Nightmare
Thud
Thud
Thud
His footsteps were slow, deliberate. He was in a castle he didn’t recognize, the screams of battle surrounding him. It was a familiar scene, one that had haunted his nights since his first battle. But this was different.
He’d never been to this kingdom before. The knights all looked unfamiliar to him. Steal clashed in new, unknown rhythms. Screams echoed off the walls. Blood dripping across the stone, the rain carrying it across the ground like paint on a canvas.
He couldn’t stop himself from moving further and further into the castle, turning a corner up the stairs. Though he had no idea what was happening, he felt calm. Every step as familiar as breathing. He was almost there, his goal was only a few steps away.
“You Monster!!!” A man screamed, raising his sword to attack, but with one swift motion, he lifted his sword with one hand and slashed at the man’s exposed stomach, killing him in an instant.
“Hasn’t the crown prince escaped yet?!” A voice yelled distantly. Ah, so that’s where he needed to go.
“It’s not that simple! The princes are too young to flee swiftly!”
Thud
Thud
Thud
His steps echoed off the all but abandoned palace steps. As he rounded the corner he detachedly stared down the small group of knights standing at the crown prince’s tower door. It was sad really, a waste of life. But he knew that these men would give up at nothing to protect their crown. It was commendable, but as long as they stood in his way, they would need to be disposed of quickly.
They moved swiftly as one, strong in numbers and will, but not strong enough. He made quick work of each of the knights, each body falling to the ground in mass. But there was one soldier that caught his eye.
He’d know those eyes anywhere. Why was she fighting him, why was she disguised as another kingdom’s royal guard—did she cut her hair—why was she trying to kill him?!
He tried to stop himself, but he couldn’t force himself to get away. He felt like a puppet.
As she moved to stab at him, he blocked the blow, shattering her blade. In her shock he moved to stab her in the eye.
NO!
But she was pushed aside by another knight just in time. He hated how relieved he felt to have killed a different person. But it wasn’t the end of the battle. He moved to strike her just as she did him in the same way she had done in their first spar. She landed only a scratch at his cheek, but he…he had stabbed her through the heart.
NO! NO!!! What had he done? …What had he done?!
He watched as she coughed up blood, and died with his sword still implanted in her heart. And all he could do was watch as the life left her eyes, never to return again.
Arnold sat up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. He looked down at his hands, he wasn't wearing gloves, but he could still smell the blood in the air.
“Rishe,” he breathed. Where was she, had he killed her after all?!
“Your Highness…”
Like lightning he had turned towards the airy voice laying beside him. Her emerald eyes were cracked open only an inch, but open they were.
He let his hand move to stroke her hair, but he pulled back before he could. How could he even think of touching her when he had dreamed of killing her with the same hands. A cool hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him from his thoughts.
“You had another nightmare, didn’t you,” she mumbled sleepily. Even in the depths of slumber she had the perception of a hawk.
“It was nothing, go back to sleep,” he evaded, hoping it would be enough. But he should have known better after all this time.
Instead of replying verbally, she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, her body flush against his. “I’m sorry your highness. Please rest easy in my arms. I’ll protect your body and mind for as long as I am able to.” She vowed, her voice filled with finality that he simply could not refute.
“Okay,” he agreed calmly, leaning his head against hers. He soaked in the comforting silence, taking in the warmth of her body that meant she was still alive. He hadn’t killed her. It was just a dream.
Tap
Tap
Tap
He found solace in the gentle tapping of her hand against his back. The reminder of a heartbeat, of life. The only thing that tethered him to reality.
Slowly, with hesitant hands, he wrapped his arms around her in return. He would protect her, he wouldn’t let anyone touch her. He would keep her safe, even from himself.
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Sneak a-boop
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It’s over now😭. I don’t know what I’m supposed to look forward to at the end of the week now that both Frieren and 7th Timeloop are over.
BUT! We aren’t here to mourn right now, let’s talk about the last episode!!!!
I’m so proud of them! They’ve come so far in these last 3 weeks (both our time and their time) and you can tell! We went from this:
To THIS:
Full circle baby! However, the part I want to focus on the most is the importance of these pivotal moments!
From the beginning we see that Arnold feels somewhat bad about “forcing” Rishe to be engaged to him. We don’t fully see how much he loathes himself because of it until their conversation both after the kidnapping incident and the balcony scene.
And each time we see Rishe reach out and basically judo flip his self-deprivation in the other direction.
This is so important because not only is it building the foundation of their relationship, but it’s setting the precedence in Arnold’s mind that there are other ways to live than planning for one’s own future death. It’s the first time anyone has EVER told him these things without ulterior motives, and he doesn’t know how to react. For all we know, these are the first times he’s ever been at a loss for anything.
Moving on to the freaking PROPOSAL (pt. 2). THIS SCENE IS SO MONUMENTALLY IMPORTANT FOR BOTH PARTIES! And let me explain because the psychological breakdown is all I can think about!!!!
Arnold still holds onto the guilt of brining her to his country. He can’t stand forcing her to do anything when he’s already “forced” her to marry him. But Rishe refuses that BS and thus leads us to the most important part of their relationship in this season. She lets him touch her without gloves.
Remember, the main reason she didn’t want him touching her was because she would get PTSD flashbacks of him killing her. At the beginning she held very grudging respect for him, but still resented him for the past lives he lead. Her letting him touch her freely from this point on shows just how much she’s grown to trust and rely upon him.
This man has been waiting for this moment for a long time, and he is very gentle and respectful the entire time. He understands just how important it is to her but it’s also just as important to him. That tenuous divide that was constantly between them has finally been shattered!
But of course we can’t miss this! In every shot when we first see the ring Arnold’s eyes are vividly there, begging us to contrast them. We see how much she admires the ring, while admiring his eyes even more at the same time.
I would absolutely love and adore a season 2, but even if we don’t get one I’m satisfied with everything we got. These two have come so far in their relationship and the new and still blooming trust, respect, and affection and I’m just so proud of them. The team did such an incredible job putting all of this together and you can feel the passion and love that was put into every little detail. I don’t know what I’m going to look forward to next every Sunday, but hopefully we’ll all find something!
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This is actually a fascinating thought. Especially if the theory that he dreams of the past loops is true. Like, we know that he has been the /direct/ cause of a few of her deaths, so it’s be fascinating if he remembers her in each life. If he feels guilt for even dreaming of killing her the way he did in her 6th life if he’d had that dream yet.
Do you ever stop to think about how triggering and traumatic killing Rishe was for Arnold back then ??
Arnold said back at the church scene :
"I see it in your eyes sometimes. they're the eyes of someone standing on a battlefield. "if it means that I can stay true to my convictions, then I don't care if I die here" you have the eyes of someone with that sort of resolve. Even then, you haven't given up on surviving. you will fight until the very last. The moments when I had to kill such a person...were the most terrifying moments of the war"
guess who had those same eyes before she actually died ...
NOT JUST THAT TOO !!!
when Arnold killed her, it was right through the heart ... guess who was killed this same way by Arnold's hands too ...
How lovely can this be, right ?
I've been thinking about this too much for a long time while suppressing my cry and pain ... and I never saw someone mention it so I need people to feel this pain .. DON'T MAKE ME SUFFER ALONE !!!!
and was this the reason he whispered something to Rishe before she died ?? I have other things and idea about this bit but can't put them into words well enough so maybe later
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Arnold is full of crap
In the latest episode Arnold says this:
And he says it all threatening. Like, “if you do anything that will get in my way, I’ll ’get rid of you’”. And you know what, I’ve got The Receipts that this man is full of crap, and I’m here to expose him!!!!
“Don’t make me rid of you” my butt.
P.S. there’s no sin in the novels. If you want context I’m happy to explain it later.
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where did you get the 7th time loop novels?? or manga? is it some site or did you actually buy them?? am dyinggg to know more story past the anime
I recommend buying the actual novels in order to support the team who worked on it! However, as I became hyper-obsessed I did not do the ethical thing (so I’ll be buying some merch to make up for my sin). So, if you use these, make sure to buy something from them to support the effort to make more seasons/volumes!
Read Light Novel
Read Manga
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BEWARE!!!!!! The Ides of March have fallen upon us once more!!!!!
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Audio Book
If I published an audio book of the Light Novels of The 7th Timeloop, who here would actually listen to it? I need at least ten “👍” to show that it would be worth it.
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good try rishe but i'm pretty sure that if anyone happened to see crown prince arnold frigging hein pinning someone to the wall like he's about to kiss them, their first reaction would be this:
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He’s just so tired and unimpressed.🤣 This is the face of a man who is utterly exhausted but has accepted his fate that he’s marrying a woman full of secret shenanigans that he’ll never be able to predict despite his best efforts.
Last thing, what I find interesting is that in the first photo he looks almost concerned and hurt by Rishe’s being there without his knowledge. Then in the second he’s resolved himself to mess her with her for not telling him her plans ‘cause he’s a very petty person.
he almost looks upset here, like 'why didn't you tell me you were going to sneak off as a knight in training' or 'did you really think you could hide from me' lmao
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Loop Consciousness
You can not tell me that Arnold has no idea about the loops!!!! Like I’m not saying he’s conscious of them like Rishe is, but I believe that he dreams of them. I believe this man knows something about them that not even Rishe is privy to!
He has to know SOMETHING!
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