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lovee-infected · 3 years

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hi hi!!! i love your vil analysis post!! just wondering though...why does vil force epel to do traditionally “cute, feminine” things. i get that it’s, like, to counter neige for the vdc, but it kind of goes against vil’s ideology? like, how i see it, vil advocates for people to express themselves how they want without being bound by gender roles. i feel like if epel tried forcing his manliness ideology onto other people, he’d be justified in his “forcing epel to do cute things” plan, but i don’t think epel has ever shamed feminine guys? he just wants to be manly himself. could this be an allusion to how the evil queen turned ugly just to fulfill her goals? vil going against his core ideals and becoming “ugly” just to win?

Glad you enjoyed it dear! As for your question, I believe that'll be better if I go into details because I've seen many asking similar questions regarding chapter 5, and I guess that's causing some misunderstandings towards both Vil and Epel. Well, we're soon getting the rest of the Pomefiore Chapter, so I guess it's the best time for an analysis on Epel and Vil's relationship and how Chapter 5 has been going so far

First off, let me state something really really important about the Pomefiore chapter, this arc has got pretty wild spirits that are quite new compared to the previous chapters. We've got Neige, the first RSA character to appear as a real rival of a NRC student, Vil and Epel's rough relationship, Ace and Deuce joining MC on the new adventure once again and finally, the VDC: an event with is potentially important to not only the whole NRC but also Twisted Wonderland!

While all fans are surely excited to see what we'll be going through next, there are quite a few of misunderstandings and wrong interpretations that are considerably important regarding the Pomefiore chapter. In order to avoid possible dramas and more misinterpretions between the fans, let's try to take a better look at this Chapter and important Pomefiore hints that we've got so far:

(1)Epel's feelings; the most important element of chapter 5

One of the quite brilliant facts about Chapter 5, is the unique presence of characters and their roles in the story. This might seem quite unrecognizable, but right now Epel's appearance is effecting the audience way more than Vil's! This arc is mainly focusing on making the audience feel his pain and hard time, and I can say that they're doing it pretty well! We'll talk about how his feelings are being presented in part (6). Now, you may wonder why his feelings are so important in the Pomefiore arc? Isn't it supposed to be mostly about Vil? Well of course, the story is most likely leading us to Vil's overblot so he's the heart of this chapter, but the important thing is too see how crucial Epel's role is here. Watching how Epel is in pain, silenty crying and forced into doing something that he doesn't want to by Vil is savagely effecting this fandom's interpretation of Vil, some are commenting on how he's the worst or how horrible he is or hundreds of not really friendly critiques which is awfully frustrating... We'd continue to talk about this point in part (5)!

(2) Epel's relationship with Vil

Let's review what we've got through the side stories. To begin with, Epel obviously doesn't really like Vil, (I'm trying to cooperate and not say that he hates him) he didn't appreciate having him as the dorm leader from the very beginning. But he's got some strong reasons to dislike Vil so we can't really blame him:

1)Vil slapped him all of a sudden just because of his poor posture at the dinner table 2)Vil almost crashed Epels head between his hands while teaching him some manners 3)Vil's idealistic are just the opposite of Epel's 4)Vil is trying to change Epel, especially during chaptet 5. It sometimes feels like Vil is treating Epel like his puppet and Epel doesn't appreciate this all.

At the end of his SR lab story Epel stated how he's going to study his hardest in magic and potions, so maybe at some point he'd beat Vil, which goes to prove that he considers Vil a rival.

"Why is it so though? Isn't this pretty risky for Epel to challenge Vil, especially as Vil is a dorm leader and Epel's just a first year who's still an amateur at magic?"

Farewell, let me mention something about Epel, he's got a really strong will to the point of not giving up until proving everyone wrong. He's often looked down on, is called to be useless and dumb, and is sometimes insulted for being innocent and naïve. True, he still has a lot he needs to learn and he's aware, but he won't take being underestimated easily.

Just look at him! He's been raised in a farm and he still found his way to this school filled with stunning students coming from noble families while Epel is a simple country boy! He proved the point to us once again in his lab coat story where Crewel gave him an impossible task just to push him into giving up and coming to apologize afterwards. When Epel realized that he was just tricked by Crewel, he felt quite frustrated and started to cry, yet he didn't give up and used his personal experiments and what he'd learned back in his farm life and paved his road to success and impressing everyone including Crewel!

This is why he isn't backing up now, he doesn't want and isn't going to lose to Vil. Another important reason might be how Vil seems to have control over Epel, his manners, his attitude, the way he looks and basically, the person Epel is. Epel has indirectly said that Vil may be currently bounding his actions and life, but someday this will change. He mentioned similar lines several times and you can see he really has a strong will to prove everyone, especially Vil, that he's not a cute apple boy to sit still and look pretty. And if he's been waiting for the right time to stand against Vil, chapter 5 has got it. In part (7) you'll see why.

(3)What is happening in chapter 5?

Okay before we continue, let's just focus on what we've got in Pomefiore chapter: This year's vocal and dance championship has an unbelievable amount of media focused on it , because two of the world-famous influencers,Vil Schoenheit & Neige Leblanche, are joining. Both are great influencers and talented designers, but recently Neige has been getting really popular through the social media and TV, thus Vil realizes that the time to face his well-known rival, Neige, has come.

The VDC is no joke to him because hundreds of people are coming to watch this competition between two Celebrities, and his career is surely at risk. If the VDC doesn't go as well as he's planned, that'll be an end to his fame and clout, possibly his whole career! Therefore he has to make sure that nothing is going to ruin his plans for the big day, and that's why he is going to use his ultimate weapon, the red poisoned apple. Note that this isn't just about Vil, it's about protecting NRC's clout against RSA as well, so losing the VDC would seriously effect NRC's picture throughout the whole twisted wonderland. So a really important part of NRC's future is relying on Vil's hands right now.

Look, unlike the previous chapters, Vil's story is about nothing fictional or exaggerated; it's something that's pretty normal to see in real life! Two famous fashion designers joining a competition, both are giving in their best, aren't planning to lose, are going to be awfully strict towards training their models and making sure that nothing would be messed up, and are SERIOUS about winning because losing it to the other side would end in losing their clout and having the reports of their unfortunate fall-down spread worldwide.

Unlike the previous overblots, Vil's strictness and seriousness has NOTHING to do with being evil or crazy, he's just doing what he's supposed to be doing, working his hardest to defend his career. Anyone else who were in Vil's shoes would've done the same, and nothing about it chaotic, heartless or mad. His being pretty strict towards Epel because he's his main hope, Epel is the perfect beauty material and is definitely capable of achieving all the best through the VDC, that's why Vil's counting on him. Just as a fashion designer is strict with training their model, Vil is all serious with his way of couching Epel. And it's just about being professional, not being evil!

(4) It's not about Vil, it's about Epel

This is more of a continuation to part (3), but let's talk seriously about how wrong chapter 5 is being interpreted. "Vil is the worst! Can't he see that Epel doesn't want this?" or "Ew gross! People like Vil who use others for their very own benefits are just horrible" are some of the aggressive comments I've recently heard about how Vil is doing in Chapter 5, which is mainly because of Epel. I mentioned that Epel's feelings are most important element of chapter 5 and this is why!! Vil isn't doing anything that savage or mean but his actions seem to be a lot more appealing to fans due to how Epel's frustration and pain is being focused on. It's not because of Vil, it's because of Epel. Vil had been just the same with Leona back in the fairy gala event and most of the fans considered the story to be much of a comedy, but when Vil's treating Epel just the same way it sounds mean, cruel, harsh and heartless. See what I meant? Epel's presence was crucial to give Vil an evil perspective and make him seem just as bad as Azul or Leona.

I'm not defending his action since Epel as well is surely under a serious pressure. He doesn't even want to be joining the VDC, let alone having to follow all these strict rules that Vil's been teaching him so far. But since Epel forcedly made the deal with Vil and promised to help him for the VDC, there's no turning back now. Vil is counting on him as his very last hope and is putting his hardest of work and effort into training Epel, just like any professional fashion designer would've done.

(5)Vil is NOT the Evil Queen!

As for Vil's biggest difference with the Evil Queen, I must say that Vil does really work his hardest for what he desires. Evil Queen simply wanted Snow White dead while we've got Vil, working his ass off preparing everything for the VDC. He isn't just going to get mad and envies of Neige because his becoming popular, he doesn't want Neige dead either. All Vil has been doing so far was working and working and working and getting to be called cruel and heartless in return, I mean can't you just feel the amount of effort and nerve he's giving into work?

See, a considerable majority of the fandom is exaggerating the story of chapter 5 while Vil hasn't even shown a simple sign of having any ill intentions or evil plans in mind! We don't know what is going to happen i the next episodes but let's say that he hasn't done a single evil thing so far.

Just take a look at previous chapters! Leona was openly planning to unfairly harm and injure other students and Azul fooled nearly 200 students, took away their magic and forced them to work for him in Mostrolounge until they graduate from the very beginning. Heartslabyul and Scarabia weren't as severe as these two but they still did have some sort of a visibly unhealthy aura. Vil's current impression as the villain of chapter 5 is high-kay normal and chill compared to the previous chapters as he literally has done nothing evil so far, NOTHING. Most of the fandom is currently giving him the malicious aura that he doesn't have, or at least he doesn't yet have. Look, Vil's just doing his job. This doesn't even have anything to do with the Evil Queen! Also, Vil's rival ship with Neige has nothing to do with beauty, it's about fame, net-worth and popularity.

We don't know if he'd come up with any ill plans or serious intentions to harm Neige or anyone else in the new episodes, but his current impression in nothing more than going hard on Epel as his coach which is just being overly exaggerated by the fandom. A real life fashion designer would've done JUST the same thing! I know that this story is most likely going to end in Vil's overblot and him revealing his inner villain but come on, he hasn't done anything horrible so far!

(6)How Epel is being presented through Chapter 5

This point is the cause of many misunderstandings and confusions regarding Chapter 5, many find the context of Epel being forced to do what he doesn't like so cruel, some on the other hand are confused becaused Vil has clearly stated that his terms of beauty are gender neutral, so why would he force Epel to do these in the first place? As I said before, it's because of Epel, not Vil.

When it comes to perspectives on beauty, Epel's idealistics are just the opposite of Vil's. Look, Epel hates being mistaken with a girl or being considered soft and cute, this is something that has been bothering him for quite a long time. Being misgendered because of his appearance all over his life has had some negative effects on his perspective toward anything cute or feminine, as it just reminds him as how he often gets misunderstood because of his unwanted appearance and cuteness. Epel is awfully similar to Deuce and wants nothing more than getting to reveal the manliness he's holding within, through not only tastes but also abilities.

This is why he's been feeling quite uncomfortable in chapter 5 because Vil's basically pushing him into doing what he hates the most, looking cute and, well, something that Epel would consider feminine. The thing is, Vil does not consider stuff like 'Being able to sing beautifully, performing eye-catching movements voice, wearing stunning clothes and applying makeup' feminine at all, to Vil these are gender neutral terms of beauty and he doesn't get why Epel might consider them girlish or feminine either. Epel's comment on not wanting to do girlish things sounded naïve and low key rude to Vil because beauty isn't bound to being male or female, and he doesn't appreciate the idea of these works being called girlish at all.

This is neither Epel nor Vil's fault, it's just the difference in idealistics.

(7) Vil's on thin ice right now

Let me tell you a secret, 'choosing Epel to become the red poisoned apple wasn't an accidental act AT ALL'. Vil has been watching over Epel ever since he entered NRC and this is why he was so strict about changing this "Mudded potato" into a well-behaved Pomefiore student. Vil knew Epel's name and had discussed his case with Rook right at Epel's first day, and this is why he treated Epel so harshly at the dinner table because his plan to turn Epel into his red poisoned apple had already begun. He was preparing Epel from the very beginning and was just expecting the big day to arrive, the day he'd need Epel to defeat his rival, Neige.

Remember that I said how Epel's been waiting for a chance to stand against Vil and how Chapter 5 would be his BEST opportunity to do this? Before we explain this point, let's have a review on how Vil has been effecting and changing him so far. During his first days in NRC, Epel was more comfortable with shouting, fighting and opposing to other students including Vil. He used to disagree until Vil slapped him but now in Chapter 5, he doesn't even say a word when Vil tells him to do something, he just silently obeys as tears fall from his eyes. He no longer fights back as much as he used to.

But right now, Vil's career, status and future is bound to Epel. Vil has been working harder than ever trying to turn him into the Red poisoned Apple he's been expecting him to become, and if Epel backs up or decides to ruin the show and stop letting Vil have control over him, that'll seriously make Vil explode. And if you think that Vil deserves to be hurt like this, I gotta say that he doesn't, he seriously doesn't deserve this after all he's been going through. Just imagine being on Gil's shoes, how would you feel about having the result of all that hard work and effort you've given into work for YEARS ruined like this? Look, we need to judge this situation nonetheless, even is you don't really like Vil it's important to realize the unfairness of this possible future to the story.

Epel now has the opportunity to BREAK Vil like no one has ever done, after all Vil has been going through to coach Epel, teach him manners, change his nature and prepare him for the VDC this would certainly be the worst thing that may happen to him and it'll make him mad, like really really mad. The Vil we've seen through the story so far was nothing more than Vil's normal calm self so we can't even imagine how it might be to see him mad. At this point he won't be bound to any manners or consderations, and keep this in mind: "We won't like it when Vil is evil, and we can't imagine how evil he can be,"

I'm honestly so excited and terrified at the same time to see what we'll get to see in the rest of the Pomefiore chapter, the atmosphere is so nerve-wrecking right now and I can't help but to pray that the rest of this story doesn't traumatize us as much as it can- “Yana please, have mercy on us”

#Twst #twisted wonderland #Twst x reader #twisted Wonderland x reader #vil Schoenheit #Vil Schoenheit x reader #epel felmier #epel felmier x reader #rook hunt #Pomefiore #character analysis

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arcanadreams · 3 years

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If you’ve played Chapter 12 of Sweet Elite, then you know what went down. Today I am here to humbly attempt to give us what we all want: A MISTLETOE SCENE WITH THE RIGHT PERSON!! WOO!

ANYWAY, here you go!! I hope you guys enjoy. I’ve only romanced Alistair so some others may be ooc but let’s hope not. Putting these under a cut because I’m assuming this is gonna get long!

Alistair:

As soon as he got back with your punch, the crowd around you guys started giggling and pointing. You two just looked at each other and shrugged. That was when they started yelling to kiss.

“What? Why?- Oh.” You finally spotted the mistletoe above the two of you. “There’s a mistletoe, Al! I couldn’t see it behind your head. You’re too tall.” That made both of you laugh.

“Really? Sorry,” he rubbed the back of his neck. The crowd had gotten bored of you both by that point. You took too long, and high schoolers have the attention span of a pigeon.

Having noticed no one was looking anymore, you quickly planted a kiss on Al’s cheek. He turned bright red immediately, holding a hand to his cheek. “What was that for? I mean, I really liked it-”

“The mistletoe!” You beamed at him and he felt like his heart could’ve exploded. He smiled back at you, taking your hand and giving it a squeeze. He was very glad he asked you to the party.

Tadashi:

If you think this man would kiss you in front of a crowd, I’m afraid you are sorely mistaken. I think the most PDA you’d get from Mr. Professional would be him jumping off a bridge after you if you happened to fall off.

So when the crowd starts yelling for him to kiss, he simply rolls his eyes. “That’s not going to happen! Stop shouting, you’ll get us all caught.” A few people called him lame, but no one really had an argument. If y’all didn’t want to kiss, so be it!

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed. You were, like, super disappointed. You had been wanting to kiss this man since Halloween night! That’s two whole months of staring at his lips! And for what!

You were a bit bummed, but the excitement of spending the rest of the party with Tadashi brought your mood back up. You had almost forgotten about the mistletoe incident entirely until he walked you back to your dorm.

“I had a really great time tonight,” you smiled at him. He blushed, returning your happy expression. “So did I...” And then he did something you didn’t expect. He took your hand in his, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing your knuckles. “I apologize for the mistletoe incident...I’d rather kiss you at a time more special than that.”

OH. OKAY COOL. THANKS. You two said goodnight and you blushed all the way until you fell asleep. Nerd.

Raquel:

She catches on to the hype of the crowd, but she doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable or move too fast. She’s about to tell you just that, but when she turns to you she sees that you’re not as hesitant as she assumed you’d be.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for months,” you’re nervous, but so giddy at the prospect of getting to kiss your crush that your feelings just rush out. You didn’t know what you expected Raquel’s response to be, but the huge smile that spread across her face was clearly the best option.

This girl absolutely dips you to give you a kiss. The crowd goes wild. She is milking it. She has spent way too much time with Axel. It’s a really good kiss, though. So good you barely even register the crowd noise.

When you’re both back upright and you pull away, you’ve got stars in your eyes. You’re so happy you feel like your heart could explode right out of your chest.

“Definitely the best party I’ve ever thrown,” Raquel winks at you, and smiles to herself when you burst into flattered laughter. “Agreed.”

Tyler:

Also starts yelling “kiss! kiss!” before realizing that it is, in fact, you two being told to do that. Oh. Well, in that case...

Gives you a really cheesy wink, one that makes you snort, before taking both your hands in his. His expression changes to be really serious. “If you want to kiss, that’s fine by me. More than fine. Awesome, even. But if you don’t want to kiss right now, that’s also cool. Kissing in front of people isn’t for everybody.”

He’s. So. Sweet! Oh my God! “A consent king,” you joke, and the two of you snicker. “But, seriously, I would love to kiss you.” “Really?” He looks absolutely giddy at the prospect. “Really.”

And so you two kissed. It was short, but super sweet. You both smiled through the whole thing. Ahh, you’re too cute! You get a few cheers and hollers from the crowd as you pull away. Tyler has a mind to scream “Thank you!” to both them and the heavens for letting him finally be able to smooch you, but he restrains himself.

“Would you want to do that again?” You ask him when the two of you go back to dancing. “Anytime, anywhere.”

Claire:

Mmm no. This would just not do. A bunch of people yelling at Claire will never do, even if they aren’t being mean. And based on the panicked look on her face, all that commotion is deemed illegal under the “everyone must be nice to Claire at all times” law. You leap into action quickly.

“Hey, hey! Leave us alone! If it’s so important someone kiss, do it yourselves!” You shout over everyone. You get a few boos, but you just roll your eyes and take Claire’s hand, leading her out of the room.

You take her back to your dorm, away from all noise. “How about we just stay here for a while?” You offer. She nods, smiling at you. “Thank you. That was very brave of you to stand up for us like that. I froze up.”

“And that’s perfectly okay. Anyone would have. I just hated seeing you like that; I knew I had to do something.” You sat down next to her, on the edge of your bed. She leaned over and unexpectedly kissed your cheek.

“We may not have had a mistletoe kiss, but I hope that shows my gratitude.” NO ONE PERSON IS ALLOWED TO BE THIS CUTE. You blush and smile, giving her a nod, before the two of you start talking about how excited you are for the group vacation the next day.

Axel:

More annoyed than anything. Since it’s him, there’s even more excitement than there would be if literally anyone else was under the mistletoe. Shuts that shit down immediately.

He glares at the crowd before telling them to calm down and leave you two alone. You’re torn between sad you didn’t get to kiss him and happy all the peer pressure to do so is gone.

Honestly, after that Axel doesn’t seem that into the party. You feel bad. Was it your fault? I mean, probably not...but maybe you could’ve handled it better? Hm...

“You wanna get out of here?” He offers, knocking you out of your thoughts. You agree, and you both head to his dorm. “You seemed out of it back there,” he observes.

“I was just...worried I did something wrong and upset you,” you twiddled your thumbs, looking at the floor. Suddenly his shoes were in your view, and he was standing right in front of you.

“I don’t think you could ever upset me,” he puts a hand on your shoulder as you look up, squeezing gently. “I was just mad at everyone there for pressuring you. I didn’t want to be in the same room as them anymore. I never want you to be uncomfortable like that. I’m used to large crowds screaming at me, but I don’t want you to have to be.”

“So it wasn’t me? Or that you didn’t want to kiss me?” “God, no,” he replied instantly, no hesitation needed. “I’d love to kiss you. Just not with all those people around.” “Well...what about right now?”

Take a guess what happens sjdssgffkdsfj

Karolina:

Completely immune to peer pressure from anyone she doesn’t respect. All the shouting has practically no effect on her. Her reaction is similar to Axel’s, except far more subdued.

“Oh, stop it. It’s not happening,” she pinches the bridge of her nose in a move that kind of reminds you of Tadashi. Those two do tend to have similar body language. Not wanting to deal with the ice queen’s wrath, as well as seeing that no kiss was coming, people lose interest.

“Sorry about that,” Karol says, when you two move to chat in the corner over punch. “It’s no problem! You handled it just as gracefully as I assumed you would.” If there is one compliment she wasn’t expecting, it was to be called “graceful” for dispersing a crowd. She loved it. She was blushing before she even realized it.

“What? It’s true,” you smirked as you took a sip of punch. She looked away, trying futilely to hid her burning cheeks. “Plus, I think first kisses are better when they’re in a more romantic setting. Maybe we’ll get to do that someday?”

Karol lifts her punch to her mouth, seemingly trying to hide in a dignified way, before locking eyes with you. “If you’re lucky,” she replied, smiling despite herself.

Tegan:

Ew. Not a fan of all the peer pressure going on here. Glared at the gathering crowd. “Stop that. Leave us alone.” He was a whole lot more stern than usual! You knew he could be like that when he was especially upset or passionate, especially after what happened at Faxion.

“Why don’t we go?” You suggested, voice soft. He sighed and agreed. You took his hand in yours, and he quickly intertwined you guys’ fingers as you left the room. You both decided to head to his dorm to get away from the chaos.

“Sorry,” he looked a bit skittish when you arrived. “What are you saying sorry for? You handled that well! You showed major guts out there!” You smiled at him, sitting down on one of the bean bags. He sat down next to you on the carpet, blushing at your praise.

“Thanks. I just...I really wanted everything to go perfectly at that party. It’s important to me that tonight goes well.” He looked into your eyes, clearly worried he had ruined your night.

“Tegan, literally any time spent with you is perfect. We could be doing math homework right now and I’d still be ecstatic. As long as I get to spend it with you, no matter where, tonight will be my favorite I’ve spent on campus.”

Oop- was that too much? You couldn’t tell. You were about to apologize when Tegan surged forward and hugged you. Oh. Looks like it wasn’t. “You’re the best, Y/N.”

Neha:

Freezes up when everyone starts demanding you two kiss. It’s not like she doesn’t want to, just...not now! She gives you a bit of a deer in the headlights look while you both desperately look for a way out of the situation.

Spending a night with your crush has absolutely fried your brain, so you do the first thing that comes to mind. Point at something shiny. “Whoa! Look at that!” You point towards the window, at nothing in particular, in hopes your peers will think you actually saw something. To your surprise, the majority of people fell for it! Maybe their brains were fried, too. Probably from finals.

Neha can’t stop herself from laughing at your awful plan, continuing to giggle as the both of you make your escape. You guys go back to her room, closing the door behind you before collapsing into another fit of laughter.

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t think of anything else! I just wanted to get you out of there!” You wipe a tear from your eye as you both begin to recover your breath.

“I don’t know how that worked,” the girl next to you rolled her eyes. “But I’m very happy it did.” She lifted your still-joined hands, kissing the back of yours. You blushed beet-red. “Thank you, Y/N.”

Ellie:

Making Y/N uncomfortable is illegal. And the crowd yelling at you sure as hell seemed to be making you uncomfortable. So Ellie put her foot down. “Alright, alright! Stop it!” She’d brandish her screwdriver as a weapon if she weren’t still on Arlington property.

But, luckily for her, the crowd dispersed quickly after her outburst. You let out a sigh of relief, and she wrapped an arm around your shoulders. You could feel her concerned eyes looking you over.

“Are you okay, Y/N?” “Yeah. That just made me really nervous. Do you think we could go somewhere quiet?” “Absolutely!” She agreed immediately. “How about we play some Honeydew Valley? Tegan will totally let me borrow his Swatch.” (ajsgaksjdgsj i love coming up with weird names for stuff like they do in-game)

“That sounds great.” God, she always knew just what to do. You loved that about her. After asking Tegan for permission and getting set up in her dorm, you two settled down. You had a whole lot of fun playing together. You mar or may not have even married your farmers in co-op ohohoho...

“Thank you for changing your plans so last minute,” you mumbled as the night got later, your head having rested itself on her shoulder at some unknown point in the gaming session. “No worries, Y/N! Anything is fun when I do it with you.”

“Really?” You lifted your head. “Bet,” she replied, and kissed your nose. You nearly died. “Next time let’s make it a real one, hm?” Okay, then you did die, all while she laughed and beat your farmer at the egg hunt.

#THIS TOOK LIKE TWO HOURS BUT IM DONE #AND SO PROUD WOO #sweet elite #dulcet games #sweet elite headcanons #sweet elite x reader #se #alistair #ellie #tadashi #tyler #raquel #axel #claire #karolina #tegan #neha #my writing

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twstarchives · 4 years

Text

Deuce Spade・Voice Lines

Additional Voice Lines

Star Send-Off Garments event card

Scary Dress event card

School Uniform - R

Unlock Card “An honors student needs to be able to balance both their studies and their club activities.”

Groovy “It’s nice to have friends where you both can lift each other up.”

Home Setting “I’m going to be an honors student.”

Home Transitions “Even now, there are times when I still can’t believe I’m a student at the prestigious Night Raven College.”

“It’s not that I hate the uniforms. It’s just that, uh... in the past, I used to rip my clothes a lot, so wearing them the way they’re supposed to be worn feels uncomfortable.”

“What class do you have next? I’m not that good at doing work... but I try my best because of that.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Are you ready? We’ll be in trouble if the teachers notice we’re late.”

Home Taps “If you haven’t gotten any food yet, want to go together? I recommend getting the cafeteria’s fluffy omelettes.”

“My dream...? Someday I want to become a powerful mage. That’s why I’ve got to study my hardest now.”

“It might seem daunting being in a place you’re not familiar with, but as long as you set your mind to it, things should turn out okay. It’s an experience.”

“Ace ran off somewhere skipping out on his class duties, huh? ...He really is a handful.”

“Stop it, I don’t like being prodded at so much. ...Hey, are you sure you heard me?”

PE Uniform - R

Unlock Card “I feel really sure about my strength. If you don’t believe me, wanna test it out?”

Groovy “You can’t be a mage unless you’ve got muscles! ...That’s what Coach Vargas told us.”

Home Setting “I gotta show off the best sides of me.”

Home Transitions “Moving around feels so nice. I also like that you don’t have to think too hard about it.”

“I heard that Jack hates hanging out with people. He never talks during club meetings either, but... weirdly, we hit it off.”

“Flying is actually pretty hard. I thought it’d be something more like riding a Magical Wheel.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Oh, you wanna go for a run together? Alright. I’ll wait here; you can go get changed.”

Home Taps “You’re bored? Then let’s go on a Magical Wheel ride somewhere... er, I forgot we’d need permission to go off-campus.”

“I was in charge of setting up our landline back home. I hope my mom hasn’t been having trouble with it...”

“Coach Vargas is the supervisor of the Track & Field club. Usually he’s a very passionate, respectable teacher, but when he gets started talking about muscles, he’s kind of...”

“Mud stains usually won’t come off on their own, so you need to hand-wash them before putting them in the washing machine. ...Everyone knows this kind of stuff, right?”

“...Hey! You don’t have to keep poking me; if there’s somewhere you wanna go, I’ll come with you.”

Lab Coat - SR

Unlock Card “There’s a lot of things I don’t know yet. I’m going to learn everything I can little by little.”

Groovy “I’ve made more progress since yesterday! ...I think.”

Home Setting “Alright. I’m gonna put in all I’ve got!”

Home Transitions “The stench of this potion I messed up won’t come off me... I smell like I just stepped out of a medicine box.”

“Diamond saw the grade I got on my test earlier. He wouldn’t stop laughing at it...”

“How is Grim able to hold that thin test tube with his paws? It’s a mystery.”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Oh, glad you’re here. I was just thinking I’d like to take a break for a while. Want to walk with me to the Botanical Garden?”

Home Transition (Groovy) “I’m not good at studying. I wouldn’t want to do it if I had the option, but... I can’t run away. I’ve made up my mind.”

Home Taps “It’s nice there’s always something new to learn in our classes. ‘Cause when I was in middle school, I, uh... was absent a lot... ‘cause of this and that...”

“I promise I’m not that awkward, but when people are saying so many things at once, I start freaking out.”

“The best thing I can cook are fried eggs. They can be really complex if you’re picky about them. I like mine over-easy.”

“If you’re stuck on a problem, you should ask Professor Crewel for help. He’ll explain it to you for hours until you completely understand it.”

“Huh?! Did I say something wrong!? ...Oh, it’s nothing? Don’t scare me like that.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “Listen to this! I got some nice feedback on my test just now! It’s thanks to you studying with me earlier.”

Ceremony Robes - SR

Unlock Card “I can’t afford to look away. ‘Cause I’m going to become a powerful mage!”

Groovy “This is the pride of a student of Night Raven College.”

Home Setting “You want to hang out with me? You’ve got a good eye.”

Home Transitions “This academy is way too big! It’d be so much easier if we could move between classrooms through a mirror like how we get to our dorms.”

“Where are you going? Seriously... A teacher will yell at you again if you just wander off for no reason.”

“I’m going to study lots of things, and memorize lots of spells, and then someday I’ll... Ah, it’s exciting, isn’t it?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Every time I wear these ceremony robes, I think about the entrance ceremony, and how nervou——er, ahem!”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Hey, could we take a picture together? I think it’d put my mom at ease too if she saw I made a friend.”

Home Taps “Night Raven College is a prestigious school anyone would kill to get into. The fact that I’m here is a huge honor.”

“Clover knows so much about everything, and he’s so dependable... I want to be like that someday too.”

“The ceremony robes represent this school. It makes sense that they added this classy embroidering so that other schools can’t make light of us.”

“People say that the amount of magic power you can have is determined at birth. But you wouldn’t have any at all without working hard for it in the first place.”

“Hey, don’t get a single speck on these clothes, alright? My ceremony robes are important to me.”

Home Tap (Groovy) “When I see you, someone who can’t even use magic, trying your best at this academy... it makes me not want to lose either.”

Dorm Uniform - SSR

Unlock Card “I’ll become a committed man, just like a card soldier. That’s what I made up my mind to do.”

“Common sense doesn’t work at our dorm. You need to be prepared.”

Groovy “I would never abandon my friends. You can count on me!”

Home Setting “How are you? Have you gotten a little more adjusted here?”

Home Transitions “Does this outfit look good on me? I’ve never worn something like this before, so I feel a little awkward.”

“Just between you and me... I still feel kinda uncomfortable with the dorm’s tea parties. I’m not used to fancy things like that.”

“Trust me with playing croquet! So you just swing as hard as you can, right?”

Home Transition (Login Greeting) “Be careful not to break any of the Queen of Hearts’ rules. Especially not when you’re on Heartslabyul.”

Home Transition (Groovy) “Isn’t it lonely being at the Ramshackle Dorm by yourself? ...Huh? Oh, my bad. By yourself with one animal.”

Home Taps “Heartslabyul’s rules are strict, but a lot of them really do benefit you. ...Probably.”

“I swear my loyalty to this dorm, just like a card soldier. ...That’s what this button is supposed to mean. It’d be bad if I lost it, huh?”

“That force Dorm Leader Rosehearts has when he gets angry...! He’s a dorm leader alright—he’s not like anyone else.”

“Ace always cheats me when we play card games together, so they’re not fun. If I could just see through his trick...”

“Oh, actually, I’m in the mood to just go off and something too. Let’s go conquer the rose maze!”

Home Tap (Groovy) “If you were in Heartslabyul, it’d be a lot more... Nevermind. The Ramshackle Dorm really does suit you well, though. Haha...”

Duo Magic Deuce: “Ace! We’re gonna teach these guys a lesson!” Ace: “There it is—Deuce’s tough guy talk!”

Tutorial “Now, it’s starting.”

Lv Up “Alright, I think I did well.”

“Yeah, I feel like I got something.”

“I don’t wanna lose to anyone.”

Max Lv Up “I’ve never had anyone join me for intensive training as persistently as you have. I feel like I’ve been steadily making progress ever since I met you.”

Episode Lv Up “Heh... You and I are BFFs. ...Huh? ‘What does BFF mean’? You don’t know? Um... b... best friends, like... really close friends... Nevermind!”

Magic Lv Up “Heh... Maybe a day will come soon where I can start summoning something other than cauldrons.”

Limit Break “It’ll reflect badly on my role as a honor student if I don’t live up to your expectations.”

Groovy “My power is surging through my whole body. This is what it feels like to advance, huh?”

Lesson Select “You’re going to class, right? Let me know if you need anything. I don’t know if I’d be able to help you with your work, though...”

“C’mon, if you take your time choosing, you’ll be late to class. Let’s hurry to the classroom.”

“You just have to jump in and give it your all for whichever class you take. Make sure you’re ready for them.”

Lesson Start “Alright, let’s get started!”

Lesson End “It’s finally over. There’s a lot we have to remember.”

Battle Start “I’ll take you on all at once!”

Battle End “You see? This is the difference between our resolves.”

Other

Profile Quote “Today we’re having an Unbirthday Party. It’ll be off with our heads if we’re late.”

January 2020 Trailer “Hurry up and get over here. If you’re late to the tea party, you’ll lose your head.”

Countdown Poster “I’ll become a committed man, just like a card soldier. That’s what I made up my mind to do.”

Login Bonus “It’s important to just put in a little effort everyday. You know what they say—from little acorns mighty oaks grow.”

Player Birthday Wish “Oi, I heard it’s your birthday today. Don’t be a stranger; you should just tell me. I want to give my friends a huge celebration for their birthdays. Come on, I’ll get you something from the cafeteria.”

Valentine’s Day Gift Letter (2021)

These letters were originally in English. I didn’t translate or edit them in any way. They came with official merch from Aniplex, and are not present in-game.

Friend, Thank you for the present. You surprised me a bit with that since we don’t often get chances to give our classmates gifts. I’m so happy! Today is going to be a great day. I’ll thank you again when I see you in class later!

#twisted wonderland #deuce spade #voice lines

218 notes · View notes

sincerelyella · 3 years

Text

RAMifications Chapter 6 - Breathe

Book: The Royal Romance (AU)

Pairings: Liam x MC (Ella)

Song Inspiration: Breathe by Faith Hill

Characters belong to Pixelberry; MC Ella Brooks belongs to me.

A/N: The entire idea for this series came from @burnsoslow and her unBEARable series featuring her OTP Drake and Alyssa. This is Ella’s backstory and how she met the love of her life King Liam of Cordonia and became his Queen.

Kind of a filler chapter, I guess it was necessary though..?

Catch up here

Warnings: None really

Words: 1943

“What in the hell is going on?” Standing at the door was King Constantine, his guard Bastien, and Queen Regina, who just gave Liam a sympathetic smile.

“F-father,” Liam was taken aback at his father’s harsh tone, even more so at the fact that all of them were standing there at his front door. Constantine pushed his way inside his son’s quarters, his feet stomping on the hardwood floors. Regina quietly followed behind him and patted Liam on the shoulder.

“Why did no one tell me that House Beaumont’s young lady has backed out?” The King’s voice boomed and could be heard throughout every room.

Liam looked at his father’s guard Bastien and gave him a look. Bastien gave him a tight smile, bowed his head and closed the door while staying outside.

Liam cleared his throat and turned. “Father, House Beaumont has a lady they will be sponsoring.”

Constantine turned to face his son. “Oh? And why weren’t we informed of this change, Liam?” The King gave him a pointed look. “I know the social season isn’t something you were … agreeable to. But this is tradition,” his face softened looking at his son. “Liam, you need a queen to rule alongside you.”

Bertrand appeared next to Constantine and spoke before Liam could respond. “Your Majesties,” he bowed. “So sorry to blindside you with this situation. House Beaumont does have a young lady we are sponsoring. She is here if you would like to meet her.”

“Yes, we would both like that, Duke Ramsford. Please lead the way,” Regina spoke up for the first time since walking into the room.

Liam, Regina and Constantine followed Bertrand into the living area where Ella and Maxwell were waiting.

“Lady Ella,” Bertrand widened his eyes while he faced her, gave Ella a stern look and mouthed ‘curtsy’ before speaking again. “This is His Majesty King Constantine, and Her Majesty Queen Regina of Cordonia,” Bertrand turned to the King and Queen. “Your Majesties, this is Lady Ella of House Beaumont.”

“Your Majesties,” Ella curtsied as low as she could.

Regina stepped forward and wrapped a warm hand around Ella’s. “It’s so nice to meet you, my dear,” she said softly.

“You as well, ma’am.”

“Lady Ella,” Constantine took in the woman in front of him, then softly smiled at her. “It’s a pleasure meeting you. You’re American?”

Ella nodded. “Yes sir, I’m from California.”

“Ahh California,” the King looks up wistfully. “Liam’s late mother and I went there for a business event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. It was a conference that supported world trade and investment,” he looks back towards Ella and his face takes on a more serious expression. “What are your thoughts on world trade, Lady Ella?”

He’s testing me. She looked at the King, held his gaze and swallowed the lump in her throat. “World trade is definitely vital for economic growth, sir. With the size and shape of the economy changing considerably in recent years, established patterns of trading have had to change along with it,” she paused briefly to take in the King’s expression, which was pure astonishment. Ella took a deep breath in and continued. “The challenge is to essentially make sure that the regulatory framework keeps up with modern times.”

Regina smiled wide at Ella and winked. Constantine, Liam, Bertrand and Maxwell’s eyes were all wide, mouths open in shock. “Ah … well said, Lady Ella,” the King finally responded.

The queen, still smiling, spoke up. “Lady Ella, what did you do in California before coming here?”

“I was going to school at UCLA, ma’am, for my bachelor’s degree in nursing. My ... parents wanted me to major in something other than history and political science.”

Regina’s eyebrows went up. “They didn’t like that you majored in those subjects?”

“They wanted me to pursue a degree much like my grandmother, mother, and aunt who are all nurses.”

“So,” Constantine’s voice carried through the room. “You’re here for the study abroad program then?”

Ella made eye contact with Liam and he gave her a small nod. “I initially came to Cordonia for a study abroad program, yes sir, and interned in the children’s hospital for six weeks,” she smiled at the memory of her taking care of those little patients. “It was a rewarding experience. I fell in love with your country and made arrangements to study at Cordonia University.”

Regina looked pleased by Ella’s answer, Constantine had a blank look on his face. “That sounds amazing, I’m so glad you love Cordonia,” she looked up at her husband. “Isn’t that right, dear?” She elbowed Constantine in the side.

He flinched, then looked around and met all gazes in the room before speaking. “Yes … yes quite right. Very glad.” He gave Ella a small smile and cleared his throat. “The Queen and I have a meeting to attend, everyone,” the King turned to Liam and clapped him on the shoulder. “Son, we’ll see you in Applewood.”

Liam nodded. “Yes, I’ll see you then.”

Constantine turned back to Ella. “Lady Ella, again, it was a pleasure to meet you. We shall see you in Applewood as well.”

“Yes sir, I’ll see you there.” Regina nodded to everyone and murmured her goodbyes. The King and Queen walked towards the door and let themselves out of the apartment. As soon as they left all eyes turned to Ella in a silent question.

“Why are you guys looking at me like that?” Ella chuckled, knowing exactly why they were staring.

“You know about trade and investment? And you’re studying to be a nurse? Isn’t that, like, almost being a doctor?” Maxwell babbled. “Then how come you were delivering flowers? And wh-”

“No, we’re not even close to being doctors, Max,” Ella interrupted as she giggled.

“You’re so smart,” he stared down at her, marveled at his new best friend.

Ella hated having to try and sell herself to people she didn’t know. Guess I’ll be doing that regularly now. “Why is everyone so surprised anyway? I took a few classes on international trade and economic diplomacy back home and that’s how my political science degree happened.”

“You’re full of surprises, Lady Ella,” Liam smiled, stepped towards her and leaned down to place a quick kiss on her lips. “My Father and Regina were impressed with you.”

Before she could respond, Bertrand cleared his throat. “Yes Lady Ella, that was an … appropriate answer. Perhaps there’s hope for you yet. Maxwell and I will escort you to your room.” He looks at Liam and bowed. “Your Highness, we will see you in a couple of days.”

Liam nodded with a small smile. “Yes, thank you,” he looks down at Ella, then turns to the two men. “Can you please give us a moment alone?”

Maxwell and Bertrand nod and let themselves out of the quarters.

Liam wrapped his large hands around Ella’s waist and pulled her up to meet his lips. She felt his smile get bigger as the kiss lingered. His arms wrapped around her and she sighed happily, melting into his embrace; not even noticing that her feet were high off the floor. They finally parted and grinned at each other.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since you walked through the door,” he murmured. His words gave her goosebumps all over her body. “You’re really doing this,” he whispered, almost in awe, as he ran a finger along her cheek. Liam said it somewhat out loud, more so to himself than to Ella. He was still on cloud nine, he couldn’t believe she would willingly would join in the middle of the social season just to be with him. Not for a crown, not for power, not for wealth … but for him.

“Yes, I am.” She bit her lip and gazed up at him. “You’re … still wanting this?”

God yes! ”I still want this, Ella,” He leaned down to kiss her, urgently now, not like the soft, lingering kiss he gave her earlier. He pulled away, set her back on her feet and rested his forehead on hers. “You have no idea how much I want this,” he whispered.

She grinned wide. “Then I guess I’ll see you at Applewood then, Your Highness.”

“Who knows … maybe you’ll see me sooner than that,” he winked and reluctantly loosened his arms around her, his hands lingering on her waist. “You should go, Bertrand gets impatient.”

Ella nods, quickly places her hand on his cheek and walks out of the apartment.

Bertrand made eye contact with Ella as she slipped out the door and he began to walk. Maxwell dragged Ella’s suitcases behind him and flashed her a cheesy smile. She followed both of them with wide eyes as they walked through yet another hallway in the palace. The trio arrived at a door and Bertrand turned the knob and pushed it open.

“Alright, let’s go over some things, Lady Ella,” he turned to look at her while she flopped onto the bed with Maxwell. “We leave for Applewood Manor in a matter of days. You will be watched by not only the King and Queen but also by the other suitors and the press. I have arranged for you to do an interview with them before we leave. That way, they can get to know you and be able to tell the people your story.”

“When is the interview?”

“Tomorrow afternoon!” Maxwell bounced on the bed next to her. “I’m going to help you find something to wear. We need to make sure that the press and the people know who Lady Ella is,” he grinned wide at her when he took in her stunned face. “It’ll be fine! We got you!”

Bertrand frowned. “Yes, well … that remains to be seen. We need you to show the press that you’re competent in matters of the court; especially with trade deals and tariffs the King and Prince Liam will be negotiating with other countries.” He eyed her carefully. “Especially if you are to be queen someday, you will need to know these things.”

Ella blew out a breath. “I understand.”

“We will let you get some sleep then, Lady Ella. Be up bright and early tomorrow and we’ll go over things for the interview. Have a good evening.” Bertrand gave her a curt nod and turned to walk out of the room.

“Goodnight, Ella!! I’ll see you in the morning!” Maxwell gave her a quick hug.

“Goodnight, Max!”

The men left and closed the door behind them. Ella looked around the room, took in every detail. From the plush bedspread with gold embroidery, to the enormous bed frame, the impossibly high ceiling with the diamond encrusted chandelier in the middle of it. This is a little much. Will I ever get used to all of it?

Ella never thought in a million years she would be sitting in a palace, falling for a prince. A literal Prince Charming. Thinking about Liam got her feeling giddy, like a kid in a candy shop. She never, ever felt that way with Ethan. Not even a little bit. That has to mean something.

A knock on her door had her swiftly turning head away from her phone and towards the sound. She walked over and opened it quickly with a smile on her face, thinking it was Maxwell or Liam. The smile faded when she saw who was on the other side.

“Your Majesty?”

King Constantine looked down at her, lips tucked between his teeth. “Lady Ella. Might I have a word?”

#RAMifications #Liam x MC #Liam x Ella #trr fanfic #trr fandom #trr #trr choices #choices trr #choices the royal romance #choices liam x mc #choices trr au #choices liam #pixelberry #play choices #the royal romance #the royal romance fandom #the royal romance fanfic #the royal romance au

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dany-is-my-queen · 4 years

Text

Born To Be Yours | Part II

Sansa Stark x Fem! Baratheon! Reader (Daenerys Targaryen x Fem! Baratheon! Reader eventually)

Season 1-8

Word Count: 1,795

Note: I’m back!!!

Part 1 here Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.6 Pt.7 Pt.8 Pt.9

“You shouldn’t interfere when it’s none of your business.” Joffrey was still angry with you.

“Don’t mess with the ladies and we’ll be in peace.” You calmly said.

“Always so honorable... the hero saving the day.” Your mother mocked.

“Why you say it like that, mother? I would do it over again, you are so heartless and extreme about little matters.” You rolled your eyes.

“You don’t care about your brother's honor. That’s the real reason you defended those pathetic girls.” She spat.

“I do care about him. It’s the other way around. You are a pampered kid. You should start acting more like a man, Joffrey.” And with that you left his room.

“May I come in, princess?” The sweet voice of the oldest Stark daughter rang. You were on just a pair of trousers, definitely not wearing proper clothes to be talking to her.

“Of course, my lady. Just give me a second, please.” You put on a dress. “Let her in.”

“I wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior. You saved my wolf’s life, I’ll be forever thankful, my princess.”

“It was the right thing to do. I would have preferred her to stay by your side, though.”

“She’ll find a new home. I hope she returns to the north, where she belongs.” You gave her a soothing smile. “Does prince Joffrey hates me?” She asked sadly.

“No no, he is just a bit... irritating and gets easily offended. But it’s not personal, my lady. You are promised to him so with time your relationship will evolve.”

“I hope so. I’ll leave you to enjoy your evening, my princess.”

“Lady Sansa, if you need someone to talk to you can always come to me. You and your sister. I pray for your little brother to wake up. She nodded.

“You are very kind.”

~~~~~~

“Did you found a suitable candidate up in the North, niece?” Uncle Renly asked with a droll voice.

“I met a boy... very good looking and a gentleman but he wasn’t my type. He’s the eldest son of Lord Eddard.”

“Sounds quite the man.”

“We didn’t have the chance to get closer so I’ll forget about him.” You might never see him again after all.

“Princess Y/N, what can I do for you?” The tall man greeted.

“I haven’t had the chance to thank you, my lord, for accepting to be the new hand. I know it was a difficult choice to make, leaving your home. My father really needs you. He lacks of loyal friends and I believe you’ll be very helpful around here.”

“Oh, I will do my best not to let Robert down.” He smiled.

“A raven came this morning. I- I forgot to deliver it earlier, my lord hand.” Maester Pycelle said with his usual stutter and left.

“Good news?”

“My Princess! I didn’t expect to see you.” A voice that didn’t please you stated.

“Lord Baelish.” You faked a perfect smile.

“Lord Stark, perhaps you’ll like to share the news with your wife.”

“She’s on Winterfell.”

“Is she?”

“I won’t tell my mother. Lord Baelish knows I can keep a secret. Can I join you?” The relation you had with Petyr was not the best. He informed you of things your parents won’t share with you. Despite that you never liked him nor his personality.

“Better not keep her waiting.” You reached his brothel unnoticed.

“I’ll talk to her when you’re done. I’m not a spy. I can be trusted but I prefer to stay out of your business, Lord Eddard.” And it was true. You had no interest in gossiping.

“Thank you.” They entered. Not before he took Baelish and throttle him suspecting this was a trick.

“Lady Catelyn.” You bowed your head.

“Princess Y/N, what a surprise...” She looked at you with dismay.

“It’s fine. I won’t tell a soul. I am glad to hear that little Bran is finally awake. And also, I wanted to let you know that I’ll keep your daughters safe. Now that you both are here I give you my word. My family is complicated and tends to have a reputation. I will look after Lady Sansa and Lady Arya, as long as I can, I promise.” Since the incident with the direwolves you had this enormous feeling of responsibility, deep down you knew their stay in King’s Landing won’t be as enjoyable as they thought. You hoped you were wrong. Prevention was a good idea.

“I will be in your debt, my princess. Knowing this gives me relief. It’s hard to find good people here in the capital.”

“It certainly is. Say hello to Lord Robb from me.” You wished her good travel home but sensed trouble in her.

~~~~~~

“Y/N! Want to spar? I’m so bored and Myrcella is doing lady stuff.” Tommen asked you, holding his little sword.

“That’s not proper for a princess to do and mother doesn’t approve.” Joffrey hissed.

“But father does. We are not useless like yourself, big brother.” You rumpled your brother’s hair. “Let’s go Tommen.” You found Arya in the courtyard with his dancing teacher. “Mind if we join the class?”

“This is Syrio Forel, he is from Braavos.”

“My Princess, my Prince.” He did a small reverence.

“I want to learn how to be a knight!” Tommen said excitedly. After a long time practicing you got tired. Syrio was surprised when he saw the way you wield the wooden blade.

“Natural talent, Princess Y/N.”

“Thank you. My father was the first person that taught me how to properly do it so I can defend myself when there are no guards around. Ser Jaime also instructed me of some techniques.”

“That’s my intent too. Not wearing dresses and attending to councils. I was born for this.” Arya said sure.

“No one will be able to stop you when you are old enough, perhaps not even now.” She grinned.

You could see yourself in this girl, you have a lot in common. She was fearless and didn’t seem to want to marry a lord and live in a castle. You could also see the similarities between Lady Sansa and you. You love to fight and go hunting, use a bow, but you knew how to weave as well, how to properly greet the lords and ladies, and you wished to get married someday. You were a proper daughter, with dignity and manners, your father was always more fond of you, your mother on the other hand... she loved you in her own way, you were the perfect child in everyone’s eyes.

“Lady Sansa, I am happy to know your brother is fine.” You put a hand on her shoulder.

“He won’t be able to walk ever again. But it was a miracle. Thanks for your prayers.” She answered.

“Would you like to visit the Throne Room? Your septa can join us.” She nodded.

“Someday your husband will sit there and you by his side, then you’re going to present your son to the court. All the important people of the Seven Kingdoms will gather here to see the prince.” Septa Mordane stated.

“What if I have a girl?” The Stark inquired.

“If the gods are good you’ll have girls and boys, plenty of them.”

“They all going to be beautiful children. Just like her mother.” You complemented.

“But if I only had girls...”

“The throne will pass to Tommen, my little brother.”

“And everyone will hate me.” She harried said.

“No one could ever hate you, Sansa.” Her septa affirmed.

“Your Septa is right, my lady. I already told you. As your friend, I won’t let anybody speak ill of you. Besides, you are lovely.” You squeezed her hand.

“Thank you, my princess.”

“Sansa, do you remember your lessons? Who built the Iron Throne?”

“Aegon the conqueror.”

“And who built the Red Keep?”

“Maegor the cruel. My grandfather and uncle were murdered here, by orders of the Mad King. Why?”

“You should speak to your father about these matters.”

“You are dismissed.” The old woman left. You walked towards the throne indicating her to follow you.

“Would you like to seat on the throne, my lady? It’s not a comfortable chair but it was forged from the one thousand swords that had been surrendered to Aegon in the War of Conquest by the lords who had offered their fealty, though the actual number of the swords is less than two hundred. These were melted down by the fiery breath of Balerion the Black Dread.” You conclude telling her.

“You seem to like these type of stories, Princess. Your knowledge for the topic is quite vast.” She was surprised yet amused.

“Yes, I enjoy to read and uncle Tyrion told me a lot about this when I was just a little girl. What kind of stories enthralled you, sweet lady?”

“The ones with honorable knights, chivalry and love.” A dreamt sigh left her mouth.

“I like those too. Especially this tale about Ser Florian called Florian the Fool, he was a legendary hero of the Riverlands from the Age of Heroes. He felt in love with a maiden named Jonquil. Singers compared the sudden marriage of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen to their great romance.

“I know that one! Is my favorite tale of all time. But I didn’t know they compared them with the Targaryens of that period. It’s very romantic.” She blushed a little.

“And one of the songs... I think this is how it goes, Six maids there were in a spring-fed pool... oh my gods! I sound terrible.”

“No! You have an adorable voice, princess Y/N.” You grinned.

“You are lying! I found that song a bit creepy. He was watching Jonquil and her sisters bathed. The face of the girl turned just like her hair. I didn’t mean to ruin it.” Both of you laughed.

“It’s alright. I still love it.” The throne room was never your favorite place to be, it was hollow and boring. You imagine all the horrible things that happened here. But now with the presence of such a pretty lass it felt different, not gloomy at all.

The next day it was the tournament in the name of Eddard Stark. Though the man didn’t attend. You sat next to the oldest Baratheon boy. Tommen was inpatient so as your father. Lady Sansa smiled at your brother but he looked away, avoiding her completely.

“Is it so hard to be nice at your lady?”

“Shut up.” You return the smile to her. She was half disappointed it wasn’t Joffrey and half happy you did notice her.

“Start the damn joust before I pissed myself!” And the opponents made their appearance. Ready to begin.

#sansa stark x reader #sansa x reader #game of thrones shot #game of thrones fic #got #baratheon reader #sansa x fem baratheon reader

135 notes · View notes

virtueangel · 3 years

Text

limitless.

chapter seventeen.

wc: 2,176. original publish date: november 9, 2020.

"Jack!" Van Gogh yells.

JFK rolls over in bed, rubbing his eyes. "Hm?"

"Come here and look at this!"

John sits up, pulling his red and white sweater over his head before standing and crossing over to the bay window.

"What are we looking at?"

Vincent points. "Look, we can see the sun!"

JFK smiles. "It's rather pretty, isn't it?"

The smaller boy turns around to face his boyfriend, an eager grin plastered across his face. "It's such a nice day. We have to do something."

"We do something every day."

"Is that a problem?"

JFK grins now. "No."

Van Gogh reaches up to kiss the taller boy on the cheek. "Let's go on a road trip."

"Darling, we are on a road trip."

"Well, I've already got a destination picked out for us. But I think it's a couple hours away."

Kennedy raises an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't using our phones to pick locations."

"Well, it isn't specific..." Van Gogh shrugs. "It's just... logical?"

JFK takes a minute to think this over. "Did you use your phone to find it?"

Vincent shakes his head. "No. I don't know how that would be useful, considering I don't even know which state we're in."

"I think we're in Utah."

Van Gogh scrunches up his nose. "We are not!"

JFK laughs. "No, we're not. We drove in the opposite direction."

"I thought we weren't looking at GPS," Vincent replies, but he's wearing a playful smile.

"No, I just know basic geography."

"Touché."

***

"So, what is the secret destination, exactly?" JFK asks, spreading some cream cheese onto his bagel.

"It's a secret."

"But I have to drive us there."

"I can drive," Van Gogh offers casually, looking down into his glass of orange juice.

JFK quirks an eyebrow. "Vincent, you don't know how to drive."

Gogh shrugs. "You could teach me."

"My car is a stick shift. Most people learn to drive automatic first."

Vincent swallows his orange juice and wipes his lip with his napkin. "I'm not most people."

Kennedy laughs nervously. "Minivan," he stops, waiting for Vincent's objection to the name. It doesn't come. "Of course you're not most people. But do you really think I could teach you how to drive? I mean, you remember the accident I got into from driving over a rock earlier this year, right?"

Vincent sips his orange juice. "Okay, but you're careful now. You hate getting scratches on your car."

"Darling," JFK waits for Van Gogh to pick his head up. He opens his mouth to add onto the sentence, but thinks better of it. He changes his thought at the last second. "Someday, okay? I'll drive today. I can't teach you to drive in a day and you can't get a license in a day, either, but I'll teach you. I promise."

Vinnie sighs. "Okay."

Kennedy flashes his model grin again. "Okay, perfect. Now, will this trip require packing?"

"It's only for the day, JFK," Van Gogh responds, smiling at the boy's enthusiasm. "But I guess there are a few things you need... Did you pack a swimsuit?"

JFK's jaw falls slack. "Vinnie, it's April."

"April isn't winter in every part of the world."

"But it isn't summer in any part of America."

Vincent gestures to the window over the kitchen sink. "If we can see the sun in Marshtown, you can bet your ass the skies will be cloudless everywhere else."

Kennedy laughs at the boy's subtle swearing. "Yeah, okay, I'm down. But you know you actually have to tell me where we're going since I'm driving, right?"

Van Gogh finishes off his orange juice and holds up a finger excitedly. "I'll be back in a second," he says before pushing his chair out from the table and running up the stairs. JFK leans back in his seat, giggling and shaking his head. How can a boy like Vincent exist? Someone so smart and talented, who also likes to have fun? Granted, Kennedy has never seen Van Gogh smile with anyone besides himself, but John is glad to play along with his "secret destination."

Vincent comes back into the kitchen two minutes later, holding a pad of Post-Its and a pen. He slides into his chair, one leg tucked beneath him and the other planting its foot on the floor. The boy begins to scribble something, but even his scribbling comes out in elegant loopy cursive. After thirty seconds or so, he peels the Post-It off from the rest of the pad and sticks it to JFK's forehead.

John reaches up to detach the Post-It from his skin. He reads the handwriting scrawled in the middle, perfectly centred across the hideously bright green paper. "What's this?"

"That's where we're going. I didn't want to say it out loud because that ruins the surprise, but you still have to know. So boom. A perfect middle."

Kennedy laughs. "I don't think this is a perfect middle, but I'll give you points for trying."

"Gotta get my approach grade up," Vincent replies.

JFK gazes at his boyfriend, his face soft. He smiles affectionately, and Van Gogh searches for a telling look in his eyes. He looks like he wants to say something, but no words come out of his mouth. Vincent smiles back.

"Well," he says. "If we want to get there at a reasonable hour and still get home before too late, we should go soon."

"I'll wash the dishes," JFK offers, but Van Gogh slaps his hand away when he tries to pick up the plates.

"No, silly! You made breakfast. Give and take, okay?"

John nods and retreats his hands. "Give and take," he agrees.

Van Gogh clears the table, humming to himself the whole time. JFK is gone from the kitchen, making the bed upstairs. When he's done, he walks over to the bay window and slides it open to step out onto the balcony. He holds the railing, gazing out over Marshtown and marvelling at what little sun manages to break through the heavy fog. Today is one in a million.

Kennedy's thoughts are interrupted when he hears footsteps behind him. He turns around. Van Gogh is crossing the bedroom and stepping through the bay window to join his boyfriend.

"Ready to go?" He asks the taller boy.

JFK can't help but smile when he makes eye contact with Vincent. His brown eyes seem deeper today, fuller with... something. A secret, but the kind he wants to share with John, so they can have something just for the two of them.

Kennedy reaches out for the boy's hand and gives it a squeeze. "Yeah," he says. "I'm ready."

The boys walk through the house and out to the car side by side, never dropping hands until they have to split to climb into their separate sides of the vehicle.

"Are we allowed to use a map?" JFK asks after they're out of Marshtown.

Van Gogh thinks for a minute. "Well, I guess that's not a cell phone..."

"Just because I need to know which highway to take."

Vincent nods, opening the glove compartment to get the map that the girl way back in Blackbox had given them. "Yeah... Looks like we keep following the one we took to get here."

JFK activates his turn signal. "Rad."

"Can we listen to the radio?" Van Gogh asks after a while.

Kennedy glances at the boy. "Really? I thought you liked radio silence."

Vincent shrugs. "Maybe there'll be something good on."

John smiles. "All right. I think that would be okay."

Van Gogh flips through some channels, not satisfied with anything playing until he finds a song that he knows is by Queen. He hums along, knowing some of the lyrics, but not the title of the song. JFK hums along too, and for those five minutes, they are the only two people in the whole world.

"Can I ask you something?" JFK asks once the song is over.

"You may."

Kennedy hesitates, phrasing the question. "You've been old enough to drive for a while now, so how come you never learned before?"

Van Gogh scoffs. "You really think my parents would've taught me?"

Jack shrugs. "You could've asked me."

Vinnie shakes his head. "No, there's a reason I never tried to before."

The question lingers in the air, the silence charging it until the electric shock burns into JFK.

"Are you going to tell me?"

Vincent takes a deep breath, pondering. He'd never said it out loud before. He'd only ever written it down in journals. He has a rule when he writes about himself: he doesn't start on the first pages of the journal, because then anyone could flip the cover and learn his deepest secrets. He always opens to the middle of the book, a random page that nine times out of ten would go unnoticed. Sometimes it trips him up when he chooses another random page and the entry is so long that it bleeds into another one, but that's okay. He never rereads his journals. He doesn't need to be disturbed by thoughts that are already in his head.

This is the first time he'll ever speak one of those thoughts out loud.

"I can't drive a car because I'm afraid -- no, it's more than a fear, it's just knowing -- that I'll go right off the edge of a cliff and you'll never see me, or the car, again."

JFK goes silent. "I know a lot of people get into accidents, but cars are made to be safe. The only reason why crashes are so popularised is because no one talks about the safe drivers. That's not a story. 'Oh, look at this population of people who follow all the driving laws and never get themselves into dangerous situations!' That's not newsworthy. Accidents are something to report. Everything else is... mundane."

Van Gogh blinks, thinking. "That actually makes a lot of sense," he says.

Kennedy smiles. "Yeah, it does." After a second, he asks, "But what changed your mind?"

"Hm?"

"Why is driving suddenly okay now?"

Vincent shakes his head, laughing at himself. "It's stupid."

"Tell me," JFK smiles assuringly. "You can trust me."

Van Gogh blushes. "I feel bad that you're always the one... doing stuff. You're the one who cooks, the one who drives..."

"But you're the one who remembers to lock the house and put away the clean dishes."

Vincent giggles. "Our house doesn't lock, Jack."

JFK grins. "I know it doesn't. But you always go back to check. I hear you walking down the stairs at night, right after we've turned off the light to go to sleep. You go back through the house and make sure all the lights are off and the door is locked."

Van Gogh looks away, suddenly embarrassed. He pretends to be fascinated by the plastic bags and styrofoam take-out containers strewn about the highway shoulder. "You know that I do that?"

"Vinnie, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's good practise."

"Yes, but it isn't normal practise."

JFK has no verbal response to that. Instead, he extends an arm and cups his hand around Vincent's shoulder. He rubs back and forth comfortingly, and Van Gogh reaches across his body to rest his hand on top of the boy's. He suddenly feels at ease, unashamed of the way he needs to go back through the house and make sure everything is the way it's supposed to be before he can fall asleep. He takes a deep breath and settles into his seat. This is exactly where he's supposed to be.

But then he remembers something.

He sits up and turns abruptly, throwing JFK's arm off of his shoulder.

"You okay, Minivan?"

Vincent glares. "One, don't call me that. Two, have you seen my sketchbook anywhere?"

Kennedy scrunches up his face and shakes his head. "No, I don't think so... You can't find it?"

Van Gogh frowns. "No. It's so funny. Everything else is sprawled out on the vanity -- my coloured pencils, my watercolours, the books I brought to read on this trip... but I can't find my sketchbook anywhere! I was drawing in it one day and now I have no idea where it is!"

JFK twists up his lips in thought. "That's so weird... maybe you put it down somewhere?"

"I was on the balcony. I don't remember anything after that."

"Hmm..."

Gogh sits back in his seat, plunging his fists into the pocket of his letterman jacket. "Keep an eye out for it though, okay? I was working on a drawing in there."

Kennedy grins at the boy's reflection in the rearview mirror. "Of course you were."

Van Gogh looks down at the map on his lap, changing subjects but not forgetting his sketchbook. "Ugh, still one hundred fifty more miles?"

"God, why'd you pick a location so far away?" JFK fake-whines.

Vincent shakes his head, but he's wearing a smile. "Because we have to tour the whole damn world."

John flashes his blindingly white grin. "I'm in."

#clone high #clone high jfk #clone high van gogh #jfgogh #limitless.

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lilacmoon83 · 3 years

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Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 234: Final Reckoning

Jekyll smirked, as he looked at the photo of a necklace with a ruby pendant in the book he had swiped from Rose Red's library some time ago. It was a copy of the long and true history of Aphrodite. He had taken it to see if he could glean any weaknesses in the lore of the Chalice and use it to defeat them. And now, after days of skimming through the tome, it looked as though he just might know exactly what he needed to turn the tables against them and defeat Charming once and for all.

~*~

Though it was small, the library of Cibola was magnificent in its own right. The books looked to be very old, but well kept, and rested on golden book shelves.

"We need to bring Rose and Belle here. These books look like some of the oldest in existence," Snow mentioned, as she looked at her eldest.

"Can you use a little magic to translate some of these titles?" Snow asked. Emma nodded and waved her hand, causing the lettering on the bindings of the books to change to English.

"Can you read any of this language?" Bobby asked curiously, but she shook her head.

"It's a dead language...maybe even older than Latin," Zia replied.

"Let me guess...Lunarian?" he asked and her eyes widened.

"You know about the Lunarians?" she asked.

"A little. The first truest loves were Serenity and Endymion. I guess she was Lunarian and in one of my visions, I met their daughter," he explained.

"That's amazing!" she exclaimed and he blushed.

"Yeah...so were the Lunarians really from the moon?" he asked. She giggled.

"No...that part isn't true. They just worshipped the Moon Goddess Selene. The most noble bloodline and first Queen of the Lunarians were named Serenity and thus why all first born daughters in the royal line were named such," Zia explained.

"I guess that makes more sense than living on the moon," he agreed.

"You sound sad about that," she mentioned. He smirked.

"Well, I read a lot of comics and it would be so cool if they really did live on the moon and there was some kind of moon base or something," he said. She giggled.

"I don't think I've read any comics," she mentioned.

"Oh you have to! They're great and Fandral can tell you about some of them that are actually real with all his adventures with Thor," Bobby gushed

"I have heard of the Norse God, Thor. But I'm guessing what I know is not what he's like at all," she mentioned.

"Yeah, the Thor that Fandral knows is a bit different from the one in Mythology," he said.

"Maybe you can tell me about it," she replied. He nodded.

"I've love to," he said.

"Someone is crushing hard," Emma muttered to her mother.

"I know...it's so cute..." Snow gushed, as she looked at her youngest and put a hand to her heart. Emma chuckled and shook her head, as she saw a book that said Maui.

"Hey...wasn't Maui a demi-God?" Emma asked.

"You found a book on Maui?" Zia asked. She nodded and pulled it out. When she did, both the pounamu stone and the book glowed.

"Whoa…I think we found it," David said, as Emma opened the book, while Zia peered over it.

"Lunarian again," she said, as she used her magic to translate it, before handing it to the dark haired girl, who skimmed it. After several minutes, she gasped and started reading.

"Listen to this," she said.

"And though he was fatally wounded by the Void, Maui gave explicit instructions to his younger brother Tao so that his coveted fish hook be protected from those who would exploit it, especially the Void," she read.

"The Void? Is it really talking about Runeard?" David asked.

"How could it be? Runeard wasn't born during Tao's lifetime," Snow replied.

"No...but his powers came from somewhere. He didn't have them when he was banished," Killian reminded them.

"He's right...he picked them up in the Netherworld somehow and we don't really know how or why," Bobby said.

"Before he died, Maui disguised his fish hook as Pounamu stone and told his younger brother that he must guard it from the Void. And so Tao sailed to the island of Mu, aboard his family's luxury vessel, the Solaris, and consulted with the High Priest of Cibola to help him create something to protect the stone. But the High Priest, Atanos told him that only the children of the sun could help him craft something to protect the fish hook of Maui," she read.

"Atanos sent him east to find his son, Esteban, insisting that he was one of these children. Esteban accepted Tao into his Kingdom once he learned he was sent by his father, Atanos. But Tao was much less trusting and it took him time to trust Esteban. Even then, Tao never revealed what the stone actually was. Only that he must conceal it from the world," she continued.

"Does it say what the stone does?" Bobby asked. She nodded.

"Once Esteban met Zia and they were declared the truest love in all the realms by Venus did Tao realize that it was the Chalice of Venus that could craft what he needed," she continued.

"But Tao's mistrust of Zia did not serve him well and he was not happy when he discovered that she knew what the fish hook could do. He accused her of being a witch at first and thought she wanted the fish hook for herself. When she revealed that she knew the fish hook could…" Zia said, as her eyes widened and trailed off.

"What? What does it do?" Emma asked impatiently. Zia swallowed thickly.

"When she revealed that she knew the fish hook could capture all the natural elements, including the sun and the moon, she convinced Tao that she knew what they needed to craft to protect the stone," she revealed.

"Capture the elements?" Emma asked.

"If that's true, it can control the weather, including the phases of the sun and moon. That could be devastating," Snow realized.

"Do you think Aphrodite knows?" David asked.

"I don't think so…" Zia said, as she continued.

"Tao was grateful for her help when she used the Chalice to create a golden jar. In her possession were two golden bars from Cibola, the last in her possession. She used the chalice to melt them down and pour them into a mold of Tao's choosing. The jar mold was one from his home and thus the fish hook was sealed inside so only the children of the sun could open it," she read.

"Tao begged Zia not to tell Esteban what the pounamu stone really was and what it could do. He feared the information could be revealed inadvertently to Esteban's advisors, whom he did not trust," she continued.

"Mendoza," David surmised.

"Most likely," she agreed.

"Zia was very reluctant to keep information from her husband, but agreed and told him only that the jar could never be opened, for the purpose of the stone inside could never be revealed, as it could fall into the wrong hands, particularly, the Void's," she finished, as they looked at each other and then at the stone hanging around Bobby's neck.

"Okay...so this thing probably should go back in the jar," he said, as he took it off.

"Yes…if Runeard sees this, he'll know what it is if he is the Void now and I want you no where near something like that," Snow said, as she took the stone.

"So we seal it back in the jar...but we need to put the jar somewhere that it can't be accessed," David agreed.

"In the tallest tower of Cibola," Nubia chimed in.

"Why there?" Snow asked.

"Yeah...a bunch of steps will hardly deter someone like Runeard," Emma warned. Nubia smiled thinly.

"No...but there are fail safes. There is a place for the jar built into the highest temple by Atanos himself. You'll know it when you see it," Nubia said, as they ventured through the gates and saw the tallest tower gleaming in the distance.

"Okay…we can just teleport ourselves up there," David said.

"I'm sorry, but the journey to the tallest tower must be traversed by foot and by the children of the sun," Nubia said.

"Truest loves," Snow corrected.

"Yeah, sounds like the children of the sun had too many secrets between them. Snow and I don't keep anything from each other," he added.

"Of course...it was their flaw. I do not believe they ever told the Goddess about the stone," Nubia said. David sighed.

"That is a lot of stairs," he said. She smirked.

"Is Prince Charming going soft on me," she teased.

"Do I look like I've gone soft," he teased back, as he towered over her.

"Oh no...and I know where every muscle is," she gushed, as her hands swept over his torso.

"Yeah...you guys have fun with Stairmeggedon," Emma quipped.

"Those that are of their bloodline can accompany them," Nubia chimed in.

"Yeah, hard pass. I'll wait here," Emma said.

"Chicken," David teased.

"Could that mean me? I'm only his half sister," Natalie mentioned.

"I'm sorry...only the children can accompany them, being that they are of both of them," Nubia answered.

"Damn…" she muttered and then looked at her brother.

"Tell me all about it?" she asked. He smiled.

"I'll take pictures for you," he promised.

"I'll go...but I guess Zia can't come?" Bobby asked.

"Actually, she can, because she is training to become the High Priestess of Cibola, she is permitted to enter the sacred temple," Nubia replied. Zia smiled.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," she said, as she and Bobby followed his parents.

"Uh so...if she's going to be the High Priestess, does that mean she can't get married someday?" Emma asked curiously.

"Stars no...where would you get that idea?" Nubia asked.

"Just the whole Priest thing. In some other religions, it has some restrictions," Emma replied.

"Denying a person of love sounds like it would cause many problems," Nubia observed.

"Oh it does, which is why I asked and I'm glad this has no restriction of that kind," Emma said. Nubia smiled.

"You are good to look after your brother's feelings," she complimented.

"He's a great kid...and I hate it, but he's probably going to end up saving us all from Void," she mentioned. Killian put his arm around her.

"He'll be okay, love...there's no evil that can defeat this family. I've seen it try and fail," he assured her. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, while they waited for them to return.

~*~

"Oh Dark One...your magical protections are no match for science," Jekyll said, as he used his demon powers to burn through the magical protections on the shop door. The cameras weren't picking up anything, since he was using his nano technology to disguise his presence. Therefore, no alarms went off in the shop. He proceeded to the safe behind the counter and then a device he had created to crack the combination. The door opened and he extracted the ruby necklace.

"The necklace of Harmonia...misfortune to any who wear it," he said, as he disappeared in a fiery display.

~*~

"Thanks for bringing this to me...I'll definitely get it added to the Master copy right away," Henry said, as he skimmed through the hidden history of Arendelle that they had recently uncovered.

"Thanks...it's an uncomfortable history. I'm still trying to accept that Arendelle has such a bloody past," Elsa said.

"That's not your fault. Many Kingdoms have committed atrocities in the past. It shouldn't be up to the ancestors of those Kingdoms to pay for those misdeeds," Leo replied.

"He's right...you're doing exactly what you should be. You're informing your people of their true history, which means that they can learn from the past mistakes of their people. Then history hopefully won't repeat," Henry agreed. Elsa smiled and nodded, as they noticed a copy of a tabloid from the Land Without Magic.

"You've got to be kidding. Grimm got someone to publish his dreck?" Leo asked.

"Well...it's a tabloid so I doubt too many are taking it seriously. He and Goldie are doing their best between this and their dumb podcast to make people fearful of magic," Henry said uncomfortably.

"The podcast is getting a lot of hits lately...too many," Eva agreed.

"Are you worried that it might be working?" Paul asked.

"To be honest...yes. They're sowing a narrative of fear and anxiety toward magic and magical people that makes what the Home Office did look like nothing," Henry replied.

"That's why I've been doing my best to keep new chapters of the book up and I've even talked to a few contacts I have at reputable publications in the journalism world to make sure the true story is out there. But you know how people love gossip," Henry replied.

"Yeah...Grimm is even live streaming Goldie's stupid show on the Internet so people in the Land Without Magic get all the happenings going on here in the United Realms, from her skewed point of view, of course," Eva complained.

"Is ENN live streaming any of their broadcasts? Now that we have honest journalists running that show...they should be doing the same," Elsa said.

"She has a point," Leo agreed, as Henry smiled.

"You know, that's a great idea. I'll head over there later and talk to Mr. Boots' replacement. He'll love the idea," Henry said.

"Who is running it now?" Eva asked curiously.

"August," Henry answered. Her eyes widened.

"August left the Storybrooke Mirror?" Leo asked. Henry shrugged.

"A bigger and better opportunity and they came to me and asked me to run it, which I don't have time for. So I recommended the next best journalist I know," he replied.

"That's great! I still wish we could do something to counter their podcast though," Eva said. Paul smiled.

"Maybe we can," he said.

"Like what?" she asked.

"You love podcasts...you listen to them all the time, no matter the subject, because it's an easy way to learn while you're working. So...why don't you do your own," Paul replied.

"You think I should do my own podcast?" Eva asked.

"Now that is an incredible idea," Henry replied.

"Yeah...you could counter their narrative and get all the guests. No one worthwhile would go on their two bit broadcast, but you could get all the good guests. All of us, Mom and Dad, and anyone in our family," Leo said.

"He's right and it will blow theirs out of the water," Henry agreed.

"I'm not even sure I know how to do a podcast though," Eva said.

"I do though and I know August can set us up with all the best equipment. We can go over there now if you want," Henry said.

"That sounds great...I would really love to get the real message out through the airwaves," she agreed. Paul kissed her cheek.

"You're going to be great," he said.

"Will you be my co-host?" she asked.

"Me?" he asked.

"Who better? You were born in the Land Without Magic and you can attest to what it's like having lived in both worlds," Eva said.

"She has a good point," Leo agreed. He smiled.

"Okay...two doctors doing a podcast I guess," he agreed, as they proceeded to head over to the Enchanted News Network studio.

~*~

Jekyll looked at the model on his laptop with satisfaction. He had created the computer model of his plan and with his demon magic, it would all become a reality in a matter of moments.

"Yes...this will be quite perfect," he said, as he made the final modification to the virtual model on his screen.

"You know, I do not take kindly to being summoned, doctor," Rodmilla said, as she arrived.

"I am the reason you're luxuriating in your new castle now. You are at my beck and call, Rodmilla. Make no mistake...I can end you with a flick of my wrist," he warned, as he produced a tiny flame in his palm. She stilled and swallowed her pride.

"What can I do for you, doctor?" she asked.

"You can create this in the ocean at these coordinates," he replied, showing her the model.

"What is all this?" she asked. He smirked.

"My very own nightmare and the place where Prince Charming will perish at my hand," he replied. She didn't question him and did as he asked. She hardly thought he would be successful. No one had managed to defeat Snow and Charming yet and they were more powerful than ever. Honestly, if he did, it would destroy Snow White and cause her eternal misery. If he didn't and Charming finally rid them of the doctor, she'd be free of his insanity and being under his thumb. It was a win-win situation for her.

"There…" she said, as it was complete.

"Good luck doctor...I think you'll need it," she surmised.

"I don't need your luck...my power will overcome him this time," he insisted, as he walked out of his lab. It was time.

~*~

David looked at his wife in amusement, as she groaned during their climb to the top of the tallest tower.

"Okay...you were right, these stairs are a nightmare," she whined, as she lagged slightly behind him with her hand in his.

"Yeah...you'd have to really want whatever is up here to make this climb," he agreed.

"Would you like me to carry you the rest of the way?" he asked.

"No...that would be very unfair to you," she replied.

"But I could," he said. She smirked.

"I know you could...I'm well acquainted with all your muscles," she replied coyly. He smirked back.

Behind them, Bobby closed his eyes and put his hand over his face in embarrassment, as Zia giggled.

"They are so embarrassing sometimes," he said.

"I think they're adorable," she replied.

"Yeah...just wait until you're eating dinner with them and they're feeding each other and start making out. It gets less adorable really fast," he said.

"We can hear you," Snow admonished.

"I know...it'd be nice if you and dad didn't make out during dessert," Bobby replied.

"Yeah...your chances of that aren't good," David said and he rolled his eyes.

"We just got the Emma eye roll," Snow snickered to him.

"Of course...she taught it to them all," he said, as they finally reached the top.

"Finally," Snow said.

"At least going down won't be so bad," David replied, as they went inside and found golden walls except the one in the center. The center wall was stone, with hieroglyphics on each square.

"They just look like symbols," Snow asked. Zia nodded.

"This is the Temple of the Sun...so they use the language of the Chalice. Lunarian," she replied.

"David…" Snow uttered, as she pointed to the square with the depiction of a split heart.

"Wow...and here's one of the chalice," he said.

"Look…" Bobby pointed at five squares in sequence below the split heart.

"Fire, lightning, wind, water, and earth," he said, pointing at the flame, lightning bolt, gust of wind, wave, and a leaf. They looked at each other in amazement.

"This is depicting the seven of us," David said.

"Your love is written in the stars," Zia replied.

"What's this one?" Bobby asked, as it showed a figure surrounded by many objects.

"The Collector…" Snow realized.

"Clayton's bloodline...it's always been a threat, even back to Serenity and Endymion," David said.

"What is this one?" Snow asked, as it depicted another figure shrouded in what seemed like darkness.

"The Void…" Zia said gravely.

"There's the hook," Bobby said, pointing out Maui's fish hook.

"How do we seal the jar away?" David asked.

"The Chalice…that's all I know," Zia replied. Snow and David willed it into its cup form between them and the wall immediately reacted by lighting up in a variety of colors. The squares slowly receded away from the center of the wall, as a compartment revealed itself.

"I guess that's a good place," David said, as they placed the jar inside the compartment. The squares glowed and returned to their place.

"All secure I guess?" she asked.

"Yeah...seemed too easy," he replied.

"I think we're just used to everything we have to do being a pain in the ass," Bobby quipped.

"Language," she chided, as David took pictures for Natalie, before they started back down the stairs.

"You know how we said that going down would be better?" Snow asked.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"It's not any better," she replied, making him chuckle.

"Hey...we got out of there without something or someone trying to kill us. That's a win for us," he reminded her.

"So true," she agreed.

"So...is it safe?" Emma asked. They nodded.

"These pics you just sent me are fascinating. It's practically your story in hieroglyphs," Natalie said, as she swiped through the photos.

"Yeah…I guess we shouldn't be too surprised by now. The texts that King Arthur was once studying back before we met him depicted the chalice and our split heart," David recalled.

"Do you remember whatever happened to those texts?" Natalie asked curiously.

"I assume they're still somewhere in Camelot. I'm sure Lancelot and Guinevere would be happy to let you check them out," Snow replied.

"I'd love to build a display out of these pics and anything they have for the museum," Natalie said. Snow and David smiled. She was really finding her niche as curator of the Atlantis museum.

"So...I guess we're done here," Emma said.

"Yeah...let's head back to Mu," Snow replied, as a portal suddenly opened and they could see Dr. Jekyll through the portal, on an island that seemed to be besieged by molten lava.

"What the hell…" David said.

"Greetings…" he said.

"Not even man enough to face me now? You have to do it through a portal?" David challenged. Jekyll smirked.

"Oh on the contrary...the lovely scenery behind me was created with just you in mind, Charming. It is where you will perish at my hand," he claimed.

"No...you leave my husband and my family alone!" Snow shouted.

"Alas, dear Snow...I could do just that if you would submit yourself to me," he offered.

"No way in hell psychopath…" Bobby said.

"You're not taking her, especially not into some fiery hellhole," David added. The doctor smirked again.

"Like I said, Charming...this fiery hellhole, as you put it, is for you," Jekyll said, as his arms became fiery chains that shot through the portal. They wrapped around him and pulled him through it. Snow cried out in alarm, as it closed and she looked around frantically.

"I'll get a bean," Emma said, as she prepared to transport herself to Anton's field, but Jekyll's voice cut her off.

"Do not bother, Savior...for there is no way you can get to this island via portal now," Jekyll said, as a hologram appeared before them in the sky.

"Charming!" Snow cried, as she saw her husband behind the doctor and on a piece of rock surrounded by a lake of lava.

"As you can see, he is in quite a state of peril and without the help of the Chalice, he will perish at my hand," Jekyll said.

"And the demise of the legendary Prince Charming is being broadcast to the entire United Realms and beyond! It is time for everyone to witness the fiery end to the truest love!" he added.

"Why isn't Dad calling the Chalice sword?" Emma asked. Snow willed the chalice into sight and saw that she had both halves. She tried to will it to her husband...but nothing was happening.

"I see that you have found that your husband is completely cut off from the power of your Chalice," Jekyll said.

"You Son of Bitch!" Snow cried, as she broke down in tears and Emma held her mother, hugging her tightly.

"How the hell is that possible?" Bobby asked, as Regina and Rumple appeared at their location.

"Because he stole the necklace of Harmonia from my shop and placed it around your father's neck upon his arrival in his demonic realm," Rumple answered, just as the twins appeared with Summer and JJ in tow.

"The necklace of Harmonia...how does that cut him off from the Chalice?" Leo asked.

"It's a long story...but in short, from my restored memories, it was a necklace created by Hera and meant for me," Aphrodite replied.

"It curses the wearer with misfortune. Hera meant it for me, but a man named Cadmus found it where Hera left it for me first. He presented it to his bride, Harmonia, and she was killed in a horrible accident on their wedding day. It's been an object avoided like the plague since," Aphrodite explained, as she and James appeared.

"Then why did you have it in your shop!?" Emma cried.

"Because I'm already cursed and immune to its charms. As the Dark One, I was entrusted to keep it away from humanity by Zeus himself. Centuries ago...but the damned psychopath found it. It's quite likely he has been browsing through Rose Red's books without her knowledge," Rumple said.

"We have to do something! We have to get the chalice to Dad somehow!" Summer cried.

~*~

David looked around and hissed from the burns on his arms, thanks to Jekyll's fiery whips. He saw the peculiar necklace around his neck and took in his surroundings. It was definitely an island, but the erupting volcano in the distance had turned it into a nightmare. Acrid smoke filled the air, as embers and ash rained down. Molten magma flowed around the remaining land like a river and the heat was so sweltering that it was hard to breathe.

"Welcome to your demise, Prince Charming," Jekyll said. David extended his hand and attempted to call on the Chalice sword, but found that nothing happened. Jekyll smirked.

"I'm afraid that necklace around your neck will cause you quite a bit of misfortune. Whatever light magic you are able to wield is thwarted by the cursed necklace of Harmonia," he announced. David tried to take it off, but found that he couldn't.

"So this is it...you're so afraid to face me on an even ground that you have to take away my weapon and give me a serious disadvantage?" he challenged.

"Fairness is for heroes. I am a villain, as you so eagerly point out time and again. So I decided to stack the deck in my favor, so to speak," Jekyll said, as an ordinary sword appeared in his hand.

"But I will give you a weapon...not that it will matter much," he added.

"Fine…I'll fight you at a disadvantage and still win," David said confidently. Jekyll chuckled, as his own fiery sword appeared in his hand.

"Oh, your hubris will see that you fail miserably," the doctor said, as he charged with a fierce battle cry and David moved to defend himself.

~*~

Snow screamed, as she saw David narrowly escape falling into the river of lava, as he dueled the psychotic doctor.

"I have to get to him…" Snow sniffed, as she tried to use the Chalice again, but became frustrated when it didn't work again.

"Why isn't it working!?" she screamed.

"It's the necklace...it won't let us portal there with magic," Aphrodite said regrettably. That thought struck Eva.

"But we could with science!" she realized. Snow looked at her daughter with a tearstained face.

"Honey...what do you mean?" she asked.

"That's how he's doing all of this. He got around Mr. Gold's magical protections in the shop with science. We have to use science to get to Daddy," Eva replied.

"She's right...he would have never got through my protections in the shop using magic. He found another way," Gold confirmed.

"Then how do we do it?" Snow asked.

"Hyde...I'll go and see what he and Mr. Flaversham can do," Emma said, as she hugged her mother quickly.

"I'll go with you," Bobby said, as he disappeared with her. Leo and Eva sandwiched Snow between them and held her, as she cried and they witnessed their father try to stay alive.

~*~

"And if you're just joining us...it seems that everyone's favorite Prince is under siege by none other than Dr. Jekyll himself. It would see that the good doctor has found a way to isolate him from his precious Snow White and their magical chalice," Goldie reported, as those at Grimm's tavern all seemed glued to the fight.

"You think he'll do it?" one patron asked.

"If he does...he'll be a legend," another answered.

"And if he does...we will capitalize on the grief of his family and wage attacks on their Kingdoms," Rodmilla said, as she entered with Runeard. A few of them looked uneasy by this plan, but they did not protest. The last protester had been swiftly dealt with and none of them wished for that fate.

~*~

"Hyde!" Emma cried, as they burst into his lab and saw they were watching the spectacle on one of the computer screens in the lab.

"I guess he's beaming the frequency to every screen," Bobby realized.

"I'm afraid so...the doctor has gone too far again," Hyde said.

"He's blocking us off with magic and made it so my Dad has no access to the Chalice," Emma replied.

"And you hope there is a scientific solution," he replied. They nodded.

"We have been working on something...a teleportation device, but it is in no way ready for human trials," Hyde said.

"Yes...at this point, it would likely kill a person in transit. We're still working on the human application," Hiram added and their hearts sank.

"But we have had success in teleporting objects," Hyde said, as he showed them what looked like a silver pad.

"You think you can teleport the chalice to our Dad?" Bobby asked.

"If I can triangulate his location within a few yards. That will take a few moments, but we're ready if you can take us closer," Hiram said, as they picked up their equipment. Emma smiled and nodded, as the four of them disappeared.

~*~

David breathed heavily, but coughed since the air was so filled with heat and ash that it was overwhelming.

"You are so fragile without the power of your chalice sword…" Jekyll goaded.

"Then stop dodging me and actually fight. I may not have my Chalice sword, but I am a master swordsman and even with all your powers...you're not. I think I'll fare better than you think," David challenged. Jekyll smirked.

"I will so enjoy slowly killing you while the lovely Snow watches," he said, as he looked up.

"Pay close attention, my dear Snow! I want you to see the life leave his eyes when I crush him!" he called. David charged him at that and their blades clashed in a fury of strikes, parries, and slashes.

"You're tiring, Charming...I can see it. But I do not tire anymore," Jekyll warned, as they exchanged blows.

"You are fragile...and can barely breathe here. But I am in my element," he continued to boast.

"Doesn't matter," David said, though his words sounded labored.

"True love always wins," he insisted, as the doctor elbowed him in the gut and sent him to the ground. He slid painfully across the ground on his back and could feel the burns already. The pain was excruciating, even as he tried to pull himself to his feet. His shirt was in tatters now, as embers had burned holes in it. But he pressed on and got to his feet, only to have to block Jekyll's blade again.

"Time to die, Charming...and it will be slow and agonizing," he promised. David swept his legs out from under him, but the demon shot a fire blast at him, forcing him to dodge. He rolled to the ground and stared up at the blackened sky. He coughed, as the ash filled his lungs and he tried to move, despite the multiple burns covering his body.

"Snow…" he croaked, as he could feel her presence and love enveloping him.

"Not sure I'm going to make it out of this one, my love…" he whispered, as the doctor's shadow loomed over him…

~*~

Snow cried out, as she saw her husband roll to the ground and she reached out toward his image.

"I have to get to him...this can't be happening!" she cried in anguish, just as Emma reappeared with Bobby, Hyde, and Mr. Flaversham.

"Can you help?" Eva asked.

"We have a solution, but it's not yet ready for human testing. However, we believe it can get the Chalice to him," Hyde replied.

"No…I have to go to him. Please…" Snow cried.

"Mom...this will work, but you getting ripped apart in a teleporter does not help Dad," Emma soothed, as she put her hands on her shoulders. Reluctantly, Snow nodded and watched them set up their equipment.

"Not to pressure you...but you need to hurry!" Leo called, as they watched the dire position their father was in.

"Can you get a fix on his location fairly quickly?" Emma asked.

"Got it...fortunately, the doctor is sending up smoke signals into the atmosphere so to speak," Hyde replied, as he nodded to Snow. She placed the Chalice on the flat device and stepped back, as her children huddled around her.

"Initiate," Hyde said, as Hiram operated the controls and the Chalice disappeared. A few seconds later, the image before them and all the screens where it was being broadcast were filled with a blinding white light, resulting in no one being able to see what was happening.

"Charming!" Snow cried.

~*~

"Do you think she'll feel it? When I drive my fiery sword through your half heart?" Jekyll asked, as he looked down on his nemesis with a smug smirk. He was going to savor and enjoy the Prince's demise immensely.

"She will...but my children will avenge me and protect her," David rasped, as he coughed again.

"So...you're finally admitting defeat?" Jekyll asked with glee.

"I may die at your hand...but our love won't. That will never die," he replied.

"Yet you will be able to do nothing from the afterlife to stop me from making her mine," Jekyll said, he saw a beam of light penetrate his shield around the island.

"Impossible," he uttered, as the light faded and he saw the Chalice resting about a hundred feet away.

"No…" he said. It should have been impossible and he saw Charming's hand twitch.

"Not this time…" he seethed, as he prepared to thrust the blade through his chest. The Prince could barely move, but managed to lift one leg enough to kick Jekyll off balance. The doctor stumbled briefly, but it was enough and the Chalice flew into his hand.

"Noooo!" Jekyll screamed in rage, as light exploded around David and blinded him, as well as blowing him back several feet.

He growled, as he rolled over and tossed his cracked glasses away, before pulling himself to his feet. But what he saw when the light started to fade gave him pause.

David stood tall, as the light faded in his familiar leather jerkin, pants, and boots; the very outfit he had fought many battles in before. His wounds were healed and the Chalice sword gleamed brightly in his hand. The necklace of Harmonia fell off in pieces and burned to ash.

Jekyll seethed and cursed, as he decided to find a way out of this botched plan to fight another day, but the Prince anticipated his next move. David tapped the tip of his sword on the ground, sending a lightwave of power throughout the entire island and the sky.

"What is that?" he asked, as he saw the shimmering shield around the island.

"You promised there was no escape for me from this island, so I'm promising the same for you," David replied.

"You think you can really end me?" Jekyll challenged. David smirked.

"Oh…I know I can," he replied, as he charged, almost catching the doctor off guard. His sword became alive with fire and he parried the Prince's blade. But he was shocked when his sword shattered into a million pieces upon contact with the Prince's. Jekyll screamed in rage and blasted him at point blank with fire. But David slapped the flames away with his blade in expert precision.

"Damn you!" Jekyll screeched, as he slashed at him with his fiery whips, but David evaded his fire and Jekyll made a run for it in an attempt to somehow escape the island. He cackled maniacally, as he ran toward the river of lava that had burst up between the land mass.

"Once I disappear into the fire...you'll never catch me! And then, I'll pop up again when you least expect! Just like Mephisto did!" Jekyll warned, as he saw the river within reach. He laughed, preparing for his escape, as he jumped toward it.

~*~

"Damn him…" David cursed, as he chased the psychotic doctor. If he slipped into the fire, he'd disappear and come back to haunt them again. He couldn't let that happen again. He knew of only one move that could stop him now. He stopped in his tracks and thrust his sword into the air, sending it sailing toward the monster.

~*~

The fire could be seen reflecting in Jekyll's eyes, as he was just a few feet from escape, but he lurched and looked down to find Charming's blade protruding from his chest. He landed on his feet, just at the edge and turned around, looking at him in shock. He saw the blackness slowly spider webbing from his wound and started to see the ash flaking from his body.

"No...this can't be! You can't defeat me!" Jekyll cried, as he lurched again and the blade returned to David's hand.

"I just did," the Prince stated.

"You're done...and you're never going to hurt my wife again, let alone haunt her," David assured him.

"The Chalice absorbed the Olympian crystal long ago. No Underworld, no afterlife, nothing...you just stop existing and we rest easy, knowing that not even your soul can cause harm to anyone ever again," he continued. Jekyll tried to charge at the Prince again, but the white fire from the Chalice sword consumed him in a brilliant flash. He screamed briefly, as he was destroyed and his cries were swiftly squelched, as was his existence.

Charming sighed in relief, as he used the Chalice sword to create a portal out of the hellish island and he returned to Cibola.

The moment his feet hit the sand, Snow was in his arms. He smiled, as she kissed his lips and then buried her face in his neck, as she wrapped her around around his neck. He smiled and held her, as she quietly sobbed in relief.

"It's okay...I'm okay and he's dead, Snow...for real this time," he said, as he pulled back and cupped her beautiful face in his hands.

"He's dead, my love...he's never coming back," he promised. She sniffed and cried happy tears, before their lips crashed together and her feet dangled off the ground, as he picked her up and spun her around while kissing her passionately. Their lips finally parted and their kids gathered around them with hugs as well.

~*~

"And...it appears that the battle is over. Dr. Jekyll, who quite possibly was Charming's greatest challenger ever, is dead. It would appear that no one can defeat the Charmings," Goldie stated gravely.

"Most will celebrate this, I'm sure...but those of us that have made mistakes and refuse to play by their set of rules, life will not improve at all," she added.

"Snow and Charming will continue their reign, unchallenged it seems. Their children will continue to make all others fail to measure up, and Henry Nolan Charming's narrative will continue to be the only acceptable version of the story, while other talented writers like those in the Grimm line will be ignored," she continued.

The patrons in Grimm's bar went back to their normal business and Elias tossed his rag down on the counter in frustration. Charming's heroics would once again be the highlight of any articles and it almost seemed pointless for them to even do a podcast.

He noticed Runeard leaving and Rodmilla followed. Curiously, he followed as well. After all, this mysterious former King was likely the only real challenger to the Charmings that they had now.

"What are you doing?" Rodmilla asked, as she followed him into Jekyll's lab. Runeard was silent, as he picked up the staff that Jekyll had recreated from Hiram Flaversham's blueprint of the original design.

"They will soon come...emboldened by the fact that there is no real challenge here, even without magic. Except me, of course," he said.

"I have magic...synthetic magic that works here where theirs might not," Rodmilla replied. He smirked.

"Oh my dear...I think we both know that whatever you can muster up can easily be quashed by Charming now...or his Asgardian doppelganger for that matter. He just killed a demon with powers derived from hell itself," he reminded her.

"But you can challenge him!" she insisted.

"Oh not yet...not without this staff filled with the star gems I cannot...it's too risky. He knows what I can do with a touch...he'll anticipate my every move. I am not a master swordsman. Jekyll's arrogance is partially why he's dead now. He had no business fighting a warrior of Charming's caliber, even with all his demonic power," Runeard said.

"So...what, you're just going to disappear and leave me to fend for myself?" Rodmilla questioned.

"I must go into hiding for now. I do not have a plan ready to take on all the elements at once. I must take them by surprise and now is not the time. Good luck to you," he said, as he faded away with the staff and the doctor's gloves.

"There must be something in all this junk that we can use!" she cried desperately.

"The only way we still win any of this is to get their mixed blood and write ourselves a new narrative," Grimm said.

"Which is impossible!" she shouted.

"Then you better find a place to lay low...because this will be the first place Charming and his brats come for," Grimm replied, as he left the lab and started back to his tavern.

"There you are…" Goldie said, as she joined him.

"You're a wanted woman...this place isn't going to stop them from coming for you now that Jekyll is gone," he warned.

"You too...that's why we need to escape," Goldie said.

"Where? Pleasure Island was the one place that gave them pause," Grimm replied.

"The Land Without Magic...we can escape there and still do our podcast, you can write…" she said. He sighed.

"I guess it's all we have. We better go now though or we'll never make it. As it is, it will take us all night to go around the checkpoints again," he replied.

"Without the tavern...we'll be broke in no time," he warned.

"We still have a pretty good following with the podcast and that brings in some money. We'll have to supplement in other ways. It's that or prison," she replied, as they started packing what they could.

"We'll manage, I guess...now to figure out where to go," he said.

"The nearest bus stop is Misty Falls. We'll figure it out on the way to Boston," she replied, as they headed to the Harbor to make their escape.

~*~

After celebrating at Granny's with a mountain of food and all their family and friends, they had come home with their kids and retired for the evening. Except with them, there was no sleeping yet and the celebration had continued, in a much more intimate manner.

She rested her head against his chest and relished his arm around her.

"You did it...you freed us from his insanity," she purred, as she looked up at him. He gently kissed her.

"I said I wouldn't rest until he could no longer haunt you...I'm just glad I was able to keep that promise," he replied.

"I never doubted you...but I came very close to losing you," she said, as her eyes misted.

"Shh...no, you could never lose me. He never had a chance...not when it's you and our children that I'm fighting for. Not with a true love as powerful as ours," he replied, as she kissed him passionately and then pressed her forehead against his once their lips parted. He gently wiped a tear away from her cheek and green eyes stared into blue.

"I feel so free with his shadow finally gone," she admitted. He smiled.

"We are free, my darling. There are still battles ahead, but he was the worst one and he's gone forever," he promised. Their lips met again in a searing kiss and their passion consumed them once more. Once again, they had faced certain doom head on and their true love had prevailed, as it always would.

In the next chapter, one year has passed...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #OC Charmings #AU #original season 9 storyline #romance #adventure #family #drama #Finding You Always #the epic continues

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secret-engima · 4 years

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Finds and Feathers Drabble: Drautos

*throws this on here* Ow, my hands. This is over 2.5k words when it was meant to be maybe 1k but its done now so enjoy it. I hereby blame @oliverslewty @yudu097 and @faeconstellation for this. XDD Look at what got resurrected and merged with Fangs and Feathers verse.

BEHOLD the thing that y’all did the vote for *waggles eyebrows*.

...

-Titus has several reasons to hate the royal family. King Mors pulled back the Wall, which allowed his parents and uncles to be murdered when Niflheim invaded, leaving only him and his older sister alive (and even then, Titus was only alive because of Regis and his sister was only alive because she had moved to Lestallum three years prior). Regis had promised Titus aid and vengeance, but as the years went by, Titus’s homeland was never reclaimed.

-Then there was the Glauca suit.

-Titus had not wanted the thing now sitting under his skin, he had fought every step of the way through his capture and experimentation and their attempts to TURN him, make him betray Lucis in favor of the people who had burned his home.

-If he hadn’t had a sister to go home to, he thinks he would have listened to them.

-If he hadn’t had a sister who Titus had learned was with child right before his capture, he thinks he might have listened anyway, or at least not been as desperately reckless to escape. He would have taken his time to plot a way out, played obedient puppet to lower their guard rather than fighting his way out using the THING they had burrowed under his skin, even if it almost killed him.

-The Crownsguard hadn’t even noticed he was gone, and of course, what the Crownsguard didn’t report, Regis was too busy to notice.

-Worthless king. Spineless king. Selfish lying king who deserved to WAtCh hIs KInGdOm BUrN-

-It was only his sister’s horrified intervention in the height of his vitriol that clued him in on the fact that his thoughts were no longer completely his own. The suit, the armor, the thing that breathed and hungered and hated under his skin was connected to his mind so that he could command it at will, but that connection was two way, and its hate kept trying to bleed over into his own thoughts.

-Titus made a point to twist his spite and direct it at Niflheim whenever his thoughts strayed. True, he might hate the royal line for their failures, but he hated Niflheim MORE. Regis might not be the warrior king Lucis needed but at least he wasn’t the Emperor (at least he was a good man, even if good men made bad kings). On and on his thoughts spun in endless circles, a tug of war between two different kinds of spite and anger in the background of his everyday life that frankly made every day exhausting. It would have been so much easier to let the two thought processes combine and carry him away into a secret, righteous crusade against Lucis. So much easier to claim the power Niflheim had burrowed under his skin.

-He didn’t. Because of his sister. More than her…

-Because of his nephew. Because his nephew had no father figure to speak of (his sister had looked so worried when she told him of her one night stand with a nameless, pretty-eyed stranger that had made her pregnant despite protection) and had been born with fury under his skin, branded into his being just like the birthmarks that stretched across his face and body like jagged scars. SOMEONE had to teach his nephew to control the fury that seemed to have been molded into the boy’s soul from the womb, and Titus was the only one around to do that.

-Then one day when his nephew was seven years old and throwing a tantrum, the apartment shook and his nephew froze in astonishment at the bright, red-amber fire licking over his hands. In the stunned silence that had followed, his nephew had looked up at him with blood red eyes (his nephew’s eyes were washed out blue like his, not red, not RED-) and Titus had one more reason to hate Lucis Caelums.

-He never told Regis. Never dared. Regis was a man who loved children, and even in his blackest moments Titus would never suspect the man of being capable of harming a child, but Regis was married. Married to a wife he adored, a wife who had just recently had a son of her own. The scandal it would cause if Titus’s nephew was known, the strife that would erupt between Regis, Aulea, and Titus’s sister-. He couldn’t risk it.

-He had never been so glad that Regis had given him magic as a trusted member of his Retinue. A way to teach his nephew how to hide the magic burning under his skin and how to temper the wrath that threatened to shake the walls at any given moment (because his nephew was always angry, even when he was content and smiling and laughing with his mother, there was a tiny spark of anger lurking there, like the world had wronged him and he hated it).

-He still kept the secret even after Aulea died. Because Regis was grieving, and for all the bitterness that was both his and the suit’s, he wouldn’t inflict that kind of drama on the man while he was grieving.

-When his nephew was ten, Titus got a call from his sister, frantic and confused over her nephew, who had been watching a broadcast about the Oracle’s children when he suddenly passed out with a fever. Titus claimed a sick day and rushed to Lestallum to check on his nephew, found him already up and about a day after his mysterious collapse.

-His eyes were red and there was bitterness there.

-They didn’t stop being red even after Titus held him close and calmed the buzzing rage he could feel under his nephew’s skin.

-“I’m King Regis’s spawn, aren’t I?”

-Titus stiffened at the wording, glanced up at his sister as she pet her son’s hair and breathed, “You are my beloved son. Who your father is doesn’t matter to us.”

-His nephew laughed and the sound was broken. Then he pulled away and summoned fire to his hands so he could stare at his magic. When he looked up at his mother, his eyes were still the color of fresh blood, “I don’t like my name. I want to change it.”

-Titus and his sister had exchanged worried looks, but out of fear of a magic-fueled tantrum, Titus asked, “What name do you want?”

-A sharp, bitter sort of smile more at home on the face of a soldier than a child, “Xanxus. My name is Xanxus.”

-And that was that. His nephew stopped responding to his given name, only answered to the one he had given himself. He was different now, from whatever had happened, and Titus wished he could ask Regis about magic without raising suspicions, because was this normal for Lucis Caelums? This sudden change in name and development of a too-old (too bloodthirsty) personality?

-Xanxus’s eyes never did turn back to blue. Titus suspected there was too much anger there, lurking just beneath the surface as his nephew went out and picked fights with the street rats of Lestallum, as he ran off to join the Hunters at fifteen, adding yet another concern to Titus’s life in between his duties as Captain of the Kingsglaive, the suit constantly prodding his thoughts, and Prince Noctis (who had taken to trailing him around with big blue eyes that made it impossible to hate the brat) and his crazy pet Galahdian who had apparently taken a shine to him because he wasn’t “a useless herbivore” (whatever that meant).

-Titus should have known something would break someday. The tenuous secrecy and balance couldn’t last forever. Not with Xanxus’s temper and Titus’s terrible luck in regards to Lucis Caelums.

-Four months after Xanxus turned sixteen, Titus got a report from the front lines. A base of Kingsglaive had nearly been overrun by a Niflheim assault until an unknown teenager with magic had intervened and shot down the gunships with a combination of over-powered, red-tinted fire spells and guns that seemed to fire bullets of pure magic.

-Titus could do nothing to stop the report from reaching Regis, because several Crownsguard had been at the base at the time to refuel their truck on the way back to Insomnia and they had already reported the incident to the Marshal.

-Titus stood at a twitching Regis’s side, face frozen in neutrality that he didn’t feel as the throne room doors got flung open and his nephew was escorted inside by several glaives. Xanxus eyed Regis with contempt, his magic swirling openly around him like biting embers of anger and King Regis flinched at the feel of it before stepped forward, “You are-”

-“Your illegitimate spawn,” sneered Titus’s nephew and Titus inwardly groaned, “so what? Gonna try to lock me in your pretty Citadel so I don’t go around shaming your line?”

-Regis recoiled like he’d been physically punched and Titus openly winced and resisted the urge to tell Xanxus to do his breathing exercises, “No!” Sputtered the king Titus had a constant loyalty-hate relationship with, “I would never hold you here against your will!”

-“So you’ll just offer a lot of incentives for me to stay and more incentives for me to not dare leave.” Retorted Titus’s living headache, “Don’t try the playing the nice sham you old b-.”

-That was enough of that, “Xanxus Certus Drautos, watch your tongue. I can still hold you down and wash that mouth of yours out with soap.”

-All eyes snapped to Titus while Xanxus made a face and a rude gesture and Titus sighed at the unspoken, panicky question in Regis’s eyes, “He’s my nephew. Yes, I’ve known about his magic for a long time.”

-Regis’s expression was so genuinely wounded Titus felt bad, “Then why did you never…?”

-Titus looked away, unable to withstand the hurt in the eyes of the man Titus thought was a bad king but knew was a good man (which was what made him a bad king), “We didn’t find out until the year Prince Noctis was born. I didn’t want my sister or nephew … or you … to suffer the scandal it would cause if he became known. And after the Queen died … there was never a good time.”

-Xanxus snorted, “Whatever, just scrub the reports and he can keep his precious reputation untarnished and I can go back to Hunting. Say one of your pet glaives used a new magic spell or something.” The glaives bristled at the “pet” comment, but Titus was just glad he wasn’t slinging his favorite word around yet (he doubted Cor or anyone in the room would react well to Xanxus calling the king “trash”)

-Regis turned back to Xanxus, reached out a hesitant hand, “You don’t have to leave. I will not stop you if … if you truly wish to go but I would … I would be honored to get to know my son-.”

-Magic rippled out like blood and fury and Titus instinctively put himself between Regis and Xanxus as his nephew snarled “I don’t belong to you, Trash King. I’m not your son, I’m your mistake and I will not be caged just so you can pat yourself on the back and feel better about ‘repenting’ for your ‘mistakes’.” Xanxus shook off the glaives that reached for him, fire burning dangerously up his arms and shoulders as he leaned around Titus so he could bare his teeth at a shaking Regis, his armiger flickering in and out of existence in red-amber as he spat, “You leave me and my mother the pyre alone or so help me I’m gonna-.”

-From the doors of the throne room, another magic signature spiked and Titus swallowed his spit in dread.

-What was Prince Noctis doing down here?

-Xanxus’s eyes went wild and he spun on his heel and Titus had a horrifying mental image of either his nephew or his crown prince dead on the throne room floor and half-dived for his nephew. He slammed against the red-tinted magic shield that formed and pushed outward, knocking aside everyone that might have stopped him as Prince Noctis, with no self-preservation whatsoever, ran up to Xanxus and smiled, “Xanxus, you’re here!”

-Wait. How did Prince Noctis know Xanxus’s name?

-Xanxus stared down at the nine year old prince with a cocked head, confusion in the set of his shoulders for a moment before he … relaxed, “Small Trash?” There was genuine confusion, disbelief, as if he wasn’t expecting to see Prince Noctis here, but that made no sense because Xanxus had only ever been to Insomnia in his life ONCE before now and there was no way he’d met Prince Noctis then. … Right?

-Prince Noctis stared around them at the shield hemming them in, then fearlessly smiled and hugged Titus’s nephew, “I missed you!”

-Titus prepared to batter down the shield in hopes of preventing regicide.

-Xanxus just patted Prince Noctis’s hair, armiger fading out of existence and magic settling to something slightly below screaming wrath, “Figures you’d be here, Small Trash.”

-“My name is Noctis.”

-“Xanxus. Xanxus Drautos.”

-Prince Noctis leaned briefly around Xanxus to blink at Titus, then resumed smiling up at the half-brother he shouldn’t know existed, “Titus’s…?”

-“Nephew, Small Trash. I don’t have a father.”

-Regis made a strangled noise, tentatively resting a hand on the shield keeping him away from his two sons, “Noctis…”

-Prince Noctis looked at his father, blinked with that unique, far-off stare he got when his seer magic kicked in and Titus felt his teeth grind as the boy looked up at Xanxus, “…You’re my half-brother.”

-Xanxus’s shoulders tensed, “Small Trash…”

-Prince Noctis turned and hugged Xanxus again, “It’s okay. He’s a good dad, I promise. He’ll love you. Please stay.”

-A shaking breath that felt … vulnerable. More vulnerable than his nephew had been since he was ten and claimed a new name, “I’m illegitimate, Small Trash. We both know what that means to royalty.”

-Slender arms hugged tighter and Titus watched in awe as his volatile nephew did nothing to throw the boy away, “Dad is different. I love him, and he loves me. He loves you too already. I promise. And I never break my promises.”

-Xanxus sagged in place, muttered a few scathing curses Titus had never been able to train out of him, then reached down and effortlessly picked Prince Noctis up and propped him on his hip like the boy was three and not nine, “Fine, Small Trash. I’ll give him three months. If I don’t like him by then I’m gone.”

-The shield dissolved as Xanxus turned around, “You got that, Trash King? You want to prove you’re interested in me as family and not a tool, you got three months to do it. After that I’m gone and none of your men better try to stop me unless they want to be dead.”

-Regis agreed even as the Marshal growled at Xanxus’s wording, but Titus didn’t care to listen. Couldn’t really think past his surprise because … because…

-As his nephew looked down at the half-brother he apparently already knew in his arms, angry but in a more tired and indulgent way, for the first time in years…

-Xanxus’s eyes were their natural washed out blue again.

-Oh, thought Titus quietly as Prince Noctis beamed up at Xanxus with amber eyes, magic curling effortlessly around Xanxus’s in a way that filled in and smoothed over all the screaming, jagged edges.

-Oh.

#Melodies and Manuscripts #Secret Engima Rambles #Fangs and Feathers verse #BEHOLD #khr #xanxus #ffxv #in this au #tsuna and xanxus were actually very close friends before they died #especially after tsuna #firmly told nono to put his prejudice against xanxus #where the son didn't shine #and let the varia have way more freedom #than nono ever had #there is trust between these two #and xanxus actually missed him #but thought that yuni and byakuran were the only other reincarnations #until he sensed noctis's magic

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pluviophile-bookworm · 4 years

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AWAE 2x7 rewatch: thoughts and reactions

This was pretty much my favourite episode of the entire series before season 3 came along, so I’m really excited to watch it again. Let’s dive in:

Ok, that was a really weird (and short) cold open. I don’t really know what to say. Moving on.

Seriously, what just happened to Marilla? And how often has it been happening?

Yeah, as if Phillips would give extra lessons to anyone but Prissy. Also, Gilbert is right about him not caring much about teaching. People like Phillips have no place being teachers.

Bringing up Gilbert’s father, whose passing I’m pretty sure he’s aware of? How dare he? I hate that dirt-bag excuse of a man.

Oh, you’re going to the ball, dear Cinderella... I mean, you are going to the party, dear DiAnne! And you’ll be bringing someone else, too.

Speaking of someone else, poor Cole is still struggling with his art after Billy’s horrendous deed. Emotionally, mostly. But burning his drawings is not the answer. Never.

‘Cole is a man!’ Yes he is, that’s what I’ve been saying for I don’t know how long now. I’m glad someone’s finally noticed. I’ve got to say this scene reminded me a tiny bit of HP and the Goblet of Fire where Ron finally realised Hermione was a girl. But it’s different. In a good way, of course.

I love their, well, Anne’s, plan so much. I just do and I don’t really know why. But Marilla’s worsening headaches and her calling Matthew ‘Michael’ are worrying me so much. The Cuthberts do have their own trauma, they do. It seems everyone does in this series.

Of course Matthew allows it. In Matthew we trust. They’re going! Of course, I knew they were, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. See, that’s the thing about favourites - they make you feel the same emotions every time that they did the first time you experienced them. And isn’t that the most wonderful thing?

Marilla seems to be reminded of her own childhood and how she didn’t have the chance to experience such wonderful things as Anne gets to. But Anne’s had her share of traumatic experiences. She deserves this.

Hero is right. Cole is one and he’ll get back to his art soon enough. And he’s just arrived in what will end up being his new home thanks to the amazing Aunt Josephine.

Anne’s finally realised what Josephine had with Gertrude and her reaction is absolutely lovely. I knew it would be. In fact, I knew it the very first time I watched it. Here’s a note I wrote to myself all the way back then: Anne is so open- minded and finds it all but strange that aunt Josephine had a romantic relationship with Gertrude, while Diana’s conservative upper-class upbringing seems to get in her way of accepting it… but she’ll get around to it. What I really would like, however, is that Cole would eventually come out to Anne first, I mean they confide in each other in a way few others do, and she’s, at least the way I see it, the best person to come out to considering how she views Josephine and Gertrude’s relationship.

The party looks so beautiful, it makes me want to draw it. I probably will - just like I did last week with Diana the magnificent fairy queen. This show is so inspiring. In fact, my first ever drawing that I posted here was based on this episode and this party. Here’s a link: https://pluviophile-bookworm.tumblr.com/post/187379899979/i-dont-really-draw-but-i-was-just-rewatching-my Hey, this also means I’ve seen this episode more times than any other AWAE episode! It’s clearly my favourite - well, now it’s second to 3x5, but we’ll see what happens when I rewatch that one.

‘If it were agreeable to my husband’... poor Diana really needs more of her aunt’s influence. How lovely it would be for her to become a pianist... or a scholar, or what she desires. Not necessarily a wife unless it’s to someone she truly loves and who truly loves her.

The girl with the pixie cut who complimented Anne’s might have just made her day. At least it would have made mine.

If these people calling Cole ‘farm boy’ did something good, it must have been decorating him with their scarves and pearls. I love this look on him.

If not pixie-cut girl, Sunflower-man made Anne’s day and I’m so glad something finally did. If someone could only tell her how beautiful she looks...

I feel like I would have loved Gertrude if I had known her... and that woman who said she and Jo were her romantic ideal... there should be more like her in the world.

Josephine and Cole dancing together warms my heart so much! And what warms it even more is knowing they’ll be a family, a loving, beautiful found family as they both deserve. I’m not crying, you are.

Poor Marilla is still struggling with her past and her headaches, and Matthew is trying to do the best he can to help, but there’s not much to be done when one refuses to be helped. And dear Matthew seems to have trauma of his own. ‘Doesn’t she love us too?’ Heartbreaking.

Marilla’s thinking of Anne like a true mother, and though it breaks my heart when she says ‘I won’t be a burden to Anne.’, it also warms it to think she feels so responsible for her new daughter.

I wish dear Diana would be more accepting of her aunt...s. I suppose they were both her aunts in a way. In their own way they were married after all.

The artist who reassures Cole means so much to me for it. And the way she seems to know Anne after only having met her for a while... also, ‘Cole the artist’ - yes, he is that. I love that woman although I don’t even know her. She made Cole smile for the first time this evening.

I’m just imagining Anne in her puff sleeves and a top hat... magnificent. I might try to draw that sometime.

Oh, Diana, just because something is kept secret doesn’t mean it’s wrong! It might just be that people aren’t ready for it yet, and I’m sad for the people. Not for Jo and Gertrude. Not for Cole. For those who aren’t ready to accept that love is love in all shapes and forms.

‘broken, defective, unnatural...’ is that what Cole thinks about himself? I so hope it’s not. And I so hope he finds a man someday who makes him feel like Jo and Gertie had. He deserves it.

Here’s a note on this next moment from the time I saw it first: Oh my, oh my! He came out to Josephine first! I think it’s just as beautiful as had it been Anne, and the way he spoke of it to Anne and Diana first, although he didn’t confess anything, was so beautiful, deep and meaningful. Seriously, the way this series portrays things that are ahead of their time in the chronological context of the plot... that is so beautiful that I can’t even describe it… Anne with an E is my aesthetic… and one of the reasons I rediscovered my fondness of the colour orange which I previously disliked… just… so deep and aesthetically elevating. Ok, that last part had nothing to do with Cole or Josephine or coming out, but it’s truly what I think and it belongs here.

Matthew finally speaks up and it’s so powerful when a quiet person raises their voice. ‘She had other children. We all lost Michael.’

‘You missed me?’ But of course she did, she’s your mother now. I love the found family trope. And Marilla looks lovely with that flower crown.

‘[Love] can come in so many forms.’ This series teaches the proper values. I love it for that. #renewannewithane

‘The good doctor’. However demeaningly this was meant to be, it describes Gilbert so perfectly, and his response (‘and I managed to learn that with no extra time from you.’) was so absolutely great. Thanks, I love it.

‘You’ll get there, if you know where your passions lead you.’ That was a beautiful underrated Shirbert moment.

The pen of possibility. How lovely. This episode ended on just the right not and it’s just such a favourite of mine, I don’t even know what more to say. let’s just end here. Roll the recaps.

Let’s sum up: Marilla has headaches and flashbacks; Anne’s pen of duplicity concocts the perfect lie... fib; Cole struggles to get back into art; ‘Cole is a man!’ and so he and Anne and Diana get to go to Aunt Josephine’s party; Josephine and Gertrude are a romantic ideal; the perfect summer soiree in the middle of winter; Cole the farm-boy goes back to being Cole the artist thanks to a mysterious sculptor woman at the party; he comes out to Josephine, then to Anne and Diana; love is beautiful in every shape and form; the good doctor shoots for the stars on his own, thank you very much, Phillips (not!); the pen of possibility.

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star-spangled-eyes · 4 years

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Dirty Mind: Part 3: Love Hurts

This alternate universe fan fiction uses characters created and owned by Pixelberry Studios. Character names, descriptions and likenesses are owned by Pixelberry Studios. Some dialogue and events in Book 1 of TRR are property of Pixelberry Studios. The MC, Bragnae Bennett, and story is created and owned by this author.

Book: The Royal Romance (Alternate Universe)

Alternate Universe Theme: Drake’s perspective

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Bragnae Bennett – *pronounced Brawn-yah)

Warnings for this miniseries: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, angst, sex (including character’s thoughts and innuendos)

Masterlist

A/N: I wrote this miniseries in the first person perspective of Drake Walker. It follows events in Book 1 of TRR, but not everything is as you’d remember it from the story. Some things have been altered to better fit this fanfic.

I really enjoyed getting into the brain of Drake, and I hope you like it too. He’s a stud, and I love his sexual, angsty mind.

Enjoy the conclusion! Thanks for reading!

Word Count for this chapter: 6144

Permatags: @burnsoslow @cora-nova @dcbbw @thorfosterlove @emceesynonymroll @edgiestwinter @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @msjr0119 @notoriouscs @drakewalker04 @pedudley @desiree-0816 @choices-lurker @kingliam2019 @loveellamae @drakexnadira @flutistbyday2020 @indiana-jr @yukinagato2012 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker

The next day I drove my truck to Ramsford earlier than I was scheduled to. Maxwell called me, frantic and desperate for help getting the estate prepped before the rest of court showed up the following day. Apparently their staff took the day off unbeknownst to the Brothers Beaumont, and there was a ton of shit to do.

Normally, I’d say no, but I’d grown closer to Maxwell over the past couple months and felt bad for the guy. Not to mention Bragnae would be there. I was excited to see her, but after I came back down to earth from my pleasured high of being with Bragnae, I realized what we’d done.

I couldn’t shake the doom and gloom feeling I had since this morning. I betrayed my best friend to be with his girl. I lost all sense and control and I shouldn’t have. I should have been stronger than that. I had plenty of opportunities to leave her room last night that I chose to ignore. I was a shitty friend. And worse yet, Liam didn’t even know. The poor guy had no clue I even liked her let alone that we shared an intimate experience last night.

How the fuck am I going to tell him? He’ll hate me forever. We didn’t technically have sex. Maybe he’ll be more forgiving of that. I sighed in disgust at myself. Who am I kidding? We both kissed, grinded and moaned our way to incredible orgasms that we both needed and craved from each other. Goddamn it.

When I arrived at the Beaumont estate, Bertrand told me to help Maxwell in the kitchen, so I headed there. I stepped into the room to see him and Bragnae standing across from each other with a counter in between them as they worked on what I assumed was a caviar appetizer. I’d been to enough of these fancy parties to recognize the pretentious delicacy all the nobles went nuts over.

“I’m here. What do you need me to do?”

“Drake! Oh, thank God!” Maxwell shouted. “Thanks for coming to help out.”

“Hey, Drake,” Bragnae said with a smile.

I gave her a side smirk and a quick nod, not wanting to make a big deal about it in front of Maxwell. I couldn’t trust myself around her now. Even if I smiled in her direction, I’d give myself away. I needed to get my head wrapped around the situation before I was ready to talk about it. No one could know until I talked to Liam.

I felt like an ass because I didn’t want her to feel like I changed my mind about her. Because I still very much cared for her. If given the choice of having Bragnae by my side or a bottle of cold water in a hot desert, I’d choose her every damn time. But, I failed as a best friend, and I needed to make that right despite my own happiness.

Maxwell typed something on his phone quickly before shoving it back in his pocket. “Bertrand said we have caterers for the rest of the food for tomorrow. Whew! Drake, why don’t you help me make the rest of these Jewels of the Sea as I’m calling them, and Bragnae, could you go help Bertrand with the cleaning?”

Dodged a bullet there. Even though I’d love to stand here and look at her, smelling her sweet perfume, it’s probably best she go somewhere else in the house.

“Sure thing!” She walked around the counter, and brushed her hand across my lower back as she left the kitchen. I hesitated, but watched her leave anyway. She had turned back and smiled at me before leaving the room.

I sighed and got back to work while Maxwell jabbered on like a monkey in a tree.

Later, I found myself arranging goddamn flowers in glass vases for the dining room. Me. Arranging flowers. I sighed. How the fuck do I get myself into these situations?

I heard Bertrand telling Bragnae to help me with the center pieces, and my heart skipped a beat. Goddamn it. I already missed her. It had been a few hours since I’d seen her around. Part of me wanted to pull her in close and never let go, but the other part of me wanted to keep my distance. Keeping her near would only hurt more in the long run. Fuck. I hated how complicated this got all of a sudden.

“Hey, Drake. I didn’t know you had a knack for arranging flowers like this.”

I kept my eyes on the vase in front of me as I responded. “Yeah, who knew? The things I do for you people.”

“Seems to me that you have a lot of hidden talents we all aren’t aware of. I wonder what else you can do.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her face tilted up to me with a bright smile. I had to look at her otherwise she’d suspect I was ignoring her.

So I did. Goddamn, she was pretty. I scoffed a laugh. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Wait and see? When, idiot? You’re supposed to push her away, not give her little pieces of hope to cling to. I’m so bad at this.

“Well, I can’t wait.” She touched my arm. Her warmth sent a tingle down my spine. My heart beat faster and my breath quickened. All from one little touch. Jesus Christ.

“Lady Bragnae!” Bertrand shouted from across the room.

Startled, she whipped around to face him. “Yes?”

“Come here for a moment, please.”

Bragnae darted off to Bertrand, and I could breathe again. I needed a moment or two to myself. Now was my chance to sneak off. I quietly left the dining room and headed down the hall to the study. I shut the door behind me, and leaned against the wall. No sooner did I close my eyes did I hear the sound of high heels clicking down the hallway.

I sighed. Damn it. I opened the door as the footsteps approached to see Bragnae fill the door frame. She beamed as soon as she saw me.

“Hi! Can I come in?” She was incredibly enthusiastic, and too charming to deny. Shit.

“Of course.” I stepped aside and invited her in the study before closing the door behind her.

“Are you hiding out in here?”

“You could say that.”

“Well, this is perfect because I wanted to talk to you. First things first…” She said before reaching up to kiss me. No matter how much I tried to push her away, as soon as her lips hit mine, I couldn’t turn her down. I was an addict and her kisses were the drug. After a drawn out moment, she pulled back. “I’ve been waiting to do that all day.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her. “Me too.” It was the sad truth I couldn’t deny.

She rested her hands on my chest as she continued. “I decided I’m going to tell Liam that I’m withdrawing from the Social Season.”

“Why?” I kept my hands on her hips because I couldn’t resist not touching her.

“Because I want to be with you, Drake. Last night was amazing. I woke up with a big smile on my face this morning, and it won’t go away. I think about you all the time, and I’m always searching the crowd for your face. I’m so happy when I’m with you. And finding out that you also cared about me was like a dream come true.”

Her words humbled me. But how could she feel so strongly for me when she had Liam? “I’m glad to hear that I make you happy. Last night was… incredible for me as well. But maybe you shouldn’t make this decision now. Liam really likes you. I know he wants to pick you as his bride.” I cringed at the thought.

“I know, Drake. And that’s why I have to tell him before his coronation, so he’s not humiliated in front of the entire court when I decline his proposal.”

She was really set on this, but she wasn’t being practical. “I have nothing to offer you, Bragnae.” I couldn’t help the sadness that fell over my face.

“Drake, believe it or not, I didn’t come here to be queen. Going through all of this made me realize that I’m not really cut out for the job anyway. I’m independent, impatient, and sarcastic. I’m not very diplomatic either. I will always say what’s on my mind, and I don’t want to screw up something big for the country because of who I am. I truly have no interest in it.” She paused. “When Maxwell invited me to Cordonia, I was looking for an adventure to reignite my life. And I said yes because I also wanted to fall in love.”

That word. I drew back slightly, stunned a bit if I was being honest. I swallowed as I focused more intently on her face. “And did you?” I didn’t know what I wanted her answer to be. I cared for her very deeply, but was it love? My feelings for her were more than I’ve ever felt for anyone else. I wasn’t sure it was love, but I knew it was more than a crush.

Love was deep. Love was a commitment. Love was special. I’d never been in love before. It was never something I saw happening for myself even though I hoped to someday. With my life dedicated to Liam, there wasn’t time for relationships. Or maybe I just didn’t care to engage in them. Just one night stands. Sometimes even dragging some of those out to three or four dates if the sex was good.

“I’ll let you know.” She smiled at me. “I have to tell him sometime this weekend while we’re still in Ramsford. I’m sure things will get busy for him once we head back to the palace.” She stood on her toes again, pulling me in for another kiss. “I’ll find you later. I have to go help Bertrand with something.”

Before I could say anything more, Bragnae scurried out of the room leaving me with my thoughts. I walked over to a chair and slumped down into it. This was worse now. She was going to throw away a life of luxury and security just to be with me. I still couldn’t fathom it. Why would she do such a thing?

I’m nobody. Liam was everything.

Of course I wanted to be with her, but it just couldn’t happen. I couldn’t let it happen. Liam deserved to be happy, and he cared about her. Who was I to stand in his way?

My heart ached with a miserable heaviness as I realized what I was going to have to do. If she couldn’t see it, then I’d just have to tell her myself. We couldn’t be together.

Later that evening I found myself on the terrace sipping on some whiskey looking out at the stars over the vineyard. It was a beautiful night. A slight cool breeze came in occasionally, and crickets chirped in the distance. Being outdoors always helped to clear my head.

The conversation I needed to have with Bragnae, however, was taking its toll on me in every way imaginable. It was all I thought about since this afternoon. I dreaded it – the conversation I’d have to have with her and the aftershocks of it all. Having to see her as queen on the arm of my best friend. I didn’t think I’d have the strength for it.

Maybe I’d move away. I’d done it before when I went to college. I could do it again. Once Liam had Bragnae, he wouldn’t need me anymore.

I heard the hinges of the door creak, and my gut told me it was Bragnae. Sure enough, the very same clicks of heels from earlier could be heard as she made her way over to me. I took a deep breath and sat my glass of whiskey down before I turned to her.

“Hey, Bennett.” I couldn’t hide the agony on my face. She picked up on it immediately.

“What’s wrong, Drake? Are you okay?” She affectionately ran a hand down my arm.

Ugh. I didn’t even deserve that. She would hate me for this. “You can’t tell Liam, Bennett.”

A look of confusion contorted her face. “Why not?”

“You care for Liam, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“And he cares for you. You two would be great together.”

Her expression transformed into frustration and anger. “Drake, did you not listen to anything I told you earlier?”

“I did.”

She threw her hands up. “And yet, you’re still pushing me away.”

I sighed and looked to the ground for support. “He needs you.”

Bragnae took a step forward maneuvering her head to lock eyes with me again. “Don’t you need me, too? Don’t you want me? I mean… don’t you want to be with me?”

Yes to all of that – God, yes. I hated doing this to her. The hurt and pain on her face was almost too much to bear. I had to be strong. I had to finish this before I faltered. “Liam needs you more.”

My own words felt like a knife to my heart. I watched her eyes fill with tears, and I wanted to die. I’m doing this to her. I’m such a fucking asshole. “Bragnae, I’m sorry.” I reached out to touch her, but she moved away.

“No! Don’t fucking touch me. Don’t even talk to me anymore. You are such a coward, Drake.” Tears streamed down her face as she turned to go back inside.

I moved quickly in front of her, grabbing her shoulders. “I just don’t want you to make a mistake. You’d be throwing everything away just to be with me. And you deserve the best, Bragnae.”

“No, Drake. I deserve to be happy, and to be happy with who I want to be with. But it’s clear I’ll never have that.” She shrugged out of my hands and ran inside.

Great. That couldn’t have gone worse. I blew out a frustrated breath, and walked over to the table that held my whiskey. I knew I’d need this tonight. I threw back the rest in one gulp. My grip tightened around the glass as I thought about how I just hurt Bragnae, the one woman I ever truly cared about. And now she didn’t even want to me to talk to her.

The sting of tears pricked my own eyes as I looked out across the vineyard. In an attempt to give Liam and Bragnae a happier and more fulfilled life, I gave away all that I had. Not only would I not have the girl of my dreams, but she wanted nothing to do with me anymore.

Angry with myself, I threw the empty glass far into the vineyard, losing sight of it in the night. What the fuck is wrong with me?

A week had gone by since I last spoke with Bragnae. It felt longer. The amount of pain that I carried with me was insurmountable. When the rest of the court showed up in Ramsford the following day, it was clear Bragnae had lost that extra pep in her step. Even as she sat next to Liam, she’d put a smile on when addressing him and the king and queen, but as she turned back to her plate, her face fell.

I tried to approach her, but she walked away from me. I wanted so badly to console her, but I knew my presence was only making her feel worse. So, I honored her wishes and kept my distance. I didn’t try to speak with her, but I couldn’t stay away completely. I had to see her. I had to make sure she was safe. I wanted her to smile like she did before, but every time she did, I could tell it was forced.

Seven days had passed and not one look from her. Not one smile in my direction. Not even a middle finger from her telling me to fuck off. Hell, I’d take that just to know she still acknowledged my existence. Nothing. She had cut me out. I couldn’t blame her. I knew she hated me. I hated me, too.

I just wanted to talk to her again. It was such a shock to go from having her actively in my life every day to having nothing. I missed her. I missed the way she laughed at my sarcastic jokes. I missed the way she never let me get away with anything. I missed her touch.

I would think of the way she kissed me, and let the thought of it whisk me off to sleep at night hoping for pleasant dreams of her. That never worked. Even my subconscious was punishing me for my actions with restless sleep and nightmares of losing Bragnae.

In that time, however, I found solace in the fact that I realized I was in love with her. Having her cut me out like that forced my head out of my ass long enough to recognize how deeply I cared for her. I was happy to know I was capable of falling in love with someone, but I berated myself for figuring it out too late.

Given the chance now, I would never give her up like I did back in Ramsford. She had opened her heart to me that day, and instead of embracing her affections, I stomped on it telling her what I thought she wanted and needed. I was a real dick.

I wish I could change the past or even apologize now to try to win her back, but she wouldn’t even allow me near her without finding some excuse to leave the room. I screwed up big time. And now I have to live with it. I only wish that she would find the happiness she deserves.

I straightened my tie, and looked myself over in the mirror. I put on a suit tonight for Liam’s coronation. It’d been a long time since I wore a suit, but tonight meant something to my best friend, and I didn’t want to disappoint him.

I considered not going at all. I wasn’t sure how I could handle seeing Bragnae accept his proposal. She was still in the running for his hand. The press would have announced it if she withdrew her standing. So, that must have meant that she considered being with Liam after all. Good for her.

After everything I’d been through to get to this moment, I decided I had to show up and support Liam no matter how uncomfortable I was.

I made my way to the ballroom. There was still an hour until King Constantine turned the throne over to his son. I dragged out the night as long as I could, but it was time to make my appearance. As I walked down the hallway, a door opened to my right, and a shimmering gold dress got my eye. I turned to see Bragnae standing there frozen in place.

She was a sight to be seen. The golden sparkles in her dress brought out the amber in her eyes, and her silky hair was pulled into an elegant side-do. She looked magnificent.

“Hi, Bragnae,” I said softly. My nerves got the best of my voice, or perhaps I spoke that way out of fear that I’d spook her. I just wanted to spend five minutes with her without her running away.

She stood there staring at me, not saying a word. Her eyes scanned the length of my body undoubtedly surprised to see me in a suit. She pursed her lips together and straightened her posture keeping her walls up for protection. It was understandable, but it hurt that she felt she needed protection from me. But at least she hadn’t run off yet. These 30 seconds had been the longest I’d spent face to face with her since Ramsford. I’d happily take it.

“You look very nice,” I said, trying to break the ice.

Her mouth opened as if she was going to speak, but she blew out a ragged breath instead. Her expression left its resolute phase and became one of torment. It was hard to see her like that knowing it was my fault.

I took a small step towards her. “Bragnae, I’m sorry.”

I barely got the words out before she turned on her heel and walked towards the ballroom. My head hung in defeat as I stood in her jilted wake. I should have told her I loved her, but it probably wouldn’t have been received well. I just wanted her to know.

Twenty minutes and a glass of whiskey later, I was hanging out in the corner of the ballroom watching the crowd gather in anticipation of not only seeing a new king crowned, but to find out which of the suitors Liam was going to choose. Madeleine, Olivia and Bragnae were considered the top contenders.

The king and queen obviously favored Madeleine. The press adored both Olivia and Bragnae, but the people seemed to rally more around Bragnae. All of those factors including the recommendation of the Royal Council, and of course, Liam’s favorite were all taken into consideration for who the next queen would be.

I hadn’t seen much of Liam over the past week. He had been extremely busy getting ready for tonight, but when we did have the chance to hang out, he told me Bragnae was the one. At that point, he’d only had Constantine and Regina to convince. Everyone else supported his decision to choose her.

Now, it was just a matter of time. As the clock ran down, the crowd started to form around the stage. I moved closer too, spotting Hana. As I sidled up next to her, I noticed she was crying.

“Hana, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She sniffled and wiped her eyes before turning to me. “Yes, I’ll be fine. I just found out Bragnae’s leaving Cordonia tonight.”

“What? Why? Had she been planning this?”

Hana shook her head. “No, she made the decision just a little bit ago.”

“Does Liam know this?” I scanned the room for Liam, but didn’t see him.

“Yes. She told him after they danced. Now, she’s in her room packing. I’m just so sad she’s leaving, Drake.”

“Fuck.”

Hana winced. “Drake.”

“I’m sorry, Hana,” I said, patting her shoulder. “I have to go find Liam.” Before she could reply, I was working my way through the crowd to find him. I had to get to him fast to explain everything, so I could stop Bragnae before she left. This had to be done right.

I’m sure Liam was crushed, and he had to know I was the reason. I spotted Bastien standing near an entrance to a private room for the royals in the far corner. I ran over to him immediately.

“Bastien, do you know where Liam is? I need to speak with him.”

“He’s taking a moment to himself before the coronation, Drake. It will have to wait.”

I stepped closer to him. “Please, Bastien. It’s important. I wouldn’t bug you if it wasn’t.”

Bastien looked around the room and sighed. “Okay, but make it quick.” He turned to unlock the door behind him to let me in.

“Thanks, Bastien. I owe you.” I clapped him on the shoulder, and made my way inside the private suite.

“Liam?” I called out to him as I navigated through a small hallway.

“Drake? Is that you?”

I turned the corner to see Liam dressed in his royal regalia slouched in a chair at a table with a drink in his hand. He looked depressed as fuck. God, what a mess I’ve made.

“Liam, I need to talk to you.” I pulled out the chair next to him and took a seat.

“I’m not in the mood, Drake.” He took a sip of his drink. Liam favored scotch. I’m sure that’s what filled his glass.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, I know why you’re upset, and it’s because of me.”

He turned to look at me with a bewildered expression. “What are you talking about?”

“Bragnae withdrew from consideration tonight, right?”

He took another sip. “Yeah, she did. Now, I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do. I have twenty minutes before I’m crowned fucking king of this country, and the woman I was going to ask to marry me just told me she’s moving back home. I can’t believe it, Drake. I didn’t see this coming.” Liam shook his head, and took another swig of his scotch. After another moment he returned his attention to me. “Why is it your fault?”

My stomach rolled at the thought of hurting my friend. But time was of the essence, and I needed to tell him the truth. “I’m in love with her, Liam.”

He straightened in his chair. “Say again?”

“I’m in love with Bragnae. I’ve had feelings for her for some time, and about a week ago, I found out that she reciprocated those feelings.” I proceeded with caution despite the anger slowly consuming his eyes. “I know this is hard to hear, and I’m sorry that I have to tell you all of this. She wanted to be with me, but I told her she needed to be with you instead. I knew she cared about you, and I knew how much you cared about her. I thought I was making the right decision by insisting that she stay in the running as a suitor.”

“What the fuck, Drake?” Liam said with a raised voice, slamming his glass on the table.

“I know. I’m a monumental prick.”

Liam abruptly stood from the table, and walked a few paces away, keeping his back to me.

“Liam, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t want this to affect your coronation, but I just found out that she’s planning to leave, so—.”

He whipped around to face me, cutting me off mid-sentence. “Did you kiss her?”

“Yes.” I wasn’t going to lie to him.

Liam glared at me. His breathing became heavy. “Did you fuck her?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but hesitated trying to think of the best way to respond. “Sort of.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” He was growing irate by the second.

I sighed. The clock was ticking. I had no idea how fast Bragnae would pack, and I needed to get this conversation over with. “Look, I’m not going to get into those details with you. Let’s just say I’ve never been inside her, and we’ll leave it at that.” God, I hope he accepts that answer. I’m completely at his mercy right now.

He crossed his arms over his chest, still burning holes through me with his piercing blue eyes. “You asshole.”

I dropped my eyes to the table. “I know. I’m the biggest asshole on the planet.” I stood to face him properly. “I know you must hate me right now, and that’s okay. I should have been more honest with you about how I felt about her, but I didn’t want to stand in the way of your happiness. I thought I’d just get over it. I knew you liked her, and I’d do anything for you including push my feelings for her to the side. You’re my brother.” I swallowed in an attempt to clear the lump of emotion forming in my throat.

“I tried to bury my feelings for her. I was prepared to be unhappy for the rest of my life knowing you’d have the girl of your dreams, but then…Bragnae told me how she felt about me, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I’m in love with her, Liam. And because I pushed her away and told her to be with you, she has since cut me out. She won’t even talk to me.” Tears started to form in my eyes for God’s sake. “And now she’s packing to go back to New York. I need to stop her, and tell her I love her.”

“How are you going to do that if she won’t speak to you?” His demeanor was calmer now. Perhaps because I was showing sappy emotion for the first time since he’d known me made him see this was a serious situation. This gave me hope.

“She can at least listen, right? I’ve gotta try, Liam.” I took a deep breath. “But I can’t do that unless I have your blessing. I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s important to me.”

Liam lowered his gaze to the ground, and worked his jaw as he considered my request. He was silent for a long moment before he looked at me again. “She and I never did anything more than kiss. I wanted to, believe me. I even tried to lead her in that direction a couple times, but she always declined.”

That’s… a relief. But why was he telling me this?

“She’s the first girl that’s ever told me no. I told myself she just wanted to wait until she was officially mine, but it wasn’t that at all.” He smirked as he looked me over. “But she was willing to do… whatever it was that you two did together with you, so she must care about you.”

“Liam, I’m so—.”

He held up his hand, taking another moment of contemplative silence. He already had a commanding presence, and he wasn’t even king yet. “In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never once heard you speak of a woman this way. Nor have I seen you get so emotional over one.” He looked me over and smirked. “Cry baby.”

I grinned at his teasing remark.

He took a step closer to me. “You have my blessing.”

I closed my eyes, blowing out a breath of relief. “Thank you, Liam.”

“You’re welcome. Now, go get your girl.”

“Right.” I spun around to leave the room almost losing my footing.

“And Drake?” Liam called as I was about to round the corner. I turned to face him again. “Good luck.”

A smile transformed my lips. “Thanks. Oh, and I’m really sorry I’m going to have miss your coronation. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Yes, you will,” he replied light-heartedly. “Get the hell outta here already, would ya?”

“I’m gone!” And with that, I turned tail and left the royal suite.

I pushed my way through the growing crowds until I made my way out of the ballroom. Thankfully everyone was corralled there, which made the hallways clear. I could run without any interference.

And run I did. And I didn’t stop until I got to Bragnae’s room. Taking only a second to catch my breath, I knocked on her door. And waited. I knocked again. My mind raced through all the possible locations she could be if she wasn’t in her room. I had to have a plan B, C, D… whatever it took. I needed to find her before she left. If I had to stand on the fucking runway itself, I would.

I knocked a third time. “Bragnae? Are you in there? Please open up if you are.” I laid my head against her door. Fuck. Okay. New plan. I’d have check the front of the palace to see if the guards knew if she’d left yet.

As I turned to leave, I was stunned to see Bragnae standing in my path. She had changed out of her gown and into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Her hand rested on the extended handle of her suitcase.

“I forgot my phone charger.” It was so good to hear her sweet voice spoken in my direction again.

“Don’t leave, Bragnae. Please.”

She blew out an exasperated breath as she walked toward me – rather, she walked toward her door. I stepped out of her way as she unlocked it and opened the door. This was a good idea. At least we’d have some privacy and I could tell her how I felt. She tried to shut the door on me, but I pushed it open anyway, and followed her in.

I shut the door behind me and stood in front of it. I watched her walk over to her bed side table and pull a charger cord out of the drawer. She shoved it in her purse, and cocked her hip when she saw I was blocking her path.

“What are you doing? I have a flight to catch. Can you please move?” She was annoyed, and tried to hide the emotion in her voice, but I heard it anyway.

“No.” She sighed at my response. “Not until you hear what I have to say.”

She relented, exhaling a deep breath. “Fine. Make it quick.”

“Put your bags down.” She started to protest as I walked towards her, taking the purse off her shoulder and tossing it on the bed. I yanked the suitcase handle out of her grip and rolled it away. “I want your attention on me, not your flight.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest putting up the last piece of armor she had left. “What do you want, Drake?” Her voice shook a little, and definitely lacked the fiery zing it had just a few minutes ago.

I put my hands on the sides of her arms stepping closer to her. She turned her head slightly, but didn’t move out of my touch. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I was for being an idiot. For denying your affections and making you feel unwanted. And for any pain or hurt I caused you.” I tilted my head to the side to catch her eye. “I was wrong. And every day since then I’ve regretted my words.” Goddamn these emotions! The lump in my throat returned as I continued.

“Not having you in my life over this past week has been torture. I missed your smile, the way you laugh. I wasn’t happy at all because I knew you weren’t. You were right, Bragnae. You do deserve to be happy, and I want you to have that no matter what. If you need to leave Cordonia to be happy again, then I won’t stop you. But you have to know something first.” I took a deep breath, and poured all of my energy and feelings into my words. “I love you, Bragnae Bennett.”

Her mouth fell open as she inhaled a sharp breath. “You do?” She barely squeaked out the two words.

I smiled. “Yeah, I do. I have for some time, but I didn’t realize it until after I’d hurt you. And I’m sorry for that.” I took another step closer, lightly tugging on her arms to loosen them, so I could hold her hands. “Bragnae, you’re an amazing woman. I love everything about you, and I know I can’t live without you in my life. I’m not strong enough. And if you decide to stay in Cordonia, I’ll do whatever I have to do to show you how much I care about you.”

Bragnae took in another breath. “Say it again.”

I paused, giving her a questioning look. “Which part?”

“That you love me.”

I grinned, standing so close to her our chests touched. She had to tilt her head back just to look at me. “Bragnae Bennett, I love you. And I will always love you.”

Her eyes glistened with emotion. “I love you, too, Drake.”

My body filled with goosebumps hearing her reply. I smiled, stroking the side of her face with my finger. “Your love means the world to me. And I will never take it for granted.”

“Good.” She ran her hands up my chest, forming a loop at the base of my neck. “So, kiss me already.”

“Yes, ma’am.” We met in the middle as our lips connected in one of the most wonderful and fulfilling kisses two people could share. As the kiss deepened, I lifted her up and walked over to the bed to sit down with Bragnae in my lap. “This brings back pleasant memories.” I was getting turned on just thinking about it.

She giggled. “And we’ll make plenty more.”

“So, does that mean you’re going to stay in Cordonia?”

Bragnae outlined my jaw with her finger. “There’s no way I’m leaving you.”

“Good answer.” Our lips came together again as we both fell back on the bed getting lost in our love and desire for each other.

#TRR Dirty Mind Fanfic #drake walker #drake x bragnae #trr fanfic #trr drake

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nodesiretogrowup · 4 years

Text

LET’S GET READY TO RE-CAAAAAAAAP

“I have numerous science-based questions” I mean, same. It also sets up that Huey is gonna be out of his element this episode

SCROOGE HAS NO TIME FOR SCIENCE

“I AM THAT CHAMPION.” A bit full of yourself there. I couldn’t hear this line without saying “I’M. THAT. HERO.” Oh VeggieTales, you’ll always be with me

THEY ALL LOOK SO ADORABLE!!

I like that Louie does a finger gun when Scrooge gets to him

Like I said earlier, I DO NOT care Scrooge already putting pressure on these kids

Poor Dewey seems like he’s the unfavorite, which is probably how Donald felt as well

Huey makes a good point and I do NOT like how dismissive Scrooge is of the twins

That being said...they totally killed someone in battle

SOMEDAY WE’LL FIND IT, THE RAINBOW CONNECTION!

Why didn’t Launchpad crash? I know he can land w/o crashing but it’s usually when he lands in water. THIS FEELS IMPORTANT SOMEHOW though it probably isn’t

“THEY FOUND A WAY TO MAKE RAINBOWS BETTER!” God, I love Webby

“This is the best day.” WEBBY, YOU ARE REACHING CRITICAL LEVELS OF ADORABLE

Birds with beards look odd

“Yeah, sure. Of course.” Poor Huey, magic and mythology aren’t his strong point

I love that it says Odin’s Closet over the shirts. It’s the little details

“Guess Louie knows what Louie’s doing today.” And then he disappears into the shirts. I can appreciate someone who knows what they’re about

I want ALL the shirts from this episode!

“WHOA, IT’S WRESTLING!” He looks so dang happy, it’s ADORABLE

“THIS IS AWESOME!” Chanting is fun

“So these guys just copied professional wrestling?” Huey, you’re form of logic is not welcome here

Does that mean Scrooge told someone about his battles and inspired them to create pro wrestling? I’m gonna go with that

“And they will love me for it!” Dewey, sweetie, that’s only how it works half the time

I loved all the man-snake stuff. Made me giggle

Man snake be THICC. HOT DAMN

I love the little pig ref. HE’S SO CUTE

Jormungandr knows how to pump up a crowd

So, like, is everyone in the audience technically DEAD?! That makes this episode slightly darker. I dig it

I wonder if Jormungandr sees Earth’s destruction as a good thing for Earth. Like if he genuinely thinks they’d be better off in Valhalla. Or if he’s just a bastard who wants to watch the world burn

Scrooge is a bit too into playing the heel

The way Scrooge moves and the faces he makes as the Millionaire Miser remind me of Glomgold

“I watch a lot of wrestling while I fly.” “Wait, while?” This exchange always cracks me up

“Uncle Scrooge is the greatest hero of all time.” “Huh, I guess not everyone thinks so.” I feel like this is foreshadowing later events

RIP Announcer Puffin

“DIBS ON ANNOUNCING!” A dude just got KO’d bro! Have a bit of respect

And the return of the dynamic sports announcer duo. Glad Huey got his badge

I NEED MORE WRESTLING ANNOUNCER LP

Strongbeard is DOPE

“How did you know that?” “Just calling it like I see it. WRESTLING!” The real reason Launchpad knows is because he’s actually Thor but doesn’t remember. I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL

FEAR THE BEARD

“What matters is I’m doing the right thing.” I don’t know, you really seem to enjoy being a heel

This whole match is great

Dewey, there ARE NO RULES IN WRESTLING. Plus you aren’t the ref, so you can’t make that call

I have very inappropriate jokes go through my head when only one arm absorbs the beard energy

“I am so confused.” CONSTANT MOOD

DID SCROOGE NARUTO RUN AT STRONGBEARD?!

I like that Scrooge dives onto him the same way he dives into his bin

LP is so excited he pushes Huey out of the way for NO REASON

HOLY FUCK THAT DUDE THREW A CHAIR AT A CHILD!

All the bone cracking in this episode made me uncomfortable, as in my bones hurt during it

“He is such a good guy.” I’d say he’s a fair guy, not necessarily a good guy

“Which two of you will fight for me?” Webby has been waiting for this moment her WHOLE LIFE

Louie, always taking time to make that money

Who gave him a shirt cannon?!

I love that the dude comes up wearing the shirt

Dewey just slaps Scrooge in the face

Champ POPular! Too cute! I love his hair and outfit. Though I don’t think Champ POPular’s “too popular to hate.” If anything he might annoy people due to his popularity

I thought he was gonna pull out yo-yos as his “finishing touch” and I was sad when it was lollipops even though that makes more sense. BRING BACK THE YO-YOS!

“Do all the fighting and make sure he doesn’t die.” That is a valid concern

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU! I’D KNOW IT ANYWHERE

Huey taking notes is adorable

“Just in time for the tag-team round.” “Wait, they’re playing tag now?! MAN!” I love how Danny says MAN

How does Huey not know what a tag-team is? It’s a pretty common term

I love Launchpad’s reading face

Dewey has red, blue, and green lollipops. Cute

“HE’S THROWING LOLLIPOPS BECAUSE HE THINKS WE’RE SUCKERS!” That took me off guard and I laughed so hard

“I’ve known you my whole life, I kinda knew how this would play out.” Louie is genre savvy. Perhaps too savvy. He’s gonna figure out he’s in a tv show

“More like Champ POP..ulation zero because he has no friends...in Friendtown.” I fail to see how that was any worse than LP’s “more like Champ UN-POPular.”

“WE HATE YOU NOW!” Tough crowd

Huey’s face after that. I just want to pinch his lil cheeks

WEBBY DON’T NEED NO WRESTLER NAME

It TOTALLY went over my head that they censored Hela with Hecka (at least they used her better than the MCU did. WE COULD HAVE HAD SO MUCH BETTER)

I would let her pin me to the mat and crush my skull in

“Oh, COME ON, THIS is what you like?! A creepy goth and her pet dog!” SHUT UP, DEWEY, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT! I’m surprised Webby didn’t slap him for the “creepy goth” comment seeing as Lena is goth and misunderstood

“HECKA YEAH! HECKA YEAH!” SHE’S SO COOL AND SEXY AND SHE HAS A DOG

Poor Huey, he’s doing his best. Hope he takes a shower later because he got pretty sweaty

HECKA COULD STEP ON ME AND I’D SAY THANK YOU

Why did Huey have all those corn puns?

“YOU’RE THE WORST! YOU’RE THE WORST!” It’s just not Huey’s day

“You don’t have to try to make it sound great, it already is.” Did this remind anyone else of Dewey’s “don’t overthink it” advice to Launchpad from Double-O Duck? He’s doing his best to help Huey

I WANT HECKA TO DESTROY ME

“EMBRACE THE BOOZE BOOS.”

Poor Dewey

WEBBY IS A BEAST! SHE WAS BORN FOR THIS!

“EMBRACE YOUR INNER HEEL!” Cuz being a heel is fun!

DUDE, WEBBY TOOK DOWN THE GODDESS OF DEATH WITH NOTHING BUT HER LEGS AND THIGHS! WE STAN!

I like that Fenny has knee pads on

“AW, YOU’RE SO DANGEROUS AND CUTE! I JUST WANT TO PET YOUR LITTLE BELLY!” WEBBY IS ME

“A classic ‘who’s a good boy?’ gambit!” AND I’D FALL FOR IT TOO! SUCH A GOOD BOI

“Wait, am I the Launchpad here?” Bitch, you WISH

“YOU CAN’T GIVE CANDY TO A DOG!” This is why you don’t have a pet, Dewey

“WHOA, back from THE DEAD for the QUEEN of the DEAD!”

Kind of a dick move, Louie

AIR GUITAR!

Jormungandr looks like a Masters of the Universe knock-off toy

WHO’S A GOOD BOI? YOU ARE!

“With a toxic personality” I think you’re projecting a bit, Jormungandr

How does Huey not know what a battle royale is? That is a very common term! Hell, there is a well known book and movie with that title!

“I’m just a humble, noble snake man of the people.” Why does the term snake man make me laugh so much?

WOY REFERENCE FTW

Dewey needs a hug! And some therapy would probably be a good idea

Scrooge’s speech started on a good note then went downhill FAST

“And lastly, I’ll use the dust of your bones as sweetener in my tea.” DAMN

“TOO FAR!” I DON’T THINK IT’S FAR ENOUGH! TELL HIM HOW YOU WILL BATHE IN HIS BLOOD

FUCK YEAH BEAKLEY!

SHE GAVE HIM THE CHAIR! I think this CONFIRMS Beakley as a wrestling fan

“I know we’re supposed to take over for Scrooge one day, but do you ever wonder if maybe we’re not cut out for it?” YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO WONDER THOSE THINGS AT ALL!

Louie’s like WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS SHIT!

“Be LP” My new mantra

Aw, Louie sees Dewey as a hero. Like how LP saw Drake as a hero. I think @drakepad is onto something, this scene and the fight scene seem WAAAAY too much like Drake’s intro to be just a coincidence

I keep saying this, but Louie should consider a career in motivational speaking. He knows what people need to hear

“Let’s do this!” “I don’t know.” “Let’s Dewey this?” “I’m in.”

“I’LL SHED YOUR SKIN FOR YOU!” If he hadn’t of had an old man back moment that would have been a BRUTAL CUT

OMG WAS LAUNCHPAD WEARING THAT THE WHOLE TIME? You see his clothes fly off when he jumps in the ring

“Whoa. In a COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED TWIST, the announcer was Captain Crash THIS WHOLE TIME!” LP does underground wrestling matches in his spare time, TELL ME I’M WRONG

“YOUR CATCHPHRASES ARE FORCED!” I agree, Dewey could have done WAY BETTER

I like Louie just GLARING at the dude who insulted Dewey’s catchphrase

LP looks so proud of Huey

“I don’t care at all, why should I?” Methinks the snake man doth protest too much

I like how Jormungandr’s pupils are thinner during the climax. It shows off his true nature

Dewey should have been the one to do a spin attack, ya know, cuz he’s Sonic? I’ll go now

“The Pop never Stops.” That was better

WHERE ARE ALL THESE CHAIRS COMING FROM?!

I LEGIT thought Strongbeard was gonna throw Dewey his axe and I was like Dewey wouldn’t be able to lift that

SUPER SAIYAN DEWEY! Also was that a TIGER SNARL?

I like the ice pack on Launchpad’s head. Just because he can take a lot of damage doesn’t mean that LP is immune to pain

I like that the crowd CHANGED THEIR BANNERS! Nice

LOUIE AND WEBBY LOOKED SO CUTE!

LP tearing up

“A true people’s hero” I feel like that phrase will come back in relation to other characters (cough DW cough)

Scrooge is such a little shit, it’s kind of adorable

THAT END SHOT! THAT SONG!

This was a SUPER FUN EPISODE! I couldn’t really tell where they were going and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT! I wish we had gotten Huey in some wrestling gear but maybe next time. I like the message that doing the right thing isn’t always popular but I kind of feel like Dewey getting the crowd on his side muddled the message somewhat. Poor Dewey needs therapy or something so he doesn’t feel like he needs CONSTANT approval. Again, he’s 11 YEARS OLD and shouldn’t be put into such a serious position. LP was VIP this episode. I’m bummed we’re on hiatus again, but WHAT an episode to end on!

#ducktales #dt spoilers

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horansqueenandpaynesqueen · 4 years

Text

Next-Door Neighbours: Chapter Nine

A Liam Fanfic, A Niall Fanfic, MA Rating

New neighbours, new drama. Sometimes what you need is the last thing you’re looking for.

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 ||

+NOTES+

1- This fic is written by Julie ( @paynesqueen ) & Livia ( @horansqueen ) 2- Julie will write the odd chapters and Livia the even chapters 3- This fic will have romance, drama and smut.

Chapter Nine by Julie (paynesqueen)

Louis was the first one to wake up the next day. He wasn’t really surprised; Julie had drunk way more than she usually does. He had tried to cheer her up, but even if he could get a smile from time to time; he knew that she was still focusing on whatever happened with Liam. He looked next to him where Julie was still fast asleep and thought it was funny how they ended up sleeping in the same bed countless of times over the past years and never once had it felt like this; like two best friends sharing a bed.

They had always been best friends except before, it was with benefits. Sleeping and sex had always mixed between them, but now neither of them wanted it; he wanted to do all of this and more with Livia. He knew that he needed to do something about it, but he was just not sure how to approach it with her.

He knew she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the moment and there was the matter of Niall. He wasn’t a fan of sharing her attention with the Irish lad. He was trying to find a way to get her all to himself away from any distraction so he can show her how good he could be to her. He knew she wasn’t indifferent towards him even if her interest was split in two with Niall, but he just needed to get her to focus on him in a context that was not friends with benefits or group outing. He needed them to be alone for him to get her to see what they could have or at least try. He knew that there was no guarantee that she would choose him in the end, but he was mostly scared that if she didn’t, he didn’t know what to expect of the aftermath which is probably why he was always postponing doing anything concrete about it.

He heard Julie groan next to him and he looked at the brunette as she turned on her back, her arm covering her eyes.

“Can someone turn off the sun please?”

He chuckled and got up to close the curtains as she sat up with much difficulty. The aspirins and the water next to her were going to be needed for sure. He handed the glass and the two pills which she swallowed quickly. He lay back next to her and closed his eyes wondering what they could do next.

“I’m his neighbour.”

Julie’s voice made him open his eyes, mostly in confusion.

“Uhm... What?”

“Last night I went to see Liam and he told me that he got back with his girlfriend and when he introduced us, he introduced me as his neighbour and not his friend. I mean, I know our relationship was complicated to define, mostly because of me, but still, I thought I had at least earned the friend title.” She explained.

“Are you sure it’s the only thing that bothers you about the situation?”

She shrugged as if she didn’t want to answer, but went on; “Louis if nothing happened between me and Liam, I can only take the blame for it. I push him towards her if nothing else. I anticipated it even if I underestimated just how much it would affect me, but still, I just felt like in the past few weeks spent together, we had developed a friendship at least.”

“He probably didn’t expect you to show up.” He offered. “But tell me something. Do you think that you not giving him any chance is a good reason to go back to his ex? I mean, things not happening between you two is one thing, but going back to her because of it... It’s just wrong.”

“It might not be the reason he did, Lou.” She retorted. “They have history which is something that you pointed to me quite a few times. He still loves her and meeting with her probably just reminded him of it.”

He had his doubts but he decided not to push it. He could tell that it was important to Julie to believe that Liam chose out of love.

“I’ll get over it eventually.” She added. “So what about you? Any progress with my sister?”

“Not really.”

“Have you tried to do something?” She retorted. “Look Louis, I know how you feel for my sister and I know she could be happy with you, but if you don’t do anything, you are going to miss your chance. I know you hate that I keep reminding you of this, but it’s time you finally do something about it.”

“It’s hard to have her focus on me when Niall is also on her mind. I never feel like I can have her to myself with him so close.”

“Ask her to go away on a weekend. Your family has a cottage so go there and just be with her. Make her focus on you.” She offered. “I can’t promise you that she’ll pick you, but at least if she doesn’t, you’ll know you will have done as much as you can to show her that you want to be with her.”

“I could do that.” He agreed. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Good. One of us should have a chance at getting what they want.” She exclaimed.

“You could still. You could tell Liam how you feel. I mean, unless you want to go back to being the ice queen you have been for the past few years.”

“No chance of that happening. That guy torn down my walls after just a few weeks knowing him and torn them down really bad. I’m not sure I’m capable of building them back up. I’m not saying I’m ready to go and connect with someone right away, but who knows, maybe someday.” She replied. “And telling Liam is a big no no. I won’t do that him especially if it’s like a fluke.”

“A fluke? I highly doubt that, love.” He laughed. “For him to be able to break through your walls like this, what you feel for him is too strong for being a fluke like you said. I won’t go as far as love, but it has a potential to head towards it. I think you should tell him; especially before he gets too invested in his relationship with his ex, because you might actually really lose any chance of finding what you could have with Liam.”

“Yeah that’s not happening, Louis.” She repeated. “He needs to give them a second chance.”

He could tell that it was hard for her to even say it. He held her against him and for a while, they just cuddled in silence. It was strange how they were both yearning for someone that they didn’t know if they would ever have.

“I’m also scared just so you know.” He said out of the blue, but as Julie squeezed him tighter, he knew that she understood the meaning.

+++

Liam had knocked on Julie’s door the next morning, but Livia told him that she wasn’t home yet. He nearly asked her if she knew where she was, but he decided against it. He simply asked Livia to tell her sister to give him a call when she came back.

He then went to see Niall because he needed some advice and he was the one person in this building that knew him best.

“I have some time for you.” Niall said when he asked to come in. “But just so you know the moment Livia text me, I’m out of here.”

“I’m glad you two have patched up whatever was wrong between you.”

“You and me both.” He smiled. “I mean, there are still some issues, but at least she’s talking to me. I don’t know what she has planned for today, but as long I’m spending today with her, I’m good. So what did you want to talk about?”

“About Lisa and me.”

“Oh... What about you two? Aren’t you happy you guys got back together?” He asked him.

When Liam had first told Niall, he knew his best friend wasn’t agreeing with his choice much. To him, Lisa wasn’t deserving of a second chance.

“Sure.”

“You should tell that to your face.”

Liam sighed; “It’s just that I thought I knew what I wanted until Julie knocked on my door last night and then doubts settled in.”

“Li... Let me ask you one question. If Julie hadn’t put the brakes on any kind of future you two could have together, would you have gone back to Lisa? I mean, be honest with yourself. I’m not saying you don’t love Lisa, but maybe you went back for the wrong reasons.” Niall stated.

Niall had a point and he didn’t want to answer that question because he had made his decision and he couldn’t just go back on it. It wouldn’t be fair to Lisa and it would feel like he was just playing with her.

“Look, Payno, I can tell that you made your decision and all that, but in the end, is it worth sticking to it if all three of you are miserable?” He added.

“I have never been in this kind of situation before. It’s hard to tell which solution is best for me.” Liam admitted.

“Well, no one said relationships are easy and believe me; that is something I know about.”

Liam could only agree. He just didn’t like the feeling he felt right now. He hated to think that he went back to Lisa for the wrong reasons or that he may have hurt Julie. Niall’s cell rang and with the smile that appeared on his face, he could tell that it was from Livia.

“I guess that’s my cue to go. Thanks for the chat, man.” Liam said getting up.

“Anytime, Li. But think about what I told you. I may sound like one of those romance books my mom loves so much, but the unknown can be scary but more often than not is worth plunging in.” Niall chuckled.

“Yea, you do sound like a romance book just about now.”

He said goodbye to him and headed towards his own flat. He waited all day for Julie to come and knock on his door. He wanted to text her, but he felt like that she might not answer him. Most of the day was spent trying to sort the pros and cons of either staying with Lisa or moving on and he didn’t feel like he was making any progress.

He decided to grab a bite before going to knock on her door in hopes she was home. He had just walked out of the building when he saw turning the corner with Louis. He had his arm around her shoulders and a pang of jealousy went through him. He knew that it was platonic, but he felt like Julie wouldn’t even let him do that again.

“Thanks for last night. It was really what I needed.” He heard her thank Louis.

“Always, love.” He grinned at her and as he looked up, he noticed Liam standing there.

Julie looked up and took notice of him too and he felt like she was looking through him and he didn’t like this. Julie and Louis looked at one another and she just nodded at him and he hugged her before walking away. Then it was only Liam and Julie standing on the sidewalk and it was awkward; something that had never happened before.

“I’ve been waiting for you all day.” He finally told her to break the silence. “We need to talk.”

“What do you want to talk about?” Julie asked him.

She was avoiding his stare and he hated it. He wanted her to look at him like she did before and he knew it was selfish because he chose someone else, but he couldn’t help but wanting it.

“Us.”

“There’s no us, Liam.” She replied. “You’re with Lisa and I’m your neighbour Julie.”

“Wait, what?”

“That’s how you introduce me to Lisa last night. I mean, we are not friends so I don’t think there’s an ‘us’ to talk about.” She answered him. “You couldn’t even tell me about a decision you took days prior last night.”

“I’m sorry about that, I was surprised to see you there and I wanted to tell you about me and Lisa, but not like this.”

She didn’t say anything and he hated that. He wanted her to say anything about what she thought of his decision. It shouldn’t matter, but at the same time it did. He didn’t know what he would he do with that knowledge, but he needed it.

“Do you think it was a mistake?” He finally asked her. “Me going back to Lisa.”

“It’s not my place to say, Liam.” She answered. “It’s your life. You know better what you want than anyone else.”

“Stop this. Stop acting like this isn’t changing anything or that you don’t have an opinion on it. You do so just fucking tell me.”

“What do you want me to say, Liam? That it hurts, it does, but I can’t blame you. You have history with her and I blocked any chances of us going any further. So the choice was pretty damn clear to make. You went with your heart and I have to accept the decision, especially since I did nothing but push you into that direction.” She exclaimed.

“But what if...”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” She exclaimed. “Don’t do this, Liam. You made your decision so stick with it.”

“Sometimes we make the wrong ones though.”

“It doesn’t matter, Liam. You took it for a reason and you should remind yourself of it instead of searching for reasons to get out of it.”

“I love Lisa or at least a part of me still loves her, but that doesn’t mean that going back with her is what best.” He argued. “I’m not sure I took the decision with the right reasons in mind, Julie. We weren’t really talking and I think it might have influenced my decision.”

“Liam, I can’t be the one to tell you if you chose wrong because you went with your heart. No matter what excuses you’re trying to tell yourself, I feel like you mostly feel confused because we do have some sexual tensions between us and we didn’t give into them so and these tensions are actually feedings your doubts.”

“Is that what you think of me? That I only wanted sex with you? If you do, then you probably don’t know me at all. Julie, I really liked you. Heck, I still do.” He nearly yelled. “I can admit that much. Can you admit to yourself that you also like me?”

Because yes she said it hurt her that he chose Lisa, but she hadn’t said those words to him. She had never told him once.

“I do like you, Liam.” She said. “But it doesn’t change anything. It shouldn’t be changing anything.”

“Like hell it doesn’t change anything. If I would ask you out now, would you say yes?” He asked her getting closer to her.

She just stared at him without saying anything. He could see the wheels going crazy in her head and he wondered what she was going to say.

“I-I need to go.”

“Please don’t go. We need to talk about this Julie. No matter the income, we need to talk about this.”

She knew he was right, but she wasn’t able to think clearly at the moment. She was so close to ask him to choose her after all; to forget about Lisa and give them a chance, but she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t be that girl that gets between them. Maybe a part of her feared that he would regret his decision if he chose her too. But she needed some time to think it through. She needed time to get over her feelings about the situation and see it through more rational thoughts.

“Li-” She sighed. “I can’t. I just can’t...”

And he did it; he did the thing he wanted to do since he met her. He pulled her against him and crashed his mouth on hers.

#liam payne #liam payne smut #liam payne fluff #liam payne story #liam payne writing #liam payne fanfic #liam payne fan fic #liam payne fanfiction #liam payne fan fiction #niall horan #niall horan smut #niall horan fluff #niall horan story #niall horan writing #niall horan fanfic #niall horan fan fic #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan fan fiction

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chromalogue · 4 years

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The Clock Strikes Midnight

A story that I wrote for my 8-year-old niece as a gift, “illustrated” with pictures I printed off the internet and cut out and recombined, and then photographed under what I realize now were very poor lighting conditions.

A lot of people know the story of when Cinderella was young. They know that she had a wicked stepmother and two wicked stepsisters who made her wear rags and clean the house while they sat idle. They know that her fairy godmother helped her go to the royal ball by turning her rags into a beautiful dress and glass slippers, a pumpkin into a coach, a rat into a coachman, mice into footmen, and lizards into horses. They know that she danced with the prince until the enchantment started to wear off, and on the stroke of midnight she fled the palace and left one slipper. They’ve heard all about how the prince searched through the entire kingdom to find the woman whose foot fit the slipper. They know the prince married Cinderella with a glad heart. But people don’t know what happened after she got married.

[Image description: Castle Neuschwanstein, in the mountains, with a cutout of a coach emerging from the front gate. End image description.]

Most of it was good. Cinderella got to live in a palace with a very nice husband. There was always enough to eat, and she was able to send money back to her father. She didn’t have to clean from sunup to sundown, although sometimes, when she was working on a thorny problem, she did anyway. It helped her think.

Cinderella’s wicked stepmother had started going to therapy, and now she was Cinderella’s occasionally cranky but really quite decent stepmother. And now that Cinderella didn’t have to live under the same roof as her stepsisters, they all got along much better. Lacey, one stepsister, had married a seamstress and they had adopted a son and a daughter. Tilly, the other stepsister, had always been good in history and had decided to pursue it as a career. She worked at the new university.

The prince’s parents, the old king and queen, had retired and given Prince Charming the throne. They said they wanted him to inherit the kingdom in the prime of his life, while they were still there to enjoy his rule and to give advice if he really needed it. There would have to be an heir eventually, which meant that someday Cinderella would be expected to at least think about having a child, but she was still very young, and there would be plenty of time for that later. So she spent her time looking after the kingdom instead.

But not everything was good all the time. One day, about two years after Charming had married Cinderella, and after he had become king, he had to leave the kingdom for an important diplomatic trip. He would have loved to take Cinderella with him, but one of the neighbouring countries had a new leader who nobody trusted, so one of them had to stay at home, just in case.

The king had been travelling for only an hour when he felt his coach come to a halt. Before he could get out to see what was the matter, the door of the coach burst open, a bag was thrown over his head, and he was carried off kicking and struggling. His kidnappers threw him into another coach, and gallopped away.

King Charming tried to keep track of the turns, and guess where they were by the feel of the road under him, but he lost track after a couple of hours. His kidnappers rode with him all day. The air had the chill of night again before the coach slowed and stopped. They made him get out and walk, and he heard mighty doors close behind him.

After awhile, he was allowed to stop, and his captors pulled the bag off his head. He was in an opulent throne room. Standing over him was the ruler of the neighbouring kingdom, Jingo. Once upon a time, Lord Dampnut had looked like everyone else, but he thought that he was better than everyone else, and went to extraordinary lengths so that everyone would know it. He kidnapped faeries and forced them to make his teeth supernaturally white. Every morning he bathed in carrot juice to make his skin a gleaming orange, and he had a small, expensive dog that he kept right on top of his head. “Hello, King Charming,” he said. He had a very firm handshake.

[Image description: an opulent hall with a chandelier. Donald Trump stands clad in fearsome spiky armour, and wearing a Pomeranian on his head. End image description.]

“Hello, Lord Dampnut,” said the king. And because he was royalty, and expected to act very formally with other heads of state, instead of yelling and screaming and demanding why they’d kidnapped him and shoved a bag over his head, he said, “To what do I owe the honour of this... unexpected invitation?”

“I called you here to have a little conversation on my terms,” said Lord Dampnut. “You’ve been stealing water from the great republic of Jingo, and we won’t stand for it.”

“Goodness,” said the king, “please do tell me what’s happening.”

“The Elva River runs through Jingo,” Lord Dampnut said, “before it reaches Vingjarnlegur.”

“Yes,” said the king.

“Well?” said Lord Dampnut.

“Well?” said the king, aware that this was not good protocol, but a little at a loss for words.

“You’re stealing Jingo’s water, plain and simple!” roared Dampnut. “You suck it right out of our country into yours. And then it flows into the ocean, and you put boats on it, and let all the nations of the world sail on my water! And mark my words, you’ll pay for it. You’ll pay for the water you take, or we’ll build a dam, and you’ll pay for that.”

“Lord Dampnut,” said the king, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, “what you are describing is simply how rivers work.”

“That’s the problem with you people!” Dampnut raged. “You go on and on about how rivers work now, without ever thinking about how rivers could work. My advisors tried to tell me the same thing, and you know what I did? I fired them. We need new people with new ideas. And if you won’t do what’s right by Jingo, King Charming, I’ll rain down fire and fury the likes of which you have never seen before.”

“Do you have a cell for me?” the king said plaintively. “I think I would like to go to my cell now.”

Dampnut’s men took him to the dungeon, and locked him in a cell. There the king found the other people in his entourage: his page, his butler, the groom, the coachwoman, and some footmen. Most of them just sat there dejected. But one of them, a footman, jumped up when he saw the king coming. His cell was right across from the king’s.

The footman waited until the dungeon guards walked away. Then he whispered, “Your majesty, I believe I can help.”

“Any help would be very welcome...” The king trailed off, because he didn’t know the footman’s name. He wasn’t one of the ones the king had grown up with in the palace. It was one of his wife’s people. Nice fellow. Hard worker. Vegetarian.

“Lenjimux,” the footman supplied. “My name is Lenjimux. I think I can get out of my cell later tonight, and go for help.”

“Can you get me out of my cell?” the king asked.

“Sorry, sire. It doesn’t work that way.”

Dinner was curried chickpeas, because Lord Dampnut hated curry and he hated chickpeas, and he thought the two of them together were the worst thing he could feed to anyone. The king rather liked it. Then he sat down on the cold stone floor, and waited.

He had been waiting for hours when all of a sudden, the clock struck midnight with a tremendous BONGing noise. Lord Dampnut had insisted on the biggest, loudest, best bells, and never mind that they rattled teeth all over the kingdom. Some people deserved to have their teeth rattled, he said.

But Lord Dampnut was not worth paying attention to at the moment, because suddenly Lenjimux’s clothes collapsed, empty. As the king watched, wide-eyed, a little grey mouse clambered over one sleeve. He scurried under the bars and into the dungeon corridor. He chirped up at the king, and then took off running.

[Image description: in a dungeon, a mouse standing in front of a pile of discarded clothes. End image description.]

Cinderella woke early the next day. She wasn’t worried about her husband. In those days the only way to get a message anywhere was to have someone carry it. The trip would take three days, and then it would take three more days for a messenger to ride back and let her know that the king had arrived safely. She waited and hoped, of course, but she didn’t worry. It had only been a day, after all.

So she was quite surprised when a page appeared in the hallway, out of breath. “Your majesty,” the little girl wheezed, “urgent message for you in the drawing room.”

Cinderella went downstairs and found Lenjimux, also out of breath. He was wearing only a burlap feed bag, and he was covered in dirt and bleeding from a dozen scratches. The kitchen had already sent up a pitcher of water, and someone had put down towels so that Lenjimux could sit down without muddying up the furniture. It must be very urgent, for him to need to see her before he’d had a chance to put on real clothes.

“Coach ambushed,” he said, between gulps of water. “Lord Dampnut. I ran all night, but there’s only so far a mouse can get. When the sun came up and I changed back, his police found me. They recognized my accent and I was afraid they would take me right back to the dungeon, but instead they said I didn’t belong in their country and threw me back across the border.”

“Lucky for us,” Cinderella said. “What does Lord Dampnut want with my husband?”

“He thinks the fact that the Elva begins in Jingo makes it his river, and he wants us to pay for the water that flows into Vingjarnlegur.”

“What a silly man!” Cinderella jumped to her feet. “We have to get Charming out of there.” She turned to the page. “Your name is Hannah, isn’t it? Please tell run up and tell my ladies’ maid that I require the dress and shoes I wore to my first royal ball. Then tell the footman George to meet me in the stable. After that, please go and tell Stu the coachman to saddle up my coach, with my old team. Finally, fetch the Prime Minister, the Captain of the Guard, and my fairy godmother, please. Tell them what has happened, but tell them that Cinderella is taking care of it, if you please.”

“Yes, your majesty,” the little girl said, and ran off.

Cinderella turned to Lenjimux. “You’ve earned a nice long rest,” she said.

“Your majesty,” he said, “if I can have twenty minutes for a bath and some clothes, nothing would please me more than to accompany you.”

It took a little longer than that to get the coach out of storage and the horses saddled, but soon they were off. The Prime Minister and the Captain of the Guard ran along behind, shouting bad words, until the palace was out of sight.

Lenjimux slept in the coach. Cinderella stared out the open window, partly because she was making plans and partly because nothing could get the smell of rotten pumpkin out of the upholstery.

It had taken King Charming’s kidnappers all day to reach Lord Dampnut’s palace because they were avoiding the roads. It took Cinderella only a few hours to get to the border Vingjarnlegur shared with Jingo. She told the border guards that she was going to do some shopping, and they let her through.

Lord Dampnut’s palace was on a hill overlooking the busiest city in Jingo. Since there was nothing to be done yet, Cinderella spent the day shopping and making small talk with people in the city. She learned all about the palace. Lord Dampnut liked to tell everyone about it, including how many guards he had and where they all were.

When the sun went down, Cinderella returned to the coach with dinner for everyone. She told them what she had learned. Under the cover of darkness, they slowly made their way as close to the palace as possible, and made plans.

The big bells startled all of them, and they jumped out of the coach, which was already going soft and mushy. But they all knew what to do, and they were ready.

The horses turned back into lizards, and Stu, now a rat, led them over the palace wall. Lenjimux and George turned into mice. Cinderella, now clad in rags, tucked her glass slippers into her apron, tossed the rotten pumpkin over the palace wall, and put Lenjimux and George into her pocket.

She waited a little while, and then walked barefoot to the main palace gate. Thorns and sharp rocks cut her feet, and she didn’t have to work too hard to look upset. “Hello,” she said to the guards. “I’m so sorry... I forgot the password to the servants’ gate, and I’m late for work already, and I’m going to be in so much trouble!”

[Image description: Cinderella, in a green dress, runs up a staircase. Pasted around her are a couple of mice, a rat, and a rotten pumpkin. End image description.]

“Lord Dampnut despises tardiness,” one of the guards said.

“That means he hates it when you’re late,” the other one supplied helpfully. “You’ll have to go straight to him and report yourself.”

“Where do I find him?” Cinderella asked.

“If he’s still awake, he’s in his study. Go and see him. He’ll probably fire you.”

“Thank you,” said Cinderella, and tried to look tired and humble and downtrodden as she walked up the front path.

“Not that way!” one of the guards cried. “Around through the servant’s door, like always! Do you want someone to see you?”

“Oh… oh, of course,” she said quietly. Well, that had been silly. She would have to make everyone believe she was a servant to do this properly.

She slipped in the servants’ entrance. It led straight to a stone staircase. Now, all she had to do was find the dungeonmaster, get the mice to take his keys, and…

A hand fell on her shoulder. “Oh, thank goodness,” a woman’s voice said. “Here, you take his tray to him.” Someone put a tray of pastries in Cinderella’s hands.

“To who?” she asked.

“To Lord Dampnut, of course! The situation with Vingjarnlegur has him just beside himself!”

“Will you walk with me a little while?” Cinderella asked, groping around in the darkness of the stairwell. “I’m new, and I don’t know how to find the room yet.”

“Of course, dear. I’m Rose.”

“Cin--” She stopped. Cinderella was not a very common name. “Cindy,” she said. “What is the situation with Vingjarnlegur?”

“His Excellency is in the middle of some very tense negotiations with the Vingjarnlegurian king,” said Rose. “The king is still saying no.”

“I see,” said Cinderella. “Well, I hope that right wins out in the end.”

“Me too,” said Rose. She opened a door, and suddenly they were in a regular palace corridor, wide and gleaming with expensive fixtures. She pointed at a door. “He’s just over in that one.” There was a loud crash, and both women winced.

Cinderella thanked Rose, and took the tray to the door. She stopped partway, as if to straighten her ragged skirts. Really, she was taking the mice out of her pocket. “Find the dungeonmaster,” she whispered to George and Lenjimux. “Get his keys. I’ll find you.”

She picked up the tray again, and knocked on the door.

Lord Dampnut flung the door open. “Finally!” he roared. “I called you fifteen minutes ago! Were you having your nails done or something?” He snatched the tray out of her hands, grabbed her by the arm, and shoved her towards the fireplace. “It’s filthy.”

She got down on her hands and knees. “Someone’s been burning grease in it,” she reported. “It gunks up everything.”

“It’s not my problem,” he shot back. “It’s your problem. My problems are real problems. My problem is the safety and security of this great nation. I’ll tell you what I should do… I should just announce that we have a trade deal and invite everyone to the castle. His wife and everyone. Then he’ll have to say yes.”

Cinderella was pretty sure it wouldn’t work that way, but she kept her mouth shut. Lord Dampnut was ranting like she wasn’t even there.

The fireplace really was filthy, so she was still cleaning it when two little faces nosed into the corner. “Did you get the keys?” she whispered to George and Lenjimux.

[Image description: a cutout of a ragged Cinderella scrubs the hearth, with a bucket on one side of her and two exceedingly blurry mice on the other. End image description.]

They shook their little heads no.

“Did you find the dungeonmaster?”

They nodded.

“And he didn’t have the keys?”

They nodded again.

Dampnut was still blustering. He was pacing back and forth. “I could send for his wife. I could tell her I have her husband, and if she doesn’t agree to everything I say, I could just never let him out.” He rattled a set of keys, and chortled. “But that would never work. She’d see how big my palace is, and see that it’s the best palace, and she would fall in love with me instead.”

Cinderella stifled a laugh, turning it into a sneeze instead. And then she froze, because she realized that she’d just heard him jingling keys.

George and Lenjimux had already darted out past her. She heard Lord Dampnut cry out, and jumped to her feet. His eyes were very large, and the dog on his head was barking furiously. “Mice!” he said.

“Why thank you,” Cinderella said, curtseying a little, to buy the mice time.

“Not nice, you ninny, mice! There are mice in my study.” He started to turn around to show her.

“It’s very nice in your study,” she pretended to agree. Lenjimux and George were up on the table now, pulling the keys along. “The painting above my head, is that a Renoir?”

He waved a hand in dismissal. “I don’t know. It went with the drapes. That’s not the important thing. The important thing is that there are mice--”

The keys fell to the ground, and Lord Dampnut turned. He gave out a shout, and started for George and Lenjimux.

Cinderella pulled off her glass slipper and threw it at him. It missed him, and shattered on the stones. The mice darted forward with the keys, and she scooped them back into her pocket, careful to avoid the broken glass. “Let’s go!” she said.

Lord Dampnut tried to run after her, but jumped back with a yelp. “I cut myself!” he whined. “Somebody? Someone come and clean up this glass!” He called after Cinderella, “You’re fired! You hear me? You’ll never work in this town again!”

Cinderella followed the mice down the servants’ staircase to the dungeon. There were a lot of people heading for Lord Dampnut’s study, but none of them paid attention to the ragged barefoot girl covered in soot.

[Image description: Two illustrations side by side. In one, two mice hold a ring of keys in their mouths on the table. In the other, in a stone corridor Prince Charming’s butler opens a dungeon door while Cinderella (in black and white) looks on. End image description.]

The dungeonmaster was nowhere in sight. He hadn’t really wanted to give his keys to Lord Dampnut, and when Dampnut insisted, had gone to bed in a huff. In the dungeon, Cinderella unlocked the butler’s door first, and gave him the keys. He continued unlocking the doors while she went to her husband’s cell.

“Cinderella!” the king cried, leaping to his feet. “I knew you’d think of something, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon!”

She gently patted her front pocket, and Lenjimux and George squeaked a greeting. “You forget, I have some advantages.”

The butler didn’t just free the entourage; he freed the whole dungeon. Lord Dampnut, it turned out, had very funny ideas of who was a criminal and who wasn’t.

It was the middle of the summer, and Cinderella had seen the sky turning pale in the east on her way down. Now, she hustled the freed prisoners to the end of the hall.

There were noises, and the dungeonmaster appeared, yawning and blinking, holding a candle. He looked at the several dozen prisoners thronging the corridor. “I don’t get paid enough to deal with this,” he announced. He started to shuffle back to bed, and then seemed to think it over. “Would you have room for an extra person?”

“You’re welcome to come with us,” said the king, “but we don’t, er, really keep anyone in our dungeons.”

“I can be useful in other ways,” said the dungeonmaster. He waved Cinderella and the king into his rooms. For a moment they wondered what they were doing there, but then he opened a door to the outside of the castle. He had his own private entrance. While Cinderella and the king ushered everyone out the door, the dungeonmaster quickly packed a bag.

[Image description: in the stone corridor, a massive man in an executioner’s hood stands holding a pastel rainbow rolling suitcase. End image description.]

Outside, it had gotten light enough to see. The palace grounds were very quiet. Lord Dampnut thought gardens were boring, so he had had a golf course put in instead. The escapees had to creep very carefully.

Cinderella followed the smell to the rotting pumpkin. The rat and the lizards were all there. Now all they had to do was wait for the sun to come up. They hunkered down against the palace wall, whispering back and forth.

Gradually, the sun’s rays crept over the horizon, and then over the wall. First they struck Cinderella, and her dress went from rags to the finest silk. The soot vanished from her face and hair, and her glass slippers appeared on her feet, the broken one made good as new. Next the sun hit the pumpkin. For a moment it smelled worse, and then it billowed outward, turning into a magnificent coach with velvet seats. It still stank faintly of rotting vegetables. The lizards became a team of the finest horses, the rat turned back into Stu the coachman, and Lenjimux and George were footmen again. Their clothes had been neatly folded, and they dressed in a hurry.

[Image description: a super fancy black and gold coach at the foot of a brick wall. End image description.]

But now that Cinderella’s glass slipper was back on her foot, there was nothing keeping Lord Dampnut in place. The coach was ready to move when he limped out onto the green, brandishing a golf club. “All of you stop!” he roared. “If you no-talent, low-IQ losers think you can beat me, you’re sadly mistaken! I have the best army and the best dungeon, and you have nothing at all!”

The dog on his head snarled, and bit his ear.

Lord Dampnut hooted and clapped a hand to his ear. His guards were visible, pouring out of the palace, but they were too far away to do anything as the horses started forward and the coach set off. Cinderella, the dungeonmaster, the footmen, and the king and his entourage were crammed into the coach, and behind it ran the other prisoners.

They approached the palace gates. Faced with a fast-approaching coach and no instructions to the contrary, the gatekeepers opened the gate. The coach surged out, and the freed prisoners behind it. By this point the gatekeepers suspected that something was amiss, but by the time they closed the gate, the only person they stopped was a furious Lord Dampnut, who bounced his golf club off the wrought iron. “This country doesn’t deserve me!” he bellowed, loudly enough for everyone on the other side to hear him. “I’ll find a new country, a better country! I’ll make it the best country in the world!”

[Image description: two pictures side by side. In the first picture, Donald Trump stands in front of a huge mansion, wearing spiky black armour and a cape and brandishing a golf club. The dog on his head is furious. In the second picture, Trump stands in front of wrought iron gates making a ridiculous face, and the dog still looks menacing. End image description.]

On the other side of the gate, the freed prisoners dispersed, some going home to their families, and others walking along the road that would eventually take them to Vingjarnlegur.

Cinderella and the king hung over the backs of the seats, watching them go. Finally they turned around and sat properly. The coach was very crowded.

“So,” Cinderella said, “I think we should be careful about our future dealings with Jingo.”

“Lord Dampnut was right about one thing, though,” the king said. “That poor country does not deserve him.”

“I’d be surprised if he’s still in charge this time next year,” said the dungeonmaster. Ex-dungeonmaster; he had been talking with the king’s groom about horses. “You might have noticed, he’s not very good at getting people to like him, and he’s only getting worse. We’re all very lucky that your wife came to get you, your majesty.”

“We are!” King Charming agreed.

“It was a group effort,” Cinderella said modestly.

They crossed the border into Vingjarnlegur before midmorning. It was a relief to be home, and when her own familiar palace came into view, Cinderella was so happy that she thought she might cry.

Then there were shouts outside. People were watching for the coach, and had spotted it. When the travellers disembarked, the Prime Minister, the Captain of the Guard, and Cinderella’s fairy godmother all started talking at once.

Cinderella held a hand up, and they all fell silent. “I don’t know about anyone else,” she said, “but I’m tired, and I’m going to bed.”

Everyone else agreed that this was a very wise thing. And I don’t know if Cinderella and the king lived happily ever after, but they did take a good long nap.

[Image description: a couple stands between two pillars, silhouetted against a castle. It’s actually the cover of The Princess Bride with the background cut out and replaced with Neuschwanstein again. End image description.]

The End.

#long post #she was afraid of Donald Trump #at least she was when I started writing #this thing took like two years

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readbythestarlight · 4 years

Text

c2e84

Wow, that was a surpassingly normal ad!

Oh boy here we go lore drop!

Therizdune the chained oblivion who is chained at the bottom of the abyss

"He’s basically the boogeyman" if the boogeyman was a HORRIBLE ELDRITCH MONSTER

...IS the boogeyman a horrible eldritch monster?! Oh god.

[[MORE]]

This is great and awful like terrible abyssal eldritch things that can creep into the world through gaps and rifts encourages people to be violent and awful

Also I’m so satisfied that the chains actually ended up being significant

Okay so Yussah knows a guy who we know knows Trent, so... that’s not cool. I mean o totally trust Yussah now it’s not that, it’s just can we trust Ormid?

So not all the Cerberus assembly is bad re: Yussah. But like he’s basically a hermit living in his tower, yeah? Who doesn’t go into the Empire? So like how out of touch is he?

"Trent seems just creepy" that’s putting it mildly

Money? Ball bearings? xD

Oh nice some of the Halas money

Oh Nott honey

Fjord being like "Nott? Caleb please talk to your goblin."

And they’re just all discussing it in the background

NOTT DO NOT

oh boy don’t like that

Oh dear...

"Your FACE is stupid" oh Nott

Lock the gem away somewhere

"You’ll still work at it and try?" Oh honey of course he will

I like how they handled that. They didn’t put Nott down, they gently reminded her that Halas can’t be trusted.

Oh I hope that doesn’t trigger Caleb

And I hope that didn’t just fuck them over with Halas maybe

Cad’s like "can we not?" and then just silencing everyone who keeps trying to talk to him

Y’all need to call your OTHER wizard friend (aka HOTT BOI) to let him know you’re fine and not dead or anything cause this is probably the longest he’s gone without hearing from you

"Everything’s been smoothed over" I wonder if Dairon had anything to do with that

I wonder where she is...

Also this is late cause he said it like ages ago but I love Cad’s little bits of homely wisdom, like the whole holes in a bucket metaphor.

PLATINUMMMMMMM

A WHOLE SATCHEL

TIME TO BUY A KEEP Y’ALL

Kidding I like the xhorhaus

Holy SHIT

21,000 gold??

That puts them at 350 platinum which is like 3,500 apiece NICE

Please def check in with Orli I miss him

I’m gonna insist they all get either matching M9 tattoos or Captain tusktooth tattooes

ORLIIIII

Oh my

Yeah a charisma bump is a good choice Nott xD

YOU ALL BETTER GET MATCHING TATTOOS

"chaos crew" lol

Imagine the stories those "new faces" have heard of the M9 from the older crew

1312 gold not bad!

Fuck y’all I love Orli! I missed him. I hope Fjord retires and goes back to sailing with Orli and the crew someday.

F: "Can I ask, how painful is this... procedure?"

O: "oh-ho-ho! Quite."

Oh lord

B: "Is that infected? Is that infected?!"

O: "No, he’s just a.....................Pansy."

Girls day!

Ohhh I like that idea Nott! Can’t wait to see the new art of that.

I like the start of the idea but the "like the Traveler’s hugging me" is slightly creepy to me. Idk.

BeauJester shippers just got a gift xD

Oh... Molly’s all seeing eye tattoo. My heart. Taliesin looks really touched.

Omg a nat1

Ouch fuck Matt you didn’t have to describe that

Matt’s like "here’s your pretty tattoo Nott, here’s your very lovely tattoo Jester, here’s your TOTALLY BOMBASS tattoo that goes all the way up the BACK OF YOUR SKULL Beau"

like I’m not saying Matt plays favorites but his wife’s character definitely got the coolest tattoo

Boy talk over fish and chips heck yeah

Mmm gonna get some deep talk from Caleb?

Caleb expressing that he feels like maybe they’ve been brought together for a purpose <3

Cad telling him he’s believed Caleb was meant for something important since the beginning

Caleb the green bean farmer

"The god’s plant us, plant their will and their desire, and we move towards the fruit we’re meant for bear for them." Aw that’s... sweet, Cad.

Fjord being like "idk man I’m still figuring it out" what a mood

Caleb admitting he feels like he should run away

"I have started to forget what it was like not being with you people. And we are missing one, I am stuck on the fact that we are still missing one."

I wish I was fast enough to transcribe word for word this conversation because it’s excellent

I like Fjord’s question of "when you know, do you run away or do the right thing knowing it could kill you"

C: "You two are alright."

Cad: "We’re getting better."

F: "So are you, you know, you should give yourself credit."

C: "Mm..."

Cad: "I know... just think about it."

(Wow my old Widofjord feelings just came back with a vengeance.)

Cad adding in his own encouraging words about how Caleb is growing and becoming better made me happy too

C: "I hate tattoos."

Nott in the distance: AHHHH

C: "they’re just not for me."

Cad: "they’re frowned upon in my family."

And then they go see the girls

"We brought fish and chips—what they fuck"

All the Jester ships are eating well tonight

I’m so glad Jester finally got her cool tattoo

Y’all don’t want to see mom and Yeza and Luc?

lol Jester "I didn’t tell my mom about the tattoo"

"I’ve seen parents find out their kids had tattoos literally at the funeral"

I literally could not tell if that was Cad or Taliesin sharing

You guys didn’t even say bye to Orli! YOU MONSTERS

Boy that talks blurb with Brian talk about Caleb is GOOD SHIT MAN

No Brian don’t stop please go on and on about Caleb

lol Matt getting himself in the face with the paper

I knew Dairon was the one who got them out of trouble <3

EXPOSITOR OUTFIT AYYYY

just got new official art and now Beau gets a new outfit and the girls get tattoos xD

B: "I apologize"

M9: "wwwwwoooooaaaaahhh"

And library access again yay!

HEYYYY DAIRON

Beau gets to be a role model now lol

Oh yikes... selling out the Kryn to the King... don’t like that

Vence... NewTHEYLESS??

I don’t like that

Everyone: *excited freaking about Beau’s expositor room*

Cad, a good 10 seconds behind: "You had a monk bunk."

Dairon admitting she realized her prejudices against the Kryn were wrong. You know what that is? Growth.

They’re all so proud of Expositor Beau

Caleb trying to do "normal" accents is amazing lol

I don’t want him to be split from the group but I definitely understand his concern

Scary world ending lore oh boy

Oh god I forgot about the gentleman being here...

YES NO DO NOT GO ALONE that’s a dumb idea honey Jester please

N about J: "well she convides in everybody. Just says whatever she wants to say all the time."

This whole Beau and Nott conversation is amazing xD

Fjord and Jester: talking

Beau and Nott: talking

Caduceus walking along and enjoying the group communicating and sharing their feelings

Is he an earth genasi?

That’s the second time another wizard has called Yussah a fool, poor guy

I like how Ormid’s like "who the fuck are these people" but he also trusts Yussah enough to listen to them that’s nice

Hmmm I don’t like that’s awfully suspicious

WHISPERSSSSS

He keeps coming back to the beacon and I don’t like it

So like.. what if he is in on the whole thing and is trying to steer them away from looking deeper into the beacon?

Jester honey why you go and name drop Trent?? Like fuck.

Also interesting that both the King and his council have been more aggressive and pro-war lately, and the Bright Queen is also bent on the conflict in a way that I’ve personally felt doesn’t seem to quite mesh with her character, it definitely lends towards the idea that they’re being manipulated

Ormid’s a bit of a dick, although I guess I can understand, they’re not explaining themselves super well

Hng idk how I feel about Ormid and I’m not sure that I like that he now knows Dairon is working to get an audience with the king

But then again I’m bad about telling which NPCs are trustworthy and which aren’t.

Ormid’s face when they mentioned the cat OH MY GOD

okay fine god now I have to trust him

"I know we are talking about very important things but" I’m dying

Y’all fixing to get a symbol of the Cerberus Assembly damn

I don’t necessarily LIKE Ormid not entirely trust him but he’s already

Insight check on Sprinkles to see if he wants to go back with Jester aw

lol getting pet advice from him maybe I like him a little bit

PUMAT SOOOOL

it’s been so long!

PUMAAAAT SOL

Guys I have missed Pumat so much he just brings me so much joy

Fetch quest for Pumat DO IT PLZ

Wait

Basilisk oil that’s maybe not a great idea

GO SAILING TO THE ISLANDS

They gotta go to islands for Traveler Con right is that close?

"Let me get it from CritRole stats" lol

Oh thank god health potions

Armor boost oil is neat (plus 1 to AC isn’t bad) but ouch it’s pricy

I love that they CANNOT keep money they get it and then they spend it. It’s #relatable

Uh.... what’s happening to my boy?!

Caduceus?!

MATT WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BOY??

45 pats slashing??

WHAT IS HAPPENING

CADUCEUS

oh NO

fuck no

Is there a rift near?!

WHAT THE FUCK

The Inevitable End?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Evil assassin person??

45 points of damage fuck

This is bad

Sam: “WE’RE SHOPPING MATT” MOOD

23 doesn’t hit?!

Oh they’re in trouble

God DAMN I’m freaked out omg

Does he have The Invulnerable Vangrent as a map??

God what a cliffhanger

#a day late but OH MY GOD #Critical Role #cr spoilers #emi watches critical role

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