he slowly began to ease into her, Anna's walls clenched around him as a pained groan leaves her throat. Digging her nails into his shoulders as she squeezes her eyes shut tight, Anna's body tenses against his when he comes to a stop. His body trembling as he fights the lust inside him to thrust into his pretty little princess .When the pain starts to subside Anastasia slowly moves her hips .

"Please " was all Anna could muster out. Lucius takes her thigh and places it on his hip as he starts to slowly move against her . Quickly finding a steady rhythm, as his hips roll against hers both moving in perfect harmony , Anna could feel every thrust against her walls. Her nails leave red half-moon crescents on biceps. Narcissa sat back observing couldnt help but reach down and began circling her own clit. His name falls from Anastasia's mouth like a prayer when he finds that specific spot inside of her . "Fuck, Princess , you feel so good around Daddy" he moans as he thrust faster into her , pleasure invaded her senses as her vision begins to cloud , with her head thrown back Anna can no longer keep the moans inside of her . An inferno rages inside of her , Her hands fall from his arms to grasp at the sheets with such a force her knuckles began turning white. "Papi, I'm..." she moans out. " Let it go baby I'm here Daddy's here" Lucius coaxed. Anastasias walls enclosed around Lucius's cock , her nectar coating his manhood. With a last thrust into her Lucius emptied his load filling his princess up to the brim. Gently removing himself from inside her , Lucius laid to the right of Anna enclosing her in his arms, Narcissa laid to the left of Anna . "Our princess did absolutely perfect wouldn't you say so dear?" Narcissa asked Lucius. "Oh i couldn't agree more darling. How are you feeling Princess?" Lucius asked Anna. The three of them an entanglement of limbs. Until Narcissa rose from the bed and into the large bathroom followed by the sound of running water. " Come on Darling let us clean you up and put you in something comfy before you fall asleep" Narcissa commented. Anna however was quite tired and comfy as she mumbled incoherent words from where she was. Lucius scooped her up into his arms and took her into the bathroom himself. Narcissa already in the bath, held her arms out as he lowered his princess down into her lap. A scent of lavender and camomile filled their senses. Lucius lathered up a sponge and glided it over every inch of Anastasias body. Anastasia snapped from her dazed state smiling at both Lucius and Narcissa. Before putting her head down and playing with her fingers , a sign they had already noticed when she was nervous or embarrassed. " Princess Is everything alright darling? Are you hurt or in pain?" Cissa asked concerned she may be hurt . " No no nothing like that I was urm well I just wondered could I stay with you two tonight?" Anna asked so quietly that if they had been any further away they wouldn't have caught it. "Of Course you sweet girl you were always going to sleep in with us . We wouldn't have it any other way. Now why dont you let mommy wash your hair whilst daddy gets out and fetches you something comfy eh?" Narcissa said softly to Anna pulling her in for a cuddle in the warm water. With the girls dressed in Narcissa's nightgowns , Lucius had made a mental note to have cissa and anna go shopping soon. Lucius had already pulled back the covers and slid in, waiting for his girls to come out. "Which side should I sleep?" Anna asked Narcissa. They hadn't discussed that yet. " Why dont you sleep in the middle darling so that way we can both hold you" Lucius offered. Anna scrambled into bed followed by Cissa. Cissa took hold of Annas hand and kissed the knuckles.

"I'm so happy you agreed to be ours our darling girl "Narcissa expressed. Lucius turned on his side facing Anna and Cissa draping his arm across the both of them in a protective manner. " I love you both my precious girls" Lucius said lovingly. The three slept in each others embrace for the rest of the night.

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

Moments that highlight the brotherly dynamic between Mordred and Arthur:

1x08: Arthur breaks Mordred out of his cell, telling him not to be scared, he was there to rescue him and return him to his people. He offers his hand and Mordred takes it. They flee through the tunnels.

1x08: Arthur reassures Mordred that Merlin will be there to help them. When it looks like they will soon be found, Arthur draws his sword to defend Mordred if it comes down to it

1x08: Arthur delivers Mordred to the druids. Arthur asks for his name. Mordred tells him his name and Arthur wishes him luck (with dread inducing suspenseful music in the background, gotta love that) Mordred gives Arthur a little smile.

5x01: Mordred keeps Radnor from killing Arthur and Merlin. Mordred helps Arthur to his feet and figures out that he didn't recognize him. He tells him that he saved his life many years ago and Merlin names him. Arthur looks shocked/ confused. Mordred smiles and says "Hello Arthur" the smile drops.

5x02: Mordred brings food over for Merlin and Arthur and Mordred tells Merlin that Arthur saved his life and he owed him a debt

5x02: Arthur does not kill Mordred because "he could not follow us" and "he showed us kindness"

5x02: Mordred stabs Morgana to save Arthur and he carries an unconscious Arthur out of the cave until he finds the knights and passes him over to Percival

5x02: Arthur knights Mordred. They smile at each other

5x05: Arthur and Mordred train. Arthur bests Mordred and helps him to his feet while praising his progress. He gives Mordred advice and seems very impressed and proud of him

5x05: Arthur includes Mordred on the patrol to search for Osgar. Mordred is very enthusiastic and eager. Arthur tells him he earned it and gives him a little slap on the shoulder. Mordred tells Arthur "You won't regret this. I promise." After he leaves, Gwen observes that Arthur has grown fond of him and Arthur confirms this.

5x05: Once Arthur is clued in to the prank the knights are pulling on Mordred, Arthur joins in and poor Mordred is so confused and has no idea he's being messed with.

5x05: Mordred laughs at Arthur’s jokes. Arthur toasts to Mordred and his first successful mission

5x05: Mordred requests that Arthur allows him to go with them to the white mountains. Arthur initially says no, for he has little experience, but Mordred convinces him.

5x05: Mordred jumps in front of the Disir's spear to save Arthur. Arthur is very upset and concerned for Mordred. He holds Mordred's head while Merlin examines the wound. Arthur removes a glove to check Mordred's pulse.

5x05: Arthur sits at Mordreds bed side and is upset when Gaius can't guarantee he will survive.

5x05: Arthur and Merlin return to Camelot and Mordred, alive and fully healed, walks down the steps to greet Arthur with a smile on his face. Arthur is very happy and relieved, grasping Mordred's arm and pulling him into a hug.

5x05: Arthur and Mordred train and Mordred finally bests Arthur in a fight. Arthur picks him up in celebration and Mordred grins

5x09: Mordred was one of two people (the other being Leon) that Arthur trusted with the new levy route. Arthur doesnt tell him why and just asks that he trusts him, which he nods at.

5x09: Mordred finds Arthur brooding and asks if there is any way he can help. Arthur is distracted and when Mordred reminds him that he is always at Arthur's service, he tells him "I never doubted it, Mordred."

5x09: Mordred appears at the top of the cliff with rope and calls down to Arthur. Mordred is smiling and Arthur laughs in relief.

5x09: Arthur fills Mordred in around the camp fire and he apologizes for not confiding in Mordred. Mordred brushes it off saying it was a good thing he hadn't or he won't have followed. Arthur says its good to have Mordred with them.

5x09: Arthur goes to get Mordred saying "I won't leave a knight behind" and Merlin convinces him not to go back because of Morgana.

5x09: Arthur is pleased to see Mordred and clasps his arm in greeting. He says he thought they lost him and Mordred agrees that he thought the same. Arthur questions how he escaped Morgana and he asks him to be serious after he gives a jokey answer.

5x09: Arthur asks Mordred if the Dolma looked familiar and Mordred agrees

5x10: Arthur puts around Mordred's shoulders and leads him away to give him the task of apprehending the sorcerer Gaius tipped him off about

5x10: Arthur isn't happy about the sorcerer getting away but he continues to direct his questions to Mordred, who headed the mission, instead of Leon, the experienced head knight. (Just something I found interesting and I think it points to Arthur still having faith in Mordred despite not catching the sorcerer.)

5x11: Mordred confesses to Arthur that he was the one that helped Kara. He begs that Arthur reconsiders her sentence. Arthur becons for Mordred to get off his knees and puts a hand on his shoulder after Mordred confesses to loving Kara. Arthur looks troubled and regretful as he tells him "you know there's nothing i wouldn't do for you. You're a knight of Camelot. Its a bond we share. But what you ask... this girl, she is a danger..." Mordred vehemently denies this and insists he can change this. Arthur says he can't risk the lives of his citizens regardless of who asks him. Mordred is crying and again begs Arthur to reconsider. Arthur’s voice is quiet and regretful as he tells Mordred that she admitted her guilt and it left him with no option. He apologizes. Mordred leaves, crying and looking numb

5x11: Mordred goes to Arthur's chambers saying he wanted to apologize. Arthur assures him there's no need. Mordred says he hopes Arthur would forgive him. Arthur tells him "I'd never let something like this ruin our friendship." Mordred smiles slightly at that and tells Arthur he will always remember that Arthur took him in and all he had done for him. Arthur says that Mordred has become Arthur’s most loyal of knights. Mordred thanks him, gives him a nod, and leaves. Arthur did not recognize it for what it was: a good bye.

5x11: Mordred begs Arthur to let them go, that he had Mordred's word they would leave Camelot and never return. Arthur remains silent and resilient as he stares back at Mordred.

5x11: Mordred is thrown in a cell and he asks Arthur what hes going to do with him. Arthur doesn't know. He turns and leaves

5x12 deleted scene: Mordred is not entirely comfortable at the prospect of killing Arthur and he says that he believes Arthur to still be a good man and there is still hope for him.

5x13: Arthur is poised to strike a killing blow but he falters when he recognizes his opponent is Mordred. Mordred takes advantage of this hesitation and stabs Arthur. Arthur falls to his knees and Mordred says "You gave me no choice" Arthur surges to his feet and runs Mordred through with his sword. Mordred gives Arthur a deranged smile and collapses to the ground, dead. Arthur looks upset.

Much of Arthur’s dynamic with Mordred through season 5 is very much big brother little brother which makes the fall out in 5x11 that leads to them killing each other in 5x13 so tragic.

[thepeakygurl]

16 Shots

Thomas Shelby x Reader

Word count: 1073

Warnings: Mention of violence

Prompts: Y/N is taken hostage by a rivalry gang and Thomas goes to save you.

My first Peaky Blinders/Thomas Shelby scenario ever! I really hope you like it and hope it meets your expectations! Please don’t hesistate to give me any feedbacks. Also, my first language is not English so if there’s any grammatical mistakes please pardon me! ( requested by @irishwhiskeys thank you so much for giving me the chance to write this piece ✨ )

“Thomas, you are here!”

Polly’s voice echoed in Thomas’ head as he entered the room. An imperceptible sighed slipped from his mouth while he was cautiously taking off his jacket. If questioned just minutes before about his preference of spending the rest of the evening alone or with his family, he would have certainly chosen the second one.

However, now that every single Shelby was standing in each corner of the living room, with such a sad expression that could have saddened the happiest human being in the world, he had his doubts about that reckless and hypothetical decision. “Did Arthur attempt to kill himself again?” He jokingly asked to ease up that damn the tension. Suddenly even the room felt too small for all the concern that was in the air as a mass of black clouds in the middle of a typical day in Birmingham, but this felt nothing like a typical day.

Arthur was not laughing or screaming at him, he was sitting at the table, giving all his attention to the cigarette he kept playing with. John not so close to him, standing tall while holding Esme’s hand so tight as if he was trying to hold onto her. Thomas looked at Arthur and instantly knew that things were worse than he was imagining “Is anyone going to fucking tell me what’s going on?!” He burst out and only then Polly stood up. Her hair was a mess, she was clearly worried and if Thomas didn’t know her any well, he would have swore she shredded some tears. How of all of her expectations she became fond of you.

She handed him over a piece of wrinkled piece of paper, the same one that its content turned the Shelby’s living room into a mass funeral “They took her Tommy...” she said, her voice so broken and soft that Tommy couldn’t even read the piece of paper his eyes went instead across the room, looking for Ada and when he finally saw her, standing and with her eyes achingly looking at him, he knew it was you.

For a small amount of seconds, Thomas forgot how to speak. His throat was aching as if someone was trying to choke him and his heart has never ached like this before. He quickly read the note and he knew that only someone dumb and inexperienced could have thrown such a move. He let the piece of paper slip out of his hands as he quickly put on his jacket. “Let us come with you” Arthur said, but he didn’t stand up, he knew Thomas would told him to sit back down

“Instead of standing here like some sorts or middle aged men you should have gone after her as soon as you read this fucking piece of shit” he screamed at him as he was loading his gun that he then carefully handed and pointed out at the all room “If y/n dies, so are you” he almost whispered it out, but he was sure that even those words said in a slightly whisper was enough for his family to know that someone today was really going to die.

Lately he had received news of a new group of reckless children that were trying to play gangsters. He never looked at them as a threat, if anything he was amused, almost impressed and saddened by how someone’s ambition could aim at just being a gangster. It was dark outside, the rain was making the road slippery. A sense of guilt started to fill his bones as he got into his car and started to drive towards the pub, where the paper indicated him to go. He told you a million times that this life was not meant for you, that you were meant to live a peaceful and meaningful life, perhaps apart, but you and your stubbornness couldn’t just let it go. You have to prove yourself, started to work with the family and put yourself at risk. He couldn’t believe he did that to you, he couldn’t believed you were taken hostage because of his own ambition and pride. He felt his hands shake onto the wheel of the car, which made him grab onto it tight as he approached the pub. Stepping out of the car, Thomas didn’t take out his gun, he instead put his hand inside his pockets as he entered the pub. The place usually filled with laughter and tipsy people was now empty, except for the bartender behind the bar, held at gun point by some kid that could have honestly have the same age as Finn. Such a pity, he thought.

His eyes went across the room were a smiling young gentleman welcomed him. “We were honestly starting to think that this one wasn’t really worth it for you” he said in a laughter, looking over his should where you were also being held at gun point, some man with a dreadful smell covering had his arm around your throat and his gun pointed at your head. When your eyes met Thomas’ you could tell he was angry, but you also felt something else, something his eyes have never told you before. Thomas attention was once again reversed to the young gentleman “I usually attend business not blackmails” he said, he had to use all his self control in order to maintain his calm and not killing the bastard right away “Do you want to talk about business or can we go?” He proceeded to ask.

The young gentleman laughed again, an horrible laugh that made both Thomas and y/n almost rolling their eyes. “Mr. Shelby you should know best. You had your chance to consider my offer, now the offer is out of the table”

Thomas chuckled, his hand came out of his pockets which made everyone tense, the young gentleman looked at the man holding on y/n and the second one proceeded on loading his gun “Gentlemen” Thomas said to gain their attention, as he showed the cigarette in his hand that he then lit, as he thought before reckless and inexperienced they were indeed. “Now then, I will give you my offer. You will let the girl go and you will take your shit and your little milk drinker gang’s shit and you will vanish. How does that sound eh?” He said with the cigarette slowly burning out in his lips.

“Not good enough Mr. Shelby, not good enough” the young gentleman responded to the offer and he then handed out his gun pointed directly to Thomas, your heart stopped beating for a second as you saw the bastard loading his gun, but Thomas didn’t flinch, not even when the door burst open and Arthur came in all smiling “Starting a party without me I see? How rude”

While everyone was now holding their gun at Arthur, John was successful into entering from the back silently, he was just behind you and the man which he then grabbed by the collar and knocked him out with just a punch “I think they forgot to send our invitation” he then said, he looked at you and said something about getting out of there but you couldn’t. The room burst into chaos. Suddenly the kid threatening the live of the bartender was now being beaten by Arthur, the guy John punched was now coming to his senses and John couldn’t help himself but starting to play again, while Thomas was trying to take the gun out of the other’s one hand. He succeeded on the first try as the young gentleman was now trembling in fear trying to hold his tears. But this pitiful sight was not enough, Thomas felt all his anger coming back, all his self control leaving his body as he started to hit him with his very own gun. You looked at the scene, incapable of moving a single muscle. That was the kind of situation that Thomas didn’t want you to see, this wicked side of him that he was so afraid to show you was now revealed. Drowning in its own blood, you reckoned he was just a kid, a kid playing adult and you couldn’t help now but running towards Thomas and begging him to stop. Thomas however didn’t hear you, he was too busy taking the life out of the piece of garbage that tried to take you from him. And you saw it, you saw the life of the guy coming out of his body, begging for mercy so you had to kneel down and scream his name, forcing his face in your hands “It’s over Thomas, we are alright” and you specified we, because that was what it was all about. You and him. You were trying to prove yourself to him and he was trying to protect you.

Thomas was breathing heavily now, looking at you as lost as he has ever felt. The thought of loosing and never being able to see you again almost drove him insane. He tried to say something, he really tried to open his mouth and say that he was sorry, that he was desperately sorry, but he didn’t have too as you whispered I know, it’s ok. He stood up, helping you doing the same and here he just hold you onto his arms, as tight as possible. His face hiding in your neck while he allowed himself to kiss your skin and he sighed, relieved that he could do such a thing. You smiled again his chest.

“You lovebirds, can we go home now?” Asked Arthur, his hand socked in blood as he looked at you two with a big smile on his face. You laughed a little while Thomas was giving him a hard stare.

“Get yourself a room eh?” Were John’s word of wisdom as he and Arthur left the pub.

Thomas chuckled “Maybe we should get a room." He said and has soon as your cheeks turned into a bright red he laughed as well softly.

“Maybe we should” you whispered in a breath and once again, you saw a new emotion on Thomas’s eyes. Something you couldn’t quite describe just yet, but you knew it would lead to something quite interesting.

[myheartrevealedocs]

Untouchable Ch 6- The Fisher King: Part 1 (S1E22)

Summary:  A Spencer Reid x OC fanfic that retells select episodes, starting in season 1, from the point of view of Lydia Ambers, a forensic scientist.

Warnings: swearing, murder, threats

Ch 5 | Ch 7

~ ~ ~

“Have you read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories?” Reid inquired, as he walked past Lydia’s temporary desk.

They’d just gotten back from a case and Lydia was hard at work to finish up any reports she had to give that night. She had recently set herself to a standard that she wouldn’t bring any work things to her apartment so that she could focus on her studies there.

“When I was in middle school,” she answered, not looking up from her file. “Why do you ask?”

“Your job on our team is very Sherlock Holmes-esque.” He continued standing to the side of her desk, patiently hoping she’d engage more with him.

And she did after he said that. “Out of the two of us, you think I’m Sherlock Holmes?” she laughed.

“Well, I’m not exactly comparing us to Holmes and Watson, I just…” He paused as he reached into his book bag and Lydia swiveled her chair to face him directly. “I found this collection of some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories in my apartment and I thought you might like them, if you hadn’t read them before.” He waved the brick-sized book up for her to see. “Do you want them?”

Lydia was surprised, to say the least. She stared at him for a moment, with widened eyes. “You saw a Sherlock Holmes collection and… you thought of- thought of me?” It felt so stupid, but she wasn’t sure what else there was to say. It felt like a joke, but Lydia could see no reason for Reid to be playing her.

“Of course,” he chuckled. “You’re brilliant. You’re younger than me and we’re on the same team. Doesn’t that mean something to you?”

She shook her head wildly, the ends of her hair smacking her across the face. “I’m some lowly intern, Spencer. You were a supervisory special agent at the age of 23.”

“You could be, too,” he suggested. “You’ve got two more years to accomplish that.”

She stopped herself from shaking her head again and smiled down at her lap. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be an agent. I’ll stick to blood splatters and fingerprints.”

When she looked back up at him, she realized that he was still holding the book.

“Oh! I’d love to read some stories though,” she informed him. “If you’re sure you want to part with the book for a few weeks.”

“It’s not a problem,” he responded cheekily, setting it down on her desk. “You’ll have to call me and tell me what you think of the ones you read.”

She agreed and was watching him wander away when something struck her. “Oh, Spencer!”

He flipped on his heel, looking at her curiously. “Yeah?”

“You’re headed back to Vegas over your break, yeah? So I won’t be able to meet up with you at the cafe that week?”

He nodded.

She couldn’t help but glance at the gift he’d just given her. To borrow, of course, but it made her heart swell. “I’ll miss you.”

“You’ll be fine. You barely ask me for help on your courses anymore anyway. I think you’ve got it all figured out.”

A panic hit her as he left. Did he think she didn’t need him anymore? Was he going to leave her to get her PhD by herself now?

It wasn’t his job, but she’d figured he would be there to help her for every step of the way, as he had the past six months. But he was a genius, so if he said she could do it, shouldn’t she trust him? 

Ehh… he was intellectual, but college relied on emotional and mental factors, too. If something unexpected happened, she might need him again. Why did it feel relieving to know that something might cause her to be incapable of doing this alone??

Oh fuck.

Oh no.

It wasn’t about the PhD at all.

No, no, no.

She had feelings for Spencer Reid.

~ ~ ~

“I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life.”

Lydia allowed herself a few extra minutes to scan the pages of “The Red-Headed League” that evening after dinner. In the past few days, she’d read a few of the shorter of Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, but had yet to talk to Spencer about them. He’d left for Las Vegas the previous day and she’d gotten the feeling that going home to his family was stressful for him, so she decided to give him some time to settle before speaking with him again.

Or at least, she thought she would.

Before she could truly invest herself in the book’s pages, she heard a brief knock at her door.

This job had really made her paranoid. She went totally silent, listening closely, but didn’t hear any voices or shuffling outside. Which was better than someone screaming at her to open the door or else they’ll kill her, but didn’t assuage her fears. No one she knew was in town. They’d all gone elsewhere for their vacation time with the exception of Hotch. Nor did they know where she lived to her knowledge. And if someone had accidently tapped against her door on their way down the hall, she would have heard them walking away… right?

She creeped towards the door, trying not to make any noise. If there was someone creepy out there, hopefully she could convince them no one was home and they’d leave. But there was no one outside that she could see from the peephole.

She was still afraid that someone might be hiding outside of the door’s line of sight, so she waited for a minute longer, looking out occasionally for any movement and listening closely. It wasn’t until she heard one of her neighbors leaving, a girl around her age who lived with her boyfriend down the hall, that she thought it was safe to open her door. If there was someone creepy waiting outside her door, her neighbor wouldn’t have acted so normal on her way past.

So, Lydia cracked the door open and looked down the hallway for anything out of place and found a small square package on the floor. There was no return address on it. On the top, written in Sharpie, was her name, apartment building, and room number.

That didn’t look good. But at that point, her fear of getting murdered was overtaken by immense curiosity. This had to have been hand delivered, but by who? The only people who would consider sending her a package were all in California.

She grabbed a nearby pair of scissors and slit the tape on the box to open it. And the inside was far stranger than the outside.

Inside was a singular orange prescription bottle. The label was made out to a Lady Blanchefleur for bupropion. She had no clue what the name meant, but the drug? That was targeted.

She was infuriated just by the sight of it and was ready to throw it out, but she saw a small slip of paper inside. She flipped the cap off and unrolled the small sheet.

SAVE HER.

What the hell was going on? Was someone trying to torment her about her past?

But who knew?

As much as she wanted to forget about the whole thing, Lydia knew something was messed up about this whole picture. Clearly whoever had sent this knew a lot about her history. More than she thought a single person did know about her life.  It was terrifying and sickening to think about.

Gideon told her not to call while he was on his vacation time. He needed the time away from anything work related and she could understand that. And she didn’t want to bother Hotch when he finally had family time. The only other person on the team who she trusted with this information was…

Spencer.

It was still mid-afternoon where he was, so she figured a call at this time would be reasonable. And even if he told her it was nothing, she could really use a voice she could trust right now.

It took him a few rings to pick up. “Hey, sorry. What’s up?”

“Hey, Spencer? I just got a really weird package delivered to my door. It doesn’t have a return address, just my name and apartment room. And inside-”

“Lydia, don’t open that,” he said, quickly, but she huffed.

“I already opened it. It’s just an orange pill bottle. But inside, there’s a note that says ‘save her’. And I have no clue why someone would send me something like this.”

She could feel his exasperation across the country. “Next time, don’t open weird packages, yeah? But I’m not sure why you’d get something like that. Garcia and JJ are at the office right now. You should call one of them and have the package processed. Let me know what you find, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you. Sorry for bothering you.”

“You aren’t bothering me at all. I’m glad you called…” He cleared his throat, awkwardly. “Talk to you later, okay?”

“Talk to you later.”

~ ~ ~

“Lydia!” JJ cried upon seeing her enter the BAU the next day. “Thank god. Something really weird is going on.”

“Did they find anything on the package I got?” Lydia inquired and she was quick to shake her head.

“No. But Hotch had to go to Jamaica, because Elle was arrested for murder and Gideon got a package with a head inside it.”

“A head?!?” Oh god, she was lucky. “A human head?”

JJ nodded. “Hotch is clearing Elle’s name and then he’ll be back with her and Morgan. Oh, and don’t bug Garcia,” she warned. “Her computer system’s down. She thinks she got hacked. When I went in there she was freaking out.” Lydia opened her mouth to say more, but JJ was off again. “Gideon! I’ve been trying to call you.”

Lydia flipped around to see Gideon marching towards the two of them. “Why?”

“Someone sent you a head?” JJ demanded.

“From Jamaica.”

“Morgan and Elle are in Jamaica right now,” she explained. “There was a murder. The body was headless. Elle’s been arrested for it.”

“What?”

“Hotch headed down there last night with some bureau lawyers and a crime scene unit. He should be there by now.”

Gideon rubbed his forehead, looking beyond exhausted. Lydia wondered what he’d been doing when that head arrived at his cabin. He’d made it very clear to them his cabin was where he had time to himself and she felt so bad he’d been so grossly interrupted. “If you talk to him, have him call me right away.”

“Yes, sir,” JJ replied, and they both took off in different directions. Lydia considered sitting at her desk and finding a way to pass the time while this mess was figured out, but an agent stopped her and Gideon on their way into the bullpen.

“The baseball card, medication bottle, and notes from your packages,” the man said, handing her the evidence bags. “We processed them. There’s nothing. And we’re still working on identifying the head.”

“Try contacting the Montego Bay Police. Apparently they have a headless homicide victim.”

“Got it.” He took off and Gideon waved Lydia towards the round table room.

“Lydia, start setting up an evidence board. Whatever you’ve got.”

“Sure.”

She dashed away and began pinning the small items onto a corkboard. Gideon had received an envelope with the exact same ‘SAVE HER’ message on the outside and inside was a Nellie Fox baseball card. And her evidence bags included a small slip of paper and a medication bottle.

She hesitated putting the last item up. This bottle… it was personal to her. And as soon as it became evidence in a case, she’d have to come clean about its significance.

She huffed and stuck the pin in more forcefully than she meant to. It didn’t matter. She didn’t have any secrets. Whatever, right?

They didn’t have to know everything, did they? And maybe, this unsub just picked random information to put on the bottle. Completely coincidental.

Except JJ had said Garcia’s computer might have gotten hacked. Shit. The FBI’s databases probably had that information on file. As well as where she was currently living. So then, maybe the coincidence was actually the bottle? This person had no clue how she felt about those stupid, plastic cylinders. That made more sense logically.

In fact, the only thing that didn’t make any sense was the name. Lady Blanchefleur. White flower.

Lydia jumped out of the room and towards her desk, typing the name into a search engine.

Blanchefleur was a common French name in the Middle Ages. She was the heroine in a famous story titled “Floris and Blancheflour” although the spelling of the name and details of the story changed depending on when and where it was transcribed. The name was also given to two separate characters in tales of the Knights of the Round Table: the first being the mother of Sir Tristan and the second, the love of Sir Percival.

She scanned page after page for anything that might indicate why the unsub had chosen that name, but there was very little on the name in fiction or history. The tale of Floris and Blancheflour was a short and sweet romance, but she could find no connections to herself or the case in it. And in the case of the round table knights, the name had been mentioned, but the characters never appeared in the stories, so she didn’t have any leads on that detail.

She glanced up just in time to watch JJ rush from her office to Gideon’s, a wooden picture frame in her hand.

She growled and shut down her computer, knowing full well that she was about to get more evidence for the board. But so far, other than a body in Jamaica and a head in a box, none of these pieces fit together.

~ ~ ~

“Come on,” JJ told Lydia, making her way out of the round table room. “Hotch, Elle, and Morgan should be coming up now.”

Now, to add to their collection, they had a butterfly in a frame with the message ‘SHE HAS BEEN SEARCHED FOR BUT NEVER FOUND’ and the name of a man who’d disappeared from Jamaica following the mysterious murder, Frank Giles. Lydia had been staring at the board for an hour at least, completely zoned out, but she listened to JJ and followed her through the bullpen.

Their timing was perfect, finding the three colleagues in a circle just outside the BAU office.

“Hotch, I spent half the night in an interrogation room,” Elle was berating him. “I am not sleeping until I find this Frank Giles.”

“Frank Giles left Jamaica last night on the Red Eye,” JJ informed the group as she and Lydia joined the circle. “He flew to Florida and then got onto another flight to Virginia.”

“Virginia?” Elle snarled. “You mean that son of a bitch is from here?”

“I don’t know if he’s from here, but this is where he flew to. Arlington.” She looked over the page a different tech analyst had given her. “He’s got a long criminal record. Manslaughter, robbery, rape.”

“What about the victim?” Morgan asked. “Marty Harris.”

“Uh, he’s a two-time convicted fetish burglar, registered child sex offender-”

“And we have his head,” Gideon interrupted, joining them. “CSU just positively identified the one delivered to my cabin.”

“‘Don’t waste time on the first victims. They were unrepentant bad men. They only got what they deserved,’” Hotch recited from a notepad in his hand.

“What is that?” Morgan asked.

“I got a phone call last night before you called from Jamaica,” he informed the group, waving the notepad with the conversation he’d written on it.

“Any mention of a ‘her’?” Elle questioned.

“‘You must help him save her,’” he responded.

“Now there’s a ‘him’, too?” Lydia rubbed her forehead as if it would clear her mind from this nauseating puzzle in front of her.

“I think he means Reid,” Gideon explained.

“Reid?” JJ asked.

“We need to regroup,” Hotch determined and the entire group turned and entered the bullpen.

~ ~ ~

Lydia lay dramatically with her head over the back of the chair she was seated in. They’d all migrated back to the conference room and she hated the idea of going back to staring blankly at the evidence boards. So her eyes traced the tiles of the ceiling as she listened to the rest of the group speak.

“So, clearly we have a psychopath who’s intent on drawing us into his game,” Hotch was saying.

“Playing with us,” Gideon added.

“Then let's return the favor,” Elle fired.

“He kept telling us repeatedly to save ‘her’. What ‘her’?” Morgan asked.

“The items he sent must be some kind of clues.”

Hotch agreed with Gideon and told JJ to start listing them off on the whiteboard.

“I got a Nellie Fox baseball card from 1963,” Gideon began, “and I got a head in a box.”

“I got a rare butterfly in a shadow box,” JJ added, before beginning the list.

“And repeated messages to save ‘her’,” Hotch offered.

Elle was pacing, obviously furious. “I got the decapitated body and a nice visit to the Jamaican police headquarters.”

“Reid called from Nevada,” Gideon explained for him. “He’s on his way back here with a skeleton key and a note he got, too… Lydia?”

She jumped up in her seat suddenly. “Sorry. I got a medication bottle with the name Lady Blanchefleur on it.”

“Lady Blanchefleur?” Elle asked.

She shrugged. “It’s French. It means ‘white flower’. I looked it up and there are a few notable uses of it throughout history, but nothing stood out to me.”

“Wait,” Hotch mumbled. He began flipping rapidly through his notepad again to find his scribbles. “You said Reid got a key?”

Gideon nodded.

“The guy who called me said something along the lines of…” he scanned the page he was on. “‘Sir Percival holds the key’.”

“Percival!” Lydia cried. “Yes! That was one of the… the Knights! At the Round Table!”

She grabbed Hotch’s notes before he could protest and looked over the line again.

“Sir Percival was known as Arthur’s most innocent and loyal knights. He went on the quest for the Grail and he was in love with… Lady Blanchefleur.”

She froze up at the implications of that. Did the unsub know that she was crushing on the doctor? But how? That was on no file and she definitely hadn’t told anyone.

“Ok, but wait a minute,” Morgan continued, no one seeming to notice her embarrassment. “They don’t contact us this way. I mean, they might taunt us, dare us to catch ‘em. But they don’t drag us into their fantasies.”

“Why not?” JJ asked, turning away from the board she was writing on.

“Because they’re sexual fantasies,” he argued. “I mean, taunting us is a show of power, but making us the object is… I don’t know what the hell that is.”

“Something else about the baseball card,” Gideon murmured. “Nellie Fox was one of the stars of the 1959 White Sox. I went to almost every game with my father that year. Fox was my hero. So, is it a coincidence that he sends this to me? Or does he know how I feel about him?”

JJ’s eyes went wide. “I collected butterflies when I was a little girl. That’s how I knew what butterfly was in the box.”

“So then he knows us,” Morgan determined.

“I got an anonymous message,” Hotch argued.

“I got a police raid,” Elle continued.

“But he knew exactly where we were,” Morgan shot back. “Hotel in Jamaica. Gideon at the cabin. Reid in Vegas. You and Lydia at your homes.”

“He got that from the Bureau computers.” Garcia appeared in the doorway, a manilla folder in hand. “Your locations are always in there so they can find you if they need you. I checked the log. The hacker was definitely in the personal folders. There were room numbers to the hotels in Jamaica, the address of Gideon’s cabin… There’s a lot of information in those databases,” she admitted.

“Have you figured out how he was able to get into the Bureau’s computers?” Hotch asked and she swallowed, harshly.

“I’m- I’m still working on that,” she said, but she looked like she was nodding.

“Garcia, if you know something-”

“No, it- um…” Lydia felt so bad for her. She looked terrified. “It’s just- I… I was playing a game yesterday. An online game.”

Gideon blinked. “A game?”

“Not on the Bureau computer, sir,” she defended, quickly. “On my own personal laptop.”

“Garcia, no, no, no, no.” Morgan put his head into his hands and Garcia’s eyes filled with tears.

“I don’t understand,” Hotch said, softly, seeing how fragile the tech genius was.

“Wireless internet,” was all Morgan said.

“By wirelessly hooking into the net here to get online, the hacker could have gotten into my computer first, and I have far less protection on my own laptop.”

Hotch crossed his arms. “And he could have gotten into the entire Bureau computer system this way?”

She nodded, her voice barely a whisper at this point. “Yeah, it’s possible.”

Gideon got up slowly, turning away from the group. “Playing a game?” he asked. “How could you be that stupid?”

“Gideon!” Lydia shouted.

“Information, files,” he continued, ignoring her. “You have a responsibility.”

“I know, sir,” Garcia apologized, the tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry.”

Everyone stayed silent at the spectacle, wondering who would speak first. Lydia watched everyone’s eyes drop to the floor as Penelope looked for some support and it infuriated her. She threw down Hotch’s notepad and walked over to comfort the girl, but she pushed her away.

“But I found him,” she told them through her tears.

“You what?” Elle started to move towards her.

“I know who he is,” she said. “The hacker. His name is Giles. Frank Giles. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, four miles from here. I have his address.”

She handed the folder to Hotch before swiftly leaving the room.

“Did she say Giles?” Morgan repeated.

~ ~ ~

Hotch: Rm 1210. Now.

Lydia hadn’t even read the text before she was throwing on her vest and leaving the SUV. Hotch had required her to start wearing the bulletproof attire after the fiasco in McAllister when Cory Bridges had a gun on her. It didn’t exactly make her feel safer, knowing that the vest wouldn’t have stopped a bullet to the face, but getting shot on the job didn’t help him or Gideon prove she was an asset to Strauss, so she agreed to it.

She silently passed all the exiting SWAT guys as she made her way upstairs and to Frank Giles’s apartment. She thought for sure that she’d watch them walk him away in handcuffs, but by the time she got to the room, she hadn’t seen him. Maybe he wasn’t home?

Oh, how wrong she was. She stepped into the apartment building and found the team standing around his body. He lay on a bare bed, a long sword straight through his chest. And, of course, in blood behind him:

HERE THY QUEST DOTH TRULY BEGIN

“God damnit,” she grumbled, already pulling her gloves out of her pocket.

“He’s definitely playing with us,” Hotch said.

“His identification checks out,” Elle admitted, handing Hotch the ID she’d found by the body. “That’s Frank Giles.”

“There’s a big old bag of money sitting right here on the dresser,” Morgan continued.

“Oh boy,” Lydia joked. “Where to start?”

“So, Giles took Harris to Jamaica to kill him and the unsub killed Giles,” Hotch figured.

Morgan was already pulling stacks of cash out of the bag. “Yeah, but he paid him first.”

“Left the cash?” Elle inquired.

He shrugged. “He’s apparently well-funded.”

Lydia knelt down next to the body to look at the blade in his chest.

“He said these were ‘unrepentant bad men’,” Hotch reminded them. “Are we looking for some kind of vigilante?”

“No,” Gideon murmured. “The bodies are nothing but a way to get us interested. They’re game pieces. The killings are secondary.”

“Well, this guy likes to write things in blood on walls,” Elle stated and Morgan nodded.

“All kinds of cult and demonic significance to that.”

“Thy? Doth? Quest?” She threw the words around before reading it in its entirety. “‘Thy quest doth truly begin’ Why start phrasing things like this now?”

“All the other messages were in modern English,” Hotch agreed.

“Maybe this is the first one the unsub actually wrote,” Morgan suggested.

Elle scoffed. “So we’re looking for Shakespeare?”

“Hey, guys?” Lydia interrupted. “There’s something etched on the blade.” She leaned in close, trying to read the scratches over the already intricate designs on the sword. “‘To learn of what should next be done, leave the blade til the hour be none’.”

“Hour be none?” Morgan asked and Hotch leaned down to see for himself.

“Leave the blade,” he mumbled. “Elle, move for a second.” She stepped away from the group, backing up towards the bloody wall. “Move to your left… The bed’s in the middle of the room.”

“Which isn’t by chance,” Morgan agreed.

“And maybe the light from here-” He pointed to a window behind him, where Elle formerly was. “-casts a shadow and points to something.”

“Come on,” Elle protested. “Are we in the middle of an Indiana Jones movie?”

“The hour be none?” Hotch repeated, ignoring her comment.

“Midnight is 00:00 hours in 24-hour time. Would that be none?” Morgan asked.

“Midnight wouldn’t cast a shadow,” the older man argued.

“Hour be none…” Morgan sounded it out like it might suddenly come to him.

“3 PM.”

Spencer had slid into the room, his book bag still around his shoulder. He looked a little tired, but Lydia attributed it to jet lag and possible stress over the new case.

“Hey, guys. Garcia told me where to find you.”

“3 PM?” Gideon asked.

“It’s medieval,” Spencer explained. “The days used to be broken into hourly intervals. The canonical intervals of the breviary. Prime: 6 AM. Terce: 9 AM. Sext: 12 noon.  None: 3 PM. And vespers: 6 PM.”

“Reid, do not ever go away again,” Elle insisted.

He smiled, but Gideon refused to let them fall off track. “Medieval. That’s why the language changed.”

“Everything this guy does is a clue,” Hotch agreed.

“We can narrow it down some more,” Lydia offered. “He was talking about King Arthur’s Round Table earlier.”

“The Round Table?” Reid inquired.

“Okay, but guys, it’s 4:35,” Morgan interrupted. “What do we do? Leave the blade in until 3 PM tomorrow?”

It took Reid a minute to realize we’d switched topics. “Oh, not if we can block that window out.” He turned to one of the crime scene investigators in the seperate room. “Do you have any spotlights in your car?”

“Sure,” she replied and the team got to work on covering the window.

~ ~ ~

Lydia sat down in a corner of the room, watching as everyone set up for their experiment. Spencer knelt in front of the now dark window and rest stood off to the sides so they could see the uninterrupted shadow on the wall.

“So, the sun is right here at 5 PM,” he started, turning on the flashlight to face the sword. “Morgan, follow the shadow as I move the light higher.”

He was quick to oblige, moving a lamp and the table on which it sat out of the way as the shadow flattened out. “Okay. And do what?”

Hotch leaned forward. “Tap,” he instructed.

Morgan used the pads of his fingers to prod at the wall as the shadow moved under Spencer’s direction. After a moment, the hilt of the sword lined up with a hollow spot in the wall.

“Definitely an Indiana Jones movie,” Elle repeated her reference from earlier.

“Feels like the wallpaper’s been replaced.”

“Tear it open,” Hotch told him.

Morgan pulled out a pocket knife, which slid easily into the thin plaster and allowed him to pull a large section of the wall out.

“It’s a box.”

“Take it out.”

“Wait, are we sure it’s safe?” Reid interrupted.

“What, you think it’s a bomb?” Hotch fired back. “You think he’d be playing this game just to blow us up?”

“He’d have already done that as long as we’ve been standing here,” Morgan agreed and reached into the hole.

It was a strange, dark box, with a gold lock encrusting the front. Morgan tried for a second, but it wasn’t opening.

“It’s locked. You want me to break it?”

“No,” Hotch sighed. “We should process it first.”

Everyone was startled when Gideon finally spoke up. “‘Sir Percival holds the key’,” he muttered.

The entire group turned their heads to Reid. “Sir Percival?” he asked, bewildered.

“I’ll explain later,” Lydia told him and approached. “Do you have the key?”

He fumbled around his pants and shirt pocket until he found the skeleton key and handed it to her. Lydia joined the group around the box and opened it up carefully. The second the top cracked open, a slow, sweet tune filled the room.

Music box.

A thin lined piece of paper sat on the bottom of the box, which Reid took from her hand and read aloud. “‘Never would it be night, but always clear day to any man’s sight.’”

“Well, that was worth it,” Elle replied, sarcastically.

“The lid,” Gideon said from behind her. “Little tab right under the lock.”

Morgan saw what he was talking about and pulled the top down to reveal another compartment in the top of the box. And inside that was a lock of blonde hair, tied together with a pink ribbon, and a DVD that read: THY QUEST.

Elle took the hair to a crime scene investigator to put in an evidence bag and Morgan looked over the DVD.

Lydia stood up fully and started to leave, ripping her gloves off as she went. “Let’s go see what this stupid quest is about.”

~ ~ ~

“Sir Percival?” Spencer repeated as the two sat next to each other in the conference room.

“Right.” She rubbed her palm over her forehead. “Hotch got a call. The speaker said, ‘Sir Percival holds the key’. Then we found out you had received a skeleton key. And the medicine bottle I got? It’s prescribed to a ‘Lady Blanchefleur’. She’s the love of Sir Percival in some of the stories of the Round Table.”

His eyes widened. “So, we’re…”

“This unsub thinks we are,” Lydia replied quickly. She was too exhausted to have this awkward conversation right now. “He’s definitely got a medieval fantasy to play out.”

They put the DVD in and a video popped up. The setting was dark, with a large shadow cast over the top half of the room. There was a fireplace against the back wall, but no fire. The camera was set up on a desk, with many strange objects littered around, all gold in color. And finally, a grand leather chair faced the camera.

It took a moment for the man to walk in, most likely their unsub. He wore all black and hobbled onto screen slowly, taking a painful moment to sit in the chair. With the terrible lighting in the room, his face was obscured from their view.

“He moves funny,” Hotch noted.

“Looks like he’s injured or something,” Morgan agreed.

When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse and raspy. Lydia wondered if he was a smoker or had lost it somehow, but if the latter were the case, it would have been accompanied by coughs or moments where the sound disappeared completely. He didn’t have that, which would suggest he’d been living like that a long time.

“I assure you… you’ll all understand in the end why it must be this way. You might even thank me.”

“Don’t hold your breath, scumbag,” Elle snapped.

“You know now you’re on a quest. A young girl’s life depends on the successful completion of it.” The video cut to one of a blonde girl in all white, sitting on a bed. When she noticed the camera, she started throwing objects across the room at the person filming. “As you can see, she’s quite beautiful… and in distress.” There was another shot of her at the door of the room, There was a barred window in the door, which she pulled at and threw herself against.

Then, it cut back to their unsub. “Now, please listen closely for there is one rule. And this rule must be followed. The one rule is… only the members of your team may participate in the quest.” As he listed off each team member, pictures of them on the job appeared. “Jason Gideon, Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Elle Greenaway, Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, and Lydia Ambers.” Lydia was terrified to see her face appear with the others. She could see someone easily getting these pictures from newspapers and press conferences. Some of them were perhaps more candid, but even so, the BAU was constantly working popular cases and people could easily join a crowd and catch pictures of them.

But Lydia? She recognized where she was standing. It was outside the hospital of the poisoning case she worked a few months back. No one was there. It was a hospital parking lot, the only way she could have missed someone taking photos of her was if they were sitting in their car waiting for her to come out.

God, that’s horrifying.

“A quest must be completed in the proper way or it isn’t a quest, is it? That’s it. One rule. Simple. Now, you will be receiving an item soon that will hold the final clue you’ll need to finish the quest. You will find you’ll also need a book which has inspired many an adventure like mine. Believe me when I tell you, I truly hope to see you all soon. It will mean a successful end to this adventure… for all of us.”

The screen went black.

“This guy’s got pictures of us?” Elle demanded, suddenly.

“What do we do now?” Spencer asked.

“Well, the lock of hair’s being analyzed for DNA. There might be something on file,” Hotch explained, avoiding the uncomfortable topic of the video they’d just watched.

“I’ll get the video team to enhance the shots of the girl,” JJ offered, grabbing the DVD from the player.

“Let’s get the clues up on the board,” Hotch ordered. “Maybe we can make some sense of something.”

“Wait. We’re going to play this guy's game?” Elle cried.

“Do we have a choice?” Spencer shot back.

The sound of the door opening caught everyone’s attention and Lydia turned around in time to watch Gideon storm out. She wasn’t sure what was up with him, but at the moment, she just couldn’t deal with it. Lucky for her, Hotch volunteered, standing up to leave.

“Be right back. You guys keep working.”

As soon as both her superiors were gone, Lydia lay her head down on the table and listened distantly to what the others had to say.

She really wasn’t in the mood for this puzzle solving today.

~ ~ ~

Not ten minutes later, Hotch was back… with his wife, son, and a piece of poster paper with a bunch of random numbers on it. Supposedly someone had appeared at their door and told Haley to give the paper to Hotch immediately.

“Dear lord, I’m going to throw myself out of a window,” Lydia grumbled, watching Spencer put the new delivery onto a corkboard.

“Ambers,” Hotch warned, before leaving with his wife.

“Sorry, I’m going to let someone push me out of a window,” she joked once they were out of earshot. “What are we looking at?”

“My eyes are so heavy I can barely see it,” Elle replied.

“I think it’s a coded message of some sort.” Reid rubbed his chin, contemplating.

“The unsub said we’d need a book, didn’t he?” Lydia asked. “It could be book code.”

He nodded excitedly. “Each one of these sets of numbers represents a particular word. For instance, page 118, line 30, word 3. We need to figure out what the words are and fill in the blanks.”

Morgan somehow looked even more fed up than Lydia felt. He ran his hands over his head and interlocked the fingers at the back of the neck, pulling on it like he planned to tear his own head off.

“Yeah, but from what book?” Elle asked Spencer and he shrugged.

“I don’t know. The trouble is it has to be the exact same edition of the exact same book that he used.”

JJ walked in, a folder in her hands. “Just got a DNA hit on the lock of hair. Rebecca Bryant. She’s been missing out of Boston for two years.” As she explained, they passed around the photo they had of her on file.

Lydia’s heart had skipped a beat when JJ said Rebecca, panicking for a moment about the safety of her own sister. Could the unsub possibly know where her sister and Sonia lived?

“Two years?” Elle was appalled.

“Guys, how are we supposed to figure out which book this code was copied out of?” Morgan demanded.

“I have no idea,” Reid admitted for the second time.

JJ took back the picture to stick to the whiteboard and started to write around it.

“He said we have everything needed to complete the quest,” Reid murmured and the whole team stared at the boards, looking for any clues, indications, hints… anything that stood out really.

“The answer’s gotta be up there somewhere,” Elle reasoned.

“JJ,” Gideon waltzed in out of nowhere, “get some reporters here as soon as possible.”

“For what?”

“Just say we need help on a new case.”

They all looked around blankly after he left.

“Press conference?” Morgan asked.

JJ shrugged before following suit and leaving them to stare at the boards for any bright ideas.

~ ~ ~

Over the next hour, they pulled down all of the evidence bags and Lydia began to do as much research on anything out of place that she could.

Elle had fallen asleep on one of the couches and they all opted to leave her there unless they came up with something.

Reid lifted up a nearby bag. “A pale clouded yellow butterfly indigenous to Great Britain?” he asked.

Lydia was already typing away at her laptop for any significance to that.

“How’s it going?” Hotch had finally returned from the press conference and Lydia felt bad for being so negative to him earlier. The obvious stress that came upon him when his wife and kid were involved was completely reasonable and she was glad he was able to get them into a hotel. She could only imagine the panic she’d be feeling if her sister lived with her. She wouldn’t let the girl leave her sight after getting that package.

“The answer to what book we need has to be in here,” Spencer pondered.

Morgan dropped whatever he’d been toying with at the time. “Yeah, but we sure as hell can’t see it.”

“Yet,” Spencer specified.

Hotch stepped away from them to shake Elle awake.

“I’m sending you home,” he insisted, denying her protests.

“Elle, seriously, we’re not any closer than we were,” Morgan told her. “Get out of here. Go home.”

“But-”

“That’s an order,” Hotch interrupted. “Let’s go.”

Lydia watched silently as Hotch escorted her out, then read off what she’d learned about the butterfly to the two guys left. “Its binomial name is the colias hyale. If I had to guess, this one is a female. It’s a large species of butterfly and lives in flowery places.”

“It’s a butterfly, Lydia,” Morgan said impatiently. “No shit.”

“Well, it’s not like there’s very much to learn about butterflies,” she shot back. “They’re pretty insects and that’s all. What do you want from me?” She huffed and scrolled some more. “Okay… this says that yellow butterflies represent new life and if you cross paths with one, it supposedly gives you happiness?” She searched some more, clicking on various links and scanning the pages. “Oh shit, nevermind. There’s a whole lot of symbolism of butterflies spiritually. They represent angels and rebirth and stuff. Hold on.”

She’d fallen into a rabbit hole of sorts. The religious relation to the butterfly was more popular than she thought, but there wasn’t much credibility to her sources. She tried to find references to this specific butterfly in books or other forms of media but came up empty.

“I can’t find any significance to it in a book. Should we try something else?”

“Ambers.” Hotch called her over from the door he’d just taken Elle out of. “I need a word.”

She set the computer back down and followed him out curiously. “What’s up, Hotch?”

“I want to respect your past and privacy, so I haven’t brought the pill bottle up yet, but if it has any significance to the case, I need you to tell me now.”

She shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. The fact that it’s for bupropion is personal. I know that. But the rest seems like random information.”

“Nothing is random for this unsub,” he argued and walked into the conference room. “Reid, hand me the prescription bottle.”

The boy’s head shot up, but he wasn’t looking at his boss. His eyes were glued to Lydia. “Oh… um…” He dropped his gaze awkwardly and reached for the bag in front of him. “Here you are.”

“Okay. Lady Blanchefleur. Bupropion. RX: 315121253201518. Doctor Sir Kneighf,” he recited. “What does that mean?”

“Well, Lady Blanchefleur we’re assuming is in relation to the medieval character,” she reasoned. “Let’s see about Sir Kneighf.” She put it into a google search but came up empty. “Hm… no.”

“Bupropion is an antidepressant, isn’t it?” Spencer offered.

Hotch stepped in quickly. “We don’t believe that bit is relevant.”

“Why not?” Morgan asked.

Hotch gave her a look that said, this is on you now.

“Gideon gets a baseball card of his baseball hero,” Lydia began. “JJ gets a butterfly that she was interested in when she was younger. I get the antidepressant my mom was taking when I was a kid.”

She tried not to speak sharply, but there was still a clear edge in her voice. She was frustrated that Hotch had read the medication out loud after she’d just told him that was the only personal part. But, he had to cover all his bases. This was important, she reminded herself. A girl’s life was at stake.

“Maybe it does have significance to the case,” she defended. “But so far, Nellie Fox and the butterfly were just ways to get the recipient interested. And this guy must know me well, because bupropion? Let’s just say, it caught my eye.”

Reid’s eyes were trained on the desk. He didn’t want to look up at her. He was beginning to feel guilty about his desire to learn about her past, seeing how closed off she became when forced to talk about it. It was clearly not full of a lot of happy memories for her.

Morgan next to him was simply confused. He knew not to push her, but he couldn’t quite piece together why anyone would care about their mother’s old medicine.

And Hotch was still focused on the label in front of him.

“I can’t keep staring at these,” she stressed to the group. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”

“Lydia-” Hotch started as she stood up and grabbed her jacket.

“I’m fine, Hotch,” she insisted. “I just… my brain is fried. I’m gonna take a minute and be back with fresh eyes.”

The rest of the room settled in guilt, despite the fact that, in the end, they would’ve had to talk about the prescription bottle with her. They needed to know, even if she hated it. Morgan had no idea it was a sore subject, Spencer, only an inkling, and Hotch was fully aware of what it represented in her mind.

But not a one of them could protect her from her past. And once Lydia had released some of her anger, she’d come to realize that, too.

[sadhaa]

another THOUGHT

Cause istg i am on a role rn. If anyone has the time and writing ability to write these ideas GO DO IT. I enable you. 

OK THOUGHT: The Dark Tower - The Hollow Queen and With All My Heart storylines but change it up a bit. The Dark Tower, The Hollow Queen The Hollow Warlock and With All My Heart

Like what if instead of Gwen, Merlin got kidnapped?

Note: I do realize after my last post that I am making some eps more Merlin-centric and that’s bc i feel like if this happened we would get more character development. just a thought. 

Note again: you can interpret this as platonic or romantic i dont really care but bc im a big rom merthur shipper, im taking this in the romantic interpretation

Note again again: can people comment like if they like ideas like this cause im down to have more thoughts. like this is fun. i feel great. 

Ok as always background:

1. Gwen is Queen, Camelot needs a queen so she is queen, but she is not married to Arthur, she is married to Lance (they did him so dirty in the show)

2. Arthur has feelings but he doesn’t really know that he has feelings. like he gets a fluttery feeling whenever Merlin smiles but just chalks it up to heart burn. 

3. Morgana knows who Emrys is. Cause if she is the High Priestess, im gonna assume she knows about the crystal cave and asked it “crytal crystal in the ground, who the hell is emrys?” and it just showed a pic of merlin and she was like “aww hell nah”

ok on to thought-->

So Morgana finds out about Merlin and his magic and is pissed. She plots to torture him for the pain he has caused her. she also remembered what Agravaine (ew) told her when he was helping her, that Arthur had the knights comb the forests in search of Merlin, ultimately going himself to save Merlin. also if she can get Emrys to her side, then maybe all of the magic population would side with her and help takeover Camelot. So she plans to kidnap him and take him to the dark tower.

so cue that scene with all the knights and Gwen but this time with Merlin too bc Gwen misses him and wants to chat like old times. 

BAM MORGANA 

now some of the knights get bitten and gwen gets knocked unconcious but Merlin tries to stand up to her, but she subdues him quick bc we need that for plot. 

the remaining knights go back to Arthur, commence angst bc oh no Merlin. 

Arthur remembers the fear he felt the last time Merlin was kidnapped by the men but doesn’t know that Merlin was kidnapped by Morgana then too. Either way, he needs to get his bff/love back.

Merlin faces the same hallucinations but its everyone reacting badly when they find out about his magic

Leon - “YOU BETRAYED YOUR FRIENDS AND ARTHUR, HOW COULD YOU”

Gwaine - “YOU LIED TO ME WHEN I TOLD YOU ABOUT MYSELF, I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS” (not super strong ik, if someone has a better one...)

Elyan and Gwen - “MAGIC KILLED OUR FATHER AND NOW WE WILL GET OUR REVENGE”

Percival - “MAGIC (CENRED) KILLED MY FAMILY NOW I WILL KILL YOU”

Lancelot - “YOU LIED AND GOT ME BANISHED, YOU SAID YOU WOULD HELP ME MERLIN” 

and then Arthur’s would hurt the most “YOU LIED TO ME ALL THESE YEARS I TRUSTED YOU YOU KILLED MY FATHER YOU COULD HAVE SAVED MORGANA YOU ALMOST GOT GAIUS KILLED YOU MONSTER...”

the “monster” part would kill him inside and is thus the breaking point for him where he falls into Morgana’s curse.

Now commence the rest of the episode Dark Tower, the same way except that the weird fairy actually helps the rescue party bc she believes that Merlin is good and that they all need him and Elyan doesn’t die bc my boi deserves better than that too. 

They get him back and he seems fine. But he really isnt

I dont have any real ideas for the Hollow Warlock its just a cool title I thought. The main pivotal part should be Merlin meeting with Morgana and monologuing about living in Camelot scared and saving Arthur and not being seen which makes the viewers see a side of Merlin that is not seen often. almost like a Dark!Merlin AU. 

Ok, now to With All My Heart. All the knights, Arthur and Gwen notice Merlin acting odd. So they follow him and notice him consorting with Morgana. Arthur is crushed bc the one person, his other half, who he knew would never betray him has now gone and done this. When they speak with Gaius and he tells them that Merlin has fallen to Morgana’s will, then they all are relieved bc that means that Merlin doesn’t actually want to betray Arthur. Arthur is now more determined than ever to get him back. So cue funny scene with a dinner with knights, arthur, gwen and gaius. even mordred.

BAM merlin unconscious and ready to be saved!

Now adventure! Quest! Drama! Angst! 

On a night where they have to stop to rest and merlin is still conked out, they swap stories of M’s heroic deeds and funny moments. they plan to tell him all of this when he wakes up cause that boy doesn’t get enough praise.

Now they are at the fancy lake (im a little lazy to figure out the name) the only downside to my idea is that there can’t be a Dolma. or maybe there is a Dolma! that isnt merlin in disguise. 

Merlin wakes up and like how Gwen went on a mad tirade for a sec, he goes on for a whole 10 mins and inadvertently reveals his magic. He vents it all out in an anger infused rant and talks about how he wants to be loved and seen and is crying as well as shouting. Everyone is horrified and Arthur feels guilty and betrayed. Percival knocks him out so that they can talk about this. They spend the night there and decide to wait til the morning to decide to help M or not (basically they all would save M they jus dont know if A would save him or not [even though they all know he would]).

Arthur sleeps and ,through Kilgarrah’s (is that how you spell it?) creepy ass voodoo magic, sees a life without Merlin in it. He wakes up with a shout and realizes. That. was. a Nightmare. a life without Merlin was literally a nightmare. He thinks back to the rant and knows that even though Merlin was scared and did things selflessly, he meant no harm to camelot and did it all out of Love. Bc he loved Arthur. Arthur then has an epiphany and realizes his “heart burn” is emotions. yike. And with that Arthur decides to help M. 

They get him to the lake and its basically a repeat of the day before with the screaming and shouting. But this time, Morgana’s men have arrived. With Morgana. cause drama.

Now the knights and gwen grab their swords and make a wall while M and A stay behind. Arthur tries to get through to Merlin and says “I am sorry with all my heart” and Merlin hesitates. 

Then a few of the evil dudes get through the wall and advance towards Arthur and Merlin. Arthur steps forward to fight and Merlin watches and realizes that Arthur would fight for him, would die for him just as Merlin had vowed to do. this man was worth it and that he knew that with all his heart. 

Merlin walks into the lake, glows a little and walks out normal. he like slow walks past the wall and uses his magic in a super badass way and just scares Morgana bc of how powerful she is. she yeets herself out of there and everyone hugs merlin and they tell him how much they all love him. Arthur in particular just kisses him right there and then, all adrenaline and happiness.  

On the way home, he tells the stories of all the times he used magic. they realize that even though he was under Morgana’s will, this is still what he felt, the fear, the anxiety, the pain. Arthur goes back and repeals the ban and makes Merlin his consort. prob some nice angst with requited love. 

the end.

someone write this pls. i have these thoughts at 11:23 pm and dont have the motivation to actually write something like this. 

[imagine-fight-write]

RANDOM - Banana Fish Review, Vol. 1, Part Four

(This was one of my fav gifs looking for gifs of Shorter.)

*There will be pictures/gifs included tomorrow, because this is already late & loading them is taking forever, for some reason.

Haha, no, I actually prettied it up 1/5/21. Yes, I’m glorious.

No I’m actually Dio DIO in this situation, who am I kidding.

(This transition from Caesar to Dio fascinates me, by the way.) (The GIF.)

The JOJO reference is because I’ve finally finished Diamond is Unbreakable! It was fun! I enjoyed it a lot! Ready for the next part!

But back to Banana Fish.

Hope you enjoy this!

So my plans failed again. Who is surprised? (Not me.)

I apologize profusely for the gaping void of Banana Fish-ness left since last I posted.

No really. I now have an alarm set for every Wednesday.

Let’s see how this goes. News Update: Maybe next time.

Also, my internet is still blitzy & rotten, otherwise I would’ve posted this yesterday (the 15th).

Now on to the in-depth, delighted gushing - er, review, of Banana Fish!

*Also, this is part 4, and 4 is a special number for me. Because of this guy:

And I can spell his name correctly!!! (It’s Ulquiorra, from Bleach, my 1st anime fan gushing love.)

Yes, I’m strange. Moving on.

So, brief recap, since I’m not sure anyone has read Part 3, given how terrifyingly long it is. If you missed it, here’s the link:

https://imagine-fight-write.tumblr.com/post/632014616404344832/random-banana-fish-review-vol-1-part-3-my

Please love & like it & repost to the rest of the Web. I worked tremendously hard on it.

Yes it’s long, but oh, it was delightful! There was snark! Delicious food! Wine! Fabulous mustaches! Mysteries! I gushed so much!

(And snarled at the wonton waste of good breakfast food, which I will not forget & always condemn.)

*I mean, I know people who will throw up if they have breakfast in the morning. But it’s important to eat so you have energy to do things & feel good.

And Dino took a perfectly beautiful breakfast & essentially wasted it for no good reason. I was so mad.

We meet Dino Golzine, a.k.a., Ash’s worst nemesis /enemy (note, I can’t spell nemesis) and major reason for why his life sucks.

(Although society doesn’t help either. Though the police try. They really do. Except what’s his face who’s complete scum & thoughtless, but we won’t meet him til Vol. 2. Plus I don’t think he has a name?)

But yes, Dino Golzine. All around awful person, and not safe around children (or anyone, really.) He’s low-key in this scene, mostly using verbal assaults (to great effect) but just you wait. There’s a reason he’s a mob boss.

Ash snarks, to great effect, but he’s no match. Dino has all the cards and all the dice (cards & dice being metaphors for power, & how he involves awful, painful memories of Ash’s past & tries to manipulate & order him around. Brrr.)

But Ash rallies, and ultimately refuses returning to be Dino’s heir / toy.

We meet Shorter! Huzzah!

(End of recap.)

It’s clear right away Shorter & Ash are old friends. They exchange quips about Marvin. We learn Marvin holds a mean grudge, so savvy readers can guess it’ll come to play later (it does.)

Shorter’s last line is strange.

“Just don’t put me in the position of having to kill you.”

Which is kinda out of the blue. I don’t know what to make of it. It doesn’t spoil or fore-shadow anything (unless in a very confused, round-about way) because that never happens later. So I’m confused.

Ash laughs it off and goes zooming off on his motor-bike / motorcycle (not sure which).

Note, from this short scene we already learn Shorter has his own sources of information - he knows Ash went to Dino’s, fast enough to be there before their conversation ended (unless he was just lucky to be there already  - why was he there?). He already knows about Ash’s talk with Marvin, with enough detail to warn Ash about Marvin’s temper & that Marvin likes him, which is a bad combination.

Shorter is smart & cares about his friends, warning Ash about Marvin. 

Aren’t friends great?

Especially after meeting such a dominating if soft spoken monster like Dino?

The answer is yes.

Next, we get this hilariously great shot of Ash running up the steps to his dingy apartment (pg. 47.)

 It’s reminiscent for me of a scene in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 1, when Jonathan & Dino have their epic fight in the Joestar mansion.

There’s a part where Jonathan does this epic flip up to a second floor via sword (it’s epic) & it ends with this a few-seconds-longer-than it-needs-to-be shot of his butt. You can’t miss it. I’m usually oblivious to such things & I noticed it. I laugh every single time.

Anyway, back to Banana Fish.

(The atmosphere of grunginess (it’s not a word, I meant dirty, ugly, rough) & spartan furniture is great. Just look at those walls. I adore it. 

(But would never want to live there.) Ash is clearly not rich & after Dino’s rich mansion, this is a stark contrast.

Also, there are no pictures or posters on the walls (which are festooned with dirt and cracks instead.) In fact, there’s almost nothing in terms of personal effects at all.

This baffles me. I mean yes, I assume they’re all dirt poor, living in a gang & working for the mafia on the side isn’t something you do for the luxuries. But surely they’d have something.

Or maybe it has something to do with Japanese decorating aesthetics? Meaning, Japanese appear to be more spartan than Americans in terms of decor (see the book, In Praise of Shadows, for example.) 

* I can’t spell aesthetics. Why do I even use that word?

The apartment just looks extremely bare compared to others I’ve seen in movies depicting this era. Is what I’m saying.

Look at those bare walls. (It hurts me.)

Thoughts? Comments on how Japanese, Americans, and Europeans differ in basic decorating styles? Comment below!

Also remember as always, Banana Fish is both set & was written in the 1980’s, well before the “modern” style we have now.

Unless - wait. There is something very important to Ash which he’s clearly hiding in the apartment he goes to, which I assume only Skip & select members know about.

So maybe this isn’t actually Ash’s main base, where he sleeps & hangs out?

Yes, that must be it.

If you’re confused, I’ll explain once we get done with this section.

Moving on.

We meet Skip!!!! (Pg.47)

Black characters (and Latino) are still, alas, extremely rare in manga, anime, & other media, so all the cheers for including Skip so early & as such an important character.

Because Skip is very important. For multiple reasons. More on that later. Also note, 1 of the gang members Ash busts earlier is also black.

Again, the dialogue is great here between Ash & Skip, establishing Ash’s trust in him. Which is no small thing.

Skip is like Shorter, (agh, both their names start with S) sweet, but also has a nose for news.

Arthur’s going to get it, hah!

There’s yet another reference to it being early.

Though there’s no specific time mentioned . . . Nope, not since Ash found the poor, dying banana fish dude.

Does Ash usually sleep in? Is he a night owl? He was wandering around at 1 in the morning last night, after all.

*Yes, technically it was early morning, but it was still dark, so bite me.

But then, he was also suspicious & keeping tabs on his 2 gang members. So, who knows.

But I’m going to guess he’s a night owl.

Ash sits on the bed, and after Skip mentions everything is good, “him, too”.

 Ash gives his 1st real, genuine smile. Gentle, relieved, no hard edges. Just pure happiness & relief. It’s sweet.

(Also, I just realized the “him, too” is supposed to be a surprise / shock for the reader & I spoiled it earlier. I do apologize.)

Skip offers to get coffee but Ash declines, deciding to nap, which reminds me:

Actually, drinking coffee before you take a nap can, for some people, actually make you sleep better.

Also, short cat naps (15-30mins) can boost your energy and mood.

Naps are good for you!

I almost wondered if the comics Skip had on the table might’ve been manga, but remembered it was the 1980’s and, far as I know, manga wasn’t big the U.S. yet. Alas!

Which is funny if you think about this being in a manga.

Skip goes to leave. Ash puts his hand in his pocket and gets this intense, almost fierce expression on his face (middle panel, pg. 48).

I was absolutely baffled by this reaction for a long time, but finally figured it out. Ash’s reaction is supposed to be baffling, because what he realizes right here will be revealed in the next few pages.

Skip, concerned, asks what’s up, but Ash brushes him off and sends him off to buy coffee. (After which I sincerely hope he takes a nap, because he needs one, he’s been up all night.) Sleep is good for you!

Skip is able to buy coffee with a single coin. A single coin.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

All my tears, and curses on inflation and overpriced coffee! And Starbucks!

Anyway, we learn Arthur’s going to get it (and Skip is the best spy ever) and the scene cuts to:

Our favorite person (not) Dino Golzine, tending his orchids.

I like this. It’s a rather unique hobby for a villian. I assume to give him a refined, elegant, and exact air.

He’s interrupted by Angie & his fabulous mustache (snickers) and this delightfully comic scientist person (who might be important later? The face sameness makes it difficult to judge, & I’m too lazy to consult my other volumes, which are not close by.)

But his entrance is priceless (pg. 50). I mean seriously, please go find it if you haven’t already. It’s dramatic, with a big WHAM! & he looks so cartoonish. 

I love it.

Dino tells him, essentially, “don’t disturb my orchids” and me being an non-gardner person, I wonder: is it actually true loud noises can disturb flowers?

Comment below!

Anyway, Dino quickly establishes yes, he did send Ash’s gang members to kill the poor banana fish guy who started this whole mystery, and yes, it was important.

There’s a great panel (pg. 51) of scientist dude, drawn much less comedic, the whole panel black except for a white aura around him sweating and clearly in distress.

He whispers, “It - it’s gone.”

Dino snaps to attention with a leonine look, exactly like a cat who has just spotted another cat. It’s easily my favorite picture of Dino so far, very striking.

The dialogue is brilliant and snappy, short and direct.

“What is gone? . . . You’re positive? . . . Just a small amount.”

And we get the grand reveal:

Ash, taking out a bullet shaped capsule (was the shape intentional by Yoshida?). A capsule he’d clearly taken from the dying banana fish guy. There’s a great panel on the bottom of pg. 52 of Ash’s questioning expression and a ?

He unscrews the capsule and pulls out a tiny vial.

Thinks of the address the dying banana fish guy gave him.

Ash goes into the next room, where we see the silhouette of someone sitting with a plaid blanket draped across their knees.

He expresses his first real look of vulnerability, and gives a wonderful line:

“Go see . . . Banana fish . . . He said it and died. And you say it and you might as well be dead. Who did this to you? Griff . . . Please tell me, big brother.”

Everything clicks together (almost.)

Griff /Griffin is the soldier shown way back in the very beginning. The one who left for a few minutes and came back insane and shot up his squad.

Who’s now a human vegetable.

Banana fish is clearly responsible. Somehow.

And Dino is mixed in with it (of course). Pieces are coming together, but questions still remain.

Until next time!

[the-awkward-outlaw]

Hey! I hope you've been well after the earthquake incident that happened. I was wondering if you can write a scenario where fem. Reader gives Arthur a hand job? She's a bathgirl in any of saloons ( writer's choice. ) and he goes to her everyday to relieve his pent up tension.

Thanks, Anon! The earthquakes are settling down now (thank God). Thanks for checking in! Have this smutty scene in return!

You stare out the window, looking on Valentine’s mainstreet. For some reason, it doesn’t matter the time of day or the year, the street’s always muddy. Combination of frequent rain along with constant traffic and horse waste, probably. It doesn’t exactly improve your mood or opinion of this town. 

You’ve only been in Valentine for six months. You came here looking for work as you had nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, Valentine isn’t exactly a town with a lot of opportunities for women. You could have been one of the working girls in the saloon, but the other women had a tight knit clique and weren’t too fond of you for their own reasons. The girls working in the hotel were a lot simpler and therefore nicer. You weren’t overjoyed that part of the work was to assist men who wanted help in the washroom. It wasn’t the work itself, you didn’t mind it, it was the people. Most of them were men, farmers, blacksmiths, stableboys, the like and most of them often said quite disgusting things to you and they smelled even worse. But the perks of dealing with them was you got to keep all the money the men gave you. 

Luckily your duties weren’t just washing gross men and the occasional woman. You also had to clean the rooms after patrons left. You feel sorry for one man on the second floor who’s been trapped in room 2B for what seems like ages. The owner and desk clerk, Mr. Harrison, tells you he’s been here months and seems to have a bowel problem. You can hear the man himself groaning in misery at mixed hours of the day. He won’t let anyone into the room to clean, not that you’re complaining. 

It’s May now. The air’s getting warmer, the days longer. You love this time of year. Wildflowers grow close to the roads, removing some of the livestock stench with their own perfumes, even though it doesn’t help much. You’ve just finished cleaning a room on the upper floor and you walk down the stairs. You’d like to get some breakfast in the saloon, but just as you’re heading for the door, Harrison stops you.

“Just had aman come in for a wash. Will you see if he needs anything?” 

You sigh and nod. At least the money you get from washing people is better than the ten cents you make as a daily wage. You knock on the door. “Need some help in there?” 

A gruff voice responds. You don’t recognize it. “Sure.” 

You sigh and straighten yourself up. Unlike some of your coworkers, you keep your blouse buttoned up. The other women say men are likely to pay a bit more money if you show your cleavage, but you didn’t think the money was worth being gawked at like that. Especially not when your hands were on them and you’d occasionally brush their groins to feel them hard. It was revolting, so you keep yourself dressed as normal as possible. 

When you walk in the door, you expect to see some filthy rancher with a horny look on his face. You did not expect the handsome, rugged cowboy sitting in the tub, his eyes closed in relaxation. He almost looks like he’s gone too long without a bath and he’s enjoying the hot water. You smile at him when he opens his eyes. 

“I’m gonna take good care of you,” you say, feeling optimistic about him. You sit on the edge of the tub and begin rubbing his back. He sighs, clearly enjoying your touch. You move to his arms, trying not to look at his broad, slightly hairy chest. He really is a handsome man and he’s got the right amount of hair on his chest and arms. 

“You new to these parts?” you ask. “No offense, I just ain’t seen you around here before. Definitely would have remembered you.” 

He blushes and lifts up his other arm. “Yeah. Stayin’ in a place not too far from here. Just got in a week ago.” 

You hum in response. He lifts his leg for you to wash. He watches your hand move over his leg. “Hmm, glad for this. Been a hard few days.” 

“What do you do?” you ask.

“Ah, I worked at a factory with some people and we just got laid off. Tryin’ to find work now.” 

“That’s too bad. Well, I hope you stay in town for sometime.” 

What is wrong with you? You haven’t ever flirted with patrons before. But this man’s so handsome, he’s exactly your type. Broad, tall, scruffy beard. Blue eyes that remind you of a clear stream. 

As he lowers his leg and lifts his other one, he says, “They sure don’t like strangers in this town.” 

You know what he means. People in this town are suspicious. You had a hard enough time when you first showed up, but you’ve been working here long enough people are generally accepting. “Yes and it’s too bad. We sure could use some new folk like you.” 

As you finish washing his leg, your hand slips up a bit further than you expected. You can’t see through the bubbles and you’re curious about his size. You feign washing him and brush against his cock, which is semi-hard, a typical response. He flinches a bit. 

“Sorry,” he says, embarrassed about his state. “I don’t want ya to think I’m a perve.” 

“Please,” you say, your cheeks pink. “You’re the first man who hasn’t said anything suggestive or tried to pinch my rear.”

He chuckles a bit, leaning back and lowering his leg. There’s something about this man. You’ve had men offer you extra money to give them handjobs and you’ve done it because the money was good, but you didn’t like it. You’re hoping this man will ask you for one, not because of the money but because he is handsome and he has treated you respectfully. 

“You, uh, need anything else?” you ask, trying not to sound forward. “You seem like you’re not quite relaxed yet. I can really help you there.” 

He opens his eyes. “What do you have in mind, miss?” 

“I can… help with your little problem.” 

He swallows. “You, uh, ain’t married, are ya?” 

You smile at him and shake your head. “Not with anyone either.” 

He smiles and leans his head back, closing his eyes. “Sure, I wouldn’t mind some extra help.” 

You smile and glide your hand up his leg, grabbing his length. He groans when you touch him and then you slowly begin to pump him. He grows hard quickly. You still can’t see much through the bubbles but from what you can feel, he’s well endowed. You can feel the thick vein that runs down his cock. You trace it, finding his head. You brush it, his length twitches in your hand. 

“Been a long time since you were touched, I take it?” you say. He just moans in response, his hands gripping the sides of the tub. You grin and continue pulling on him. It doesn’t take much longer before his hips begin to buck and then you feel his cock grow hot and then the tip bursts. 

“Sorry,” he says, his face flushed. “Didn’t mean to go off so quick.” 

“No worries,” you say. You smile at him when he looks at you. “To be honest, you lasted longer than I expected and I could tell you needed that.” 

“Hmm, how much I owe ya for that?” 

You bite your lip, feeling like a whore suddenly. “N-nothing, mister. That one’s on the house.” 

You kiss his head and then leave. The feeling vanishes quickly when you think about how he felt in your hand. A few moments later, he comes out of the washroom. God, he’s even hotter now than he was in the tub. He tips his hat to you and thanks you before exiting the door. 

The next day, the same man comes in. He tips his hat to you and pays for a bath. Once again, he invites you in when you ask if he needs help. A thrill of excitement shoots through your chest. You’d dreamt of him last night, not in any kind of sex scenario, but he’d been there and you enjoyed it. When you enter, you’re prepared to wash him but he stops you. 

“Ma’am, I hope ya don’t think I’m a perv or tryin’ to take advantage of you. But you did wonders for me yesterday. Like I said, this is a real stressful time for me and ya helped me a lot yesterday.” 

You smile. “Glad I could be of service. I’m certainly happy to help you out again.” You grab him again and begin working. He lasts a bit longer this time, but his bucking is slower, more controlled. You feel yourself getting turned on by watching his face as he’s bucking into your hand. Your hand was on his tip when he exploded, his warm seed rushing through your fingers. Not that you minded of course. 

It’s been over a week since the first time you washed him. He’s come in everyday since, asking for your magic touch. He thinks you’re beautiful and you know exactly how to touch him to make him feel amazing. He finds himself lucky to have found you. Over the days, you’ve gotten to know each other. He’s told you his name and that he’s not actually an ex factory worker, but an outlaw. This comes as a shock to you, but not for the reasons he suspects. In fact, you’re thrilled. Finally someone interesting has turned up and he just happens to be handsome and kind. He talks about his old dog sometimes and how much he misses him. For being a tough outlaw, he has such a soft spirit. 

“Don’t be fooled,” he said when you mentioned this as you stroked him. “These hands have killed, sweetheart.” 

He finds your little “meetings” therapeutic as well. Something about you makes him want to open up. He tells you a bit about the gang, the hardships that come from living in it. His son and how he and his mama were killed, how painful it was to see their graves. You cried when he told you this story. 

Arthur’s had an affect on you. It didn’t take long for you to have a sex dream about him. You’ve had them before with people you’ve never seen, but this one had been a good one. You want it to become true. Of course, there’s heavy repercussions for a bath girl to sleep with one of her clients. You could lose your job if you get caught. More and more though, you find yourself dreaming and even fantasizing about sleeping with him. All his secrets have been spilled at your feet (and into your hand), you just want to do the same with him. It sounds like he’s not properly appreciated in this gang he runs with and yet he works so hard. 

One day, as he’s just gotten settled and you knock on the door, you don’t even bother asking. However, you do unbutton the top of your blouse to reveal the tops of your breasts. You want to give him a bit of a show. 

When he sees you, his eyes go instantly to your chest. As soon as you touch him, you feel he’s already rock hard. You begin pumping him and his eyes close. 

“You really do have magic fingers,” he groans. “I ain’t exactly seen a lot of women, but… I don’t know, you do somethin’ special to me.” 

You smile. “Would you like to see me?”

His eyes open, his brow furrowed. “How do you mean?” 

You extract your hand from the warm water. He watches as your fingers trail up to your blouse and you unbutton it. You didn’t bother to put on a chemise this morning since you knew he’d be in. You slip your shirt open, exposing your breasts. His eyes stare at them and he swallows again. 

“You want to touch me?” you ask. “I won’t charge anything.” 

His hands fumble on the edge of the tub. You dip your hand back into the water and gingerly stroke his cock. His hand slips off the tub and finds your left breast. His hands are warm and calloused, which only adds to the pleasant sensation. His thumb flicks over your nipple and he licks his lips. You smile, blushing. Heat travels down between your legs. Oh, how you wish he’d touch you there, but you’re not quite ready for that yet, you don’t think. 

His hand studies your breasts, flicking between them. His hips begin to thrust as you pump him. He goes off rather quickly. 

“Sorry,” he says as he pinched your nipple while releasing. “You’re, well, you’re somethin’ special.” 

You blush and smile. “You want this to become a regular thing too?” 

He hesitates. “If… if you’re a’right with that.” 

You lean forward and kiss him on the head, giving him an eyefull of your chest. “Then expect it from now on, handsome.” 

Over the next few days, as soon as you enter the washroom, you remove your shirt. He’s become braver too, his hands instantly finding your nipples. Sometimes when one of his hands is on your breast and your hand’s on his cock, your other hand will find your other breast. He seems to like watching you touch yourself. 

It doesn’t take long before you start getting completely undressed for him. He finds your curves to be the sexiest thing. You know you’re risking your job by exposing yourself like this, but this man gets you heated like nothing else has ever done. 

One day, you enter the washroom and start stripping out of your clothes. You turn around and see he’s naked, but not in the tub. He fumbles with his hands for a moment. 

“What you doin’?” you ask, your hand stopping halfway through unbuttoning your blouse. 

“I uh, I feel a bit bad. I been takin’ advantage of ya all these days and ya ain’t charged me for none of it. I just… I wanna repay the favor.”

“What do you have in mind?” 

“Why don’t ya get in the tub and we’ll switch roles?” 

You smile and continue stripping. When you’re settled, Arthur washes your hair and then moves down to your arms, your legs. He’s gentle, his hands rough. You’re trembling by the time his hands reach your breasts. He strokes your nipples, making them perk up even more in the steamy air. Then one hand goes down and finds your folds. You gasp when his hand slips in and he tickles your clit. You spread your legs a bit more to give him more access. He rubs you slowly and then he slips a finger into your center, followed by another. 

“Oh Arthur,” you say, your eyes closed. He begins pushing his fingers in and out of you, his thumb stroking your clit. Your hips start thrusting in time with his movements. Within what feels like seconds, something blooms in your stomach and then goes down to your legs and bursts. You tilt your head back and groan loudly, though you try to keep it down so Harrison won’t hear. 

No man has ever made you orgasm before. You’ve only slept with two men before and both of them took care of themselves, leaving you half hot. You’d had to take care of yourself afterwards. But Arthur, oh Arthur. You’re not even having sex and he’s got you turning into jelly into his hand. 

“More,” you find yourself panting. He chuckles and continues tickling your clit, his fingers slipping into you and then pulling out only to go back in. His free hand finds your nipple again and he tweaks it. He touches and rubs you more and more, applying just the right pressure until you’re exploding into his hand again. 

“Wow,” you say, your limbs feeling limp. “Thank you, Mr. Morgan. But let me take care of you now. After all, you’re the patron.” 

Before he can say anything, you’re climbing out of the top and on top of him. You kiss him and he lays down on the floor. You grip his shoulders and his hands weave into your hair. You straddle his hips and grab his hard cock. He’s never been more firm, not even that time you licked his chest and neck. You guide him into your entrance. His length spreads your walls. He feels so good. 

You sit up, letting him stare at your breasts, and then you begin to bounce, swirling your hips on his. He groans and grabs your thighs, spreading them even more as he sinks deeper into you. His hips begin bucking into you and he brushes your spot. You groan loudly and his right hand slips from your thigh and back to your slit. He tickles your swollen nub. Your hands plant onto his chest as he thrusts up into you.

It doesn’t take long before you feel that bubble expand again. His cock brushes against your spot in time with his hand rubbing your clit and you’re done for. You bite your lip to prevent you from making any sound (though you might end up biting your lip off). He pumps harder and faster, his cock rooting around inside you. Only seconds after you come down from your high, he quickly pulls out and releases onto your stomach. He looks at the mess with loving eyes. 

“Damn, girl,” he grunts. “You really know what you’re doin’.” 

“I’ll say, but I ain’t the only one with magic fingers, Mr. Morgan.” You bend down and kiss him again.

[flamehairedwritings]

The Fire In Your Eyes: Chapter Eighteen

Characters: Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character

Rating: The whole series will be E, 18+ ONLY for violence, gore, character deaths, animal deaths, parent deaths, swearing, grief, sexual themes and unprotected sex.

Summary: Saved by Arthur Morgan when her town is attacked, a young woman’s past comes back to haunt her when she has no choice but to join the Van der Linde Gang.

Some scenes and dialogue have been taken from the game!

Read on AO3

The Fire In Your Eyes Masterlist

Please don’t copy, steal or re-post my work; credit does not count.

The Unlived Life

It was a scorching day, her sixteenth of being an unwilling part of their camp. 

It had been dry for the past few days, but today the sun had decided to make things even more unbearable. As if she didn’t have enough to deal with.

Primarily, today being the day that all the O’Driscoll groups would reunite.

She’d gathered from Peter and overhearing other conversations that Colm’s boys would break off into smaller groups, killing and looting as they went, and then regroup sometime later to see how business was going. It seemed chaotic to her, quite frankly, but Colm wasn’t a man who cared much for order. As long as he was still their leader, they made money, and they feared him then he didn’t care.

It was nearing noon, now, the sun at it’s highest, so they were taking a break amongst the cover of trees, but even the shade didn’t make it any easier. She felt uncomfortable, irritated, like she could barely breathe it was so stifling.

She hadn’t spoken to anyone since she’d awoken. Peter was napping, the heat too much to bear for the Irish boy, and Zach was as silent as ever. That was good, she knew she’d just snap at Peter if he began one of his long conversations and she didn’t want to do that, he was growing on her.

She could feel the shirt sticking to her skin, beads of sweat sliding down her back and neck. The feel of every one sent a new wave of irritation through her.

And she found herself staring at Colm, watching him sat amongst his men, chuckling at a story one of them was telling, sipping from his flask. She knew she was in a dangerous mood, a prickling sensation running up and down her spine, her mind telling her that lashing out would soothe some of her irritation.

She was going to kill him today. After she’d confirmed Thomas was dead. She didn’t know how exactly yet but she was going to.

She’d barely slept, which wasn’t helping matters. Her unfinished plan had gone round and round in her mind, trying to think of how she could grab a gun from a nearby man, or lunge at Colm and grab the knife on his belt, stab him before he could even react. Would they kill her? Most likely. It was a price she was convincing herself she was willing to pay, though. People would be safe with Colm dead, Arthur would be safe. If he already believed she was dead, or had even let the thought cross his mind, then, she was also trying to convince herself, it wouldn’t be too great a blow.

No matter what, today she was going to get the closure she’d been wanting for over ten years, and not just for Thomas’s death.

Colm chuckled again, raising his flask to his lips, and the casual normality of it just suddenly tipped her over the edge.

“Why didn’t you come to us?”

The man speaking broke off at the interruption and the group fell silent, their heads turning to where she sat with her back against a tree, smiles and laughter pausing. Their eyes then slid to their leader. Colm swallowed his mouthful, squinting slightly as he regarded her, propping an elbow on his knee.

“What are you talkin’ about?”

“Me and my mother.” She held his gaze. “You must’ve known where we were. You knew Nicholas was my mother’s brother. You could have blackmailed him, got money, come for us.” She didn’t stop the faintly disgusted look that crossed her features. “Reunited us, as you seem so desperate to do now.”

“Hm.” He tilted his head. “You really think the worst of me, don’t you. I don’t blame you. When a man gets older, he realises he needs his family, though. Back then...” A smile pulled at his lips. “Nah, I wanted to leave ya be. I knew you’d be fine, you and your Ma. Least I could do.”

She hated him. She hated him, she hated him, she hated him. Hated that fond look on his face, how he sounded so gracious, like he’d done them the ultimate of favours. She wanted to hurt him.

“The least you could have done was loan my father the money he needed to keep us going.”

Colm scratched his cheek, his brow dipping slightly, like he was trying to figure out what was happening. “He didn’t want to be indebted to me.”

“He asked you so he must not have cared too much.”

“Yeah, but it killed him to do it.” He was smiling but there was a hardness to his eyes. “He wanted so much to make it all work out, the ‘good life’, and he didn’t.”

“He did. It was just one bad winter.”

“One bad winter gets families killed.”

“That’s why they turn to others and ask for help.” Her words were as sharp as knives but they did nothing to cut through the growing tension in the air.

Colm looked at her, his jaw moving slightly. Then, he laughed. “We just both like to argue, don’t we?”

It was a chance for her to stop, but Ada wasn’t going to back down, even though she could feel Zach’s eyes boring into her and her own voice was screaming at her in her head to stop.

“You like to argue. You like to deflect and laugh and think you’re smarter than everyone else but you’re not. You’re a cheap thief and a poor leader who cares for nobody and nothing and when you die nobody will care or remember you and not one tear will be shed in sorrow.”

Silence. A couple of the men shifted uncomfortably, some eyes on the ground.

Colm’s were fixed on her, expressionless now.

“Is that so.” The icy tone should have been enough to stop her.

“Yes,” came her instant reply.

His leg was bouncing up and down now. “If any of my men had said that I’d have killed ‘em.”

“Because you know it’s true.”

Him standing and taking measured steps closer should have been enough to stop her. “Because it’s insolence.”

She didn’t realise she’d met his unspoken challenge by also standing herself until she was on her feet. 

“’Insolence’,” she scoffed, her eyes shifting to the men who were now all staring at her incredulously. “You’re all replaceable to him. If, no, when you die for him, he’ll just recruit another in your place. You mean nothing to him. Why pledge your life to and fight for a man like that? He didn’t even help his own brother, didn’t even come to his funeral, didn’t even care about him—”

She broke off with a choke as Colm grabbed her by the throat, his face inches from hers. In her peripheral vision she saw Zach had stood but he did nothing. Her hand gripped at Colm’s arm as he pressed her back against the tree, his fingers tightening, staring at her.

“You got the big family fuckin’ mouth, girl,” he murmured lowly. “We just don’t know when to shut up, do we?”

Both hands on his arm now, she sank her nails into his skin, his shirt sleeves rolled up but he didn’t even wince. Gasping in small breaths, her lip curled as she managed to breathe out, “Why are you... keeping me here?”

“You want to see your brother, don’t you?”

She could just about breathe, and her heart was pounding as her natural instincts to fight surged through her, but she kept as still as possible, managing to speak once more. 

“This isn’t about... me, is it...” she gasped. “... You want... to get one over on Dutch... as usual. Well... I’m sorry to disappoint you... but he does not care about me.”

That made Colm smile, though his grip didn’t loosen. “No, he doesn’t. But Arthur Morgan cares about you, and Dutch cares about Arthur. Anythin’ that hurts Dutch in some way is a fuckin’ gift to me. If Arthur Morgan’s out there thinkin’ you’re dead? Fuckin’ wonderful.” He licked his lips as he tilted his head and paused for a few moments. “... He may have been your daddy but he was my brother. I knew and loved him a lot longer, so you watch your fuckin’ mouth, you don’t know shit.”

Tears were starting to sting at her eyes and it wasn’t just from his hold. “Why... didn’t you help him, then? Help us?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he took dirty money. Just like his daughter, too much pride.”

He squeezed harder for a moment, before shoving her away, releasing her. She gasped in long, harsh breaths as her back collided with the tree, her hand darting up to massage her throat. Her eyes were still fixed on him, though, and she watched him walk away without another look at her, returning to his seat and sitting with a sigh.

“Carry on, Jim, before we were so fuckin’ rudely interrupted.” He didn’t even glance up at her, and the man, Jim, immediately continued his story.

Ada could already feel a headache forming from the lack of oxygen, and she coughed, her throat faintly sore.

“Hey, you okay?”

Peter was suddenly at her side, he must’ve awoken at some point, his voice quiet, concerned.

“I’m fine,” she rasped slightly, continuing to massage her neck.

“I’ll get ye some water.”

She met Zach’s gaze as Peter darted away. He sat back down as he held her eyes for a moment longer before looking at the ground. She’d seen a flicker of something in them but hadn’t known what it was from the man who barely showed any emotions. Part of her thought she should be embarrassed, maybe, cowed or wounded, but she actually felt... relieved. She could provoke him. She could wound him in some way. She didn’t fully believe what he’d said, but she believed that he thought he loved his brother.

But had she got the closure she wanted?

... Not yet.

Like it had never happened, they continued on shortly after, and, sat back in her place in the wagon with Peter, he told her rather unhelpfully that small bruises had formed around her throat. Every swallow came with a slight ache but it was the least of her concerns. The men were becoming louder, more energised, excitement growing in the air; she knew they were drawing near to the regroup.

She knew they were drawing near when the wagon turned off of the main road, jostling her, Peter and the cargo.

She knew they were drawing near when she started to hear more voices.

She knew they were there when the men riding behind the wagon urged their horses into canters, moving ahead out of view as they called out.

She’d imagined her heart would be pounding, that she’d be sweating, wanting to be sick, but instead, she felt calm, almost unnervingly so. The truth was going to be revealed in a matter of minutes. The wagon came to a halt as a cheer went up. Voices talked over each other, growing into a loud hubbub as Peter jumped out of the wagon. As always, he held a hand out to help her out and she took it, dropping down onto the grass.

“Ada!”

Lifting her head, she found Colm beckoning her over, stood by his horse with Zach and two other men. Glancing at Peter, he smiled lightly, before she looked away and headed over to Colm. Her fingers flexed slightly as she moved closer, her eyes fixed on him. 

Just a matter of minutes.

“Come here, darlin’.” It was really like earlier hadn’t happened at all, with his smile and his arm going around her shoulders.

She allowed it without reaction, moving with him as he headed into the camp, Zach following at a short distance behind them. As he greeted men as they walked, she surveyed the area. It was in another clearing and sprawling, wagons dotted around, several groups of horses, different fire pits, men sat around, waving and calling out to each other. She had no idea there were so many of them, they were like a small army, and they called out their greetings to Colm like he was a king, swiftly filling him in on business they’d conducted, telling him they’d catch up with him later. He just nodded, smiled, and said a few words in reply, his arm remaining around her.

She looked at each man as they passed them, searching their features, but Thomas was dead so what was the point?

“Colm!” A man with thinning blonde hair approached, a hand on his belt.

“Dorian.” His arm left her as he reached a hand out, accepting Dorian’s hand and shaking it.

“Hey, how are ya?”

“Just fine, just fine,” Colm said as he released his hand. “The boys all come back with ya?”

“Yeah, George is helpin’ them with the Court wagon.”

“All right, come find me later, you hear?”

“Yes, sir.” Dorian then glanced at Ada, looking her up and down. “... This your niece?”

“Yes, she is.” The arm was back around her shoulders but she gave no reaction again, looking at Dorian who was smiling.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ada.”

She hated the familiarity of it. Dorian didn’t seem offended as she said nothing, just looked at Colm and tipped his hat. “I’ll see you later.”

“All right.” Then, he was moving them onward, coughing. “C’mon, then.”

His arm dropped, hand patting her back, and she glanced at him, her jaw clenching. She hated his smile. Hated the delight in his eyes. Matter of minutes. She followed a step or so behind him, inhaling a breath. He was heading towards a crammed wagon, various men unloading crates, sacks and metal boxes from it.

“Thomas, m’boy,” Colm called to one of the men, his smile widening as he heard Ada stop behind him.

A tall man, slightly taller than Arthur, his black hair falling in waves to just above his shoulders, lifted his head as he placed a box on top of a crate.

Thomas O’Driscoll smiled widely at his uncle, inclining his head as he brushed his hands together. “Hey. You were right, Jackson was fine, said we could go back in a week...” He trailed off as his gaze shifted behind him.

“That’s good, that’s good...” Colm rubbed his jaw as his body half-turned, his other hand gesturing at the young woman. “Thom, this is your sister, Adaline.”

It was said without ceremony, without pomp or thrills, without any preparation. 

Thomas stared at her, eyes darting over her, still.

Colm continued, his arms folding as he watched him. “Me and the boys rescued her from some Murfree fuckers. She’s your sister.”

Frozen, the man’s brow dipped slightly. “... Ada?”

She didn’t realise she was shaking, thick tears filling her eyes. She knew him. She knew that face. Those green eyes. She would have recognised him anywhere.

Ada mouthed his name “... Thom.”

Oh my God...

She lifted her arms, reaching out to him—

His were already around her, lifting her and holding her tightly. She cried out and wept into his shoulder and she could hear him saying her name over and over. She had no words. Nothing.

She faintly heard Colm chuckle and say, “I’ll leave you kids to it.”

Ada couldn’t stop crying, could barely breathe. Then, Thom was drawing his head back and she looked at him, looked at those warm green eyes, the faint freckles that dusted his skin here and there, the nose that was nearly identical to her own, their mother’s, the strong jaw line like their father’s. His own eyes were shining and his hand was smoothing her hair down, his thumb stroking her cheek as he gazed at her incredulously and still kept her lifted.

“Look at you, my sister, my little sister. Look at you...”

All she could do was cry, cupping his face, taking him all in. 

“I thought... you were dead...” she managed to say between sobs, her own words bringing a fresh wave of tears, barely able to see him through them.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, Ada, I’m so sorry...”

His hand slid to the back of her head and she pressed her face into the crook of his neck and she cried and cried and cried.

Her brother. Her brother Thomas, alive and safe.

He gently stroked her hair, hushing her softly while he began to move, walking them somewhere, she didn’t care where.

She wished Mama was alive.

She didn’t lift her head until her boots touched the ground, and then his hands were on her arms, gently guiding her to sit down on a log. She took one of his large hands in both of hers, as if if she stopped touching him for a moment then he would disappear.

Ada sniffed, biting at her lower lip as it trembled slightly. She swallowed hard, fighting off more tears. “I... imagined this moment so many times, but I never thought it would happen.”

“Me, too.” He smiled widely and placed his other hand over hers, and she just couldn’t believe how big his hands were; they were the hands of a man.

Sniffing again, she closed her eyes for a few moments, tears escaping, and then inhaled a long, steadying breath before releasing it. Looking up at him, she shook her head slightly.

“... How is this possible... What happened, Thom?”

He released a breath of his own, licking his lips. It was a few moments before he spoke. “I just... I just had to. It killed me to leave you and Ma, it really did.” A corner of his mouth lifted, his thumb stroking her hand. “How is she?”

Oh, no... Colm hasn’t told him...

Her features crumbled again as she held his hand tightly. “She’s, uhm... She died, Thom.”

“Oh.” She could see the conflicting emotions in his eyes, the love he still held for his mother, but that she was also someone he hadn’t seen in over ten years, had probably distanced himself mentally from it all, from them, to make his life easier. The look then vanished swiftly and he cleared his throat. “How?”

“I...” Oh fuck, she couldn’t tell him it was because of his own men, could she? “... I can’t... can’t talk about that now.”

“Okay, it’s all right, I understand.” He smiled gently, patting her hand. “Another time.”

She nodded, exhaling a breath, almost crying again at that because they had time now. “Go on, please, tell me everything.”

His eyebrows rose slightly, licking his lips again. “I travelled for weeks...” He laughed humourlessly. “I was just a kid, wandering around, without a clue, no where to start. I just went to towns and asked people outright, like they’d just say ‘oh, head east’...” She laughed softly with him, her heart simultaneously breaking at how determined she could imagine he’d been. “I nearly came home a couple of times, but...” His smile faded. “I thought I couldn’t live with myself if I did. Thought you’d think I’d failed.”

“Never, Thom, never.” Her heart broke again as she gripped his hands tighter.

He shook his head a little, smiling faintly. “I know, I know...” His eyebrows rising again, the smile widened. “But then I did come across some of his boys, in a bar. I made them laugh for a while and then they got pissed off at my pesterin’ and then when I kept insisting they just took me with them. Thought it’d be hilarious to see a kid up against Colm O’Driscoll. I was so damn nervous.” She didn’t laugh with him this time. “But I met him, confronted him and then he... He told me the truth, about everything. Do you...?”

She nodded and swallowed as he trailed off. “Yeah, I know.”

Thom shook his head, his jaw moving. “I still think about that day.”

“Me, too.” She took a breath, asking as gently as she could the question that was killing her. “... Why didn’t you come back to us after finding out?”

Thom gave a small shrug after a moment. “... I thought you and Ma wouldn’t believe me.”

It broke her heart because they probably wouldn’t have. If she hadn’t have heard it from Dutch himself...

She didn’t think she had any more tears left in her, so she quickly managed a smile as she sniffed, squeezing his hands. “You must’ve seen some places, then, huh?”

The wide smile returned and she loved it. “Oh, yeah. Mainly fields and woods and small towns, but I’ve been to Chicago a few times.”

“Really?” He laughed as her smile widened. “Mama always wanted to take us.”

“Yeah, I loved it. I’ll take you one day.” 

One day, oh, they had days now. 

“What about you?”

“Well...” She licked her lips as she inhaled. “... We were at the farm for a while and then we moved to Strawberry to be with Uncle Nicholas.”

“How was that?”

“Interesting.” A corner of her mouth lifted a little higher. “And lonely.”

His throat bobbed. “I’m sorry—”

She was already shaking her head. “Don’t be. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, I... There’s no point in what ifs.” Glancing over his shoulder, she exhaled. “You move around a lot, then?”

“Yeah, but we do have a main camp in the west, just by Little Creek River.”

She caught his slightly sheepish expression... then it dawned on her, her lips parting.

“Hang on, that’s in West Elizabeth, that’s north of Strawberry.”

Thom was nodding, the sheepish expression lingering. “Yeah, I, uh...” He cleared his throat. “... When I found out you were both in Strawberry, like I said, I... Well, didn’t think you’d take me back.”

Her lower lip trembled as, oh, yes, she did still had some tears left. “Oh, you idiot, of course we would have...” Releasing his hands, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, her chin on his shoulder.

His arms went around her, holding her tightly. She could feel his muscles under his shirt, could feel his strength; he was no longer the, quite frankly, scrawny boy who looked like a fair breeze would have blown him over.

“You’re so big,” she laughed thickly, sniffing as she pulled back to look at him once more. “When did that happen?”

He laughed, shrugging his broad shoulders. “Ooh, overnight, just after my seventeenth birthday.”

"Wow, what a treat,” she chuckled, and, oh, they could laugh together, he still had that sense of humour she’d loved.

"But what about you, huh? You were the size of the town cat when I left.”

She laughed, grinning as she wiped her cheeks. “Oh, for me it was earlier, after my sixteenth birthday.” 

“Well, you were always better than me at everything. And look at all this!” He reached out and tugged on a curl. “You still cry when you brush it?”

She pulled a face that made him laugh. “Oh, I don’t brush it anymore, can’t you tell?”

“Well, I was trying to be polite...”

Ada laughed again as her instincts took over and she punched his arm, the action so nostalgic, so long-forgotten that if she wasn’t laughing she would have wept.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they looked at each other, both still unable to quite really believe it. The noise of the camp filtered back into her hearing and her gaze drifted over his shoulder again. Licking her lips, she smiled lightly.

“So, what’s going to happen now?”

Thom returned her smile, raising his eyebrows a little. “Well, what do you want to happen?”

She shook her head slightly, inhaling a long breath, her smile lingering. “I want to leave. I want to take you and Arth—” Ada caught herself quickly, her cheeks flushing as Thom’s eyebrows rose a little higher.

“Ah, yeah, I heard about that...” His smile was still there, though, so she relaxed, even if her blush did remain.

“Yes, it, uhm... It wasn’t exactly part of my plan, but...”

“You love him?” he asked gently after a moment.

She couldn’t believe she was talking about the man she loved with her brother. Her heart could’ve burst. “I do. I really do.”

He looked at her and her soft expression, before his head lifted and he looked away, out towards the trees, and exhaled a quiet laugh.

Her brow dipped a little as she watched him. “What?”

Thom shrugged slightly, a corner of his mouth lifting higher than the other. “It’s just strange. I’ve heard so much about him, and the gang, but I’ve never encountered them. Colm’s always kept me out of things like that, in case they got me and found out who I was. I've come to hate them, they're the enemy, but now...” He looked at her, shrugging again. “They’re just strangers, aren’t they. Can’t even really put a face to the man my sister loves. You’re a stranger, too, I guess.”

Something twinged in her chest as she looked at him, exhaling a slight laugh. “Don’t say that.”

He shook his head quickly, taking one of her hands. “No, no, I don’t mean it in a... We just lost so much time.”

Her features softened as she squeezed his hand, swallowing the lump that had returned to her throat. “Well, we can make up for it now.”

“Yes, we can.” His smile reached his eyes, deepening the small lines there, and it felt good to know he’d smiled and laughed enough for them to form.

She couldn’t stop herself from asking, though. “You knew I was with the gang, then?”

“Yeah, Colm told me. I didn’t fully believe it at first, just couldn’t believe it but... here you are.” The smile lingered.

Her own widened. “Here I am.”

Shaking his head, he released her hand and lifted his own. “Go on, then, tell me about you.”

"What about me?”

“Everything, what you like to do, what you’ve done, what you read, you can still read, right? Do you still talk to frogs and toads...?”

Her laughter carried across the camp.

—

They talked for hours, reminiscing on the memories they had and comparing the paths their lives had taken. She told him all about her recent adventures, how’d she got the scar on her face, thankfully he didn’t ask about the bruises on her neck, and the roles she played in the gang. He listened quietly and didn’t ask questions, and she left out some parts, like Dutch’s plans, her feelings about him, and just how... developed her relationship with Arthur was. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Thom, she just didn’t want anyone else overhearing the specifics of what the gang had been up to.

The sun had nearly set by the time they’d filled each other in on everything. 

He let out a whistle as his eyebrows raised once she’d finished, sipping water from the cup someone had brought over to them. “You a gunslinger now, then, huh?”

She snorted. “Hardly. I just... had to get by.”

“Mmh. I understand that.”

A cheer caught their attention and they looked over towards the main area of the camp; another group of men had joined, seemingly the last by the jeers and laughter.

The event brought them both back to reality. Looking up at the sky, she couldn’t believe how dark it was getting and how much her stomach was rumbling. Thom seemed to be having the same train of thought as he stood and held a hand out to her.

“Come on, let’s get some food, I’m starvin’.”

His arm went around her shoulders once he’d helped her up and she much preferred it to Colm’s. He introduced her to every group of men that passed, proudly stating, ‘this is my sister, Ada’. She shook all their hands with a polite smile, even laughed easily a few times, because she was just so happy. She shoved to the back of her mind thoughts that told her they were only being courteous because she was someone important... and that they’d killed Kieran and countless others.

She thought for the shortest of moments about whether Thom had killed anyone, then it was gone, incomprehensible.

They ate together, and when a man came over to greet him, her gaze drifted, trying to find Peter or Zach. The former was nowhere to be seen and the latter, it seemed, had finally taken his eyes off of her for she couldn’t see him either. They were probably off somewhere, reconnecting, sleeping, or—

She stilled, staring at a man sat on the outer edge of a group. He was laughing hard, slapping his hand against his knee at whatever another man was saying. He was so familiar... where the hell had she seen him...

... Oh, God...

A coldness washed over her as she froze, a rush of breath escaping her. Thom glanced at her, rubbing his jaw as the man beside him continued talking. Frowning, he lifted his hand and the man paused.

“Ada? You all right?”

She swallowed hard, speaking before she could stop herself. “He was there.”

Thom was leaning closer, setting his bowl on the floor and taking her hand. “What?”

Everything sounded so quiet all of a sudden.

She licked her lips, unable to look away as the man laughed again. “That man over there, he... he was at Strawberry when they attacked and he, he was with a group of men who killed Mama.”

"What, that’s how she died?”

Ada finally looked away, meeting her brother’s gaze.

Oh, shit.

Thom was still, holding her gaze. He remembered a group of them had gone at Colm’s request to Strawberry, to get Andrew and Colin out of jail. He’d thought of convincing his uncle to let him go, wondering if Ada and Ma still lived there but... he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do it.

Now, it was the second biggest thing he regretted in his life.

“Which man.”

She swallowed again. “Uh...” Thom was giving no reaction, and she knew she couldn’t just suddenly dismiss this. Looking back over at the group, she pointed briefly. “That man there. The one in the green shirt.”

Turning his head, Thom followed the direction of her finger. “... With the black hair and beard?”

“Uh...”

He’d suddenly turned back to her. “Are you sure it’s him?”

This was her chance to back out, to stop whatever had come over Thom. “I-I don’t know—”

His hands were on her shoulders, gripping them as he held her gaze. “Is it, Ada?”

“Yes.” The short word exited her so swiftly it was like it had been punched out of her.

His jaw moved.

Then he was on his feet, moving towards the group. She didn’t even have time to say anything to him, a slight sound leaving the back of her throat as her body turned to watch him.

Thom's broad shoulders were squared, his hand rubbing his jaw.

“Hey, Toby.”

The man looked up, a grin still on his lips. “Hey, Thom, good to see ya!” He stood, offering his hand to him.

Thom didn’t accept it as he came to a stop, and Toby lowered his hand after a moment, his smile faltering slightly. Ada fully appreciated how tall Thom was now, practically standing over Toby. The other man seemed to realise this, too, drawing himself up to his full height as he let out a slight laugh.

“You all right, brother?”

Ada’s heart was pounding as she watched them. Thom was silent and Toby’s grin was fading with each passing second.

Then, Thom exhaled a harsh breath. “String him up.”

Men moved instantly, lurching out of their seats, others nearby standing and craning their necks to look at what was happening.

Toby let out a short, nervous laugh, his eyes darting from the moving men to Thom. “What? Wait, I— Why? What the fuck have I done?!”

Some men had gotten rope from somewhere, and one grabbed Toby by his shoulder, holding him still as another wrapped the rope round and round his wrists. Toby tried to yank his arms back but the man held him still.

“C-Come on, guys, what the fuck’s going on?!”

“Awh, shit, what’s goin’ on here?” She heard Colm call out from somewhere behind her, nearing, a smile in his tone, and in her peripheral vision she saw him drinking from his flask.

She couldn’t look at him, though, couldn’t look away from the terrified Toby and her silent brother, the small group now moving as the men began to pull Toby across the camp.

“What’s going on?! What’s happening?!”

No one was answering Toby, not even questioning Thom themselves. Rounding the fire pit she was at, her body turned automatically with them, unable to move beyond that. As they reached the trees, one of the men pulling Toby along threw the other end of the rope over a thick branch and pulled sharply, making Toby rise a foot or so off the ground. He yelled out, his eyes wide, trying to kick his legs out, flailing in the air.

“Thom?! What did I do?!”

Thom ignored him and turned as some of the men laughed, his tongue running along his lower lip as he moved towards her. The fire made light dance across her, hiding that she was trembling.

“Thom—”

He lowered down to one knee, one hand resting on hers as his other unsheathed a knife from his belt, flipped it in his hand and held the handle out to her. She stared at it, her gaze then darting back up to him.

“... I can’t.”

His features were unreadable. “Come on, Ada.”

She shook her head a few times, trying hard to take a full breath. “I can’t, Thom.”

A corner of his mouth lifted and his features softened, a terrible juxtaposition to Toby’s yelling behind him. 

“It’s okay, I’ll do it.” Cupping the back of her neck, he tilted her head down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Then, he’d risen and turned away, striding back towards Toby.

She heard Colm bark out a laugh as men jeered. “Oh, you really fucked up this time, Toby! Look at that fuckin’ face! Like thunder!”

Toby was nearly sobbing, desperation saturating his tone. “What did I do?! What did I do?!”

Ada’s gaze hadn’t moved from where she’d stared at Thom’s chest, now just fixed on the ground.

“No, no, Thom, please, come on, please—!”

She flinched at the sound of material ripping, Toby’s howl echoing in the night.

Then came Thom’s voice; cold as ice. “You killed my mother, Toby.”

Curses and insults went up from the group but Colm’s voice came the loudest, jeering, taunting.

“Oh, shit, you killed my sister-in-law, Toby?”

“When?! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know!” Toby’s words were jumbled in screams, and Ada could feel tears pricking at her eyes. Within moments they were sliding down her cheeks.

She could hear the men laughing, making casual observations, drinking, some not even paying much attention.

This was a game to them.

A sport.

A regular occurrence.

She couldn’t stop her eyes from lifting to Thom.

He was stood before Toby, the man’s shirt open, a wound on his chest, blood running out of it. Toby was pale, terrified. Thom was calm.

 This was nothing to her brother.

She suddenly got to her feet, her gaze dropping. As Toby screamed again and she heard a sound she didn’t want to identify, she turned on her heel and began to stride away, her fists curled tightly at her sides, chest rising and falling swiftly, staring at the ground, body rigid.

Tears fell like a stream down her cheeks as she walked away, Toby’s screams echoing in her ears.

She could hear her own breathing, jagged, gasping.

A few whoops went up as Toby cried out again, the sound so agonised, so drawn out that she released a sob and put her hands over her ears.

She walked into the trees, still able to hear the screams. Her legs suddenly gave out as a higher, panicked scream came. Her arm darting out, she grabbed at a tree trunk, sinking to her knees. Curling up against it, her hands went back over her ears as her eyes closed tightly, her breaths short, sobbed.

She murmured to herself, not even sure what she was saying, just trying to drown it all out.

Yet it was useless.

All she could hear was his screams.

—

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[coinofstone]

2x13 The Last Dragonlord

I really appreciate that this picks up 2 days into the dragon's scourge. We were shown that Merlin knew what would happen if he set Khilgarrah free; he chose to do it anyway. There was no reason to pick up ten minutes later when everyone is scrambling trying to get a defense together while Uther demands to know how he got free. The little time jump that puts us right into the thick of it was exactly the right creative call imo.

Why IS the dragon going after Arthur? And how does nobody hear him yelling at Merlin about his magic?

Arthur taking off his gloves and sitting down in a pained relief while Uther goes off about 'rid ourselves of this aberration' is a mood. He's fighting off a damn dragon all night and then doing admin all morning while his dad is there all fresh and clean and conveniently ignoring the fact that it's HIS pet that's got out and is murdering people and destroying the castle. Like how about you do whatever you did to capture it in the first place, again?

Lol @ Gaius 'Bee tee dubs I've known who your pops is this whole time, he's not only alive but also a Dragonlord, which isn't something I thought fit to you tell you in all that time you were having campfire chats with the great dragon Uther's kept chained up in the basement for twenty years! Safe journey!'

Wtf with Arthur's magical moving bed. What were they thinking with that staging. Also, this is why you don't throw pillows at ppl. He throws his pillow at Merlin and now he must lay there pillowless.

Merlin's known his dad for five minutes and he's already lying to him about his boyfriend.

Balinor said, 'let Uther die, let Camelot fall' and Merlin is like, disappointed? But wtf did he expect? Dude lives in a cave cuz Uther's pursued him so far in an attempt to rid the world of Dragonlords. Like why would his indifference shock you?

Arthur's just blatantly flirting with Merlin in that campfire scene.

Merlin wins the award for 'most awkward and drawn out familial confession ever'

I do feel for Merlin. He's so awkward and hopeful and clearly romanticizing the perceived 'missing piece' in his life/upbringing, as tho it were a magic fix for everything that's ever gone wrong in his life. It's painful to watch, partly because Colin plays it so well.

Arthur and Merlin were gone for at least as long as the dragon had been attacking Camelot when they left. At the point when they retuned Camelot would've been under attack for the better part of a week. Kind of shocked Uther didn't have a bunch of knights turn deserters, thinking Arthur's been sent away to preserve the royal lineage.

Arthur's just blatantly flirting again. It's hard not to think he's being so free with his affection because he's fairly goddamn certain they're both going to die. I guess the argument could be made that facing a dragon who is literally burning your castle down around you might've just put things in perspective for Arthur - but really, I doubt it. They're heading back to a Camelot that's been under siege by an unkillable, fire- breathing, flying beast, for days, after having left the only man on earth who could've saved them, who refused to assist them. And Arthur is sitting there downright giddy teasing Merlin. That, my friends, is the *true* face of defeat. The further example is when Arthur is suiting up to go try and fight the dragon in a clearing outside the castle, and he's like, sort of trying to say goodbye to Merlin but also kind of flirting and playing up their usual banter - it's gallows humor, clearly. And the way he melts and doesn't even put up a token objection when Merlin says he's going with him. JUST MAKE OUT ALREADY but it's very much like that absurdist - I don't want to say nihilism, but essentially, acceptance that the odds are overwhelmingly NOT in their favor, and that they're probably going to die and nothing can be done to save them or Camelot. Once you reach that point, you've really only got two options: a) die mad b) live. Arthur really seems to be taking the latter approach, and I'm here for it.

Gotta admit, it was very courteous of Kilgharrah to come meet the knights in that clearing instead of just flying over them to take another pass at destroying the castle with Uther inside it.

That dragon said 'tonight, I'm have bbq knight'. Also I've always kinda given them shit because Leon supposedly went out with them for this, and all the knights lined up to get flambéd yet Leon is ever present in following seasons - but if you actually watch carefully it's Arthur, Merlin, and another knight that get knocked off their horses by the dragon's tail. I may or may not have rewound that part half a dozen times just now to be sure. Looks like two knights on the ground unconscious by Arthur's side.

So. Okay. I understand finding his dragon voice and I understand the whole inherent- language thing, I understand Merlin showing the dragon mercy and letting him go, I understand everything said between them and that's all fine. What I don't understand is how in the holy hell Merlin let him go without demanding answers. Answers to why he wanted to destroy all of Camelot, when he'd spent the last however many years helping Merlin save it, and save Arthur, in order to bring about their destiny. Answers to why he didn't just fucking kill Uther, why attack the lower town? Why attack Arthur who again, he'd repeatedly helped Merlin save, because he's supposed to bring peace and magic to Albion etc? Like HOW IN THE FUCK are you really just gonna let the fucker fly off without explaining himself? Maybe it's just me.

HC: Arthur was so relieved and elated when Merlin told him he'd dealt the dragon a mortal blow, Merlin came over to help him up off the ground but Arthur pulled him down and rolled him over in the grass instead.

Uther watching from the window like a maiden in a tower 🤦‍♀️ get fuuuuuuucked

Big season finale and no commentary track? 😕 probably cuz it was too gay to ignore the gay so they thought it best to just not say anything.

DVD extras in lieu of commentary track:

My favourite part of any of these BTS things are the little tidbits about the horses. And the terrible jokes.

I'm a little bit freaked out by how much Johnny Capps looks like my city councilman? I've never seen him before. If he was in the first season's extras I didn't notice him.

Why is "Cast and crew introduction to S2" on the last disc of the box set?

Googling instead of watching and I've discovered these guys did Atlantis after Merlin, which is a show I randomly started watching and fell in love with and was devastated when it got canceled so quickly.

The "secrets and magic" special feature seems to be an episode-by-episode BTS thing, which I wish I had known earlier as I would've just gone back and forth to watch the feature after the corresponding episode. Since it's too late for that now, and the runtime for the entire feature is nearly three goddamn hours, I'm just going to slog through one single separate post for the entire thing. It'll be posted late tonight or tomorrow. But I'm 1000000% checking the S3 extras BEFORE I start watching the season.

[darkshadow90]

Arthur Fleck/Arkham Joker Interrogation

A/N: Hey guys. So I’ve had this idea for awhile. This isn’t a reader pairing, but she is mentioned. This is based on the scene at the end of the movie. I always assumed the woman who was talking to the Joker was a psychiatrist. I noticed there was a recorder on the table that was probably being used to record their conversation. When I noticed it, I wondered if she was a psychiatrist or a behavioral analyst working for Gotham PD, and if she was sent by them to conduct a psychological evaluation. For this idea, I decided the psychiatrist was sent to interrogate him about a crime he committed. The police know he wouldn’t tell them anything, so they sent her to get information, and obtain an analysis of his behavior. I didn’t give the psychiatrist a name since she didn’t appear to have one in the movie. She’ll be referred to by female pronouns. The reader will be referred to as Y/N L/N (Your name Last name) She will be revered to by female pronouns in third person. It switches to second person (you) at the very end of the story. There are warnings such as mentions of stabbing and sexual assault of the reader. Let me know if you want me to write about what happened from the reader’s perspective. It would be more detailed about what happened to her. I hope you like this 🙂

It was an early Tuesday morning in Arkham. Gotham PD asked her to interrogate the Joker about a crime he committed. The police knew he wouldn’t cooperate with them, especially since he was avoiding them. So they decided to send one of their best psychiatrists to get more information about his behavior and motives. She remembered being briefed about the crime. All she could do was shake her head at such acts of violence, it was Gotham after all. She felt sorry for the poor girl. Cases never got any easier, but the girl was alive, and for that, she was grateful. As disgusted as she was by the Joker’s actions, she knew she would have to go in with a clear mind, and try to appear as neutral as possible.

She arrived on the maximum security floor. An orderly was waiting for her to escort her to the interrogation room. The orderly told her the Joker’s name was Arthur Fleck. She was surprised he had such a common name. She expected a different name for someone so dangerous. She put it out of her mind. She knew names didn’t mean much. The Joker, or rather Arthur was in the room, handcuffed and staring off into space. She went inside.

“Hello, Arthur.” The man didn’t say anything. He just sat there staring at the wall, smoking a cigarette. He didn’t acknowledge her at all. “Arthur, that is your name, isn’t it? I’m here to talk with you about-” “Joker.” “What?” “JOKER!” She nearly jumped at the sudden exclamation. “Everyone keeps using the wrong name.” His voice went back to normal. She took note of the swift changes in his mood. She noticed he wasn’t wearing clown makeup. He didn’t look like the Joker at all, just an ordinary man. But she got some first impressions just by looking at him, his body language, his behavior. On the surface, he looked harmless enough, but she knew better by looking at his cold, dark eyes. The man sitting across from her was, cold, detached, condescending, manipulative, and those were just a few words she came up with.  He stroked the stubble on his face as if he was contemplating something. “I’m here talk-” “I know why you’re here. You want to talk about her.” He seemed excited. “Well, seeing as you’re not the detectives, I’m willing to bet one of the reasons they sent you is they thought it might be easier to have a woman ask about what I did.” It made her uncomfortable, but she knew he had a point. “Her name is Y/N L/N. Hospital staff found her at the enterance to the ER. She had several stab wounds and there was evidence of sexual assault. Staff told the detectives the last thing she said before she passed out was the Joker did it.” He smiled at what she said. “So she is alive, and she did tell them.” The woman was disturbed by his reaction.  “Yes.”  “How is she?” “She’s stable. She’s lucky she survived.” He nodded in response.

She was confused. Why would he ask about her wellbeing? “Arth...Joker, why did you attack her that night?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Why does anyone do anything? I guess I just felt like it.” The woman swallowed. “I see. What made you stop? Why did you sexually assault her and leave her at the hospital?” He took another drag from his cigarette. “I don’t know. It was something about her. She reminded me of a neighbor I lived close to. She lived on the same floor as me. I liked her, she was nice to me. That girl reminded me of my neighbor, and she smiled at me when I left her at the hospital. That’s how I know I made her happy.”

She felt sick to her stomach. He really was a monster. He did those awful things to her, nearly killed her, and he thinks she was smiling at him as if she was happy about what he did. She knew the girl wasn’t smiling specifically at him. She was smiling because she was relieved it was over. There was only one question left to ask him. “Did you say anything to her before you left?” He was looking down. “I kissed her and told her not to feel bad about herself.” The woman didn’t know what to say. “I think I’ve waited long enough.” She didn’t have time to comprehend what he said before being knocked unconscious.

Joker escaped from Arkham, free to cause chaos in Gotham. But before he could do that, he decided to go to the hospital and see you. He wondered if you would recognize him without his makeup, suit, and green hair. He felt embarrassed that you would see him in his Arkham scrubs, as they weren’t exactly the most appealing outfit, but it would have to do.

[ai-katsuu]

Arthur and Gwen last chapter!

read it on ao3 too!

this is one of my favorite chapters! it involves everyone in the group fighting and some backstories are heard as well!

“I don’t like this,” Peter mumbled as he looked around, “This is definitely the creepiest tower I’ve been in and I’ve been alive for over a hundred years.”

The stone tower was definitely bigger on the inside than on the outside. It’s exterior looked like a thin tower only around thirty feet tall, but it’s interior was much bigger. The wide circular room with various doors surrounding them. One could only guess where each of them led to. In front of them was a spiral staircase that led to the second floor. Gwen had suddenly turned back into her human form, which was odd because even when she was indoors on a full moon she would usually transform. It’s as if this tower knew who she was as it radiated with magic.

Arthur stepped forward, “Let’s do our best not to get separated, we-”

“Did you really think I was that stupid?” a voice echoed through the walls. The group looked around on guard as they tried to pinpoint the source. “To let all fourteen of you try and take me on at once?”

The ground started rumbling and Merlin widened his eyes. He whipped his head around to those in close proximity: Arthur, Gwen, and Snow. “Get back! Now!” He didn’t have enough time to finish his sentence as the floor crumbled. They all quickly backed up and pressed themselves against the stone wall as a large middle portion of the floor fell into a dark abyss. Even if they didn’t fall, the small individual ledges they were standing on wouldn’t last for very long.

Hans clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked behind him, “There’s no time to regroup!” he yelled to them, “Our main priority should be getting Merlin to the witch, just go! We’ll catch up to you when we can.” the ground started rumbling once more, “Go, now!” he shouted once more. Each individual entered a door. Some lead to the same room, others were separated from the rest.

“Let’s go, before this gets worse,” Snow called Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin as she ran up the stairs. The four of them followed the same steps, running up the spiral walls. As they reached the second level, the air around them had become humid. Gwen put her hood down and removed her cloak, tying it around her waist.

The second level was similar to the floor below, smooth cemented walls except this one had a platform above them. To the far right was another set of stairs. On the other wings of the tower, Hans, Gretel, Jack, Briar, and Audrey had arrived on a similar level, the other, Pino, Noki, Kio, and Goldie had run into each other.

Peter, on the other hand, had wound up alone in the fourth room. He creased his eyebrows at the scenery.

“I’ve got to find at least one of them...it’s bad if we’re separated the whole time…” he muttered to himself. He walked over to the center of the circular room, holding his hands up behind his ears and closing his eyes. Slowly, he took a deep breath. Peter Pan did have a sharp hearing. It was a trait he picked up from being in Neverland for a hundred years. He turned off all other senses and focused on his hearing.

“...earth...how...sense…”

He picked up a few words from a long distance, the echoes of the circular walls. He turned his head to his right. That was Goldie.

“That must be a fake wall,” he concluded, flying towards that place. But then he heard something else. Another set of footsteps in this room. He immediately stopped himself, glaring at the darkened part of the room as his ears knew exactly where the sound was coming from. He brought his dagger out,

“Who’s there? Come out and let’s get this over with-”

“Peter is that you?”

He widened his eyes. That voice...the voice he thought he’d never hear again. His body suddenly became cold yet he started to sweat. The footsteps became louder as the person stepped into the light, revealing their face. Peter’s heart dropped.

“...Wendy?”

---

“How on earth does this make sense?” Goldie looked to the triplets.

All of them were in shock as from what they saw, the person in front of them looked at them with a worried gaze. The Blue Fairy.

“My children, why do you look so frightened?” she worriedly asked.

“W-we,” Pino stuttered out, “We thought we’d never see you again.”

She let out a warm laugh, “Pino, my dear, I was always with you all. Even when you were all cursed, I was there to guide you.”

Noki let out a short sob as he looked at her. They didn’t have a mother. They loved their father and respected Jiminy, but a motherly figure was never in their lives. The Blue Fairy was the closest person to that, she did give them life after all.  She was beautiful, and exactly how the triplets remembered her. The blonde soft hair and shining blue dress that reflected the stars in the sky.

That was not what Goldie saw at all.

She looked at the triplets in fear, then to the so-called Blue Fairy. It was a rotting corpse. Skin green, thin as skin and bones, it’s jaw broken as it was left hanging by a string. If you looked closer you could see insects crawling all over its rib cage. She wanted to throw up in fear and disgust. But then she looked at the boys.

They were on the verge of tears as they looked at their motherly presence. The corpse stretched its arms.

“Come to me, my children,” it said in a raspy voice.

To the triplets, it was the warm voice that made Kio move forward, hopeful, and longing for a mother's hug. Goldie shook her head as she saw what was about to happen.

“N-no...no! Wait, no!” she rushed forward, and with all her might, she swung her ax in between Kio and the corpse. The triplets, clearly surprised, looked frightened for a bit. They saw the Blue Fairy’s warm smile turn into a scowl.

“She’s not real!” she cried out to them, “Snap out of it! Morgana is using magic to make you see illusions,” she lifted her axe from the ground, “It’s not...real!” she swung her axe to the corpse. Granted it was a horrifying scene to the triplets, seeing Goldie drive an axe into the Blue Fairy, but as soon as her body hit the wall, their vision of her interrupted like static, slowly they saw the decaying green corpse that Goldie saw.

“N-no,” the voice went back and forth from a sweet one to a raspy one, “M-my children...please...h-help me…”

---

“Mama, Papa…” Gretel held her hands over her mouth. Behind her was her brother who kept her steady with his hands on her shoulder. But instead of shock, he frowned at his parents, confused. Indeed he saw them like his sister did, but something was not right. Hans spent months mourning the death of his parents. Alone, isolated, away from his sister. Their death was the biggest turning point in his life.

So how the hell could they be here?

Beside them was Jack who looked concerned as he saw his uncle, more terrified than relieved. He swallowed his throat, “Uncle...I…” he didn’t know what to say. Jack had to banish him from his palace. His greed for riches was getting far out of control, and it was starting to affect the lives of the citizens. He hadn’t known what became of him after that, but now that he was in Morgana’s tower...

Audrey and Briar, on the other hand, saw the same thing as Goldie. The same rotting corpse. Audrey looked at it, slightly concerned and disturbed. Its foul odor could be smelt from all over the room. Briar knew this was a spell, and as disgusted as this was, she turned to Hans with a terrified look. Hans didn’t let go of Gretel, but he stiffly looked at Briar and slowly shook his head. Audrey tensed up at the action. He knew it wasn’t real.

Hans couldn’t kill his parents, not in front of his sister. Even if they weren’t real, the sight might bring her to insanity, he couldn’t do that to her. Hans looked at Audrey and Briar anxiously as they had a wordless conversation. Slowly, they came to an agreement. Briar quietly unsheathed her own sword, quickly before the corpse noticed.

“Jack...turn around,” Audrey mumbled. He looked at her confused until Hans had forcibly put his hand over Gretel’s eyes as she yelled at him, struggling in his grasp. He shot a pleading look at Briar,

“End it quickly, please!” he yelled.

As Briar charged forward, Audrey made a mental note not to tell Jack what the true nature of this spell was yet. He knew it was an illusion afterward, but he didn’t know that it would only show you the illusion of a deceased loved one.

---

“Merlin, I’m sure you know this spell,” Arthur unsheathed Excalibur as he looked at the corpse. Gwen saw the same thing, scrunching her face as she glanced at Snow and Merlin.

“Snow...as real as she might seem to be, that is not your mother,” he took out his spells. Snow shook as Merlin had an arm over her,

“But...she looks so real.” she cried out, “Merlin, I haven’t seen her since I was a child...I…”

“Snow, I would never do anything to hurt you, and that’s why I need you to turn around. Think about it, your mother died years ago, why would she be here?” he told her. She didn’t respond as she finally averted her gaze. Merlin gave her a sympathetic look as he brushed her hair with hands. He looked at Arthur,

“Please,” he said.

Arthur nodded in understanding and charged forward. When Snow heard the slick sound of Excalibur, she closed her eyes harder as Merlin held her tighter in comfort. “It’s done, let’s go,” he said to them.

Merlin quickly ushered Snow towards the staircase, making sure to avert her gaze from her mother's corpse. She didn’t have to see it for the second time in her life.

---

“And John is doing great too. Oh, how I wish you could see him now!” Wendy beamed at Peter.

Peter solemnly smiled at the girl, “What about the Lost Boys?”

Wendy playfully rolled her eyes, “Oh they are as rowdy as ever. It’s like you said, they may be able to age in London, but they’ll never truly grow up.” she giggled. Peter laughed as he sat cross-legged mid-air, just a few feet away from her.

“You know,” she said quietly, “you can see them all again. They're all here right now, why don’t you join us, Peter? We could have all those adventures again!” she excitedly said. “And you could be with me…”

Peter looked shocked. That was what he wanted for many of his years alone. Wendy reached for his hand, “What do you say, Peter?”

He looked at her before letting out a small laugh, “You know I’d do almost anything to relive those memories. But I have my own family now, and someone to call my beloved,” he said softly. Wendy frowned, “And besides…” he looked at her one last time before quickly taking his dagger out and stabbing her in the chest, twisting it as the corpse screamed. “You sure aren’t Wendy.”

Merlin held Snow’s hand as they ran up the stairs. She was quick to recover as her face was now determined. Behind them were Arthur and Gwen and ran with them. “Are you okay?” he asked Gwen to which she nodded,

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

The staircase thinned and they wound up in a narrow hallway with several doors. The ground started to shake again. Merlin, highly altered, did not have enough time to react. The floor burst open with plants and vines. Snow and Merlin were pushed into one room, while Arthur and Gwen had separated into two different rooms. He called out for her once more before the vines slammed his door shut. There was barely any light in the room, he could only hear the sounds of slithering in the dark. He took Excalibur out and began to fight off death itself.

In the other room, Gwen had tried her best to transform into her wolfette form. But it wasn’t working the way she wanted it to. “Come on, come on!" she stared at her hands. "Of all the times you decide not to come out, why must it be now?!” she cried out. She backed herself into a corner, terrified of the water that started filling the room towards her. But then...she suddenly felt calm…

A song. It was sung by a beautiful voice. She looked around the room, but could only see water flowing. It didn’t matter though. Oh...what was she just doing? Why was she here? Nevermind that. The water looked nice, and after everything she’d been through, it might be nice to take a relaxing dip underwater. The song had such a nice melody...she wanted to hear more of it. Slowly, she walked down into the water, knee-deep, and about to give in.

Then the wall broke, and light reached the room,

“Get her to Arthur or Merlin, quickly! And cover your ears!” Audrey yelled out.

Jack suddenly appeared right next to Gwen, causing her to jump a bit and snap out of her trance. Oh god, she was just going to drown herself there. “Got it,” he looked at Gwen, “Sorry to startle you...again.” he offered an apologetic smile. He lifted her up in his arms and covered themselves with his cloak.

Audrey looked back and made sure they escaped before looking towards the dead vines. She reached into her belt and uncapped the vials of water, hovering her hands over them as the water flowed out, forming into a thin sword. The water on the floor morphed into blobs that resembled beautiful women who scowled at her.

“I’ve dealt with Sirens like you before, and I can do it again,” she said.

In Merlin and Snow’s room, more vicious vines attacked them. “Hey wanna know something funny? This reminds me of the time I fought that mirror.” Merlin zapped a vine with his magic.

Snow grunted as she tore them in half with her bare hands, “Merlin, this is no time for reminiscing!”

In the corner of the room, Kio, Peter, Pino, and Gretel had rushed in. “Merlin, get out of here!” Kio yelled and shot the bigger vines. Peter grabbed his hand and threw him upwards so he could get a better shot. After firing he caught him and Kio threw him to the plants as he cut them with his dagger.

“Snow! Duck!” Pino shouted towards her. She moved her head and the Pino’s arrow just missed her by a hair as he shot a vine.

“I’m gonna blow this room up, there’s too many of them.” Gretel said, “Peter, get Merlin to the other side.”

He nodded and grabbed Merlin, “Snow will be fine. She’s more than capable of handling these situations.” he assured her. Merlin let out a small chuckle,

“I know.”

In Arthur’s room, Goldie swung her axe towards the plants. Noki and Arthur fought side by side as they tried to look for an exit. Goldie stood up and held her axe, nearing her limit as she was the one who fought the hardest. She noticed a few cracks on the wall and pushed her body to get over there and ram her axe into the wall, breaking it and making an exit.

“Arthur…” she breathed out as she turned around, “Go...Gwen and Merlin are-agh!”

A vine had wrapped around her ankle as she was pulled to a corner.

“Goldie!” Noki yelled out and ran towards her, shooting the plants with an arrow. He looked back at Arthur, “Go hurry!” Arthur nodded as he ran towards the exit.

Jack was able to sneak and dodge past the vines in the hallway. It was a run that took a while, but he burst open the last door. He had to stomp his heel on the ground as the door opened to a small ledge. A few feet away from it was another platform, but it was separated by a wide gap that seemed to lead into a pit of darkness. Jack clicked his tongue.

“Sorry, Gwen. I’m gonna have to throw you to the other side,” he said, removing his cloak. Wait for Merlin and Arthur there.” Jack looked back and saw more vines approaching him. “Hang on tight, and reach for the ledge when I say so.” he ran towards the opposite end and jumped, “Now!” Gwen let go and reached for the platform, pulling herself up.

But Jack’s hand slipped on the rocky edge of the landing and cut his hand. He inhaled sharply as Gwen turned around and saw what had happened. He was now dangling on the ledge.

“Ja-!”

“Go!” he yelled at her, “I’ll be fine trust me!”

“No! I can’t-!”

“Gwen!” Merlin said. She looked back and saw him and Arthur, who was exhausted. Although she was hesitant she looked back and forth.

“Trust me,” he knowingly smiled at her, “I’ll see you when this is over. Now go!” Gwen looked at him one last time before nodding and running to the two males.

Jack, now getting tired, let go of the ledge in exhaustion as he fell into the dark pit. However, his small smile remained as he knew that he wouldn’t fall for much longer. Something wet was wrapped around his waist. He stopped momentarily before he was pulled up by a whip of water. Audrey grunted as she pulled him out and threw him towards the vines as he cut them with the sharp edges of his ring.

On the other side, Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen neared the top of the tower. “We’re almost there,” Merlin said to them. When they reached the last door, it was a relatively smaller room. Circular, but much smaller than the room of the illusioned corpse. The ground shook again, but not because of plants, rather, it was someone's footsteps. Whoever owned these footsteps was massive.

At the top ledge of the room, the woman that they had been looking for was here. “So, you’re Merlin?” Morgana looked at him. “Well, this looks like a nice reunion, Arthur the royal with his beloved Guenivere and wizard, Merlin. And here’s the evil Morgana, this villain of this story,” she said mockingly.

“If you’re going to keep talking I might as well end you now.” Merlin looked up at her and generated electricity.

“Merlin, I’ll fight.” she said, “But as for you two,” she looked at Arthur and Gwen, “You might as well have fun with my pets. They’ve been getting restless over the years and they’ve been longing for a fight.” the footsteps they had heard got louder, and a giant beast stepped out of the shadows. He was a mix of man, ogre, giant, and animal. “This is Grendel. And over here…”

Morgana looked to her left and an old man, who seemed to have lost his senses, stepped out. He had several keys attached to what seemed to be a necklace of human hair around his neck.  “This here is Bluebeard. Go and play will you?” with that Morgana landed the first blow on Merlin, who dodged and made a counter-attack.

Arthur faced Grendel, successfully cutting off whatever massive body part he could, starting with his giant fingers. Gwen backed up against the wall in caution, but it wasn’t long before she got startled as Bluebeard appeared next to her.

“Young lady...I am here to help…” he coughed out. He gave out one specific key from his necklace and handed it to her. “Here is the key to the exit.” he gestured towards a door behind her that definitely was not there before. “Hurry, you must open the door!” he smiled.

But it wasn’t long before a sword came in between them, Briar’s heel crushing the key as she swung her sword at the old man who hissed at her. Gwen gasped as she fell back. Briar stood in front of her and positioned her sword towards him,

“That’s Bluebeard. Open that door and you would’ve ended up like all of his past wives.” she looked at the necklace of hair. “I spent a lot of time reading about you in the woods. I’m gonna kill you right here, right now.” she seriously looked at Bluebeard.

On Arthur’s end, Hans had used his wok to pin Grendel down. "Arthur! On me, now!" Arthur stepped on Hans’ back as a way to jump and slay the demon from above. In the past two minutes, it had already beaten him up enough times by slamming him into walls. As he raised Excalibur, his leg cramped and he almost lost his balance, but not before pushing forward as he reminded himself who he was doing this for.

With a mighty swing, Arthur decapitated Grendel with one clean cut. On the other end of the room, Morgana screamed as his head fell to the floor. Merlin used this as an opportunity to make a whip of electricity and capture her once and for all. Bluebeard had just been slain by Briar as well, and the vines, Sirens, the Corpse she had sent to the lower floors were all defeated. About three-fourths of her power was gone.

“I don’t understand...how were you all able to defeat me?” she huffed out.

“Tell us how to break Gwen’s curse.” Merlin threatened as he increased the volts of electricity. Morgana groaned in pain as she yelled out,

“There is no way!” Merlin stopped to let her speak. Slowly, she regained her voice, “I already told the swordsman...there is no way to break the curse…but,” she said as soon as she saw Merlin’s face harden, “I can..make it more bearable for her.” she reached her hand out to Gwen who was next to Briar, but Arthur stepped in front of her.

“You’re not casting any more spells on her,” he said seriously.

Merlin shook his head, “She said there’s a way to make it easier for her.”

“Take it or leave it, I don’t care either way,” Morgana said exhaustedly.

Arthur looked at her one more time before stepping aside. Morgana lifted her hand once more, “Step aside, girl.” she looked at Briar who did as she told. Gwen put her hands to her chest as she stood cautiously. A red and grey aura began surrounding her. A familiar warmth was felt as the colors surrounded her. The light dimmed down, and Morgana, who cast her last spell, fell to the ground.

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?” Arthur asked her. They walked through the woods as the sun began to rise. Gwen nodded with a small smile on her face as she looked at the setting full moon.

“The power to control my forms is more than enough. I’ve come not to hate my other but rather to accept it, it has become a part of who I am. But more than that,” she smiled at him, “I’m so happy you’re okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself if you or the others had gotten killed.” she looked back at the camp where everybody was sitting down, relieved that they were all right.

Goldie and Arthur had taken the most damage, but Noki took care of her as best as he could, and Gwen did her best to care for Arthur. Audrey had tended to Jack’s hand, and Snow bandaged Merlin from his fight with Morgana. The rest were not injured and helped with serving food, all happy that everyone was okay.

Arthur laughed, “My Lady, it will be many many years before that happens. But until then, I swear to always be by your side.” he said truthfully.

Gwen giggled “If that’s the case, then I hope to protect you as well.” she stopped walking as Arthur curiously looked at her, “You’ve already done so much for me, and I want to do the same for you...so…”

She leaned down and placed her lips against his. He didn’t have enough time to react as he closed his eyes on instinct. The familiar golden aura shone for the seventh and last time. When Gwen stepped back and opened her eyes, she saw a prince much bigger than her, looking at her with a pure lovestruck gaze.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Best Films of 2019

Wohoo! 2019 has come and gone and man did it fly by. This year we had sooooo many fantastic films and this year was probably the hardest list to put together. I really wanted to include alot more, but I had to make a few cuts. Now I tend to keep my list to the traditional 10 films, but on some occasions I've extended it to 11. This is one of those occasions. I have one runner up that is worth mentioning and I think it should not be missed.

Missing Link: Many animated films are computer generated now and the art of hand drawn animation is rarely shown. The one type of animation that is all but extinct is stop motion animation. It takes time, patience and passion to bring to life characters with such sophistication and care in an almost forgotten art form. The masterminds at Laika are truly imaginative artist and this film shows that in every frame. Not many films take the story of the myth behind Sasquatch to fun places without being hokey and I was relieved that this film took it seriously and pumped so much fun and heart into the story and I think this was a hidden gem of 2019. Click the title for my full review.

Now, on to my list of 2019's best films of the year. If you want my full review of each film then go ahead and click the title of each film. First one up is definitely a fantastic sequel to a film that the author hated, but loved the film adaptation of his second book.

Doctor Sleep: The Shining is a classic that can never really be touched. Stephen King is famously known for disliking the film adaptation of his novel, but with his blessing placed upon Mike Flanagan's vision for the sequel novel, we got this magnificent film. Not only does this film pay tribute to Stanley Kubrick's film, but it also follows the same rules and visual structure while keeping the film fresh. The tone was consistent and the performances were across the board amazing. Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and the talented Kyliegh Curran deliver absolute greatness. This film features stunning and intriguing dark moments, but definitely has one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen and its all because of Jacob Tremblay's performance in THAT scene.

Ready or Not: How many times have we seen the family initiation story in a romantic comedy? A dozen times I tell you! Well how about you take the same concept, throw in a fun horror version of hide and seek with a hint of the supernatural and great dark comedic writing. You get this fantastic film that is all of that and more. Luckily I stayed away from any major trailers for this film because in retrospect, the R rated trailer gave away too many of the fun gags. The performance of each family member was awesome and this was a standout performance for Samara Weaving. Every year from now on, this film will be on my Halloween watchlist. I loved this film and I can't recommend it enough.

Shazam!: Batman (1989), Superman (1978), The Dark Knight Trilogy and Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse are just to name a few of perfect adaptations of a comic book character to screen. This film was beyond perfection in many ways and the best DC film to date. This film had the right amount of fun, darkness and heart that embodies the life of the titular character. I could see the amount of genuine fun the cast was having on screen and the heartfelt performances of Asher Angel and Zachary Levi were outstanding. Jack Dylan Grazer stole the film with his amazing comedic speed and wit. This was truly a film I had high hopes for and it didn't disappoint.

Avengers: Endgame: How do you start a story in 2008 and bring it to an amazing and satisfying conclusion that wraps up 11 years of storytelling? You have a plan, a clear vision from the very beginning and with that it'll special success. Producer Kevin Feige set out on a journey to bring to life some of the best superheroes and keep them together in a cohesive and long formed narrative to complete a saga that's never been done before. He did it with the best talent behind each film's camera and The Russo Brothers have delivered the most epic film the superhero film genre has ever seen. I have waited my entire life to hear Captain America say "Avengers Assemble!" and I'm so happy I've lived long enough for my dream to come true. This was an emotional journey and end to The Infinity Saga. I really can say so much more about this crowning achievement in storytelling, but I'll keep this summary short.

Rocketman: It was only a mater of time before we got a biopic about the incomparable music legend Elton John. I was hoping that it would not shy away from his sexuality, addictions and his bright and explosive since of style. Well this film jumped right in and held nothing back and I loved every bit. It was truly a fantastical film that had enough gravity and style. The musical locations illustrate his most important moments in his life and are visually stunning and accurate recreations of his most iconic performances. Taron Egerton was Elton John and I loved that he sang all the music. This was truly a masterpiece.

1917: World War II films are a dime a dozen, but the World War I films are rare. Sam Mendes is one of the best directors and all of his films take you on a journey through the eyes, mind and soul of a character and he did exactly that in this film. The fact that this film is almost shot completely in one continuous take, gives every moment gravitas and tension as you watch our main character go along and across enemy lines to prevent an ambush. The score was truly haunting by Thomas Newman and my favorite piece from this film was from the flare scene. Such an stunning achievement in filmmaking should not be missed.

Joker: The clown prince of crime has had many iterations over the past 80 years. The most influential and canonical version of the character came from Frank Miller's The Killing Joke. Heath Ledger's take was iconic and made you scared because of his unpredictability. Joaquin Phoenix has taken the character and given a truly disturbing and authentic performance. As Arthur Fleck, we see through a constantly unraveling psyche, a man become a new and real kind of monster. Not only is this version the most unsettling, but it was beautiful. The cinematography was great and I loved how we got into the mind and heart of the character when he wasn't even speaking. This is a definition of how a person being pushed through horrible conditions can truly become a monster and yet be free. I loved this film and I think it will be studied in many acting classes from here on out.

Ford v Ferrari: There needs to be more racing films of this caliber! I love racing films that are not just about the cars, but also the drivers and their stories. This film was based on the true friendship between Carol Shelby and Ken Miles and I can't say enough how much attention to detail and heart that was put into every frame. The sound design in this film was crisp and powerful. The performances by both Matt Damon and Christian Bale was truly amazing and they had the best chemistry. Their fight scene was the funniest and most realistic fight I've ever seen between 2 friends. James Mangold is one of my favorite directors because of his focus on characters and story first before the action. This was a love letter to the world of racing and a respectful look at the lives of these pioneers of ingenuity and racing.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World: How do you make a perfect trilogy? How do you wrap it up with a satisfying and emotional ending? You focus on the story and stay true to the message and heart you started with in the beginning. You let the character bonds naturally grow and make each adventure a learning experience. This film was a perfect ending to the franchise and I can't stress how much I felt like I was with Hiccup and Toothless on their journey to this conclusion. The performances from the cast were stellar as always and although the villain may not have been as great, he still was a good addition. The visuals were the best and the textures in the scales and sand were out of this world. The score by John Powell truly brought me to tears as I got to say goodbye to my favorite companions. If you ever owned a pet, you known the emotional bond that is forged. This was the ultimate pay off and as a pet owner I saw my dog in Toothless' eyes. I will miss this franchise. If you're not crying by the end of this film then something is wrong with you.

The Peanut Butter Falcon: There are some independent films that take a risk in going outside of the norm and telling a story that nobody would have ever dreamed. This film was truly something special and I can't tell you how happy I was throughout. This film focuses on an individual with down syndrome whose dream is to become a wrestler and it is something truly inspirational and heartwarming. Zack Gottsagen was truly brilliant and awesome in this film. I loved his journey and his will to keep going. Shia Lebouf delivers an equally powerful performance and his chemistry with Zack was very sweet. This is one of the best films of 2019 and the most important films of the decade.

And here we are ladies and gentlemen! This is the moment you've all been reading toward. This film was an automatic choice for me the moment the end credits rolled. The crowing jewel of 2019 is none other than.....

Booksmart: I have seen so many high school teen comedies about partying or loosing your virginity before graduation, but never have I seen a film so engaging and focused on the bond of two bestfriends. Their bond was the heart and soul of the film and you couldn't have asked for a better pair of actresses. Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever were beyond perfection in every moment of this film and they had me cracking up left and right. Their adventure over the course of one night was truly fun and you are along for the hilarious ride. Billie Lourd nearly stole the whole film out from under them with her surprising and hilarious appearances. The music choices in the film were awesome as well. The comedy in this film was so fresh and from the first 6 minutes of the film you’re locked into these two ladies chemistry. I can't stress enough how much joy this film brought me and for a film to be on my mind for the entire year and to have me constantly recommending it to everyone I know is an achievement of itself. Olivia Wilde has directed a true masterpiece and new definition of a coming of age story. I can't stop gushing about this film so I'll finish off by saying WATCH THIS FILM!

And that is my list of the best films of 2019 and man has it been a great year in film. Lets hope 2020 starts off the decade with a bang! Thanks for reading everyone.

[iminagalaxyfarfaraway]

Choose 10 OTPs before reading the questions. (These are not in any type of order) 1. Anidala (Padme x Anakin) 2. Scarlet Vision (Wanda x Vision) 3. Whouffle (Eleven x Clara) 4. Stydia (Stiles x Lydia) 5. Spoby (Toby x Spencer) 6. Harmony (Harry x Hermione) 7. Clace (Jace x Clary) 8. Everlark (Peeta x Katniss) 9. Fourtris (Tobias x Tris)  10. Fosterson (Thor x Jane)

What makes you ship 2?

They have this unexplainable connection right from the beginning. They need and understand one another. Nobody helps each other more than they do. They truly are the “other half” of one another.

Have you ever written a fanfiction/made a fanvid/drawn a fan art for 6?

No, I am not so talented haha. However, there is this one fanvid I absolutely love for Harmony if anyone wants to check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU_HhgHKa7Q

What pairing would you like to meet at a grocery store?

Probably Whouffle! Their chemistry is so entertaining and adorable. I feel like I would have a lot of fun with them.

Is 1 canon?

Yes, but so shortlived. It is one of the most tragic ships for sure.

Which pairing have you shipped the longest?

Definitely Anidala. I’ve been a Star Wars fan for a long time now!

What is your favourite line of 4’s?

“See, that's the problem. You - you don't care about getting hurt. But you know how I'll feel? I'll be devastated. And if you die, I will literally go out of my freakin' mind. You see, death doesn't happen to you, Lydia. It happens to everyone around you, okay? To all the people left standing at your funeral, trying to figure out how they're gonna live the rest of their lives now without you in it? Huh? And look at my face, huh? Come on, you actually think this was meant to hurt me?”

What episode/chapter made you ship 3?

Definitely “The Snowmen.” The tenderness the Doctor displays for Clara kills me. Right away, he knows she will be important to him. He does whatever it takes to keep her safe.

Has one person from 10 ever gotten jealous?

No, not really. They’re both confident in their relationship and how they feel about each other.

What song makes you think of 5?

Certain Things by James Arthur. Thanks to this excellent fanvid that I can’t stop watching! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjLKLk5i9qI

Who tops in 9?

We never got to see a full sex scene of these two, but it kind of looked like Tris was going to at least start out on top lol.

Who bottoms in 8?

This is never shown. While Katniss seems obviously more dominating, I feel like sex would bring out some of Peeta’s more dominant traits. So Katniss would be on bottom.

Best moment between 7?

Whenever Jace holds Clary, he does it so tightly, but gently. He’ll also close his eyes as he does it. He looks so relieved and grateful. I would have to go with that.

Have you read any fanfiction about 3?

I have not, but if you know any feel free to share!

Which ship gives you the most feels?

Scarlet Vision probably. Their story is so sad... there are also so many references in sad scenes to happier times in their relationship. It’s really well written.

What makes 1 a good pairing?

Anakin has so much darkness in him. Padme truly is his light. Even tho he eventually falls into the darkness, I believe it was her memory that helped bring him back. She truly is his beacon in the night.

Do any of your friends/family ship 4?

Not a lot actually. I know more who ship Stalia.

If it was a fight to the death between 5, 7 and 9 who would win?

As the favorite couple? Probably Spoby. They’re so perfect for each other. Definitely an iconic couple. 

What moment gives you the most feels for 2?

”I just feel you.” That line does murder to my heart considering how it all ends.

Have you ever cosplayed as part of 6? If not, would you want to?

I have not, but yeah I’d be game! I could pull off a Hermione look haha.

Have you ever read smut about 3?

Nope lol!