#wanted to give a shout out to Varian’s | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sekhisadventures · 1 year

Text

The Sapphire of House Wintersky

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains a discussion about child abuse and the death of a character. Reader discretion is advised.

Stormwind City, Outside the Castle Gates

Turalyon looked down from the battlements, his brow furrowed in concern, at the crowd below him. The guards stood ready with shields at hand but, and the reagent had made this very clear, no weapons. Keep the people back, but do not even consider harming them.

“TURALYON! TELL US THE TRUTH!” came an angry cry from below.

“My cousin is on that island, and he says he saw a monster like Deathwing reborn! What have you been hiding from us?!” came another, louder voice, which only encouraged the rest.

“Is this why the Dracthyr are here?! Are they working with this thing?! Has the Twilight’s Hammer returned?!” shouted a third.

Turalyon sighed, turning away, and walking back into the keep past another older man dressed in a brown leather greatcoat and trousers with grey hair and a thick bushy mustache. “I told you that you wouldn’t be able to keep the Incarnates secret forever. My people had to learn that the hard way too…” he snorted.

“Not now Genn…” sighed the paladin as he walked through the halls. He was at least able to warn the Dracthyr still in Stormwind to travel to the Isles before the news broke entirely, but any who were still in the city would likely become targets now by a fearful mob. This is exactly what Wrathion and Azurathel had been worried about...

King Greymane stood and followed him, “Yes now. They're not going to just give up and go home! They need something Turalyon! Give them some assurance that you and the other leaders of the Alliance are addressing the matter, anything!” he said.

Turalyon frowned, stopping and turning to face him, “It wouldn’t matter Genn, we both know its not me they want to hear it from.” he nodded firmly.

Genn narrowed his eyes, then sighed and nodded, “Mmm… I won’t deny that, but unless they get some answers there will be rioting before the week’s end. Meet with the rest of your council and figure out something Turalyon. Take it from me, a ruler who ignores his people for too long will wind up a king without a kingdom.” he warned.

Turalyon gave him a curt nod, then turned away and walked off into the halls of Stormwind Castle as Genn shook his head, glancing up at a portrait hanging on the wall. It showed a young man in royal garb, looking unsure of himself, next to a tall knight in armor with red hair and a beard, painted the summer after King Varian disappeared, the knight’s hand resting on the boy’s shoulder in an almost parental way.

“Anduin, by the Light where are you? Your people need you…” the old worgen whispered.

Loamm, Zalarek Cavern, One Week After Fyrakk’s Attack

Samantha Monetbank sat at the inn, sharpening her dagger, as around her the sounds of work continued. The people of Loamm mourned their loss, but their homes still needed to be rebuilt, and whats more they had to worry about defenses too.

Fyrakk was aboveground now, raising fel and then some on the island. The shadowflame-corrupted incarnate and his fanatical Primalist followers attacking the isles with wild abandon. Sam had almost sympathized with some of them after what she’d heard about their beliefs, but the ones that followed Fyrakk had gone every bit as mad as their leader… though she’d heard rumblings through her own channels that some of Vyranoth's followers weren’t happy about that. Restore the elemental chaos that predated the Titans sure, but the return of the Black Empire was quite another matter altogether!

Fyrakk may not be preaching the gospel of the Old Gods yet, but with the shadowflame burning his sanity away it was really only a matter of time. Hence why she and some of the others were still down here. Across from her were her allies Nelen Fullmoon, Zhan-min Irontummy, Mola’raum, and Edwood Vargas.

Nelen was their most educated when it came to metaphysical matters, so he was definitely one to have on hand to determine countermeasures for the new starcursed powers that the Primalists were using, while Zhan-min had enough shamanistic sensitivity to be aware when there was the danger of such drawing near without being overwhelmed into seizures like Sekhi had been.

Sam was worried about the vulpera, but Nitika had told her that she was recovered now but staying in Valdrakken until they could find a way to help dampen the effects of shadowflame on her to where she could at least tolerate it, otherwise Fyrakk’s very presence could threaten the shamaness’ life!

Edwood and Mola’raum were there for one very specific reason, they were undead. The Scourge had discovered early on in their use of Saronite that, for whatever reason, the dead were oddly resistant to the whispers of the Void. The shadowflame could still burn them, but the psychological effects on them were practically nil.

Of course, that’s also why she was there. It turned out that while Annulus could not reveal secrets… her intangible travelling companion was rather territorial. Sam had felt no ill effects of the whispers either. She could hear them, but that’s it. It was more annoying, like a song she couldn’t get out of her head. Other than that they were no different from any other sound to her. Annulus liked living in Sam’s mind and had set out a very clear ‘no vacancies’ notice it seemed.

“So, the shadowflame fountain is still there…” said Nelen, pointing on a map spread out on the table to where they had fought the Djaradin forces before Fyrakk’s attack, “… but for now it’ll have to remain there as we really have no way of dealing with it for the time being. Kalecgos said that he has informed Khadgar and the Kirin Tor are working on a solution with Velen and Alleria, but it could take them time. This has been there for eons after all, it may not be possible TO close it without some risk to the Isles as a whole.”

Zhan-min frowned, the pandaren stroking his beard. His transformation into an alemental had helped him restore his confidence, but even with his cheerful bravado restored he had to admit he knew when he was outgunned. “Mmm… ain’t happy ‘bout it… but complainin’ about th’ mountain ain’t gonna move it.” he sighed, “We’ll just have ta hope they can figure out somethin’.” he nodded.

Edwood frowned, “Aye, I’ve got a few contacts back home I could send word to fer advice… Martin Goodchilde ‘n th’ like… but I dunno, this is probably outta their depth by several fathoms.” he nodded. The forsaken had their own priesthood. While they couldn’t bear the touch of the Light, they learned to embrace the opposite, the Shadow. The Cult of the Forgotten Shadows had a troubled past to say the least, but they were one of the most learned groups on Azeroth in matters of the darkness of the Void save for Umbric and his ren’dorei.

Mola’raum shrugged, “Eh, ya be overtinkin’ it mon. De five of us ain’t gonna be doin’ nothin’ about dat spooky shit. Leave it ta de Kirin Tor ‘n dem. We focus on wut we can do. Find some Primalists dat be threatenin’ de niffen ‘n…” he grinned and drew a finger along his throat with a ‘k-k-kkktch’ sound.

Samantha smirked, “Damn right Mola. Focus on the problems we can sort out… so, Nelen, any idea of what we can actually do now?” she asked.

Nelen shrugged, rolling up the map and sliding it back into his magically enlarged pouch. “Well, for now we just keep an eye out for Primalists and help protect Loamm while the niffen rebuild.” he replied, “I suppose we could do a patrol…” he began, though he was feeling hungry…

A niffen stuck their head in the doorway and called to them. “Hey ya’ll! If ya wanna snack we just got a big wagon full of fresh slugs ‘n moths! Who’s up for stew?” he called.

Nelen’s mouth became a thin line as Samantha got a very interesting expression herself, Zhan-min coughing a bit as Ed sat up and grinned widely. “Ooooh! Can I get extra antennae in mine?!” he cackled, “Mola ye gotta try this stuff, I could taste it last time ‘n ye know we can’t taste bloody anything!” he nodded.

Mola’raum smirked, standing up, “Oho? Well damn, gotta be givin’ dis a look… Whatcha say?” he looked to Nelen and Samantha with a knowing smirk.

Nelen coughed, “Oh dear we really must be going out on patrol now, and I think Zhan-min wanted to report back in with Valdrakken didn’t you?” he asked the pandaren man rather pointedly.

Zhan-min looked around, blinking a bit, “I did? … uh… OH! OH YEAH! RIGHT! I did! I’m workin’ on… uh… somethin’… with th’ innkeeper there! Yeah! Supplyin’ ‘em! Gotta go meet with him! ‘bout supplies! For th’ inn!” he nodded, scrambling to his feet with surprising agility for a heavyset bear man.

Sam nodded vigorously in agreement, and the three members of Avalon beat as dignified a retreat as they could. Nelen and Samantha set out into the cavern as Zhan-min set out towards Valdrakken.

Later, in the caves…

Samantha frowned as her stomach growled. Sure she didn’t want to eat bugs, but she wished she’d thought to grab something before they’d left Loamm… the rogue riding along through the cavern atop her voidstrider next to Nelen on his manasaber.

As she did the mage smirked, then conjured with one hand and held it out to her, holding a fresh hot bun that looked as if it’d just come out of the oven. “I don’t need to transform to hear that Sam, go on.” he chuckled.

Samantha grinned, taking it eagerly and biting into it. It may be made of arcane energy, but it was as real as any other baked good. “I like the niffen just fine, but I swear if it wasn’t for you and Jaie we’d starve down here…” she sighed.

“Well, most of us. Jaie said Sekhi was quite the fan of their cooking.” he chuckled, looking around as they rode past a great undersea lake, the surface as still as glass and as dark as night, the area around them illuminated in a soft green glow from crystalline pillars all around.

Sam shrugged, “Yeah, makes sense really. She said that Sekhi told her ‘picky eaters starve in Vol’dun.’ I guess when you grew up in a desert anything that stops kicking long enough is ‘food.’”

Nelen smirked, “Hah… I suppose so. Personally I’m just grateful I don’t remember any meals that ended like that for m-OW!” he hissed, his hand slapping the back of his neck. “Bloody fel it feels like something just stung me! Did the niffen mention if they get gnats down here?” he asked.

Samantha shook her head, “No… but I don’t need to worry about it. Any bugs that try to bite me tend to grow fifteen extra eyes, scream, and explode.” she smirked. Being a ren’dorei had it’s perks…

Nelen rubbed at his neck, “Mnnn… remind me to ask them when we get back. Maybe Shalandrae can brew us up some sort of… repell… ant…” he started to say, then trailed off as his eyes rolled back in their sockets.

Sam pulled the reins of her mount as she looked at him with worry. “Nelen?” she asked.

Nelen wobbled, then slowly slid to the left and fell off his manasaber completely, landing on the ground in a heap! He was breathing, but totally unable to move!

Sam frowned, then jumped off her mount and darted behind him, examining his neck. It was small, to small for most to notice, but an experienced rogue like her recognized the mark it’d left. A dart, just big enough to deliver a dose of poison… “Shit…” she whispered, drawing her daggers as her head snapped around. “Annulus?”

“Someone is nearby Samantha, but they are extremely good at concealment. Even I could not sense them… and we both know I am not easy to hide from.” replied the void entity.

She stood ready, then her ear twitched as she heard a faint puff from the nearby rocks. In a swirl of shadow she vanished, the dart flying just through where her own throat would have been moments before, as a surprised figure jumped up from their hiding place, hands already going to their weapons!

As soon as their fingers touched the hilts however, they felt the edge of Samantha’s crystalline dagger against their throat. “If you even breathe wrong, you’re dead.” she warned.

“… well well, it seems Alalestria wasn’t exaggerating. Well done young… well, young master doesn’t really fit now does it?” replied their assailant.

Samantha’s eyes widened in recognition, the elf growling. “Sinranir… she sent you after it I see.” she spat, anger clear in her voice. The last thing she wanted to deal with after that mess with Fyrakk was her estranged sibling.

The sin’dorei man didn’t nod, merely replying, “Yes. She did. Be reasonable now, all she really wants is her necklace back. If you give it to me odds are you’ll never see her again.” he offered.

Samantha glared, “I don’t want her to have it back. I’ve half a mind to chuck it into the ocean for the sharks at this point! Now what did you do to Nelen?!” she snapped.

“Oh nothing fatal. Do you think me a common thug? It’s a simple paralytic. He’ll be fine in a few hours, assuming some beast down here doesn’t find him first. But yes, just the necklace and I’ll be on my way. You know, she doesn’t want anything to do with you either. I honestly think you frighten her.” he said as casually as if he was talking about the weather.

Samantha narrowed her eyes, “If the poison isn’t fatal then that means I have no reason to let you live Sinranir…” she hissed, preparing to draw her dagger across his artery!

Sinranir sighed, “And here I thought we could be civilized… oh well…” he sighed, then the fingers on his right hand squeezed together as he took a deep breath and held it tight. Suddenly, the ring on his finger exploded in a cloud of thick black smoke!

As soon as her vision was cut off Samantha felt his hand grab and twist her wrist as an elbow shot back and slammed hard into her chest, making her cry out in pain! Then his heel stomped down onto her foot and he dove away, erupting out of the cloud and flipping in midair to land on his feet, drawing a pair of long daggers in one fluid motion as he turned back to her.

Samantha snarled, then burst out of the cloud herself towards him, her daggers becoming gaping holes in reality as she channeled Annulus’ power into them! She knew she couldn’t hold back here. Sinranir was no random outlaw, he was a trained assassin! Had he wanted to he could have used his blowgun to kill Nelen, but he couldn’t be sure that Samantha wouldn’t have hidden the Sapphire of House Wintersky after Alalestria’s failed attempt to claim it. He needed leverage.

Sadly, the time for that had passed. Sinranir would have to beat the location out of her it would seem.

Sam’s daggers went for his heart, but Sinranir parried and spun around her, the void elf vanishing in a burst of shadow to reappear further away, preparing to charge him again. Sinranir smirked at her, and she hesitated. She knew some tricks sure, Hulfdan’s boys had taught her every bit of dirty fighting she knew… but at the end of the day she was a thief, not a murder. Not if she could avoid it. Stealing was a grand game, murdering those she stole from was too far.

Sinranir was a murder, despite his civil demeanor there was the blood of several Quel’thalas nobles on his hands and it was only pure chance that had spared her father from his handiwork. She had no doubt his daggers were coated with something far more lethal than what he’d hit Nelen with…

… and unfortunately for her that hesitation was all he needed… he shot forward in a burst of speed and slammed his knee into her middle, then smashed the hilt of his dagger into her earlobe, sending the world spinning around her!

Samantha fell to the ground with a cough, feeling as if she was about to throw up the mana bun Nelen had given her earlier as vertigo overwhelmed her!

“Now, we had a chance to do this politely. The Sapphire of House Wintersky, where is it?” he asked, his tone suggesting that there were infinitely less 'polite' ways he could do so.

Samantha gagged, but Hulfdan’s gang had been a school of hard knocks in it’s own right, and she was already shaking off the blow to her head. As she tried to regain her balance she noticed something moving behind him. Sinranir hadn’t though, the assassin's focus entirely on her.

“Its… its in my pouch… right here… I c-can’t move my arm after that, too… disoriented… you want it? Fine… take the damn thing…” she coughed.

The elven man nodded, sheathing ONE dagger, and walking towards her. He knelt down, holding his other dagger ready, and she smirked. “Hey… Sinranir… want to know something interesting I found out… after I became a ren’dorei?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Mmm? Whats that?” he asked, feeling around in her pouch, his dagger held just an inch from her middle.

“If a mark is from Gilneas… it usually takes three times as much poison to keep them down…” she grinned.

“Mm, is that so?” he asked, then he paused as the words sank in, his eyes going wide.

He felt a breath on his neck, and a very deep, very angry voice whispered in his ear, “Yes. It is…”

“Oh shit he’s a worgen.” he whispered. He’d been following them for days, but he hadn’t seen Nelen transform! The magus never transformed if he could help it because his claws would destroy any of his books he tried to handle!

Sinranir spun, but a massive clawed hand grabbed his arm and jerked it hard, the elf crying out in pain as another set of claws closed around his throat!

“I don’t know WHO you bloody are, or WHAT you bloody want… but that is my FRIEND you are pointing a dagger at!” roared Nelen, baring his fangs. Now he was transformed, and he was NOT happy about that!

The elf snarled and pulled his spare dagger free, slashing towards Nelen’s eyes, and in a burst of arcane light the magus vanished and the elf fell to the ground to see three more worgen staring him down. Three identical ones! Even in his transformed state he was no fool, he’d had a mirror image attack the assassin!

Sinranir readied his weapons again, then he cried out as he felt a pair of blades pierce him from behind! Samantha was on her feet again, and she wasn’t about to waste this opportunity! “Listen to me Sinranir! Alalestria can go rot for all I care! If I ever see her again I’ll see to it she’s reunited with daddy dearest in pieces!” she growled, ‘If you make it out of here alive, pass that along for me…” she smirked wickedly, then twisted her dagger and slashed hard outwards!

The elven man screamed as her blade tore free, ripping a huge gash in his side as he fell to the ground, blood oozing between his fingers as he tried to hold it shut! Nelen gasped at her, his eyes huge as the shock of her sudden viciousness caused him to lose concentration and his mirror images to dissipate.

“GO!” she shouted, kicking him hard. “Go back to Silvermoon City and tell Alalestria to forget I ever existed, assuming you don’t bleed out before you get there!”

Sinranir scowled, then squeezed his ring again as another eruption of smoke filled the area! Nelen snarled and waved his claw, a burst of arcane energy causing a shockwave to blow it away… but when the smoke cleared the assassin was gone, only a bloody stain on the ground showing he'd ever been there at all.

“Sam… what was that about? I’ve never seen you go after someone like THAT before…” he asked, the worgen’s fur shrinking away as his muzzle shriveled inwards, becoming a human face again as he resumed his other form. Sure she'd had to kill in self defense before, or in the defense of others... but that went beyond her taking down a primalist. There was emotion there, anger, outright hatred.

Samantha breathed in heavily through her teeth, she knew it was foolish to let him leave. The wound would normally be fatal, but with Sinranir she couldn’t be sure… “Nothing. It was nothing. Just someone trying to kill us. You know, average Tuesday.” she frowned, sheathing her daggers.

“… Sam, you know I’m not going to let that go.” he frowned, “You mentioned an ‘Alalestria…’ Is this someone we should be concerned about?”

Samantha laughed, “Nope! No idea who she is, doubt she knows or cares who you are either. Just some elf woman who’s ticked at me for some reason…” she waved her hand dismissively, but then she heard a ‘tch’ sound in her mind, frowning again. “Shut up Annulus…” she whispered.

“So… some 'random person you don’t know' sent a trained and well equipped assassin after you? Sam, I could have died from his dart! I need some bloody answers here!” he growled, folding his arms over his chest. If Sinranir returned there’d be good odds he wouldn’t hold back, and it might not just be him in danger next time.

Sam scowled, clutching at her hair as her tentacles writhed from Annulus' annoyance with her, then finally she shouted, “FINE! YOU WANT TO KNOW?! YOU WANT TO KNOW SO BADLY?! SHE’S MY SISTER! WANT ME TO SCREAM IT?! WANT ME TO WRITE IT ON THE WALLS OF THE CAVE?! SHE’S. MY. DAMNED. SISTER!” she yelled, her voice echoing across the cavern.

The Roasted Ram, Valdrakken, Six Hours later…

The Ram had a private meeting room for groups who needed it, and right now all of Avalon was inside. Nelen would pass it along to Savage United later if needed, but they were busy elsewhere on the isles right now.

Samantha was sitting at the end of the table, the others seated nearby. Jaie was closest, holding the void elf’s hand in her larger paw, her face full of concern for her friend. Shalandrae was leaning against a wall nearby with a raised eyebrow, she had heard from Jaie about the sin’dorei woman who’d attacked Sam and was interested in whether or not they had a new foe.

Dareley sat there with his elbows on the table, his chin resting against one hand, as was Zhan-min across from him. Nelen was at the far end of the table, and finally he nodded to Samantha. “Now… Sam, why is your sister trying to kill you?” he asked.

Samantha didn’t reply for a long moment, almost long enough that Nelen asked again, but finally, “… because she hates what I am.” she sighed, “I did steal something from her, but its more than that.” she frowned, then felt an urging in her mind. “I’m getting to it Annulus…” she grumbled miserably, then shook her head, “Mn, fine, ripping off the bandage… Montebank isn’t my real last name. Its Wintersky.”

The others looked confused, except for Nelen who sat up, his eyebrows going up. “Wintersky? As in the magister Danaforth Wintersky?” he asked in surprise. “I sat in at some of his guest lectures in old Dalaran! The man was a genius in using arcane energies for the manipulation of cold and ice! Why there’s entire textbooks on the school of Frost penned by the Wintersky family and…” he trailed off as he caught Samantha’s expression, “… I’m missing something aren’t I?” he coughed awkwardly.

Samantha nodded, “Oh yes… yes you are…” she growled, “Nelen, do you know what ‘The Curse of Azshara’s Folly’ is?” she asked.

Nelen paused, scratching at his beard. “… hm… its been some time since I heard the term, but if I remember correctly it’s a rare condition among the elves of Quel’thalas where they’re…” he paused again, his eyes going wide as he looked at Samantha as if it was the first time he’d seen her.

She nodded, “… where an elf is born without any ability to use magic at all, believed by some to be a curse placed on the Highborne and their descendants for helping Azshara almost bring the Legion to Azeroth during the War of the Ancients.” she finished, having heard the term a LOT growing up.

Shalandrae looked away, trying to hide her expression at finding out about such a thing. A lack of magical talent wasn’t something the kal’dorei worried about overmuch but knowing that their former Queen had such a thing named after her did amuse her in a dark way.

Jaie gave Sam’s hand a squeeze, “So… you were like that?” she asked.

Samantha nodded, “Mmhm… yep. What a joke, right? The child of a great and powerful Magister, born with as much magical talent as your average rock.” she replied, giving a hollow laugh. “Didn’t stop daddy dearest from trying to fix me…” she grumbled.

Nelen frowned, “Fix? Wait… what do you mean? There’s no way to just give someone magical abilities, none that won't end horribly anyways. You’re either born with them or you’re not…” he said.

Samantha looked up at him, “… for a mage you sure can be naïve sometimes Nelen. C’mon, you have to know about theories like ‘Arcanite Infusion’ and the like.”

Nelen snorted dismissively, “Oh THAT? Yeah, that sort of crackpot idea that’ll get anyone laughed out of Dalaran... or run out by an angry mob if they actually tried to demonstrate it. Injecting a person with powderized arcane crystals? Utterly absurd and horribly dangerous! That’s just as likely to wind up with one of those monsters that escaped Abberus. No self-respecting mage would ever be insane enough to try it!” he said.

Sam smirked, then held out one arm and pressed her skin flat to show several needle marks. Several very old ones. “They will if a Magister pays them enough… though I dunno if they actually used arcane crystals or not. Either way it burned like all fel.”

Dareley swore under his breath as Zhan-min winced in sympathy, Shalandrae’s head turning back to look at her again with a raised eyebrow.

Nelen however, looked horrifed. “Wait… Danaforth Wintersky paid someone to do that to his own child? But… but the man was a hero! He protected Quel’thalas fo-…” he started.

Sam slammed her hands on the table and stood up, glaring at him. “OH OF COURSE YOU’D THINK THAT!” she snapped at him, “He was a great and powerful Magister! A Dalaran boy like you would just see that and nothing else! You didn’t see how he treated me in private, how when those injections failed he got more and more desperate in his attempts over the years to…” she made finger quotes, “… ‘FIX’ me… until finally, thank whatever gods you lot care to name he just gave up, named Alalestria his heir, and did his best to forget I even existed unless he needed someone for a formal function and she was busy being important somewhere else!”

Nelen stared at her, his expression one of shock, “… he did worse than Arcanite Infusion?” he whispered in horror.

Samantha nodded, “A lot worse.” she growled.

Nelen thought, then held up a finger, “… leyblood draughts?” he tried.

Samantha nodded, “Tasted like copper and bile, I could never keep them down, or anything else once I'd had one forced down my throat. Couldn't eat for two days after each dose, felt like molten lead in my stomach.”

The magus cringed at that thought, thinking harder on some of the more insane methods he’d heard from mages who seemed more than a little unhinged even by the standards of those who dealt with the metaphysical. “Insertion of mana crystals in the subdermal…” he began.

Sam held up the side of her top and pointed to an old but very clear scar, “Had to dig them back out myself after he got fed up and sent them away. Good thing I knew how to do some first aid from watching the Farstriders train.”

Nelen’s face blanched, the mage turning slightly green. “… by th’ bloody light that’s sick…” whispered Dareley.

Nelen thought harder. Danaforth Wintersky had been an idol of his back in Dalaran, but this… this was something he'd heard horror stories about growing up there! He looked at her, then hesitated, “… Manastorm’s Marvelous Mechanical Mage-Maker…” he asked, hoping like hells he’d finally hit the line Danaforth wouldn’t cross.

Samantha just turned, lifted her shirt, and he saw several burn marks along her back. Annulus had changed her body from male to female during their time in the Shadowlands, but that was all she’d changed. The marks still remained. Samantha didn’t complain, she wanted to remember what she was free from so she'd always know how much better her life was now. “Milhouse had a ‘fun’ sense of humor…” she snorted.

Nelen looked away, covering his mouth with his hand. He looked like he was about to be ill. Milhouse Manastorm was an infamous name among the magic using community, and even his 'better intended' inventions tended to do more harm than Grimo on his worst day. “Sam… I… I’m sorry, I never imagined…” he managed.

Sam shrugged it off, then sat back down. “So yeah, you see why I never brought it up before?” she asked. “I didn’t even know Alalestria was alive until she turned up on the Dragon Isles and attacked me!”

Nelen swallowed, sitting back down, then he shook himself, “… yes, I can certainly see that now… but… we need to know if she’s likely to try again. We already have to watch out for Dissonantia, do we need to be prepared for two adversaries?” he asked.

Samantha shrugged, “As long as I have the Sapphire probably. That’s what she wants and I’ll be damned if she gets it. She was every bit as horrible as my father was to me, and I’m ready to do what Nitika did with Titanstrike and chuck the thing into the Void for whatever tentacled monstrosity finds it.”

Nelen paused, looking up, “Right, you said you robbed her… What is the Sapphire? What did you take?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, just some old bauble that our father gave her… I don’t know why she wants it so badly…” she frowned, digging into her pouch. “Here, I’ll show you if you want to know so damn much.” she grumbled… then paused, then dug further, then further, feeling around with her fingers. Spare throwing daggers, poison ingredients, her skinning kit, her leatherworking tools, a skin of Thunderbrew ale… but no pendant…

“What the… wait…” she looked up, remembering when Sinranir made his escape in the smoke. She thought she’d felt him run past her… but… “That cunning little shit…” she whispered.

Elsewhere on the Dragon Isles…

It had taken Sinranir longer than he’d hoped to get back to the surface, but a gut wound like that would do it. He limped to the cavern’s entrance, his side crudely bandaged, then sat down with a gasp. His face was pale, his long black hair plastered to his skin with sweat, and his eyes had bags under them. “… didn’t know the little cutpurse had it in her…” he chuckled, making a gesture with one hand. A simple spell to summon his hawk.

He fished the pendant out of his bag, securing it in a small leather pouch, and as the bird landed he tied a tag to it and wrote ‘Deliver to Lady Alalestria Wintersky, Silvermoon City. Payment on delivery.’ upon it.

He tied the small pouch to the hawk’s leg, then gestured again. “Heed me. Fly to Valdrakken, take this to the courier office, and see that it reaches it’s destination.” he nodded.

The hawk’s eyes flashed with arcane light, then it spread its wings and flew into the sky as the elf slumped against the wall. “Heh… heheh… I am your blade Lady Alalestria… but it appears that you were right to be worried about your sibling.” he sighed, leaning against the wall as he gazed at the setting sun. “Far from Quel’thalas, likely won’t be found for years and years… but… that’s how it goes for people in my line of work. At least… I get a nice view…” he coughed, feeling over his bandages, his hand coming back crimson. They were soaked through. Samantha’s desperate slash had done some serious damage.

“Ah well… such is the fate of an assassin… we kill and we kill, until someone kills us back…” he whispered hoarsely. He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin, and waited for the inevitable…

Some hours later, after he’d grown cold, he departed Azeroth in the company of a tall blue-skinned man with massive wings and glowing eyes.

#Adventures in Azeroth #warcraft fanfiction #warcraft roleplay #dragonflight #world of warcraft

2 notes · View notes

adventuretolkienlover · 1 year

Text

BLOOD BROTHERS (An Alchemy Bros Fic)

It's here! Woo hoo! Sorry about the delay. I hope it was worth the wait!

Summary: Hugo cuts his hand in combat with some criminals. While heading home to fix the wound, Varian suddenly recalls a story the Quirin told him about his days in the Brotherhood. And gets an idea to make their bond as brothers even stronger. (Please don't tag as Varigo! They have a platonic relationship in this AU. Thank you so much!)

Trigger Warnings: Blood (That one's kinda obvious.😂), Injury, Violence (As in Fight Scene violence)

(ATTENTION: The whole blood brothers thing has been medically shown to be a BAD IDEA! However, they didn't know this back then. Also cartoon characters can't get blood disease unless you want them to. So kids, don't try this at home!)

Foot fall echoed through the dark woods as a group of rough looking thieves chased their victim in the night. The full moon and a lantern carried by one of the thieves were the only source of light. "Come on! He went this way!" one of them shouted! A small male figure dodged the trees, trying to evade his pursuers. He looked behind himself and saw the thieves gaining on him. He hid behind a tree and pushed a branch back. Then let go to whack one of the thieves in the face! He darted away before the man could grab him and scrambled into a wall of bushes! The rest approached! "He went in there!" said the one carrying a lantern. They shoved through the bushes and into a clearing. They stood there panting, trying to catch their breath. The man they were chasing had seemingly disappeared. "Where'd that little guy go?" one of them yelled. Suddenly the clearing filled with an eerie purple fog!

"What the devil?!" shouted one of the men! Suddenly, clearing exploded with light and smoke! The men fell backwards in surprise! The lantern smashed on the ground and the only thing visible was a looming figure that rose from the smoke! He was silhouetted in the moonlight. A terrifying mask with glowing eyes covered his face! "LEAVE OR DIE SCOUNDRELS!" he shouted!

The thieves screamed and they scrambled to their feet. Quickly they turned tail! The mysterious man threw two purple orbs in their direction! Two of them were immediately caught in a gooey purple substance. "Quick! Let's get out of here!" said another thief! The remaining thieves quickly ran away.

"Wow!" said the mysterious man. "That actually WAAA-" The man tripped. He stood up and lifted the mask off his face. It was Varian! "Hey, it's just you!" shouted one of the trapped thieves angrily! "When I get out of here-"

"Yeah, but your not." said Varian cockily. "Only I have the compound to dissolve that goo. And I'm not going to be doing that!" Suddenly the nearby sound of clashing blades and a struggle caught his attention. "Hugo!" exclaimed Varian is fright! "He's in trouble!"

One of the thieves chuckled. "Sounds like the boss is giving him a hard time!" he laughed. "Oh no!" thought Varian. "I have to help him!" Varian charged in the direction of the fight.

"You gonna get killed kid! Not that I care." The two thieves laughed at the cruel joke. Suddenly the sound of an owl hooting filled the air. The two screamed and hugged each other in fright.

"How long do you think he's gonna leave us here?!"

-----------------------

Hugo meanwhile was locked in combat with the thieves' leader! "I got you now Blondie!" the man yelled as he locked blades with Hugo again! "Not a chance!" yelled back Hugo as he dodged another attack! Suddenly the thief struck Hugo's sword and sent it flying. It lodged itself into a tree branch above them. "Now I got you." he taunted. Hugo grinned at him smugly and quickly scaled up the tree and grabbed his blade. The thief waited patiently under the tree for him.

"Come on out Hugo! I don't got all day!"

"SURPRISE!" yelled Hugo! As he swung down from the branches and sent a flying kick to his attacker's stomach! "ARRRRG!" yelled the thief as he went flying back into the bushes! And right into Varian! Hugo's eyes widened shock! "Uh oh! I made it worse!" he thought!

"Sorry Varian!" he shouted!

Varian groaned and stood up dazed. He gasped as he was met with knife blade pointed at his chest! "Well well well." chuckled the man. "If it isn't your little buddy."

"Hey!"

The thief turned a around. Hugo punched the man away from Varian! The thief stumbled back in shock!

"Stay away from my little brother!"

"Oh, you two are gonna get it now!" The thief made a swipe at Varian with the knife! Varian froze! Hugo pushed Varian out of the way! Varian fell to the ground with a thud! Suddenly Hugo let out a yelp of pain!

"Hugo!"

Varian sat quickly up expecting to see the worse! Luckily Hugo was okay, but he was lying on the ground and had a bad cut on his hand from where the knife blade caught him! The man was standing over him!

"So brave of you to protect your friend. Too bad it will be your LAST time." said the man as he raised the blade.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Varian! He charged at the larger man and pushed him away from Hugo! The man tripped backwards, his back slamming into a tree trunk! Varian stumbled back in surprise of his suddenly burst of strength! In a moment of quick thinking, he threw one of his goo bombs at him, effectively gluing the man to the tree! The thief growled. "Get me out of this infernal-"

"Save your breath jerk." said Hugo as he stood up. "You'll be going to a nice safe jail cell when we come back with the guards. And probably the rest of your friends as well." The thief snarled, but he knew when he was beat. "Nice job little bro." said Hugo and he ruffled Varians hair. Varian laughed and pushed his hand away. "Thanks." he replied. "How your hand?" he said worriedly while looking at the bleeding injury on Hugo's palm.

Hugo looked at it and winced. He noticed Varian looking him with his wide anxious eyes. Hugo tried to put on a calm demeanor. "Eh, it fine. I've had worse, right?" Hugo wrapped his scarf around the cut and patted Varian on the back with his good hand. "Let's go home, huh?"

Varian smiled, but he was still worried. "Yeah, Dad will want to hear about this."

"Hey! What about me?!" the thief complained.

"You will be staying there until we can get the royal guard to come get you and your pals. Don't worry, we shan't be long." mocked Hugo. "Asta la Vista!" he said. And with a graceful turn around, a flourishing wave of his hand, and a smug grin on his face, him and Varian began walking away into the woods! Hugo and Varian could hear the disgruntled thief yelling all sorts of curses after them as they walked off. The two boys snickered at their cleverness.

---------------------

As Varian and Hugo walked in the path that led home, they could see the lights of the farm shining in the distance. By now, they had quieted down a bit and we're enjoying the walk home. Varian was still worried about Hugo's hand. He didn't want it to get infected. "Are you sure your hand is okay?" he questioned. "I'm fine Var. Really!" said Hugo with a smile. Varian wasn't completely convinced, but Hugo seemed fine. So he let himself relax a bit.

"Thanks for saving me from that guy bro." said Varian. "I should thank you!" replied Hugo. "He would've taken me out if you hadn't body checked him like that! How you had enough weight to throw that guy, I'll never know!"

Varian laughed. "I don't know what came over me."

"I'm just happy it did." said Hugo as he put his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. Varian looked up at Hugo and smiled. He was best friend he could've asked for. Varian looked up at the full moon. His mind began to wander to the tales his father told him about his days in the brotherhood. Quirin and Hector had been ambushed by the enemy just like Varian and Hugo had. It was back in the days that the two knights had just begun their training. They were young men just like Varian and Hugo...

-----------------

Quirin and Hector had become good friends and weren't about to let anything bad happen to each other. They fought furiously and managed to make most their attackers retreat. But a sudden strike of a blade and one of the enemy had managed to get Quirin's weapon away from him and knocked him to the ground. But before he could do any harm to the knight, Hector got in front of him and took to blow instead. He sustained bad wounds, but with the enemy distracted, Quirin was able to get to his feet and stop him.

Later, back at the Brotherhood's base, Quirin found Hector and thanked him for his help. Upon noticing they both had a sizable cut on their hands, they made an important decision. They decide to make their bond as brothers official. They would be come blood brothers. They swore to protect and care for one another. And when one fell, the other would come running. They would share in all of life tears, blood, pain, and joy as long as they could. They shook hands, the blood on them mixing, making their bond official. From that point on, they were connected for life. A bond unbreakable and unchanging...

----------------

Varian shook himself from his thoughts and looked over to his brother. Hugo. The friend that had been by his side though all his most dangerous adventures. The friend that he shared his tears with and connected with in sorrow. The one to take to hits when he didn't have the strength. He'd always been there. His brother and the greatest friend he'd could ever have. At that moment, Varian made a decision of his own. Varian took his dagger from his belt and took a deep breath. Hugo suddenly noticed what Varian was doing.

"Var? What are you-"

Varian shut his eyes and with a quick motion, made a small swift cut across his palm. Hugo nearly had a heartattack!

"VARIAN!"

He ran to Varian's side. "Why did you-"

"Hugo, wait." said Varian, as his reached out with his other hand to grab Hugo's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. Varian looked down at his palm and winced at the sight of the blood, but then reached out his hand to Hugo.

"Hugo? I promise to always be there for you, no matter what happens. Do you promise to always be there for me?"

"Huh? Well, yes."

"And I promise that when things seem completely and absolutely hopeless, I'll help you get through it all. Do you too?

"Yes."

"And do you promise that no matter what happens, that you'll always be my brother?"

"Of course."

"Do you swear it?"

"I swear it."

"Good! Me too! Ready?"

Hugo smiled and unwound the the scarf from his hand.

"Ready"

Varian and Hugo shook hands, their respective wounds touching, and their blood mixed. It hurt, when their wounds touched, but at the same time, it felt comforting. And empowering at the same time. Like through their pain, they had somehow become a more powerful force then ever before.

They let go and stared at each other. Varian laughed a little. Hugo soon joined him in his laughter. "Wow. That got dramatic. Didn't it Hugo?" said Varian.

"Yeah. But it felt good too. You know?" said Hugo.

Varian paused for a second. Then suddenly leaped forward and hugged Hugo. Hugo was a little shocked by the sudden affection, but enthusiastically returned the hug. Varian was practically lifted off the ground by Hugo's hug!

"I love you Hugo." said Varian.

"I love you too little brother. Always and forever."

After Hugo finally Varian down, the two boys continued their way home. The comforting light of home and family shining only a distance away. Both Varian and Hugo knew that they would never feel alone again. They were true brothers now. And no one on earth could take that away.

------------------

The End

Notes: I hope y'all enjoyed that! It was so much fun to try writing a more emotional scenes. I hope I did good. I was worried it came out a bit cheesey. But I tried! I'm better at comedic scenes I guess. This fic is actually based on something from a movie I watched not that long ago. DreamWorks Puss in Boots is one of my favorite movies. The part were Humpty Dumpty and Puss do the blood brothers ceremony in Puss's childhood flashback inspired this fic. It's such a good movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. So that's all for now! Have a great night/day all! And God Bless!

6 notes · View notes

izabellwit · 2 years

Note

🤡😈🎢✨🎶🍦💖🎯👀✅💔

im sorry im sending so many of these feel free to ignore some if you already got em <3

these answers got kinda long so dhjfgj under the readmore it goes!!

🤡What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

Hunter manages to shove all the junk into one corner and make the start of a fairly presentable bed in the other corner by the time the human re-arrives in the Boiling Isles and throws open his door hard enough to smack it against the wall.

“You took my advice!” shouts the human, at the top of her lungs.

“Hiiiiii,” says Hunter, hands over his ears. The human takes a deep breath. Hunter closes the door in her face. “Byeeee.”

(From this fic!!)

There's a lot of lines I've written over the years that make me laugh, but Hunter and Luz as a funny sibling duo…. Every time I reread this fic I giggle at this scene.

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

OH ABSOLUTELY there's a few lil ones… I think the one I do most often is namedrop other fandoms/charcters? This happens a lot in my KH fics. Like I'll have a TWEWY reference or character show up for like one second and then never again. Just for funsies and also flavor and also bc I love twewy.

Sometimes I will also set up scenes specifically to make readers think the worse happened/some guy died or whatever and then it gets revealed its something funny instead. I do that a lot too djhsfgkj

🎢Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

LABYRINTHS OF THE HEART. I love all I've written but nothing will ever come close to Labyrinths. It was freshmen year of college and stuff was happening irl and that fic just. Went places. I had so much fun with it.

✨Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

AAAA. UM. Oh god. Uhhhh I think I do pretty well with characterization / character voice? Also a lot of my fics I write for me and im always very happy with them… they are exactly what I wanted to read. Does that count??

🎶Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

YEAH. For certain fics I'll make a whole playlist, even! As for a song on loop.... this one! Inkpot Gods by the Amazing Devil never leaves my brain haha

🍦What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

Ohhh gosh. Okay so its either Klee meeting the knights of Favonius or Hyakkimaru and Dororo comedy fic hjdfgkjgh

💖What made you start writing?

Oooo I gotta think about this one... hmmm, I think, I've always been a daydreamer and as a kid I used to be annoyed I couldn't "reread" my daydreams like I could my favorite books?? so I decided I just had to write them down eventually I think jhdfkgj

Of course in my mind before i could write down my ideas I had to actually get GOOD at writing (kid brain. My logic is silly, write whatever and whenever u want, u do not need "skill" to get started but ANYWAY) that's also how I started writing fic, for writing practice!! And now years later I'm still at it haha

🎯Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

Oooooh, a lot of readers in Labyrinths guessed the final plot point, which is that Varian will become the moondrop… most of my fics don't tend to have major twists though, I think…? There's one other fic I've written that has a HUGEE twist, but it hasn't been revealed yet and no one's guessed it yet, so ;)

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

i have a player and xehanort on the island fic in the works (exploring his possible childhood, character study and legacies kinda thing), and its still veeeeeery rough draft (like. basically still just notes) but I do have this exchange!!!

-do you think they’ll like me?

-who?

-the friends from my dreams. I’m not— do you think they’ll like me anyway?

-of course.

-but how do you know? What if they don’t? What if— what if I go out there and no one—

-he stops. He doesn’t know where he was going with that.

-silence. And then his teacher leans forward, and holds him close. I love you, they say. I love you very much.

-that isn’t what I asked.

-but it's my answer. They press a hand to his head. You’ll understand, one day.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

The above exhange: "i love you / that isn't what I asked / but it is my answer" has actually shown up in a few fics! It's a common theme I guess u could say... its a conversation that means something to me and I think it is changed slightly by the context of every story, so I keep bringing it in jhdfgkj

Other things that crop up a lot....Found family for sure! Uhhh the phrase "rolling the thought like candy on [their] tongue" shows up a lot without my meaning it too djhfgjkh

Oh!!! Honey!! Honey shows up a lot. I think honey is fantastic. Did u know it lasts forever? Also it has great medical properties--Anyway I think you get the idea haha

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27801085/chapters/68061658 hehe

Anyway. The woods whispering fic may be completed but I think about the fucked up found family relationships in that fic 24/7. The moment i posted the last chapter i had to stare at a wall for a bit haha

#ask game #THIS WAS SOOOO FUN THANK YOUUUUU #oh i havent done these in forever this was so fun dsfgh

3 notes · View notes

whumpinaheartbeat · 1 year

Text

Broken (Febuwhump 2023 Day 8)

This fic contains panic attacks and imprisonment of a minor, please read with discretion.

When it had first happened, Varian hadn’t have a word for it.

He had been five years old when he dropped an experiment on the floor. The glass shattered everywhere. His Dad had yelled, louder than ever before, surging towards him in a fury that made Varian’s body scream that he was in danger.

Varian had clawed at his own chest, unable to breathe, the world spinning around him. The glass had not hit him and yet it felt like he was dying and even as a five year old he knew he was overreacting but he simply could not stop it. The glass was broken and his Dad was angry and he could not breathe.

He wanted to fight, needed to fight, to run, to do anything but just stand there but he just. Could. Not. Breathe.

Quirin crouched down, pulling Varian into his arms but that only made everything worse and when Varian started sobbing he could not stop that either, pounding his fists into his Dad’s chest. It had taken a long time before the tears stopped and even then it was out of pure exhaustion. Varian had sagged into Quirin’s arms, head still spinning and heart still racing.

“Breathe, Varian,” Quirin had cooed, running fingers through his hair. “You are okay. You are safe.”

His Dad had not been angry that Varian had broken the glass, he had been scared that Varian would be hurt from the shards. Quirin had apologised for yelling and Varian had apologised for hitting him. They shared a single hot chocolate that night and his Dad had even let him have the froth.

Everything was okay again.

But then the next week it had happened again. Not the broken glass; the tightness in his chest. The need to fight. The need to run away. The feeling that everything was wrong. Nothing had happened to cause such a reaction but by the time that Quirin had taken Varian into his arms, Varian was inconsolable, digging his nails into Quirin’s skin, screaming at Quirin that he hated him.

“I love you Son.” Quirin had replied, holding him ever more tightly.

No matter what Varian did, no matter how good of a day he had had or how busy or un-busy he was with chores, it kept happening.

They had only buried Varian’s mother that past Winter but each day Varian heard his Dad talk to her, plead with her to tell him how to fix Varian. Quirin never said those words in front of Varian himself of course but he had heard them all the same. His Dad wanted to fix him because he was broken.

Broken things get thrown in the bin, like that shattered glass.

The next time his heart beat quickly and his hands got all shaky, he took off into the woods so that his Dad would not see him and deem him as broken. He clutched at his chest, forcing himself to breathe, forcing himself to run faster. His Dad could not see him like this.

Nobody could see him like this.

For a time Varian had felt a little better, the wind in his hair soothing him and the animals in the trees giving him something to look at. But then he heard voices, shouts of his name, and that clawing feeling was back. He scrambled up the closest tree, desperate to get away from whoever was chasing him, but the branch snapped and suddenly Varian was on the ground and he was screaming and everything hurt and his Dad was there and he was being carried and then darkness.

Another thing about these moments was that afterwards everything felt fuzzy, even the memories. Varian knew that his Dad had not watched him fall from the tree and yet it had felt like Quirin had been right there, just a second too late to catch him. Perhaps Qurin hadn’t wanted to catch him, he was broken after all and you do not catch broken things. Time had moved so quickly and yet so slowly and by the time Varian knew that he had fallen he was already back at home, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and his arm tied up in a sling.

“Varian,” Quirin had said. “Why would you run away like that? Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” Varian said.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No.”

Something had flashed in his Dad’s eyes then. Disappointment maybe. Annoyance. Varian wasn’t really sure. All he knew was that his Dad could not know when he felt his lungs hurt and his head spin and his hands shake. Varian was broken but if his Dad did not know that then maybe his Dad would keep loving him.

Varian grew but these momentary flashes of pure panic grew with him and they never seemed so momentary. Panic, his Dad had said one day, is what happens when you feel really really scared. But Varian could never be scared of his Dad. Qurin might be tall and big but he wasn’t scary. Yet sometimes Quiran moved too quickly or spoke too loudly and Varian’s entire body would scream that he was in danger and he would ‘panic’ like a rabbit caught in a trap would.

It didn’t make any sense.

Varian must truely be broken after all if his own Dad made him feel like that.

It wasn’t just Quirin that would set off these ‘panic attacks’ as Varian had started calling them. Lightning most often caused it and whenever the sky flashed bright he would in a single instant start shaking, cowering into himself as if that would help anything. He had taken to hiding when storms came, inventing blinds that could be lowered at a single moments notice just in case there was lightning so that he could prevent a panic attack from even starting.

It worked, for the most part, which was good because only broken people have panic attacks and if Quirin knew that Varian was broken he would send him away. Other things were not as predictable as storms though and Varian would have to scramble to get to safety whenever a bully cornered him or glass shattered too close to him.

He tried to manage possible triggers for panic attacks before they even happened and sometimes it would even work. If he wrote a list of what his Dad needed from the market then he wouldn’t have to come back with the wrong things and his Dad wouldn’t give him that look that always made his chest seize, that look that Varian had failed him.

Varian would still come home with too many things of course but too many things were often better than not enough, at least until his father yelled at him for having spent too much money one day.

After that, Varian was careful to stick strictly to the shopping list but even making the list seemed to make the panic claw at him.

After a while Varian had somehow been able to predict more panic attacks before they even happened and he could avoid them altogether. Bullies could not corner him if he never left the house. Quirin could not be angry with him about experiments that he did not know about. It was as if he had learned the rules of the world at last, rules that he had had to learn by himself to prove that he was not broken, and everything finally made sense. These panic attacks were just his bodies way of telling him that he was a stupid idiot that kept making stupid mistakes.

Varian was almost proud of himself, having worked out the panic attacks at last, but since his Dad did not mention the decreased occurrence and severity of these attacks, Varian did not mention it either. Only broken people have panic attacks and Quirin did not need to be reminded that Varian was broken, even if he was working so hard to fix himself.

As Varian grew older, it felt like the distance between him and his Dad grew too. Quirin had stopped asking his dead wife for advice on how to fix him, having given up on Varian completely. They didn’t hug anymore either, they barely even saw each other outside of meals and even then Varian learned to not talk about his experiments less his Dad get angry with him but he had nothing else to talk about so the meals would pass in silence.

Varian could not quite remember the last time Qurin had told him that he loved him but it was almost easier that way anyway. If Quirin had stopped pretending to love him then there were less chances for Varian to disappoint him and Qurin would not have to throw him to the streets because he kept having panic attacks.

By the time Varian had met Rapunzel, the attacks had almost completely disappeared. Better yet, getting to know the Princess had been such a whirl wind of an adventure that months had passed without a single panic attack so perhaps he had been finally cured of his weakness completely. But he wasn’t cured. No, he wasn’t cured because the moment the amber began encasing his father he could feel his chest tighten all over again and it was like he was five years old again, beating his hands against Quirin.

Even as he planned his revenge, his hands did not stop shaking. Every single day, no every single moment, Varian was overwhelmed by sheer panic but he shoved it down, focusing on the task at hand. He was doing this for his Dad and his Dad would not want to break free from the amber only to remember that his son was broken.

None of the techniques he had learned seemed to help ease the pain either so he just suffered through it, exhaustion dragging at him as he jumped at every little sound.

The panic was the worst its ever been but there was no one to blame but himself. No. That wasn’t right. He could blame Rapunzel. Rapunzel had promised to always be there for him but she had abandoned him, discarded him when he needed her the most.

She had to pay.

Time moved quickly and Varian had barely even registered what was happening until suddenly he was thrown into a cell, his whole body sore and his panic rearing its ugly head. Cold seeped into his bones as he tried to calm his breathing, his hands ached from clenching them so tightly.

The panic then had been constant, even worse than back at the lab with his Dad hanging suspended in amber. He could not hide here, he could not run he could only curl up into a ball knowing full well that guards were watching him, knowing full well that other prisoners were jeering at him.

Varian had been so constantly dizzy that he barely remembered to sleep, only closing his eyes when the exhaustion took him over.

The moments bled into hours bled into days and still Varian’s body screamed at him. He just wanted it to end, he wanted it all to stop.

“Hey Kid,” A voice said.

Varian jerked up, his heart pounding.

A man was standing in the cell across from Varian, long brown hair tied back in a bun. The man was not sneering at him like the guards did nor was he laughing like the other prisoners. He was just standing there, leaning against the wall as easily as if he was not in prison.

“Do you think you can describe the cell for me?”

Varian didn’t respond. There was no reason to, nobody ever cared about what he had to say anyway so why say something now. But curiosity tugged at him and this was the first time in god knows how long that someone had talked to him without yelling orders.

“Why?” Varian croaked.

His voice was so wrong and Varian tried to remember if he had been screaming this whole time. He didn’t know, all he knew was his body was hurting and he couldn’t breathe and his Dad was dead because of him.

“Just do it.” The man said.

The stranger’s voice was not angry. It was calm, soothing, so casual as if he were only asking Varian the time.

“Cold.” Varian snapped.

“What else?”

Varian twisted away from the man but the thought that someone was behind him, even in a different cell, sent a new wave of panic through him. Varian turned back to the man but tried not to look at him, uncomfortable in the mans gaze.

“There’s stone floors.” Varian said. “And bars.”

Surprise surprise, the cell looked like a cell.

“How many bars?” The man asked.

Perhaps the man was blind. Left to languish in a cell that he could not see. Except from a distance his eyes looked brown and while Varian knew that not all blindness came with milky eyes he was fairly certain that this man was looking right at him.

Varian counted the bars. After the bars the man asked him to count the stone blocks used to make up the floor. Then the stone in the walls. Then the amount of drops of water that leaked from the castle above into the cell.

By the time Varian realised that his chest didn’t hurt anymore, he found that he liked this man. His voice was so gentle, his movements slow enough that Varian could tell what he was going to do before he did it. The man was nothing like the yelling guards nor was he like the other prisoners that threw themselves against the bars, screaming that they were innocent or screaming that they were going to kill everyone.

“What’s you name, Kid?”

He shouldn’t say anything. This was a stranger, a criminal no less. But Varian was now a criminal too, he supposed. Varian had committed treason, surely this man was much less dangerous than Varian himself.

“Varian.”

“Varian.” The man whistled. “Strong name. You know, It means protecter, at least in Sapporian.”

“Sapporian?” Varian asked.

“My people. Corona claims sovereignty over Sapporia but it still exists. In our culture, in our strength. In our names.”

“I’m not Sapporian.” Varian mumbled, picking the thread on his sleeve.

“Where are you from then?”

“Old Corona.” Varian said. “My Dad, he’s the-“

Varian stopped himself, familiar panic shooting through him. His Dad was dead, encased in amber, because of him.

“The name’s Andrew.” The man said, interrupting Varian’s swirling thoughts.

“What does it mean?” Varian asked. “Your name.”

“Manly.”

Varian choked back a laugh.

The stranger was certainly a manly man, with a surprisingly well trimmed beard given his incarceration and big arms that were folded so casually but Varian knew that they strong. His hair was long but tied back in a bun and Varian wondered just how long it was when it was let down. Not as long as Rapunzel’s of course, but definitely longer than Cass’. Andrew was every image of ‘manly’ and yet the meaning still amused Varian, imagining a little toddler running around covered in food being considered worthy of the name ‘manly’.

“I know, I know,” Andrew laughed easily. “My mother wanted to name me for Warrior instead but my father insisted on Manly.”

Andrew kept talking, describing the place he grew up in and just how beautiful Sapporian Land was and occasionally asking Varian questions too. Varian didn’t answer all of them but Andrew did not mind and for the first time in forever Varian felt that maybe things weren’t so bad. His chest was not aching and his voice was getting stronger and he even managed to crack a few jokes without feeling like he had overstepped and was going to be reprimanded.

It felt nice, it felt safe.

Varian would still panic when the guards came too close or when a prisoner got especially rowdy but Andrew would just speak with him and everything would feel better. While Varian had never heard of Sapporia before, he had become outraged at the fact that Corona claimed to own Sapporian Land. It was a different Kingdom, no matter what the Royal Family claimed that Sapporia and Corona had joined as in in a marriage of love, and Andrew had had every right to try to reclaim it.

The Royal Family of Corona was messed up, Varian knew that intimately, so Andrew must be telling the truth. Andrew was just trying to help his people.

Something nagged at Varian though, listening to Andrew’s plight. He was in prison, same as Varian, and while Varian had told Andrew some of what he had done against Rapunzel he had not mentioned all of it so maybe Andrew was holding back details too.

But Andrew was kind. He was patient, he was understanding. He did not see Varian as broken like Quirin did, even when Varian had his panic attacks. Even when Varian had clawed at his own chest, screaming and sobbing that he was broken, Andrew had never once raised his voice.

“It’s okay, my friend,” Andrew said. “You are not broken. You have been hurt, more than anybody deserves, but you are not broken.”

Friend. Andrew was his friend. Qurin was dead and Rapunzel had betrayed him and Andrew was his friend. The aching in his chest eased, his breathing stuttering until that too eased. Friend. Andrew was his friend and Andrew did not think that he was broken. For the first time in his entire life somebody saw him for who he was outside of the panic, outside of the mistakes.

A true friend.

The days became easier. It was still cold and the guards still scared him and the food did not seem able to settle within him but the days had become easier. Varian tried his best to regain his strength, his mind returning as he forced himself to eat and sleep more consistently but the more aware Varian became of that nagging feeling. He didn’t want to question things, not when they seemed to finally be looking up, but something was wrong and Varian couldn’t pinpoint what.

He waited until Andrew was asleep. The man had never seemed to struggle to sleep in the cell and if Varian was being honest it made him a little jealous. After making sure that Andrew was full asleep, Varian then timed the guards movements, waiting until they went to go sweep the perimeter before he sat in the centre of his cell, hands resting on his knees. He probably did not need to be so careful, he had simply wanted to reflect on some of his memories, but the thought of the guards sneaking up on him while he was vulnerable terrified him to the core.

At last alone, as alone as he could be in a prison full of criminals and guards, Varian closed his eyes.

He thought back to that day, that day that everything went wrong.

Varian flinched, hearing Quirin’s shout. He couldn’t do this. Varian was broken and a coward and he couldn’t let himself think back to what happened to his Dad. But he needed to, he needed to remember what had happened past the blurs of tears and fighting. He wanted to understand the rush of the events, he wanted to remember what lead him to meeting his new friend.

He wanted to work out what was nagging him.

Steadying himself, Varian forced himself to remember again. Quirin’s shout. The amber creeping up, trapping his Dad from moving. Varian remembered stumbling through the storm, tears freezing on his face. He remembered finding Rapunzel and begging her for help, holding onto her because she was going to fix everything. But Rapunzel hadn’t fixed everything. She had betrayed him, she had promised to be there for him but she had abandoned him and his Dad and she had ruined everything.

No.

That wasn’t right. Rapunzel had not betrayed him. She had been forced to make an impossible choice, a choice that no one should have to make. Save one life and keep a promise or save a hundred lives and do her duty as future Queen of Corona. She had made the best decision for her people that she could have.

But Quirin was dead because of her. She had caused this, she had caused all of this. Varian’s hands were shaking, nails biting into his skin. Rapunzel betrayed him. She deserved the pain of losing a parent, she deserved to pay. Andrew hated the Royal Family. He would help Varian get revenge, he would help making everything right again.

Except hurting Rapunzel would not bring his Dad back.

Varian had hurt so many people already and it had not stopped the pain in his chest. The guards hated him, all of Corona hated him, because of what he has done. Hurting more people wasn’t going to fix that, it was just going to make everything worse and he was already so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of these attacks, tired of being angry. All Varian had wanted was to make his Dad proud and he had failed and he wished that everyone could just forget what he has done.

Varian wished he could forget too, forget that he was broken. Forget the shattering glass and his Dad’s yell, forget having run from home and climbing that tree, forget the amber creeping up his Dad’s body, forget what it was like for his hands to shake and his heart to race and his chest to hurt. Varian wished he could forget to panic, forget the pain. He just wanted to be normal. He just wanted his Dad to love him but that could never happen because of who Varian was. What Varian was. Varian was broken but maybe if everyone forgot that, if Varian forgot that, then maybe everything was going to be okay.

His mind made up, Varian felt his hands still. His heart slowed, his breathing deepened. Varian knew what he was going to do. He would help Andrew get his revenge because Andrew was his friend and had been endlessly patient and kind towards Varian. But Varian would not hurt anyone else. He will simply work out a way to wipe everyone’s memories, the Kingdom’s and his own. They would not remember the things he has done, the people he has hurt, and he in turn will not remember his Dad’s frozen body nor would he remember what it felt like for his chest to ache like that.

Sapporia can be free with no one remembering that it’s land had been taken by Corona, and Varian could lead a normal life without guilt, without panic, without pain. Everything was going to be okay because Varian wasn’t alone anymore. Andrew would be there for him in a way that Rapunzel had never been able to. Varian could not mourn for a Dad he could not remember, nor could the people hate him for crimes they do not remember him committing.

Varian would wait for Andrew to wake and then they could set to work, together, and everything will be made right once more.

#my writing #fanfiction #ao3 link #whump #whump fic #under 18 whump #varian whump #panic attack #child neglect #Andrew ain't shit #confinement #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday8

1 note · View note

nobodyfamousposts · 2 years

Text

Hmm....well, I have been meaning to give Tangled a try....and Moonstone Eugene is popular, right?

So who wants Moonstone Eugene and Varian interaction?

It’s not like that could go horribly! :D

_____________________

Things for Varian since meeting with Rapunzel again had…not gone as expected, to say the least.

When he first saw her return to the kingdom with one of her party not present, he admittedly hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

Rapunzel was his main enemy and thus his focus. Cassandra was an excellent fighter and one he had to keep his eye on, of course. And Pascal…well, he had to be cautious, sure, but there was only so much the lizard would be able to do.

It didn’t strike him as odd that Eugene wasn’t there.

At most, he assumed they had split up as part of some plan to take back the kingdom, and there was a part of him that equally anticipated and dreaded seeing the other man again. Still, he planned for the eventual rescue that Eugene would no doubt stage on Rapunzel’s behalf…

…it never came.

It wasn’t until well after the Kingdom was restored to normal that he found out the reason why. And just what had happened in the Dark Kingdom.

As it stood, Rapunzel had talked him around on her own and he kicked himself for being so foolish. This was…not what he wanted his father to wake up to once he was saved. And at the end, wasn’t that all he had wanted? His father safe?

Rapunzel had promised him that. And she had delivered. He just…should have been patient. If he had, he could have gone with them. Maybe he could have done something to prevent what happened to Eugene?

Their journey led them to the Dark Kingdom where the counterpart of the Sundrop was kept.

The Moonstone.

Varian would have loved to have seen it.

It was apparently what had been calling to Rapunzel. And what was responsible for the dark rocks invading Corona. The end goal seemed to be for Rapunzel to unite the Sundrop within her with the Moonstone.

It sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

In the process of reaching that goal, they had discovered that the Dark Kingdom was all but abandoned except for its King. And that Eugene was actually the long lost Prince of the kingdom.

Seriously? Eugene Fitzherbert? Flynn Rider? A Prince? How crazy was that?

Maybe as much as just happening to discover the long lost Princess in a tower…

Heh. Sounds like Eugene’s luck. But what happened to him?

The way both women tensed and went quiet…was not a good answer.

Something had happened. His attempts at questioning and pushing only got him so much information.

“It had been an accident.”

Cassandra was tight lipped about it and wouldn’t speak of what happened. She became downright angry and would snap at him if he tried to press the matter. It seemed that the incident had hit her pretty hard and she was blaming herself. He wanted to reassure her, but couldn’t know what to say.

Rapunzel herself didn’t know how it happened. She had crossed the bridge to the dais where the Moonstone was. She had been focused only on completing her destiny and putting the forces to rest. She regretted not paying more attention to what was going on behind her, because all she knew was that one minute the Moonstone was just within her reach and the next…

There had been a shout. A hand shoving her out of place. A burst of light.

And a scream.

Eugene’s scream.

From what she had said, when Rapunzel regained her senses, Eugene was in front of her, only he wasn’t as she last saw him.

Hair as black as night. Vibrant blue that encompassed the entirety of his eyes. Dark armor that wasn’t fitting of the Eugene they had all come to know.

And the way he looked at them…

Rapunzel still broke into tears at the memory and wasn’t able to explain much further. She tried to give a few poor excuses, that maybe he was protecting them? Or that there was something else going on?

King Edmund seemed to believe that Eugene had been corrupted by the Moonstone. That he possibly had been for years since before he was taken from the Dark Kingdom as an infant. Which—wow, way to write off your own kid. The man’s hatred for the Moonstone knew no bounds, which was understandable given everything he had suffered because of it. But still…it wasn’t logical and it didn’t make much sense. Especially as the father had no will to do anything to save his son. He had just given up.

Cass…only remained quiet. But her eyes and far off gaze suggested more than she was letting on, though why she wouldn’t share, he couldn’t tell.

Varian knew he didn’t have the full story. But Rapunzel had saved his father and reunited him with the person who mattered most to him. Even after everything he had done, she had kept her promise and helped him. Not just with his father but with his status as a criminal. He felt…the least he could do was return the favor and bring the one she loved back to her.

And Eugene was his friend, too.

That was why Varian had poured his all into research. About the Sundrop. About the Moonstone. What they were. Where they came from. Their sordid history. Anything.

Answers were unfortunately limited. But he didn’t let that stop him.

He had thought he could help. By translating the scroll with the incantations. By coming up with a weakness to the rocks. By figuring out a way to separate Eugene from the Moonstone without killing him, in hopes of snapping him out of whatever this was. Just…figure out something to give them an edge when they confronted him next.

And it was yet another foolish move on his part that led Varian to attempt to do so.

Alone.

And all too soon.

Through his efforts, he had thought he had crafted a means to separate Eugene from the Moonstone and force him back to normal. And desperate to test it, he had sought out where Eugene had gone. Through his research and talks with Lance and the others, he had managed to narrow down the search and track Eugene to his current location in order to confront him once and for all.

Which was how Varian had found himself in the cage of rocks within Eugene’s new….tower.

It was a tall and grand tower. Given what he knew of Rapunzel and Eugene’s history and how they met, Varian suspected that the there was some symbolism to his choice of base.

...he wasn’t sure he liked that symbolism.

Perhaps it was a warning? A testament to the new Eugene. Foretelling of just how much Eugene had changed.

…Varian should have taken it more seriously then.

Though he at least made it up to the center of the tower before the floor itself seemed to shift and black rocks sprung up and around him. Leaving him trapped alone, except for…

He heard the footsteps approach before he saw him. And once he did, he could understand Rapunzel’s previous state.

Encased in armor that appeared to be made of the black rocks.

Hair as dark as night.

Blue eyes.

It was different…

But sure enough, it was him.

“Hello, Eugene.” Varian greeted shakily from within the miniature prison, giving a weak wave. “Long…long time no see.”

Eugene just…stared at him.

“I—uh…like your new look?” He tried. “Though I kind of thought you’d get a cape…or a crown…or something?”

And…nothing.

This wasn’t right. Everything seemed completely off, and it wasn’t just his new outfit. Eugene hadn’t spoke a word. Or emoted. Or…anything.

At most, he had simply gestured and Varian found himself imprisoned. The rocks closed in on him—not enough to injure him, but certainly enough to ensure he wouldn’t do anything. He could barely move his arm, much less reach his bag where his various supplies and defensive weaponry were.

So…yeah. Admittedly this had not gone according to plan. And may not have been his brightest move in the first place.

He honestly expected this...may just be it for him. It would only take a single gesture from Eugene to end him. And he was...trying very very hard not to imagine all the ways he could do it.

After Varian was successfully captured, however, Eugene did nothing else. He didn’t talk to Varian. He didn’t respond when Varian tried to talk to him. He didn’t question Varian or anything. He almost seemed to ignore him, which Varian probably would have taken offense to if his brain wasn’t already in the process of attempting to find a way out of this. Since he was being afforded the opportunity, he attempted to survey their surroundings, seeking any sort of hints or indicators of what the man had been planning.

The setup of the main room they were in was…simple. Almost empty. There was no bed or furniture. The most he seemed to have was something that could be considered a throne if one was was being generous. It was just a seat made out of a multitude of black spiked rocks that made it look…rather dangerous and not at all comfortable. Not that Eugene seemed to particularly care for it other than as a place to rest.

Otherwise, the only decorations were a few sparse spikes that he assumed were made of the same material that made up the rest of the tower, only they seemed to glow—offering some measure of light to the room.

All in all, it was a very dark and imposing room.

The room was bare of anything. There wasn’t even much in the way of architecture or lead up to the room. There was a window that gave a good view of the sky and surrounding countryside, he supposed. But there were no other rooms. No way in from the ground—his earlier attempts to enter at the ground level revealed that the entire base of the tower was pure rock. As it was, Varian had just ended up using the window itself to get in and he was already right there.

It was basic. It was simplistic. It was minimalistic.

And completely nothing like Eugene.

As much as Varian admired Eugene both as himself and as his time as Flynn Rider, he knew full well that Eugene was still one to want the fancier things in life if he could get them. If Eugene had control of the rocks and could make them into anything, why just this? Why not make a palace? Why not create an extravagant room? Eugene was certainly more creative than this! Why not make more than the absolute bare minimum that this tower seemed to be? Why not show off?

There were no marks of practice. No signs of trial and error. Surely if Eugene had just taken the Moonstone—regardless of his reasons, he would need to work with it before being able to control it so well, right? There should be indicators—signs of his struggle. But everything both in and outside of the tower seemed so smooth. Impeccable. Flawless. No practice needed…like he already knew perfectly well what to do? But that didn’t make any sense!

Then there was how Eugene himself simply moved back to the throne and waited.

No demanding of why Varian was there. No interrogation. No questions about Rapunzel. No greetings to a former friend whom as far as he should have known, was still an enemy. Nothing.

This…this wasn’t right.

Both before and after Eugene gave up the moniker of ‘Flynn Rider’, he liked to talk. Talking was his strong point. It was what he was good at. If nothing else, it bought him time for a clever move.

He was also restless. Frequently moving or acting. Engaged. Rarely staying in one place for long without reason.

For him to be so silent and still was…unnerving.

This Eugene…he was starting to understand why Rapunzel had responded so poorly to his prodding. If he hadn’t been informed ahead of time of the changes, he wouldn’t have thought this man in front of him was Eugene at all.

His eyes glowed with unmistakeable power. But the rest of his face was drawn and blank. When he was close enough for Varian to see properly, he observed clear dark bags beneath his eyes.

They were the most he could see of humanity in the man before him.

Was this...even the man he knew at all?

But…he had changed, hadn’t he? Upon interfering with Rapunzel’s goal and taking the Moonstone.

Except Eugene wouldn’t do that.

And he wouldn’t do this. Not this tower. Not this blankness. And certainly not leaving Rapunzel.

Given how much he loved her, Eugene would never leave Rapunzel. Not the way he had. Not to become…this.

Varian’s analytical mind took in everything he was seeing and everything he had been told. There were many unknowns. But if none of this was like Eugene…then…wasn’t it possible that it…wasn’t?

A theory was forming, though Varian wasn’t sure he liked it. Wasn’t sure he wanted to believe it.

And the only way to know for sure…

Varian took a breath.

“Eugene.”

The other shifted, but otherwise made no indication of noticing him.

“Flynn.”

There was no response at all this time.

Varian swallowed. Just...just one more thing to test then?

“...Moonstone.”

The reaction was immediate. Those bright eyes snapped open and fixed onto Varian. It was a fluid movement—too quick and too natural to be anything other than automatic.

The revelation hit him with the force and weight of a punch to his gut. Varian forced himself to take a breath. To hazard his guess.

“You are...the Moonstone. Aren’t you?”

And the other answered.

“You sound surprised.”

“It is quite a surprise, yes.” Varian replied shakily, quite possibly on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Yet you called to me. So surely you must have known.”

No, he took it back. Hyperventilating required him to breathe. “It was a guess! I didn’t think I was RIGHT!”

Eugene—no, The Moonstone looked unimpressed. And…okay. Okay, that was a thing now. Apparently the mystical force of nature that came from the moon could take over a human and use their body as a meat suit. Okay. That was good to know.

It only obliterated his understanding of science, the world, and the cosmic forces that governed reality as he knew it. But he was fine!

“Aren’t humans supposed to breathe?“

“I’m fine!” He squeaked.

Just...just give him a minute to come to terms with the fact he was conversing with the conscious manifestation of a fragment of primordial power.

A full minute passed. Then another. To his credit, the Moonstone did not push him, though Varian half suspected that was more likely due to the stone’s own acceptance of silence than any true concern for his wellbeing.

Just…okay. Moonstone. This was The Moonstone he was talking to. It was just in a Eugene shape right now. That meant…it could talk, right? He could ask it questions and it could respond.

How much could Varian learn…

But for all the questions Varian would have wanted to ask, only one came to mind.

“Just…why do this?”

The Moonstone frowned, perhaps the first show of expression it displayed since he had arrived.

“I refuse to be a tool once more for another.”

The power in human form approached Varian’s cage with apparent calm that belied an underlying yet ever growing tension.

“Surrounded on all sides by greed and fools, I protected myself for centuries. Defying all who attempted to take my power for their own. Or use me for their desires.”

Around them, the black rocks trembled as if in response.

“Once my defenses were no longer enough, I simply chose an alternative means to maintain my will.”

Alternative means?

No…wait.

“Rapunzel...” Varian whispered, forcing himself to speak past the growing numbness and fear. “She said Eugene took the Moonstone.”

He gave a shaky chuckle as the true realization hit him. “But...but that wasn’t it, was it?”

Somehow, he mustered the strength to grip the rock keeping him imprisoned. Perhaps the only thing keeping him upright.

“In that moment, you were the one who took him.”

Not the other way around. Because Eugene wouldn’t have taken this thing for himself. Not if he knew what it was. Not after knowing what it had done to his family. Not if doing so would hurt Rapunzel.

Eugene had died for Rapunzel once. He had put himself on the line for her time and again. And even when he temporarily aided his father against her in the Dark Kingdom, it was still out of concern for her. Out of everyone, Varian couldn’t imaging Eugene betraying her.

But…this?

How…

“Why?”

The Moonstone simply stared straight at Varian, seemingly through him. No guilt. No remorse. Though could he have expected an entity such as this to be capable of such feelings?

Still, it surprisingly seemed inclined to respond to him.

“It was necessary.”

“Necessary?!” Varian barked back. “How was this necessary?! Rapunzel was right there! Fully willing to unite you with the Sundrop! That was what you wanted, right? It was why are you sent to the black rocks to us in the first place! Why you were invading Corona. And my father…” He clenched his fists. “So why did you stop her when she was only inches away?!”

“The Sundrop was there.” It agreed. Then its eyes narrowed in the closest semblance of anger the being was probably capable of.

“But so was the Abomination.”

Varian frowned in surprise, not expecting that answer. “Abomination?”

“There was a threat. I was obligated to respond—just as I did when the inhabitants of this Kingdom sought to use me for their ends.”

“Wait—what threat?”

“The Traitor.” The Moonstone hissed. “At the will of the Abomination, she sought to take me for herself. And would have had I not acted first.”

“Traitor?” Varian murmured in confusion. It had called Rapunzel ‘Princess’ and didn’t seem to bear any ill will towards her. And it wasn’t talking about Eugene. The only other person there...

“Cassandra.” Varian gasped. “She tried to steal you?! But why?!”

“I neither know nor care of her reasons.” The Moonstone replied briskly. “The matter remained that she was a threat and would have aided the Abomination had I not intervened.”

He tensed. “You don’t know that! Cass isn’t like that!”

“But she is. Whatever words that thing spoke to her. Whatever promises it offered.” It clenched its fist. “She accepted. Wholeheartedly. I care not why.”

He shook his head.

Because she wouldn’t…

Cass would never!

But the Moonstone didn’t seem to care. And Varian—as much as he wanted to—couldn’t argue. Not against this thing. Not when he didn’t even know why.

“So…you chose to act first?” He asked instead.

The Moonstone seemed to calm somewhat. “My Other was bound—held within the vessel of your Princess and thus unable to respond except to her will, and she remained unaware of the threat. As the only one still capable to act freely, what else could I do but act to protect us both?”

That made sense, except…

“But…you could have rejoined with the Sundrop!” Varian argued. “Rapunzel was right there! Wouldn’t that have solved things then?”

“No good would come of uniting us be when That One was just waiting to take advantage.” It stated. “She would have used the opportunity to regain her form, and with it, our power.” It clenched its fist. “I do not desire to be used for something so petty as conquering and desolation.”

Varian nodded.

Okay. So it…didn’t want world domination. Or destruction. Or anything.

Good. That’s…that was good. That meant everything was pretty much a non-issue right? No reason to fight. No reason for conflict. Right? Right!

“So why not just talk to Rapunzel?” He suggested. “Tell her your intentions. She only wants to help!”

“She is a fool and trusts too easily.” The Moonstone replied. “It would be a waste.”

It turned away from Varian, towards the window and sole entrance to this place.

“So I have come here. To hide. And wait. The Traitor will either be exposed or she will realize the truth of the Abomination. And if she comes…”

A stalagmite shot up from the floor of the tower, gleaming with an almost sinister light.

“She will be dealt with.”

“Then…” Varian took a breath. “What about Rapunzel?”

“She will die. And when she does…I will take my other half. And we will rejoin once more.”

Varian gaped. “No! Eugene, no! It’s Rapunzel! You can’t just—”

“I will not harm her, if that is your concern.” It spoke, somehow in a way that reassured him for the frankness of it and infuriated him for its dismissiveness. Like Rapunzel wasn’t his friend or the love of his life. Like Eugene just…didn’t care.

Which, if he really was the Moonstone…it probably didn’t.

“Then…what are you going to do?”

There was silence.

“I have waited centuries.” The Moonstone stated. He…It turned to face Varian with a look of such blankness that no human should ever have.

“A human lifetime is but few decades more.”

Varian felt something in him go cold at that.

Eugene…The Moonstone wouldn’t hurt Rapunzel.

But it was going to wait however long it took for her life to end naturally…and keep Eugene as a host in the process.

Somehow…that felt worse.

At least if it was targeting Rapunzel, that meant there was a reason. That she was a threat to it. That meant there was something they could do. Some means they could fight it. Some method they could use to stop it and get Eugene back.

But if it was like this…

It meant that the Moonstone wasn’t just stealing Eugene’s body. It was taking away his future—his entire life. Wholly and completely, in a way even death couldn’t. What would happen to him once it was done? Would Eugene die then?

…would it be a mercy?

Varian tensed, his mind continuing to race.

And then there was Rapunzel herself.

The Moonstone may have Eugene’s body, but it clearly didn’t know everything about his life. It expected Rapunzel to just give up and continue her life as normal now that the Moonstone was out of reach and the black rocks were no longer a problem. It expected that she would just accept the loss and do nothing.

It didn’t know her at all.

Rapunzel wouldn’t give up.

She didn’t give up on her dream to see the lanterns.

She didn’t give up fighting for her freedom.

She didn’t give up on Varian. Even after everything he’d done.

And she wouldn’t give up on Eugene.

Even if...

“Oh no.”

She was going to track him down.

And Varian’s own search attempts would no doubt end up helping her to find him.

But…

He clenched the bars of his cage.

How would she handle what she would find?

“Rapunzel…”

For the sake of your own heart, please…

Don’t come.

__________________

“Varian!”

“Rapunzel?”

“Varian! There you are!”

“I was afraid you’d find me."

“What were you thinking coming here alone?”

“I thought…no, look. Now’s not the time. You have to leave before he comes back!”

“I’m not leaving you!”

“He’s going to leave you and Corona alone, but there’s no telling how patient he’ll be if we test him—”

“I don’t care! I am taking you and Eugene back to Corona. We’ll figure this out together.”

“No, Rapunzel, you don’t get it! He isn’t—it’s not Eugene anymore!”

“Then I’ll just knock some sense into him if I have to!”

“No! I mean it’s NOT Eugene!”

A door slammed. Several spires of black rock shot out of the ground to block the exit door.

“Sundrop.”

A sigh.

Varian looked up hopelessly.

“It’s just the Moonstone now.”

#tangled fic #eugene fitzherbert #varian #moonstone eugene #tangled #tangled the series #how would you rate your pain?

123 notes · View notes

rocksandrobots · 2 years

Text

Phantoms of the Past: Chapter 39 - Ransoms and Romance on the Range - Part 4

Honey Lemon felt her world spin out of control. Her heart pounded in her ears. Her stomach dropped. She shivered with fear. She was even too scared to cry out.

Varian wasn't moving.

He wasn't moving.

A chilling silence had overcome everyone.

Joe lowered the gun he had just fired but still kept a tight grip on her arm.

"Make sure that he's dead, Jim." The bandit leader ordered.

Honey Lemon barely heard him, despite standing right next to him.

Varian couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be.

'Not again.'

'This couldn't be happening again.'

After the fire, after the incident with the Hiro and Callgahan's portals, after Baymax getting trapped in the void, after all that she'd been through, Honey Lemon had swore to herself that she wasn't going to lose anyone else. And sure they had had close calls in the past, they were superheroes after all, but this... this was something else entirely.

Jim had finally freed himself from the tree Varian had pinned him too earlier. He walked over to the teenager's lifeless body brandishing the boy's swiss army knife. The blade wasn't long, but it glinted dangerously in the sunlight anyways. She didn't like the evil look in the bandit's eyes as he neared.

Neither did Gogo apparently.

"Don't you dare touch him!" she growled while she struggled to free herself from the third bandit's grasp.

Jim ignored her demands and her tussle with his younger brother. He kicked the boy over and Varian rolled face upwards, his unconscious body flopping back with a sickening heavy limp. Honey Lemon couldn't see any blood but he was covered in dirt and dust and his eyes were closed.

Jim crouched down and raised the knife high.

She sobbed and averted her gaze. This couldn't be happening.

Ironically enough her mind went back to when Varian had first bought the swiss army knife. He'd been so excited to stumble upon the multi-purpose tool and even more excited to find out that he could legally buy it. He had bounced around with boyish glee, rambling on about the tool's merits and telling everyone his plans to build a collection of them.

She couldn't imagine a world where she no longer saw his smile or listened to his hyperactive rants; where she would join him in his random experiments or enthusiastically jump headfirst into whatever wild grand endeavor he had concocted that week.

"Please, please, wake up."

Her whispered prayers were answered when Varian's eyes suddenly snapped open and he kneed the outlaw hovering over him in the diaphragm. Then he grabbed the knife and the two of them went rolling along the ground wrestling for control of the blade.

"What in Tarnation!?" Joe shouted and raised his gun again.

"Oh no you don't!" Honey Lemon stepped backwards and shoved herself into the larger man knocking him off balance. While he was surprised, she then wiggled her arm out of his grip and elbowed him in the throat.

He dropped the gun and she stomped on his toe. Then she gave a back kick and he doubled over and fell to the ground.

Her hands were still tied behind her back, so she kicked the gun away as hard as she could as the outlaw scrambled after it.

A bolt went wide as she did so and it hit the pillar where Krei was still sitting underneath.

"Hey watch it!" the billionaire yelled indignantly as rubble fell around him and he scooted out the way. He was still tied up.Everyone ignored him as they fought their respective opponents.

Especially Gogo, who finally managed to throw the taller man off her. She flipped him and he landed on his back, but he was up again in a moment. She planted her feet and threw up her fists, and the bandit mirrored her movements.

They slowly circled around each other as their friends fought behind them. Neither wanted to make the first move and give away their advantage.

"I'm not getting beat by a stupid girl." Jeff muttered, almost whining.

Gogo rolled her eyes at such a lame insult. That's then Jeff dove at her. She neatly side stepped him and gave him a roundhouse kick.

She went in with a second kick, but he recovered sooner than she had hoped and grabbed her ankle. She was pinned.

He was going to throw her, when a roaring sound filled the air. Confused, both bandit and superhero turned to see what looked like a rocket heading towards them.

"What the h-"

Jeff didn't even get to finish the curse word before the rocket carrying Gogo's super suit slammed into him, knocking him out cold.

"Yeeesss!" Gogo jumped for joy as she ran to the now hovering rocket. She bent down and pulled the cellphone out of the injured outlaw's pocket. Her phone showed a big green check mark showing that the signal finally went through. She didn't waste any time pulling out her yellow gravity disks from the inner compartment of the retrieval rocket.

Turns out she wasn't a moment too soon. Joe, the leader, had finally gotten back his laser gun and was now threatening Honey Lemon with it.

"Money or no money, no one makes a fool of Joe Jolton and lives to tell about it." He hissed as Honey stumbled backwards trying to get away from him. She tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. He aimed the gun at her.

"Honey!" Varian called out but Jim held him back and they went wrestling once more.

Gogo threw the disk, and it sliced cleanly through the gun before hitting a nearby rock and bouncing back into her hand. She then ran towards the dumbfounded outlaw and whacked him hard on the head with the disk.

He too fell unconscious, just like his brother.

"That's two down." She smirked as she heard him snoring lightly. "Now for the third."

She went to help Varian, but as it turned out the alchemist didn't need her assistance. He finished Jim off with a punch to the face, and the third bandit joined his brothers in dreamland.

He retrieved his knife from the ground and rushed over to free Honey Lemon from her bonds.

"Are you okay?"

"Is she okay? You're the one who just got shot in the head!" Gogo snapped at him. "How are you still standing?"

"Because, I didn't actually get hit." He argued back, as he finished pulling the ropes off.

Honey Lemon rubbed her sore wrists and looked at him bewildered.

He sighed and pulled his goggles off his head. More of the broken glass fell to the ground. For good measure he also ruffled his hair to get any remaining glass out of it.

"Man, it's going to be a pain to fix these."

"Your goggles reflected the laser blast…" Gogo nodded, piecing together what he was getting at.

"You mean… you mean you were just faking being dead?" Honey Lemon asked.

Varian gave her a guilty look. "It… it was the safest thing I could do. I had to catch them off guard."

"That was pretty smart." Gogo agreed with him, before smacking him across the arm. "Don't you dare ever do that again!!!"

"Sure, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Krei sarcastically called after them as Varian flinched away from Gogo's rebuttal.

The billionaire did not look happy at all. His suit was dirty and torn, he was covered in dust from the falling rubble, and his hands were still tied.

Gogo sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be there in a second."

"Oh don't bother." Krei said as he turned his back towards the teens, lifting his nose in the air as he complained. "I'm in no hurry. I mean I'm only hungry, tired, sore, sweaty, filthy and still tied up, but yo- look out!"

Gogo saw the danger as soon as Krei called out.

They had forgotten the fourth bandit!

He had pulled himself free of the chim-trap and he still had his gun… and it was aimed right at them.

Gogo barely had time to raise her gravity disk up in time to block the bolt that was fired at them. It ricocheted off the metal plate and hit the pillar a second time.

This time Krei dogged the debris.

Varian and Honey Lemon huddled behind her as the traitorous hired hand just kept shooting at them with an unrelenting volley of laser blasts.

They were pinned down.

The cowboy kept getting closer, his aim getting better as a bolt hit right next to Gogo's foot and she stumbled back.

"Arrrragghhh!"

Gogo poked her head out from behind her shield just in time to see Krei tackle the outlaw!

The bandit was caught completely by surprise as the other man rammed into him like a quarterback on the football team. The gun fell out of his hands as Krei sat on top of him.

"I've had enough of the wild, wild west. Thank you."

Everyone stared in shock at the billionaire.

"Wow." Gogo said flatly.

"So... now what?" Honey Lemon hesitantly asked.

It began to dawn upon everyone that, while they had won the fight, they were now all stranded in the gorge themselves.

"Well don't look at me... I'm not hiking back to the ranch." Krei scoffed, even as he continued to sit upon the helpless ranch hand.

Gogo sighed as she walked over to free Krei from his bonds. "Well first things first, let's tie up the bad guys before they wake up."

"Did you bring your portals with you?" Honey Lemon asked Varian.

He shook his head as he pulled away from her and picked up the amber on the ground. He inspected it but of course it was undamaged and untarnished as always. "No... They weren't working when I left so I didn't bother."

"Good thing our phones are working again." Gogo said as she and Krei tied up Johnny first.

They had restrained three of the bandits, when they heard a strange whirring sound in the air. Everyone looked up to see a helicopter overhead, including the outlaws who began to regain consciousness.

"It must be a rescue chopper!" Krei announced excitedly as the aircraft swung lower. "They're looking for us!"

Everyone yelled and waved trying to get the pilot's attention. While they were distracted however, Joe, the final bandit that they had yet to restrain, woke up. He snuck up behind them and grabbed the discarded laser gun.

He shot a bolt into the air and everyone jumped at once. "Quiet! This ain't over yet!"

He began to back away, out of the gorge, as he directed his aim at each of them in turn.

"Untie my men, now!" He ordered. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

Gogo, who was closest, walked back over to the bandits to free them. Yet before she could follow through with uniting them, they heard a voice call out above them.

"Yeee-Haw!!"

Everyone looked up to see Fred falling from the sky. He bounced harmlessly in front of them in his super suit.

"Hey Guys!"

"Fred, look out!" Honey Lemon cried.

Fred turned around mid-jump to see the bandit leader gaping up at him in his monster suit in complete bafflement. He melted the laser gun in the outlaw's hand with his fire breath. The kidnapper jumped back from the flame and Fred turned back to face his friends, no longer considering the villian a threat without his weapon.

"Did you see that!? I jumped out of a helicopter!"

--------------------

"Hey!" Tadashi said as he gave Varian a light smack on the back of the head. "What were you thinking, you knucklehead!"

They had since been rescued and were now back at the ranch house, after dropping off the bad guys with the sheriff and filling out a bunch of paperwork.

Varian rubbed the back of his head. "I was thinking that I needed to save our friends, and that we couldn't afford to wait aroun-ow!"

Baymax finished bandaging up his sprained ankle. "There. Your injuries have been attended to. I recommend plenty of rest and an ice pack to help prevent swelling."

Hiro provided the ice pack. "Yeah, and had you waited with the rest of us, we then could have used your reactivated portal magnets and gotten there even faster."

Varian pouted and squirmed in his seat at that bit of logic.

"Not to mention that we could have taken them all down together with our supersuits with much less risk." Fred pointed out.

"But... what if they had hurt-"

"We were fine before you showed up and almost got yourself killed." Gogo said as she leaned over the couch.

"Yeah, Yoyo and I had everything under control." Krei said.

Everyone turned to give the billionaire awkward looks.

"Ok, now you're just doing that on purpose." Wasabi said to him.

Gogo rolled her eyes. "Well I'm going to go take a shower and nap before we have to leave." She grabbed some jerky from Fred who was eating a bag of it, stuck one end of it in her mouth, and stormed up the stairs without another word.

Tadashi sighed. "I think some rest sounds like a good idea, only our plane leaves this afternoon and I still have to pack."

"Personally, I think I could go from some lunch over sleep." Hiro said. "I'm going to reheat that chili from last night. You want some Honey Lemon? You'd probably like that over Fred's jerky."

Honey Lemon shook her head. She had been sitting quietly over in the corner the entire time. In fact she hadn't said much since her rescue.

"Are you sure?" Wasabi asked with concern. "You haven't eaten anything for hours."

Honey Lemon sighed and stood up. "I'll be fine... I'm… I'm just going to go to my room."

--------------------

Honey Lemon sat in her bedroom staring at the floor.

She had at least changed out of her dusty cowgirl outfit and into some comfy shorts and a tee shirt. She had slipped on some fuzzy socks as well. There was something comforting in the simple tasks of putting on warm clean clothes; something that grounded her.

Socks were normal. Socks were safe. They were uncomplicated and dependable. Socks were cozy.

Unlike the last twenty-four hours, where everything had most certainly not been normal, safe, nor comfortable.

The sound of the gunshot and the sight of Varian falling to the ground replayed over and over in her mind. None of it seemed real. Certainly not with everyone else going about normally, talking about food, showers, and whatnot. Her friends were treating this as one of their regular adventures, where they just went about doing whatever once the danger had passed.

But she had never had to fill out paperwork at the police station after a battle before. She never had to fight people with laser guns while unarmed before, and she most certainly never had to watch her best friend die in front of her while she watched helplessly on. The fact that he was not actually dead, and had been pretending the whole time, did little to ease her mind.

'What if something had gone wrong? ' She thought.

They had been incredibly lucky. She realized that now, not just during this incident but in others as well.

What were they doing? When had they normalized superheroing and running into danger? Why were they running straight towards danger at all?

Granted, her kidnapping had nothing to do with her being a part of Big Hero Six. She had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that only made things worse. It was like they couldn't avoid tragedy no matter what they did. At least when superheroing she had her armor and weapons.

She was jolted out of her spiraling thoughts by a knock at her door. When she didn't answer, Varian timidly opened the door a crack, but respectfully kept his eyes averted, just in case she wasn't decent. He too was dressed in clean clothes now and he smelled of cheap aftershave.

"Hey, Honey Lemon, the bus is here. Are you ready to go?"

Honey Lemon looked at her stuff lying on the floor. She had just shoved things into her suitcase haphazardly while changing. She wasn't really thinking about needing to pack, but she supposed everything was together.

"My bags are over there." She said.

Varian ventured to open the door further and saw the suitcase and clothes strewn about.

"Ah.... well, um... maybe we should organize this a bit better so things don't fall out on the plane?" He limped over to her suitcase and started to stuff her clothes and hair brush inside of it better.

Honey Lemon frowned as she noticed the bandage around his ankle poking out from between his jeans and sneakers.

"Why did you do that?" She suddenly snapped.

Varian paused in his packing and turned to look at her confused, a wad of lace underwear in his hand. "Uh... well, um... you don't want your unmentionables to fall out of the bag onto the stewardess do you?"

"You know what I mean."

Varian frowned and slowly straightened up. "Listen, I've already heard lectures from Tadashi, Gogo, and everyone else okay? I rushed in, and yes it would have been better if I had just waited for the sheriff along with the others... b-but in my defense I didn't know what would happen an-"

"And you almost died!"

Varian seemed taken aback by the harshness in her voice. Honey Lemon rarely got angry at anyone, let alone enough to snap at her friends like that.

"Well what did you expect me to do?"

"How about not trying to take on four people with guns by yourself!"

"I had everything under con-"

"With only a swiss army knife!" She stood up and marched over to him.

"You always do this! Every time! 'I have everything under control', 'Oh don't worry, I know what I'm doing', 'Oh, I'm just bending the rules a little, it won't hurt anybody.' And every time it blows up in your face. Boom! The fourth of July party, Paris, that time you made vinegar in my aprt-"

"Now wait just a minute! You're one to talk, miss 'I blew up the chim lab three times'!"

Honey Lemon flinched. "It was only t-twice..... the other time was at HQ."

Varian folded his arms and gave her a judgmental stare. Part of her recoiled from the accusing glare, but another part of her was furious that he had managed to turn the conversation around against her, yet again. This part won out.

"It's not the same!"

"How, then? How is it any better? Face it. If the situation was reversed you'd be out there trying to rescue me too."

"I would not!.... Well okay, yes I would, but not like the way you went about it! I wouldn't try to take on those guys by myself. We work best as a team. You're all the time trying to go it alone and you don't have to."

Varian rolled his eyes. "I'm not trying to prove something here. I didn't go after you alone because I didn't trust everyone. I did it because I'm the only one of us who knew how to ride a horse, and at the time, that was the only way to find you."

"But had you just waited-"

"And go mad wondering if you were alright!? If you were hurt!?" He threw the underwear down. "Every moment wasted was a moment those guys could have harmed you, or Gogo, or even Krei. I'm not losing anyone else!"

"Well we don't want to lose you either, you… you… ooh you… Pajero!"

Varian only looked at her, confused. He was sure she had thrown him an insult but he had no idea what it meant.

"Wie würde es dir gefallen, wenn ich dich in einer anderen Sprache beleidige?"

Honey Lemon paused mid-argument and blinked at him.

"What?"

"I said, 'Kak by vam ponravilos', yesli by ya oskorbil vas na drugom yazyke?'"

"Now you're just trying to show off."

"Peut-être préférez-vous le français? Ça te plairait si je t'insultais dans une autre langue?"

"Stop it!" She stamped her foot.

"You started it!"

"Arrrragghhh! Eres imposible!"

She turned and stormed back over to the bed. She picked up a pillow to scream in it and then sat down in huff on the edge.

"You're lucky I didn't pull out the Latin." He mumbled.

Honey Lemon only glared at him.

He flinched under her gaze; immediately regretting the quip.

Then suddenly her anger melted away and she started crying.

Varian dropped all of his defensiveness and rushed to her side.

"Awe... Honey no... no, don't cry."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, whispering softly in her ear. "Bitte weine nicht liebchen. It's okay... See? I'm here. Everything's alright."

This however only seemed to upset her even more. "No... no it's not alright." She sobbed. "I just saw you fall over… an-and you weren't moving... and I ... I... oh... I hate this. I hate the stress. I hate feeling so helpless, and I hate how it seems like no matter what we do we're always fighting for our lives. Why can't we just be normal? Why?"

Varian frowned but he had no answer to give her.

Honey Lemon looked up at him, her emerald eyes shimmering with tears.

"You... you don't even know what normal is... do you?" She sniffled.

"I... have an idea..." He said, hesitantly.

She pouted as she absently fiddled with a button on his shirt pocket. "Imagine not having to fight all the time. Just going to school, and hanging out like regular teens... maybe, I don't know, going out for hamburgers or pizza in the middle of the night instead of patrolling the streets... or where the worst thing you do is play poker in the dorms instead of breaking and entering the museum to stop a supervillian from stealing priceless artwork."

Varian raised a confused eyebrow. "Since when poker even a bad thing?"

"Well.. not on its own, but you're not supposed to gamble."

Varian rolled his eyes. "America is so weird."

"Well then, what's 'normal' in your world?"

"Umm... farming, chores... going to the pub and listening to all the town gossip... Honestly there wasn't much to do growing up. I guess that's why I took up inventing. It was better than being bored all day."

He flashed her a smile but Honey Lemon didn't return it.

"Don't you miss it though? Don't you miss boredom sometimes? Instead of... of..."

"Fighting all the time?........Everyday."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because... I'm afraid if I stop fighting... I could lose it all again. I finally got my life back together. It may not be 'normal' to you, but it's the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe; to keep everyone safe."

Honey Lemon sadly shook her head and more tears fell down her face. "And what happens to us if we lose you? Did you ever think of that?"

Varian blinked as if surprised by that response. "Well I... um... I just thought...."

"Thought what?"

"Nothing." He firmly shook his head and stood back up. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I was just trying to help. Okay?"

Honey Lemon didn't necessarily argue with him, but she didn't accept his apology either. Instead she kept pouting at him, expectantly.

Varian sighed deeply. "Would it make you feel any better to know that I have experience with taking on a bunch of jerks while unharmed?"

"No!" She looked at him aghast. "How on earth is that any better!?"

"Because it means I knew what I was doing!"

"No it means that you're a stubborn idiot who doesn't think things through!" she yelled and tossed a pillow at him.

He caught it easily and gave her an annoyed glare. She ignored it, though.

"You might be a genius, but you don't know everything." She stood up and marched over to him wagging her finger. "And you need to stop taking such unnecessary risks!"

"Unnecessary!?" Varian shrieked. "What part of trying to keep my friends alive is 'unnecessary'?"

"We were fin-"

"No you were not fine! You were kidnapped and held at gunpoint! Nothing about that is 'fine'!"

Her bottom lip began to tremble as the enormity of what had just happened came crashing down around her again but Varian was now too incensed to slow down.

"Also it's not like I choose to have my village destroyed, or to be run out of my home by armed thugs! I had to fight back!"

Honey Lemon's eyes widened in horror.

"Do you think I had portal magnets or chimballs then? Do you think I had anybody backing me up? No! I didn't." He threw down the pillow in his hand. "A crossbow may not be the same as a laser gun, but either way I had to learn to dodge out the way quick. You wanna lecture me again about how 'unnecessary' that was, or how I don't know what I'm doing? Huh?"

Honey Lemon shook her head and covered her ears with her hands. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had known that Varian led a dangerous life before coming to San Fansokyo, but to hear him admit to what happened out loud made it all too real.

"No. No, no, no," She whispered over and over again to herself.

"Honey yo-"

"No. no. nononono-"

"Honey, you can't just ignore..."

"noooo. no. no. no-"

"Honey, stop." He grabbed her hands and firmly pulled them away from her ears. He didn't hurt her, but she was reminded how strong he was. He seemed to realize this the same moment she did. They stared at each other in shock and he immediately let go.

They stood there silently staring at one another for several moments, each unsure of what to do or say.

Varian was the first to break the silence as he cast his gaze towards. "Look, I know... okay? I know that I'm stubborn, and stupid, and a screw up. Alright? I know I'm reckless, and that I rush through things that I shouldn't. And I absolutely know how lucky I am to even be alive right now."

He lifted his eyes again and Honey Lemon felt as if his piercing gaze was staring into her very soul, begging her to understand him.

"But I also know the risk." His voice was chilling in its simple assertion, yet his whole demeanor softened with his next line. "You're more important."

He gently cupped her chin in his hand, and stepped closer. His thumb softly caressed the corner of her mouth as he leaned in closer. His voice barely above a whisper.

"You're worth any risk. You and the people that I love. Nothing is worse than losing someone you love."

His voice cracked at that last sentence and she could see the pain in his eyes. Honey Lemon blinked back her own tears and grasped the hand that he held her with.

"B-but you're important too." She sobbed, as she turned her head and cradled his hand on her cheek. "Don't you understand? We almost lost you ."

She looked back up at him, and his mouth tightened as he pressed his lips together. He clearly had no idea how to respond to such a statement.

"I... I'm sorry." He finally stuttered out.

It was a halfway apology. She knew deep down that nothing had changed, that he suddenly wasn't gonna be any more cautious or thoughtful than before, not when others were in danger instead. She didn't care though.

She flung herself at him, and he wrapped her into a tight hug; whispering calming words and reassurances in her ear as he ran his fingers through her hair.

She was safe. Everyone she knew was safe. He was here, as always, supporting her, holding her. It felt good to be held. She dug her hands into his shirt, and buried her face against his chest. Grounding herself with his warmth and the sound of his heartbeat. He was alive. They both were. That was all that mattered.

Suddenly the image of him falling again lifeless to the ground flashed through her mind. She let out a cry and wrapped her arms around him tighter.

"Shhh... no.. no. It's alright. I'm sorry. I'm here."

She could have sworn he kissed the top of head again just like he did two days ago when he rescued her out on the prairie. Her stomach did a little flip flop.

"Promise you won't leave?" She begged.

"Wh-where would I go?" He asked, confused.

Honey Lemon declined to answer; too afraid to give voice to her fears lest they came true.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and stepped away from her embrace, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"I promise I'll sit by you the whole trip back. How's that?"

"P-promise?"

"Promise." He pressed his forehead against hers.

"And… and will you hold my hand?" She asked, blushing as she entwined his fingers in-between her own; their foreheads still pressed together.

"I won't let go until I safely get you home. I swear it."

They were nose to nose now. Honey Lemon wasn't entirely sure what was happening nor what she was doing, but she felt his warm breath upon her lips.

Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to?

She never got her answer.

"Hey, what's taking so long? Everyone's waitin- oooh…"

Honey Lemon jumped as Tadashi barged into the room. He looked both surprised and guilty.

"Oh, um… Am I interrupting something?" He asked as he shuffled backwards.

"No." Varian said tightly, indicating that Tadashi really was doing just that.

"Well then… uh, the bus leaves in ten minutes. See you there." Then he turned and left the room, quickly closing the door behind him.

Varian slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head back in frustration. Honey Lemon nervously bit her lower lip. The moment had been ruined and they both knew it, but neither wanted to be the one to bring it up.

Finally Varian sighed and picked up her suitcase, stuffing the last bit of straggling clothes into its pockets.

"We better get going." He said in his usual matter of fact manner. "Is there anything else?"

Honey Lemon quickly did a once over of the room to make sure nothing was left behind. She grabbed her chimpurse, slipped on her shoes, and shook her head no.

"Okay, then let's be off."

He shouldered the duffel bag and held out his free hand towards her. She took it, and they walked out of the room together. True to his word, he held her hand the entire trip back.

#varian #honey lemon #tangled #big hero 6 #tangled the series #big hero 6 the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #bh6 #of rocks and robots

20 notes · View notes

separatist-apologist · 2 years

Note

Shout out to Varian for being the only canon monsterfucker sjm will actually give us

And shout out to you for having the balls she doesnt to fulfill the rest of our requests with more monsterfucking

Nothing but respect for Varian, who saw something everyone else was scared of, and though "but what if I wanted to have sex with her?" It feels deeply personal to me, because I too, see a hot merman with red hair and am like "uh, you're coming home with me"

#but seriously good for varian #maybe a little dick will calm amren down you know?

26 notes · View notes

jvwhyte · 3 years

Text

ACOTAR women as mothers

Nesta:

-She's super chill but will go ape shit when necessary.

-Is always there for her children, even if it's a stupid rant.

-Constantly talks about how hot their dad (Cassian) is.

-Whenever she hears that someone has made fun of her child, she's the first to start an argument with the child's parents.

-She's very open with her Sex life 😭 ("So, me and your dad did this thing once...")

Feyre:

-Her whole world is her children.

-She can be really sweet and understanding but can also be the "bad cop" (Because Rhys will let their children get away with everything.)

-Always wants to hangout.

-Teaches her children how to paint.

Gwyn:

-She's the super hyper mom.

-Loves play fighting with her kids, and watching Azriel play fight with them too.

-As they get older and actually fight, she's always there cheering them on. Like shouting and screaming. Their kids always get embarrassed but Gwyn ignores them and plants kisses on their foreheads ("I'm so proud of you.")

-She loves when her kids sleep in her bed.

"Gwyneth."

"Yes, darling."

"Why are there another person in our bed."

-She loves it so much that as their family expands, she convinces Azriel to get a bigger bed so that they can all fit.

Elain:

-She's the most affectionate mom.

-Constantly giving hugs and kisses.

-Likes to have one on one time with each of her children.

-Teaches them different flower meanings and the conditions in which are best to grow them

Morrigan:

-She's the "cool" mom out of herself and Emerie.

-She teaches her children how to look and act your best, whether that's teaching makeup tricks or how to overtake a man.

-Loves to sing/dance with her children.

-Jokingly makes fun of her kids and claims she's the coolest person in their household (other than her "darling, beautiful Carynthian soldier").

Emerie:

-She's a very calm mom. Even when she's angry, she doesn't shout, but she will put her kids straight when they say/do something wrong.

-She loves cuddles, just making sure that her kids are fulfilled with enough love. (Love that neither she nor Mor got as children.)

-She loves talking about everything. Anything. She loves being able to know her children so well, so much so that she knows all their likes and dislikes.

(i couldn't find a GIF for her so don't hate me 😭)

Bonus:

Amren:

-If she ever had children, she'd have one. A girl. Varian would be ever so pleased but she'd be really nervous.

-She'd struggle trying to show emotions.

-She'd watch her friends with such envy that they can do openly express their love. All the while thinking her own resents her for not being able to do that.

-One day she just blurts it, a quick yet clear, "I love you."

-She'd just gape at her child as they stare at her. "I've never really shown it, but i do."

-From then on, she'd try to show her child as much as possible.

-Teaching them the history of fae.

-Even just sitting down trying to talk about her child's life, their love life, no matter how dreadful it is.

-But the smile on her child's face would make it all worth it.

303 notes · View notes

gwynrielendgame · 3 years

Text

Gwyncien part 2

Do not fret there is also a bit of gwynriel in this too. I’ll be tagging people who asked for this specific part 2 below.

Lucien hated coming to the night courts winter solstice celebrations. The sole reason he went every year was because of Feyre's birthday, contrary to popular belief that it was to see his mate. He much preferred to avoid his mate instead of sit in a room with her and the Shadowsinger. But he suffered through it for his friend, potentially his only true friend. She had been better to Lucien than he ever had to her, so in a way he was trying to earn her forgiveness- even if she claimed to have already given it. He secretly hoped to see Gwyneth Berdara again this year. She was beautiful- much like he remembered her mother looking. However, he truly just liked talking to her, to someone who understood the pain of a disinterested mate. It was a nice perk that it also seemed to enrage the one male to have caught his own mate's attention. He felt a bit smug about that if he was honest with himself. His three gifts were tucked neatly at his side as he stared up at the mansion. Feyre created a beautiful house. He should not have expected anything less given her paintings. He needed a moment to gather his bearings after winnowing directly to the river house. He would stay for an acceptable amount of time, or at least enough time to make Feyre happy, and then he would depart. It always made his skin crawl to be around Elain, simply because he knew it displeased her. He could do this though-for Feyre.

"Are you going in? Or do you plan to stare at the door a little longer?" A giggle escaped from the female behind him. He turned quickly only to let out a breathy chuckle himself.

"Did you want a turn staring at it? We could do it together. Might make the evening more bearable somehow." Lucien sent the copper haired female a half grin which she returned with one of her own.

"You caught me. I was hoping to have my turn to avoid going in as long as possible, but alas it appears I may need to share." Gwyn gave a long sigh as if she were exasperated by the situation. The easy banter between the two started to loosen the knot that had formed in Lucien's chest.

"It's lovely to see you once more, priestess. You look beautiful." And she did. The last time he had seen her, she was wearing her priestess robes. This time around she wore a loose black dress. Her hair was mostly down with some braids keeping it out of her face and a dainty necklace around her neck. Some might say she looked rather plain. Lucien knew better than that. For her, this was a big step. To be dressed at a celebration in anything other than her robes had to be stressful. A magnificent smile lit up her face.

"You look rather handsome yourself. I was actually hoping to see you tonight. I wanted to discuss a few things." She looked around as though someone might be eavesdropping. "Not right now though." He had a feeling he knew what she wanted to discuss.

"My ears are yours whenever you need them." Lucien then offered his arm to her. She slipped her hand through the crook as they made their way through the door. The night suddenly seemed less daunting. He could face Elain and Azriel tonight without his emotions getting the better of him. Gwyneth would keep him busy that much he knew and was thankful for the unspoken deal they seemed to have made. They would stay by each other's side tonight if only because most of the night court's inner circle had paired off. Rhysand never truly left Feyre's side, Varian is the only one to actually enjoy Amren's company, Cassian and Nesta disappeared to have sex rather frequently, Emerie and Mor spoke in hushed whispers to each other most evenings Lucien attended, and most unfortunately Azriel and Elain never really left each other's side these days. Lucien normally felt like the odd one out, but without Gwyneth it would have been painfully obvious.

+++

The night had been rather overwhelming for Gwyn. She had been around the inner circle a handful of times most recently, but having so many dynamics in one living room felt stifling to her. Nesta's relationship with her sister's was still rocky at best, Amren usually said something to piss someone off, Azriel and Elain being around appeared to make everyone uncomfortable, and apparently Gwyn and Lucien being friends seemed to make the group just as uncomfortable. Gwyn could not figure out why. If perhaps the irony of the situation was too great or if Lucien's background had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, almost everyone tonight side-eyed Gwyn as she sat with Lucien. She knew Elain and Azriel thought she was doing it just to piss them off. Gwyn just truly enjoyed Lucien's company. He was easy-going and made many jokes. When Gwyn was not engrossed in conversation with Nesta or Emerie, she was joking with the one-eyed male. If only he had been her mate she had thought to herself.

"Present time!" Mor exclaimed from her spot on the couch next to Emerie. Gwyn felt herself becoming red- she had not realized that gifts were exchanged here. She had already exchanged gifts with Nesta and Emerie (a song for Nesta that was recorded on her music box from Cassian and a particularly steamy book for Emerie that included two female leads). She felt overwhelmed as everyone started setting gifts beside her. While Gwyn felt ready to leave the House of Wind, she had not managed to venture the streets of Velaris. She could have asked the House for gifts for everyone, but truly she did not even think anyone would get her something. The most surprising to her was when Lucien plopped a gift on her lap. She could not hide her shock.

"I am sorry. I did not get you anything." She felt ashamed and refused to look up from her hands as she addressed everyone. "I did not realize you all exchanged gifts. I am sorry." She repeated.

"We did not expect you too." Feyre sent her a small smile. "We got you something because we wanted too, not because we wanted something from you." The tension eased the slightest bit. That did not stop the red from flaming her face.

"I expected a gift." Lucien announced loudly. It had Gwyn cringing. "I demand you play us a song." Lucien was sending her a grin that released the rest of the tension in her chest. Azriel shot the pair an icy stare, not necessarily a glare, but close enough.

"Yes!" Nesta shouted after him, clearly having one too many sips of wine. Gwyn could not hold back her giggle. "You have to sing for us. Your voice is beautiful."

Gwyn could feel Azriel's stare from across the room. It had shifted into a less hostile look. It did not appear as though he was trying to hide his interest though. A conversation between the two suddenly popped into her head.

Do you, though? Sing?

Yes.

She wished now more than ever to hear him sing. She wanted to sing with him, but was not willing to put herself out there in front of everyone. He would likely say no and then she would have to scrape any piece of humility she had left to sing alone after rejection. She would not ask Azriel to sing with her- this time. She hesitantly sat at the piano, Nyx sitting by her feet watching intently. As soon as she started playing the toddler laughed and clapped his hands. It gave her the confidence to keep going. She sang one of the many songs she had memorized. There was really nothing special about it, but she felt alive especially with the way Azriel was staring at her. She could almost feel his shadows slipping towards her. She missed them. Actually, she missed everything about Azriel. Before the whole mating bond/Elain situation, they had been friends. He was one of her closest friends and she felt as though she lost that. It was not only her fault. He also felt uncomfortable being her friend now. It made her sad so she decided not to think on it anymore. She finished her song which resulted in a round of applause from everyone.

"Beautiful!" Emerie cheered with a wide smile on her face. Gwyn looked to Lucien who was smiling ear to ear which was rare for the male who only seemed to give half grins and sarcastic smiles. She finally looked at Azriel, who unfortunately was not sporting a smile, instead a rather intense look took over his face. A shadow reached out to caress her hand. It was so quick she questioned whether it even happened. No one else seemed to register it. After that, everyone continued to open their presents. She received a painting from Feyre of Gwyn cutting the ribbon for the first time. It honestly had the female tearing up. Cassian got her new Illyrian leathers that fit her much better while Mor bought her a butterfly knife which was a much better improvement from her birthday where she gave Gwyn a shampoo that never lost its smell. While everyone was distracted opening gifts, Gwyn decided now would be the best time to talk with Lucien, who had gotten her earrings the same color as her eyes. She signaled the male to follow her to the kitchen. They were surprisingly given little attention as they made their departure.

"I was thinking about your invitation," she started off. She leaned against the counter top with her arms folded in front of her. "I was thinking I could leave with you, and if you are willing, you could help me gather some intel with the band of exiles." Lucien seemed to mull it over as he stood next to her, their shoulders almost touching. He leaned against the counter tops as well while running a hand over his jaw. Gwyn waited with bated breathe.

"When?" Was all he answered. She could not read how he was feeling about the situation which had her feeling even more nervous.

"Uh, tonight?" It sounded like a question even to her ears. She figured she would never fully know when she was ready to leave until she actually tried it. Worse comes to worse and Lucien could just winnow her back to Velaris. No harm done.

"Have you told anyone of this?" He asked quietly.

"No. They wouldn't understand.” They probably would understand, but they would most likely try to stop her. She did not want that.

"You have to tell someone." He glanced at her before turning his body to be completely facing her with one hand on the counter.

"Why?"

"So they don’t think I kidnapped you." She found it hard to believe that anyone other than Nesta and potentially Azriel would think Lucien kidnapped her. Best to not have them looking for her though.

“Oh right. I’ll leave a note for Nesta and Emerie to find after we have left.” She did not particularly want to leave her sisters, but she needed to finish what was started in Sangravah. She could not possibly travel a world where any of those Hybern soldiers still lived. A goodbye note might convince herself to stay, but having Lucien here made it less likely for her to cower.

“Okay. We shall leave tonight. Gather whatever you want to take and I will winnow us away after.” He already started to walk away.

"Thank yo-" she began to say when a shadow darted into the kitchen. She immediately stopped speaking. She should have known he would be listening in.

"Mind if I steal Gwyn for a moment?" Azriel cut in, looking quickly between the two with narrowed eyes as if he was suspicious of the pair.

"Sure." Lucien drawled with a roll of his eyes. “I will see you later, Gwyneth.” He gave her a meaningful look and then he was confidently strolling back into the living room.

"Hey." Gwyn finally started the conversation after a few uncomfortable minutes of Azriel just staring at her.

"Hey." An awkward silence ensued after that. It left Gwyn confused. She thought he came in here to discuss something specific. She took the time to truly analyze him. She always thought he was beautiful, classically attractive like Elain. It made them quite the couple. She wished he wasn’t so handsome, it made their situation much more difficult for her. Perhaps if he was less attractive she could ignore the mate bond, she thought wryly. He looked tired, per usual, dark circles were more pronounced under his eyes which looked sadder than normal. He was tense as if he was preparing for a fight which made no sense to her. They had never truly fought, physically or verbally. She was just about to ask him what was wrong when he finally spoke up.

"What were you two talking about?" The question had Gwyn smiling wryly. As if his shadows hadn’t told him.

"Nothing." She refused to tell him even if he already knew. For some reason she felt if she told him, he would be upset with her. Another awkward silence lapsed.

"So I figured I could give you your gift now." Azriel glanced down at the small package in his hand that Gwyn only just noticed. His shadows were swirling all around him, exposing his cool composure for what it really was.

"I didn't get you anything." She only felt slightly guilty considering he was in an open relationship with the third Archeron sister while also being mated to her. She kept her eyes firmly planted on her own hands which were clasped tightly together in front of her.

"I don't deserve anything from you anyways." She hated hearing that from him. Even if he was being a royal asshole, she truly believed he deserved the world. Azriel shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He ran a hand through his hair roughly before shoving the package towards her, stepping closer to her than he had been in awhile.

"Not true." She muttered as she delicately unwrapped the package. It was beautifully wrapped and part of her wanted to ask if he had Elain wrap it. Once opened, she spent a few minutes just staring at it. She was not quite sure how to respond to this.

"I know you said it does not bother you that your necklace was originally meant for Elain, but I wanted to give you one that was and will only be for you." There was a dozen or so stars in some sort of collection. She assumed it was a constellation but she did not know which one. It was beautiful she could admit, and knowing how much he enjoyed star gazing made her feel much closer to him than she should given his current relationship status. It felt almost inappropriate to accept, but she knew she could not deny him.

“What is it?”

“The constellation Andromeda.” He said so quietly it was almost a whisper. She was trying to remember if he had ever mentioned this one before but she honestly could not think of any reason why he might pick this specific constellation over another.

“Why this one?” She did not want to give him any reason to believe she cared as much as she did, however, curiosity was eating her alive.

“Her name means ruler of men.” Her heart squeezed. How unfair, she thought. He was allowed to give such a thoughtful gift, but she could not truly tell him how she felt about their current predicament.

"Thank you. It's beautiful." She wanted to say so much more, but was feeling tongue tied.

"Just like you." Was his immediate response. He said it almost like it was a reflex but it only upset her. Elain was in the next room over and he was sweet talking her.

"You cannot say that." She muttered a bit flustered.

"Sorry." He glanced down, appearing to notice how slim the space between them actually was. She felt suffocated by how close he was. The bond was yelling at her to touch him. His shadows seemed to want the same thing.

“Do not apologize. It just makes it harder for me when you say those things.” She realized this was the first time she had been alone with Azriel in a long time. She also realized she would not see him for a long time when she left with Lucien. It made her sad. These are the excuses she used to justify her next actions. She swears she never would have done this if she was not planning on leaving with Lucien tonight. Consequences be damned she thought. She quickly grabbed his face in her hands and brought her lips to his.

For the first time since the bond snapped into place, Gwyn felt tension ease from her shoulders. He was hesitant for only a second, letting out a groan and then they were off to the races. It’s as if they both knew this would be the last time they would get to do this. The kiss was rushed and heavy, passionate and wild. It was more than Gwyn could have ever dreamed. His hands were everywhere. Her hair, her face, her waist, and even lower. Gwyn let out a squeak when one of Azriel’s hands squeezed her backside. It did nothing to slow down the kiss, however. He was everywhere, even his shadows were caressing her. Her hands were not much better. They ran through his hair, tugging at the soft strands. Slowly, they traveled down- over his shoulders, finally resting on his waist to pull him even closer. There was much more tongue than Gwyn imagined. It surprised her even more at how much she liked it. How much further she would be willing to take it if they were alone. It was only when Azriel moved to work on her neck that she realized how much further their kiss went than the small peck she was expecting. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she pushed him stumbling back a few steps herself.

“I wanted to do that at least once. Sorry.” She felt the need to explain herself given that she practically just mauled him. His shadows were surprisingly calm for once, though his face was flushed bright red. It almost made her want to laugh at the idea that she made the Shadowsinger blush.

“Gwyn-“ he began but she did not want to hear anything he had to say, even if that was not quite fair.

“See you in training.” She tossed over her shoulder before fleeing quickly from the kitchen.

Fuck was the only thought pounding through her head.

#gwyncien #gwynriel #gwyneth berdara #azriel #lucien vanserra #elain archeron #acotar #acosf #feyre archeron #rhysand #cassian #emerie #nesta archeron #morrigan #amren acotar

111 notes · View notes

gwynsnesta · 3 years

Text

Take On The World - Gwynriel

Gwyn and Emerie had been invited for a dinner at the River House with the Inner Circle. It would be near the tenth time the two Valkyrie’s had been invited. Their High Lady and High Lord seemed to like them very much. Azriel couldn’t blame them. Not even Amren could find something to hate about them. They were too kind and perfect.

Azriel had winnowed Gwyn in while Mor, herself, had gotten Emerie from Windhaven. Gwyn had been so nervous when Az had gone to check on her. She was pacing back and forth believing that she was a burden and only being invited because they wanted to see Emerie. That Nesta would get piss if they left her out. He assured her that wasn’t the case.

“But what if they actually hate me and they’re just lying about it?” Gwyn had asked with tears in her eyes. His shadows had given her a comforting hug before Azriel was allowed to. He stayed with her and listened to all her worries.

“Honey, they love you. Just like I do.” He kissed her forehead, “You’re Auntie Gwyn to Nyx. I don’t think they’d give you that title if they didn’t like you.” He murmured and she chuckled lightly against his chest. “You are a part of our family. Our friend. You paint with Feyre every weekend. You and Rhys have a bond like Nesta and I, Cassian and Feyre. You’re our family too.” He would tell her time and time again. For all eternity if need me. Because she deserved it.

“You better not be lying to me.” Gwyn would say back. Azriel couldn’t help but truly laugh at this. “I would never lie to you, Gwynie.” He whispered as his shadows danced for her. “You’re mine and I am yours. Always and forever.”

“Always and forever.” She replied.

They arrived quickly because they were already running behind due to Gwyn’s almost breakdown. Not that Azriel would complain. One day at a time for the both of them. Feyre had greeted them at the door with a hug to each and a kiss on the cheek. Everyone else was already here.

Nesta and Cassian laughing with Lucien who had his arm wrapped around Elain as she smiled. He may have once felt love for her but now he felt the sibling love. She was his sister. Lucien was slowly becoming a brother. Amren was having a private chat with Varian. Rhys, Mor and Emerie were playing with Nyx, and Feyre chatted along with Gwyn about her training and their painting classes.

It was well into the night, after they ate, when everyone was starting to wind down that Rhys and Cassian had almost cornered Azriel. “What?” He had snapped after being split from Gwyn who was on the other side of the room with Nesta.

“We want you to sing.” Cassian replied back smirking.

“And why would I do that?” Az muttered trying to keep one eye on his brothers and the other on Gwyn.

“Because you haven’t sung for us.” Rhys told him, “Gwyn has. You haven’t. You aren’t equals if you haven’t both sung.” Cassian nodded to Rhys.

“You’re telling me that Gwyn and I aren’t equals because she’s sung for you and I haven’t?” Azriel raised a brow, “You’re both fucking delusional.” His brothers gave him a big pout but it wouldn’t work on him.

“Oh please sing!” Gwyn clapped happily. He looked up at her and she’d moved from across the room to behind his brothers. “You have such a wonderful voice, Az.” She seemed so happy and he didn’t want to ruin it.

“One song and that’s it. For at least another five hundred years.” Azriel responded.

“Deal!” Cassian almost shouted.

Azriel took the centre of the room with his Rhys passing him a guitar from his other-worldly cupboard. It still creeped Az out at times. How one thing wasn’t there and the next minute it was.

“Thank you.” He muttered to Rhys as he began his song. One he wrote himself for a certain redhead. He didn’t care if he was her mate or not. He cared that he loved her. Who needs a mating bond when he has the best woman ever.

Just say the word

We'll take on the world

Just say you're hurt

We'll face the worst, oh

Azriel’s eyes moved to Gwyn. Everyone held their breaths at the lovely sound of his voice. Such love and such care inside each word. His heart felt full, his body felt warm. He felt… happy.

I can see, see the pain in your eyes

Oh believe, believe me and I have tried

No I won't, I won't pretend to know what you've been through

You should know, I wish it was me not you

And just say the word

We'll take on the world

And just say you're hurt

We'll face the worst

Gwyn held tears in her eyes. Az hadn’t moved his eye contact from her. There was only her. No one else. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. If something would ever happen - he just couldn’t. His shadows swarmed around her, dancing to his song. Playing with her hair. Grabbing at her.

Nobody knows you the way that I know you

Look in my eyes I will never desert you

And just say the word

We'll take on the world

And it's the fight

The fight of our lives

You and I we were made to thrive

Oh yeah

And I am your future

And I am your past

Never forget we were built to last

Azriel watched as Gwyn’s cheeks blushed. He didn’t care that there were other people here. To him at that moment there weren’t.

Step out of the shadows and into my life

Silence the voices thay haunt you inside

And just say the word

We'll take on the world

And just say you're hurt

We'll face the worst

Azriel meant every lyric. He’d face the worst with Gwyn. All her nightmares, their pasts, their future together. As long as he had her by his side, he’d be okay. Dead or alive. Together forever and always.

Nobody knows you the way that I know you

Look in my eyes I will never desert you

And just say the word

We'll take on the world

Oh oh oh oh

And nobody knows you

The way that I know you

And nobody knows you

The way that I know you

He felt something snap into place as he watched Gwyn’s reaction. Azriel knew what it was but he was too afraid to admit it. At least yet.

We'll fight, we'll crawl, into the night

I won't let go with you by my side

The calm, the storm we'll face it all

But the word echoed in his mind like a chant. His mate. Mate.

And just say the word

We'll take on the world

And nobody knows you

The way that I know you

Look in my eyes I will never desert you

And just say the word (just say the just say the word)

We'll take on the world

Take on the world

When he finished they all clapped. Gwyn was by his side in a minute placing a delicate kiss on his lips as her tears fell. He hadn’t realised he held tears of his own until she wiped them away. Az held her tightly as he stood.

“Bloody hell!” Cassian patted him on the back, “You’re one lucky girl, Gwyn.” He laughed proudly.

“I’m the lucky one.” Azriel corrected. She blushed furiously. He smiled at her and kissed the side of her forehead as his other family members said how proud they were.

The night drawled on until Azriel winnowed Gwyn home. She was half asleep as he held her in his arms from the River House to his bedroom. Their bedroom. They’d moved in together even if they hadn’t done anything past making out. But he didn’t mind. Not when she laid on his chest and he could kiss her.

Gwyn was only able to change from her dress to his top before lying on the bed. He moved her so she was under the covers and hugging him. He wanted to cry. To die at her cuteness.

“You know, I’d take on the world with you any day.” She whispered to him, “Because I love you.”

“I love you too, darling.” He hugged her so tightly. Azriel couldn’t believe he was her mate! He didn’t believe for long he deserved her. But maybe… he did.

There and then he promised he’d tell her soon. At a nice dinner. Where he could sing to her afterwards. As she slept on his chest, he wrote his song for her. One of love and happiness. Of peace in his world of violence. Of light and dark. Of a kind priestess and a brooding spymaster.

He’d tell her. Tomorrow. The next day. It didn’t matter. But he’d tell her. Mate. It was if she was calling him home. As if she was his home.

#azriel shadowsinger #gwynriel supremacy #gwyn and azriel #gwyneth berdara #gwyn berdara #gwyn #gwynriel headcanon #shadowsinger #gwyn x azriel #azriel x gwyn #acotar headcanon #acotar #acosf #gwyn acosf

34 notes · View notes

bookstaninthesoul · 3 years

Text

More Like A Dream

WORD COUNT: 627

SUMMARY: Elain has a vision of the future

Okay, first of all, I want to apologize for any grammatical mistakes. English is not my native language, so I did it in Portuguese (my native language) and then I translated to English. I hope you like it!

Elriel Month Day 22: Your Ivy Grows

This is a continuation of Living A Nightmare. If you have not read the first part, it may not make so much sense. But if you want to read just this part, feel free.

Part 1 - Living A Nightmare

Elain was trapped in yet another nightmare. She knew they wouldn't stop, she knew that. That man had warned her, warned her that she would still suffer a lot from the nightmares.

Elain walked through the fields in which she was located. In them, there were only dead plants and flowers, as well as everything around them. The gray sky, the dark weather, as if a storm was coming.

Until she stopped in front of a wall. An extremely high wall, with ivy growing on it. The only thing alive in the place, besides Elain.

She took a step forward. Those plants had fascinated her, as if a spell had been cast on her.

She walked until she got close to the wall, enough to touch her hands. She knew she shouldn't, she knew it must be one of the many nightmares she was having, but she couldn't help touching the plants.

One of the plant's stems wrapped itself in her hand. She was startled and pulled her hand away, but she couldn't shake the grip the plant was doing.

Then suddenly, the plant pulled her to the other part of the wall.

Elain was startled at first, wanting to leave the place, but soon realized that she appeared to be in the garden that she took care for her sister and brother-in-law. She walked and stepped on land, until she saw a group gathered, having a picnic.

She walked and stopped behind a tree, watching the group. They were happy, laughing and having fun. She then realized that, in fact, that group was her family.

Rhys ran after Nyx, who ran away from him laughing. Feyre was sitting on the towel spread out in the field, laughing with both of them while eating a strawberry.

Morrigan smiled as she sipped her usual wine, even though it was still morning, beside her was Emerie, who was laying her head on her shoulder.

Gwyn and another boy threw paper balls at each other, then kissed. He put his hands on her belly and started to tickle her. She shouted "Balthazar.", and laughed.

Coming from the direction of the house to join the staff, were Varian and Amren. The two of them holding hands.

She turned her head again to the small band and found Nesta and Cassian. She was sitting on Cassian's lap and the two of them were arguing about something stupid. Until Cass kissed her neck and lips and the argument ended, giving way only to their bubble of love.

Elain laughed. Typical.

She watched everyone and was happy, until she turned and saw herself.

That Elain was extremely happy. She was walking towards the small crowd with a basket full of food. She reached them and placed the object on the floor.

Then, two arms wrapped around her waist and lips kissed the nape of her neck. She turned and kissed him. She kissed Azriel. In front of everyone.

They stayed there kissing, until Nuala and Cerridwen arrived and started striking cloths on them, complaining about the intimate touch in front of everyone. Then everyone started booing at them and they broke up, laughing at how silly their families were.

Elain froze, realizing the purpose of that dream. Realizing that it was not a dream, it was a vision of the future; a future where they would all be happy; a future full of love and peace.

And she loved it all.

She woke up with a jolt, sitting up on the bed. She soon noticed that Azriel was in the room, worried about her.

"Did you have another nightmare?" , he asked, running his hands over her arms trying to calm her from a possible panic attack.

She smiled and put her hand on his cheek, stroking it with her thumb and said, "I think the definition of a dream fits this event more."

Tagging: @ggukfleuir @noorismee @courtofjurdan

If you want to be tagged to be able to follow my stories or if you want to be removed, please let me know.

If you liked it, please reblog it. It helps me a lot! ♡

#azriel #azriel acotar #elain acotar #elain archeron #pro elain #pro elriel #elriel #pro azriel #elrielmonth21 #elrielmonth #elriel fanfiction #elriel fanfic #azriel × elain

34 notes · View notes

empire-of-wildfire · 4 years

Text

HOLIDAY SURPRISE

A @starseternalnighttriumphant X @empire-of-wildfire CHRISTMAS MINI-FIC COLLABORATION

a/n: here’s the last part guys!! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as we loved writing it! Super sorry about the posting schedule change, but sometimes life gets in the way and it just didn’t work out like we planned.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3|| Part 4

Cassian woke up in his hotel room on New Years’ Day and wondered how much shit he’d be in if he just skipped his brother’s wedding.

No one would admit it, but they’d heard his argument with Nesta on the front porch Christmas morning, knew that Nesta was doing everything in her power to avoid him and make sure he didn’t see Amina. He’d only been allowed five minutes with his daughter the past couple of days, and that was because Azriel had “accidentally” let it slip that Elain was watching the little girl. She giggled and let him show her the proper footing for sword play before the front door opened and Nesta was standing there ready to spit fire at him.

Since then, he’d been helping get everything ready for the wedding, setting up tables and chairs and light fixtures. Feyre kept him busy, giving him sympathetic glances every so often. She’d tried to talk to him about it, but he shut it down every time. Nesta had made it quite clear how she felt about everything. And once that woman made her mind up, it took nothing less than a miracle to change it.

Sighing heavily, he tossed back the covers and threw his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his face roughly. He stared at the suit hung up on the hotel room mirror, the fabric a deep navy with a white undershirt and matching navy tie. A memory tugged at the edge of his mind.

“What kind of wedding do you want? Tell me and I’ll make it happen.”

Nesta propped herself up on her hand, looking down at him with a soft smile. “You’re being very bold.”

“I’m going to marry you one day, Nesta Archeron,” he drawled, running a finger over her bare shoulder. “And I want it to be everything you’ve dreamed of.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she breathed. “As long as you’re the one I see at the end of the aisle, I don’t care what the wedding looks like.”

His heart stuttered at her words, but he played it off with his signature smirk, grabbing her up and rolling on top of her as she laughed. He kissed her deeply and then pulled back, grinning. “Don’t tempt me, I’ll be waiting for you in a gold suit.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she laughed and he decided he wanted to hear that noise for the rest of his life.

His phone buzzing yanked him out of the past, and a sharp pang pulsed in his chest as he recalled it. Frowning, he picked up the phone, a long list of things to do already waiting for him from Rhys. Sighing, he gathered his things and headed to the small convention center where the wedding and reception would be.

The grand ballroom was mostly finished, needing just a few more last-minute things before the wedding in a few hours. Rhys was rushing around and barking orders, none of the women to be seen. He knew they’d be upstairs getting themselves and Feyre ready, and his heart stuttered slightly when he thought about the other Archeron sister that held his heart.

“Rhys,” Cassian stopped him after half an hour. “Everything is fine. Let the rest of the staff finish the last details. We should be getting ready too.”

His brother’s shoulders were tense under her hands, and his eyes were slightly wild with what Cassian expected was pre-wedding anxiety. “I just want to make sure everything is perfect.”

Cassian’s mouth twisted into a grin and he looped his arm around Rhys’s neck, dragging him towards the staircase that led to conference rooms upstairs. “Feyre couldn’t care less about what everything looks like. She’s marrying you, not the ballroom.”

Rhys gave him a long suffering sigh, but allowed his brother to lead him to the room where all the groomsmen would be getting ready. Azriel was there pouring whiskey into glasses, Varian and Tarquin arguing over which shoes would look best with their suits.

“Get dressed and do all your pretty man things, and then we’ll drink until it’s time,” Azriel drawled to Rhys, a slight smirk on his face.

Once everyone was dressed and ready to go, they took turns passing stories around, drinking whiskey until they felt warm and loose. Cassian stopped the pouring, not wanting Rhys to be drunk on his wedding day. An alarm went off, signaling it was time for Rhys to head down. Cassian clapped him on the shoulder and poured one more round after he left.

Minutes later, Cassian turned the corner to where the bridesmaids were already waiting, and his breath caught in his throat. Nesta was first in line, an icy blue dress clinging to her figure. It was sleeveless, and billowed at her feet, the bodice looking like ice crystalized over her abdomen and up her chest. Her hair was down and lazily curled, falling around her. She had a bouquet of flowers in all hues of blue in one hand, the other fixing a loose curl on the dark head of the small child before her.

He wondered if he was about to pass out from lack of oxygen as he took in his daughter, dressed in the same navy color as his suit, the dress puffing out in a tutu fashion, white tights on her legs. There was a flower crown on her black locks, the same flowers in the bridesmaids’ bouquets. She had a basket in her hand, and as he stood there and watched Nesta and Amina smile at each other, he realized how much of a godsdamn idiot he’d been.

When he’d woken up on Christmas morning to an empty bed, he knew something wasn’t right. When he’d found his phone next to him, open on his text thread with Emerie, inappropriate photos glaring right in front of his face, he knew he was in deep shit. Of course Nesta had assumed the worst. He would’ve done the same. He had immediately deleted the messages, sick to his stomach as he realized Nesta had seen them and left him there. But she’d had to know that Emerie meant nothing to him. In fact, the moment he’d landed in Velaris he hadn’t thought of the woman once. He hadn’t even thought to tell her he was staying in Velaris longer, that’s how little he’d thought of her since he’d been here.

And then Christmas morning had been so thick with tension, and the fight they’d had on the front porch had struck him deep in his heart. The way she’d looked at him, with heartbreak in her eyes, had been worse than the first time he’d seen it four years ago when he’d told her that he was leaving for Illyria.

Now he was standing here looking at the woman he’d loved for a near decade, the woman who was it for him, it was going to be Nesta or no one else. The mother of his daughter, who was looking up at her mother with an adoring look. All he wanted, all he needed was standing here in this convention center and he couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to figure it out.

He walked up to her, trying his best to stay relaxed as he watched her shoulders tense up. She didn’t look at him but she knew he was there, straightening up and pretending to pick at a loose string in her dress. He just stared at her until she let out a disgusted noise and looked up at him, that steely fire in her eyes. “Can I help you?”

“You look beautiful,” Cassian murmured, his face open and soft.

That fire guttered and she swallowed hard before looking back to the doors to the ballroom where Rhys had just slipped through. He looked over everyone and then gave Cassian a nervous smile.

“The music is going to start in a minute, and the attendants will open the doors,” he explained, even though they’d already gone over this many times. “Once the doors open Amina will go down and you just follow her.”

“Yes brother,” Cassian huffed, giving him a playful shove. “Now please get back in there and wait.”

Rhysand let out a deep breath and disappeared back into the ballroom. Cassian just shook his head and smirked, watching as everyone started to fall in line. He looked back to Nesta and was surprised to find her already looking at him. She said nothing as she held out her arm, and Cassian wrapped it around his, resting her hand on his forearm. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but the music started and the doors opened.

His eyes were on Amina as she smiled at everyone and threw flower petals all over the floor. She was a shining star, and his heart melted as he watched her. He wondered how that smile would mature, if it would turn subdued like her mother’s or wild and wicked like his. He knew he couldn’t wait to find out.

He reluctantly let Nesta go as they headed to their respective sides of the aisle, Cassian standing between his brothers as they all turned their attention back towards the doors. A moment later, Feyre came into view, and a grin crept across his face.

She was absolutely beautiful. Her dress was a soft white, that ice-like beading matching the bridesmaids’ dresses. A crown sat on her head, the same bridal crown that Rhys’s mom had worn during her wedding. A soft smile sat on her face, her eyes locked on only one person in the entire room.

Rhys had a hand on his mouth, eyes shining as his gaze stayed on his soon-to-be wife. As she neared, he dropped his hand to reveal a devastatingly handsome smile, reaching out his hand to take hers.

Cassian’s eyes drifted to where Nesta stood off to Feyre’s side as the couple went through their vows. The words hit home with every syllable, and when her eyes connected with his, he knew this was where he was meant to be. He hoped his own eyes reflected the romantic words Feyre and Rhys were exchanging, hoped she could see the decision he’d made the moment he saw her standing there in that dress.

Her blue-gray eyes never left his, even when the minister announced the couple to kiss and everyone clapped and shouted. They didn’t leave his when Feyre and Rhys walked back down the aisle, and didn’t leave his when he reached for her to follow them. He only looked away when he felt a tug at his pants, saw his daughter looking at him with a bright smile. That smile took his breath away, and he grinned back, grabbing her up in his arms. She fit just right in one arm, his other hand reaching to grab Nesta’s. She surprisingly allowed it, and he could see that she was fighting a smile.

They made their way to the reception area, finding themselves at the same table with Feyre, Rhys, Azriel and Elain. Nesta took Amina from him and they sat on the opposite side of the table, and Cassian tried not to let it sting. He wrapped himself up in conversation with Azriel, finally getting to catch up with him.

Then it was time for dancing. He watched Feyre and Rhys dance together, smiling slightly the whole time. He knew his brother would be happy for the rest of his life, as long as he had her. When everyone else began to join, he suddenly felt nervous, as if he was going to prom for the first time all over again. As his eyes landed on the woman opposite, he figured it was kind of similar. He’d asked Nesta to prom, fully expecting her to laugh in his face. She had surprised him by saying yes, and when she’d said yes again to a date with him when he’d dropped her off at home, he knew she would change his life forever.

He stood and came around the table, holding out his hand. Nesta looked to his hand and then up at him, her eyes guarded.

“May I please have this dance?” he breathed, holding her gaze.

It seemed like he waited a lifetime before she nodded and put her hand in his, letting him pull her out of her chair. He guided her to the dance floor, placing one hand on her hip and clasping one of her hands in the other. Her free hand came up to his shoulder, her body slightly stiff as if she didn’t know if she wanted to touch him.

“Relax,” Cassian drawled, pulling her closer. “Pretend we’re juniors at prom again.”

She rolled her eyes but he felt her body slowly start to loosen under his hands. They swayed to the soft music of the song playing, her body warm against his. Her hand felt right in his, and he wished he could bottle up this feeling and get drunk on it for the rest of his life.

“I need to tell you something,” he said, sighing when she tensed again. “And I need you to listen to every word of it.”

Nesta looked up into his eyes, seeing the seriousness there, the pleading. She exhaled a deep breath. “Okay.”

“When I left after college, I thought I was making the right choice,” he began, not looking away from her intense gaze. “To get a job with a high-end law firm… I never thought that would happen for someone like me. And being young, unemployed, and not sure where I was going in life, it was like a miracle handed to me.

“I thought you would follow me. I was so… I was so set on this job, I thought you would see how much I wanted it and would just… upend your life for me.” He shook his head. “I should’ve realized that would’ve been a shitty thing to ask of you. And I should’ve realized it was a mistake to take the job.”

Nesta’s full mouth fell open slightly, eyebrows narrowing in surprise at his words.

“I meant what I said on Christmas Eve,” he breathed, hand releasing her own to come up and stroke her cheek. “I can practice law anywhere. I don’t…” he shut his eyes briefly before opening them again. “I don’t need the job in Illyria. I don’t need the law firm, I don’t need Emerie, I don’t need the recognition it gave me.”

He cupped her face between his hands, staring into the hazy blue gaze. “I need you. I need you, our daughter, this life. I want to wake up to you every day, I want to hear our daughter’s laugh, I want to watch her grow up and I want to keep falling in love with you.” He released a shaky breath. “I have never stopped loving you, Nesta Archeron. And I’m so fucking sorry. I am so sorry that it took me this long to figure it out. I’m sorry that I missed so much of your life, of Amina’s life. And you don’t have to forgive me, but I will spend every day of the rest of my life proving to you that the only things that matter to me are you and our daughter.”

They stood still on the dance floor, couples still dancing around them, but all Cassian could focus on was the woman looking up at him with wide eyes, her face completely open, every emotion he was feeling flickering across her features. He said nothing more, thumbs stroking her strong cheekbones. Her eyes roved over his face almost wildly, and then her mouth parted again, her breath shaking.

“I…” her voice was hoarse. “For the past four years, Cassian, that’s all I wanted to hear.”

His knees threatened to buckle at the relief that flooded through him. He pulled her even closer, forehead resting against hers, noses brushing. “I will say it every day until you believe it. I’m not going anywhere. My home is here. You are here, Amina is here. I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

Tears dropped down Nesta’s cheeks, and he wiped them away, his thumb brushing across her bottom lip.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you, but I want to try,” Nesta whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Cassian couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his lips. “Good enough for me.”

And when he leaned down to kiss her, when she didn’t hesitate to kiss him back, he knew that this was his forever.

—

THREE YEARS LATER

Nesta Archeron-Laskaris often thought about what a whirlwind the last seven years of her life had been. From losing Cassian when he went to Illyria, to finding out she was pregnant, to then trying to deal with a newborn baby that grew into a stubborn, headstrong little girl, her first years out of college were a constant juggling act. But over time, and with help from her family, she went from feeling like she was drowning in a sea of uncertainty and self doubt, to being able to tread water most days. Then Cassian came back for the wedding, and flipped her world around again so she didn’t know which way was up.

A small smile crept onto her lips at the thought of Cassian. Her husband. He’d spent every day of the last three years making up for the time he lost with her, and with Amina. He’d moved back to Velaris permanently about six months after Feyre and Rhys’s wedding and had moved in with her and Amina. They’d had a lot of time to work on their relationship, rebuilding the trust they’d lost when he left. Cassian had started his own law firm in Velaris, and was doing extremely well for himself.

Once they finally felt like they were in a good place, that they’d been able to work through everything that had happened while they’d been apart, he’d gotten down on one knee and asked the question they both knew he’d been waiting to ask for more than a decade. Cassian had made everything perfect, taking her back to their lake spot where they’d made so many memories when they were kids. After he’d proposed he’d laid Nesta down and made love to her under the Velaris starlight, worshipping her body and whispering promises of his commitment and love for her into her skin.

They had a short engagement, wanting to be tied together as soon as humanly possible. The wedding had been about a year ago.

The autumn leaves created the perfect backdrop of red, orange and gold behind the archway Cassian was standing under. Nesta had always wanted a fall wedding, but after Cassian left she never thought she’d get to this point. It shouldn’t have surprised her that Cassian still managed to make every single dream of hers and every promise he’d ever made to her come true.

It was a perfect day for a wedding, not cold enough that the guests would freeze but the air still carried the scent of crisp leaves and fires that Nesta always associated with the season. She watched Amina walk down the aisle, just as she’d done for Feyre and Rhys’s wedding a few years ago, spreading flower petals and smiling at everyone. She’d grown so much in the last few years, and she amazed Nesta and Cassian every day with her intellect and her bright, bubbly personality.

Feyre and Elain followed after Amina, and then suddenly it was Nesta’s turn and all she could see was Cassian. The moment he saw her tears sprang to his eyes, and Nesta could see every single ounce of love and adoration shining in those hazel eyes she loved so much. A single tear slipped down his cheek as Nesta reached him, and she quickly brushed it away before they turned towards the minister.

The ceremony was simple, but neither of them heard a word the minister said. Their eyes were locked on each other, not looking away for a single second until it was time to exchange rings and vows.

As always, Nesta went first.

“Cassian. Our life together hasn’t always been the easiest, but there are very few things I regret because it’s led us here, and given us a beautiful little girl and a wonderful life together. I’ve loved you every single day for twelve years, and I’ll love you every single day of the rest of my life. You’re an amazing father to Amina, you love me more than I deserve, and I thank the gods every day for giving me you. Every day is a new adventure with you, and I can’t wait to see what our future holds.”

Then it was Cassian’s turn. He was visibly emotional, as was Nesta, and he swallowed past the tightness in his throat before speaking.

“I told you a couple years ago that there was nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side. That you were my home. And while I meant it with every fiber of my being then, that had absolutely nothing on how I feel about you now. Everyday I’ve fallen more in love with you, with what an amazing mother, sister, and friend you are, and I know I’m going to keep falling harder for you every day for the rest of my life. I knew at sixteen that you were it for me. My only regret is the time we lost, but I can make peace with that knowing that we’ll be together for the rest of our lives and even beyond that. Because I belong with you, Nesta Archeron, in every single life. Not just this one.”

Then the minister pronounced them husband and wife, and Nesta thought that when Cassian kissed her, she was going to combust right then and there from sheer joy.

Nesta looked out their dining room window, thinking about that day. She’d been doing that a lot in the last week, the news she’d gotten from her doctor making her more nostalgic than normal. She’d told Cassian she couldn’t wait for what their future together held, knowing it would be full of surprises. She just hadn’t anticipated the surprises starting so soon. Although, with Cassian as her husband and her daughter being the spitting image of him, she supposed she should be thankful they didn’t start sooner.

At that moment, she heard the front door open, and Cassian and Amina burst in the kitchen after Cassian went to pick her up from her sleepover at Elain’s. Amina ran over to her mother, throwing herself into Nesta’s lap.

“Hi Mommy!” Amina grinned up at her.

Nesta laughed lightly, pushing Amina’s hair out of her face. “Hi baby. Did you have fun at Aunt Elain’s?”

Amina nodded vehemently. “We had pancakes for breakfast! Uncle Az even let me put whipped cream on them!”

Nesta smiled at her, deciding to ignore the fact that her daughter had eaten that much sugar so early in the day. “I’m glad you had fun. Go put your bag upstairs, okay?”

“Okay!” With that, Amina bolted up the stairs, leaving Cassian and Nesta alone in the kitchen.

Nesta stood up, walking over to Cassian and folding herself into his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“You okay?” He asked, mild concern lacing his tone.

“I’m fine, just missed you,” she replied softly, looking up into his hazel eyes. She gave him a quick kiss then turned to grab a drink out of the fridge. “Hey, while I have you here, will you look at the papers on the table? We both need to sign them but I need you to look them over first,” she said as nonchalantly as she could.

She heard more than saw Cassian make his way over to sit down at the dining room table. “Sure, what are the papers for?”

Nesta deflected quickly, not wanting to give it away. “You’ll know as soon as you read them.”

Cassian shuffled through the papers, and she saw his brows knit together in confusion. “You got the paperwork to change Amina’s last name? I didn’t think we were doing that yet. I know we talked about it, but—” He broke off suddenly, finally noticing what was under the paperwork that he’d just picked up. “Nes, why is there a sonogram picture on the table?”

Nesta let out a soft sob, smiling through her tears as she walked over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “The sonogram is mine. I had an appointment two days ago. I just got the paperwork in the mail this morning, but I figured we should probably do it now, since Amina will probably want to have the same last name as her little brother or sister.”

Nesta had hardly finished her sentence before Cassian had launched himself out of the chair, grabbing Nesta around the waist and spinning her in a circle as they both laughed. He set her down and rested his forehead against hers, tears already running down his face. “You’re pregnant? Seriously?”

Nesta nodded quickly, wiping her eyes. “Seven weeks yesterday.”

“We’re having a baby,” Cassian whispered, eyes alight with wonder and love.

“We’re having a baby,” Nesta echoed.

Cassian kissed her, pouring all his love for her into the kiss. When he finally pulled back, breathing heavily, he looked into the steely, gray-blue eyes of the love of his life, the mother of his children, and said “I love you, Nesta.”

Nesta brushed his lips with hers and whispered back, “I love you too.”

@werewolffprince @schmlip-scribble @justgiu12 @westofmoon @legallyhermione @love-is-a-contradiction @shyvioletcat @oversizedbats @superspiritfestival @ladywitchling @disgreisful @empress-ofbloodshed @lovemollywho @highqueenofelfhame @rocky99 @sayosdreams @mynewdreamwasyou @whydoineedtowriteanamehere @charincharge @sjm-things @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @queenestarcheron @julemmaes @littlehoneyybee @throne-of-crescent-roses @sleeping-and-books @agentsofsheilds @that-golden-lyre @swankii-art-teacher @nessiantho @soveydaaaaaa @mythicaitt

#holiday surprise #holiday surprise 5 #hs5 #nessian #starseternalnighttriumphant x empire-of-wildfire

97 notes · View notes