#“But sire what if the adventurers are straight?” | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sophiasharp · 4 months

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Thinking more about my role swap au, particularly how much Wyll would probably fucking DESPISE Astarion at first.

Cause like, in this au, Wyll was the one turned into a spawn and forced through 200 years of awfulness, and I think that probably would give him a very different opinion of heroes than the Wyll we know and love in-game.

This Wyll felt a deep sense of betrayal at never having been found by his father or the Flaming Fist- at almost no one being able to suss out his master’s true nature, and those that can either being too prideful in their attacks and getting themselves killed or being in in on the cruelty and letting it continue unfettered.

This Wyll has a GREAT distaste for so-called heroes, convinced that the vast majority of them are self-aggrandizing louts that are just in it for the acclaim.

I say “the vast majority,” however, because I think that the idea of a true hero is still something he clings to at his darkest moments: that maybe there could come a day where someone good and just could do in his vampiric sire for good and finally end his reign of terror, and that maybe, just maybe, he could be recognized as more than the monster he’s been turned into.

This, however, only increases his contempt for those that fail to live up to that paragon status.

Enter this au’s Astarion: the most dramatic bastard to ever play hero.

Wyll’s attention goes STRAIGHT to Astarion once the group reaches the grove, probably having heard tell of the illustrious Blade of Frontiers in the taverns he frequented and being curious as to whether the legend held up in reality.

And oh. Oh it certainly does not.

Adventuring wasn’t really a choice for Astarion. It was either mope about his banishment and his eternal servitude to the Fae till something killed him OR use his newfound powers to earn some respect and get by that way.

Archfey pacts mostly deal in charming those around them, enhancing their presence beyond what a mortal alone could accomplish. As a result, a lot of how Astarion works is by having his reputation preceded him, letting the subsequent fear or adoration do a lot of the heavy lifting in his encounters.

In this way, the Blade of Frontiers is completely an act, one that Astarion profits from by keeping it up. Yes, he’s helping the people at the Grove because it’s the right thing to do, but he’s also totally doing it because he knows they’ll be willing to give him food and shelter despite not having much to go around in exchange for the protection he provides.

Astarion upholds the charade of the Righteous Defender in front of the Tiefling refugees but is quick to show his true, not entirely selfless nature with the other tad-fools since there’s no use in putting up a front when they can literally read his mind and they might all die in a few days time.

And ohohoho man will Wyll have PROBLEMS.

Wyll, in this au, is far from the fairy tail hero we know him to be in canon. He follows a lot of the same playbook that in-game Astarion does for most of the journey. He tries to manipulate those around him into protecting him, will always go for whatever option is more in his favor, and has a very dry, borderline gallows sense of humor that he uses to cope with his situation. In his eyes, though, he comes by his selfishness honestly. Astarion, meanwhile, seemingly shoves his hero status in everyone’s faces while, in Wyll’s eyes, not having truly earned it.

To Wyll, Astarion is a hypocrite of the highest order who works in his best interest and then would chastise him for doing the same.

It makes when Astarion’s fae ties are revealed and he’s punished for sparing Gale all the more satisfying. Wyll damn near revels in Astarion’s transformation into a faerie, watching him struggle to come to terms with the giant ram horns sticking out from his skull and his sudden change in eye color. Because that’s what you get for messing with powers beyond your control. That’s what you get for pretending to be a hero when all you are is a failed magistrate toying with those around you.

That’s what you get for thinking yourself so much better than the monsters you keep for company: you become one yourself.

Wyll finds it funny, a karmic justice for all the times the folk hero had looked down on him for voting for the less virtuous option or for joking about what flavor their companions might be.

It is so very, very funny.

…until it isn’t.

Because the transformation doesn’t force Astarion to drop the hero act like he thought it would. Oh no, if anything it has the only strengthened his resolve to do the right thing no matter the consequences. He wears the mantle of the Blade with more vigor than ever before, earnestly trying to live up to his own impossible legend now that it will never be within his reach.

It makes no damn sense to Wyll. Why bother? Why go to the trouble when you know the effort won’t be appreciated? When everywhere he goes, all anyone will see is a fae creature looking to cash in a favor?

He just doesn’t get it.

He doesn’t get it until they make it to Last Light Inn. It’s there, as he watches Astarion talk to Councilor Florrick, to the High Harper, to Isobel, Alphira, Rolan, Raphael, everyone they meet as the threat of the Absolute weighs heavy on them all, that Wyll hears something in Astarion’s words that he hadn’t before:

Fear. Desperation.

Astarion doubled down on his Blade persona for the same reason he made it in the first place.

It’s all he has left.

And if he doesn’t, then everything he’s done since his banishment will have meant nothing. He’ll have given up his life, his reputation, even his own body for nothing.

But if he can be a true hero, if he can use the power his pact grants to protect those who have none, if he can be the kind, just man that the Blade represented, maybe it would all be worth it somehow.

It truly sinks in for Wyll just how heavily it all weighed on Astarion the day after they first make it to Moonrise Towers. Wyll had gone out into the night searching for any living creature he might get a meal out of within the all-encompassing darkness of the Shadow Curse when he heard groans of pain nearby.

Keeping to the shadows, he followed the noise till he found a disheveled Astarion, pulling at his horns and knocking them against trees in some half considered attempt to pry them from his head. Looking at him closer, Wyll could see bags under his eyes from weeks of sleep made uneasy by the two additions. He watched as frustrated , pained tears gathered in the eyes of the same man that had brushed off any concern from their traveling companions about whether he was coping well with his sudden, agonizing transformation.

Wyll tried to grasp at that satisfaction he’s felt when that liaison of Astarion’s patron had bestowed the punishment for letting Gale live.

Instead, he found a profound sympathy he wanted to bury as soon as he’d found it.

Because he remembered his beginning days as a vampire spawn. How long it had taken him to be able to speak clearly around the new protrusions in his mouth. How he’d cut his tongue on them every other sentence. How he’d succeeded in ripping them out once only to regret it when their absence only left him starved and still expected to entertain and seduce victims anyways.

Wyll backed away before Astarion could notice him, but the sight of his seemingly unflappable companion buckling under the pressure stuck with him. Come the next day at camp, Astarion was back to his usual flamboyant self, all signs of his previous anguish carefully hidden out of sight and out of mind. Things were, as far as anyone else knew, as they’d always been.

And yet, if one knew to look, they might have seen Wyll covering for Astarion more often in fights, taking down enemies before they could get too close to their raucous hero. They might have seen him sneaking extra health potions in his pack when he wasn’t looking, or being the first to assist if he went down. They might have even noticed Wyll collecting bits and pieces of cloth, fabric, and other softer materials that whenever it was possible to scavenge.

About a week later, there finally comes a day where Astarion goes out and Wyll stays back, and after coming back from a long and concerning day exploring the Gauntlet of Shar, Astarion is shocked to find a new addition to his tent: a patchwork pillow resting on his bedroll, thick enough to give the extra support needed for someone with horns like his. When questioning the others left behind, Karlach eventually tells him that Wyll had been oddly absent for almost the entire day.

And when Astarion questions Wyll on whether or not he had anything to do with it, Wyll merely shrugs. “Us monsters need to look out for each other, don’t we?”

#baldur’s gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate #baldur's gate iii #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate #bg3 #baldur's gate Astarion #bg3 astarion #astarion ancunin #baldur's gate wyll #bg3 wyll #wyll ravengard #wyllstarion #i mean it can be read as platonic just fine but it's what i had in mind #also look at me tumblr? look at me. Why did i write this on my phone and then have to delete this post 3 times cause it wasn't showing up i #the right tag cause the font of the goddamn APOSTROPHE WAS DIFFERENT COMPARED TO PC #make it make sense #anyway i'm mentally ill about these guys <3

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horsesarecreatures · 6 months

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THE TREK ACROSS AMERICA WITH TWO STRAIGHT EGYPTIANS

Arabian Horse World

"On April 16, 2021, Patrick Sullivan of Modern Day Horsemanship started his 2,500 mile journey from Sacramento, California to Georgetown, Kentucky, where he arrived on October 16, 2021.

He took two Straight Egyptian Arabian horses, the black mare Gamilah MJA, sired by Bellagio RCA, out of the Thee Desperado+ daughter, Thee Bahieh, and her maternal brother, grey gelding Haleem MJA, sired by Thee Infidel, out of Thee Bahieh.

He did this incredible trek bridleless and mostly bareback, and visited 20 non-profits, local rescues, and charities while providing liberty demonstrations along the way.

Shawn Crews sat down with Patrick to revisit this incredible journey.

Shawn: I’ll never forget the day when you told me your plan to do this, and honestly, Patrick, I know your whole family and I come from a very optimistic family, however, I considered your level of optimism to be triple of what I know. I’ve known you since before you were involved in horses. Your goal is so large and you have such a positive attitude, but still when you told me about this we were shocked. We are all very horse show goal-oriented, so I was curious as to why you chose to do something so different with your Straight Egyptian.

What was the seed that led you to this tremendous adventure? How did you come up with this plan and was was the vision you had in mind?

Patrick: You were not the only one who thought this was a bit crazy. This idea started six to seven years ago, and started when my mother told me that my great grandfather saw his first Arabian horse in the Chicago state fair in 1945 and fell in love. He ended up purchasing a few horses, however after him, they got out of Arabians until my mother got involved through Arabians Limited and you (Shawn Crews). The idea of this ride was to honor my great grandfather and ride from Texas to the location of the Chicago State Fair where my grandfather’s love began. Slowly the ride transformed into something much bigger, hoping to inspire people to think deeper about the Arabian horse and the connection we can have with them through liberty and bridleless riding.

I have read many historical books like The Classic Arabian Horse by Judith Forbis, and the Authentic Arabian Bloodstock books about how the Arabian horses lived in the tents with the bedouins and were treated as family. I wanted to test that legend out and bring our Arabian horses into our family. I want to really feel and say that these horses are exactly what history says. For me, the way to do this was to ride across the country with them and see if it is possible.

It was a long and amazing journey, one that I will cherish forever.

Shawn: No one in our time here has proved these horses’ athletic abilities until you and Gamilah. Did Gamilah inspire your plan to do this, or did the plan come first?

Patrick: It was a little bit of both. The reason I chose Gamilah to be the main instrument in the journey is because she was the first horse I had started under saddle. She was strong, opinionated and sassy. She is incredibly intelligent and we butted heads for years, however, the more I learned to listen to her and train her in the way she wanted to be trained, the more she wanted to give me. Once we came to that agreement, I knew there was no other soul on this planet that I would want to make this trip with than Gamilah. At the end of the day, I have always told people that I trusted her with my life. I knew she would keep me safe and keep herself safe; We went through so much together. I told her, if we are going to do this, we are going to do it together.

When I think about mares, especially the Arabian mares, I know they can be very difficult at times to earn their trust and respect, a lot more difficult than the geldings. However, when you get to reach the heart of a mare, they will do anything for you.

Shawn: How old was Gamilah when you started this ride?

Patrick: She was 10 years old. We left two days after her birthday.

Shawn: Tell me about the logistics of this trip. Nettie followed you with the trailer, so you always had a safety fall back should you need anything, and you had host farms set up along the way. However, there must have been long stretches along the way without lodging. That is a lot of miles, many of which are not civilized, explain the logistics.

Patrick: Nettie is one of my best friends in the whole world. Initially, she was going to ride with me. However, three months before, she called and said that she was pregnant and couldn’t ride alongside. So, they decided that she would drive the truck and trailer with her camera and document the journey.

We followed HWY 50. For the most part, the highways had a large shoulder which allowed them to stay 30-40 feet off the road, while the smaller roads we were right alongside. I kept panels on the side of the trailer and each night, we would set up a 20′ x 20′ pen behind the trailer where the horses stayed while we slept in the living quarters of the horse trailer.

So many wonderful people stopped along the way were offering assistance, and inviting us into their homes and barns to layover. It was amazing to experience the generosity of the people, stopping to be sure we were okay.

The best part of the ride, in regards to logistics, were the western states of Utah, Nevada, California, and Colorado. It was more open and had so much public land. The terrain was difficult and at one point, we rode up to 11,000 feet in Colorado. As we ventured East, the logistics became a bit more of a challenge.

We went through mountains, deserts, valleys, small towns, fair grounds, rivers. We went through it all!

Shawn: As the ride progressed and word spread, you seemed to gain momentum with the local press.

Patrick: Yes, honestly the ride was amazing, but the most important part of this ride for us was being able to give back to the Arabian horse. We ended up stopping at 19 different non-profits in 11 different states. We would educate them about liberty riding and use our horses to showcase how capable the Arabian horse is, and how powerful the horse-human connection is.

We stopped by non-profits for kids, for the mentally ill and even a prison to educate the prisoners on horsemanship. Our horses were able to teach all that we visited and that was so rewarding. These organizations helped us get through the long days, knowing that our next stop was going to help and educate the next group of people about our Arabian horses and their amazing personalities.

Shawn: You have mentioned the liberty aspect of this ride a few times, can you explain a bit about what liberty means.

Patrick: Liberty is being able to do almost anything with a horse without a halter. Express to your horse what you want it to do, without a bridle or halter. The relationship between horse and human, along with trained cues is the key to create a bond. I often relate to the movie Avatar, if you have the ability to connect with another being, in this case being a horse, they can take us to see things that we could never do on our own. Gamilah and Hal gave me this experience along our journey.

Shawn: Did you feel a bit like those pioneers that crossed the country so many years ago in their covered wagons?

Patrick: One of the main parts about the trip (possibly 1,000 miles), we followed the Pony Express Trail. The pony express was used as a form of communication across the country long before technology. I learned how incredibly strong people were back then. Their lives revolved around horseback, compasses and reading the stars. From time to time, I liked to think that we were the new generation of explorers, experiencing what our ancestors had. Hoping to push the next steps in horsemanship and prove that the Arabian horse is one of the foundation breeds of our country.

Shawn: I have great respect for all Arabian horses, however, my life has revolved around the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse. Are there any special traits to the Straight Egyptian that you feel helped in this experience? Knowing that you have experience with other bloodlines and other breeds, what made the Straight Egyptian special?

Patrick: I’ve never met another horse that could have made that trip, and there is no other horse I would attempt to do it with. What I feel separates the Straight Egyptian is their heart. If you really look at the heart, they are old souls. They seem to be here to teach us, and I believe this comes from their ancestors. I truly believe the Straight Egyptian is the old soul of all horses. When I look in Gamilah’s eyes, I see that soul and it has taught me so much!

There are good things and bad things said about the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse. For anyone who has ever truly gotten to know one, I think can relate to what I am saying.

Shawn: In this project, you have mentioned Nettie being an amazing support, along with your family and a group of sponsors that helped make this possible.

Patrick: I think those who supported us are what made this trip so special. There was not a bigger supporter than my mother, Malinda Passmore. she is all about the Straight Egyptian and wants to make it accessible to everyone, especially the geldings. Our other sponsors were Marah Jamil Arabians, Keri and Carolee Wright, Ann and Fred Gabrielli and The Pyramid Society,

There was one of the biggest professionals in the horsemanship industry that I am friends with. He is not an Arabian horse person, but he told me, “I don’t have a problem with you riding across the country brideless. I don’t have a problem with the time frame or liberty. My biggest concern is that you are doing it on an Arabian!”. This comment inspired me to prove the Arabian stereotype wrong. I will keep his name anonymous out of respect for our friendship, however, I was quite proud to show the world that the Arabian horse can do anything."

#arabians

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brendathedoodler · 1 year

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Now the question is, if adventure-swap!LU met normal!LU, what would their reactions be, and who pairs up to cause the most chaos?

I’m so excited for this question because I have SO MANY ideas for the classic LU cast meeting the AS group

One of the big scenarios I had in mind was some weird portal shenanigans resulting in one of the LU group being swapped with the AS group, but I have a whole writing idea for how that would go. Let’s say that the full groups met one another for this one (I’ll save the single person getting swapped for another post).

(Just for clarity’s sake, I’m gonna use the alt nicknames for the swap guys. Sky is Cloud, Four is Champ, Time is Lily, Legend is Cryptid, Hyrule is Bard, Twi is Soul, Wind is Addie, Wars is Barren, and Wild is Loft)

Firstly, the two groups would be very suspicious of one another. Why wouldn’t they be? There’s nothing not suspicious about seeing yourselves but slightly to the left. Assuming the two groups manage to figure out what’s going on before they resort to blows, though, here’s how I think everyone would get along:

Sky and Cloud get along swimmingly! Cloud is tired and just wants to get away from the chaos for a little bit, and Sky is content to just chat. Cloud mentions his engagement to his Sun, which makes Sky a bit flustered (he and his own Sun aren’t quite there yet). They also show off their woodcarvings! Cloud is enamored with the carvings Sky’s done of his loftwing, and is delighted to hear about life in Skyloft. In return, he talks about his time living in his era’s Castle Town!

Four and Champ get along pretty well too. Champ is admittedly much more impulsive than Four, but Four recognizes a lot of Champ’s odd behaviors as things he used to do before his own colors were more in sync. He wishes he could give advice to him on how to deal with it, but in reality it’s a matter of time. There’s no instant solution for feeling like a single person again, it just takes time and cooperation. Despite how well they get along, Four almost throttles Champ after witnessing him shatter a blade just like Wild does. Poor Four is despairing at the loss of the poor innocent blade that was lost at Champ’s hands, meanwhile Champ is just like “yeah, I’m cursed. I hate it too.”

Lily’s first impression of Time was not great. Lily wouldn’t be caught dead in full plate, no siree. Enchanted clothes only. Thankfully, Time is not a snob like he feared, and they have many more similarities than differences. They spend 5 hours straight talking about their own Malons and how much they love her. Lily also shares some eyepatches with Time, just for fun. They bond over their love of the simple farm life and the joy of occasional chaos.

Legend and Cryptid start bantering right away, making fun of the other and bonding through that. Cryptid teases him for not committing to the pink hair and compares him to a dragon with all that jewelry. Legend mocks how impractical Cryptid’s refusal to wear shoes is and starts calling him “dolphin boy” after he makes a strange inhuman sound. All of that comes crashing down when Cryptid offhandedly mentions his girlfriend, and when Legend asks he admits that it’s Marin. Seeing his reaction to the name, Cryptid hesitantly asks if he has someone named Ravio (he does). The two promptly stop talking, not wanting to face the feelings that come with the other getting to keep the person they’re mourning.

Hyrule and Bard wander off together and have a grand time together, just exploring and pointing out things. The Twilights end up having to track them down and bring them back later, but it’s worth it! Bard also teaches Hyrule some songs. Hyrule’s not very good at it, but he’s having a great time playing along! Hyrule, in return, teaches him how to brew all sorts of teas with herbs he can forage. They wander off again and fly around together as fairies, and are even joined by Proxi (much to Barren’s worry, he doesn’t like having her gone when he’s dealing with so many unknown factors).

Twilight and Soul spend a lot of time trying to keep the Fours, Hyrules, and Wilds from wandering off (and Soul is annoyed that Barren isn’t helping him like usual). They do talk about their families back home, and about life on the ranch. They also go for a run together as wolves when they track down the Hyrules. It’s great, but it did give Twilight a scare when Soul transformed way too close to the rest of the group. What if he’d gotten seen!? As it turns out, Soul’s entire group already knows he can turn into a wolf, whereas only a few know for Twilight. That adds some stress to Twi’s shoulders, since he knows that any one of Soul’s group could let his secret out. Soul asks Midna to tell the others not to mention it, and she gets Proxi to help for those who can’t see her. Speaking of Midna, he doesn’t bring her up to Twilight. Twi brings her up and proceeds to angst about his broken heart and Soul is awkwardly sitting there while his own Midna is just vibing on his shoulder.

Wind and Addie start telling each other stories immediately. Everyone else is relieved, because if those two weren’t so entertained telling one another stories, then they’d undoubtedly be causing trouble. Unfortunately for everyone, they do get bored of storytelling eventually. Pranks ensue. Nobody is safe. They accept no alliances with the Wilds or Times, the only partner in crime is each other, everyone else is a potential target.

Warriors and Barren are cautious of one another. The others are so similar to each other, but Warriors is clean and pristine and Barren has tattered clothes and a near permanent smudge of dirt on his face. Warriors can see that the rest of the swapped group behaves very similarly to his own team, but Barren seems so different from himself and the uncertainty keeps him on edge. Barren meanwhile is already on edge from all the new factors he has to account for, and this pristine version of himself has him on extremely high alert. The two do talk and ease up a bit. They might be outwardly very different, but they find that they’re actually not so different once they get chatting. Warriors does get backhanded across the face after trying to give Barren a friendly pat on the back, though Barren apologizes and has Proxi heal it (not that it’s needed, but it’s more a way to show he’s sorry for hitting him). Needless to say, the rest of the group is made aware of Barren’s strict no-touching policy very quickly.

Finally, Wild and Loft! They are so prepared to cause chaos together. They run off but are eventually herded back to the group by the Twilights. They have a great time comparing weapons. Mostly it’s Wild showing off, since Loft won’t even hold a sword other than Fi. Loft even gets to play with his slate, and is very excited to discover that the Fours are magnetic. He spends way too much time flinging Champ around with the magnesis (which Champ doesn’t actually mind, he and the colors fling each other around on the regular). Wild and Loft make a game of seeing how high they can fling Champ into the sky (don’t worry, he can glide down). It only ends when they try to rope a very unwilling Four into their competition (and when Addie gets caught trying to pickpocket Wild’s slate to give it a try himself). The Times put a stop to it.

Now, what about the interactions between people who share the same adventures?

Sky and Loft talk about home, mostly. They’re curious about how different Skyloft is between the two of them, and find more similarities than differences. Loft is also very curious about how Sky’s early adventure went, seeing as he doesn’t remember pulling Fi. All he remembers is waking up on the surface, aching and confused. They also talk happily about their loftwings, and Loft is amazed by Sky’s crimson loftwing! Back in his era, it’s actually Flora who has the unique crimson loftwing!

Four and Soul complain about Vaati, but Four is also enamored with Midna. He’d seen her resting on Soul’s shoulder from the moment they first met, but now he gets to interact with her personally! She’s absolutely hilarious, a little bundle of sass and nonstop comments. Four is impressed with Soul’s poker face, he doesn’t think he’d be able to stand it! They have a very tiny adventure together, though it’s mostly just walking around. The world seems entirely different when you’re so small!

Time and Bard have a long talk about what they faced. Bard already really looks up to Lily, so meeting a version of him that has lived through the same adventure is incredible. He really looks up to Time, and wants all sorts of advice. How does he handle full moons after what happened? How does he sleep without magic helping him? How did he heal? How did he get through the nightmare of being 17 again and feeling like every cell in your body is wrong? Time does his best to answer, but sadly some of it is just waiting. He does try to offer some coping techniques, and insists that Bard try to find some people he can talk to. It will be hard, but it’ll help.

Legend is pissed at Addie for messing with him and his stuff during his pranks earlier, but eventually relents and the two compare items from various adventures. They compare the look, feel, and abilities of their various weapons, rods, and rings. They don’t talk about their adventures (though Addie does try to bring it up at one point), and instead stick with the much safer topics of items. They’re both enchantment enthusiasts, after all!

Hyrule and Barren don’t really have much to talk about at first. It’s kinda awkward. Barren does ask Hyrule about having visions, but is disappointed to find that Hyrule doesn’t have anything like that (and he proceeds to not bring it up again, recalling how Bard was very concerned about his visions and not wanting to have Hyrule worry about him either). Words don’t work so well, but you don’t really need words to go adventuring. They head off to explore the area together, with Barren’s team assuring Hyrule’s that Barren will bring them back without incident and before dinner. Out in the wilderness there’s no awkwardness, just their own wanderlust and love of nature.

Twilight and Cryptid don’t really have much to share about. Cryptid is already defensive and unwilling to talk about his adventure after learning Legend still lives with Ravio (and by the golden three, that hurts. He can’t help but imagine the little Twili living with him and Marin in his home). Trying to find a topic that won’t make Cryptid tell him to fuck off is tricky. He doesn’t want to talk about his family, he doesn’t want to talk about his adventure, he doesn’t want to talk about his transformations… Finally they settle on talking about their houses. Twilight talks about his ranch, and Cryptid opens up about the modifications he plans to make to his own home to allow Marin to live there more comfortably. That leads to some comfortable conversation that bounces between topics, going from their homes to their Zeldas to their future plans and more.

Wind and Lily both agree that all the walking they’re forced to do sucks and that this whole ordeal would be better if they travelled by boat. They talk about their families, about their respective Zeldas (Wind is enthralled by the stories of Captain Sheik and their particular brand of craziness, while Lily is intrigued by the similarities and differences between his own captain and Captain Tetra). They also talk about their sisters. Wind raves about how awesome and fierce little Aryll is, while Lily fondly recalls how sweet and cheerful Saria is. They share trinkets they have from their families (Wind’s telescope, Lily’s embroidered eyepatches), and all in all have a great chat! (And maybe they sing a sea shanty or two, since nobody else wants to do it with them)

Warriors and Cloud avoid talking about the worst parts of their respective wars and keep it to the lighter side. Cloud happily talks about his engagement (though Cia does briefly come up in this conversation, though the topic is quickly buried because neither really want to talk about her). They have a sort of camaraderie together that reminds them of the army! Warriors talks about his general Impa, and Cloud talks about how incredible Groose was by his side. They talk about their Zeldas and how they fought alongside one another, and talk about their hobbies outside of their job. Cloud does woodcarving and tends to his cuccos (which Warriors thinks is crazy). Warriors, meanwhile, is a big fan of sewing and has started working on embroidery. Both know they need to get more hobbies, and bounce ideas back and forth. They also take some time to spar one another, which both builds that sense of camaraderie, and is overall just really fun!

Wild and Champ hit a roadblock pretty quickly when Wild learns that Champ retained his memories. He loosened up a bit when Champ explains that the shrine of resurrection split his soul into pieces (though he doesn’t elaborate on what precisely that means). Once they get past that hurdle, talking about their absolutely batshit shenanigans is a blast. Shield surfing, trying to ride a molduga, jumping off mountaintops, and all sorts of other wacky things. A lot of the insanity Wild has done, Champ has also done in some capacity (and vise versa). Anyone listening in silently agrees to never let these two run off alone together.

#you’ve activated my trap card! *infodumps*#this got long LMAO #linked universe #lu adventure swap au #lu sky #lu four #lu legend #lu hyrule #lu twilight #lu wind #lu warriors #lu wild #lu time #lu au #I had so much fun with this omg

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on-a-lucky-tide · 1 year

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CW: Geraskier, captured Witcher, Witcher heat cycles, probably some other uncomfortable themes related to ownership, coercion.

"How is he? Is he awake?"

"Sleeping, sire. It was a difficult journey."

"Oh, yes, well... Of course. Were there any problems?"

"He tried to run and when we cornered him, he fought back..."

"If there is a single mark on him! I told you--I told you--he was not to be hurt, I--"

"We had no choice, sire. He's half beast, but--"

"But what?"

"We mentioned the girl and he--he stopped straight away, threw down his swords, and knelt in the mud."

"He--he just gave up? Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Jaskier turned to the window, his eyes unfocused as he peered into the inky black of the mansion garden. He could make out the rough outline of the perimeter wall, and the gnarled claws of the naked trees against the greyish tint of the sky.

He hadn't really thought this through. Not entirely. It had always been his dream to travel the world and meet exotic heroes, but fate had intervened with his father's untimely death and a raft of siblings to care for. As the eldest, they had trapped him with threats and ultimatums.

But now the house was empty, his mother had passed on, and he was left with a huge fortune and nothing to spend it on. He could hit the road but he had become somewhat used to his creature comforts, and his joints would no doubt catch a cold, or something equally as arduous.

That didn't stop the itch beneath his skin. The ache of some yawning gap yet to be filled.

The answer had come in a new fad. Exotic or supernatural concubines for the adventurous and wealthy. Most visited special parlours where they could access a wide array of humanoids; succubi, werewolves, even a Drowner if you were so inclined, but those with refined taste secured their own pleasures.

Jaskier had always wanted to meet a Witcher. Heroes of old, valiant monster slayers with mutated abilities. And now he owned one. Purchased from poachers that specialised in hunting the most dangerous beasts for a huge sum.

He had never expected them to be *successful*, and his mind raced with the next steps...

"And, the uhm, the heat cycle, you know..."

His guest shifted a little uncomfortably. "From what we know it only happens when the potions are out of their systems," he paused to scratch the greying whiskers of his beard, "it's the toxins, messes them up, makes them infertile."

Jaskier's ears perked. "And it's... It's all reversible?"

The poacher shrugged. "Look, witchers are rare. What we know is in the leaflet we have you, but even that's... vague. They were always secretive. Trial and error."

Jaskier nodded slowly. "And is he... is he dangerous?"

"No. The brand will keep him docile. He won't be able to hurt you even if he wanted to."

"If?"

The poacher shrugged one shoulder this time as he turned away. "Doesn't strike me as particularly... violent. He didn't fight maliciously, and he tried to run rather than kill us all. Doesn't... fit what we thought. But don't trust him, you never know. Good evening, sir."

The poacher dismissed himself and left Jaskier in the oppressive silent. He held his breath and strained his ears, hoping to pick up even a breath of noise from his bedroom next door, because, of course, he had told them to drop the witcher off there. It was the comfiest, warmest, quietest place on the estate, and he wanted the witcher--Geralt, Jaskier reminded himself--to feel safe.

Geralt.

Jaskier wandered to his desk and picked up the pamphlet by his inkwell. He had read it a thousand times while he waited for Geralt's arrival. He knew witchers ate raw food, that they were resistant to disease and sickness, that they were strong and could use rudimentary magic. Witchers had cycles of heat where they wanted to fuck and nest and eat and fuck some more. That's why they wintered in big keeps far away from civilisation. Or used to, before--

Jaskier gazed at the wall between him and Geralt and let out a long breath. One little peek wouldn't hurt. He would leave Geralt to rest and fold himself onto the narrow couch by the fireplace, but just... One glimpse.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the household, there were two peepholes tucked behind a painting of Jaskier's great-great grandfather. The torrid old codger had used it to spy on his wife with her young lovers. But Jaskier tried not to think about following in those particular footsteps as he pulled over a chair and shifted the wall covering aside.

The holes were fairly discreet and the resulting view was somewhat obscured. The room was dark but for a small, sputtering candle on the nightstand and the stream of silver moonlight through the parted curtains. Perhaps the light was why the bed was empty. The sheets were rumpled where a body had been placed upon them, but they weren't untucked nor the pillows disturbed.

Jaskier bit his lower lip as he glanced at the door--locked door--and then across at the window, still secure. It was only a small flicker of movement that alerted him to Geralt's presence, tucked into a shadowed corner to the right of the window.

He was slumped against the wall, his knees tucked to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. Trying to make himself appear small, Jaskier thought. He was barely moving, his shoulders rising and falling in incremental amounts the only indication he was breathing.

And then, suddenly, two gleaming eyes looked up. They caught the sheen of the moonlight and blazed briefly gold as they stared straight at Jaskier. Jaskier squeaked and almost fell from the chair. There was no way Geralt could see him. Not from there.

Geralt seemed to stare for an eternity, two glowing eyes unblinking and intense, and then they were gone. The witcher gave an audible sigh and appeared to fold further into himself, his bare feet disappearing from the moonlight to shirk into the shadows.

Jaskier climbed down from the chair shakily and wrung his hands. What had he expected? An ethereal creature to be snuggled in his bed? Perhaps stretched out and naked, or--

Foolish. Of course Geralt would be frightened. His swords had been taken from him, the back of his shoulder branded with a sigil that would be playing havoc with his thoughts while it settled. Geralt would need time, wouldn't he? And food, yes, maybe some new clothes, a nice bath, some time to rest.

Jaskier climbed onto the couch by the fireplace and pulled the waiting blanket over his body. Tomorrow, tomorrow he would make his introductions.

#geraskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #tw3 #the witcher netflix #just in case

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whimsy-wanderings · 8 days

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'Azbin 'Otel Recomendation

Gather 'round, my friend, and let me whisk you away to the fantastical realm of Hazbin Hotel! Picture a place where the afterlife is not just a dark abyss of eternal suffering, but a kaleidoscopic carnival of chaos, where demons and sinners frolic amidst the flames and brimstone. And at the heart of this wacky underworld is the Hazbin Hotel, a quirky rehabilitation center run by none other than Charlie, the darling princess of Hell.

Now, why should you indulge in this devilishly delightful animated series, you ask? Well, strap in for a whimsical journey through a world where the animation is as vibrant as a rainbow on a sugar high! Vivienne Medrano, the mastermind behind Hazbin Hotel, has conjured up a visual feast for the eyes, with characters so colorful and expressive, you'll swear they jumped straight out of a fever dream.

But it's not just the eye candy that'll leave you craving more. Oh no, it's the characters that truly steal the spotlight. Take Charlie, for instance. She's the plucky demon princess with a heart of gold and a dream as big as the Hellish skyline. With her infectious optimism and unwavering belief in the power of redemption, she's like a beacon of hope in a sea of sin.

And then there's her fiery companion, Vaggie, whose sass is only matched by her loyalty. Together, they make quite the dynamic duo, fighting tooth and nail to turn the Hazbin Hotel into a haven for wayward souls. But they're not alone in their quest! Oh, no siree! They're joined by a motley crew of misfits and mischief-makers, from the charmingly sinister radio demon, Alastor, to the lovable hellhound, Husk, who's never seen without a drink in his paw.

But what truly sets Hazbin Hotel apart is its wicked sense of humor and razor-sharp wit. This show revels in the absurdity of life, death, and everything in between, delivering jokes so dark they could make even the most stoic demon crack a smile. And let's not forget about the musical numbers, which are as catchy as they are devilishly delightful!

But perhaps the most enchanting thing about Hazbin Hotel is its underlying message of redemption and acceptance. It's a reminder that even in the darkest corners of Hell, there's still room for growth, change, and maybe even a little bit of love. So, if you're in the mood for a whimsical, wickedly funny animated adventure that'll tickle your funny bone and warm your heart, do yourself a favor and check into the Hazbin Hotel. You won't regret it, my friend!

Signing off!

Phrog-On-A-Log

#hazbin hotel #recomendation #whimsy wandering

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thoughtfullyrainynightmare · 9 months

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Hiiiiiiyaaaaaa~! Hi there Laura~! I'm here to appreciate an under-appreciated blorbo! My sweet lady Finesse! And I'm not just here to ask questions, I'm here to give my own thoughts on the questions (I do have one question for you though, tee hee). But like, just please accept my Finesse ramblings.

🍁 - The most interesting thing about Finesse is her proximity to the royal throne. She calls Augustus great uncle so her grandparent is a sibling of the current king. We don’t know how many other people are in House Kira besides Damnatio but Finesse is part of the though (though possibly considered a part of a branch family since her last name is different). But she’s still probably in line for succession. Queen Finesse when? 😤

🍂 - Finesse's strength as a person is her courage. When Langris was possessed and Ratry going crazy in House Kira, Finesse threw herself at his back and begged him not to hurt everyone. She saw that and didn't hesitate to try to stop "Langris". She has no combat abilities, she's frail in general, but the bravery! It's amazing! I also want to point out how positive she is, not made bitter in the slightest by her weak constitution or the fact that she's been placed in an arranged marriage. I love her, your honor.

🌼 - I think what makes Finesse a strong character is her understanding. She shows no fear towards Langris after the elf possession. She forgives Finral for his womanizing ways and seems to eagerly await his efforts to be a man that will make her happy. And I think that's something both brothers need for their character arcs. She's someone to see the worst sides of them (even though Langris was possessed, it's still a bad look) and to still accept them.

🌻 - Literally she's got a weak constitution and is sickly. Enough said. But also... I think she was a little bit dense when trying to talk to a possessed Langris. It clearly wasn't Langris so like, girl, run!

🌿 - Weakness as a character, I'd say it's the fact that she wasn't brought up sooner. Like, Finral was having moments all the way back in Seabed Temple but she doesn't come up until the Royal Knights Exam. I really wish she'd been established sooner, that's all. I want more Finesse content essentially.

☘️ - I strongly believe she has Light Magic. We know it runs somewhere in the Kira family. Plus, I think the pressure to get her married and to sire an heir might be because she has such a rare and beloved magic attribute and the royal family wants that passed on.

🤝 - I’m pulling this straight out of nowhere but imagine Finesse having a friendship with Mereoleona. Mereo has the strength of body and character to be as free as she wishes. Imagine Finesse and Mereo sitting down for tea when Mereo is visiting civilization. Imagine Finesse listen in awe at Mereo’s many adventures in the wild. She’s jealous that she’s not as strong but she loves that Mereo is willing to sit down with her and indulge her curiosity about the world.

💎 - In your opinion, if Finesse had the strength to join a Magic Knight squad and wanted to be a knight (I honestly don't think she's be interested but this is just a hypothetical), which one would she go to?

Hiiiiyyaaa Erika!!! Oh! Finesse! Yes the sweet lady with blue eyes and a kind heart! She most definitely is under appreciated.

🍁- No but that is interesting. I've been rooting for King Nozel and Wizard King Fuegoleon, but Finesse as a Queen would be really interesting. Granted that we don't know enough about the line of succession or the Kiras (or Calmreichs for that matter) to say a lot. The fact that Auggie is eager to get her married does speak about her being very close to the throne, at least in my mind. I mean, why else would Auggie bother? The question is: Does Auggies consider her as a threat or not? XD /lh,hj However, this is a really interesting piece of trivia when it comes to Finesse.

🍂- You're right and you should day it! The fact that she is frail, and knows it, makes her action even braver, because she must've known that she had no real chance of stopping "Langris". And yet, she didn't hesitate. Because she's not the kind of a woman to stand idly by in the face of danger. Might not have been the smartest action to make, but sometimes the right things to do, are not the smart things to do.

Never thought I'd type such a sentence, but .. yeah.

🌼- Exactly! What strength she doesn't have in her body, she has in spirit. And she knows how much it must mean for both of the brothers, to see that they can be loved and are loved even with all their flaws, because everyone has them. Everyone has done wrong things in their life, and it doesn't mean that they don't deserve happiness as a result.

She has strength as most others.

🌻- Ah, the double edge of the sword of bravery. The pleading and talking to "Langris" like he was Langris, was probably out of desperation. I mean... if I was in that situation, I'd probably do the same. But as far as weaknesses go, this isn't a big one, even if it might be her greatest.

🌿- She is essential to the story, granted that it's through the Space Brothers, but it's difficult to place her into the picture because she just exists and she exists as a romantic interest. A part of me hopes that Tabs would give us something more to Finesse, put her in the spotlight because of something and explain more about her, but another part of me knows that she probably doesn't get addressed again.

Maybe that's be my complaint of her as a character too, that she just seems to exist as a romantic interest when there would be so much potential in her too. I mean... a compassionate and understanding Queen Finesse Calmreich when?

☘️- Now... would they have wanted her to marry Morgen in that case? Or would the whole "House of Faust" thing with the devils been too much to handle? Granted that then they might have had another asset (in devil power) very close to the thrown?

Regardless, that is a very good point about her magic to be something rare.

I'm even entertaining the idea of it being something that you'd want to combine with Spacial Magic to create something even more potent than Light or Spacial. What that might be, I'm not true. (Time anyone? XD ) Other than that, it's a bit difficult to say anything about her magic per se, granted that we don't know what it is.

🤝- As I read this, for some reason I imagined her sitting down with Nebra, but you're right. Mereo and Finesse would, perhaps, have a kind of mutual understanding that'd allow them to spend time together and catch up. They also are both the kinds of people who don't put others down to feel good about themselves. Mereo can be harsh, but she wants people to be strong.

So, I think any discussions Finesse has with Nebra might be a courteous get together between... royals.

💎- The Blue Roses, I think. She might not be so... averse to men as Charlotte, but I think that Finesse is a strong woman and someone who could portray a lot of the BRK ideals. My other choice would be the CLK, but I know I'm biased towards the Lions, and we all know that the Lions usually have very physically fit people. (Sorry Finesse.) So, I think that the BRK would be her choice.

#finesse clamreich #my beloved blorbo event #Erika #faust fiancee

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surprisingmarch · 2 years

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Santa Headcanons

==================================

🎅Every Christmas day after Santa has delivered all the presents to the good girls and boys, he takes some sacks of toys to charities all around the world. He refuses to let children be alone and afraid in this world and even if he can't help them personally, he will bring toys to help soothe them and to give them at least a little bit of comfort. He hopes that it will give them the hope and determination to keep on going and teach them to be kind to others.

🎅If Santa sees a homeless child and can’t take them to a homeless shelter or find a home for them he will either bring them a thick warm blanket, some warm cookies straight from the workshop's bakery, and whatever toy they desire or he may just adopt them and bring them to the North Pole with him.

🎅Santa tends to be quite adventurous as you've probably noticed. He's willing to test any new invention and loves trying new things. Whether the new things are food related or a style of clothing he's up for it.

🎅Speaking of new style of clothing, Santa wore a bullfighter version of his suit one year, the kids that seen him definitely won't forget, it was a sight to see. Just because he's older doesn't mean he’s lost his quirky charm. He likes spicing it up every now and then.

🎅Santa as you know has a huge sweet tooth, his favourite cookies are white chocolate macadamia nut, chocolate chip (a perfect classic in his words), peanut butter, ginger bread shortbread, snicker doodle, and one year a little girl and her parents baked him some s'mores cookies and that made his top 5. Those were the best s'mores cookies he ever had.

🎅Santa likes to take rides around the North Pole to get some fresh air and see if anything has changed. (It probably hasn't as it's basically a giant snow desert but it's worth a shot)

🎅It was Santa's idea to add the Toy Tester job in the shops, it was practical and also gave an idea of what toys will work best. Occasionally you can see Santa sitting in the floor playing with the younger elves, they love it when he plays with them. Sometimes he even races toy cars with them. It's very wholesome. That old crick in his back isn't going to stop him from making others happy and having fun, no siree.

🎅Santa is known for his determination, he never gives up on what he feels is right. And he won't give up on people either. He believes even the most stubborn people can change for the better. he believes if you show them enough kindness and give them hope, it can change a person's life. Of course, he has changed people's lives, he has proof people can change. And even though he is aware some people you should just leave alone, that might not stop him. Santa hates giving up on people. He truly is a caring and generous person, and nothing will ever change that.

🎅☃️The Winter Warlock and Santa still talk regularly, he comes over for tea once a month. They catch up and tell stories, and Winter always wants to look around the shops and look at the new toys. Sometimes Winter will help out a little if he feels like it and he plays with the elves from time to time. They look at him with puppy eyes and beg him to play, puppy eyes are his weakness and they know this.

🎅Santa can sketch very well, most people never even realize that he can sketch but if you look around the toy concept area you can find a few designs with a distinct art style. Those are some sketches he’s snuck in to be approved. The head elves kept nagging him about him working too hard for his old age so now he just sneakily adds ideas and builds toys in his office. He’s almost gotten caught a few times but he’s managed to hide the toys under his desk before the elves could catch him. Mrs. Claus knows for a fact that he's still making toys, she doesn't even need to see it she just knows him that well. Not that she cares, she also still pitches in behind the scenes.

🎅Santa does in fact dress up for Halloween. Usually Him and Mrs. Claus are matching in some way. One year they dressed up as cowboy and cowgirl skeletons and the next they were dressed as a cup of apple sauce and a porkchop. Most costumes are usually random and they just decide they want to wear a specific thing and they go for it.

🎅Santa and Mrs. Claus go out for rides on the sleigh every week some where around Friday or Saturday. Sometimes they ride both days it just depends on how bored they are and what they’re up to.

==================================

#a year without a santa claus #A Miser Brothers Christmas #rankinbass #santa claus #santa #mrs claus #the winter warlock #headcanons

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devour-deveaux · 2 years

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|Daphne Jane Deveaux|

Species: Vampire Age: Looks 28, is actually 58 Occupation: ER Nurse at Shadow Lake Hospital Time in Lunar Cove: Just Arrived Neighborhood: Celestial Hills Hometown: Seattle, Washington TW: drugs, ambush, disownment,

Daphne Deveaux began her life in the rainy city of Seattle in 1964. The youngest of three children, she was born to Nora Farrell and Matthew Deveaux, a descendant of the founders of Deveaux Enterprise. Originally from Louisiana, the family of witches moved a few years before Daphne was born when Matthew became CEO of the real-estate company’s Seattle office. Although the adjustment was hard for the family, they managed as best they could, given the supernatural circumstances. Daphne was always a bright girl who fearlessly walked those Seattle streets with her spunk and charisma in tow. She was consumed by a fiery spirit and warm compassion for others that sprung from her witchy powers of Aura Reading, Healing, and Fire Manipulation. As she grew up, her parents grew more disappointed that their daughter didn’t show any interest in the family business, but was not completely surprised considering her strong personality and drive to help others. After a gap year of traveling and the cliched excuse of “finding herself,” Daphne set her sights on a nursing career.

With her newly achieved nursing degree at 24, the young witch began her life of adventure as a traveling nurse. After a few years of this lifestyle, she eventually found herself on assignment in the hustle and bustle of New York City. Consumed by the lights and city streets, she used her time off to sample the local nightlife with her nursing friends. Since it was the 80s, it was a night filled with gnarly beats, dancing, and copious amounts of alcohol and cocaine. There isn’t much she remembers from that night, or that she’d want to remember if given the choice. The details that do stand out for her include stumbling to her car, fumbling with her keys, and her skull meeting the cold ground when she was attacked from behind. Daphne still remembers the beast thrashing at her skin as she attempted to use her powers to no avail. When it was all over, Daphne could only lay there, feeling her cold, paralyzed body blend into the dampness of the night streets. As she waited for the warm embrace of death, a blurry image of a woman appeared to her. Daphne used what little voice she had left to plead to the angel to spare her. To her confusion, she woke up hours later disheveled, with the taste of pennies in her mouth, and riddled with questions. Her savor, a woman she now knew as Meena, explained to Daphne what happened and that she had saved the girl- but not at significant risk.

Meena disclosed that Daphne was now a vampire, as well as all the blessings and curses that came with this second chance at life. Although Daphne was horrified by the news, she managed to thank the woman and took in as much of the knowledge imparted to her as she could. Along with this information, her new sire left her something else- a pamphlet for Lunar Cove. She’d heard of the supernatural haven from her family but thought nothing of it- much like she did then. Ever the stubborn one, Daphne tried her hardest to overcome her vampire urges on her own. After being disowned by her family for what she’d become, however, she rebelled even further by succumbing to bloodlust. The petite female went off the deep end, filling her life with the thrill of the hunt for the next decade. It wasn’t until she experienced one too many close calls with hunters that Daphne began to rethink her lifestyle. She eventually found her way back to the straight and narrow, changing her ways to protect herself and the humans she’d sworn years ago to help. It was a long, grueling process, but she found her way back to nursing, and eventually, her family. Soon after, the young vampire remembered that her sire had spoken of a place in Rhode Island that was a safe place for supernatural creatures in trouble such as herself. Now was probably as good of a time as any to seek out the safety offered, less a hunter still be on her tail. It only took one visit to the lovely town of Lunar cove for her to pack up what little things she possessed, including her dog Ghibli, to seek a fresh start in her new home.

Headcannons:

-Nicknames: Daph, DJ, Firefly, Nurse D.

-Although she’s been a vampire for over 20 years, Daphne has never stopped missing her Wiccan abilities, especially fire manipulation. For this reason, she can always be found with a Zippo lighter in her pocket, despite not smoking (anymore). She carries it as a comforting reminder of the warm, fiery embrace she still craves.

Ghibli is a dog that she found as a stray on one of her assignments in Nevada. He’s a black, gray, and white Australian Shepherd Mix. She found him in an alley as a puppy, and because he reminded her of a soot sprite from Spirited Away she apply named him Ghibli. Also goes by: Gibbs, Gibby, GibGib, and G-Money.

Hobbies: Cooking, Gardening, stacking clothes on that one chair she swears she’ll fold later, and Singing.

#daph #dbio

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jacksonthelizardking · 2 months

Text

For those who have seen Teen Wolf, my version of Jackson is initially based off the show for his beginnings. He was arrogant, a bit cocky, always with a chip on his shoulder and a mouth vomiting out sarcasm. He has come to learn he is adopted and keeps most at arm's length. When his lacrosse teammate begins to best him at a sport that gave him his one accolade from others, he wanted to know how he got better. In time, he learns it was a wolf's bite that made his teammate, Scott better than he was. Jackson needed the title back so badly that he begged for the bite. Eventually, he got it but not with the results he hoped for.

Spoiler alert: He becomes something else first. A kanima.(A lizard like creature who is ruled by a master and made to kill.) In time, the wolf surfaces but this is almost the last we see of him again till season 6. I figured he needed development beyond this point. That is what you will find in writing with me here.

As a side note, I can leave the wolf part out of our story if you wish to write only human aspects. I am also open to adaptation. Let me know what you'd enjoy.

So, for starters, Jackson can be played in one of the three verses below:

One, high school student, probably before the werewolf bite.

Two, a college student who is very ambitious.

Three (and likely the most common) current day, post grad, living life.

Jackson is an adventurous fun-loving soul in the modern day and not as brash as in high school days. He has an alpha he loves, a best friend who shares his love of iced coffee, a dragon who has shown him true friendship, and a wolf brother who has guided him to be his best and to survive as a wolf. Along the way, he has sired pups of his own, whom he adores, and a kitten who wrapped around his heart. He loves a superhero, a fellow alpha, his wolf brothers (pack-mates) and others. His life is rich and exciting and he wants for nothing.

As a disclaimer, I suppose I should add that I am a multi-story writer. This does not mean I am intimate with everyone I write with, nor would I want to be. Hence why I say multi-story and not multi-lover. Also, I have both straight and gay friends, male and female and while Jackson knows he is gay now, not all his storylines will involve any aspect of his sexuality. Most won't in fact.

I abhor rule pages and having people sign and such so I will not bring that to you, but my one rule is that you are over 18 in real life. While I know that you may be talented, I do not feel it's appropriate for me. As for anything else ooc, I reserve that for story discussions and do not care to get personal. I do not care who plays what or try to connect with you other than in character.

Lastly, I have a very busy life away from here and ask for your patience when writing with me. I may love our story deeply, but sometimes I just cannot find enough hours in a day to get here for more than a quick status comment before passing out. It honestly never reflects on you, I swear.

Let the fun begin and message me to get something going.

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oc-aita · 7 months

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AITA for manipulating people into killing their minions or friends?

I know the title sounds bad, but hear me out. My sister and I are, uh, marginalized. Hellspawn, foulblood, whatever epithet you'll throw at us, we've heard it all. Got different demons as our sires, but born to the same mom. My infernal father was an incubus. So I'm kind of attuned to people - their wants, their emotions.

See, people always treated us like shit growing up. So while I don't like to hurt people, there's still a part of me that kinda... hates them, you know? They're cruel. Selfish. They reject anything that's not like them. So, being able to identify what they want and all... and, not to get ahead of myself, being super cute and hot... I'm able to convince them to do stuff that goes along with what I want pretty easily!

So, my sister and I, alongside some other people we picked up on this little adventure of ours, sometimes get attacked by all kinds of things - people and monsters and demons and all - and I'm usually able to talk them into killing their minions just to make the inevitable bloodbath a bit more in our favor. People have started to talk, though. My friends think I'm dangerous! I'm just trying to increase our chances at survival; all these people who attack us for all their different reasons won't spare us if given the chance, so why should we risk losing our own? Besides, I don't jump straight to the murder thing if I can help it - a lot of times, I can convince people to stand down and we can all go on our merry ways.

Am I really the asshole for using my charisma to get us more favorable solutions?

#aita #am i the asshole #original character #mod butterfly #ask to tw #unreality tw #violence tw #death tw #murder tw

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tazatouille · 3 years

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this is how the story goes

word count: 4249

warnings: mentions of death, disassociation, alcoholism and small mention of toxic masculinity

ao3 link

summary: In which Fabian deals with the fact that he doesn't always have to be the hero.

“Let me read to you tonight, my darling.” Mama says to him, holding out her hand. Fabian, being the small boy he is, lets out a giggle and runs over to her, taking it excitedly. She smiles down at him and he sees his own dimples on her cheeks. Fabian can’t help but think that she must be the most beautiful lady to ever live, because of course that would be his Mama. Her silver hair falls like waves down her shoulders and he wonders if one day his hair will grow as long as hers.

She leads him to their library, hoisting him up briefly so he can pick out a book. He can’t quite read all the titles yet, so he picks the one he can reach, which is a small picture book. Mama brings him close to her chest, holding him with one arm. “Ah, that’s a fine choice, Fabian.”

“What’s it about, Mama?” He asks her, letting her flip the book over in his hands.

“Hmm… let’s see.” She says softly. “It looks like you’ve picked an Elven tale tonight, one about a handsome adventurer who sails the seas in search of a great sea monster.”

“That sounds like Papa!” This earns a laugh from his mother, who kisses him on the cheek.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Mama lets go of the book, letting Fabian press it to his chest. Then she carries him out of the library and towards the stairs. “It’s time to get you to bed now, Fabian.”

---

Fabian recalls that day as one of the last days that his Mama ever read to him before bed.

But that was alright, because he’s been fine with that for a while now. He knew even then when little boys grow up, their mamas don’t read them to bed anymore.

When Fabian gets up for school that morning, he sees her when he glances out his window. Cathilda is patiently watering the rose bushes as she always does in the mornings and Mama is sitting in one of her kimonos, beautiful as always, but carrying with her the heavy weight of time. Time that has caused bags to form under her eyes, her frame to grow thinner and dull her eyes each passing day. Time that has aged her, with every sip of wine she takes from the glass in her hand.

He turns away from the window.

Fabian’s morning routine is easy. It’s about a half hour of dancing, then he takes a cold shower to wake himself up. Usually, he would go straight to training afterwards, but his Mama has allowed him this single day without morning training. He takes another hour to do his hair and then his makeup. It’s nothing too fancy, just a bit of eyeliner and the tiniest amount of concealer. If it was too heavy, he would sweat it off during practice and Fabian Aramais Seacaster does not let his makeup run.

By the time Fabian heads downstairs, Cathilda is now cooking in the kitchen. She’s humming an old sea shanty, one that she’s sung for him time and time again as a child. When he walks by, he hums along with her, dancing around her to grab his green smoothie.

“Good morning, Master Fabian!” Cathilda greets him, shaking the frying pan. “Do you mind taking this plate to yer mother? She’s waitin' in the dining room.”

“Good morning, Cathilda!” Fabian says proudly, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Of course, I can.” He scoops the plate up off the counter, carrying it to the dining room. Mama sits at the head of the table, where Papa used to sit. To her right is none other than Gilear, thankfully not in his father's robes again. Fabian tries hard not to fling the dish right at his head and keeps his shoulders up.

"Oh Fabian, my baby boy, how are you this morning? Off to that little adventuring academy again are we?" Mama says, nurturing a glass in her hand.

"Morning Mama," Fabian greets, setting her plate in front of her. Mama puts down her drink to lovingly pinch his cheeks. He laughs, hoping she doesn't notice when he slides it further away. "I believe me and the boys are going to meet at Basrar's this morning before school, since we aren't training today."

"We stop training for one day and you're already eating ice cream for breakfast? Whatever will we do with you?" Mama teases with a wave of her hand. He takes the seat to her left, purposely not making eye contact with Gilear.

Here's the thing about Gilear. He may be the Chosen One, something that Fabian is willing to admit and even defend, however, Gilear is still Gilear, and Gilear is a sad, pathetic little man who did not deserve his Mama.

Fabian could admit that his Mama and Gilear did have some similarities, as they seem to be both inept at the simplest of tasks. That being said, Hallariel Seacaster was an accomplished and renowned fencer, who dashingly took his father's own eye. Gilear Faeth was an ex-diplomat who couldn't get the yogurt stains out of his shirt even with the highest levels of magic money could provide.

This isn’t how the story is supposed to go. After Fabian heroically killed his own father, his mother was supposed to find another adventurous and even in some ways, more deserving man. In the story, Mama does not end up with a man like Gilear, but with a man far better than maybe even his father ever was. Or perhaps, she remains a widow, vowing never to remarry because her love for her deceased husband is so strong.

And in the story, Fabian is supposed to feel proud for killing his father, laying the final blow that his Papa craved so adamantly. But all Fabian is left with is a vacancy, the same vacancy that still rests in his mother's heart.

At times, it almost feels hereditary.

He stares down at his smoothie and thinks he hears Gilear say something to him, but it goes unaddressed.

Fabian thought it would get easier after sophomore year. Seeing his Papa was a treat, surely. Knowing his father is having such a good time in Hell helps him sleep a little easier, but it’s not enough to snuff out the flames of guilt that still burn in his chest.

Ever since his Papa died, his mother used the sensory deprivation egg less and less. To Fabian’s surprise, it was his mother’s decision, with Cathilda helping her steadily ease out of it. Cathilda told him that if they were able to get her out of the egg, they might be able to move onto her sobriety. He still holds onto that hope, even on the harder days when his mother can only greet him after school and then retire to her room soon after.

“You know she loves you with all her heart, Master Fabian.” Cathilda said to him one night. “People are complicated, ya see… Just because she’s struggling doesn’t mean she loves you any less.”

Fabian comes back to reality when he hears his mother’s laughter. He downs the rest of his smoothie, a little too warm now, to distract himself. He pulls out his crystal to check the Boyz’ group chat. “Well Mama, I think I’ll be off!” Fabian says, getting up from his chair.

“Off already, darling?” Mama asks him, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She’s barely touched her food. “Come here.”

He leans down and lets her place a kiss on his cheek. “You have a good day, my boy.” She tells him.

“Of course, Mama.” Fabian smiles at her, then nods his head. “Gilear.”

Gilear nods back. “I wish you a good day, Fabian.”

He walks out of the dining room, giving Cathilda a wave before heading towards the front door.

“Hangman,” Fabian thinks. “Ready for the day?”

He hears the purr of the engine start up as soon as he closes his front door. “I am ready for anything, sire. Where shall we go?”

“Head to the Ball’s apartment. I’m picking him up this morning.”

“Hangman...” Fabian warns, watching him roll out of the garage in front of him. The Hangman revs in response. “We are picking up the Ball.”

“Master, I remind you that the Ball no longer needs a ride to school.”

Fabian is sure if the Hangman could, it would sigh in disappointment. “Of course, sire.” He leans slightly to let him climb on. Then, Fabian revs the engine himself and tears down the street towards Strongtower Luxury Apartments.

---

“Fabian, for the last time.” Riz starts, walking out of the apartment building. “I’m never gonna get enough driving hours if you keep giving me rides to school.”

Riz lost his hat after sophomore year, and thank goodness because Fabian didn’t have the heart to tell him it wasn’t going to work forever. He wouldn’t admit it to Riz, but he was quite fond of the way his hair fell. It seemed impossible to Fabian that Riz didn’t style it in any way, but one day while they were hanging out, Fabian spotted a bottle of all in one shampoo and conditioner and chucked it into the garbage can.

Fabian laughs, putting a hand on his chest. “As if you would prefer to drive your mother’s car over a ride on the Hangman?” The Hangman revs underneath him for emphasis. He can see the smile creeping on Riz’s lips, so he keeps going. “Besides, everyone lies about their driving hours anyway. Who has the time to drive a whole forty hours both night and day? I certainly don’t.”

Riz looks like he’s about to protest, but instead his face spreads into a big smile. Fabian pats the Hangman’s seat victoriously. “Come on, The Ball. To Basrar’s.”

With a roll of his eyes, Riz climbs onto the Hangman, situating his briefcase against his chest. Then, his arms wrap around Fabian’s torso tightly. “You aren’t always gonna be around to give me rides, you know. I should-- uh, probably learn how to drive at some point.” He says. It’s supposed to be casual, but in reality, Riz just dropped a whale sized weight on Fabian’s chest. It threatens to leave him breathless and not in a good way.

Fabian revs the engine instead, letting the purr drown out his thoughts. “Don’t say stuff like that, Riz.” He says under his breath, before taking off down the road. He isn’t going to start thinking about this right now.

They are almost to Basrar’s when Riz shouts over the wind, “Oh hey, Fabian! Do you want to come over to the office after practice?”

Fabian smiles. “Cracking another case, The Ball?”

“You know it!” Fabian can practically hear the smile in his voice. “I always need someone to hold my string.”

Fabian feels the laughter bubble from his chest. “Yes, one of my many talents. Fabian Aramais Seacaster, holder of string!”

“It’s extremely crucial to my casework!” Riz adds. “I couldn’t solve them without it!”

Fabian feels Riz’s arms tighten around him and he lets out another laugh, pulling into Basrar’s.

---

They walk into the cool air of the shop and see Gorgug sitting at a booth in the corner. He waves to them as they approach.

“Hey guys!” Gorgug greets, giving them a toothy grin. He’s hunching over, like always, with a pink milkshake in his hand. He always ordered strawberry with extra whipped cream.

“Hey Gorgug!” Riz greets, letting Fabian take the window seat. “Dude, I gotta tell you about this show I’ve been watching. It’s awesome.”

“Oh yeah?” Gorgug says, sipping his milkshake. “Zelda’s been looking for more shows to watch, cause you know, all her parents watch is like those crazy reality TV shows.”

Fabian watches as Basrar floats over to their table. “Boys! Good to see you, and so early in the morning too. What can I get you?”

Riz orders a weird concoction of chocolate mint, coffee, and pistachio ice cream topped with gummy bears and chocolate drizzle. Fabian never understood why the gummy bears had to be added to it, something that Riz no doubt picked up from Fig. The gummy bears become hard as rocks because the ice cream makes them too cold, but he’s been friends with Riz long enough to know he would eat almost anything. And so, Fabian orders a simple banana split with caramel sauce.

By the time their ice cream gets here, Riz is already waist deep in the intricate world building of the tv show he’s been watching. The thing about Riz is that whenever he got really excited about something, he’d explain it so fast he’d have to keep back tracking and then return to his previous thought. It could get a bit confusing at times, but the Bad Kidz, at least Fabian, didn’t mind. They just made sure to ask a lot of questions.

"Here's the real catch, though. It wasn't the butler, but it was actually--" Riz gets cut off by his crystal ringtone buzz loudly on the table. He grabs it immediately and presses it to his ear. A few moments pass before he says, "Mom? What's going on?"

Fabian immediately sits up straighter before Riz holds his hand out. "I'll be right back." He mouths to them, scooting out of the booth. Fabian watches as he walks out of Basrar's.

Gorgug plays with the straw of his milkshake for a moment."So… how are you and Aelwyn doing?" He asks innocently, because Gorgug would never ask a question he didn't want the answer to. Fabian suddenly feels a little sick, putting his spoon down.

"It-- uh, well--" Fabian is tripping over himself now. He hates when he gets like this. His thoughts race through his head and try to force themselves out his mouth all at once before he can even think of what to say.

"I--I get it, if that's like--" Gorgug stumbles a bit. "Too private or something, I just, you know, was wondering."

"No, no, it's fine, Gorgug. We just… broke up a few weeks ago."

"Oh." He says simply. "Why didn't you…"

"Say anything?" Fabian finishes for him. "I guess it was somewhat embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? Did she break up with you?"

Fabian shrugs. "No, it was more mutual, if anything." He starts playing with his ice cream now, getting spoonfuls of caramel sauce and pouring it back into the bowl over and over again.

"Then why would you be embarrassed?" Gorgug presses. "I mean, my parents would say that's pretty mature."

"It just wasn't what I-- We? Expected it to be." Fabian admits. It feels weird to say it out loud after it's been rattling in his head for weeks. "I guess, maybe I expected it to be like you and Zelda. Two matches made in nerd heaven."

"You know, not every relationship is gonna be perfect, Fabian." Gorgug reminds him. "Zelda and I get along great, sure, but that doesn't mean I don't fuck up every now and then or that I never get upset with her." He shrugs. "But that's a part of like, I don't know, loving someone. You guys kinda just get to figure stuff out together."

"I guess Aelwyn and I never really tried figuring anything out together."

"Maybe you just expected too much from each other." Gorgug shrugs again. "Cause, you can't only love the best version of someone, you know?"

Fabian opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, the front door jingles and Riz makes his way back to the booth.

"Sorry about that guys." Riz says, sitting back in the booth next to Fabian. "My mom needed to know where I put the law books I borrowed from her last weekend. Where was I?"

Gorgug responds, but not before casting a reassuring glance at Fabian. "Uh… I think you were about to tell us who the killer was, right?"

Fabian can't tell if Riz notices and adds, "Oh yes, something about how it wasn't the butler?"

"Right, right!" He says excitedly. "Okay, so…"

He continues telling them about the tv show, which Fabian doesn’t mean to tune out of, but he can’t stop himself from thinking about Aelwyn.

Their breakup had been mutual. They quickly realized that they simply weren’t compatible with one another. Fabian wishes he didn’t take it hard, but Aelwyn was technically the first girlfriend he ever had, and his first kiss.

Fabian was supposed to go straight to Fallinel, take on the Elven army and break Aelwyn out of imprisonment in a feat of gorgeous heroism. Which, if you left some parts out and moved a few things around, he did, technically. But then Aelwyn was supposed to be so impressed with his prowess that they would start dating, eventually get married out on the sea and then have beautiful children, born out of both Aelwyn and his exceptional talents.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

But when they actually got together, Fabian realized that he didn’t understand Aelwyn at all, and she didn’t understand him. They had both been through copious amounts of stress during sophomore year, with Aelwyn having to adjust to a new life without her parents, and Fabian having to grapple with the events of Leviathan and his own residual fears. It was just too much for them to sort out together, too many parts of themselves that they didn’t understand, so how could they ask the other to?

“You have this version of me built in your head, Fabian.” Aelwyn said to him. “Maybe, before all of this, I could have been that person for you. But, I’m not even sure who I am right now.”

And he agreed with her, and that was that.

Their crystals all buzz on their table, and Fabian reaches over to check the message.

figgy pudding: Hey losers, where you guys at?

He types back.

fabian: Basrar’s, be there soon.

“I guess that’s our cue, huh.” Gorgug says, gathering the dishes onto the table, like he always does. “Make sure to text me the name of that show, Riz, so I won't forget.”

“Will do.” Riz replies, already sending the text to Gorgug. He gets up from the booth to let Fabian out and turns to him. “You ready to go?”

From the way Riz is looking at him, he can’t help but feel like he’s asking a different question, but he brushes past it. “Yeah, of course.”

---

"Is something wrong?" Riz asks that night, because Riz is too perceptive for his own good and Fabian acknowledges that he hasn't said a word to him in over 10 minutes. “You were kinda acting weird today.”

"Hm? Oh it's nothing, The Ball. Don't worry about it. What were you saying?" Fabian replies, sitting up a little straighter.

They are sitting in Riz's office, with it's stale mugs of coffee and scattered evidence. If this was anyone else's office, Fabian would hate being here. Sometimes, Riz is so deep in a mystery it becomes cramped with case files and boxes, but it always feels good to be in a space that is truly lived in. It’s nothing like home, and maybe that’s why Fabian likes it.

"You can talk to me, you know." Riz says, taking the red string Fabian's been playing with out of his hands. He pins a photo up on his corkboard.

Fabian doesn't respond. He knows he should, but at this moment, talking to his best friend seems like one of the hardest things he can do.

Riz notices this, and looks at him. "I know how you get. We don't have to talk about it." He runs a hand through his hair. "You, uh-- wanna watch a movie, maybe?"

Fabian blinks at him for a moment before replying, "You want to take a break?"

Riz laughs at that. "Come on, Fabian. I'm not that bad."

Fabian scoffs. "Please, you almost missed homecoming because you were here piecing together your clues." He gestures to the corkboard.

"And then I closed that case the same weekend." Riz says proudly, puffing up his chest a bit.

Fabian smiles, then makes the mistake of looking down at the floor beneath them. He runs his fingers over the scratch marks carved into the wood.

He tried to call and Riz didn’t pick up. Riz never ever misses his calls and his ringer is always on, so why wasn’t he--

Riz’s eyes go from soft to panicked almost immediately. “Hey, don’t do that.” He tells Fabian, pushing his hands away from the floor. “I, uh-- still need to get someone to fix those.”

“I could get someone to do it.” Fabian says immediately. Riz shakes his head.

“You know I wouldn’t let you.”

“But I could.”

“Fabian, it wasn’t your fault.”

And when Riz says this, Fabian lets out a breath of air.

Because he knows, deep down, the situation with Riz last year wasn’t his fault. But maybe if he had been a better friend and called more, or came around the office more, or had just been there when it happened... then Riz wouldn’t have to pay someone to replace his floorboards. Maybe, he wouldn’t have such a hard time looking at himself in the mirror.

“You aren’t the only one who fails, Fabian.” Riz continues, seemingly reading his thoughts. He sighs. “Y--You do this thing where you think you are the only person in the world who can do anything. The only person who can save the princess in the tower, the only person who can kill your father’s rival, like you are trying to hold the whole world up on your shoulders because you are Fabian Aramais Seacaster. And I get it, you know? I’ve had some pretty big shoes to fill myself.” He lets out a short laugh. “But, you don’t have to… prove yourself to me. Or to-- uh, anyone, really.”

“Riz, I--” Fabian’s words fail him, because figuring things out was always Riz’s job. He knows he will pay to get Riz’s floors done, because maybe Fabian didn’t have to prove himself to anyone, but as well as being a Seacaster, he was also Riz Gukgak’s best friend, and that he needed people to know.

“It’s okay, Fabian, really it is.” Riz says, interrupting him. “I’m not gonna lie, you haven’t always been-- uh, a perfect friend. I know I haven’t either.” He shrugs. “But you always try to be, and that means more to me than you probably know.”

Fabian reaches over and pulls Riz into the tightest hug he’s given since he got out of the Forest of the Nightmare King. He feels Riz tense up at first, but then his arms wrap around his neck.

“You are my best friend.” Fabian says into Riz’s shirt, because if he doesn’t say this now the flames that stir inside his chest will burn the words to ash before they reach his mouth. It was easier to say when Riz wasn’t staring back at him, picking him apart. A habit that Riz could never shake, but sometimes, Fabian welcomed it. He didn’t have to say much, because Riz always just seemed to understand.

Fabian has never had a best friend before. His family sailed so often when he was younger that it was hard to make friends with any of the kids. He was constantly being pulled out of school and thrown into the next. Every time he did so he would play his little charade of being Fabian Aramais Seacaster, impressing the children in his class, and then his family set sail once again.

Near the end of freshman year, Riz pulled Fabian aside to thank him for the briefcase and the business cards. Fabian had brushed it off, saying it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it took him hours to hand write all those business cards. Something that, to this day, Fabian still hasn’t told Riz.

After that, Riz never stopped calling him his best friend, and Fabian quickly realized that Riz is one of the only people who had ever really tried to be his friend. He denied it at first, but eventually he came to accept it as a fact.

And maybe it was the same for Riz too. Like Fabian, he didn’t like talking about personal issues. It wasn’t until sophomore year when Riz was finally able to talk about his dad in front of everyone. And much like Fabian and his own charade, he much preferred his role as a detective versus a teenage boy trying to figure the world out.

But that was just it, wasn’t it? Because maybe, they could be two teenage boys trying to figure out the world together.

And so, Fabian may not write his name upon the world. Every living being in Spyre may not know the name Fabian Aramais Seacaster, but he is okay with this.

Because Fabian doesn’t always need to be the hero, the knight who saves the princess, or the son who kills his father’s rival. Because even when he’s not the hero, there are people who still love him. And to be a part of a story that continues to write itself, that is bigger than his own, with Riz and the rest of the Bad Kidz?

Fabian couldn’t think of anything else he would rather do.

#fabian aramais seacaster #dimension 20 #fantasy high #riz gukgak #gorgug thistlespring #this took a lot out of me #but i hope someone enjoys it #its a fabian character study!!#my writing #d20 #d20 fic

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mefiman · 3 years

Text

Hamato Family’s First Visit to the Hidden City

Story request by @rottmntrulesall. Hope you enjoy the story, bud! ^^

"C'mon, everyone! Hurry up!" Michelangelo's impatience was obvious in his excitement. He and his siblings were finally going to show their dad's relatives for the first time to the Hidden City for two reasons; one: to view the many wonders of the other world and two: to have a formal, proper meeting with Draxum's parents. The latter part had instilled some unease into the Hamato siblings, especially Saki who was wary about stepping foot into a mysterious world and was about to see for himself the father and mother of the "monster" who altered his younger brother many years ago.

"Are you sure this place is safe?" Hamato Kenji asked. Raphael glanced at his uncle, understanding his uncle's concerns. "We've been there a lot, Uncle Kenji! We did encounter a few dangers there before but other than that, the people there don't usually attack humans unless provoked." Raph assured his uncle.

"There are a lot of places to visit like the many resorts and spas if you want to have a massage and ooh, Señor Hueso's Run of the Mill Pizza where they make one of the best pizzas! I know the manager of that place, we're amigos~" Leonardo took the chance to quip in.

"I can't wait to see Grandpa Mons again! Wait till you guys meet him yourselves, he's the nicest, sweetest grandpa you'll ever meet! He's still as strong as he's gentle!" Mikey said happily.

"I wonder if Grandma Chemia has some wicked new inventions to show me!" Donatello exclaimed.

"This would be my first time seeing my grandparents, Arachne..." Ariadne whispered to her best friend, Arachne.

"You've never seen them before?" Her friend asked.

"Once when I was a baby... I haven't seen them for years." The yokai femme told Arachne.

"Alright, kids, you've shown us all that you're excited to bring us to visit the Hidden City, Mikey, can you open the portal now?" Splinter asked.

"Sure, Dad!" Mikey got to work quickly.

Draxum felt a tinge of anxiety inside himself. He could not recall the last time he visited his creators ever since he moved out of home to pursue his alchemy researching, away from his parents' constant arguments, half of which is about their preferred methods of raising him. It was a surprise how those two still manage to live under the same roof despite their obvious clashing personalities. He guessed that they tolerated each other just for his sake. His parents had never produced any more offspring after him and one of Arachne’s parents...

"Hey, are you okay, Dad?" A female voice asked him. Draxum jolted from his pondering to find that his daughter, Poison Ivy asking him out of concern. He just gave a small smile as he ran his clawed hands over her helmet. "Am fine, just thinking about your grandparents." He assured her. He marveled how Ivy much had grown from the last time he scientifically created her with his and Lou Jitsu's DNAs; she being so tiny as a developed newborn infant growing in a liquid chamber to a young lady around the boys' ages. From what he knew later on, Splinter raised her along with the Turtles. Ivy had lived her life at first as a normal human teenager until her yokai genes started appearing. The initial discovery of her origins did shake her world but over time, she had learnt to accept and use them to assist her brothers in their adventures. She was intelligent like Draxum and his mother with his father's gentle, mature nature as well as Splinter/Lou's sassiness. She loved to study on botany and coincidently, her powers involved using vines and summoning plant like monsters at will. She recently revealed her sexuality preference as a lesbian and had a girlfriend who is a fellow classmate and witch trainee/apprentice in disguise. Both her creators and siblings were happy for her. As of now, she was cradling her younger sister, Venus de Milo was giggling and squealing as April, Ariadne and Arachne cooed and tickled her belly.

The group watched Mikey draw a symbol on the wall at an alley. Once the symbol was drawn, an open portal revealed. The Hamato siblings' mouths went ajar, not believing what they just saw. "if you think that's mind blowing, you haven't seen nothing yet!" Mikey grinned. His three other brothers and the three girls each took hold of one of their Hamato uncles and aunts's hands. The moment they all jumped into that portal, they found themselves staring at a massive part of a what seemed to be a huge city. The sky above was unlike Earth's skies; instead it was orange with some brown. The architecture of the buildings there were monster shaped with some tall, castle like structures far away from the city. There were a lot of people of all shapes, sizes, colors and appearances walking, running, passing by each other, buying their needs or doing their usual business trades. The Turtle family allowed their Hamato relatives to take in their first view around them. Saki's eyes were bulging out of his sockets, he could not believe for his life what he was seeing. Anthropomorphic, mostly consisting of animal, everyday objects, monstrous and supernatural like individuals roamed every part of the streets around him, he felt as if he was having a strange dream that defied logic! Nori on the other hand, looked right and left, taking in interesting sights that captured her attention. Underneath a calm façade, Kenji was freaking out internally at the new, foreign view. Hiroki was squealing in delight similar to a child had just discovered a world made of toys and sweets. Her twin, Hikari was a bit calmer than his sister, feeling a thrill of danger running through his veins. Last but not least, the youngest Hamato sibling, Mei's stance looked poker face yet she looked around to see if there were any Gothic like people that she can interact with. The Turtles and the girls grinned, seeing the reactions of the others.

"What do you think? Surreal, huh?" They ask.

"Amazing.."

"Fascinating..."

"I can't believe what I'm seeing..."

"Someone please tell me that I'm dreaming..." Saki mumbled, still not believing.

"No, you're not," Draxum replied, going straight to the point with an indifferent expression. "May we please hurry to my parents' house, I bet they're waiting for our arrival..."

"Oh yeah!" Mikey clapped both his hands once. "Lead the way, Draxy!"

Draxum sighed as he took the lead of the group. Along the way, there were a few whispers around and behind Draxum coming from the city people but Splinter and Ivy took hold of both his hands and gave a comforting, assuring squeeze, making him feel better. Ariadne gave her uncle a comforting hand on to his shoulder. They were soon out of the main city square to a further distance into the woods. They had to climb up a hill for a while until they reached a big mansion residing there.

"We are here at last. My childhood home..." Draxum said, looking at the grassy, serene valley below, reminiscing the times where he as a little one ran galloping around the field, cartwheeling with glee among the flowers and his sire teaching him the basics on how to defend himself the predator way. Both father and son spend their days in the early years, sparring with each other...

"Draxum, my son!" The former alchemist warrior villain snapped out of his memories to find himself being engulfed into the arms of none other than his dear, loving old father, Monsrage who brought his only son into a crushing bear hug which knocked the wind out of his lungs. "How have you been, my little baby boy? It's rare that you visit us but it's so wonderful to see you bring your family along! How delightful!" the older yokai gushed, his bushy tail wagging with unlimited enthusiasm like an excited puppy. Monsrage was rather huge and muscular with perked up, pointy ears, silky straight black hair unchanged through time and a fairly long beard to match. Like Draxum before, he wore a battle mask. He had a significant dark upperlip. His body had different shades of blue just like his son, Draxum when he was armored. Monsrage's eyes were the same like Draxum's. His feet in particular, was a noticeable difference. Unlike his wife and son, his feet were shaped like a lion's paws, fitting for him coming from a predator species.

"Father, it's great to see you... but can you please let go now? I can't breathe..." Draxum choked out, being smothered by his sire's busty chest. Monsrage immediately loosened his grip, apologizing profusely while checking to see if he had accidently broken any of his son's bones. Draxum shook his head, smiling a little. His sire had never changed all these years, still a concerned worrywart. And he bet his mother had not either...

Chemia on the other hand, was greeting the rest of the visitors with feverish energy. She was a redhead with shades of pink for her skin colour and her ears, long and drooped. Her eyes had a little twinkle in them, a part of her eccentric personality and plump, red lips. Like her husband, she wore a mask. Donnie, April, Arachne and Ivy were given a whirlwind hug the moment they came in front of her. Monsrage went back to the mansion with his son to give the new visitors, the Hamatos, April, and Arachne a warm greeting as well as welcome his beloved grandchildren with his signature bear hug and proceed to pepper their faces with smooches which they were delighted to have especially Mikey, Ariadne, Ivy and Venus. Monsrage and Chemia ushered them all into their humble abode. The Hamatos were initially skeptical about meeting Draxum's family but they were soon warmed up to them. Later on, the mansion was filled with guffaws of laughter as Monsrage showed them all baby pictures of his son which embarrased the poor warrior scientist. Donnie, April and Ivy were treated to Grandma Chemia's latest creations. Monsrage himself had a blast, playing with Venus and sparring with the Turtles and the girls. Arachne was delighted to meet her grandparents as a young adolescent, telling them about her achievements, adventures and that her own parents are doing well. The Hamatos became comfortable talking with Draxum's parents over some snack delicacies. Overall, everyone had a wonderful time at the Hidden City.

I had fun writing this! Was tiring but oh so worth it.

The Hamato siblings (minus Lou/Splinter) and Venus de Milo belong to @rottmntrulesall while Ariadne and Arachne are the OCs of @mikeykawaii/@mikey-ho. Monsrage, Chemia and Poison Ivy along with the mention of the witch girlfriend belong to me, @mefiman. I hope you don’t mind me incorporating your girls into this story, @mikeykawaii but I’ve been dying to add them in, especially Ari meeting her grandparents! ^^

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #tmnt #my art #ocs #baronjitsu #a teeny bit mentioned

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dothwrites · 3 years

Text

2020 Writing in Review

Well, it’s been a shitshow of a year, ain’t it? The one bright spot in this year was that it left me a ton of time for writing! With no further ado, here are the fics I worked on the year of our lord, 2020.

---

the blood which we drew | Rated: M | Word Count: 7335 | COMPLETE

Castiel bears the Mark. And for a few months, it's fine.

It's fine until it isn't.

---

ramble on | Rated: E | Word Count: 26,875 | WIP

A series of Season 15 codas, crossposted to tumblr. Tags, Warnings, and Rating may change, based on source material.

(Technically started this in 2019, but I added to it this year, so I’m counting it)

---

protect and serve | Rated: E | Word Count: 49,953 | COMPLETE

Police officer Dean Winchester's next assignment seems easy enough: a protection detail on Assistant District Attorney Castiel Novak, who's been receiving death threats in conjunction with the case that he's prosecuting. Dean's assignment is to keep ADA Novak safe, alive, and in one piece so that he can start his trial against Dick Roman, notorious CEO charged with the death of at least eight people.

With threats that quickly spin out of control, a missing teenage genius, Dean's attraction to Novak, and Novak's mercurial attitude towards Dean--Dean Winchester's next assignment is anything but easy.

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what stays (and what fades away) | Rated: E | Word Count: 64,421 | COMPLETE

Cas Novak’s life is perfect. He has a job that he loves and friends who support him. Most importantly, he has his husband, Dean Winchester, and his two adopted children, Claire and Jack. With them, nothing could ever go wrong.

That is, until he starts having flashes of a life that isn’t his and meets someone who shares his husband’s face but not his personality, someone who insists that he’s someone, something, different altogether. Cas’ life shatters when he’s dragged into a world that he doesn’t belong to and doesn’t understand.

Dean Winchester’s life was already shattered when he lost Castiel.

---

thunder road | Rated: E | Word Count: 20,883 | COMPLETE

After Chuck is defeated and the Winchesters settle into life without God, Dean Winchester is bored.

OR: Dean and Cas take a road trip and figure out some stuff along the way.

---

alone together | Rated: E | Word Count: 74, 239 | COMPLETE

Like the rest of the world, Dean Winchester’s job sent him home with the supplies necessary to work from home and a vague farewell of “We’ll see you when this all blows over”. Unlike the rest of the world, Dean Winchester is entering into a quarantine with Castiel Novak, his incredibly hot and incredibly uninterested roommate. How is Dean supposed to concentrate on his job while Cas is just a few feet away, being...well, Cas?

Castiel Novak was already working from home, so the news of social distancing doesn’t affect him that much. What does send him into a panic is the knowledge that Dean Winchester, his stunning and straight roommate, will also be working from home for the foreseeable future. After spending so long trying to distance himself from Dean, Castiel now has to face a future where Dean is present. All. The. Time.

They’ve got food, Internet, and all the toilet paper they need, but neither one of them is prepared for quarantine.

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for a sinner released | Rated: E | Word Count: 8,800 | COMPLETE

Testing his theory, he runs his fingers over the soft skin of Dean’s wrist, until his thumb is pressed firmly against Dean’s hammering pulse. Cas pulls, gently but inexorably, until Dean is forced to take a step forward. The shift in positioning pushes the barrel of the gun into his forehead.

Cold metal touches overheated skin, and Cas inhales sharply at the contrasting sensations. The gun is unforgiving, relentless, beautiful.

It’s like Dean.

---

and all this devotion | Rated: M | Word Count: 10,572 | COMPLETE

Dean’s not stupid. He’s seen the looks Cas has aimed his way, when Cas thought he wasn’t paying attention. He’s leveled his share of looks back at Cas when the angel’s attention was elsewhere. More than once, he’s been caught in the act. At this point, they’re both dancing around the same elephant, too scared and caught in their ways to make the first move.

OR: Dean gets hurt on a hunt. Cas takes care of him. There's only one bed. Confessions ensue.

---

lost in translation | Rated: T | Word Count: 3,720 | COMPLETE

Cas bites at his lower lip, looking uncommonly shy. Worry starts to stir in Dean’s gut, which is only compounded when Cas says something else in soft yet clear Enochian. As the new phrase doesn’t have the word stupid anywhere in it, Dean doesn’t have the slightest idea of what Cas is saying. The guilt squirming in his stomach gets worse when Cas looks at him, with gentle anticipation, as though he’s expecting a reply. Dean does what humans have been doing since the beginning of time when confronted with a language they don’t understand and smiles, wide and sunny, at Cas. Cas’ forehead creases but he returns the gesture. His eyes are still brimming over with emotion and the sight does something to Dean.

Dean begins to suspect that he may have started something which he is not equipped to finish.

---

a new song about a new life | Rated: E | Word Count: 21,282 | WIP

There is no happily ever after. Mostly because there is no after. Life is just a series of days and nothing ever really ends. It just continues on, even after the curtain closes, and while the struggles might not be epic, they're no less impressive. Domestic life isn't without its pitfalls and trials, but at the end of the day, Dean and Cas still have each other and in the end, that's enough.

A series of timestamps detailing the small adventures of Dean and Castiel. Will contain teensy amounts of angst and a heap of fluff and domesticity.

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angel in black | Rated: E | Word Count: 95,325 | COMPLETE

Bounty hunter Castiel Novak has simple rules for how he conducts his business. Get in, get out, deliver the fugitive, and do it all with the least amount of effort possible. Never become emotionally involved.

When he takes on the job of hunting down Sam and Dean Winchester in order to bring them to justice, his rules start shifting. Threatened by supernatural forces as well as his attraction to Dean, Castiel soon has to decide what he’s willing to stand for…and what he’s willing to die for.

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ghosts that we knew | Rated: E | Word Count: 89,411 | COMPLETE

Dean can’t help it. Castiel’s laugh is infectious, washing over him and sweeping him up in its tide. His throat and stomach ache with the feel of it, unfamiliar muscles worked past their endurance. He hasn’t laughed like this in weeks, maybe years.

Cas doesn’t stop laughing, and Dean relishes it. It’s such a good sound, deep and throaty. It rumbles over him the same way that Baby’s engine purrs, to where he can almost feel it in his gut. Dean’s giddy, the kind of happy that hunters don’t get to feel, and if it weren’t for the ceiling, he thinks he might float away. Cas’ eyes crinkle when he laughs, and his smile goes wide and gummy. He’s so brilliant, so alive—

But you’re dead, Dean thinks helplessly. But you’re dead.

---

Castiel Novak is one of the best hunters Dean Winchester has ever worked with. He's witty, whip-smart, and has enough knowledge about the supernatural to rival an encyclopedia. He's got humor dry enough to put the Sahara to shame and he's pretty easy on the eyes as well. All in all, he's the best partner Dean could have hoped for.

Too bad he's dead.

---

the best of things | Rated: G | Word Count: 2,494 | COMPLETE

There’s something.

This is significant because, for as long as Castiel can remember, there’s been nothing. --- Castiel finds a way out of the Empty.

---

freedom | Rated: G | Word Count: 4,804 | COMPLETE

Freedom.

Dean rolls the word around on the tip of his tongue and tastes how it feels. Freedom.

It’s a strange concept, especially since he always assumed that he was. Ever since Apocalypse Version 1.0 was averted, Michael and Lucifer locked in the cage, thanks very much, he’s always assumed that he was the one calling the shots. No matter how badly he fucked up (and he fucked up a lot), he could at least take comfort in the fact that those were his choices. No one’s hand up Dean Winchester’s ass, no siree.

And then Chuck came and ripped that certainty away from him in one quick motion and then...everything was suspect. Sam, Mom, Jack...Cas. Every word, every action, every emotion... He couldn’t trust anything, so he trusted nothing.

--- OR: Dean makes a choice.

---

at the end of the world | Rated: G | Word Count: 4,631 | COMPLETE

Rebuilding Heaven is slow work, but time doesn’t really mean anything here. It’s delicate to rebuild the walls separating billions of souls so that nothing collapses. Castiel works alongside Jack, making suggestions as his mind trips along to potential problems.

Though it’s never said aloud, Castiel knows why Jack is working tirelessly. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, the knowledge sits that Sam and Dean are going to die. One day, they will pass from the earth, and come to Heaven, and on that day, Castiel wants everything to be perfect for them. He wants to show them a true paradise, a place without walls or barriers, a place where emotion is genuine and not just a manufactured memory. Rebuilding Heaven is his last chore, the last of his penance to be performed.

--- OR: Team Free Will gets the soft epilogue which they deserve.

---

let your heart be light | Rated: M | Word Count: 31,651 | WIP

It's Dean and Cas' first official Christmas together as a couple. What could possibly go wrong?

Just Cas' weird family, his own personal hang-ups about Christmas, Dean's persistent belief that the miracle of Christmas can heal all wounds, and meddling friends and family.

Have a Merry Christmas.

#dothwrites #long post #2020 masterlist #i did not realize how long this was #good lord me #i'm a long-winded little SOB

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pastelwitchling · 3 years

Text

Very random thought, but I keep thinking back to Elias from The Flowers of Frost - you know, Liz and Max’s kid? - and my brain randomly creates this whole sequel for him and his adventures as an adult.

I’m not an idiot, I know no one would be willing to read a story about Elias and the friends he makes (because it stops being any kind of fanfiction, doesn’t it?), but it’s just something I wanted to share with you. Here’s what I imagine, and if you would like to know what I believe happens to that little boy, then read on;

***

Elias has been holding on to his gold pendant since the day his father had given it to him. No, that wasn’t right. He’d been holding on to that pendant since Alex, King of Mirolet and sorcerer, had told him to.

It hung off its chain, above Elias’s heart, reminding him of the lives that had been cut down so that he could have this pretty necklace. The necklace that had saved his life once, in the forest.

He’d never told his father, but after that day, Elias had felt like a thief. When Alex had taken his arm and told him to remember, he’d remembered. He had been a child then, eager to fight but lost in his purpose. First he’d fought for the good of his family and village. Then it had been for the peace between sorcerers and Vikings. He’d been a leaf, blowing in the wind, happy to be wherever he’d landed, knowing it would all serve him somehow.

Now, as he sat on the verge of his twentieth birthday, he understood what it was he’d been marching towards all this time. With his arrows rattling in the quiver that slung across his back, his bow in hand, Elias marched into the throne room of Mirolet’s grand palace.

The summer sun shone throne the large windows and reflected off the surfaces, making it look as if he was walking on the very sky itself. Outside, Elias could hear children laughing as they played in the courtyards and in the village, men and women going about their morning, flirting, laughing, chattering, and a cool breeze flew in, making his heart ache. It was nonsensical. He had not yet left home, and yet he was already homesick. His Uncle Michael would undoubtedly tease him for it, if he knew.

That was, if his Uncle Michael could manage looking away from his husband for a single minute.

He found his uncles sitting on the long table in the centre of the room, Michael staring at Alex, who had his own eyes focused on the many rolls of parchment in front of him, as if he were his entire reason for existence. They had both grown in the past several years; Michael’s muscles larger, his curls too long and messy for his top knot, while Alex looked almost the same save for the length of his hair, which now curled around his ears and fell over his eyes, his stubble, and around both of their smiling eyes were a few wrinkles.

Elias stood straight with his hands behind his back.

“For the gods’ sake, Elias,” Alex muttered, not even glancing up. “Are we your General? At ease.”

Elias relaxed slightly. Michael laughed. “My nephew. Ever the warrior, eh? Always alert. I’m so proud.”

“Your Majesty,” he said, “Uncle Michael... I was rather hoping to discuss something with you.”

“If it’s concerning the harvest for next month,” Alex said, “Prince Kyle’s already -”

“No,” Elias said. “No, Sire, I needed to speak with you. Both of you. It’s -” he cleared his throat “-it’s quite personal.”

At this Michael and Alex looked up.

“Don’t tell me,” said Michael, starting to grin. “You’re getting married!”

“Would you stop asking him that every time he walks through the door?”

“I only want him to find his true love!” Michael leaned in close to Alex. “As I’ve found mine.”

Alex’s cheeks turned pink, but he swatted at Michael like he was an irritating butterfly. Michael caught his hand and kissed his fingers like he treasured each one to no end.

“It’s important,” Elias insisted, and his uncles held his gaze. They seemed to sense the weight on Elias’s shoulders, because Michael turned to face him and Alex set down his quill. Elias had their undivided attention.

He held his breath, bracing himself, and knew there was no other way to start but the truth. “I want to leave the village.”

Michael huffed a chuckle, glancing at Alex. “A voyage, Elias? Is that what has you so red? That’s no reason to fear! How long do you expect -”

“I don’t know if I’ll be coming back.”

Silence.

“Elias,” Alex said, his expression calm, calculating. “What is this voyage for?”

Elias swallowed, then tugged on the chain that hung around his neck, pulling out the pendant that had been hiding under his shirt all these many years. The gold was still stained with blood.

“I want to return this.”

Alex stared at the pendant, eyes narrowed, as if trying to remember where he’d seen it. Then realization dawned and his shoulders slumped.

“Oh, Elias...”

“A necklace?” Michael raised a brow. “This is all about returning a necklace?”

“It’s not just any necklace,” Elias said, and glanced at Alex. Alex nodded, giving his permission to tell the story. “When I was a child, I fought one of the shadow creatures that the late King Jesse of Mirolet had summoned. I took an injury that would’ve killed me, had this pendant not protected my heart. Since then, I have had a debt for my life. A debt that I must now repay.”

Michael looked to Alex, and Alex closed his eyes, all the confirmation his husband needed. The story was true, and Alex remembered.

“Why did you never tell me this?” Michael asked.

“It seemed so insignificant at the time,” said Alex. “The child was safe, he hadn’t mentioned the shadow creatures to anyone... and things between us were so fragile. I was afraid it would drive you away to know I’d put one of your own in danger.”

Michael looked pained, as if the memory of how he’d once thought of Alex so many years ago still shamed him. He put a hand on Alex’s back and kissed his cheek before he looked back to Elias.

“Nephew, if your father had given you that necklace, then its owners -”

“I know,” Elias nodded. “But there must be someone who this pendant still belongs to. I must find them. I am a Viking, and for that, I may well garner hatred wherever I sail. Yet I must go. I...” he looked down, “I hoped you would understand. There is no sense in my decision, I am guided solely by my own heart. To others, to mother and father, it would not be enough. You two, however, might understand the value of such a quest.”

Alex and Michael looked to each other, holding one another’s gaze for a long time, and something seemed to settle in the slump of Alex’s shoulders and the way Uncle Michael puffed out his chest.

“Elias,” Michael said, his voice heavy with resignation. Neither of them liked this, Elias knew, but they also seemed to know that no matter their decision, he would not change his mind. “May the gods help you, you have our blessing.”

#alex manes #michael guerin #malex #malex fic #malex fanfiction #roswell new mexico #roswell nm #malex angst #malex fluff #tyler blackburn #michael vlamis

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petersasteria · 4 years

Text

Reversed Curse - Tom Holland (Royal AU)

Pairing: Tom x Princess!Reader

This is my second entry for @hollandsrecs‘ fic bingo x

6.8k words

* * * *

"Your Highness, we found the culprit!" The Royal Guard announced as he entered the throne room with two other guards and a man with his hands chained. The man was as old as the king and he was dirty because of the grease. He was bravely looking at the King.

The King was very angry. "How dare you stand there with a brave face as you look at me!" The King seethed.

"I stand here with all the dignity I have left, sire." The man said. "For I have done no wrong. I would never lay my hands on any other woman because I have a wife. Nor will I ever lay my hands on someone's daughter for I, too, have one at home."

The King scoffed, "How dare you lie in front of my face. I know that you touched my daughter."

"Are you certain it was me?" The man raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did she say?"

"She said that a man had touched her whilst she was having an afternoon nap under the tree in the garden. She described the man and it matched your description. I, therefore, conclude that you were the bastard that groped her!" The King shouted.

The man said nothing. Just then, the Princess and the Queen entered the throne room. The Princess was shocked to see a dirty man in the throne room.

"Darling." The King said to his loving daughter. "We have found the dirty rascal who touched you. No sin will be forgiven for I have set a punishment already."

She frowned, "Father, that's the wrong man."

"What are you talking about? Yes, he is! The description matched him perfectly!"

"I'm afraid I very well know who the culprit was because I saw him myself!" The Princess argued. "Believe me when I say that he is not the man who groped me."

"You shall be sent to your room without supper as punishment for disrespecting me." The King said with no emotion, no heart. He looked at the man, "And as for you, in the morning bright and early, your punishment will be waiting. Send him to the dungeon."

The Princess was escorted to her room and the man was escorted to the dungeon. She didn't know what to do to help the innocent man. She knew he wasn't guilty, but she also knew that her father wouldn't change his mind.

The very next day, the sun was shining brightly despite the horrific act that will soon follow. Princess Y/N wondered if the sun would still shine as bright after the man's punishment. She wondered if God would forgive her father for being vicious and cruel. She and her family sat in a booth that had the perfect view of the stage where the man will be standing.

"Father." She pleaded. "This is not right. He's innocent, I swear on it."

The King looked at her and said, "I don't care. Whatever happens, happens." He had no remorse in his body. The King proudly looked back at the stage and smirked when he saw the guards escorting the man on stage.

Princess Y/N looked at the audience when she noticed a woman wailing in the front row. She heard the woman shouting as if trying to get the attention of the King. Y/N glanced at her father and became annoyed when he chose to ignore the woman. She looked at the woman again and she saw that she wept harder when it was announced by the guard that the man will be hung to death.

"Father, you can't do this." Y/N shook her head as she cried. "It's not right for an innocent man to die. God won't allow it. That man has an innocent soul!"

"God wouldn't care!" Her father yelled angrily. "He took your brother's innocent soul with no pity and no hesitation. I shall do the same."

"I'm sure God had a reason." She argued. "But this is different. You're not God!"

"I have a reason too! Now, shut your mouth!" The King ended the conversation and focused on the man's hanging. The noose was already around the man's neck and everyone watched as the man stepped on the stool, accepting his fate.

"Any last words?" The Royal Guard asked.

The man nodded and took a deep breath knowing that it would be his last. He looked at his face and offered her a small smile. "I love my wife and I love my daughter. Both of you are the first ones I think about as I wake and before I sleep. Now that my fate has been sealed, I shall think of both of you for the rest of the time that my eyes are closed. I will miss both of you very much and I wish I could hold both of you one last time before I go, but we know that isn't possible. I love you."

The support of the stool was taken away causing the man to dangle and struggle to breathe. After twenty minutes of struggling, he was announced dead.

A few days later, the King sent out invitations for the monthly check on his people. He wanted to know what his people need and want. Obviously, most of them were empty promises but the people would still say what they need and want, anyway.

"I will see what I can do for your crops." The King said with a faux smile plastered on his face. "Next!"

The next was a woman in black colored attire. She was a sinister stranger that nobody knew. She had the aura of death and around her and it didn't feel right. Despite that, the King shrugged it off and asked what she wanted.

"I want justice." The woman said.

"Justice?" The King said. He was confused.

The woman nodded, "I want justice for my husband. You hung him to death a few days ago. He was the love of my life and you killed him with no ounce of pity. He was innocent. I want to avenge him."

The King let out a scoff, "And how could you possibly do that?"

The woman smirked and raised her arms to unleash the cruel aura around her. "My husband's death became the source of my sadness. In order to avenge his death, I shall curse the Queen to die with a terrible illness and for the Princess to never find true love." She put her arms down and vanished in thin air.

The King didn't seem too fazed by it, but the Queen was scared. "We must do something." The Queen said.

"Yes, father. We must." Princess Y/N pleaded. "It was your fault anyway. I warned you! I told you he was innocent!"

"Fine." The King said. "I don't believe a single thing about what that witch said, but we'll do something."

Later that night, the Royal Family took a short carriage ride to another witch whom they knew personally. Queen Y/M/N had fascinations about magic and she befriended the witch. His name was Charles.

The Queen knocked on his door and the door was slowly opened. Charles looked shocked, "Your Highness! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We came to ask for your help, Charles." The Queen said sweetly. Charles nodded and opened the door wide enough for the Royal Family to enter. They all sat down in the small dining area and they began to talk about the curse.

Charles nodded and said, "I can't undo the curse. The only person who can undo the curse is the witch who inflicted it. I can, however, reverse it. I just need a few things."

"Like what?" The King asked.

"Leaves as green as moss, bird as colorful as a flower, dust as fine as powder and a diamond." Charles said.

Y/N looked at her ring and saw a diamond on it, "I have a diamond right here on my ring. Will that work?"

Charles shook his head, "The diamond must be searched for. Speaking of searching, the princess must look for all of these things before the sun sets the day after tomorrow. That potion is for reversing the death of the Queen. She won't die, however, she'll get sick."

"But what about my curse?" The Princess asked. "I want to find my true love."

Charles snorted, "Does true love even exist?" He looked at the Princess who was frowning at his words and he cleared his throat, "Well I do have something in mind."

"What is it?" The Princess desperately asked.

Charles gulped and said, "You must sacrifice the thing you love the most."

"Sacrifice?" She asked. "What? You mean... kill?"

"Precisely." Charles nodded. "Do it after you've found everything needed for the potion."

"How will I know that the curse has been lifted?" She questioned.

"Your heart will ache when your true love gets hurt." Charles said. "If I were you, I'd start now. Time is ticking and the woods can be a dangerous place. Come straight here once you've collected everything and sacrifice the thing here too as I create the potion."

"Thank you, Charles." The Queen smiled. "I shall forever be in debt."

The Royal Family quickly left and went back to the palace. The Princess hastily went to her room and grabbed her satchel. She changed into a simple red corset dress and she neatly tied her hair with a ribbon.

She walked out of her room with the satchel and quickly walked to the palace's door. The Queen, her mother, stopped her.

"Mother, please get out of the way." The Princess said. "You heard what that man said. Time is ticking and-"

"I know. I just want to give you my scarf." Her mother wrapped the scarf around Y/N's neck and said, "I won't be able to protect you out there, but I hope this scarf will make you think of me whenever you're scared or whenever you miss home. Just promise me you'll come back to me in one piece."

"I promise, mother." Princess Y/N smiled. She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before she fled out of the palace and into the stable where she got on her horse.

The Princess rode on her horse into the woods with only the moon's shine as their source of light. The horse, Vixen, decided that she didn't want to run anymore and abruptly came to a halt. The Princess fell forward and into the still river. She thanked God because the river was calm and it wasn't rushing through. She hoisted herself up again coughed up water.

"What a good way to start the trip." She muttered to herself. She squeezed out the water from her hair, her dress, her scarf and she turned her empty satchel upside down so all the water could fall out. She looked at Vixen and sighed, "We'll start tomorrow, okay? Let's get some sleep."

She settled Vixen down and she laid her head on Vixen's body as a pillow. "Good night, Vixen. We shall wake up bright and early for our adventure." After that, Vixen and the Princess fell soundly asleep.

The next morning arrived and the village shops were already starting to open. The Holland family had a talent for carpentry and baking. Their home was just the right size with the first floor as the bakery and the backyard as the place for carpentry.

"Thomas!" His mother shouted from downstairs. "Wake up and fetch some water from the river! I'll be washing the clothes today and a lot of people are fetching water from the well now."

Thomas groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slowly sat up. "I won't ask again, Thomas!" His mother shouted again. "You better be awake! Bring the cart with you."

"That cart is bloody heavy." He whispered to himself as he got up and stretched. He walked downstairs and said, "Why can't Sam do it?"

Sam glared at his older brother and grabbed a pinch of flour and threw it at him, "I'm bloody baking, imbecile."

"Sam, don't say that. Tom, get to work." Their mother said. "We have so much to do! Harry is with your father outside. They're making a table for Elizabeth's family." She walked away to gather all the clothes in the house.

"Thomas, is it true?" Sam whispered. Thomas looked at him with a confused look. "Is what true?"

"Word on the street is that you deflowered Elizabeth Carter. Is it true? What you did?" Sam asked as he rolled the dough with a rolling pin.

Thomas couldn't believe his ears. Who on earth made up a rumor about him?

"You know, if she ends up having your child and if you don't marry her, you could be executed and that's stated in the law." Sam said.

"It's not true, Sam. Don't believe what other people say." Thomas said. "I didn't deflower anyone and I don't plan to, not yet. Besides, if she's with child, that's her problem. Not mine. I'm not the father."

He grabbed six big buckets and stacked it all together. Thomas wore his boots and said goodbye to his brother. He put the buckets in the wooden cart and went on his way to the river in the woods as he pushed the cart.

He reached the river and saw the Princess with her horse. Thomas stopped in his tracks and stared at her in shock. The Princess was sound asleep and Thomas drifted his attention towards the sparkly ring on her finger.

He slowly tiptoed to the Princess and sneakily took off her ring so that he could examine it. Just as he was about to put it back, the Princess stirred awake causing him to panic and put the ring in his pocket and backed away.

The Princess adjusted to the light before she sat up. She looked around to see a boy about her age. She looked surprised, "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I in your way?"

Thomas stared at her and shook his head, "N-No. In fact, I'm sorry for bothering you in your sleep."

"Non-sense! This isn't my property." The Princess waved him off and stood up. She looked behind him and saw a cart, "Were you going to fetch water?"

"Yes." Thomas nodded as he grabbed a bucket before scooping water to fill the bucket and going back to the cart to put the bucket there as he repeated the process five more times. The Princess just watched him as she thought of something.

Thomas looked at her and nodded to her, "I have to get going. Have a good day." He slowly pushed the now heavy cart and walked away.

"Wait!" She ran up to him. "You can borrow my horse. Her name is Vixen. In return, I need your help."

"I don't even know who you are." Thomas said. "Besides, I have to go."

"I know, but it's quicker if you borrow my horse. I really need your help." She pleaded. Thomas thought about it and nodded, "Fine."

With that, both of them tied the horse to the cart and both of them made their back to the village. "I never got your name." Thomas said.

"Likewise." The Princess smirked slightly.

"I'm Thomas."

"Y/N." She smiled. She wasn't offended when Thomas didn't know who she was. In fact, she was glad that she wasn't recognized. She didn't want to draw attention. They arrived at Thomas' humble home and he brought the buckets of water in the house and out in the backyard where his mother was waiting.

Y/N entered the lovely home and looked around at the bread and pastries. She loved the aroma wafting through the air and she took notice of an attractive lad making them.

"Excuse me." She said as the boy looked at her. "Did you make all these?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yes. Some of them are my own recipes."

"Oh, how wonderful!" She smiled as she looked around.

After Thomas finished, he looked between his brother and Y/N. "I see you've met. That's my brother Sam and this is Y/N."

"Nice to meet you, Sam."

"Pleased to meet you too."

Y/N turned to Thomas and said, "I'm reversing a curse inflicted upon my mother and I need your help to find the things I need for the potion."

Thomas stared at her, "Are you mad?"

"Of course not! It's the truth. My mother was cursed and I need to get the things to reverse it. I have until tomorrow's sunset." Y/N explained. Thomas thought about it for a while and shrugged, "Alright, but you'll have to tell my mother."

Just then, Thomas' mother came in. "Sam, where's- Thomas, who's this?"

"This is Y/N. We met at the river." Thomas said as Y/N smiled politely. His mother smiled back, "Oh, my! How gorgeous, you look. To what do we owe the pleasure of having you here, darling?"

"My mother was cursed and I've come to ask for your permission if it's alright with you if I bring Thomas with me for my mission. I don't know the woods very well like he does." Y/N explained.

"Of course, he can help." His mother smiled.

"Wait. You're not surprised that my mother was cursed?"

"No." His mother shook her head. "It's quite normal to get cursed in the village. Anyway, I wish both of you luck on your mission."

"Thank you." Y/N said as she quickly left. She untied Vixen from the cart before getting on it. Thomas followed quickly after saying goodbye. "Hop on, Thomas!"

Thomas sat behind her on the horse and he didn't know where to hold on to.

"Hold my waist. It's alright." Y/N said. Thomas' face flushed red as he held on to her waist. Vixen galloped back to the woods and Y/N looked around for leaves as green as moss; the first on the list.

"What are we looking for, exactly?" Thomas asked.

"Leaves as green as moss, bird as colorful as a flower, dust as fine as powder and a diamond." Y/N sighed. "Do you know where to get those?"

"I know where to get the leaves. My mate, Harrison, is a tailor but he takes care of plants. He might have the leaves that you want."

"Great! Where does he live?"

"Back in the village." Thomas said. "We can just put that on the last part of the list. Let's find the bird."

"I don't know where to start, though." She sighed. She assumed she needed a colorful bird with vibrant colors.

"I always find strange things deep into the woods." Thomas shrugged. "If we keep going further, we can find all of those things. It's beautiful there as well, breathtaking!"

The pair went further into the woods and Thomas was right. The scenery was beautiful. There was a small waterfall, a lot of trees that surrounded the area, the sky was blue and the clouds were white and puffy. Y/N smiled. She had never seen anything like it before.

Y/N stopped Vixen as she and Thomas hopped down the horse. Thomas looked around for the bird as Y/N stared at the view in front of her. Thomas smiled when he saw the most colorful bird that was up on the tree.

"Y/N, I think I found the bird." Thomas whispered. He walked towards the tree and slowly climbed it. Y/N didn't turn around to look. Her gaze was kept on the scenery. She knew that she wouldn't see it ever again.

"Oh, Vixen. Isn't marvelous?" She whispered to her beloved friend. "I will definitely miss this place."

She was too busy to notice Thomas stand next to her with the most colorful bird on his shoulder. Thomas carefully tapped her shoulder and she turned to him and her eyes widened with a big smile on her face.

"Is this the bird you need?" Thomas asked. "I think this is it."

"Same here. We already have one and we need three more!" She cheered.

"What's the next one?" Thomas asked.

"Dust as fine as powder." She said. "I don't even know anymore."

"I saw some of those." Thomas said. "I go out a lot with my mate and we see things out here in the woods. We found dust like that near a mountain. It's a bit far, though."

She nodded, "Okay. We might find a diamond along the way."

"I think Harrison saw a cave there once. I'm not sure if there are treasures in there like gems." Thomas said. "We have to go while the sun's still out. How long do you have again?"

"Tomorrow before the sunset." She answered.

"Let's go, then."

They hopped on the horse again and they went to the place where Thomas found the special dust that Y/N needed. She knew it was a great choice to bring Thomas with her.

"I'm quite fond of your company, Thomas." She confessed. It was true. She's never met anyone as adventurous as Thomas. "How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen." Thomas answered. "You?"

"I'm eighteen too." She said. "How long until we reach our destination?"

"Not too long. I know the path very well. As long as we don't stray, we'll be fine." Thomas reassured. They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Thomas saw the cave from afar. "Look! There's the cave!"

Y/N looked at the direction he was looking at and she grinned. She has never seen a cave before. It would be her first time. "It looks lovely, Thomas."

"We need to be careful, though. Some people who go in there, never get back out." Thomas said. "My cousin never got back out."

"I'm so sorry." She frowned. "What will we do, then?"

"I'll go in and-"

"No, I will. You already got the bird and you knew where to get the leaves. The least I could do is get the diamond and the dust."

Thomas didn't want the girl to go, but he nodded, "Alright. I'll tie a rope around your waist."

"We don't have a rope."

"Then we'll have a makeshift rope. I know there's a strong vine around here." Thomas said as he hopped off the horse. He immediately looked for a vine and Y/N hopped off the horse too and left Vixen by a tree. She stood in front of the cave and she felt shivers down her spine.

Thomas quickly found a vine and tied it around the girl's waist. He was admittedly nervous for her seeing as he would be responsible for her life if she never came back out. He didn't want that and he didn't need that on his conscience.

"Good luck and stay safe, alright? Just look for the diamond and get the first diamond you ever see and come back out. Come back out for your mother. You're doing this for her." Thomas told her. She nodded and walked in. Thomas was holding on to the vine outside the cave and he watched as the darkness of the cave engulfed her. He couldn't see her anymore and it worried him.

"Y/N! Are you alright in there?" He shouted. He stayed quiet and he grew anxious when he didn't hear an answer. "Tug on this rope if you're still there!" He shouted once more. His anxiety grew when he didn't feel a tug on the vine. He wanted to go after her so bad, but he knew one of them had to stay in case anything would happen.

Just as he was about to get help, he heard footsteps coming out of the cave. Y/N came out and she said, "Let's go!"

Thomas nodded as he got Vixen ready. He hopped on and so did she. "The diamond is in my satchel. Let's go." She said. "Where's the dust?"

"Just near here." Thomas replied. "We'll get there as soon as possible and in the morning, we'll go back to the village and straight to Harrison's home. You'll be able to go back before sunset. I swear on it."

Vixen walked along the path of the woods with Thomas' guidance this time and Y/N sat behind him as she pet the bird resting on his shoulder. "I'll name you 'Iris' because it means 'rainbow'." Y/N said softly as she smiled fondly at the colorful bird.

She couldn't see it due to their seating arrangement on the horse, but Thomas smiled to himself when he heard her name the bird. He didn't know what it was. Perhaps it was her soft voice lingering in his ears or the feeling of being calm or relaxed, but he felt contentment and genuine happiness.

It was the main reason he escaped to the woods in the first place. He didn't go there to hunt or hide. He was there to escape. Sometimes with Harrison, most of the time just on his own. After all, there was no nagging in the woods. There were no annoying brothers or bossy fathers. Just him and nature and the peaceful ambiance that surrounded him. He would be there often and just unwind before going back to the village to another chore that his mother told him to do.

Thomas stopped Vixen and broke the silence. "I'll let you get down now. You'll find the dust here." He said. Y/N went down her horse and she looked on the ground. "Get as much as you can." He added.

She grabbed a handful of dust and put it in her satchel. To make sure, she grabbed one more handful. She turned to Thomas and grinned, "I got it." Before she got on the horse, she looked out into the horizon and saw that the sun was setting.

"One sunset down." Thomas muttered. "One more to go."

"Indeed." She said before getting on the horse. "We better get out of here now. We need to rest at the part of the woods where the village is near."

Thomas nodded, "I know exactly where."

They moved to the place where Thomas would often rest. In fact, he already had a blanket way up high on the tree where no one would find it. They both got down from the horse and Thomas quickly climbed up the tree to retrieve his blanket. Y/N, on the other hand, settled Vixen down. Thomas got down from the tree and set his blanket on the ground.

"I only have one blanket. You can stay there." Thomas said.

"Oh, thank you. I was actually planning on sleeping the same way I slept when you found me this morning." Y/N said.

"You mean... on your horse?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded. "Besides, it's your blanket. Good night, Thomas." She smiled and positioned herself next to Vixen and rested her head on Vixen's body. Iris, the bird, settled on Vixen's body too.

Thomas laid down on his blanket and yawned, "Good night, Y/N."

The next day, the pair woke up with sun shining way up high and directly on them which meant that it was already afternoon. Thomas hurriedly folded his blanket and climbed up the tree to hide it. Y/N helped Vixen stand up as she waited for Thomas to come down. Iris flew on Tom's shoulder and stayed there again.

Together, they got on the horse and went to Harrison's home. The Osterfields were a family of tailors. They were the best in the village. Not much were said during the whole trip. Vixen was rapidly galloping in the woods to go back into the village.

Thankfully, they did. They stopped in front of Harrison's home and the two got down from the horse. They knocked on the door and Harrison's mother opened it and smiled. "Thomas! I didn't know you were visiting. Please, come in."

Thomas and Y/N entered the home and Thomas asked, "Is Harrison here? We need something."

"He went to the market a while ago. I'm sure he's on his way back." Harrison's mother smiled at him. She turned to Y/N and said, "You look like the Princess, but dirty."

Y/N wanted to be offended, but she found it hilarious. "Oh, thanks I guess." She giggled.

"I've only met the Royal Family once. I made the Queen's gown when her son was born. It's tragic, really. I can't imagine losing any of my children." Harrison's mother frowned before going back to sewing. Y/N frowned. She missed her brother. He was only older than her by two years.

A few minutes later, Harrison arrived. Harrison smiled at Thomas as soon as he saw him. Harrison pulled Thomas in for a hug and both of them were happy. "Thomas! I haven't seen you for awhile." Harrison grinned as he pulled away. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Thomas smiled, "Y/N over here needs leaves as green as moss. Do you have them?"

Harrison thought about it and nodded, "I do! They're outside. Follow me." He led the way and Thomas and Y/N followed behind him. They arrived at the backyard and Harrison smiled. He looked at his plants with a proud look. He turned to face Thomas and Y/N, "My plants' leaves are all as green as moss. Take your pick, miss Y/N."

Y/N thanked him and looked at his plants.

Harrison looked at his best mate and a puzzled look appeared on his face when he saw a colorful bird on his shoulder, "Whose bird is that?"

"Oh, it's hers. She needs it to reverse a curse or something." Thomas shrugged.

Harrison nodded, "Another witch victim, I see."

"Yeah, it's her mother."

"Oh, bless her."

"Bless her, indeed."

She found the one with the perfect shade and took three leaves. After that, she turned to the two males, "Thomas, we should go. It'll be sunset soon." She put the leaves in her satchel.

"Of course." Thomas said. "It was lovely to see you again, mate. I'll come back soon. Hopefully we'll have time to fish again."

"I shall be waiting for that." Harrison said before turning to Y/N. "It was a pleasure to help you."

"Thank you again. I'll come back soon for dresses, this time." She grinned. Harrison chuckled and led the way back to the front door. They said their goodbyes and they went straight to Charles' home. When they arrived, Y/N quickly knocked on his door.

Charles opened and smiled, "Have you got the ingredients?" She only nodded. "Alright." Charles said. "What about the thing you love most? Also here?"

She nodded again.

"Okay. To be quick, give me the ingredients and I'll make the potion while you kill the thing you love most. It'll be worth it in the end." Charles said. Y/N didn't hesitate to hand him the satchel. Thomas quickly walked up to her to give Iris, the bird.

"Go to the backyard and perform the killing there. What will you sacrifice?" Charles asked.

Y/N frowned and painfully said, "My horse, Vixen. She's the one I love most."

"Okay, Princess. Start sacrificing. Sunset will be sooner than you think." Charles said as he directed where the door to his backyard was and closed the front door.

Y/N quickly went to the backyard with Vixen and Thomas trailed behind them. Thomas was shocked that after all this time, he's been adventuring with the actual Princess.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the Princess?" Thomas asked with hurt in his voice.

"I didn't want you to know. Besides, it wasn't important." She shrugged as they arrived at the backyard.

"It was to me." Thomas said. "I should go now."

Y/N sighed, "Thomas, wait." But it was too late. He already ran out. She shook her head and focused. It broke her heart to let go of Vixen, but she had to do what she had to do.

She had no idea how to sacrifice her horse. So, she borrowed poison from Charles. She didn't know why Charles had it nor did she ask. She added the poison in Vixen's food and fed it to the horse.

Her heart broke at the sight of her beloved horse hurting and dying. She had to look away. It was only a matter of time when Vixen dropped dead. She went inside and told Charles what happened.

"Just in time. The potion is ready. Tell the Queen to drink the potion and to eat the bird. I also made a necklace for the diamond. Tell her to wear it immediately and never take it off." Charles said as he put the things in Y/N's satchel. She only nodded. everything was happening too fast.

She put on her satchel, thanked Charles, and ran back to the palace. The guards recognized her and immediately let her in. The Queen wasn't in the throne room, so she went to her parents' chamber. There, she found her mother laying down. The Queen caught a fever.

"Mother!" She ran up to her and immediately put the necklace on her mother. The Queen was surprised by her movements.

"Drink this." Y/N said. "It would help." The Queen did what she was told and drank the whole thing. It didn't taste very nice but what surprised the Queen even more was the food Y/N took out of her satchel.

"Is that the bird?!" The Queen shrieked.

"Yes, mother. I'm afraid you have no choice, but to eat it." Y/N frowned. She handed the small bag, with the bird in it, to her mother. She watched as her mother unwillingly ate it.

The Queen had no choice. She was already starting to get sick and she didn't want the witch's curse to push through.

"What did you sacrifice, my darling?" The Queen asked after she ate the whole thing. Y/N looked at her and smiled sadly, "Vixen."

The Queen frowned and puller her in for an embrace. She knew that her daughter loved that horse very much. Vixen was her only friend and losing an only friend was heartbreaking.

A few days later, Y/N's heart started hurting. She immediately felt a lot of emotions. She was happy that the curse was reversed. She was sad that her true love was getting hurt. She was mad at the person hurting her true love.... whoever her true love was.

She was walking in the halls when she overheard two maids talking.

"I saw them bringing a young lad to the dungeon. He was shouting for the princess' name." One maid said.

"I heard them beating him. I think he wanted to give something to the princess." The other said.

Upon hearing this, Y/N immediately ran to the dungeons where she saw a guard by the door. "Princess! You're not allowed here. Your father, the King, said so." The guard said.

"Let me through. I believe I have something there for me." She said.

"Y-You know the lad?" The guard asked.

She wasn't really sure who it was. It could be any of the three lads she met: Thomas, Sam or Harrison. It could be any of them or some random lad she's never seen before.

"Yes, I do. I've been expecting him actually and I was wondering where he was. Until I heard that you brought a lad here that had something for me. I want to see him." She said firmly. The guard shook his head. She scoffed, "I won't tell my father that you allowed me in. In fact, this can be our secret. Just let me in and let the lad go right after."

Satisfied with what she said, the guard lets her in. She walked through the dark dungeon with only torches as her source of light. She looked left and right until she found the only occupied cell. She stopped in front of it and looked closer only to see Thomas in the far corner of the cell. He was whimpering.

"Thomas!" She whisper-yelled. Thomas shot his head up and saw her. He smiled for a second and said, "I'm sorry you have to see me this way."

"What happened?" She asked.

"They caught me sneaking in and they dragged me down here. I tried to escape, but I got punched in the face and I accidentally slipped and fell on my bum." Thomas explained sheepishly.

Y/N giggled, "What are you doing here? And please, come closer. You're so far back."

Thomas shook his head. She frowned, "Why not? I don't have the plague, Thomas."

"It's nothing personal. It's just that I'm terribly scared of spiders and there's one right there." Thomas pointed. She looked at where he was pointing and chuckled. She called the guard over to get rid of the spider without hurting it and to release Thomas right after. The guard did just that and she and Thomas walked around the palace.

"This is my first time here and I have to say... I love it!" Thomas said excitedly as he gazed at the fantastic columns and intricate designs of every corner and the wonderful paintings. Thomas smiled at the small painting.

"Hey, I know that painting!" Thomas pointed. He proudly smiled, "Did you get it from my brother, Harry?"

"I don't know who he is." She chuckled. "But mother bought it somewhere when she went out in disguise. Maybe she bought it from your brother, but I'm really not sure. My apologies."

"It's alright." He shrugged.

"So, um, what brings you here? Why were you looking for me?" She asked. He stopped walking and turned to face her. He looked extremely guilty. She looked worried.

Thomas looked down in shame and said, "Please don't execute me, Your Highness, but I found your ring in my pocket. It was then that I remembered I took it from you when I saw you asleep by the river. I was meant to return it, but I forgot it was in my pocket the whole time and I panicked when you woke up and saw me. I'm so sorry. I came here to return it."

He fished out the ring in his pocket and gave it to her. "I am deeply sorry and I will forever be sorry. If you'll execute me for my wrong doing, I would like to say goodbye to my family and Harrison first."

She took the ring from him and put it on her ring finger. She smiled at him, "All is forgiven, Thomas. There'll be no execution."

He slowly looked at her, "Really?"

"Really. After all, I can't execute my true love." She grinned cheekily.

"True love?" He chuckled. "Me? Your true love? Non-sense, Your Highness."

"Call me Y/N." She frowned slightly. "I'm the same person you met at the river and I'm still the same person now. So please, call me Y/N like what I told you to."

"How in the world am I your true love?" Thomas asked. "Answer me that, Y/N."

She sighed, "I was cursed to never find true love. To reverse that, I have to kill the thing I love most. I killed Vixen. In order to know that the reverse worked, Charles said that my heart will hurt when my true love gets hurt. My heart hurt when you got punched and I went out to investigate. I overheard two maids of mine talking about a lad in the dungeon. So, I went there and you were there. You're my true love, Thomas."

He looked at her for a long time, "I'm a peasant, Y/N. We can't be together even if what you say is true."

"Then I'll ask my father to change the rules. We could be together, Thomas." She cried.

"I'm sorry." Thomas frowned. "I'll leave now. I told my mother I'll be gone for a while. She's probably looking for me."

"Thomas, please. I know you're the one I want to spend the rest of my waking days with. Please stay." She wiped her tears.

He smiled sadly and shook his head, "As much as I love to, you know the rules. I could be executed just by being here with you right now. Your father's brutal. He has no remorse and he will have no remorse executing me even if you claim me as your one true love."

"When can I see you again, then?" She asked.

"I'm not quite sure." He shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, I'll write you letters."

"That makes me feel so much better." She smiled and embraced him. "Thank you for everything and I thank God that I had the pleasure of knowing you, your family, and your best mate."

"I thank God too." He smiled and pulled away.

"I love you." She said.

"And I, you." Thomas said as he kissed her hand before walking away. She watched as the love of her life walked away taking her heart with him. She didn't know when she'll see Thomas again, but she knew she didn't want to marry anyone unless it were him she was marrying.

* * * *

it was supposed to be a happy ending I swear but I changed it last minute lmao sorry

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