#2 odds banker | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lostinwildflowers · 3 months

Text

Summary: A young, naïve princess and a scrappy kid off the streets find themselves at odds, only to form a close connection that could cost the princess's future.

Word Count: 27.5K(...I am so sorry)

Warnings: Slowburn, Enemies to Lovers, Angst, Pining(and a lot of it), Violence, Fighting, Illness(Not Pregnancy), Graphic Description of Death, Blood and Gore, Harsh Language/Swearing, Royalty AU, Happy Ending

A/N: Guys. I have finally finished this fic after it sitting in my drafts for OVER A YEAR! I hope the wait was worth it, please enjoy. Also this isn't beta-ed so if there are any mistakes I apologize😭 -Birch<3

Some Inspirations(full credit to the artists!!!):

Knight Levi (1)

Knight Levi (2)

Knight Levi (3)

It was close to the break of a cool, brisk dawn, and an 18-year-old boy with raven hair was being escorted by the king’s guard. The men of the guard hurriedly ushered him toward the castle gates, hoping to keep the situation quiet.

The boy had just been scooped up from the streets of the small town outside the castle where he had fought against a robbery in the town’s bank. Two large men had been knocked unconscious and tied up outside the front door while he returned the coins to the banker, who was crying uncontrollably, thanking him.

The boy’s name?

Levi Ackerman. He was skimpy, short, and looked like the butt of a joke. Yet from the tallest hill to the deepest valley across the kingdom, he was known as one of the best crime fighters in the nation.

Levi was known for his cunning, stoic nature, as well as his ability to fight with an unnatural quickness on his feet. Never once had he had a run-in with the law, he would send for the guard as soon as he started fighting the criminals. The poor guards men and women would show up to take the criminals away, only getting a quick glance at the small boy saving their town.

That’s why when the royal guard came to find him after the banking skirmish, Levi didn’t resist. He knew he wasn’t in trouble.

As they rode back toward the castle and away from the small village, Levi listened to the guard’s oblivious chatter. They wanted to recruit him to be a part of the royal guard… at the king's request? The thought surprised him, but he didn’t let that show. He knew that if he agreed to be a part of the king’s military force, he would be well taken care of and still be able to serve justice to those who needed it.

The sound of steel horseshoes clicking against the grey and black tiled rocks in the road was barely audible in comparison to the bustle of the town just outside of the castle. Levi was mounted on the back of one of the king's horses, his silver eyes narrow and cautious as he watched everyone hustle around the entourage.

Before he knew it, he was walking away from the life he was accustomed to, and as soon as he made it through the palace gates, his life changed forever. You could say it was almost difficult to keep up, but Levi knew how to quickly adapt.

He's shown the barracks and his sleeping quarters, where he was lucky enough to get a small cot in the corner away from many of the other soldiers. He caught sight of some of the soldiers and their trainees, donning stripes on their armor to show off their rank.

Levi doesn’t quite know what to make of everyone, they are all so happy, so clueless to the outside world, it almost disgusts him. But, he keeps his mouth shut and listens as he gets his tour and settles into his new life.

Bright and early the next morning, he goes to train in the sparring lot with his group of roommates. Several of them had tried to talk to him and learn about his past, but he wasn’t interested in making friends.

He watched several pairs spar without weapons before it was his turn to go. The thing about Levi that surprised all of his opponents was his strength. Despite his smaller size, he could easily surpass and beat his fellow trainees in combat. Between his different styles of movement and his speed, he was untouchable.

Levi spent the first while at the castle doing what seemed like pointless activities to him. He knew how to unsheath a sword. He knew how to ride a horse. All of the basics were skills he inherently knew from his life on the streets fighting crime.

That's why no one was surprised when he advanced to the group of other guard trainees, who had been at the castle, learning the trade for over a year. It was strange at first, with everyone unsure of the quiet, small boy, but they eventually came to make small chat and he began to fit in.

Time seemed to slide by as fall weather started to set in. Leaves changed from dark, rich greens to playful yellows and tasteful oranges. It’s on one of these fall days, that Levi meets you for the first time.

You were elegant, graceful, and naive at only 17, out for a walk in one of your many private courtyards. You were out strolling by yourself, as you often did. There were guards littered throughout the palace, so you weren’t too concerned about danger.

You loft around one of your favorite courtyards, the Josephina Garden Hall, blinking through the falling leaves and sighing in happiness at the breeze that floats through, carrying the last of summer’s warmth. In your lackadaisical wandering, you catch sight of a dark-haired boy around the corner.

You stay quiet and you blink in surprise when you realize he is training in your private yard. He's young, you think to yourself as you shift to stand next to some browning thistle bushes. Butterflies erupt in your belly as you take in his shirtless and lean muscular back that is facing you.

Even with his boyish age, Levi is covered in thick, strong muscle, but due to his intense practice routine, he's covered in dirt and some bruises. You could even see the pale gleam of faded scars on his chest and back, and that's when you decided you needed to know who this recruit was.

What kind of guard trainee is this? He looks young, but he seems so experienced, he couldn't have come from one of the lords, you think to yourself as you shakily emerge from your hiding spot.

You roll your shoulders back and down, lifting your chin as you walk as poised as you can. An image of grace, or so you thought. You were youthful and inexperienced, having only just gotten out of a lecture about politics and debate. Your days were spent going to classes, electives, and other menial lessons.

This was your time of day to relax, but the air suddenly changed from inquisitive to tense. Just as you started to approach the dark-haired boy, who was swinging his swords in a practiced sequence, he caught sight of you.

He flips his sword over in his hand, and pivoting on one foot, his blade just grazes your chin to lift it and look deep into your wide (colored) eyes. The slight sting of the blade causes you to jump back, your hands racing to your face to see if he drew blood.

Your heart is pounding in your chest as you pull them back to see just a small droplet on the tip of your fingers, and your breathing is labored as you glare at the raven-haired boy.

Levi holds your stare as well as the stance with his blades and mutters, "Who are you and why are you watching me train?” It's silent for a moment as you process his words, the fading stinging on your chin slowing your brain down. Your mouth parts open, both in offense and shock.

He didn't know who you were.

You swallow thickly as you blink slowly once, trying to regain your composition as you reply, "It doesn't matter. You are training in a private courtyard meant for this kingdom's elite and personal guards."

His silver gaze bores into you for another minute before they roll in annoyance, his swords dropping away from you with an irritated sigh. He takes a small step backward, regaining your gaze without saying a word.

You watch him carefully, slightly nervous before dropping into a shallow curtsy. You look down and murmur, "Excuse me then." Levi takes a step to the side as you walk past him, skirts fluttering as you look straight ahead without a second thought.

Once you're out of earshot, Levi watches you leave and wander into the next garden, disappearing around the corner. Who the hell was that? He thinks to himself but brushes it off and continues with his training.

---

Later that same evening, the other recruits were laughing and chuckling after a hard day of training. Levi walked along behind them, listening to their conversations but never truly taking part in them.

Everyone was headed back to the barracks, slowly wandering through the outskirts of the castle while trying to not be too loud. He kept one hand on the hilt of his blade, his gaze trailing away from the crowd of trainees in a practiced and calculated manner.

Colt, Porco, and Zeke were leading the group, some of the advanced trainees Levi had come to know. They were cracking jokes and talking about what was for dinner, but Levi didn't care for their conversation. He found more interest in listening to Reiner and Bertholdt who were in front of him.

The two young boys were discussing the upcoming rotations for the guard trainees. Each rotation group was stationed somewhere different around the castle and courtyards, and they rotated every couple of weeks so the guards could defend anywhere they were needed.

Reiner was more worried about who he was going to be stationed to watch, which made Levi roll his eyes, his silver gaze locking onto motion around the upcoming corner.

A split second later, he sees your figure surrounded by a flock of maids on your every side. Then, just a few paces behind them were your two female guards, Pieck and Annie.

His eyes narrow as the pieces click together in his head. He's interrupted when the other male guards he was walking with recognize you. “Good evening, milady,” Colt chirps out, a wide smile on his face as the group comes to a halt.

You had been talking to one of your maids about some kind of fabric for your next dress but were interrupted by the sight of the guards in front of you. You give the men at the front a sweet smile as the group of trainees all drop to one knee in a respectful bow.

All except for one.

The dark-haired boy, you think as he locks eyes with you. You nod silently to the maids, who skirt around all of the men and head toward your quarters. You continue to smile gently as they leave, and you address the trainees with a quiet and pleasant, "At ease soldiers."

Zeke offers you a wide grin and says, “Good evening, princess! Lovely weather we've had today, perhaps we can get some musicians to play in the back courtyard for you after dinner tonight.”

While Zeke is talking, you don't break eye contact with Levi, who is still standing at the back, not kneeling like the rest. You see Reiner elbow Levi in the knee, motioning to kneel in respect, but Levi continues to stare at you.

As Zeke finishes speaking, you shift your gaze to him slowly and agree, "Wonderful idea, Zeke. Please alert some butlers and other maids to gather everyone, especially my family and the lords. Reiner, Porco, join him, please?"

Zeke humbly agrees, as do the others, and you give them a dismissive nod, saying, "Thank you, gentlemen. Make sure to get my favorite violinist!" As the three blondes rise and disappear around the corner you just came from, you are left with Colt and Bertholdt kneeling, and the dark-haired boy still standing.

Levi's eyes are calculating and firm, and you nod to Colt and Bertholdt, relieving them from their bows of respect, heading past you and to the barracks. Colt turns around when he realizes Levi isn't following him but freezes at the showdown playing out in front of him.

You square up with Levi, taking a few steps toward him before he says, “You’re a princess? Makes sense why I caught you so off guard. You were loud, obviously in my line of sight, and an easy target who can’t even protect herself.”

A gasp sounds out as Colt gapes at the harshness of Levi's words, but the dark-haired boy doesn't say anything. And neither do you. You simply stare at where Levi’s head had been moments before as the boy walks past you, brushing past the other trainees. He disappears down the hallway where Colt and Bertholdt had been heading, straight for the barracks.

Annie and Pieck are still standing behind you, and when you don't move for a second, Pieck rests her hand on your shoulder. "Princess Y/n? Are you alright?"

You don't say anything, but turn to face Annie instead, a snarl now etched onto your usually kind features. There is a fire burning in your (colored) eyes as you give her a cold look and state, "Teach me to fight."

---

The training session with Annie was just coming to an end, with your muscles sore and aching and your chest heaving to catch your long-gone breath. It was a long and brutal session, as Annie wasn't forgiving and it was warm as could be outside despite it being the middle of fall.

It didn't help that you were in your new fitted armor that Pieck helped you choose - it was heavy and there were many layers to keep you protected. There was a well-fitting breastplate that was engraved with your family’s name and emblem, cuffs for your forearms, and even protective plates for your calves, thighs, and biceps.

It was intricate and beautiful, with each piece perfectly tailored to your body. The one downside - it was heavy. With the rays of the autumnal sun beating down and carrying the extra weight you weren't used to, it was tough on your body.

Annie being a deadly threat didn't really help either, but at least her blade was only a wooden practice sword.

Her weapon came down fast and hard in a never-ending wave of attacks that were perfectly timed, accurate, and most of all, deadly.

With a fast nudge from her wooden blade, your sword easily flew to the ground, clattering against the hard-packed dirt. You were out of breath, with your hair all mussed up and grime smudged across your cheek from your hours of practice.

Silver eyes were watching from a distance in the trainee’s practice area, but you were too tired to notice anything. Instead, you were focused on Annie, who was holding her own sword up to your throat, much like Levi did two weeks ago.

"You've got a long way to go," is the only thing she says. You sigh deeply as she takes a step back and drops her sword, turning to walk away.

"I'm going to clean up, Pieck is here to watch you," Annie calls over her shoulder as she sheaths her practice blade back into her belt, and you give her a feint wave as you locate Pieck near the edge of the training field.

You watch as Annie’s blonde head disappears behind some shrubbery before slumping unceremoniously to the ground, a groan falling from your lips.

A few pants escape you as you close your eyes, a wave of exhaustion flooding over you. You try to calm the erratic beating of your heart and slow your breathing down as a light breeze begins to blow through. Leaves stir up on the ground, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

While your eyes are closed, everything somehow seems to get darker, and the breeze seems to stop just a moment later. Your (colored) eyes flutter open and up, leaving you face-to-face with the dark-haired boy.

You groan again and move to get up as Levi glimpses down at you and he states blankly, "You need practice." You shuffle to your feet shakily, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them and answering him with, “Yes. I know. Thank you, soldier.”

“It’s Levi,” he cuts you off firmly, "Levi Ackerman.”

You squint at him silently, leaning down to pick up your fallen sword without a word. A small puff of air leaves your mouth as your hand wraps around the hilt of the blade and you mutter, “Well, Levi Ackerman, I’m practicing, and you should be too.”

The dark-haired boy simply scoffs and says “I'm already better than you in all aspects of combat, you need the practice more than anything. I’m not even sure why you’re out here, shouldn’t you be learning how to sew or something?”

Your hand falters on the grip of your sword for a second before your gaze hardens and you snap, “As you said, I need to learn to protect myself, and I'm working toward that goal.”

You don't hesitate a moment after that, choosing to turn away from him and follow Annie to wherever she had disappeared. Levi is left standing behind you as you storm away, quiet as he takes in your retreating appearance.

Pieck had caught sight of your small spat with Levi, and as she followed you out of the practice field, she shot an icy glance toward the dark-haired recruit.

---

Your days were endlessly busy, and you were the most exhausted you had ever been in your entire life, with meetings with potential princes, lords, and suitors, going to your lessons to learn about foreign policy, hosting balls, developing legislature, and more.

On top of that, you were still determined to train with Annie and Pieck when you had a moment free. Annie focused on teaching you sword techniques and improving your reaction time, while Pieck focused on sequences and how to use them while in a fight.

You were slowly improving with every day you practiced. You were becoming leaner, and building more muscle. You were less quick to tire, you didn’t lose your breath as much, and you were getting to the point where you could occasionally match Annie’s blows.

Your mother and father weren’t so sure about you learning to fight, but your elder brothers had all learned, so they accepted that it was something you wanted to do. Your mother thought it was “unladylike”, but your father thought it was a good idea that you knew the basics of protecting yourself if you needed to.

"Slow!” Annie's yell comes at you as she spins and slashes her sword toward your ribcage, her aim constantly perfect. You manage to dodge her attack before you parry your blade against hers, using your body weight to push her back a step.

The two of you were sparring in one of the private courtyards this particular day, while Pieck stood guard not too far off.

The two of you circled each other before Pieck called out, “I think that's enough for today, you two, Annie, it's time for us to go on patrol. Colt and Porco will be on guard while we are gone.”

You were in an intense staring battle with Annie, who breaks her gaze away from yours to nod at Pieck. You groan and whine out, “But Pieck, I'm not tired yet, I can still practice for another hour!”

Quiet footsteps behind you make your head turn, and you suddenly see a blade coming down toward your face. A flash of fear runs through you, and you instantaneously react, bringing your sword up to catch the opposing blade.

You just barely catch it in time, and you realize your heart is pounding in your chest as the initial rush of adrenaline burns off. Shock is evident on your face as your lips part in a gasp and your eyes widen, but you soon frown when you are met with that new yet familiar silver gaze.

"Then let's fight for another hour," the low voice comes.

Annie and Pieck had both drawn their swords, just to find the dark-haired boy named Levi was the assailant. Dressed in his practice armor, the silver metal covering his body reflected the same color as his eyes.

One of his swords was drawn, the blade pushing down on your own, leaning toward your face. You could see the concentration in his brow, but you weren’t about to give up and lose. Stalemate it is then, you think to yourself as you brace against Levi.

At that moment, Colt and Porco walk into the yard, suited up in their new armor, their eyes wide when they catch sight of you and Levi. Pieck sighs and walks over to them, briefly giving them the rundown of events before she and Annie leave for their patrol.

Colt and Porco, each respectively, take a position on either side of the yard, giving you and Levi plenty of room to fight. When your eyes meet Levi’s again, you find him with what could be considered a smirk resting on his lips.

"Let's fight, princess.”

At that, he pushes his blade off of you in a sudden burst of energy, spinning away quickly to avoid any counterattack from you. This gives you time to draw your sword in an effective manner to combat his every blow.

Levi draws his second sword, now dual-wielding in the style that no one seemed to be able to replicate. You grit your teeth and go after him swinging, allowing the metal of your blade to clash against his, your footsteps shuffling in the fine gravel and dirt. Your hair was falling out of the already messy ponytail it had been in, the (colored) locks falling into your eyes.

You felt unkempt, wild, and stronger than you ever had before. And this time when you were fighting, you had the physical strength to show it.

While you were on the muscle and ready to attack at every movement, Levi was at ease, effortlessly matching your blows; twisting and flipping just out of range of your blade.

Eventually, Levi starts to get the upper hand, and without you realizing it, he gets you backed up and pinned to the wall. In an instant, one of his blades flicks yours to the ground before being pointed at your throat, while his other one comes up to point at your belly.

He's panting now though, with sweat running down his forehead and neck, disappearing behind the silver chainmail covering his chest. The sun just barely catches his left eye as he gazes at you, and it glows like a hot ore on a fire.

It's silent between you two, your blade is on the ground so there is no way to defend yourself, and your hands are by your sides. At that moment, you are out of breath, beaten, with nothing to say for yourself.

Levi pauses for a moment before dropping his swords and resheaths them, one on his back and the other at his hip. He takes a deep breath through his nose and gives you a small, shallow bow and a quiet mumble of, “Better.”

He takes a few swift steps back and jogs out of the yard, giving Colt a simple nod before disappearing toward the barracks. You're left standing there, dazed, as you watch his armor glitter and dance in the disappearing rays of sunlight.

You hardly notice it, but a faint flush has covered your face, and as you touch your cheek, you realize it's warm.

---

The sun had sunk below the horizon and the coolness of the full autumn nights was bone-chilling. While you had gotten cleaned after some flower arranging and training exercises that afternoon, there was a part of you that wanted to get messy.

So, you decided to go to the forges and clean your practice gear. The plates had been coated with mud and grass from the numerous times you hit the ground while sparring Annie, and there was no doubt dust caked onto the cloth from the dirt Levi kicked up when he surprised you.

It was late in the evening, several hours after dinner, and one of the times of the day that you were allowed to be alone for just a few minutes. Not wanting to make a scene, you chose to go to one of the smaller forge rooms, one that you knew not many people used.

You took a few moments, setting up a few candles on the workbench and lighting them, stoking the fire in the hearth to warm up the small workshop. There were several tables set up in the room, embroidered cloths carrying the royal insignia, others holding stacks of bent swords and dented plates of armor.

On your workbench, someone had left out a few delicate trinkets and other lightweight tools, and you find yourself smiling at the meaning behind them. A small forged flower? Perhaps for a lover back home, you wonder to yourself as you gently move it to the far side of the table.

You can’t help but sigh in happiness at the quiet sounds of the workshop; the crackle of the small fire burning in the hearth of the forge, the distant sounds of drunk men happy with their work for the day, and even the call of a spotted owl hooting in the distance.

The ability to be alone for a few minutes was much appreciated after the clashing of swords all afternoon, and you quietly start to work on polishing your armor as a warm, orange glow begins to fill the room. The faint smell of wood smoke fills the air, accompanied by the dark and rich aroma of the oil used to clean your armor and blade.

Time seems to tick by slowly, and you don’t even realize there is moonlight shining through the window until the sound of footsteps approaching catches your attention. Your (colored) orbs are snatched away from the rhythmic movement of polishing your thigh plate at the noise and you cease motion as you look to see who it is.

As you turn to face the entrance to the forge, you are met with the shadowed face of Levi, who when he notices you, his eyes widen ever-so-slightly and he bows in recognition and murmurs, “Princess”.

You can feel your eyes narrow in immediate suspicion at the sudden respect he is showing you. He quietly walks past you, moving to sit at the table closest to the forge, the two of you facing each other, yet tables apart.

You notice he is carrying his own gear, and you soften the intensity of your expression and answer him with a short, "Good evening, Levi,” before returning to your thigh plate with the small rag.

It’s quiet for another moment, but the simple silence that had once surrounded you has grown thick and uneasy. You could feel yourself shifting on the bench you were sitting on, realizing you were in a much more casual outfit than you typically wore. It wasn't nearly as extravagant as your day-to-day dresses, but you still felt comfortable enough to be seen by your guards and maids.

So with it being Levi sitting in the same forge as you, it made you uneasy. You watch him pull a stool out from the corner of your eye, the wooden legs scratching against the ashen ground near the forge’s mouth. What had been a harmonious sound from the forge becomes the sharp hiss of logs burning and the soft zings of metal being wiped clean and sharpened.

You feel the need to say something, anything, and so you mumble carefully, "You fought well today.” You dunk your rag in more oil, (colored) eyes cast down toward your hands. You can feel Levi’s heated gaze snap onto your frame, and the intensity of them is like daggers digging into your sides.

"I fight well every day,” he almost snarls. You feel your heart practically jump to your throat at the harshness of his tone, and you keep your eyes on cleaning a piece of mud off of a shoulder pauldron. Suddenly you feel foolish for saying something, and it's quiet for another moment before he pipes back up.

“But thank you," he murmurs, softer this time, "You are getting better, some of your combinations are pretty good.”

His words are simple, and straight to the point. They show no signs of being impressed or disappointed, it was like he was simply stating your fighting abilities like they were facts. Your cleaning motions completely stop as you process his words, and you can’t stop yourself from looking up to view his lithe figure.

Levi is working on cleaning his dual blades when your gaze lands on him, and he doesn't look up when your eyes find him. He doesn’t even seem bothered that he gave you what could be taken as a compliment, especially with how he has acted toward you.

But this is the first time you truly get to lay eyes on the scrappy boy, taking in his limber build. He's not large. Everything about him seems to be small, regardless of the obvious muscling on his frame.

You know he's strong despite his size, and he is lethally fast, which proves to be a deadly combination. The boy sitting across the room from you has something about him that sets him apart, and you just can’t put your finger on what it is.

As you go back to cleaning your armor, you try to piece together a possible backstory for him. You know he didn’t live in the town connected to the castle, no one here knew him. He was around your age, and he knew how to fight, but he wasn’t from a royal or respected family.

You look up from your gear, setting everything off to the side and you state out of nowhere, “Levi, I want you to train me.”

It's quiet again, and you can feel your heart pounding in your chest as you wait anxiously. You then hear his blades hit the wooden table in a sudden clatter, drawing your gaze to the intricately designed swords.

No one else had swords like him. Custom designed, but embellished with the royal insignia, they were specifically made for his fighting style. You had wondered about them, and why your parents would allow for a random boy to have custom swords if he were just to be joining the guard.

You pause for a moment, thinking about how you made a major mistake asking this of him, and you look up to meet his gaze. And now, he's looking at you.

The expression on his face is one you don't know how to digest. He always seemed to look mad, bored, or sad when you watched him from a distance, but now you had no idea how to get a read on him. If you were to say what he looked like, you thought that he looked excited.

Levi stands up from his stool, the wood once again scraping against the ash-covered floor. His boots crunched on the thin layer of ash, but he didn’t seem to mind as he secured his blades on the table.

He moves with a grace you never noticed and he walks around the edge of your table to lean his hands on it directly across from you.

“No,” he says, his gaze still unreadable. You blink up at him, your fingers nervously weaving together in and out before you plead, “Teach me, there is no way I can get better if I don’t learn.”

You can feel his disbelief when he tuts and pushes off the table to stand up straight, looking down at you. His arms move to cross his chest and he responds again, “No, I’m not going to teach you.”

A wave of frustration washes over you and you stand up and frown before spitting out, “You have to!” Levi rolls his eyes and sighs, “I don’t have to do anything.”

You walk around the edge of the table to get closer to him and you point your finger at his chest and bark out, “You have to listen to me, I am your superior!” Levi smacks your finger away with his hand and is quiet for a moment.

His gaze shifts, and suddenly you can read his expression again. A challenge. His eyes become steely in the light of the forge, and you can see them flicker between your eyes, down your frame to your boots, and back up again.

You suddenly feel too warm standing there, and you uncomfortably shift side to side as you feel him silently judge you. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Here I am in clothes not suitable outside of my quarters, this guy is judging me after beating me today, and I’m begging him to train me. Get it together! The words flood into your mind as you stand there, and you cross your arms over your chest to try to cover up in insecurity.

“What’s in it for me?” he asks coolly, his gaze boring into yours as he awaits a response. You blink in disbelief and stutter, “Uh, uhm, I don’t know. What do you want?”

Levi rolls his eyes and walks back over to his gear, sliding the swords back into their sheaths. He folds up his armor and puts it back into a leather bag that he brought it in. He seemed dismissive and you were racking your brain before an idea caught in your brain.

“Land!” you call out loudly, before covering your mouth. Levi freezes and turns to look at you with one of his brows lifted in question. You take a quick breath and continue, “Land, for your family, here around the castle. That way you can see them whenever you want.”

Levi continues to put his stuff away and replies blankly, “My family is dead. I am alone.” A pit builds in your stomach and you usher out, “I’m sorry, I had no idea.” Levi glances at you and shrugs, “I’ve worked alone since I was a child.”

You are quiet again and let him walk past you toward the mouth of the forge. Just as he’s about to leave you mutter, “Please, Levi. I want to learn.”

He pauses behind you at the door, your backs facing each other. It’s quiet, with just the sound of the fire splitting open another log. You can hear the fluttering of the owl’s wings outside the window, and you turn to face the door, afraid he left.

Instead, you are met with Levi’s gaze watching your dejected figure. You can see he is calculating in his head, thinking, planning, and ready to say something that will destroy your hopes.

“You have no idea what you’re signing up for, princess,” is what falls from his mouth. It’s quiet, so quiet you almost miss it. A flicker of hope blooms in your belly and excitement takes over as you realize the implications of his words.

You take a step toward him, your hands clenching by your sides as you whisper, “Try me.”

Something flashes across his face, another unreadable emotion. He stares into your eyes and replies, “9 o’clock tomorrow night outside the Josephina Garden Hall. Don’t be late.”

Not a moment later, and he’s gone.

---

It’s just starting to get late, with the moon climbing higher and higher into the sky. You are nervously making your way to the Josephina Garden Hall on the south side of the castle, opposite the barracks.

You could hardly focus in your classes all day after the interaction with Levi in the forge room the night before. He was going to train you!

The training at night part made you a little nervous though, as you had really only practiced during the day and under heavy supervision. It was a windy night too, so you wore an extra layer underneath your practice gear so that you would stay warm.

A chill runs up your spine as you hurriedly make it inside the grandeur gates of the Josephina Garden Hall, and you take a deep breath as you start scoping the area for Levi.

You had informed Pieck and Annie of your new training program with Levi, and both of them were hesitant but supportive. They were both standing at the opposite sides of the gates when you entered, and you quickly waved at them in recognition.

Just as they start to wave back at you, there is a sharp and quick blow to your back that knocks you to the ground. Air rushes out of your lungs and your forehead knocks into the grey, rocky tile with a loud crack!

Ow, ow, ow! The pain sets in quickly, and you can tell you’ve cut your forehead, you’ve likely got gravel or dirt in your palms, and there is going to be a bruise in the middle of your back in the morning.

“Lesson 1 - always keep your defenses up,” the low voice comes from above you. You are trying to decipher the words when panic begins to set in. You couldn’t catch your breath.

You don’t think you’ve ever experienced so much breathlessness, and you roll over onto your back, gasping for air. In doing so, the voice, which belonged to Levi, rings out again, “Lesson 2 - don’t give yourself an opening for the enemy to disarm you.”

In a quick motion, his boot flicks your practice sword right out of its sheath on your hip. The wooden blade flips perfectly into his hand, and in an instant, the blade is pointing at your throat.

Blinking rapidly while trying to regain your breath, you take in Levi’s appearance. He was wearing a dark cloak, and his face was shadowed in the light of the moon. He looked… eerie. And for the first time since you had met Levi, you felt scared of him.

“As I said, princess, you’ve got no idea what you’re in for”, he spits out, dropping your sword next to your head. You shuffle into a sitting position, chest still heaving. Your mind was an absolute whirlwind due to the lack of oxygen and the speed and accuracy with which he evaluated your fighting knowledge.

You frown and grab your wooden practice blade, putting it back into your sheath before scrambling to your feet to face him. You pant for a moment and then say, “Then teach me how to be better.”

Levi turns to face you, the moonlight casting him in a silver glow. He cocks his head to the side slightly before he replies, “Your reaction time is slow, you move loudly, and you are uncoordinated.”

You stand still for a moment, taking in his words. You shrug and ask, “So how do I fix all that?” Levi squares up with you and says, “Well with someone of your skill level, you can’t work on it all at once. You need to learn the pieces individually and then start putting them together.”

He motions to a tree where you can just make out the figure of a spotted owl, the one you had seen the night before! Levi starts, “An owl doesn’t start out as a silent flier. It first must learn how to flap its wings to get in the air before it worries about how quiet it is.”

You nod in understanding as the owl turns its head, flaps its wings a few times, and then glides off into the woods outside of the courtyard. A small shift on your heel and you face Levi again and call out, “Let’s go again!”

---

That first training session was the start of a brutal and grueling process to get you in fighting shape. Levi was a good teacher, surprisingly, but he was relentless. For every time you messed up, you had to get it right three times in a row.

The weeks started to slide by, and you were getting stronger, faster, and more deadly. Winter has arrived in its full glory - frigid winds, iced-over paths, and inches of snow every morning. The pines in the forest had started to get weighed down by all the icicles hanging on, and the horses were blanketed every night to keep them warm.

It was hard, practicing in the cold. The dry, cold air made it hard to breathe when you were working to the point of exhaustion, and when the sun shone down just right, you were positive you were going to go blind.

That didn’t deter Levi, though. You had managed to get better with a blade, but Levi insisted you needed to learn how to fight hand-to-hand since you “were so good at losing your sword”.

So that led you to your current predicament - being across from Levi trying to dodge his punches. They were fast, one after the next, after the next. Perfectly timed with an accuracy you didn’t know someone could obtain.

You jump out of the way as fast as you can, but a blow to the rib catches you off-guard and has you keeled over, your breath puffing in the frigid air. The pain is sharp, but you’ve started to learn how to manage it better, so you stand back up and form your fists into balls.

You attempt to throw a weak punch toward Levi’s abdomen, but he catches your hand with ease. He’s strong enough that he pulls your hand up to eye level, looking at the form of your fist.

“Okay, first off, this isn’t how you should make a fist when throwing a punch,” Levi says to you, pointing to the way you had your right thumb in the middle of your fist. He pulls your hand apart and makes it flat before reforming it into a fist, wrapping your thumb around the outside of your middle and pointer fingers.

You feel a wave of heat wash over your face as you realize he’s close to you, touching your hand. You try to pay attention to what he’s telling you, but it’s like you are just now realizing the ashen color of his eyes is flecked with the faintest hint of light blue.

“If you had actually hit me with the fist you had, you would have broken your thumb in an instant,” he explains, dropping your hand and showing you the fist you had made but with his hand instead. You don’t expect to almost miss the warmth of his touch when he moves away, but you shake the thought away as soon as it comes.

You step off to the side, letting out a small breath that billows around your head before throwing a punch in the air with your fist in the correct position. You turn to gauge Levi’s opinion of your punch, and you see what resembles a small, half-smile on his face.

Levi sighs and shakes his head, “Not quite. You’re twisting your arm as you deliver the punch. You want your arm and shoulder to follow directly behind wherever your fist is landing. If you are moving to break someone’s nose, you want it all to be in a straight line.”

He demonstrates a quick punch in front of you, and you can see the line he’s talking about from his fist, through his arm to his shoulder. You take a deep breath, trying to focus as you once again square up with Levi. You hone in on his nose, and in a flash, your fist flies out in front of you.

It surprises both of you when your fist makes contact with his jaw, and there is a clack as Levi’s teeth clamp down together in pain. Your (colored) eyes are wide as Levi takes a step back, one of his hands coming up to cup his cheek.

Your fist is still hanging in the air from where you just punched him in the face and panic sets in as you realize you just punched him. “Oh-oh my gosh, Levi, I’m so sorry!” the words come rushing out of your mouth, and you take a step forward with your hands covering your face.

There is a slight grimace on Levi’s as he works his jaw up and down to dissipate any pain. He lets out a quiet snort and utters, “That’s more like it, even if your aim was a little off.”

Worry is etched across your features as you take in the growing red mark on Levi’s cheek. “Levi, I am so sorry, please let me take care of that,” you plead as you move around the side of him to get a better look at it in the light. Levi just brushes you off, waving his hand dismissively, “It’s alright, I’ve had much worse.”

You sigh and mumble, “I believe that but that doesn’t mean you need to suffer now. Please, Levi, let me at least get some ice for you so it doesn’t bruise as badly.”

He glances at you from the corner of his eye as he unwraps his hands, quiet and calculating. A moment passes but then he gives you a small nod, leaning down to pick up the extra wraps he brought, and motions for you to lead the way.

It’s a quiet walk back to the barracks, with only the snow crunching underfoot. You keep an eye on your surroundings, noting the guards just coming back from patrol in the forest, and the next rotation of trainees leaving to watch the castle walls.

Before you know it, the two of you are sliding into the small medicine room at the entrance to the barracks, and you grab a soft cloth and a stool. You have Levi sit on the stool while you run back outside, scooping up some of the fresher, cleaner-looking snow from outside the building.

Ducking back inside, you press the snow down into a ball inside the cloth, wrapping it until it is softly padded. You give Levi a small smile as you offer the rag to him, and he quietly grunts in thanks, bringing the cooled wrap up to his face and laying it on his cheek.

You rock back and forth on your heels a few times before asking, “So, uh, what are we going to practice next?” Levi looks up at you through his dark lashes, his eyes half-lidded in exhaustion. He’s quiet, which is something you’ve come to notice about him.

Levi never seems to have a lot to say, and only really talks when spoken to. Your thoughts are interrupted when he mutters, “You still need to work on your hand-to-hand combat skills, your aim is off.”

He shuffles the ice on his face a little bit, a soft hiss sliding through his gritted teeth. Your brows furrow and you reach out, moving to pull the ice from his face to see what his cheek looks like.

While you’re busy looking at the slight purple and pink marks blooming on his cheek, Levi is looking at you. He hasn’t spent much time with you in such close proximity, as he typically kept you at arm’s length.

But up close… you were pretty. He should expect that- you are a princess after all. But there’s a certain natural aura that he never noticed before, a sort of kindness written into your features. Maybe it was the way your (colored) orbs flickered from one dark spot on his jaw back to his eyes to see if he was okay.

Maybe it was the gentleness in your touch as you pulled his hand down from his face so you could look at it. It could have been the tenderness and honest sorrow in your voice when you apologized for hurting him.

Your hair, whilst messy from fighting, somehow suited you despite its frazzled appearance. The curve of your mouth when your lips were parted while thinking matched the ferocity you had when mad and the joy in your heart when you laughed.

Levi felt a wave of emotion run through him while you muttered to yourself how you needed to get better and train harder. It was intense, a feeling that shook him right to his core.

Was it… longing?

“When I was living on the street, alone,” he whispered, his voice so low and quiet you thought you were hearing things. You dialed in on Levi and the way his eyes were slightly glazed over as if he was in another world.

He pauses for a moment, swallows thickly, and then continues, “When I lived on the streets, there was this little girl I helped out. She was probably 7, maybe 8 years old. Didn’t have any family, no place to live. But I helped her.”

You are quiet as you listen to him, not wanting to upset him, you nod along. He glances up at you and starts again, “I would get her food, clean water, maybe even a place to sleep at night. In turn, she would find me medicine and bandages.”

Levi looks back down at the ground and his eyes flutter close as he mutters, “I was a sick kid, but she helped me when I needed her. I wonder where she ended up some days, and if she’s still as kind as she was to me.”

You shift your weight slowly, crossing your arms over your chest, and mumble back, “I can imagine she’s helping people, a good heart is a good heart. No amount of wounds and scarring will stop someone’s true nature.”

Suddenly, as if a flip switches in his mind, Levi’s eyes snap open and a hardened look covers his face. He stands up, slamming the snow-filled cloth down on the table and he practically snarls, “You would have no idea, all you’re used to is a protected life within these walls. You’ve never experienced what it’s like to live every day not knowing whether or not you’re going hungry.”

He lunges towards the door, pauses for a second, and spits over his shoulder, “Not everyone is as privileged as you, princess.” The words are as cold as ice, and you feel like your head has just been plunged into a bucket of water.

Hurt washes over you as you watch him disappear deep into the barracks, and you slam the door shut as you collapse onto the stool where he was just sitting. A sob tears itself from your throat before you can stop it, and you wonder why you’re crying.

Is it because his words are true? Is it because he was vulnerable with you? Or was it because you were starting to consider him a friend, and he only saw you as a pawn in the overall game of royal hierarchy?

---

A few days have tensely come and gone, and you and Levi haven’t spoken to each other since his outburst. You had buried yourself deep into studying, you figured that way you could stay out of his way and better yourself while doing so.

You hadn’t bothered practicing while being nose-deep in your books, and Annie and Pieck had started to notice. They had seen the dejected look on your face when you made it back to your room that night and how you shut the door without another word, locking them out.

They didn’t bother asking what was wrong when they saw Levi practicing with the other trainees and not with you. So, instead, they guided you to and from lectures, meetings, and other royal duties without hesitation.

There was one day where the sun seemed to break through the sky a little clearer and Pieck decided you needed to get some fresh air. She was waiting outside of your room, knocking gently before she called, “Princess Y/n, come out! You need some fresh air and out of those books.”

You groan at the distant call of Pieck’s voice, but deep down you knew she was right. You set a small bookmark between the pages of the current novel you were reading and begrudgingly call back, “Give me a moment to change into something more suitable for outside!”

Pieck smiles as she hears you fumble around for a few minutes before she hears your door click unlocked and you appear beside her. Dressed in clothes more appropriate for the winter weather outside, there is a disgruntled look on your face that says you aren’t happy with her interrupting you.

She rolls her eyes and says, “Come on, you know this will do you some good. Annie is already down at the stables getting our horses ready. It’s a nice day out and we thought you might like to go for a ride.”

The strained look on your face shifts to one of easeful thanks as you and Pieck make your way down to the stables. From a distance, you could see Annie’s blonde hair peeking out from underneath her cape, and beside her were three of your favorite horses.

The first was Ramon, a deep cherry bay with a small white star on his forehead. He was an absolute sweetheart and enjoyed going out on the trails. The second was your favorite mare, named Vairon, who was a small white and black spotted Leopard Appaloosa. She was a little on the fiery side, but you really enjoyed her company.

The third was an old, kind stallion named Enfés. He was a dark, seal bay that could almost look black in the middle of winter. While his name literally meant “hell”, the blaze of white hairs on his face showed his older age and the kindness in his eye.

You give each of the horses a quick rub between their eyes before you look to your two guards and ask, “Who wants who?” Annie was already holding Enfés since she tacked him up last and she replies, “I can ride Enfés since I already have him.”

You nod and look to Pieck and she shrugs with a smile saying, “Pick whoever you want!” You smile back with a giggle and mumble, “Alright, I’ll ride Vairon, I haven’t ridden her in a while.” You move to grab the mare, carefully guiding her out of the tacking area and out into the snowy, grass field just outside.

The three of you mount your horses and set off towards the woods. There were hundreds of miles of trails around the castle that you enjoyed riding through. In the summer, you could gallop your horses down the paths and out onto the open moors without hesitation.

But now, in the middle of winter, you were limited in how fast you could travel. While it was a warmer day and the snow was melting, you still had to be cautious of the slick ice underneath the snow that could make your horse slip.

You take a deep breath through your nose, the cool air burning your airways with a slight sting that is refreshing. You let the air slide back out through your lips, the warmth from your breath instantaneously freezing. It momentarily blocks your vision, and when it clears, your stomach drops at the sight in front of you.

Bandits.

There were several hooded figures, too many for you to get an accurate count in the split second you realized they were in front of you. Pieck and Annie had caught sight of them too, motioning to quickly move to the side of the path. There were only three of you, and at least a dozen invaders.

You can feel a wave of nervousness wash over you as you try to draw your sword from your sheath. You glance back and forth between the figures closing in on you and the hilt of your sword, which was caught on your cloak.

Crap, crap, crap! Is all that is racing through your mind as you struggle to get a hold of your only weapon. A cry rips through the air as Annie moves to fend off the first round of attackers. In a desperate motion, you let go of your reins to grip the hilt of your sword with both hands.

With another strong tug, your sword comes loose, and just in time for an arrow to whiz through the air near you. Another pang of fear runs through you, and in a panic, you jump off of Vairon, the mare instantly turning and bolting as the sounds of battle rapidly approach.

You try to steady yourself and in your mind, thinking through your training with both Levi and Annie. Just as you get a grip on your surroundings, a dark figure appears in the corner of your vision with a blade directed at your head. You duck on instinct, sticking your foot out in a way you had seen Levi trip someone many times.

The bandit trips over your extended leg, falling to their knees as you advance behind them, kicking them in the back with your other leg. This seems to knock the air out of them, leaving the bandit out of commission for a moment while you glance to see how Annie and Pieck are doing.

“Pieck?” you call nervously when you don’t see her black locks of hair anywhere. “Pieck?!” you yell more loudly when you don’t get a response. In your moment of distraction, you don’t notice another bandit sneaking up on you, and your attention draws back to the invader you had already knocked to the ground.

Just as you move to attempt to knock the invader out, the second bandit attacks. You’re too slow when you finally realize they are there, and shock rips through your nervous system as a searing hot pain takes over your left arm. You cry out, your voice shredding at the coarseness of your yell, and it’s loud enough to catch Annie’s attention.

“Princess Y/n!” she shouts towards you, parrying blow after blow with three attackers on her at once. You don’t get a chance to respond when you hear a voice exclaim, “A princess? She’ll be worth a lot if we can capture her!”

“It’s a shame that won’t be happening today,” a low voice barks from someplace behind you. The second invader launches at you, holding the blade that had cut you up to your throat. A gasp of pain leaves your lips and the guy who had a hold of you grabs you by the shoulder and yells, “Quiet, princess! Or I will have your head.”

He turns to face the unidentified voice you had heard, and you shuffle along to avoid any more injury. You hear the voice again, and through your pain and blurry vision, you can start making out a figure.

This time you know who the baritone belongs to as it rings out, “I can’t allow that either.” Before you can comprehend it, Levi is off his horse and lunges toward the bandit. You see a slight flick of his sword, and then you feel the pressure of the blade on your neck disappear.

With a shaky glimpse toward the ground, you can see the bandit’s severed hand still holding the sword. A scream splits the air behind you as the harsh pain sets in for the bandit, who steps away from you and tries to run. Levi is faster though, and he spins around, slashing his dual blades again.

You close your eyes as you hear the bandit’s body hit the cold, hard dirt beneath him. Another wave of agony washes over you as you feel warmth start to seep down your arm, and a choked sob breaks through your lips.

Not a moment later, you can feel a hand placed on your non-injured arm, and through tears you didn’t know had, you can make out the shape of Levi’s face. You can see concern on his features as he asks, “Are you alright?”

You are shaking, your whole body quivering as you try to contain your emotions through the pain. You try to nod your head but another cry leaves you with a fresh set of tears streaming down your face.

“H- how did you find us?” you manage to stutter out as Levi drops his hand from your shoulder. He re-draws his secondary blade and replies, “I saw your horse, and then Pieck appeared a minute later and brought our patrol.”

Another screech rings through the air and he sharply looks away from you and calls out, “Wait here, get down and hide somewhere!” Then, he’s gone, heading to where the cry came from. You could see several of the bandits were fleeing, leaving their horses and weapons as they ran for their lives.

Levi and the rest of his patrol were finishing off the few that remained, with Annie and Pieck joining them. You were about to collapse to the ground when you caught sight of something glinting through the trees. After a moment of realization, you recognize it as the royal insignia on a soldier’s breastplate.

You stumble forward as you call out to the fallen soldier, “Hey! Are you okay?” You don’t get a response as you trip through the brush, eyes blurry with tears from the pain coursing through your body.

In an instant, your body seems to come alive as you recognize the soldier. Rico Barht, one of your father’s guards. Rico was gushing blood from his thigh, where a nasty arrowhead had dug itself into the flesh. His upper body was drenched in blood from slash wounds on his chest and arms, oozing onto the soil beneath the two of you.

“Oh my gosh, Rico!” you blurt out in recognition as you lunge forward, your hands coming up to cup his face. He was just barely breathing and his hazel-colored eyes were half-lidded, unfocused.

A sob escapes you and you exclaim again, “Rico, hold on,” you look around for a second and then yell, “I need help over here!” You turn to face Rico again, slightly shaking him as you try to get him to focus on you, “Rico, Rico, hey, it’s me, (Y/n). We’re going to get you all fixed up, okay?”

A weak garble comes from his lips and that’s when you see it - a clean slice through across his throat. You immediately move to put pressure on it, but your hands keep slipping from the blood that is rushing out of his jugular.

“No. No, Rico come on, no no no no,” you rush out as you see his eyes fix and dilate. The blood continues to flow from his neck, and then you feel him take a breath. Then, all is still.

You can hear the fading cries of the bandits, and the forest rustling before it’s silent again. Sobs wrack your body, ripping your throat apart from the inside out. You let the tears fall as you clutch tightly onto the fallen soldier, praying that his soul leaves this cruel and unkind world behind.

You are so distraught you don’t hear your name being called from where Levi had left you. “Princess Y/n?” the call comes, and then again, this time with more intensity, “Y/n?! Y/n, where are you?!” You can hear the panic growing in the voice, but there is no air left in your lungs to reply as another whimper leaves your lips.

The person calling for you hears your cry, rushing down the dirt path that you had taken to find Rico. “Y/n, there you a-”, the voice starts but then abruptly stops. You turn to face the oncomer, who through your fuzzy vision determines is Levi.

He turns back towards the group and orders, “I need medical supplies over here, now!” Levi places his hand on your shoulder, trying to pull you out of the way so he can help, but you don’t budge, “He’s already gone.”

You can’t say anymore, and you bring your hands up to try to wipe the tears away from your eyes. Instead, you end up smearing Rico’s blood all over your cheeks. You don’t seem to notice, but Levi does.

His silver gaze widens as he sees the blood coating your hands and he rushes, “You’re injured, we need to get you medical equipment now.” He turns over his shoulder and shouts again, “Where the hell is that med kit?!” When his eyes meet yours, you simply shake your head.

“It’s not mine,” you whisper, sniffling, “I tried to- I tried to save Rico. But I couldn’t…” your voice trails off as a fresh wave of tears washes over you. Levi doesn’t say anything for a moment, a look of sorrow and realization covering his bloodied features.

You hadn’t ever seen someone die before.

It wasn’t something Levi thought of often. Living on the streets, defending innocent lives, death was so common he didn’t think twice about it. But you? A princess who barely could fight, holding a soldier as he died? He couldn’t imagine what it was like.

The two of you are interrupted as Pieck appears behind Levi and states, “We don’t have any more med kits, the soldiers in critical condition have already been sent back to the palace.” Her gaze flits from Levi to you, to the body of Rico behind you.

She opens her mouth to call for help, but she catches the glint in Levi’s eyes, and she understands. Pieck swallows thickly and then says, “I’ll get some of the other guards to take care of this. You two should get back in case any of the bandits are lurking around.”

Levi nods in thanks before turning toward you and murmuring, “Let’s get you back to the castle.” You don’t say anything, finally quiet after exhausting yourself of tears. Levi offers his hand to you, the digits covered in blood and grime.

You don’t think twice, placing your own hand delicately in his, gripping on tight as you feel Rico’s blood press into Levi’s palm. He pulls you to your feet, steadying you before guiding you out of the brush and to where Annie had gathered your horses.

She was in good condition compared to you, only mildly dirty, and didn’t look injured. Her blue gaze meets Levi’s silver one, and they both give each other a nod of understanding. Without any words, Levi mounts his horse while Annie helps you onto Vairon, the mare slightly antsy from all the commotion.

Annie passes your reins to Levi, who says to you, “Just hold on, alright?” You sit deeper into your saddle, grabbing onto the horn before nodding to him.

The two of you set off for the castle, a harsh silence settling over the ride home. You couldn’t help replaying Rico’s death over and over again in your mind. The feeling of the blood spurting from his neck. The look in his eyes as he died. The way his chest stopped rising and falling and laid eternally still.

You don’t even realize that you’ve made it back to the palace until you see Levi standing next to your left stirrup, offering you a hand to get down. Time and space seem altered as you make your way from the stables back to your room, trying to avoid any and all eyes on you.

You were a sight to see: face and hands covered in blood, your jacket ripped and your arm bleeding, dirt covering your clothes, and a distant look in your eye.

Levi stops you just outside of your door, his gaze trying to peer into your own troubled (colored) one. For the first time, Levi can’t tell what you’re thinking, and in a way… it almost scares him.

“Y/n- ”, he starts but is stopped when you cut him off and robotically state, “Thank you,” and then disappear into your room without another word. The door clicks shut with a small gust of wind, leaving a disheveled Levi outside with a look of surprise on his face.

He stares at the door for a moment, wondering whether or not he should go after you or send someone to help, but then he thinks better of it and heads towards the king’s chambers to inform him of the raid.

---

It was the day following the bandit attack, and you had two guards following you on your heels. Bertholdt and Colt were both on edge, you could tell. You know they weren’t quite as experienced, and that they knew you had seen something… dark, yesterday.

The two of them don’t say a word, though, and follow quietly behind you as you make your way towards one of the sitting gardens within the palace. You had gotten cleaned up, your skin washed from any traces of blood and dirt, but you couldn’t help but feel like Rico’s blood coated your body.

You felt like red was covering you, smothering the fine lace of your light blue dress. But it wasn’t. So you kept quiet and walked, trying to clear the encroaching feelings and thoughts from your mind and body.

You find yourself slowing near a white rose bush, and you gaze upon the seemingly perfect flowers for a moment before muttering, “Isn’t it funny how this flower can grow so perfectly? Can live a life so pure?”

Colt and Bertholt stop behind you, giving each other inquisitive looks but not answering you. You don’t give them a moment to speak as you continue, “These flowers can stay here, in this garden, safe from the freezing temperature of the winter outside. They don’t ever have to die because they are safe, protected here.”

You turn to face your guards, a far-off, distant look in your eye as you mumble, “They don’t ever have to experience death, only the rebirth of new life.” A tear falls quickly from your eye, sliding down your cheek and onto the ground next to your heel-clad shoe.

Without another word, you turn on your heel and continue through the garden, solemn.

Your day is slow, and you can’t battle the thoughts that seem to torture you every waking moment. The moment you are released from your duties for the day, you set your sights on a glow in the middle of the darkness. The forge.

You hadn’t spent time in the smoked and charred room since Levi had taken you on as an apprentice. Typically you were so exhausted that you would just go to your room to clean up and fix up your armor and blades.

But tonight, you couldn’t stand looking at the walls in your room, or the pages of your favorite book that you could get so easily lost in. No, tonight, you needed to get out and get away from sitting and doing nothing.

So, you find yourself in the corner of the forge near the hearth, quietly stoking the fire, lost in thought. You thought about trying to find a blade to sharpen, or some armor that needed polished, but your feet seemed glued to the dirt floor next to the growing flames.

Deep marigold mixed with tawny and carmine, forming an intricate dance as you scoped the flames, looking for something. Maybe it was so that you could catch a sight of the soft sapphire and indigo licks that seeped in and out of the rusty haze. Maybe it was so that you could leave the thoughts of the bloody bandits out of your mind. Maybe you just wanted to forget the sting on your arm as your heart shattered while Rico’s life slipped away from your fingers.

Or maybe it was to forget the relief you felt when Levi’s gaze found you in your utter panic. The peace that streamlined through your body when you could see concern etched on his features. The comfort you found when he placed his hand on your arm, asking if you were alright.

You shut your eyes as the thoughts berated you, one after the other. You could hardly stand them, all you wanted was one moment of silence from your mind. In the haze of your head, you don’t notice the lithe figure that slips into the forge room behind you.

The figure catches sight of you curled up next to the hearth, sitting on the dirt. You were wearing what he could only imagine was an expensive, imported dress, but here you were, sitting on the floor. Dust and ash lay on your lap and the edge of your hem, but it didn’t seem to bother you one bit.

Levi set his gear down as quietly as he could on the table near the door, mentally battling with himself on whether he should leave or not. Just as he takes a step back, the fire cracks, breaking your train of thought, and the angle of your gaze changes to catch him red-handed.

Levi could curse under his breath, but he stayed silent before dropping into a respectful bow and murmuring, “Princess.” Your (colored) orbs are tinted copper in the light of the forge, but they widen as they recognize who was before you.

In a moment, you try to scramble to your feet, but Levi cuts in, “No, no, please, stay where you are. I was going to clean my gear, but I can find somewhere else.” He straightens up from his bow, his gloved hand reaching for his gear before he hears your voice.

“Please stay,” your voice practically croaks out, “Please?” The pain in your voice immediately catches Levi’s attention, and he can feel his resolve crumbling when he sees the wet glimmer in your eyes. He drops his hand from his gear, instead plucking his leather gloves off and removing the rest of his bulky gear.

Levi makes his way over to you, feeling your searing gaze on his every movement. He chooses to sit on the opposite side of the hearth from you, giving him a good look at your tear-stained cheeks. The clear look of distress tugs on his heartstrings in a way that confuses him.

What was that for? He’s just here to make sure you’re okay. You’re here all alone with no one to protect you.

At least, that’s what he told himself. He clears his throat, pushing the thoughts away as he asks, “Are you alright, princess?” You roll your eyes and sniffle, uttering, “Please just call me Y/n. And-” you pause, rubbing at your nose before sighing, “I don’t know.”

You can feel Levi’s watchful gaze on you, but you choose to gaze deeper and deeper into the flames. It’s silent between the two of you, and you think that you might have said something wrong. Levi blinks slowly, thoughtfully, and then replies, “It’s okay, you know.”

This catches your attention, and you turn your cheek toward him, catching sight of the meaning of his silver gaze. He continues, “It’s okay, to feel the way you feel. It’s not an easy thing to deal with.”

You want to brush him off and defend the soft and broken part of your heart, but you realize that Levi saw straight through your uncertainty. You open your mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. Levi cocks his head slightly, his gaze burning into you like the heat wafting into your sides from the fire.

You swallow thickly, a dry and humorless chuckle falling from your lips as you manage, “It’s such a natural thing, yet all I can do is replay that moment over and over again, wishing there was something else I could do to save him.” “There wasn’t,” the instant reply comes.

Levi hadn’t taken his eyes off of you once, and you meet his gaze with a furrow in your brow as you fight off an incoming wave of sadness. “There wasn’t,” he repeats, softer this time, “That soldier was lucky to have you in his last moments, Y/n. At his end, he knew nothing else other than someone cared for his life.”

He finally tears his eyes away and he mutters, “And that can mean a lot to someone.” You take in Levi’s appearance at that moment. This… interesting, to say the least, soldier, sitting on the ground with a crying princess, talking about death. It was almost funny, the way it seemed like everything to you, but just another burden to carry for him.

In a bold move, you reach forward, your fingers gently resting on top of his own hand as you question, “How do you deal with death, Levi?” You shuffle your feet ever so slightly to get more comfortable, waiting for him to pull away at any moment.

Instead, he flips his hand over so that your digits rest in his palm, and looking at your hands he replies, “I remember them.” He glances up at you through his darkened lashes and when he sees the confused look on your face he elaborates, “When they were normal, healthy, alive. I remember whenever they smiled or laughed. When they weren’t sick or dying.”

You nod delicately, taking in the deep timbre of his voice and the emotion that it carries. You reply, “But what if I don’t have those memories? I only saw Rico in passing a handful of times, I barely knew his name.”

Levi squeezes your hand and states, “You carry on with your life, living for him. Enjoying each moment so that his life doesn’t go to waste.” You give the dark-haired male a saddened smile and nod, squeezing his hand back when your voice seems to fail.

Thank you.

---

The chill of winter slides away with the onset of a warming spring, and things have been becoming more normal. You and Levi finally resumed training once you seemed to cope with the loss of Rico.

You were behind, yes, but doing everything in your power to catch up but with one major caveat. Your 18th birthday was just around the corner. Your days were full of meetings, ballroom preparations, lessons, training, and sword practice. There had hardly been any downtime to relax or breathe, and everything was slowly becoming overwhelming,

Levi was accommodating though, with practices starting later and later in the evening. You had started to learn and understand this raven-haired boy better, with his insomniac-like tendencies, and his peculiar and dry sense of humor.

You liked spending time with him.

To your benefit, Levi was a surprisingly good teacher, and even though most nights you were tired and fed up, Levi could handle your banter. He had a sharp tongue, which kept your focus on getting better, but he was never too harsh.

Whenever he was unable to help you, Annie or Pieck picked up the slack to be your punching bag or let you try out a new combination on them. But with months of training under your belt, you were becoming an increasingly lethal opponent.

One evening you were getting ready to head down to the training yard to practice with Levi, fixing your gauntlets and securing your sword as you rushed to get ready. It was the night before your 18th birthday, and your mother insisted on planning a huge ball for your coming of age.

Just as you were putting the finishing touches on your outfit, there was a knock on your door. Latching onto the handle, you open it to see Levi, who always comes by your room before practice. There was one glaring difference that caught your eye, shock covering your features as your gaze took him in.

He typically donned his plain, smooth metal practice gear when training with you, but instead, Levi was covered in new, glimmering plates of intricate armor. The smooth breastplate that once was blank and had no symbol, was now textured metal lined with gold and donned the royal insignia on it. His expression was no different than normal, he just wore his usual, stoic frown.

Your eyes widen at the realization of his upgraded armor and you can’t help the words that burst from your mouth, “You’ve made it into the guard?!” It comes out as an almost-shout, which catches Levi’s attention.

His silvery gaze widens ever-so-slightly at your realization, and he shuffles on his feet before he gives you a slow nod. He straightens up for a moment before motioning to the hallway outside of your room and replies, “Let’s go for a walk, princess.”

Your mouth is still parted open in surprise, and your hands have come to interlock in front of your chest, but you do as he requests and move to walk side-by-side with him down the hallway. Your footsteps fall in sync out of habit and you gasp at him again and say, “I didn’t know you were getting knighted today, you should have told me!”

The new knight just shrugs as if it made no difference to him, folding his arms behind his back in thought. He briefly looked to the ground and his black locks moved to fall over his angled cheekbones.

You playfully hip-bump him lightly, trying to reinforce your point. On the rare occasion he wasn’t paying attention, or he was just letting you think that, he stumbles forward a little bit. His arms come down to rest at his sides again and he looks over at you, slightly offended.

Giggles fall from your lips at his reaction and you chuckle out, “I’m serious! That's such a huge deal and you've only been here for a few months.” A soft, barely noticeable flush covers Levi’s cheeks, and he’s thankful that you don’t seem to see it.

He looks directly in front of you two and replies, “I’m doing my best to protect the kingdom.” You scoff and roll your eyes before retorting, “Puh-lease, you do your own thing without regard for anyone. That’s how you are, Levi.”

Levi’s eyes narrow as he turns to face you and just as he opens his mouth to respond you cut in, “I don’t even know if I can count your friends on the one hand.” You give him a look that says, “You know I’m right,” and he just rolls his eyes and groans, “It’s not like you’re much better, you only hang out with your guards and your maids.”

The playful banter between the two of you continues as you walk the cascading hallways of the castle. The intricate paintings hanging on the walls start to catch the rays of the glowing candlelight and the setting sun.

Before you know it, Levi is steering you into one of the courtyards - Josephina’s Garden Hall. You smile softly at the fond memory of your first-ever training session in this very garden. As you look around, there is not a single person around.

The thought crosses your mind that people are preparing for your birthday, which is just around the corner. Your mother was practically bursting at the seams to host a ball in the largest ballroom of the castle, so all energy was put towards the festivities.

Of course, there were still guards and knights littering the perimeter, but there were fewer stationed around unoccupied areas to focus on decorating or protecting the exterior of the castle.

Levi pulls ahead of you by just a stride, heading toward one of the walls that is adjacent to one of your favorite rose gardens. One of the bushes is coated in giant red blooms, and just as you are about to say how beautiful they are, Levi reaches for something behind one of the flowers.

“What are you-” you start but are interrupted when you catch sight of what he was grabbing. It was a brand new, dark leather sheath with a sword in it. A sheath with your initials on it.

You quickly glance from Levi to the sheathed blade and back again. He returns your gaze with a strange intensity you’ve only ever seen once from him, and it makes you want to almost squirm. It felt like he was seeing through and into you, and it made your heart flutter in your chest in a way you never experienced.

“Happy birthday, princess,” Levi whispers, handing you the darkened leather. Your lips are parted in complete surprise as you accept it from him, your eyes raking over the intricacy of the stitching of your initials.

You don’t waste another moment before grabbing onto the hilt of the sword, drawing it firmly out of the sheath. The last of the sun’s rays catch the unmarked length of the blade, making it glow like an ember burning in the hottest of fires.

Your mouth had fallen open in true admiration and shock at this point, and you turned to Levi in complete wonder and appreciation. You swallow thickly and stutter out, “I, I can’t accept this, Levi,” dropping the sword back into the sheath and offering it back to him.

The dark-haired man simply shakes his head and states, “You deserve that blade, princess. You’ve worked very hard, and while you still have a lot to learn, you need more than a wooden practice sword or dull blade to protect yourself.”

You can’t help the huge smile that rushes to your face, and a wave of excitement takes over you. In a split second, you lunge forward toward Levi, crushing him into a huge hug.

He once again isn’t fast enough to react, and he’d never admit it, but he was enraptured at the sight of you: your hair falling perfectly around your face, the light of the sun reflecting the pure joy in your eyes, the strength you exuded as you held your new blade… you were stunning.

Levi struggles against you for a second, afraid someone would think he was taking advantage of you, alone like this, but after a moment, softens into your embrace and slowly pats you on the back.

You pull away from the hug as a stray tear runs down your cheek. You sniffle as you let out an embarrassed laugh, wiping at the tear as you gush, “I apologize, I didn’t mean to get so emotional. This is such a beautiful gift, Levi. I don’t even know how to properly thank you.”

Levi lets a hint of a smile rest on his lips, and his eyebrows softening ever so slightly as he murmurs, “You don’t need to thank me for anything. I should be thanking you for giving me a place here at the palace, and I apologize for being so rude when I first arrived.”

You wave your hand dismissively at him before laughing, “It’s alright, you were the first and only person to openly challenge me like that, and I needed that reality check.”

The two of you stand in silence for a moment, close to one another but not quite touching. You shuffle and glance at your feet and at your hand holding your new blade. You mumble, “There’s something I want to ask you, Levi.”

He quirks an eyebrow in interest at your sudden shift in tone but he motions for you to go on with a gentle nod. You sigh before a saddened smile covers your face, the dying rays of the sun just catching the last of your drying tears.

“Annie is leaving the guard after my birthday celebration is over,” you explain, “She wants to live a life with her father in the country, and the king has arranged for her to leave. That leaves a gap in my defense, and while I’m much more capable of defending myself, I’m missing a knight-” “I’ll do it.”

Levi’s voice comes out soft and low, and it catches you off guard at how much emotion it seems to hold. “I’ll join your personal guard if that is what you wish, princess. Just say the word and that will be my next mission in life.”

You blink up at him, your smile shifting from one of sadness to one of thanks, “Please, would you join my personal guard?” Levi bows to you and utters quietly under his breath, so quiet you don’t hear him, “As you wish.”

When he stands up straight, you give him a slight bow and the two of you stop for a moment, silently regarding the other. A moment passes and you give him an almost cheeky smile before turning away, and without hesitation, Levi follows you.

---

You see, that was the start of a beautiful friendship between you and the dark-haired man. It was built on long days of sparring, bickering, and slowly but surely, tolerating each other. On the day of your 18th birthday, Levi was appointed to your guard and soon began taking his patrols with Pieck, swapping in and out with Porco, Reiner, and the other guards who had also recently been knighted.

Now officially a knight, it was harder to get training practices in, but whenever it was his shift to watch over you, the two of you found yourselves in the training grounds. The training sessions continued for months, your sword skills becoming more and more refined.

Before you knew it, a year or two seemed to slip by like the finest silk, and your friendship with Levi bloomed into something tried, true, and trustworthy. He was always there when you needed him to be, a reliable soldier and a trusted friend.

You weren’t blind to how the two of you grew up, Levi got slightly taller and thicker with muscle. No matter the day, he always, always, always got stronger. You, on the other hand, became more elegant and stronger in your own ways. You became physically stronger, yes, but you found your voice and learned how to rule and talk to your subjects while remaining kind as you always had been.

Over time, Levi had learned your ways rather quickly. The time you woke up. How long it took you to roll out of bed. Just how you liked your morning coffee or tea. It seemed so domestic every morning whenever he’d knock on your door to see if you were awake or not.

A fondness developed between the two of you for those easy morning conversations, not that either of you would admit it. While the two of you constantly bickered and playfully argued, Levi saw through the facade and to the sweet and tender side of you.

It was moments when you would kindly thank your maids, or encourage your younger siblings. He saw the way you treated the guests who would visit from overseas, and he found a deep respect for you.

And although you had many personal guards, Levi ended up being the one that stuck by you the most often, often by your parent's wishes. With Levi in the guard and not out protecting the towns surrounding the palace, crime rates had increased. And so, the king and queen wanted you to be the safest you could, with the best protection around.

---

On a cool winter morning, with snow glistening on the windowsill, you had just gotten dressed and were preparing for a meeting with your parents. They had found someone they thought would be a lovely suitor for you, as you were now old enough to be betrothed to someone of equally high status.

A soft knock on your door catches your attention, and you fumble with your earrings as you call, “Just a moment!” But the door opens anyway, and in comes Levi, a scowl covering his face.

Yet when his eyes land on you, fixing your earring in a slight panic, his eyes soften and he mutters, “It’s just me, relax.”

His silvery eyes seem to linger, though. They take in the gentle curve of your cheek dusted with blush, then fixate on the necklace hanging around your neck.

Levi is no fool. He has come to know you over the years, and he knows you are one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen. Of course you were, you’re a princess.

He has to shake his head slightly to clear his thoughts before he coughs once to clear his throat. Levi glances up at you and states, “It’s almost time for your meeting with the king and queen, Y/n.”

You give him a warm smile and ask, “Walk with me?” Levi offers you his arm in his classic fashion, and you take hold of his arm like you always did.

Levi guides you out of your room and down the familiar hallway. The arches were cast in a soft, ethereal glow, the snow from the courtyard reflecting the light brightly. Your steps land in sync and quietly echo as the two of you silently move toward the meeting halls.

You sigh and glance down at the floor as you mumble, “I don’t know if I’m ready for this, Levi. My parents have spent so long trying to find me a suitor, but I’ve disliked all of them. I’m afraid they’re running out of patience, or that I’m not worthy to be a good wife.”

Levi stops in his tracks at your words, a bored and stern look on his face. He pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand before running it through his black locks and saying, “Are you kidding me, Y/n? You are a beautiful, strong, and intelligent princess. You are practically the epitome of a queen and wife, and if anything, I think you scare a lot of your suitors off because of that.”

Surprise floods over you, and the words of praise coming from Levi seem to float around in your mind. Beautiful? Strong? Smart? He thinks I’m beautiful?

But Levi doesn’t give you any more time to think. He continues walking, dragging you along as he finishes, “Just because you haven’t found the right man for you yet, doesn’t mean that you won’t find him. He might be the most surprising person you’ll ever meet.”

You stay quiet at that, walking silently next to your knight and trying to process his words. And before you know it, you have made it to the meeting room where you knew your parents and a suitor would be waiting.

Levi slowly releases your grip, letting his hand slide down your arm before grasping your palm. He gives your hand a gentle and encouraging squeeze before releasing it, and walking up to the large door.

He hits the knocker three times to signal your arrival, and just a moment later two butlers open the door from the inside, ushering the two of you in.

Just as you expected, your mother and father were sitting at the head of the table, and at your entrance into the room, all eyes were set on you and Levi. You are dressed to perfection, regarding the room with elegance and grace, taking in the setup and the profile of the room and the suitor.

The tall, blonde gentleman stands up and bows before you can speak and states, “Good morning, princess.”

You swallow deeply and smile as you curtesy and reply, “Good morning, sir.” You take your seat next to your mother, and you can feel Levi’s steps stiffen as he walks behind you, pulls your chair out for you, and gets you settled in.

He ends up standing a chair or two down in the corner of the room, watching and waiting as he was trained. Your eyes flash towards your parents in a sweet greeting before you take in the appearance of the suitor.

The man was tall. Very tall. He had longer blonde hair and just a small bit of facial hair. He wore very fine clothing, embroidered with intricate details, and obviously fitted by a professional tailor.

The potential suitor bows again and states, “I appreciate your time this morning, Princess Y/n, my name is Viscount Miche Zacharius.”

At the sound of his name, you could hear Levi’s blade scraping against the wall ever so slightly. You shoot him a concerned glance, but all you can see is a hardened look on Levi’s face.

He looked… mad?

You turn back to Miche, and with a practiced smile you reply, “It’s wonderful to meet with you this morning, my lord.” The blonde smiles in response, and before he can speak again, the king cuts in, “Tell us about your kingdom, Miche. Y/n would love to hear about your homeland.”

Your teeth grit together as your father speaks for you, but you keep the practiced smile plastered on your face as you watch Miche chuckle slightly nervously, but he nods.

Seconds fade into minutes, and minutes lead onto an hour as Miche, your father, mother, and occasionally you, make conversation. You could tell Miche was a nice man with good morals, but there was something lacking in the conversation that kept you jumping for joy.

However, your mother and father thought the two of you kicked things off well, even considering the fact they hardly let you talk to the man. Your mother was so enthralled with the idea of you and Miche that she suggested a ball to be hosted for the two of you to get to know one another better - an offer your father couldn’t refuse. And neither could you.

“What a grand idea!” Miche exclaims, standing up to shake your father’s hand, “Do let me know of the details as soon as you get it planned.” He then turns to you, excitedly and says, softer, “I do hope you’ll save me some spaces on your dance card, princess.”

You giggle uncertainly and reply, “Of course, my lord.” At that, Miche takes your hand, gently, and presses a chaste kiss to your knuckles before giving you a bow and leaving the room, your father a pace behind him.

Your mother is practically swooning at how sweet the man seems to be, but you are quite taken aback by his forwardness. You hear metal scrape against the wall again, and out of the corner of your eye, you can see a firm frown etched on Levi’s features.

He was pissed.

The walk back to your room is quiet and tense, with no words passing between the two of you. You could have practically screamed in frustration when your door finally latched closed and it was just you and Levi on the other side.

“Who does he think he is?!” you immediately lament, whipping around the face of Levi, who’s already rubbing at his face in frustration. In response, he just groans, “I think he’s the most bold one yet. You have to dance with that guy?”

You pause and look Levi in the eye before groaning, flopping down onto your bed like a little girl. Levi folds his arms across his chest and shrugs, “At least he’s polite?” You harshly look over at him, a pout on your lips.

“He’s like talking to a tree that never became a book. He just kept growing,” you manage to mumble around the sheets of your bed. Levi scoffs at your words before leaning back against the door and snaps back, “The guy sure is full of himself. No wonder it’s taken him this long to find a wife.”

You feel a pang run through you and you sit up from your bed, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “I’ve been looking for a suitor for a while too, Levi. Hopefully, I’m not full of myself. Or not too picky.” Your hands find themselves carding together as you look down at them, and you miss the dark-haired knight’s expression change.

The furrow in his brow softens and he pushes off the wall to stand in front of you. He takes a breath as he stops in front of you and starts, “Y/n, I-” But you beat him to it, “What if I never find love, Levi?” You look up to meet his silver gaze at that moment, tears darkening your lashes.

Levi sighs, letting the air flow freely out of his nose as he sits down next to you on your bed, quiet. Then, he meets your gaze once again and he murmurs, “You will, Y/n/n. You will.”

You smile sadly at him, and he reaches his hand toward your face to tuck an unruly piece of hair out of your face. Just before his hand can make contact with your skin, there is a knock at the door.

The moment is gone in a flash, and Levi quickly moves to stand post by the doors to your balcony and you wipe under your eyes. You guiltily look at Levi, who has gone back to his classic stoic look, staring straight ahead.

Another pang of guilt runs through you as you tear your eyes away from his frame, instead focusing on the person on the other side of your door. You take a breath and then call, “Come in!” Then, a head of blonde hair appears and you recognize the guard as Reiner.

“I was told I might find you here,” he says with a bow, “I was sent to relieve Levi from duty for a little while.” Reiner props the door open a little further before stepping into the room, and Levi turns to regard his fellow soldier with a respectful nod.

Before he leaves the room, the dark-haired man faces you and gives you a bow with a simple, “Good day, princess.” Before you know it, he’s gone, and it’s just you and Reiner left in the silence of the room.

---

Over the next couple of days, you didn’t see much of Levi. You thought it slightly odd, but you figured he was on a personal quest for your father or taking some personal days. Eventually, when you were trying to find him so you could spar a little, he couldn’t be found anywhere.

You stopped a maid who had brought fresh linens for your bed and asked, “Have you seen a short, dark-haired knight recently? He goes by the name Levi, I haven’t seen him in a while.” The maid pauses in thought and then replies, “I do think I recall a dark-haired soldier turning up in the infirmary a few days ago. I can check to see if that is who you are talking about.”

You shake your head and quip, “There will be no need for that, I will make my way there now.” Without another moment’s notice, you turn and slide out of your room, (colored) gaze set on finding the infirmary.

Typically, you didn’t spend much time in the infirmary because you were royalty and you had your own personal staff. However, you occasionally would pick up small supplies after training if you had a small cut or brush burn from the grass.

It was fairly quiet as you slipped into the entrance of the sick bay, with no doctors or nurses in sight. You take a deep breath as you peer around the few rooms that make up the infirmary, making your way as silently as you can so as to not disturb anyone resting.

Just as you make it to the last room, you can hear coughing on the other side. You just barely peer through the door when you catch sight of a familiar black head of hair. Levi.

You push the door open and remark, “I wondered where you disappeared to, soldier.” Levi’s head immediately snaps up to take in your frame entering his small room. He opens his mouth to answer you, but another coughing fit overtakes him.

You rush next to his side, finding a small cup of water on his bedside table. You offer him the cup, watching him soothe his irritated throat with a frown before handing the water back to you.

“It’s not what it looks like,” he grumbles out lowly, trying to avoid sputtering again. A giggle slides through your lips before you can stop it, and you bring a hand up to cover your smile when you catch sight of Levi’s annoyed gaze. It only makes you giggle harder, and you can see his displeased look ease a little at your laughter.

As you calm down, you manage to take a breath and smirk, “It looks like you’re sick to me, Levi.” The dark-haired knight just rolls his eyes, his hands fiddling with the blanket on his lap to pull it up higher on his waist.

“It’s nothing,” he grumbles out again, “The king and queen forced me to come down here so I can “recover as fast as possible” or something.” You nod knowingly with a gentle smile on your face, saying, “I can imagine they only had the best intentions and wanted to see you well before the suitor’s ball tonight.”

He groans and rubs at his flushed face with one hand and mumbles through his night shirt’s sleeve, “Don’t remind me about that. I think standing there watching everyone dance and act so cheerful would kill me faster than any blade would.”

You scoff and roll your eyes at your best friend replying, “You are so dramatic!” But then a moment passes and you tuck a piece of hair behind your ear saying, “Actually, you’re probably right. My mother is going to have me hanging on every man’s arm within a thousand miles tonight.”

This time, Levi is the one to just barely crack a smile and he shrugs, “Who knows, you might actually enjoy the ball. There will be no lack of eligible suitors, and I can’t imagine all of them are complete imbeciles.”

His words get you to giggle again, and you nod along in agreement, your eyes trailing toward the clock on the wall. As the time on the clock registers in your mind, panic starts to set in and you scramble to your feet muttering, “Crap, crap, crap!”

Levi’s gaze follows yours and he realizes it too: you’re late for getting ready! You glance apologetically at Levi, who goes to swallow and then starts sputtering with more coughs.

He waves you off and manages to squawk out, “Go have fun, tell me all about it later.” You give him a grateful smile and over your shoulder you call out, “I will! Please try to feel better and get some rest!”

With one last glance over your shoulder, you set off toward your room to get ready for the ball. Your maids about mauled you when they finally managed to wrangle you into your ballgown and start to get you presentable for the public.

Since Levi was out sick, Reiner and Porco were assigned to watch over you for the evening. They follow closely as you make your way to the ballroom, greeting guests pleasantly and making your way to the heart of the festivities.

While the ballroom was decorated magnificently, the entire atmosphere felt slightly disappointing and moderate. There were many suitors around, none of which seemed to interest you. In the distance, you could see Miche talking with another tall blonde male, but you ducked behind a waiter to make your move toward the king and queen.

Your parents were talking with lords about their investments and businesses, and all you managed to understand was that they wanted money from the royals. You have to refrain from rolling your eyes, but you stand quietly and listen to the conversation come to a close.

Your mother turns to you, excitement written on her features as she hands you a piece of paper saying, “Here is your dancing card, dear! I’ve already done you the liberty of picking out which suitors to dance with based on their resumes. Have fun!”

She wraps the filled-out dancing card around your wrist, tying it neatly before giving you a giddy smile and pushing you toward the man whose name is first on the list. Miche Zacharius.

You groan internally as you make your way over to the tall man, who grows visibly interested as you break into his peripheral. He excuses himself from his conversation, bowing in front of you when he sees you stop in from of him.

“Princess Y/n,” he says, straightening up and catching the lustrious light in your eyes. You give him a shallow curtsey and reply, “Lord Miche, how lovely to see you this evening.” In the back of your head, you couldn’t help but wish you were anywhere else at this very moment.

Miche tips his head toward you and shrugs, “I think it is I who am the lucky one to be in your presence.” And as if on cue, the orchestra starts playing the next song, a waltz, to which Miche offers you his hand with a, “May I have this dance?”

You give him a tight-lipped smile and place your gloved hand in his own, allowing the tall blonde to escort you to the empty dance floor. He begins to move the two of you around the dance floor, carefully swinging you through the other couples who start dancing around you.

Miche smiles down at you and asks, “If I may ask, princess, how many children would you like to have one day?” It feels like the air is sucked out of your lungs as you give him a polite smile and respond, “Sorry, I’m trying to count my steps, perhaps we can discuss this later?”

He has the liberty to keep his mouth shut during the first dance, but once the two of you take a break and you look at your dance card, you can see your mother has booked him for the next four dances.

During those dances, Miche asks you too many questions, to which you politely respond. You tried to sound not too interested but also not too dry, simply polite. You were praying for when the fifth song would end, and you don’t think it could come soon enough.

The whole point of the ball was aggravating to you, and you couldn’t help but hate the evening as you were twirled from lord to lord. You wanted to slip out unnoticed, find a pint of wine or something of the like, and complain about all of it to Levi.

However, you manage to stick it out through the night, engaging in pointless conversation and dancing until you are about to roll your ankles. As the night wrapped up and your dancing card was completed, you scanned the crowd, your eyes landing on Porco and Reiner, who seemed to be arguing about which lady in waiting was the prettiest.

You scoff at the two knights, but with them distracted, it gives you the perfect opportunity to slip away. You take one more scan of the room before slowly backing out of one of the doorways. With no one’s eyes on you, you disappear from the ball without a trace.

You had your eyes set on one thing - go check on Levi and tell him about your endeavors that night. You weren’t able to find a bottle of wine to easily sneak out, but you did find a small plate of cheese that you grabbed on your way to the infirmary.

As you make your way back to Levi’s sick room, you can hear the sound of metal scraping. You raise an eyebrow at the noise, and as you poke your head into the small room, you can see the source.

There’s Levi, sharpening his blade in the middle of the night. You sigh and bring your hand up to knock on the wall to alert him of your arrival. His head snaps up quickly from his sword to your figure at his door, his body going tense in a moment.

When he realizes it's you, you can see him relax, but his gaze remains on you, fixed. You can’t quite place the look on his face, his eyes are wide and locked onto you, completely frozen. You duck under the sudden intensity in his gaze, murmuring, “I brought you some cheese from the ball.”

You walk into the room, the ruffles on the edge of your skirt rustling as you place the plate next to his water on the nightstand by his bed. Levi’s silver gaze follows your every movement, no words escaping him. You sit down in the chair next to his bed, grab a small piece of cheese, and pop it into your mouth with a huff.

You glance over to see Levi still staring at you while you chew, and suddenly you feel hot under his watchful gaze. You look down for a second and swallow before asking, “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

A moment passes as you wait for his response, and it gives you a second to take in his condition. His usually pale cheeks were painted pink with a gentle flush and his skin was slightly shiny from sweat. He must have a bit of a fever, you think to yourself.

Levi swallows thickly as he looks at you, his mouth opening and closing once or twice with no words leaving them. Mistakenly, you think he can’t answer because his throat hurts and he needs water, so you burst out, “Let me get you something to drink!”

Your hand reaches to grab his cup of water, which seems to be empty. In a flash, Levi’s hand has wrapped around your wrist, his silver eyes never leaving your face. The quick movement startles you, which makes you drop the cup, a small amount of water falling onto the floor.

Levi’s sword clatters to the ground, which makes you flinch in surprise. You glance from the water pooling near your feet to the sword that landed on the opposite side of the bed and back to Levi.

Your mouth parts open in a stammer as you start, “Sorry, let me, uhm… let me grab a towel to clean this-” “You look beautiful,” he cuts in lowly. You raise your eyebrows in surprise at his comment, the words slowly registering in your head.

Once they do, you can feel butterflies erupt in your belly and you glance away from the dark-haired knight and roll your eyes playfully. “Oh hush, you’re just seeing things with your sickness.”

This seems to snap Levi out of his daze and he releases your wrist with a playful scoff of his own, “You wish, princess.” You smile at him, one that he knows is of thanks to his compliment. He clears his throat and questions, “How was the ball? It must not have been great if you are down here all ready.”

You lean down to pick up his cup off the wooden floor, a groan falling from your lips, “It was all crap, Levi. It was men who wanted money, men who wanted the crown, and men who wanted to dance. It was so annoying. ”

You straighten back up, placing the cup back on the table and skirting around the water on the ground. Levi chuckles at that, and he motions to the edge of his bed with his chin and says, “Tell me all about it.” A giggle falls from your lips as you move to sit near his feet and you reply, “As long as you’ll listen to me complain about how terrible of a dancer Miche is!”

The rest of the evening is peaceful compared to the stress of the ball, the two of you making fun of the suitors and princes from across the countryside. You don’t even realize how late the evening runs, but you do know that you aren’t ready for bed just quite yet.

---

A couple of days had passed since the suitor’s ball and Levi had been put down with his illness. Thankfully, after another day or two of rest, he seemed to turn for the better and was ready to get back to the service.

Just around 8 o'clock in the morning, just as he always would, Levi makes his way toward your bedroom, feeling energetic and recovered from being sick. He stops in front of the familiar and grandiose door, pausing in thought before knocking on the dark wood.

He waits for a minute or so, but he doesn’t hear any noise from the other side of the door. The dark-haired knight sighs in slight annoyance, it’s his first day back, after all, and you aren’t responding. Levi knocks again on the door, this time a little harder and with more urgency.

When he is once again met with silence, he takes it upon himself to call out, “Princess Y/n? Are you alright?” To anyone else, it may have sounded like he was just calling out to you, but between you and him, he knew there was worry in his voice.

His impatience seems to take over him, and Levi finds his fingers wrapping around the door handle and pushing it open. As he steps into your room, one he had been in many times, his steely gaze rakes across every detail he sees.

Your bed was empty and remade, so you weren’t asleep. The loveseat in the corner of your room where you typically sat and read was also void of your presence. Levi turned toward the bathroom that was connected to your room, but there was no sign of candlelight or movement.

A sigh falls from Levi’s parted lips in frustration, and he shuts your bedroom door behind him before stepping deeper into your personal space. He opens his mouth, about to call out for you again before he sees a figure moving in the walk-in closet behind your desk.

It’s you, thankfully, and Levi’s figure relaxes as he takes in the… interesting sight of you. You were shuffling out into the main space of your bedroom, your hands grabbing at the bodice of the dress, with a slightly irritable look on your face.

He almost cracks a smile as he watches you fumble and almost trip as you make your way up to him, but instead, he murmurs, “Well good morning to you, princess.” You give him a playful scowl and mutter, “Shut up, …and help me zip this please?”

At the end of your sentence, you swivel 180 degrees, showing him your half-exposed back, where you couldn’t quite finish zipping the dress up. You wait a moment and then rush out, “I don’t know where my maids are and I couldn’t find anyone else to help-”

“It’s alright,” Levi’s voice cuts in lowly, and you can hear him take a step toward you. This makes you relax, shuffling your hands to pick the dress up to the correct height to be comfortable.

However, with your back to Levi, you miss the complete and utter look of nervousness and awe on his face as his hands make contact with the soft skin on your back. His typically stoic resolve crumbles when his hands just barely begin to quiver as he grabs a hold of the fabric and begins to pull it taut.

Levi is silently cursing the heat that is rushing to his face, swirling in his chest, and giving him butterflies in his stomach. With pink dusting his nose and the close proximity to you, his magnificent best friend, he wasn’t sure what to feel. But, he pushes through, his hands grabbing onto your waist so the zipper would slide up the fabric with more ease.

You aren’t in much better condition than Levi, and you’re glad he can’t see your face. Heat is coursing through your veins, but his warm touch has chills running up and down your spine. A shuddery breath escapes you as you feel his palm flatten against your waist, and you have to will yourself to be calm as he works on zipping you in.

His fingers work in good time, making sure the intricacies of the dress are not damaged or pulled on as he zips the dress up closer to your neck. At the top of the zipper, there is a small clasp to keep it from pulling apart, and he brings both hands up to clasp it.

You feel his warm breath on your neck, and you can feel goosebumps rising on your skin from the small distance between the two of you. It’s completely silent between the two of you as he takes a minute step backward, but it’s enough for you to feel like you can breathe.

The air is thick, heavy almost. There was tension, and you aren’t quite sure where it originated from. You can’t help but be disappointed when his warm hands leave your waist, and you try to fight down the butterflies in your belly as your brain processes his touch.

You liked it. No, you needed more of it.

What? How could you think that? Levi was your… what was Levi?

As you turn around to face him, you give him an uncertain and slightly shy smile and whisper, “Thank you.” Levi holds your (colored) gaze, looking deeply into what could almost be his favorite color, and gives you a subtle nod.

He was just your personal knight, right? He was your best friend, right? …You had no idea.

You take a shuddery breath and start, “Levi, there’s something I-” but you are interrupted by a flock of maids bursting into your room. You jump away from Levi, who also takes a few steps backward and moves to stand near the door.

“We are so sorry, Princess Y/n, for being late! We knocked on the door several times but we did not hear an answer,” one of the older maids says, curtsying low in front of you. You turn to face her and you give her a tight-lipped smile and reply, “It is quite alright, Marie.”

The maid stands up and urges, “You must not be late for your foreign policies lecture, the queen will have my head if you are not on time!” You give her a nod and looking over her shoulder to Levi, you ask, “Walk with me?”

The maids clear out of the way, dispersing as quickly as they came. Levi clears the doorway for you, letting you lead the way down the hall. It was quiet for a moment before the dark-haired knight cleared his throat and murmured, “You were saying?”

“It was nothing,” you rush out, wringing your hands together in a nervous fashion. Silence falls between the two of you again, and you direct your vision to the many doors and paintings you pass on the way to the lecture hall.

It’s an uncomfortable silence, so you try to break it with a joke, “I was surprised you weren’t earlier than you were this morning, seeing as it is your first day back since your illness.” Levi scoffs at your remark and refutes, “I do believe it was you who was up earlier than normal, I knocked on your door precisely at 8 o’clock.”

You giggle at this, your hands still fiddling with one another as the pair of you glide down the hallway. The banter picks up between the two of you as normal, but Levi couldn’t help but feel like there was something you may have been hiding from him.

However, he brushes it off and tries to think nothing of it while he stands guard outside of your lecture hall. He tries to focus on getting back into work and pushes the feeling of your skin and body out of his mind.

---

It had been a few days since the zipper incident and the king and queen announced that they wanted to host a festival in the town square with the spring season ending and merging into a beautiful, warm summer.

For you, it was one of your favorite times of the year, since you got the chance to meet with the children of the town. You loved playing with the children, encouraging their interests, and not letting them give up on their hopes and dreams.

You adored events like this, so it was only natural that you were getting dolled up to meet with the people of your home. The festival typically hosted live music from the best musicians around, food brought from all over the country, and the town square decorated to the top for the best area to go dancing.

You spent most of the morning getting ready for the festival. You had to make sure your dress was absolutely perfect - not too extravagant, but still dressy enough for everyone to recognize you as the princess. Then, you put the finishing touches to your makeup before Levi came knocking on your door around noon.

“Are you ready?” he asks as he guides you through the castle and out through the gates. You sigh dreamily before answering, “I believe so. This is one of my favorite times of the year, after all.”

The two of you made your way down to the town just outside the palace, where people were bustling about, trying to finalize the touches to their stalls. Children were laughing and playing, running around with yellow and red streamers in their hands.

Levi guides you around them, leading you toward the heart of the festival, and your favorite place to be: the dance floor. There were even more children here, and the orchestra was just set off the to side of the tiled area, a joyful tune bouncing off of their strings.

You leave Levi’s side to join them, falling in with the children to dance and let loose. The daytime was made for the children during the festival, and then when the stars would come out and the sun sank below the horizon, the parents would enjoy themselves.

You sing and dance with the children for what seems like hours to Levi, but he doesn’t mind as he stands guard on the edge of the town square. He could easily see you but also maintain a visual around the dance area, his silver gaze on the lookout for any potential intruders.

The songs seem to blend together until a small brown-haired boy grabs onto your right hand. He tugged on your fingers for a moment and asked, “May I dance with you, Princess Y/n?” Your heart feels like it’s about to burst with the sweetness from the young boy, and you give him a sweet smile and a nod.

“Lead the way, good sir!” you chuckle out as you motion to the opening dance floor. Your sage green and dark brown colored skirts ruffle as you are led onto the floor by the bouncing young boy, and you can’t help but giggle as other young girls and boys join you in the middle of the town square.

You can hear the live orchestra count off, and the little boy offers you his other hand to dance, and with a genuine smile, you accept. Since the boy was maybe 8 years old, you had to lean down to hold both of his hands, but he didn’t seem to mind as he began to spin and twirl you around to the music.

While slightly clumsy and uncoordinated in his movements, you didn’t mind the boy's antics, giggling and laughing as the boy spun you, and you spun him. The other children were no different, gleefully dancing the night away.

You didn’t seem to notice Levi’s silver gaze watching you sharply, noting how you giggled each time the boy spun you or the way your eyes lit up when you got mixed up in all of the children dancing. To the dark-haired knight, you looked perfect at that moment.

With the afternoon sun’s warm rays casting down on you, you were simply golden. The festival's market stalls with red and yellow banners donning the kingdom’s insignia were paled in comparison to you. Although you were wearing a more simple gown for the festivities, you shone brighter than any of the lanterns or rays from the sun.

Levi couldn’t tear his eyes away from you. To put it simply, you looked gorgeous. Not just in the way that you were dressed and styled, but in the way that true joy brings out the best in someone. He could feel how raw your emotions were as you danced, and he couldn’t help but wish he was the one swinging you around instead.

Just as the upbeat song ended, Levi felt a passive tap on his side. He instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword, but when he looked to see what had bumped him, he immediately stopped.

There, looking up at him, was a little girl no older than 3 or 4 years old. She had dark, black curls falling around her face, and her bright blue eyes were wide as she stared up at the knight. The little girl taps again on his hand, slightly bouncing as she giggles, “Dance, dance!”

Little did Levi know, you had stopped dancing to catch your breath and talk to him, but you ceased your movements when you saw the little girl next to him. You can’t help but hold your breath as Levi turns to face her, and you can just barely make out the words he says.

“I’m sorry, miss,” he starts, moving to kneel down so he is at eye level with the girl. A frown starts to crease between her eyebrows and she repeats, “Dance! Dance!” She stomps her small feet against the ground in protest, and Levi says as he tries to explain, “I’m working right now, I’m not allowed to dance.”

Tears begin to well up in the little girl’s big blue eyes, threatening to spill down her smooth cheeks. Levi glances around for a second, eyes scoping to see if anyone watched him make this child cry.

From the corner of his periphery, he catches sight of you watching the interaction. He groans internally, but then he sees you motion to the little girl, and he turns to face her again. She reached across to where his arm was resting on his knee, gently grabbing his fingers.

“Dance?” She repeats softer this time, the tears sliding from the edge of her eyes and down her cheeks. Levi’s heart can’t help but melt a little at the touching sight and he lets out a sigh of defeat.

“Just one dance,” he manages as he stands up straight, offering the girl his gloved hand. Instantly, the little girl starts smiling and giggling, “Dance! Dance, dance!” before launching onto Levi’s thigh.

He’s caught off guard for a second, stumbling back a few steps before regaining his balance. The little girl just laughs the entire time, and once again, Levi glances around for help. Unsure of what to do, he reaches down and picks the little girl up by her small waist, hoisting her up to his side opposite his blade.

Just then, the music started to pick back up and more people were making their way to the dance floor, and Levi begrudgingly followed, much to the little girl’s enjoyment. As he shuffles toward the edge of the dance floor, he catches sight of Zeke and Porco, who are standing guard on the other side of the tiled area.

He could see the two blondes snickering to themselves, pointing to the little girl and back to Levi. He can feel a moment of rage well up inside of him, but he pushes it down as he turns to face the little girl and says, “May I have this dance, miss?”

The little girl throws her arms around Levi’s neck and giggles, “Dance, now, now!” Not a moment passes by before the crowd on the dance floor begins to move in sync with the music. Levi starts to copy everyone’s movements to the best he could holding a toddler, but she doesn’t seem to care about his mistakes.

He twirled and spun the two of them around, slowly but surely letting his guard down as he danced around with the girl. You on the other hand, sat watching the two of them from the sidelines, and your heart was swelling in your chest at the adorable scene in front of you.

I had no idea Levi could be so good with children, you think to yourself, Nor did I know he could dance!

As the two of them passed by every few seconds, you could hear the little girl laughing away, and occasionally you could pick up the word “dance”. The music eventually slows to a finish, and you once again see Levi get down on one knee in front of the little girl.

He reaches under his short cloak and pulls out a small clutch of white daisies, offering them to the little girl. She smiles brightly at him as he says, “I would gladly dance with you again, miss.” The little girl launches at him again, wrapping him in an awkward hug before grabbing the flowers and running off.

Levi watches her small figure run up to a woman with two children next to her and another one in her arms. A minute smile makes its way across his lips as he sees the little girl reach up and give her mom the flowers, turning to point back at the dark-haired knight.

The woman gives him a grateful smile, and he pushes off his knees to stand straight and gives her a nod. Just then, he hears someone clear their throat behind him, and when he looks over his shoulder, he sees you standing there.

The sun was just starting to set behind you, illuminating your frame in its golden glow. Levi’s breath catches in his throat as he turns to face you, noting the sly smile on your lips. You rock back and forth on your feet before saying coyly, “I saw you dancing with that little girl, soldier.”

Levi feels a wave of heat wash over him in embarrassment, his cheeks slightly tinging pink at your comment. He glances to the ground with a shrug and mumbles, “It was nothing.” You scoff at him and playfully hip-bump him with a giggle of, “C’mon, that was absolutely adorable!”

You can see a smile start to crack through his faux facade and you nudge him again, and he finally caves in with a chuckle of, “What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just hurt her feelings and leave her to cry.”

You laugh along with him, grabbing his arm as he starts to guide you toward the food stalls, “And the flowers? That was a bit over the top!” He just rolls his eyes, a pleasant smile on his face as he sighs out, “Let’s go get you some food before nightfall.”

He guides the two of you through the market stalls, and you pick and choose which snacks and foods intrigue you the most. Just as you finish off a small glass of cherry wine, Levi pulls you behind one of the market stalls without a word.

You don’t question his movements, simply following in his footsteps until you see where he’s brought you. It’s just one street down from where all of the festivities are taking place, and it’s much quieter without the hustle of everyone and the harshness of the music.

The fresh air and light breeze swirl around you, making you take a deep breath through your nose that you slowly sigh out through your mouth, (colored) orbs fluttering closed. Levi watches you in that moment, noting the way your hair was coming slightly undone from a small clip that pinned away (colored) locks behind your ear.

Then you open your eyes and turn to him, a sweet smile on your lips as you say, “Thanks for getting me out of there for a bit, it was starting to get a little overwhelming.” He nods under your watchful gaze, motioning to a small bench just down the street.

The two of you sit down for a moment, eyes fixed on the sun setting in front of you. The once golden color was now bleeding shades of carmine and lavender, swirled with rusts and peaches. It was silent except for the sound of the festival on the other side of the stone wall behind your bench, not that you minded.

A few minutes of silence pass between you and Levi before he starts to shift, catching your attention. He once again reaches under his cloak, hand fumbling for a second before reappearing with one lone daisy.

The small white flower was still in good condition, only the stalk of the plant slightly bent from where it resided on his belt. You glance from the flower back to Levi, whose cheeks are once again slightly flushed, and he offers the flower to you.

Your (colored) gaze widens as you take it from him, admiring the pureness of the petals and the beautiful golden color of its core. You move to place it in your hair saying, “Thank you, Levi! This will be a lovely addition to my outfit tonight.”

You struggle for a moment, trying to push the stem through your unruly locks of hair that were tangled from dancing. Levi’s voice distracts you as he asks lowly, “May I help?” You give him a thin smile and a nod, handing the flower back to him.

Levi pulls the leather glove off of his left hand, setting it on his lap before taking the flower from you. His thin digits reach up slowly, so as to not scare you, before pushing the stem of the daisy through your (colored) tresses. He then brushes a small piece of hair behind your ear, securing the flower and then dropping his hand back to his lap.

It’s tense for a moment, the air thick with emotion, but Levi coughs once and then starts, “Y/n, I’ve been meaning to ask-” “This is my favorite song!” you burst out, your attention turning toward the music coming from the other street.

The tune was loud and unmistakably your favorite, and you stood up in a hurry, calling, “We must discuss this later! I cannot miss my favorite song!” And with that, you disappeared around the corner, with Levi sighing from where he was on the bench, his stomach dropping.

But, he takes a deep breath, stands up, and follows you back into the festival.

---

Night had fallen. The sky was a deep, midnight blue, flecked with stars that glimmered in the lantern light of the festival. The crowd was livelier now than it had been before dusk, with all the children tucked into bed and the parents out on the town.

For you, however, you were done with dancing and playing. Now, you had to act like the royalty you were supposed to be representing. And that meant dealing with your father and mother who wouldn’t stop talking about Miche and other suitors.

“Honestly, Y/n, I don’t see why you aren’t getting excited about this time in your life,” your mother chastises, motioning to you up and down with a look of slight disappointment on her face. You want to groan internally at her comment, but you just reply tightly, “I would be excited if I found someone worth marrying, mother!”

Your father clears his throat and insists, “Well I do have another fine set of suitors coming in for you to try out. I even believe one of them is a prince!” Instead of being excited by the thought of more suitors, it simply enraged you.

You rise to your feet quickly, rushing out, “I can’t do this.” You take off through the crowd of lords and ladies in waiting, weaving in and out of the people until you disappear from eyesight. You blocked out the calls of your parents as you made haste, tears starting to burn at the edge of your vision.

Levi witnessed the whole encounter from a few yards away, still standing guard for the evening. He immediately takes off after you without saying a word, skirting around the edge of the crowd while tracking your movements.

You don’t notice Levi following you, too enraptured with the thoughts racing in and out of your mind. Tears are blurring your vision, and you are fighting back sobs as you pick up speed, now running toward the edge of the town.

You clumsily find your way onto the roof of a house near the edge of town, the small building far from the center of the festivities. You clamber to the top of the roof, facing the rising moon, which casts a pale glow that makes it so you can see where you are stepping.

Your mind, however, was at war. More suitors? Can’t my parents tell I don’t like their choice of men for me? Have they not seen how I can’t stand any of them? Why don’t they understand I need someone who knows me…. Who likes to be around me, and I like to be around them?

Someone like Levi, the words ring out in your head. A gasp bursts from your chest and you aren’t sure if you’re crying or trying to catch your breath.

Levi?

His name makes you stop for a second, and as the tears slide down your face and you gaze up at the waxing moon, it clicks in your head.

Your heart…. Yearned for someone like Levi. Your hands itched to grasp more than just his arm walking to and from a lecture. Your soul hungered for the conversations of intellect and familiarity. Your lips thirsted for his landing on yours.

The last thought makes your eyes widen in realization, but you don’t have any time to process it when someone sits down next to you. The familiar baritone sighs out, “There you are,” making you turn to face the dark-haired knight.

You give him a tight-lipped smile, one that is holding back tears and the few words circling your mind like a mantra. Levi’s silver gaze flits between your tearful eyes, and his features soften as he watches the teardrops stream down your cheeks.

“Hey, hey,” he almost coos, hunkering down a little to look up at your face as your chin dropped to your chest, attempting to stifle another sob. His brows furrow in thought before he asks quietly, “Are you alright, Y/n?”

There is a tenderness to his voice that almost makes you want to vomit, but you manage to strangle a deep breath in and let a shaky one out. You toss your head from side to side and stutter, “N-no, Levi. I- I’m, uh, not alright.”

You glance back down at your hands and stay silent. Levi stays still, deep in thought before gently imploring, “Would you like to talk about it? I am here to listen.”

This time, when you look back up, Levi can see the moon and stars reflected in your eyes. They were still wet with tears, but your (colored) orbs seemed to hold the entire night sky in them for one second.

And in that one second, a calm peace seemed to wash over the two of you just as you started to speak, “My parents are bringing in more suitors for me to get to know. They don’t think I’m trying hard enough with my royal duties.”

You sniffle, glancing over at Levi and then continuing, “I just feel as if I don’t ever get to do what I want. Or maybe it’s that I’m frustrated they don’t understand what I want.” Levi nods in understanding when you finish talking, shuffling for a moment before murmuring, “Well, they did let you learn to fight, which is something you wanted to do.”

You sway side to side, swinging your head ever so slightly as if to contemplate his words before muttering, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Levi could tell that wasn’t the response you were hoping for, but he was never one to sugarcoat things.

“You need to stand up for yourself, Y/n/n,” he murmurs, softer this time. “They don’t take you seriously because they still see you as a child, following their every order. You need to make them realize you aren’t their precious little girl anymore,” and his gaze locks onto yours with a fiery intensity.

“You’re a woman now, and a strong and independent one at that,” he finishes passionately, moving to stand back up. His words echo in your head, and each time you hear the truths behind them, you can’t help but focus on the tone of his voice.

You open your mouth to reply, but he cuts you off, “Let’s get you back to the festival. We can’t have them thinking their princess ran off in the middle of the night.” At the end of his words, he offers you his hand to take, which you accept. He pulls you to your feet and steadies you before motioning back toward the glow of the festival and says, “After you, princess.”

---

It takes a few days for you to build up the courage to confront your parents about the whole suitor debacle. You knew it was something you couldn’t take lightly, but you knew you needed to tell them sooner rather than later.

And before you know it, you are standing in front of them, heart pounding in your chest as the words that your father just said pound in your head like a hammer.

Your mother and I are in agreement. You haven’t made sufficient effort in courting a suitor, so we have chosen one for you. You’re getting married tomorrow.

It feels like the floor dropped out from underneath you, falling into a nothingness that made your stomach whirl. Married? Tomorrow? You can’t deny their wishes even though your entire body is screaming at you to fight, argue, yell. But you can’t.

So instead, you numbly are whisked away to get fitted for a white gown that you didn’t want. You are run through the order of the wedding and the reception, what you are to do, what you are to say, how you are to act.

You didn’t have the guts to face Levi and tell him of the new development in your life, but you knew he was no fool. He heard the rumors, he saw the preparations. And when he was assigned to stand guard at the main hall the following day, he knew.

You hated everything.

You hated the yellowish tone of the white dress, you always wanted one that was more blush-toned. You hated the way your hair was pinned up off of your neck and out of your face. You didn’t want everyone to see your blank stare and emotionless eyes.

You didn’t want any of this. And neither did the dark-haired knight.

The two of you could only follow orders though, and so uneasily, you survived the night. The following morning comes and you are immediately fawned over by your maids and the wedding planners.

First - your makeup. Second, your hair. Finally, the dress. It was a routine that you had dreamed of being ecstatic about, completely in love with the man you were going to marry. But you weren’t.

There is a knock on your door precisely at noon. Three short taps in a row, followed by two shorter ones. Levi. Just thinking about him makes your heart ache with a pain you never knew you could experience.

A maid rushes to open the door, and just before her hand makes it to the golden handle, you call out, “Wait! Let the guard in and please leave. I require a moment alone.” The maid nods to you, opening the door with a smile and curtsy, sliding out of your room before a familiar figure makes his way in.

You were sitting on a short stool a few feet away from your vanity, staring at your reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall. Your whole image was one of grace and elegance, everything a princess should be.

But the light in your eyes was one of a grounded bird. The emotion in your eyes was reminiscent of a beached whale. The frown on your face with the light of a dying deer, hunted by a mountain lion.

Levi stops in his tracks when he catches sight of you, his mouth parting as he takes in your appearance. To put it simply, you were beautiful. He coughs once to clear his throat, a tight line forming his lips before he states, “I am here to guide you to the main hall, Princess Y/n.”

You turn to face him at the sound of his voice, tears threatening to spill down your powdered cheeks. You can’t fight the wobble in your lip as you utter, “Levi…” You can’t see his brow furrow just a smudge more at the pain in your voice, and you feel terrible for not telling him.

“Levi, I- I-...” and you take a breath, your vision blurring over for a second before you continue, “I am so sorry for not telling you about this plan. My parents-” “I know,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion.

You sniffle and stand up, wiping tears away and reaching for a small towel to pat your face dry. He watches every movement, in awe that he could be near someone so ethereal, so heavenly. Levi finds words on the tip of his tongue again, dancing through his mind, coursing through his blood.

But he knows he can’t say anything, it’s your wedding day, after all. He bites his tongue to keep them from spilling out of his mouth, instead giving you a moment to steel your nerves. You walk toward him once you have cleaned up your appearance, and you open your arms with a sad smile.

“Can I please have a hug? I think it might be the only thing to get me through the day,” you croak out with a subtle shrug. Levi’s heart is pounding in his chest, bursting at the thought and meaning of your words.

He nods though, and takes a step forward, opening his arms to wrap around your waist. Your arms come to rest around his neck, pulling the dark-haired knight closer. His hands are warm on your waist, a feeling you know you will miss when he pulls away.

You don’t mind the hard feel of his armor or the feeling of his breath on your neck. You wished the moment would never end so that you didn’t have to marry a man you didn’t love. It’s ruined when the bells outside your window start to ring, and Levi forces himself to slowly pull away from you, looking deep into your (colored) gaze.

You sniffle again saying, “Thank you, Levi. For everything.” He bows and murmurs, “As you wish, Y/n.” As I wish? I wish… I wish to live in this moment forever, Levi. With you.

Levi clears his throat again, and you can see his stoic mask go back on. You feel a pang of guilt wash over you, even though you know it's not your fault. He offers you his arm, and for what could be the last time, you take it.

He guides you down the familiar halls of the castle you grew up in. There are people fluttering about, finalizing the touches to the reception to be held after the ceremony, but you do your best to block them out.

Instead, you try to focus on the feeling of your hand on Levi’s shoulder pauldron, the chill of the silver metal keeping your attention on the knight. In step, the two of you make it outside the doors of the ceremony, where you will walk down the aisle, alone.

Levi reaches across with his second hand, the gloved fingers grabbing your own digits. He squeezes them slowly in a way you know is meant to calm you down. It’ll be okay. I’ll be in there. You can do this.

You give him a tight-lipped and watery-eyed smile before gushing, “I’ll see you on the other side, right?” He squeezes your hand again and then steps away with a nod and says, “I doubt you could get rid of me if you tried.”

A dry giggle escapes you, making you breathe deeply for the first time that day. You are handed a bouquet of flowers, and as you turn to thank the maid, Levi disappears. Not a moment later, music starts to play from the other side of the doors right before they open.

You are met with the faces of hundreds of lords and ladies, people from the town, and the face of the priest and the man you were marrying standing on the altar. You take a deep breath before marching like a soldier down the aisle decorated with flower petals and large arrangements.

Everyone is standing, staring. But you try to ignore them, focusing on the feeling of your feet landing flat on the ground, the softness of the ribbon holding your bouquet together. The way your heart beat for another man, but was about to be given away to a stranger.

While it seemed like a mile long, you eventually make it to the altar, and you are met with the face of the man you were set to marry. You knew he was probably a good man. He probably had goals for his career, wanted to father a gaggle of children, wanted a wife he could count on and love.

And you knew you couldn’t do that for him.

Mindless words echo out as you repeat the vows from the priest, loveless and cold. You manage to make it through each line, but just as the priest asks, “Princess Y/n, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

I…. the thought reverberates in your head, I, I don’t love this man, I can’t marry him.

“Y/n?” a voice calls to you, and it shakes you out of your head. Your (colored) gaze snaps from the priest, who looks concerned, to the man you are about to marry, around to the gathered congregation. In your heart, you knew you were searching for one person. One man you knew your heart burned for.

You turn back to the priest, withdrawing your hands from your betrothed, and you utter, “I, I can’t do this. My heart belongs to another.” At that, you grab your skirts, rush down the few steps, and run up the aisle, leaving the man at the altar.

The crowd gasps in shock at the scandal playing out in front of them, and you see people reaching for you, grabbing at you as you make your way out of the main hall. You don’t hear your father’s call after you, lost in the destruction your heart created.

“Ackerman, find her!” your father’s voice booms out, but the dark-haired knight is already on the move. The knight immediately takes off, running as he tries to keep your frame in sight. He knew you were strong from all of your training, but evidently, your stamina was still intact despite wearing a heavy gown.

You find yourself running blindly, passing maids, butlers, and gardeners finishing up the last touches of flowers for the reception. Your lungs were burning like the red-hot flames from the forge you passed in desperation. You push past all of them, tears blurring your vision as you run as fast as you can away from everything.

You can hear footsteps following you, but you don’t really care who it is or what they want. “Leave me alone, please!” you wail as you tear through bushes, your eyes closed as you burst into an open garden. Unknowing to you, you ran the entire way to the Josephina Garden where you first encountered a certain dark-haired knight.

Not a moment later, a warm hand closes on your wrist, and you are quickly spun around to face the assailant. You blink through the tears as you make out the figure of Levi, concern written all over his face. Your chest is heaving from your run in the heavy white dress, but Levi seems rather unphased.

He takes a deep breath before stuttering out, “W-why did you say that, Y/n? You know you shouldn’t lie about stuff like that, especially in front of your family and, and the kingdom.” You can see the emotion on his face plain as day, like reading a book that you know word for word.

You could see the way his brow creased, like the gaps between paragraphs when the words seemed to stop flowing. You could see the confusion in his grey, steel eyes, that reminded you of the words you had to reread over and over again just to understand their meaning.

Every feature of his face, you knew, though. Levi was like the dog-eared fold in your favorite book, the paper worn smooth from how many times you flipped it open. He was like your favorite line when the girl finally let the guy take her out on the town on their first date.

Levi was memorizable, you knew every piece about him, and every thought and feeling as he stood in front of you, grasping your arm. Yet he was blind, and couldn’t read the book that he was himself.

“I am in love with someone else!” you shout again, moving to pull your wrist away from the grasp Levi had on it. He doesn’t budge though, holding you firm as you try to pull away from him.

He pulls you closer, his second hand coming up to grasp your shoulder as he barks, “Who?! Who on this goddamn earth would you be in love with?!” Levi pauses, looking deeper into your (colored) eyes before his voice cracks and he murmurs, “I’m your best friend, Y/n, you would have told me if there was someone else you loved.”

You take a deep breath and close your eyes, willing the tears to stop flowing and your heart to stop pounding as loudly as it was. You could feel it rattling your ribcage, attempting to crawl up your throat and make a fool of yourself.

And it betrays you in an instant.

“It’s you!” you exclaim, ripping your arms away from him in a moment of strength, throwing them into the air. The words ring out loudly, the silence that followed them almost deafening. You peek your eyes open as you look up from the ground to meet Levi’s hardened and confused gaze.

“It’s you, Levi,” you whisper as you lock eyes with him. He turns his head in bewilderment, and then he starts shaking it in denial, “No. No, it’s not. It’s not me, Y/n. Don’t joke with me about this.”

You laugh dryly as you throw your hands in the air again and scoff, “I wouldn’t lie or joke about something like this, Levi.” You meet his intense gaze again and gesture to him with a softer, “You know I wouldn’t.”

You can see him swallow thickly, his hands clenching by his sides. You can see the words forming on his lips, and you can just barely hear them when he whispers, “You can’t…” Levi doesn’t say anything after that, so you take the moment to fill in every question you know is racing around his mind.

“It’s… it’s always been you, Levi. It’s been you since the very first training session when you knocked me to the ground,” you start, your right hand coming up to caress your left bicep in shyness. “It’s been you since that night in the forge when you helped me cope with Rico’s death,” you whisper.

You shrug as you smile fondly and state, “It’s been you since you let that little girl dance with you at the festival. It’s been you since you sat on the roof with me, giving me a taste of normalcy.” You sniffle as fresh tears stream down your cheeks, “It’s always been you.”

Levi is mute. Not a sound escapes him as his mouth parts, unsaid words and questions hanging on the tip of his tongue. You don’t say anything, letting him process each and every moment, reliving them as you did in your own mind.

Finally, he speaks, “You’re lying. You can’t possibly love someone like me.” The words are harsh and cut right to your core. Lying? He thinks you’re lying? The look on his face shows that he is completely dumbfounded, flabbergasted, amazed.

Emotion and frustration builds up inside you as he denies you again. And then, you’ve had enough and you can’t handle it anymore.

“Believe me!” you shout, your voice ripping at the heightened volume. You pause as you feel your throat tighten and clench. Then, “Bel-believe me, when I say this to you, Levi,” and you straighten your shoulders to match his stance.

You meet his gaze and then your voice rings out, “Believe me when I say I love you.” A sob wracks your body and then you finish, “Because I do. I do love you, Levi, with my entire being.”

Passion overcomes Levi and he lunges forward, grabbing onto your waist as if you would disappear under his touch. He holds onto you for the first time without ever asking, pulling you close to him as he urges, “Repeat that, please.”

You look deep into his eyes as your hands come up to cup his angled cheekbones and you whisper, “I said I love you.” A smile cracks through Levi’s lips as he watches your lips move and as tears well up in his grey eyes he rushes out, “Again!”

A slight giggle falls from your lips as you repeat, “I love you, Levi.” The dark-haired knight just grips you tighter, pulling you closer and more flush to his chestplate. A moment passes between the two of you, and with Levi looking deep into your (colored) eyes he murmurs, “I love you, Y/n.”

You feel butterflies erupt in your belly, the feeling completely washing over you in mere seconds. Levi moves one hand from your waist to slowly close his palm on your cheek, his head tilting to the side ever so slightly.

“... may I?” his voice comes out so soft you almost miss what he says, but the meaning behind his silver gaze is undeniable. With such an intensity, his eyes flicker from your own (colored) ones to your parted lips, and there is no doubt in your mind.

Not trusting your voice, you nod, leaning into his touch without another thought. His nose bumps yours in a way that could be seen as clumsy and inexperienced, but it’s endearing the way he pauses, allowing himself to enjoy the smallest touches.

He nuzzles you for just a moment before his lips land on yours, soft and warm. He’s slow as his mouth meets yours for the first time. Levi is nothing but gentle as he kisses you, holding you with such a tenderness that it makes your knees weak. You clutch onto him as you let your mouth move against his, enjoying every second of his love.

You can’t bear to open your eyes when you feel him pull away, wanting to savor every fleeting memory of Levi kissing you. When you do allow your eyes to flutter open, you find Levi staring at you, cheeks pink and an embarrassed look on his face.

“Was that not to your liking?” you ask quietly, scared that you had somehow messed up your first kiss with the knight. Levi shakes his head from side to side, and with a small smile, he replies, “No, not at all. I just can’t believe there was something so perfect out there and I never knew it until this moment.”

You feel heat wash over you at his comment, eyes tipped toward the ground. The hand that was caressing your cheek stops your movement, pulling your chin up to face him. Levi’s gaze is so intense it feels like knives are splitting you open and he says, “You are so beautiful, Y/n. I would lay down my life for you if you asked.”

You smile at him and lean into his touch before whispering, “Let us hope it never comes to that, Levi. I don’t think I could live without you.” Levi smiles and murmurs back, “As you wish, princess, as you wish.”

–The End–

Tags: @anlian-aishang @xyumemi @xxdragonwriterxx @starstruckkittensweets @darlingheichou

319 notes · View notes

lilacfiresoul · 26 days

Text

cheat, april 2 -- @jegulus-microfic -- 1,144 words

kind of went a little over here lol because this was so fun to write! anyways, enjoy <3

-----

“That’ll be 850, please,” Regulus says smugly.

Lily, rolling her eyes, reluctantly hands over a sheaf of brightly coloured Monopoly money. “And now I’m basically broke. Regulus takes my money yet again.”

Glancing over at his boyfriend, James watches Regulus add the notes to his bank, all of them arranged neatly from highest to lowest in a line next to his properties. They’re already quite far into the game, with several houses on the board and the odd few hotels, mainly on Regulus’ properties. He’s the banker, and James is unsure if that’s the reason for his success, or if he’s genuinely just a good player.

Sirius seems to think the former, as he angrily tosses the dice onto the board and lands, surprise, surprise, on one of Regulus’ properties. Again.

“No!” he howls, slapping his hands on his forehead, earning a bemused look from Remus. “I swear he’s rigged the dice!”

“Sirius, how I can rig dice?” Regulus responds brusquely. “That’s 330.”

“Lily, you shouldn’t have let him be the banker,” Sirius accuses, glaring at Lily. “Whenever he’s the banker, I lose!”

James leans over to Regulus, resting his arm on the back of the chair, mumbling, “Sirius seems to think you’re a cheat, Reg.”

“He’s just a sore loser,” Regulus informs him matter-of-factly. “Every time I’m the banker, he says—”

“—It’s bad luck, Lily, he rigs it—”

“That I’m a liar,” Regulus begins.

“He lies, he schemes, he plots, he—”

“—Plans.” Regulus nods. Sirius flashes him an irritated look, but Regulus doesn’t even sound upset about it, just amused, as if he’s heard all of this before. His fingers are laced together in front of him, a businessman about to suggest a proposal. “You need to get more creative at your insults, Sirius.”

“Oh, shut up,” his brother growls, flinging the money at Regulus in a shower of coloured paper.

James can’t help chuckling, leading to Sirius narrowing his eyes at him. Caught, James drops his arm, straightening in his seat.

“I see how it is,” Sirius announces. “James is helping him.”

There’s a beat, and Regulus laughs. “I don’t need help. I build my Monopoly empire with my own blood, sweat, and tears.”

The game continues. Sirius stews in silence as Remus rolls the dice, missing Regulus’ properties completely and landing safe on an unclaimed plant. Then Mary rolls, grinning as she gives Lily 100.

“I don’t mind giving you my money,” she tells Lily, who swoons.

Regulus goes, where he lands on one of Sirius’ properties. He has to hand over 200 through gritted teeth, like it pains him to part with his fake money, much to Sirius’ delight.

And then it’s James’ turn.

It honestly couldn’t have worked out better. James rolls six, putting his figurine right on one of Regulus’ properties.

With a hotel.

“Ha!” Sirius crows, jabbing a finger at it.

Defeatedly, James asks Regulus, “How much do I owe you?”

Regulus looks at his cards, though James and everyone else at the table knows Regulus is doing it just for show, pretending as if he doesn’t know exactly how much James owes him.

“1150.”

Even though he’s played Monopoly so many times, James has never won at it. One time a few years ago, he’d played with his parents and Regulus. It had gone on for hours, and both him and Effie had lost, leaving it a tense battle between Regulus and Fleamont. James’ dad had won by the skin of his teeth, and has never let Regulus live it down.

James can’t help comparing that time to now, how he only has 500 left, majorly under the rent due, and how the same thing had happened last time. Regulus had let him lose then, hellbent on beating Fleamont, but now he has a mischievous gleam in his eye as James presents him with the last of his money.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Regulus continues. “It’s a hotel. I’ll let you stay there for free, if you give me a kiss to make up for it.”

“What?” Sirius explodes. “That’s not— You can’t do that— Lily—”

Lily holds up her hands. “It’s just my game, I can’t control what he does.”

Scrabbling for the box, Sirius finds the rulebook and flicks it open. “It’s against the rules.”

“I’m the banker.”

“That means nothing—”

Remus and Mary are silently laughing behind their hands, tears in Mary’s eyes as she tries to keep quiet. Lily’s eyes dart between the two of them, pressing her lips together.

“Are you calling my boyfriend a cheat, Sirius?” James asks innocently. “I don’t think it’s in the rulebook.”

“He’s also my bloody brother, James—”

“It’s not in the book,” Remus confirms.

A charged silence falls over the table. Regulus, grinning, hooks a finger under James’ chin to tug him closer. Entranced, James follows, like a dog with a bone, the tide to the moon, the planets to the sun.

The kiss is chaste, sweet, as people are watching, but underneath the table, Regulus squeezes James’ thigh, the promise of more to come later.

They part, and it’s an effort for James not to grab him by the neck and kiss him senseless, but he refrains, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering at the wink Regulus sends his way.

“Cheaters,” Sirius huffs. “Thought you did this alone, Reggie. If you’re doing that, I’m also doing it.”

“Be my guest. You don’t have to hotel yet,” Regulus quips.

The game continues for another few rounds. Mary goes out first, after divvying out her savings to Sirius, of all people. Remus goes out second, unable to pay his debt to Regulus. Lily is soon to follow, tossing her leftover bits of money to Regulus as well. Sirius is the fourth out, coming dangerously close to flipping the board as he also hands all of his money over to Regulus.

It’s just him and James left.

And James, in a cruel, or rather predictable, twist of fate, lands on one of Regulus’ properties. Again.

It’s laughable, honestly.

Sirius puts his head in his hands and wails because his brother has won. Mary, bursting into laughter again, excuses herself to get a glass of wine, and Lily and Remus try to smother their laughter at Sirius’ dramatic reaction.

“You going to steal all of my money?” James whispers. “It’s yours, if you want it.”

“Don’t need to. I’ve already won anyway.”

Regulus kisses him again, and Sirius, mumbling something about cheaters, best friends kissing brothers, and how shitty this game is, flips the Monopoly board.

#frost's microfics #more fluff? what's gotten into me?#i suck so bad at monopoly ngl #jegulus microfic #jegulus fic #james potter x regulus black #james x regulus #starchaser #sunseeker #regulus x james #the black brothers #marauders era #james potter #regulus black #sirius black #remus lupin #mary macdonald #lily evans

95 notes · View notes

a-forbidden-detective · 5 months

Text

Curious add-ons: additions and deletions, Episode 11 (Part 7)

A bit of a warning: photo-heavy post

Eleven episodes in, and it is safe to say that I love these versions of Ron and Toto. Don’t get me wrong Akira Amano hasn’t done anything wrong, it is just these RonToto are kinder and more codependent from each other that I am 110 per cent sure they’d compete with that kind of codependency from the manga RonToto, and anime RonToto would win.

They diminished Toto’s comedic childlike expressions on this episode removing the giggle on Toto’s part, for example, when he asked Ron if the latter had a friend. Junya Enoki, for his part, admitted that because Toto is a grown man and a police officer, he doesn’t need to act cute all the time. The reason this scene is much more tender than in the manga. The “what’s so funny?” question from Ron was omitted and instead the anime writers made Toto stammer with his “N-not even… one?” After hearing Ron’s answer that he considers Toto to be his friend, he replies with a much more humbled “I am glad to hear it” and not “Gee, thanks.” And then the blush on Toto’s face as if he is darn proud and happy because after all they have been through, Ron treats him more special than the others, that is being allowed to be closer to him by becoming his friend.

Truth be told, these instances of blushing from the main characters would turn me into mush.

Another passage omitted from the manga and the new dialogue has become a Sherlock BBC reference in the anime.

Kawasemi san: “If you want to hide a tree, hide it in a forest.” (Episode 11)

SH from Sherlock BBC: “If you wanted to hide a tree then the best place to do it is a forest, wouldn’t you say? People would just walk past it, not knowing - not able to decipher the message.” (Episode 2, Season 1, The Blind Banker)

Surely, one of these days I’d write a list of all these Sherlock BBC references: from the manga to anime, because they are so many. Of course, it could have been the translator’s choice in the end.

Continuity problems in the manga are explained in the anime.

a) the reason Ron eats dangos 🍡 on the train;

b) Constable Kimyou, whose surname doesn’t mean “strange”

c) Ron accompanying Toto was not a chance where he got an email from the neurology institute, but it was a planned or let’s just say a convenient way to ride with Toto on the train at the same time going to Aichi with a purpose.

The anime crew adding this scene. Toto’s joyful reaction upon seeing his friend again after witnessing Kawasemi’s slump in person. Probably Toto was relieved and had missed his friend so much after their abrupt and odd parting at the Nagoya train station, in which he had so many questions that were partly answered at the end of the episode.

Can you see the puppets and the No. 96 (Ron’s scar which has become part of him) from the shop? Not only they increased the price from ¥900 (in 2021) to ¥960 (2023) but Ron’s puppets Kamo-kyun (platypus) and Eli Pyon (frill-necked lizard) are on sale.

This ending that fuels a few questions. Ron was sort of refusing to look at Toto as he explained his meeting with Dr. Mofu and her subsequent referrals to the other medical professionals concerning his pathological condition to pressure the criminals to suicide. Instead he looked at his reflection on the glass train window, Toto’s delightful enthusiastic voice had become white noise. This Ron is more pessimistic and not so much looking forward to the therapy and its possible outcome. I wonder if the anime writers (Jackson Ou wrote the episode with a storyboard from Shingo Tamaki who were also responsible to previous Kawasemi episode) would deviate a bit from the manga.

Two more episodes and I don’t want it to end. There are so many materials available and it seems we haven’t scratched the surface yet. The tension is getting bigger. It would be nicer if they are given the second cour and end the first season with the Plateau Aubege arc. A perfect ending to establish a canon RonToto.

#kamonohashi ron no kindan suiri #ron kamonohashi #totomaru isshiki #akira amano #ron et toto #ron kamonohashi: deranged detective #deranged detective #deranged detective: ron kamonohashi #rkdd spoilers #curious add ons #rkdd wall of text #rkdd vs sherlock bbc #episode 11 #ron kamonohashi's forbidden deductions #kawasemi omito #rontoto #rontoto moment #long post #bbc sherlock

62 notes · View notes

raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

Note

Hi! Hope I wasn't bothering you. I have a question for you that might seem odd(?):

How do you think the boys who don't really mention their families relationships with their relatives are like? For example: Does Cater have a good relationship with his sisters and vice versa or nah?

We actually know quite a bit about the TWST boys’ relationships with their family members (with a few exceptions, and with varying degrees of detail). It’s one of the benefits of being ahead in the JP version and having read up on a lot of the characters’ lore, I guess 🤣 So I’m not sure which characters you mean by those who “don’t really mention [what] their family relationships are like”?

I feel bad leaving the question unanswered though, so here’s a rundown of each main TWST boy and their various familial relationships (most of the things here can be easily deduced or is outright confirmed canon across the main story, vignettes, character lines, events, and/or other official TWST media):

***PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD.***

Riddle

Riddle’s mother is a well-known medical healer in their hometown. However, she is also a very strict parent and controlled Riddle’s diet and day-to-day schedule down to the minute, losing her temper at those that would question her rules and parenting. Young Riddle saw his mother as an example to follow, even if her decisions made him unhappy. Modern day Riddle (particularly following the events of episode 1) has recognized how toxic his mother’s parenting methods were. In episode 4, he resolves to confront her about this, but we never get to hear about the outcome. It is to be noted that his demeanor changes when he speaks about his mother--he appears much less sure of himself and adopts a different expression than usual. We can deduce that his present relationship with her is very strained.

Riddle has a father who is also a magical healer, but Riddle’s relationship with his him is largely unknown.

Riddle implies that his parents may have a poor relationship with one another, as he says in one of his Groom-for-a-Day lines that he wishes the Queen of Hearts would share the secret to having a happy marriage with his parents.

Trey

Trey’s a normal guy coming from a normal family that runs a normal bakery. His mother and father run Patisserie Clover, and he helps them with its operation when he’s not busy. (In fact, Trey started playing soccer because his parents thought it would help him be fit for the heavy-lifting duties at the bakery.)

He has one younger sister and a younger brother that he helps his parents look after. It’s said by some of Trey’s underclassmen that he probably got into the habit of taking care of others because he already has the experience caring for his own siblings. Trey confirms that he has to tell his little brother to brush his teeth before bed.

The Clover siblings often bug Trey to make sweets fr them.

Cater

Cater doesn’t mention his mom; it’s not clear if she’s gone or if she’s still around and he just doesn’t talk about her.

His father is a banker. Because the bank he works at has branches all over Twisted Wonderland, the Diamond family moves every 1-2 years to accommodate for his job. Cater’s relationship with his father is never further elaborated on in canon.

Cater has two older sisters who are very into the idea of everything they do or own being "cute". From the way he speaks about them, it seems that he thinks they’re annoying to deal with, as they are said to boss Cater around and force him to do things he doesn’t care for (such as eating sweets and dressing up in clothes that they prefer) in their youth.

Cater does mention that his sisters have gotten a little nicer to him over time. He says they don’t have bad intentions and more, recently, have been asking him ahead of time what he would like to do rather than deciding for him.

Ace

The only family member we’ve heard Ace mention significantly is his older brother, who is a graduate of NRC and has told Ace how to kill time on campus (they seem to both be slackers). Trappola-nii is 7 years older than Ace and is employed in the field of entertainment (he also interned for the same company during his fourth year).

The Trappola bros are close with each other, with the older brother pulling pranks on Ace (such as buying a fancy watch with his first paycheck, posing it like a birthday present to Ace, but then going, “oh, it’s actually for myself”, blowing out the candles on Ace's birthday cake, or giving Ace an empty box as a gift and then filling it with candy). They are also on the phone at night with one another often.

It was his older brother that showed Ace how to do magic tricks (Ace learned by watching him) and how to lie effectively. He also loves movies.

Ace's brother appears to be a skilled Magift player (which is, perhaps, in part why Ace was so eager to play the sport in episode 2); Trappola-nii led Heartslabyul for the Magift opening ceremony during his school years, and there is a picture of this near a staff room.

Trappola-nii was happier than even their parents when he learned Ace got into NRC.

Even though they fight sometimes, Ace describes his brother as being light-hearted and easy to get along with. He thinks there are advantages to having an older brother, as he can rely on them for help and for advice. Ace sometimes has long phone calls into the night with his brother.

Ace has mentioned that though his father is not a mage, he is able to do simple card tricks.

His mother has yet to be mentioned in any kind of prominent manner.

His grandmother read the story of The Little Mermaid to him when he was younger. She's also the one who told Ace about the Ghost Camera.

Deuce

Deuce comes from a single parent household in Clock Town (a town in the southern are of the Queendom of Roses). It is not known what happened to his dad, or what Deuce’s relationship with his father was like.

He has a grandma, but we don’t have many details about her or Deuce’s relationship with her.

His mom often takes him to limited time grocery store sales. She tends to buy a lot, so Deuce, as the only man of the household, helps her with the bags and other hard labor.

His mother, Dylla, works as a truck driver for the famous White Rabbit Deliveries, a delivery company in the Queendom of Roses. She and Deuce share a love for vehicles.

Deuce often talks with her over the phone about school and his friends Yuu, Ace, and Grim.

Dylla and Deuce used to not get along during his delinquent phase. Deuce would spend time in public parks to be out of the house and away from confronting her.

Like her son, Dylla can be strong-willed, earnest, and stubborn. When she is pressured by a group of delinquents to pay for their laundry bill, she refuses and says it’s their own carelessness that got cream on their clothes.

He is amicable with his mother and appears to care deeply for her, even when he was still in his delinquent phase. It was in overhearing his mother blame herself for him going down a bad path that drove Deuce to change and set his sights on pursuing the goal of becoming an honors student. Everything he does is really driven by trying to improve himself to make his mother proud, even as early as the main story’s prologue, to events like Wish Upon a Star (in which he cries when his mom calls let Deuce know she’s proud of him).

Mrs. Spade openly talks about the cute clothes Deuce wore as a kid. She mentions that their family doesn’t have much money, so she asked coworkers for hand-me-down bc clothes, which she worked on to provide Deuce with a fancy outfit to wear for a holiday.

She cherishes spending time with her son; the White Rabbit Fest started the year Deuce was born and she’s been going with him every year (until he “grew up”). She misses those times and wishes he would come home more.

Dylla sometimes also took little Deuce into her work office; this was before his delinquent phase in middle school. Her coworkers recognize Deuce because of this (and are also aware of his middle school self and how different he is now, remarking that he has “really become a good boy”).

Deuce’s mom is not that good with operating electronics. This is perhaps part of why Deuce developed the talent of machine maintenance and tinkering (from helping his mom out).

Deuce is infamous in his hometown for causing a lot of trouble to others, including his neighbor. Dylla would constantly apologize for her son, and, in present day, often tells others about Deuce’s achievements and how he has turned over a new leaf. Unfortunately, some townspeople still refuse to believe her.

Of course, Dylla is very proud of how Deuce has earnestly turned over a new leaf.

Because Deuce loves eggs, Dylla has become good at preparing egg dishes. She says she is not as good at cooking anything else.

It's implied that Deuce and his mom have little in terms of free spending money, as he talks about taking advantage of supermarket sales, how little his allowance is, how his mom started gardening to help save on food costs, and how the money he wins in book 5 can really help out his family.

Leona

Farena/Falena is Leona’s older brother by 10 years. Leona’s father is ill, so Farena/Falena, is temporarily assuming the duties of king in his place. We don’t know about Leona’s mother, nor about his relationship with his parents.

Farena/Falena is shown to be supportive of Leona despite Leona’s dour and pessimistic behavior. He sends Leona expensive gifts and insists that Leona can do great things for their country, even if he is not crowned king. In spite of this, Leona does not return Farena/Falena’s love, instead thinking of his elder brother as carefree and not thinking of the Sunset Savanna’s future.

Leona is also annoyed by his nephew and brother’s son, 5-year-old Cheka, who is very eager to play with and learn from him. Cheka sends letters, calls, and even sneaks out to see his uncle, which irritates Leona to no end. He seems to try and avoid Cheka as much as possible, but has no choice but to return home or to take his calls from time to time.

Farena/Falena has a wife, making her Leona’s sister-in-law. Though she is not often mentioned, Leona usually does obey her requests (even if he doesn’t necessarily want to) as he “respects women”, as per the culture of the Sunset Savanna.

Ruggie

Ruggie’s father left “for work” one day and never came back, and it is not certain whether he is alive or not. Meanwhile, his mother “became a star” (she died after giving birth to him).

Ruggie’s legal guardian is his grandmother; they reside together in the slums of the Sunset Savanna. They don’t have a lot in terms of money or belongings, but they get along just fine with one another and do what they can to scrape together money and food to survive. Granny Bucchi is described by Ruggie to be “kind but tough”, scolding the neighborhood kids for misbehaving but also putting forth the effort to save ingredients so she can provide homemade donuts for her grandson on his birthday every year.

Granny Bucchi is great at cooking and taught Ruggie how to do it.

Ruggie sends pictures home to her.

Though Ruggie doesn’t have any siblings, it can be said that he treats the neighborhood kids as his brothers and sisters (even if he refers to them as “brats”). They are all struggling to get by, so he consciously gets leftovers and other tidbits from the cafeteria ghosts to bring home with him on winter break to share with everyone.

Jack

Jack mentions having a mother and father; it is assumed that they get along okay, as he doesn’t mention having any particular qualms with them. He also mentions grandparents.

Wolf beastmen only have one partner for life, and Jack says he suspects he will have a relationship like that similar to his parents and grandparents.

He also has a younger brother and a younger sister. His brother is 11, and his sister is 7. Jack says that he often does winter sports with them, particularly his brother, such as skiing.

When his brother was younger, he’d always used to follow Jack around the house like a puppy. However, now that he’s older, he “started to get really rude” to Jack, though Jack says that the attitude means he can have a healthy sibling rivalry with his brother. It is notable that Jack’s brother is a non-mage.

As for his sister, she is said to always nag her brothers to include her in their outings. Jack appears to worry for her safety, as he wants to include her and to experience the thrill of gliding down a mountain with her too, but that she doesn’t have the endurance yet at her age. Overall, both of Jack’s younger siblings really look up to him!

Azul

Azul’s mother runs a successful restaurant (which the Tweels visited in middle school). She provided Azul with many of his favorite foods and encouraged him to clean his plate. Azul extols her business acumen and culinary abilities, as now her restaurant is considered the “hottest” in the Coral Sea. He is delighted that they have shared vocations and interests.

His mom spoils him. One example is through food; she provides a lot for him.

We don’t know a lot about Azul’s biological father, only that Mama Ashengrotto met her current husband and Azul’s stepfather over the course of her divorce proceedings. Stepfather Ashengrotto is a lawyer, and Azul describes him as “soft hearted and sincere”, but a master at his craft. Azul picked up some knowledge about laws and contracts from him, and he is someone that Azul greatly admires. Additionally, Azul presents him as someone that his mother is quite happy with.

Another important figure in Azul’s family is his grandmother. He notes that everyone in is family is capable of using magic, with his grandmother being a particularly gifted mage. Like the Sea Witch, Grandma Ashengrotto uses her powers to help their neighbors. From his wording, it seems that Azul is also pleased that his grandma is just as benevolent as he is.

His grandma is strict and scary when she is angry. She wants Azul to grow up to be someone who is strong, independent, and willing to help others. Azul says that he loves his grandma a lot and has a strong bond with her. He attributes who he is today and his stance on compensation to his grandma.

Both of Azul’s (biological) parents are mages.

Azul says his mom got busy with the restaurant after her divorce, so his grandma often looked after him. Grandma Ashengrotto spoiled young Azul with lots of snacks every time he came home from school. He describes her as being too kind (though he learned of her strictness when she started instructing him on magic). Azul used to run away from lessons because of this, but once he started to find success in his magic, he enjoyed the compliments his grandma offered. He ultimately credits his being good at magic to his grandmother.

Jade and Floyd

Jade and Floyd are twins, with “neither being the older one or the younger one”. They have also said that they “chose” each other. This speaks to a popular fan theory which states that Jade and Floyd were the lone survivors (because they worked together) in a large group of Leech siblings that were not able to survive in the harsh environment of the Coral Sea. Jade often enables Floyd to act out (as it brings him a lot of entertainment), and, of the two, Floyd is the one that is concerned about not being treated as though he is “the same” as Jade. They know when to not get in each other’s way, but they do quarrel at times (which doesn’t necessarily mean they hate each other, they generally do, in fact, get long).

... Actually, you know what? I’d recommend just reading this long ass post I wrote about Jade and Floyd’s sibling dynamic, otherwise I’ll ramble here forever and ever.

Jade tells us that their mother contacts them nearly every day and seems to be a worrier. Mama Leech was also said to have taught Jade self-defense as a child, so she appears to be a protective parent as well. Floyd calls their mom “mama”, so some have taken this to mean that he in particular is a mama’s boy.

Papa Leech also taught the twins useful skills like lock picking and how to break out of binds.

Their father is influential in the Coral Sea and puts a strong emphasis on dressing well and how one presents themselves (which is why Floyd seems to take an interest in fashion, particularly shoes). Jade insists that their family business is very “normal”, but it seems very suspicious that their father’s business associates try to give gifts to curry favor with him.

More recently, we learned that Jade and Floyd also live with their grandmother, though not much else is known about her.

Kalim

Kalim’s father is a wealthy merchant. He made his money through innovation and by making use of the waterways in Silk City. Papa Asim always seems to be busy, but he also seems to be a jolly guy. He donated a lot of money to NRC to get Kalim in, as well as to build entirely new parts of the Scarabia dorm (including a storage room to keep the mountains of gold and jewels he sends Kalim), so it’s clear that Papa Asim wants to financially support his family and invest in its future.

Kalim often goes on business trips with his father; additionally, their home(s) is often used to host important guests. He likes seeing people happy at these functions!

Kalim describes his mother as a sweet lady that says nice things about him and rarely gets mad. Before him, his mom was the only one in his family capable of using magic.

Most notably, Kalim says he has roughly about 30-40 younger siblings (he has lost track of how many exactly; it's not clear if they are all from one mother or not), and he is the eldest. He says his siblings are very cute and he likes playing with them. Apparently, they can all play instruments and sometimes put on performances for their parents. Kalim says that he has a soft spot for those younger than him, perhaps because he has so many younger siblings.

Kalim has relatives that are royalty.

One of his cousins owns a tiger.

The previous dorm leader of Scarabia was also an Asim and recommended Kalim to be next in line.

Whenever the family gets together, they throw big, lavish parties and enjoy one another’s company. Kalim believes that it is very important to spend time with one's family.

Kalim's entire family plays a big role in the economy and the politics of Silk City. In fact, they developed a network of canals and first used those to do trade, which allowed the city to flourish. Kalim hopes that he can be as influential and helpful as his ancestors were.

Jamil

Jamil has a mother and a father which we learn about via his episode 4 post-OB flashback. The Viper family has been in servitude to the Asim family for several generations, and it seems that Mama and Papa Viper are very adamant in maintaining this relationship, and keeping Jamil in a place of subservience to Kalim (often reminding Jamil to never surpass or perform better than the young master). Because of this, Jamil is sometimes shown to be frustrated not only with his situation, but with his parents for not being willing to “understand” him.

He also has a 14-year old younger sister named Najma, whom we meet face-to-face in an event where we visit Silk City in the Scalding Sands. Previously, Jamil had mentioned Najma in a few lines, such as saying that his younger sister makes fun of the dishes he cooks and complains they look boring. They bicker with one another a fair bit, with Najma sharing embarrassing stories of Jamil in his youth to his classmates and cheekily eating Jamil’s food, and Jamil being annoyed at her for it and retaliating in reserved, sarcastic way. Still, it does appear that they care for one another, but just don’t act overt about it. For example, Jamil decides to give a VDC ticket to Najma when he could have chosen to not invite her at all, and Najma is happy and curious to learn about her big brother’s NRC friends.

Vil

We don’t know much about Vil’s family other than his father, who is a magicless and a famous actor that goes by the stage name “Eric Venue”. Eric is a very supportive father and encouraged young Vil in his acting endeavors (even when Vil kept being typecasted in exclusively villain roles), calling his son cute and talented.

They are not open with the public about being related, as Vil wants to be known for his own merits rather than for his connection with an already well-established figure in the entertainment industry.

Vil traveled around with his dad for work and he maintains a strong relationship with his father to this day; it seems that Eric keeps up with Vil’s gigs and often dotes on him. For example, his dad makes an active effort to try and make time in his schedule to hang out with his son (eating lunch, shopping, and seeing movies together).

Eric took Vil with him to his shoots since before Vil started elementary school. It was here that Vil's career started, as he was asked by the staff to participate.

Eric is okay with frankness + informalities and can be down-to-earth when he’s not working. He’s eager to meet Vil’s friends!! Eric gives off a very mature and charming aura.

Though they don’t make their status as father and son public, they do sometimes work together in productions. Vil can be stern with Eric, being blunt about his flaws and stubborn when it comes to negotiating professionally (like his father)

They laugh similarly and share a love for fashion, beauty, and health.

Eric does mostly of his own stunts rather than relying on a body double. Vil seems to really admire his father and his work, and someday wishes to join Eric among the ranks of the elites of the entertainment industry. For example, his father’s handprints are in the Legend Plaza and Vil aims for the same. Vil also dreams of being able to play a middle aged father character like Eric has before.

Eric worried about Vil's social life, as Vil was a child actor often absent from school for his work. Because of this, Vil did not have many friends in his childhood and usually spent time home alone with the family maid.

Eric had a period of time in which he was given only minor roles (thanks to a magazine declaring he was "third-rate" and was only successful because of his looks), but he continued to be so successful that he eventually returned to playing the star. He started his own production company and now stands at the top of the entertainment industry.

Eric is humble and declares that he has many faults. One of these faults is he is bad at housework, both cooking and cleaning. They have a maid that often scolds him for this.

Vil and Eric are often so busy they don't spend time living together. However, the little time they do spend in their home is described to be happy. They would take it easy and stay put, as going outside would just attract attention.

Vil and Eric made beauty treatments and supplements together at home for fun. Eric is apparently very knowledgeable about beauty products.

Eric works very hard, doing jobs that should be left to lower ranked staff members of his production company such as presentations. Vil has to remind him to rest and to take breaks sometimes.

Although Eric is a very kind and supportive father, Vil says that he is a "show biz demon" who will accept nothing less than perfection. Vil describes his father as someone with lofty goals and will not accept compromise during negotiations. Furthermore, he is willing to do anything to achieve his goals. If someone makes a mistake, they are taken off the set and told to leave on the spot. Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

It appears that Vil inherited magic from his mother's side. However, he does not know who his mom is or where she came from, and he does not express any interest in investigating or learning these details.

Rook

Rook has a mother, a father, and five siblings (two older than him, and three younger than him). He says he used to have pajama parties with his siblings, but presumably they don’t anymore because they’re so busy.

Their family must be significantly influential, as the Hunts own villas all over Twisted Wonderland which are equipped with warp pads (which require special governmental clearance from various countries in order to build and use).

Rook states that it’s difficult to get his family together at the same time and in the same place. These usually occur only once a year, and they can get very lively. From this, we can infer that the Hunt family gets along pretty well.

Epel

Epel has a VERY large family. Neither of his parents are magicians, but his grandma and great grandma are.

He lives in a single house with his parents, grandparents, great grandma, uncle, aunt, and cousin. They all work together and pitch in to raise apples on the family farm.

When his grandma and grandpa fight, they make up with each other by baking an apple pie.

Epel's cousin is younger than him; he gifted his cousin his plushies. It's sometimes hard to relate with his cousin due to the large age gap.

Epel seems to really cherish his family, as he has developed apple carving skills to make blemished apples good to sell again, and worries in the main story about tourism going down and affecting the family business. He also mentions wanting to make a potion to strengthen apple trees, as this would make his grandpa happy.

We meet Epel’s grandma, Marja, when we visit Harveston for a sledding race. She can be very kind and caring, but is also tough, rough around the edges, and competitive. Through Marja, we can get a better sense of why Epel is the way that he is, and how he lovingly engages with those in his family and his hometown.

Epel has relatives that live near Clock Town.

Idia

Idia describes his parents as “[putting] results over the feelings of their son” when they pull him out of school to do blot research. He recalls being raised since he was a child to assume the position of STYX director following his father, granting him very little freedom of his own.

Idia’s grandmother, Aidne, was the previous director of STYX. His father currently occupies that position.

His mother is the current head of technical operations/engineering at STYX. She appears to be very loving and worried for her children. Mrs. Shroud has the ability to hack into her son’s files and devices. She refers to her husband as “papa”, and her presence seems to warm him up.

He gets his moments of hyperfixation and desire to prove others wrong from his mother.

Idia describes both his dad and his grandmother as negative/pessimistic and depressing people to be around. Indeed, his father seems to be stoic and formal.

His father describes Idia, Ortho, and his wife as geniuses, but implies that he himself is a normal person.

The Shrouds are said to be a branch of the even larger and more affluent Jupiter family. However, Idia appears to feel very alienated from the Jupiters, often saying things like he’s “not welcome” and that he “doesn’t belong” with them.

Idia was very close with Ortho, often playing video games with him and talking about all the adventures they’d go on someday. Because of this, his accidental involvement in Ortho’s death weighed particularly heavy on him, and to cope, Idia built an artificial intelligence and installed it in a humanoid robot to simulate “Ortho”. he views Robo!Ortho as nothing more than an AI until episode 6, where he is finally able to confront his trauma, accept Ortho’s death, and recognize Robo!Ortho as his own person and as his “little brother”.

Idia has a very positive view of Ortho, often doing things for his sake or going along with what Ortho asks of him. He is also protective of his little brother, usually encouraging Ortho to stay out of bad situations or worrying for his safety.

Book 7 implies that Idia also acknowledges Phantom!Ortho (ie the now dead Ortho) as his brother as well. Phantom!Ortho seems to care about his brother and wants him to be happy.

(Robo!)Ortho

Being modelled after the original Ortho and programmed to behave as such, Robo!Ortho’s initial personality very much revolved around his older brother and creator, Idia. He looks up to him and thinks that Idia is just the coolest guy around! In fact, he’ll go so far as to threaten to fire a laser at NRC if the other students don’t rescue Idia from a ghost bride for him! Robo!Ortho is also quick to intervene whenever he overhears people talk badly of Idia. It’s very clear that he loves and cares for his older brother a lot!

In episode 6, Robo!Ortho meets with OG!Ortho and they seem to merge into one being. I’m not sure if this counts as a sibling meeting a sibling, or if it’s someone just staring at their own reflection, but it’s something to note. Both Orthos care about Idia and want to help “free” him of the Shroud family’s “curse”, and of the burden of being chained to the Underworld--and they’re willing to go so far as to turn against the whole world to achieve that. If that isn’t a true, brotherly love, then I don’t know what is.

After Idia finally acknowledges Robo!Ortho as his own person, Ortho still maintains his respect and love for his brother, but also insists on developing himself and acting on his own without his brother or his assistance. It’s not that Ortho now “dislikes” Idia more, but that Ortho wants to now focus on creating his own identity. He’s maturing into something defined by his own volition, not someone else’s.

Ortho is accepted as a son by the Shroud parents, most notably the mother (who refers to him as “Or-kun”. Mrs. Shroud is described as “the strongest person” in the family by Ortho.

The original Ortho (for whom robo!Ortho’s memories derive) used to go out a lot to parks, mountains, and rivers with Idia and their parents. When Idia started to shut himself up in his room (following Ortho’s death), they stopped going out as a group—but more recently, he’s been going out with them again.

Malleus

His only living relative is his grandmother (Maleficia), who currently rules the Briar Valley. It seems that they are close, as his grandmother often sends him cards for special occasions, such as his birthday, and tried to make time in her busy schedule as queen to sit down and eat with her then young grandson. She is also said to be very strict in matters of invitation etiquette.

Lilia, though not blood related, is responsible for mentoring Malleus. His comments also seem to be ones that Malleus often takes to heart, as Malleus gets upset when scolded by Lilia.

The queen and Lilia are described as being the ones who taught Malleus that humans feared them, creatures of the night. Malleus also really enjoys being praised and receiving head pats from those two.

Book 7 implies that his mother died fighting invading Silver Owls while his father went missing on a diplomatic mission.

Lilia describes both Malleus's grandmother and mother (the Draconias in general, really) as extremely stubborn people who always have to do things their own way. They never listen to advice, even when it comes from Lilia.

Malleus’s mom, Meleanor, is the princess of Briar Valley and Lilia describes her as tomboyish and “spitfire”, always wishing to do her own thing. He had to accompany her on trips outside the palace. Lilia also says she is strong, yet reckless, selfish, argumentative, and easily angered. She had a lot of the powers Malleus does, such as fire breathing and control over lightning. He has known his princess since they were kids several hundreds of years ago.

According to a voice line from Lilia, Malleus’s father is someone that he regards as his close friend. His name is Revan/Levan, and it seems he is missing but basically considered deceased.

Levan is kind and careful, seeming to be more of a diplomat than his wife or Lilia.

We don’t see Meleanor or Levan interact with each other, but Meleanor says her husband is handsome. It’s funny to think about her being absolutely smitten with Levan while she’s raging at everyone else… similar to how she is caring and gentle to her unborn baby while she’s simultaneously shooting lightning at Lilia…

Lilia

He doesn’t have any blood-related relatives that we know of.

Lilia himself is an orphan. He was taken in by Queen Maleficia, Malleus's grandmother, to be a ward.

He trained Silver, Sebek, and Malleus in both combat and survival.

Lilia asked Sebek’s dad for help raising a human child.

Lilia gave up a significant amount of his magic to help Malleus hatch from his egg. Malleus says that since he hatched, Lilia has always been by his side, typically serving as a mentor figure.

Lilia found Silver in the abandoned and thorn-covered Wild Rose castle. The day he found Silver became his birthday, and Lilia granted him a blessing which made Silver’s hair go from blonde to silver.

Silver is his adopted son. There are notable times when Lilia and Silver have butted heads (usually because Lilia acted in an insensitive way). For example, Lilia neglected to tell Silver about his and Malleus’s prank in Endless Halloween Night, which made Silver upset with him, as it put lives on both sides in danger. Lilia also informed Silver that he was adopted in a rather callous way (something like, ”you didn’t notice our ears were different until now?”), which resulted in Silver running away in the middle of a storm. Despite this, their relationship in the present is generally amicable, and it seems that Lilia cares a lot for Silver (especially given that he ran after him in the aforementioned storm to retrieve him, and even nursed him back to health when Silver came down with a fever).

Silver

Silver’s father is the Dawn Knight and his mother is princess Leah, meaning Silver is a prince of “the enemy”. He was cursed to sleep (and didn’t age during this period) for several hundred years to avoid the warring era he was born into, only awakening when he found “true love” (ie Lilia discovered him).

The Dawn Knight is also an orphan; he was taken in by Leah and Heinrich’s father, a sickly king.

Silver was apparently named for his hair color, but we later learn the silver is not natural. Lilia actually named silver after the guiding moonlight, hoping that he could be a light in the darkness.

Silver was adopted by Lilia as an infant. He seems to be very close with his adoptive father and highly respects him (though that doesn’t exempt Silver from getting annoyed with Lilia every now and again), as he mentions in various lines and vignettes that he cherishes his “dear father”, as well as the name that his “dear father” granted him.

We learn in episode 7 that Silver is eternally indebted to Lilia; he absolutely wants to be by Lilia’s side until his dying breath and seems to be upset that he, as a human, cannot rival the lifespan or strength of a fae to endure alongside his father.

Silver made an acorn amulet (a symbol of good health and happiness) for Lilia, which Silver has since forgotten about. However, Lilia calls it his most precious treasure.

He’s friends with lots of animals!!

Sebek’s family would look after Silver when Lilia left for extended periods of time. Because of this and Sebek being of a similar age to him, Silver would often play with Sebek in their childhoods.

Sebek

Sebek’s father is a magicless human and a dentist. Sebek regards him as weak and someone who is difficult to understand, as Papa Zigvolt often dotes on his children, offers them candy, and acts impressed when he witnesses them use magic. Though Sebek seems to talk down to his father, he does also have a fondness for him that he won’t admit to (as, when asked who he would pick to be stranded on an island with, Sebek chooses Trey over everyone else. The reason Sebek provides is that Trey reminds him of his father, but he becomes embarrassed when his interviewer comments that he must really love his dad).

Mrs. Zigvolt is much older than Mr. Zigvolt, but she also looks much younger than he does.

Sebek describes his relationship with his dad as "not being bad", but that his dad smiles all the time and that irritates him. Additionally, Sebek is frustrated whenever he has to ask anything of his father.

Sebek’s mother is a powerful Nocturnal Fae and sports a strong bite (which is a trait of their bloodline). She appears to be very headstrong, as she married a magicless human despite significant social pressure against it. Sebek looks up to her and admires her, particularly for her prowess in magic, but does not understand what he sees in her husband.

Sebek's mom met his dad when she went in for a dental appointment at his clinic. She currently works as his dental assistant.

He has a grandpa (presumably on his mother’s side) who is a retired Captain of the Royal Guard. Grandpa Zigvolt (named Baal/Baul/Bal) immigrated to the Briar Valley from the Sunset Savanna. Despite being fae himself and having a disdain for humans in the past, he accepts Sebek (and presumably the other humans or half humans in his family) as they are.

Sebek seems to really like him, as he tells tales of spending time at his grandpa’s lakeside home fishing. (Baul lives next to his daughter and grandchildren.) Apparently, he doesn't approve of it when he sees Sebek eating sweets. Baal bought Sebek lots of books and fostered his love for reading

Sebek's grandfather is said to tell a lot of stories himself. Lilia describes him as "telling the same old stories" for many centuries. It also seems that Sebek has adopted his grandfather's narrow-minded attitude and manner of speaking.

Baul is also described as being stern, but seems very loving. He was proud of Sebek when told about his grandson's success in school and was happy when the Zigvolt siblings made him salmon carpaccio.

Baul initially thinks of Sebek as weak, so he asks Lilia to train him. Still, Baul thinks its important for his grandson to get a good education.

Sebek has an older brother and sister, but not much is known about them. He mentions that they took him to a contest where they use magic to try and match the color of a dress provided. All the Zigvolt siblings were impressed by the competition.

Sebek would often go to the park with his parents and siblings.

Sebek’s older brother also graduated from NRC.

609 notes · View notes

clouseplayssims · 4 months

Text

Oregon Trail Challenge

To begin with, randomize 8 families. One of these households will be the Leader and will pick one of the options below. You may choose to play all the households in rotation or play solely the Leader and install Story Progression to have the other households move forward.

It is advised that you install CC such as wagons, oxen, horses, etc. but not required. You can go full Mad Max if you want to - you do you!

It is advised to set up identical lots, place families, and then set family funds. There are no rules regarding the beginning lot.

Select a career for the Leader

Banker

Start off with $5,000 simoleons.

Carpenter

Start off with (3) wood planks, (3) nails, and all sims in household have 4 logic skill points.

Start off with $1,000 simoleons.

Farmer

Start off with extra fridge.

Once a career is selected sims can purchase supplies at Matt's General Store - oxen to pull the wagon, food, clothing, ammunition, and spare wagon parts.

Start off with $800 simoleons.

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge will take 16 sim days to complete. Due to delay mechanic, these will be referred to as tiles. Sims have 20 days to reach the end of the trail before winter sets in.

There are several landmarks such as a river crossing or a fort. Each landmark has different choices available to the player, such as purchasing supplies at a fort, talking to fellow travelers at a geographic landmark, or choosing how to cross a river.

Rivers can be crossed by fording the river, caulking the wagon and floating across, or in some cases by paying for a ferry; the chance of crossing without failure, which can result in losing supplies or damaging the wagon, depends on the state of the river and the weather.

As the party progresses further along the trail, the prices for supplies rise. At two landmarks, the player can choose to take a "cut-off", or shortcut; these paths are shorter but bypass the next landmark, a fort.

Sims have 20 days to reach the end of the trail before winter sets in. Once winter sets in, Winter Handicap applies.

Roll d6 every day to determine if a random event occurs. An odd roll means an event occurs - roll for event.

Sims may hunt any day on the trail, however hunting delays by 1 day.

THE TRAIL

Pre-Trail Matt's General Store Tile 1 - Trail Tile 2 - Trail Tile 3 - River Tile 4 - Fort Crumplebottom (5% markup on supplies) Tile 5 - Jail Rocks Landmark Tile 6 - Trail Tile 7 - River Tile 8 - Chimney Rocks Landmark Tile 9 - Fort Goth (10% markup on supplies) Tile 10 - Independence Rock Landmark Tile 11 - River Tile 12 - Fort Lothario (15% markup on supplies) Tile 13 - Trail Tile 14 - Trail Tile 15 - Fort Caliente (20% markup on supplies) Tile 16 - Trail

You've reached the Pleasantview Valley!

RIVER CROSSING

---Fording the River

Roll a d10 for survival. D1 is an automatic drowning. Having a body skill level of 4 or higher automatically ensures survival.

---Caulking the Wagon

Roll a d10 for survival. D1 is an automatic drowning. Having a body skill level of 3 or higher automatically ensures survival.

---Ferry

Costs $100 simoleons per wagon.

LANDMARK

Sims have an option to visit the landmark and talk to other travelers. Max motives to be used on all sims within the wagon train. Visiting landmark does delay by 1 day.

WINTER HANDICAP

If the wagon trail hasn't completed all 16 tiles after 20 days they will be handicapped.

Change all seasons to winter.

RoS to be rolled for all households every day.

If it snows in game, delayed an additional day.

HUNTING

If the player chooses to hunt they should go to community lot set up with Sun & Moon hunting objects. Must use ammunition (use whatever you'd like to represent this - for example, I used a deco rifle as an example for a day's worth of bullets) and remain on lot for 24 hours. Will delay wagon train by 1 day.

OTHER PENALTIES

There is a penalty for losing all livestock - it will take 2 days to complete 1 tile.

RANDOM OCCURRENCE SCENARIOS

Roll d6: D1/D4 Injury/Sickness, D2/D5 Event, D3/D6 Delay. Optional: roll D6 again for delay - odd the delay stands, even can disregard.

Injury/Sickness (d12)

1 Buffalo Stampede

Every sim has to roll a d6 for survival. Rolling a 1 means the sim will die. Drop energy of all impacted sims to 25%. -Having a body skill level of 4 or higher automatically overrules survival roll.

2 Hypothermia/Frostbite Every sim has to roll a d10 for survival. Rolling a 1 means the sim will die. Change sim temp to freezing. -Having a body skill level of 4 or higher automatically overrules survival roll.

3 Heatstroke Every sim has to roll a d10 for survival. Rolling a 1 means the sim will die. Change sim temp to heatstroke. -Having a body skill level of 4 or higher automatically overrules survival roll.

4 Accidental Gunshot Roll to determine which sim was shot. Roll a d6 for survival. Rolling a 1 means the sim will die. Roll d6 every day for the next 5 days to determine if infection sets in. -Having a body skill level of 4 or higher automatically overrules survival roll.

5 Animal Bite Roll to determine which sim was bit. Roll a d10 to determine extent of injuries. (1 extreme to 10 mild) Rolling a 1 means the sim has rabies. Roll d6 every day for the next 5 days to determine if infection sets in.

6 Mild Sickness (Cold, Flu) Roll to determine which sim is impacted, give them a cold via game mechanics.

7 Burned by Campfire Roll to determine which sim was burned. Roll d6 every day for the next 2 days to determine if infection sets in.

8 Broken bone (arm, foot, hand, hip, or leg) Roll to determine which sim was injured. Roll d6 every day for the next 2 days to determine if infection sets in. Impacted sim must rest in bed for the duration. Optional: use CC cast to indicate injury.

9 Serious Sickness (Cholera, Consumption, Diphtheria, Dysentery, Grippe, Malaria, Measles, Pneumonia, Scarlet Fever, Scurvy, Smallpox, Typhoid Fever, Water Poisoning) Roll to determine which sim is impacted, give them a pneumonia via game mechanics.

10 Food Poisoning Roll to determine which sims are impacted. Roll a d6 for survival. Rolling a 1 means the sim will die.- Having an interest level of 4 or higher in Health automatically overrules survival roll.

11 Snakebite Roll to determine which sim was bitten. Roll a d6 for survival. Rolling a 1 means the sim will die. Roll d6 for the next 1 day to determine if infection sets in. -Having a body skill level of 4 or higher automatically overrules survival roll.

12 Poison Ivy Roll to determine which sim is impacted, give them poison ivy via game mechanics.

-----INFECTION Infection sets in if a 1 is rolled. There are three levels of infection. If I sim rolls for an infection and reaches level 2, they must roll and go back down to 1 before getting better.

Level 1 - mild, fever/chills. Give sim cold via game mechanics.

Level 2 - more severe, all motives to drop by 50%.

Level 3 - death.

Event (d10)

1 Prairie fire Every sim has to roll a d6 for survival. Rolling a 1 means the sim will die. -Having a body skill level of 4 or higher automatically overrules survival roll.

2 Strangers Approach Roll a d6 to determine if this is a positive (odd) or negative (even) event. -Having a charisma skill level of 4 or higher automatically overrules negative roll.

Positive - roll to see what the party gains. 1 $100 in Simoleons 2 Wagon 3 Oxen 4 Food 5 Clothing 6 Equipment

Negative - roll to see what the strangers take from the party. 1 $100 in Simoleons 2 Wagon 3 Oxen 4 Food 5 Clothing 6 Equipment

3 Abandoned Wagons Roll d6 to determine which abandoned wagon they find. ***You may other create 6 abandoned wagon lots or randomize from buy mode what is found.

4 Missing Person or Livestock Roll to determine which sim or animal is missing. Can choose to delay travel and roll to look or to move on. If delay is chosen, roll a d6 to determine if sim/animal is found - rolling a 6 means the search is successful. -Having a logic skill level of 4 or higher increases chance of finding lost sim/animal by +2.

5 Theft Roll to see which sim gains thief trait. They must attempt to swipe an item every day they are on the trail.

6 Wild Fruits/Vegetables Gain d6 amount of food.

7 Death of Livestock Roll to determine which livestock die.

8 Drowning (almost) Roll to determine which sim is impacted. Drop energy to 25%.

9 Spoiled Food All meat has spoiled and must be removed from inventory.

10 Found Fresh Water Roll d10 to determine how many buckets to put in inventory.

Delays (d6)

1 Severe Weather (thunderstorm, fog, duststorm, hailstorm, etc.) Roll d4 to determine how many days the wagon train is delayed.

2 Quicksand Ahead Roll d4 to determine how many days the wagon train is delayed.

3 Obstructed Path (fallen rocks and boulders) Roll d4 to determine how many days the wagon train is delayed.

4 Livestock is injured. Can choose to delay or to put animal down.

5 Animals Exhausted Delayed 1 day.

6 Wagon accident (Tipped Wagon, wagon caught on fire, broken parts, Wagon stuck in mud or deep sand, etc.) Delayed 1 day. Must use wagon parts to repair or wagon must be abandoned. -Having a mechanical skill level of 4 or higher always wagon to be repaired without parts.

#oregon trail challenge

36 notes · View notes

sanctum-of-ramshackle · 1 year

Text

“You got a name?” “Deadeye…”

[TWST AU]: In this timeline, there’s an MC/Yuu who is from the Valorant universe.

[Synopsis]: Agent!MC/Yuu is part of the Valorant Protocol and for some twisted reason, they get stuck in a world where magic actually exists.

[Gender Neutral MC/Yuu]

[TW]: Guns, near death experiences, only one death, and the use of Google Translate (because I never took French classes; I’m sorry in advanced for inaccurate translations).

[(A/N)]: I mentioned before that I already fell into the Valorant rabbit hole. I have also been listening to Odd Banker - Orch Compression on loop and it’s the same music used for the Chamber trailer. It fits his character so well!

[(A/N #2)]: For the alias I used in this AU came from a concept art before Chamber was announced and he originally was supposed to be Deadeye. Also I need to clarify their age is between 16-18 (Yes, that young for an agent).

youtube

MC/Yuu Fabron, a.k.a. Agent Deadeye, is another agent for the Valorant Protocol and is related to Chamber as they’re siblings. MC/Yuu is in their early-to-late teen years, and already they want to follow their brother’s footsteps as an agent and weapon designer.

Although the Fabron duo are great assets to the Protocol.

It was a tragedy for Agent Deadeye.

They were taken out during a mission gone wrong, but thanks to Sage, they are slowly recovering. Though there’s a problem: they’re in a comatose state.

It seems the young agent is out of commission until time would tell.

…

Now MC/Yuu Fabron, in their subconscious mind, fell somewhere and somehow got trapped into a weird world where magic actually exists.

The first time MC/Yuu came to Twisted Wonderland was when they almost shot Grim after being released from the confines of a coffin they were trapped inside.

Next, they shot at Crowley, nearly missing him by passing his ear.

Then after, both Crowley and Grim start running away from MC/Yuu.

Agent!MC/Yuu: *Chasing after the headmaster and Grim* I’m going to kill you for deceiving me! I know you Omega agents trapped me in a simulation to break me for intel!

Crowley: What are they talking about?!

Grim: How should I know?!!

When the two got to the ceremony, Crowley barely lock the doors but a card flies through the crack and incomes MC/Yuu teleporting inside the Mirror Chamber.

Everyone was surprised by the furious young agent.

Once they revealed themselves holding their Headhunter out, shit may go down.

Crowley: No no! Don’t shoot!

Agent!MC/Yuu: *Points their gun at Crowley* Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t. Ten seconds. Dix…Neuf…Huit…Sept…

Rook: Attendez un moment!

Agent!MC/Yuu: Huh? Tu parles français?

Rook: Oui. Please put your weapon down.

Agent!MC/Yuu: Why? I cannot trust anything here as it seems the enemies took me hostage and attempts to break me for sensitive information.

Rook: Enemies?

Agent!MC/Yuu: …You’re not the agents from the Omega Earth?

Rook: Omega Earth? What is this place you’re asking?

Agent!MC/Yuu: *Realization hits them hard* Oh, my god…

After the shenanigans calmed down and the ceremony continued smoothly, MC/Yuu was taken to Crowley’s office.

Inside of the room, the agent explains they’re part of a protocol with other agents like them and their goal is to prevent the Omega Earth and its doubles from stealing a material called Radianite.

Then it’s Crowley’s turn to explain they’re in Twisted Wonderland and they’re in Night Raven College, an All Boy’s school for magical academics.

Now that everything clears up, it seems Agent Deadeye has another mission: surviving back to school.

Also imagine these:

Rook and Deadeye are speaking French to each other!

Azul and Deadeye speaking Business to each other!

Vil/Cater and Deadeye speaking Good Taste/Insane Drip to each other!

[Chapter 3]

[The trio got anemones after signing contracts with the Octavinelle Dorm Leader.]

Agent!MC/Yuu: *Polishing their Headhunter*

Ace, Deuce, and Grim: MC/Yuu!!!

Agent!MC/Yuu: Merde! What happened to you three?

Deuce: We got dragged into a contract just to pass the exam.

Ace: Then these things popped out of nowhere.

Grim: Nyah! This is annoying! MC/Yuu, help us!

Agent!MC/Yuu: I refuse to help you, imbéciles. You brought this upon yourselves without knowing how business works and not studying beforehand. Even I passed without “magical knowledge.”

Grim: I sold our dorm too!

Agent!MC/Yuu: YOU WHAT?!!! How could you do such…*Groans in frustration* Keep it together, MC/Yuu. Remember what Vincent taught you. *Clears their throat* Where is this dealer who you signed contracts with?

Ace: The Octavinelle Dorm.

Deuce: We’re really sorry, MC/Yuu. We’ll pay for your Pain au chocolat as apologies.

Agent!MC/Yuu: Pour l'amour de...Fine, I’ll deal with that slimy businessman.

[Octavinelle Dorm]

[Monstro Lounge]

Agent!MC/Yuu: *Summons their card out and throws it to the room*

[It zips across the main dining hall through the crack of the double doors of the office. It was good as the Tweels didn’t notice.]

[Azul’s office]

Agent!MC/Yuu: *Teleports inside in front of Azul* Bonjour~

[(A/N): Don’t mind the gifs. I only used them to help visualize what actions MC/Yuu does.]

Azul: *Startled by their presence* Huh?!

Agent!MC/Yuu: Are you perhaps Azul Ashengrotto?

Azul: *Keeping his composure* I am. Who you may be?

Agent!MC/Yuu: Deadeye. *Taps their forearm, activating their markings to summon their sniper rifle* *Points it at Azul*

Azul: What the-?!! *Freaks out and falls back on his chair*

Agent!MC/Yuu: Say hello to Tour de Force 2.0. I need those contracts you scammed with the idiots from earlier.

Azul: *Freaking out* P-Put the gun down!

Agent!MC/Yuu: Don’t worry. I don’t waste my bullets on opportunists like you. Well, depending if you cross me.

Azul: What is it that you want?

Agent!MC/Yuu: I told you earlier: the contracts. Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about actual business.

[SPOILER: They actually got their idiot trio out of the contracts, which upsets Azul and still leads him to Overblot.]

[Pomefiore]

Vil: Your ink work and sense of fashion clash together.

Agent!MC/Yuu: Well I have good taste in everything~ Also these “tattoos” have functionalities that help me.

Vil: Is that so?

Agent!MC/Yuu: *Summons their Headhunter*

Vil: *Steps away*

Agent!MC/Yuu: Do not panic. The safety is on.

Vil: You need to be more careful pulling your weapons out.

Agent!MC/Yuu: Do not worry, my friend. I’m responsible of my possessions. Also, have you seen my Tour de Force 2.0?

[A bullet shattered a window and zips passed the two. In instinct, MC/Yuu got defensive and releases the safety off their Headhunter.]

Agent!MC/Yuu: Vil, get down now! Révèle-toi!

Rook: *Peeks through the broken window* Bonjour, Mon Trickster!

Agent!MC/Yuu: Rook? Put my sniper rifle down, now! That is not a toy you mess with! Do you know how much work I put into my beauty? Nobody touches my stuff!

[Chapter 6]

[S.T.Y.X.]

Agent!MC/Yuu: Oh, you want to play? Let’s play~ *Summons their Headhunter out and shoots at a Charon dead*

Epel: What the fuck?! You killed somebody!

Agent!MC/Yuu: It’s not my first time. Did you forget I’m an agent? Qualified to shoot?

Epel: NOT HERE!

Agent!MC/Yuu: Merde…Lets just get the boys, and I’ll face the one for kidnapping Grim.

Epel: What are ya gonna do?

Agent!MC/Yuu: Envoi de mes salutations à sa famille. *Reloads with more ammunition*

Rook: *Gasps* Mon Trickster!

I like to think that after everything Deadeye has gone through, they’re able to return to their home world.

Which is actually waking up from their comatose state.

Agent!MC/Yuu: Ow, my chest…Guys? Vincent?

You can imagine a sophisticated grown-ass man crying with relief after being notified that his little sibling woke up from recovery.

Chamber: MC/Yuu…You’re okay…

Agent!MC/Yuu: I’m alive. It’s just…I had the weirdest dream during my slumber.

As the young agent still has days to recover, they decided to return back to France for the time being.

It felt relaxing for them to stroll through the famous city of Love with many people filling the streets.

Then out of nowhere, someone bumps into them by accident.

???: Oh! I’m truly sorry for bumping into you.

Agent!MC/Yuu: No worries. Paris is a huge city-

They see a familiar face with bangs.

Agent!MC/Yuu: Rook?

✨[Reblogs helps creators and creates for more content]💫

256 notes · View notes

catindabag · 9 months

Text

TBOSAS on Crack short take (39)

Vipsania: I’m bored.

Urban: Me too.

Livia: I told you losers that we should go shoe shopping instead.

Felix: For the last time, Cardew, we can’t go out and do fun stuff while in detention.

Livia: Detention?! I’m in detention?! Since when-

Coryo: Since yesterday, dummy.

Festus: Liv, you do remember that we almost destroyed the school kitchen yesterday, right?

Livia: Nope. Never. I don’t know anything about that incident-

Coryo: You were literally the one who left the stove on fire while the rest of us were trying to stop Palmyra from cooking.

Livia: Oh, shut up, orphan! I wasn’t even talking to you.

Coryo: Well, whatever, banker. Your scary mama can’t save your sorry ass this time.

Livia: Ha! At least I have a mom to spoil me rotten, Snow.

Coryo: You think you’re better than me because of your stupid money?!

Livia: Of course I’m better-

Coryo: Your mom can’t even defeat my super gorgeous dad in a stupid pageant beauty contest back in their University days!

Lysistrata: Yeah! Crassus Snow even won it seven times in a row!

Livia: How did you even know that?!

Coryo: ‘Cuz I still have my dad’s pageant crowns and sashes!

Felix: And I have the pictures to prove them!

Lysistrata: My mom was a runner up.

Coryo: Oh, and my dad even won the women’s category-

Livia: Ugh! Fine! Your drop dead gorgeous father may have been the most beautiful creature in Panem-

Coryo: Of course he is!

Livia: But he still dated Drunk Dean Casca Highbottom and that scheming Strabo Plinth from District 2!

Sejanus: The ever gorgeous Crassus Xanthos Snow once dated my evil old man?!

Livia: Yup! My mama even told me that Crassus almost married into the Plinth family for money-

Coryo: Shut up, Cardew!

Livia: You started it!

Florus: *raises hand* Why don’t we just play a game instead!

Androcles: A game?

Palmyra: Sure! I wanna play a game.

Apollo: Me too!

Diana: Can we play battleships?

Everyone: No!

Diana: Why?🥺

Apollo: Sis, do you even remember that other infamous flooding incident that occurred last semester?

Diana: Is it that time where we had to call the ambulance because Gaius and Florus broke both of their legs from jumping ship?

Florus: Actual ships.

Gaius: With actual missiles.

Apollo: Yes, that.

Diana: Nope. I don’t remember.

Iphigenia: Can’t we just play the “Would You Rather” game?

Lysistrata: Ok. Yo, Coryo, would you rather marry Casca Highbottom for fame or marry Strabo Plinth for money?

Coryo: Easy. Strabo Plinth. No questions asked-

Sejanus: What about me, my love?!

Coryo: Sej, Babe, you were not even an option.

Sejanus: But you’re still going to marry me, right?🥺

Coryo: For the last time, Sejanus Plinth, you’re the only rich idiot that I’m willing to marry and have children with.

Sejanus: Oh, thank Panem! That’s good to hear, my love! So would you rather kiss me now or later?😘

Coryo: That’s not how you play this game, Babe!

Sejanus: But I want a kiss-

Coryo: Felix, I give the stage to you.

Felix: Ok. Dennis, would you rather date one of my wealthy but shady cousins or marry someone from the outer Districts?

Dennis: Which District?

Felix: 10?

Dennis: A strong wife from District 10 it is.

Juno: My turn! Hilarius, would you rather disown your creepy father and become homeless or give him Coryo and Felix in order to inherit the rest of the Heavensbee wealth?

Hilarius: What the heck, Juno! What kind of cruel options are those?!

Juno: Just answer my freaking question, Hilari!

Hilarius: Fine! The second one!

Coryo: What the heck, you traitor!

Felix: Seriously, Hilari?! You’re willing to sacrifice me and Coryo for money?!

Hilarius: Never! I would never ever do that to you, Class Pres!

Livia: Well, good luck being poor and homeless, Hilari.

Arachne: May the odds be forever in your favor, Heavensbee.

Domitia: My turn! Arachne, would you rather burn all of your inheritance for the “Sandwich Queen” title or watch Festus Creed become the official “Sandwich Queen of Panem” for the presidency?

Arachne: Well, if I do become the President of Panem, then I would have the power to get rid of Festus-

Festus: Hey!😠

Arachne: But burning my inheritance for the title is also doable.

Domitia: How?

Arachne: ‘Cuz I’ll just steal my older brother’s money.

Festus: Oh, this heartless witch-

Clemensia: My turn! Persephone, would you rather eat Palmyra’s infamous deadly apple pies for eternal fame or volunteer as a Tribute for the Hunger Games?

Persephone: The second option.

Clemensia: Really? You would rather become a Tribute just to avoid eating one deadly pie?

Persephone: Yeah, sure. Why not. I literally have better odds of winning and surviving the Hunger Games than eating one of Monty’s rebel-killer sweets.

Everyone: True.😞

Io: My turn! Urban, would you rather fail our calculus class in order to gain political power and influence or replace Dr. Gaul as the Head Game Maker for political power and influence?

Urban: Those options are actually difficult to answer, Jasper.

Io: Just take your pick!

Urban: Fine! I do love calculus more than anything in this world. So-

Io: Head Gamemaker Urban Canville it is?

Urban: Yeah.

Apollo: My turn! Andie, would you rather steal Dr. Gaul’s monster bunny for illegal money or marry into the very corrupt and chaotic Ravinstill family?

Androcles: Both.

Everyone: Really?!

Androcles: Yeah. Im willing to steal Dr. Gaul’s evil bunny and marry Ravinstill at the same time.

Felix: Which Ravinstill are we talking about?

Androcles: Oh, you tell me, Class Pres.😏

Diana: My turn! Sejanus, would you rather challenge Coryo’s evil grandmother to an epic drinking contest just to win Coryo’s hand in marriage or push Highbottom-

Sejanus: Push Highbottom!

Diana: I’m not even done yet!

Sejanus: No need to worry, Ring. I’m willing to push Highbottom for Coryo.😀

Diana: Let me finish-

Sejanus: No! Pushing Highbottom is the only right answer!

Casca: *walks in* Pushing who?

Coryo: No one, Sir. Sejanus is just shouting at the sky again.

Casca: Oh, ok.

Diana: Well, bye-

Casca: By the way, who told you to play the “Would You Rather” game without my consent, Crassus Snow?

Coryo: It’s Coriolan-

Casca: Crassus Xanthos Snow! My love, how dare you play these silly games without me?!😭🔪

Felix: *sighs* Dean Highbottom’s drunk again.

Sejanus: So can I push him now?😀

Coryo: Sure. Go ahead. I might even kiss you.

Sejanus: Can you kiss me now?

Coryo: No.

35 notes · View notes

lnwrcauli · 1 month

Text

Before The Fleet [NWR AU]

Sorry for my lack of AU posts recently, I've been rather busy. To get things rolling again, here's a bit about some of the engines that were loaned to the North Western but didn't stay. Seeing as I'll be talking about multiple very different engines, I'll format this slightly different to my usual posts.

Brooke the Bullying Engine

Brooke was a Great Central Railway Class 1 that was loaned to the North Western in 1915. She was meant to be the engine pulling the express, but mostly found herself rostered on heavy freight work due to her size and power. Her official name was City of Lincoln, but if you called her that, you might just end up in the turntable well. She was a horrible bully by all accounts and along with her accomplices Ashley and Micah, she reigned over Vicarstown through fear and violence until her return to the Great Central Railway in 1922.

Ashley the Eastern Engine

Ashley was a Great Eastern Railway S69 fitted with experimental larger cylinders. They were loaned to the North Western in 1916 to undergo trials but ended up staying until 1922. They did the passenger work that Edith couldn't. Upon the purchase and subsequent failures of Henry in 1918, they had to pick up the slack from both engines. Being reportedly as rude and self-important as Brooke, they wreaked havoc upon Vicarstown until their return to the G.E.R.

Micah the Mineral Engine

Micah was a Caledonian Railway 600 class loaned to the NWR in 1918. He was brought in to pick up the slack in the freight work that Henry and Edith were meant to be doing. Out of the 3 horrid engines stationed at Vicarstown, he was likely the worst. He often bullied smaller engines such as Thomas, Edith and some of the other loaned shunters. He even sent an engine to the works once. Everyone on the line was glad when he was called back to Scotland by the C.R. in 1922.

Sprite the Buckjumper Engine

Sprite was a Great Eastern Railway S56 that was loaned to the North Western in 1916 to run the Ffarquhar Branchline. They took over from 2 of the much smaller TK&ELR Coffee Pot engines. They worked the line mostly without fuss or incident until 1925, when Thomas was reassigned to the branch and they were sent back to the Great Eastern Railway.

Elsie the Midland Engine

Elsie was a Midland Railway 1377 Class loaned to the North Western Railway in 1917. She took over the mantle of Tidmouth's station pilot from Wellsworth & Suddery Railway No.1. She worked the role without fuss for quite some time, becoming a favourite target of Micah's due to her small size and relatively low power output. She was sent back home in 1925 when the North Western Railway bought Percy.

Kirtley the Old Engine

Kirtley was a Midland Railway 700 Class loaned to the North Western Railway in 1914. She did short-distance freight work and other odd jobs. She was reportedly very kind-hearted and surprisingly strong-willed despite her age. She left the island in 1947 after 3 years of inactivity when the L.M.S. recalled her to Derby Works for scrap.

Jenny the Banking Engine

Jenny was a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinall Class 30 loaned to the railway in 1914. To start with, she worked the railway's heavy freight services but was reallocated to the Suddery Junction banker siding in 1918 when Micah was purchased. She worked through the 10s, 20s, 30s and 40s pushing trains up the gradient, during which time her northern bluntness and hospitality rubbed off on some. Sir Topham Hatt I had made plans to buy her from the LMS, but they came too late as she was recalled to Horwich Works for scrap in 1946.

Thanks for reading, I hope to see you all in the next one.

Cheerio!

#ttte #ttte au #rws au #ttte headcanon #rws #alt history #TTTE hc

8 notes · View notes

befickleforever · 5 months

Text

If you liked [inside no 9 episode] watch [film] : a guide. Part 2

If you liked ‘Wuthering Heist’, consider:

- Mon Oncle (1958). Genial, bumbling Monsieur Hulot loves his top-floor apartment in a grimy corner of the city, and cannot fathom why his sister's family has moved to the suburbs.

- A Night in the Show (1915). A man tries to find a seat for a show, while another man harasses both patrons and performers.

- Carry on Spying (1964). The dastardly organisation STENCH (Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans) is in possession of the secret Formula X, and its clear that the British secret service must do something.

- The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). Henry Holland is a fussy supervisor who oversees gold bullion deliveries to the bank in which he works. Secretly, he is plotting to steal a load of bullion and retire early, but he cannot figure out a way to smuggle it out of the country.

If you liked ‘Last Night of the Proms’, consider:

- Eat the Rich (1987). Terrorists and a rude waiter attack a politician and take over an exclusive London club.

- The Last Supper (1995). A group of students meet every Sunday and invite a guest to discuss various topics. When one of them ends up killing a guest because of his views, they decide to rid society of such people.

- The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1987). A gang leader's wife starts an affair with a bookseller who regularly visits her husband's restaurant. However, things complicate when she, her lover, a thief and a cook come together.

- In The Loop (2009). During an interview, British Cabinet Minister Simon Foster delivers an off-the-cuff remark Profane political spin doctor Malcolm Tucker tries to cover up Foster's faux pas, but the ill-conceived comment is picked up by a warmongering American official.

If you liked ‘The Riddle of the Sphinx’ consider:

- Pygmalion (1938). When linguistics professor Henry Higgins boasts that he can pass off Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle as a princess with only six months' training, Colonel George Pickering takes him up on the bet.

- The Game (1997). Nicholas Van Orton is a successful banker who keeps mostly to himself. When his estranged brother Conrad returns on his birthday with an odd gift - participation in a personalized, real-life game - Nicholas reluctantly accepts.

If you liked ‘Séance time’, consider:

- Ghostwatch (1992). The BBC gives over a whole evening to an 'investigation into the supernatural'

- Talk to Me (2023). When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill and high-stakes party game - until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

- Hereditary (2018). When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry, trying to outrun the sinister fate they have inherited.

- Ghost Stories (2017). Professor Phillip Goodman devotes his life to exposing phony psychics and fraudulent supernatural shenanigans. His skepticism soon gets put to the test when he receives news of three chilling and inexplicable cases.

- Borley Rectory (2017). In 1937, leading paranormal investigator Harry Price is given an opportunity to investigate the most haunted house in England, the infamous Borley Rectory, where he hopes to discover the truth behind the hauntings that have plagued the property.

#inside no 9 #reece shearsmith #steve pemberton #films #movies #letterboxd #in9 #lists of mine

12 notes · View notes

mycryptosuite · 10 months

Text

Play This Free 3 Odds For Today 23/06/2023

Play This Free 3 Odds For Today 23/06/2023 Play This Free 3 Odds – We provide daily simulated reality league predictions ranging from; full-time Correct Score tip – Our sure 3 odds daily tips are so accurate you’ll wonder if the matches are fixed. Track Odds Bet Tips for today and you can aswell have a look at our free expert Football betting tips from professional tipsters around the world &…

View On WordPress

0 notes

mythicalsanctuarysodor · 22 days

Text

The Adventure Begins

The Island of Sodor and the north western railway, the sun was shining on a mid-spring day, the rivers were running and the birds were singing. Through a tunnel of track ran a thundering galop before emerging from the end pulling a passenger train was horse-human chimera cheering “Express coming through!” He ran fast along the track with the pounding of hooves rhythming against the ground, he bellowed a mighty horse neigh signalling he was coming through, then again when he saw a work colleague passing him by on the opposite track. He ran past stations and up a steep hill and then down the other side cheering as he raced down.

The smallest odd looking human chimera working on the railway was Edward, an old mustang stallion centaur that was working the shunting yard at Knapford station. He was busy shunting and pulling coaches and cargo, he was just putting a flatbed away when he heard Gordon the large centaur exiting the yard. “A goods train, a goods train! Oh the shame of it, oh the shame of it…” He sulked as he passed the elder with the number 2 on his flank. “Oh come now Gordon, it can’t be that bad.” Edward said. “To be fair Edward I can’t imagen him griping at anything else.” A transparent pale man said from beside the tracks the number 2 was standing on, holding a rope that was attached to the horse chimera. Gordon ignored the man’s comment and continued trotting along. “Yes Edward, it is. I am a very important stallion. Thankfully I won’t be pulling goods trains for long, not after the new person gets here.” Gordon responded. Edward though was surprised. “New person?! What new person?” Edward asked attempting to follow after Gordon but his hitch hadn’t yet been undone, so he was jolted to a stop before the pale man undid them and then Edward quickly cantered forward to follow the bigger centaur.

“Haven’t you heard? Sir Bertrum said they were getting someone new. The last one they got was much too small with the fragile stone body.” “But I’m not small!” A centaur with his lower half made of solid black onyx and a horn sticking out of his head said as he came into the yard along a track that was covering Edward and Gordon’s paths. Both blue stallions planted their hooves hard into the dirt while pulling the brakes on their carriages and managed to not crash into the number 5 or his train. Gordon groaned as he glared at the new-comer. “James…” he hissed with his ears flat. “I might not be as big as you Gordon, but I’m bigger than Edward, and there’s nothing wrong with being made of onyx ither. And I am also the only unicorn here.” James said. “Unless you crack and break of course. Now do please move, you’re in my way…” James moved for Gordon and watched as he left. “I don’t break, I’m just as strong as you!” but the big blue stallion was already out of earshot.

After a while Gordon was on the mainline track as he approached the big hill and had trouble pulling his train over it. His hooves slipped on the sleepers as he tried to get his footing again. He groaned and strained but eventually got stuck and applied the brakes, giving up in a tiered groan as he stood on the track. His jockey looked confusingly from his carriage and locked its breaks on before hopping off and walking up to his work college. “Gordon? What is it?” the jockey asked. “I can’t do it, those noisy trucks hold a stallion back. If they were coaches, now that would be different.” The centaur stated.

The jockey sighed and pinched his nose in frustration, it was clear this didn’t faze the jockey but that didn’t make it all the more annoying. “Well to bad for you, they’re not coaches and their not just going to disappear into thin air for you just because you can’t be bothered. You need to muster some strength and keep trying, the fat controllers aren’t going to let you drop this job because we’re too far in now.” “Hmph! I’d need a banker then.” Gordon said crossing his arms. “Ugh… fine, I’ll get in touch with Sir Stephen. I’ll let the breaks off and you start heading to the bottom.” The jockey patted the centaurs hip and walked back to the van. “Are you going to do anything to make this up to me Harper?” Gordon asked his jockey. “I was thinking of inviting you to a lazy night tonight since we’ve both had a busy day, no need to moan.” Harper called back.

Back at Knapford station, the controllers of the railway endearingly called “The Fat Controllers” had a glass sphere glow and vibrate on one of the desks. A man tsked in annoyance from being distracted from his paperwork before answering it by tapping the crystal ball. “Hello?” he asked. “Hello Sir Stephen, it’s Harper. Gordon has come to a stop on the hill, we may need some help.” “I see… have you exhausted your options yet?” “Kind of hard to have options sir. He stopped half way up the hill, we’d need to head back to Knapford in order to gain enough speed, and knowing Gordon, he only reserves his speed for the express.” “Oh dear… well, I’ll get Edward onto it soon, hang tight.” Sir Stephon ended the connection and was about to stand up when another man at a desk peeked up to see what was happening. “Stephen? What’s happened?” the man who looked nearly exactly like Sir Stephon asked. “Nothing grandfather. Gordon has just stopped on the hill.” “Stopped on the hill? He’s an express stallion, he should have no problem getting over the hill.” Another man at a desk said. “Unless he wasn’t going fast enough.” The prior said. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. Apparently he ‘only reserves his speed for the express.’ Harpers words not mine.” Sir Stephen said. The three stout men groaned. “Honestly Charles this is what I was worried about when you said you got a stallion like Gordon.” One man said. “I know father but we’ve all been somewhere dark in our lives before, Gordon is a proud stallion, so it will just take longer for him to… mature, in the right sense.” “Ironic you telling me that son.” The man who was apparently Sir Stephen’s grandfather said. “You haven’t reached there yourself grandfather.” Two of the three men laughed at the comment.

Bertrum checked his watch and realised they had been standing chatting long enough. “Well we need to go inform Edward he has to bank Gordon up the hill, I shall be back in a second.” “No, I could honestly use a break. Why not pay a visit to the old friend?” Charles said as he also stood up to follow. “Wait for me you two.” Stephen commented. “Okay I believe we’re all going then…” Bertrum said shaking his head fondly at his immortal family. “Alright Hatt’s, let’s move.” Sir Charles said following everyone out the door. When the Hatt family walked out onto the yard they greeted Edward with warm sets of hellos. “Hello Edward, I’m afraid Gordon needs your help.” Sir Bertrum said. “My help sir? Are you sure?” Edward questioned. “Do you expect me to pitch in as well sir? Because I can only assume it’s something to do with the goods train he was pulling.” The pale man quizzed. “Hopefully not Zorran, if Gordon pulls his weight as well.” The eldest Hatt told. “Okay sirs, I’ll do my best. Jockey?” Edward asked as he looked to Zorran. “Yeah, yeah, I gott’cha Eddie.” The ghost grinned petting the centaurs hip before mounting him and the two set off for the mainline. When they arrived at the hill Zorran hopped off Edward and floated over to Harper who was at the bottom signalling Gordon backwards. “‘Elo, Top Hat. Found yourself in a mess?” the pale spirit asked the other fellow jockey. Harper sighed tiredly at the old name and stopped Gordon backing down the hill. “Unfortunately Zorran. And here I was thinking when I was younger and naiver that Frank and Eddie were the most stuck up people I would ever meet.” “I’d say look in the mirror, but… you know.” “Glad to see your humour hasn’t changed over the last fifteen years. Now, onto real issues. We going for the standard approach?” Harper asked. Zorran clicked his tongue and checked the size of the train. “Yep, three stamps on the rails and then we go.” “Wonderful, see you at the yard later.” Harper waved and then floated up the slope to Gordon to tell him the plan. Zorran doing the same back over to Edward. “Alright ol’ boy, standard approach.” “Brilliant.” Edward said as Zorran mounted him again.

Harper climbed back onto the carriage and held the reins tightly then giving them a flick. “High hoe Gordon!” Harper shouted and the stallion proceeded to stamp his hove twice on the rail making a harsh clang as horse shoe meet with rail. Edward copied the action with three stamps then a high horse cry as he began to push with Gordon calling out from up front and trying to pull up the hill.

Gordon slipped a few times on the sleepers causing him to fall back and a sudden weight being shoved onto Edward, but the old stallion kept pushing. “Oh please Gordon, try!” Edward pleaded. “Come on Gordon this is a cake walk for you!” Harper encouraged. “I can’t do it!” Gordon shouted as the continued to climb. “I will do it!” Edward cheered as he continued to push. “I can’t do it!” Gordon shouted again as he continued to slip. “I will do it!” Edward cheered as he stomped his hooves hard into the ground for traction. “I can’t-” Gordon was stopped half sentence when he realised he was at the top of the hill and just beginning to get over the other side. Zorran and Harper using their levitation abilities to make the train less heavy for the centaurs. “I’ve done it! I’ve done it! Haha! I knew I could to it!” Gordon cheered in hara when he thundered down the other side. “Seriously?” Zorran questioned in annoyment when he watched the train move on. “Not even so much as a thank you? Hmph!” Edward nickered.

When Edward got back to the yard to sort the trucks and coaches he was confused when he heard a voice he had never heard before, he listened in as James talked to them when the new voice mentioned they were from the mainland to which it clicked to Edward. “The fat controllers new worker!” He gasped then backed up to where James was on a siding, when the blue stallion stood next to his work colleague he was surprised by what he saw.

It was a boy centaur standing there. He was covered in a teal full piece set of clothes down to his hooves leaving only his long tail with a fur tip to be seen, he had a heavy blanket over his back and a large head piece over his forehead that was buckled down like a complicated bike helmet. He had black hair and bright blue eyes, and if his tail was to go by, he presumably had blue fur under the suit.

The new centaur was confused when he saw Edward staring at him in shock. “Um… hello? What’s the matter? Do I have soot on my face?” Thomas asked as he whipped his face. “No, no… it’s just, well… you’re not a big colt, or even a stallion.” The boy seemed to grow upset at this as he scratched his front hooves on the ground and wiggled his ears in frustration while crossing his arms. “Yes I am!” the foal defended. James chuckled. “Hehe, no you’re not.” “Well I was big enough to pass my tests on the mainland.” The small blue colt said slowly trotted off, not really wanting these older centaurs company.

Edward tried to back track as he didn’t mean for that to come across as an insult. “Wait! Wait! All I meant was, you’re not as big as I am, and I can assume you’re a unicorn if your muffler is anything to go by.” Edward said while looking to all the mufflers around the young lads hidden horn.

“I may not be as big as you, but I’m very hard working.” A deep horse cry along with a thundering of hooves cut the young colt off as a cloud of dust from rubble Gordon kicked up entered the yard. “Hahaha! And who are you?” The big burly stallion asked in a judgmental tone down to the little colt. “I’m Thomas.” The young foal said. “The new centaur!” Edward said as he watched Gordon’s expression turn into one of finding this a joke. “Oh dear, I believe the fat controllers made a terrible mistake. I think they were expecting someone really useful.” Gordon said smugly. “I am really useful.” Thomas said while flicking his tail in annoyance. “For fetching coaches, perhaps. If you stick around long enough you might see me pulling the express, that will be a fine sight for you- Ow!” Harper flicked the reins from the carriage so they smacked Gordon in the face. He hopped off the carriage and came up to Gordon to pull him by the lead.

“If I hear one more remark like that Gordon you will find yourself pulling nothing at all for the next week.” The man gritted before sighing and looking to Thomas. “Terribly sorry about him young man, sometimes his ego is too big for his shoes. This is Gordon, and I’m his jockey Topham Harper, but everyone calls me Harper.” “I’m Edward, and this is my jockey Zorran.” The old stallion said looking up to his partner. “Nice ta meet ya squirt.” Zorran waved in a two fingered salute. “And I’m James.” The onyx stallion said with a bow and illumination of his horn. Thomas mimicked his stance awkwardly when they all heard a voice enter the yard.

“Hello! Hello! Hello!” “And here comes the fat-” “Ah, sir Topham Hatt’s.” Edward said cutting James off as the controllers of the railway walked into the yard. “Ah, you must be Thomas, our new colt! welcome to Sodor! I am sir Bertrum Topham Hatt. These men beside me are my descendants. My grandson- Stephen and my son- Charles.” “Pleased to meet you.” Thomas said with a smile and wag of his tail. The yard grew quiet with an awkward tension as the men expected for Thomas to continue when Edward whispered to the young colt. “‘Sir’, you’re supposed to call them ‘sir’…” “Oh, ah, pleased to meet you sirs.” Thomas corrected. “We’re very pleased to meet you to. Now, as you can see, we are very busy men, and this is a very busy railway, so we expect you to make yourself really useful right away. Edward will show you what to do, and Harper? I want you to fill in for Thomas’s jockey for the day, his boat here has been delayed until tomorrow.” Sir Bertrum said.

“Of course sir. Go have a small rest Gordon, you’ll have to take the express without me.” Harper said giving the big stallion a pet then letting go of Gordon’s lead and heading over to Thomas’s as he assumed Edward would be showing him how to buck. “Um? Sir? May I ask why we have another unicorn here? Let alone one so young?” James asked before the Hatt’s left the yard. “Ah… Thomas here is actually a very special request, I unfortunately can’t disclose why until tomorrow. For now I want Edward to show Thomas the ropes of bucking.” Sir Bertrum said. “Bucking? But I thought he was a unicorn sir, he should be able to use magic at his age.” Zorran said looking extremely puzzled. “He has all these mufflers on for a reason, he’s not allowed to use magic for the time being.” Sir Stephen said. “How odd.” Harper remarked as he took a hold of Thomas’s lead and guided him to follow Edward. “Come on Eddie, lets show the squirt how it’s done.” Zorran said taking Edward by the lead as well and walking him back to the rails. Edward showed Thomas the basics of bucking. He kicked with his back legs on a big block of wood that was around the coupling but in between the buffers of a truck. The truck went rolling a little ways and closed in on the truck behind it, when it gently tapped the other trucks buffers Zorran used his telekinesis and coupled them together. “Now you try Thomas.” Edward encouraged. “I’ll lead you to the trucks.” Harper said with a clipboard in one hand and Thomas’s lead in the other. They stopped in front of a line of trucks that needed to be pushed closer together to be coupled up. “Alright, just buck.” Harper said watching Thomas turn around and then kick hard against the truck making it crash into the others behind it with a few bits of cargo coming out. “Ohh… opps…” Thomas grimaced as he realised he bucked to hard. Harper sighed and clicked his fingers, the boxes that had fallen out being put back and the trucks being fixed up on the tracks while being coupled up.

Edward then showed Thomas how to push and pull, for this one Harper just floated beside Thomas as he was too big to actually ride on the small colt. Edward was linked up to the coupling on the coaches and slowly walked back, using his hands to hold the coaches from backing into him to quick. Once he had all the coaches together he pushed them onto the same track as Gordon. Gordon was harnessed and hitched up to a carriage that was coupled to the coaches, normally Harper would be on the carriage with the reins to drive Gordon but the stallion could break the train himself if he didn’t have a jockey with him. Thomas had untied himself from the lead that Harper was holding and actually trotted up to the front of the platform standing next to Gordon to admire the outside of the yard. When James came onto the same line he neighed loudly to tell Thomas to get off the track, the small blue colt did just that and tried to gallop out the way but was confused when he came to the signals, not knowing if he could go or not. He ended up flopping over himself before the lines crossed and narrowly missing a train that passed in front of him. Harper was quick to get him back on a lead and pulled him away from the signals. Thomas was put back in the yard and tried to get back to bucking and pulling. He crashed into a train this time face first into the wood causing the boxes to fly out of the trucks again. After Harper made sure he was okay and didn’t have a broken nose he fixed the trucks again and their cargo. When Thomas was pushing a train he accidentally went onto the wrong track and was put towards the station again. He stopped once he realized the mistake but was seen by the passengers on the platform, he was curious about a girl that seemed to fawn over him by being a- ‘pony’ but he was quickly snapped out of it when James cried out again for him to get out of the way, making the colt bolt backwards to get out of the station.

In the afternoon Thomas and Edward had taken a small break when the young colt noticed Gordon taking a rest in the yard. He as quietly as he could tiptoed up to the large stallion and when he was right next to him he cried out in a high pitched whinny as hard as he could. Gordon was startled awake, but when he heard Thomas laughing he instantly grew cross.

“Wake up lazy bones! Why don’t you work hard like me?” the young colt then cantered away, leaving Gordon to grumble as the sun set and rain clouds started to roll in. That night, Thomas was the smallest centaur in the stables. Harper guided him into the spare stall that had a big tank engine behind it and began to untie the harnesses for him. Thomas sighed as he began to unwind and relax. “I like being on Sodor Edward, I just can’t wait to pull trains.” Gordon groaned in Thomas’s direction from mere mention because of the disaster Thomas had caused everyone today. The large stallion undid his own harness in a grump since his own jockey was busy with the new comer, once it was off he tossed it into his tall fenced stall with a large tendered locomotive behind it.

“You have a long way to go Thomas if you think your even close to being able to pull trains yet.” Harper near scolded with the same expression as his centaur co-worker. “I actually have to agree with Harper Thomas, you best learn how to buck trucks and coaches before you pull any trains.” Edward cautioned as Zorran undid his harness in his own stall. “Learn how the trains are put together before you pull ‘em Thomas, the last thing you want to do is become a one trick pony that only knows how to pull trains.” Zorran quipped. “I resent that!” Gordon hissed as he knew that jab was directed at him.

“Oh do hush up Gordon, you have no room to speak after what happened today.” Harper shot down his centaur fast. “And even then, he’s too young to be pulling any big trains. And what’s the use of a unicorn if they can’t use their magic?” James asked from his stall as he clicked his crystalized fingers, teleporting his work harness off his body and onto a mannequin. “I do have to wonder that to. Why do you have so many mufflers on your horn? And… hold on.” Harper said as he took the straps and straddles off of Thomas and placed his harness on the floor, when he noticed something out of place. “This isn’t a normal blanket, this is a wing girdle.” Harper quickly undid the now discovered wing girdle. Thomas suddenly turned sheepish and looked to be upset as he began to undo the mufflers on his horn as Harper took off the girdle. “Why on earth do you have one of these on Thomas? These can cause some serious issues especially in your line of work, it restricts-” Harper was cut short when the girdle fell off Thomas’s back.

What flushed out spread wide open were a set of big blue purple tipped feathered wings, Thomas ruffled them a bit and made them flitter before folding them back down to his sides as he also took off the last muffler around his horn. Thomas wasn’t a unicorn colt, he was an alicorn colt.

All the mythic in the stables stared and gawked for what felt like hours to the young colt. He sat down and used his wings to partially hide himself in as he now looked really worried and embarrassed. “I was sent here because it’s the safest place for mythic… I was told I would be really needed here, so, here I am...” Thomas mumbled out.

Gordon was the first one to do anything as he walked over to Thomas and began to circle him. When the bigger stallion had done a lap, he stopped by Thomas’s wing and gently ran his hands down the feathers. “Hmm… your wings are like magpie ones, down to the rainbow gloss in the feathers. That gloss often means a pegasus can do magic, so I believe it makes sense that an alicorn’s feathers would be the same. And you have all your flight feathers but none of them look disturbed… have you ever actually flown before Thomas?” Gordon asked turning his attention back to the young colt.

“Um, no. I haven’t ever flown before… the people who owned me were to scared that any teacher they gave me would snitch and I would be hunted.” Thomas meekly said as he twitched his wings away from Gordon’s hand. James was the next to come over as he took a good look at Thomas’s horn. “A curved blade and blue tinting… your horn is definitely built for strong and fast attacks like an enchanted katana, but the blue tinting that’s strong at the tip then dulls down to the base means you have a lot of magic building up, and you don’t use it regularly. I can assume you’ve used magic before at least since you wouldn’t have a horn at all if you didn’t.” James observed. “I have used magic before, but I have a huge knockback whenever I use it that often causes trouble, so they keep a lot of mufflers on me.” Thomas said gently tracing his finger up the bone on his head.

“So you haven’t had a teacher for magic ether I assume.” Harper said gently petting the colts hair. “No, apparently mage unicorns are hard to find nowadays. And even then, the same reason I said before, they were scared that a teacher would snitch.” Thomas answered with his ears drooping. “Huh… say, Toppy? What do you think Magister Star could do to teach him?” Zorran questioned to his fellow jockey. Harper’s eyes lit up. “Oh! You have a good point Zorran.” Harper said with a little glee at the mention of his former employer.

“Hold on, isn’t magister a title used for a person who lead a gathering of mythic? Like how we could call the sir Topham Hatt’s magisters?” Thomas asked. “You’re correct in that assumption Thomas, magisters are titles given to well respected leaders of businesses or mythic of authority. You could call the fat controllers magisters but because their immortals they wouldn’t respond to well to you calling them that. I actually did that for a while when I first arrived.” Harper chuckled sheepishly. “Ugh, that was a weird culture shock to get over.” Zorran agreed but in a grimace as he recalled the awkwardness of his experience. “Culture shock?” Thomas asked.

“Me and Harper used to work in America for rivalling businesses, when the second war came about my magister sold us to Magister Star and after the war was over we relocated here to Sodor.” Zorran explained looking over to his work colleague. “We worked at the docks and harbours around the island for a bit before a few of us wanted to explore different careers. Sodor was known for being big on its railway so a few of us got qualified to become jockeys and now we work here.” Harper said smiling back up to the spectre as the ghoul flouted above them.

“Wow, how many of you work on the railway now?” Thomas asked as he wagged his tail and wiggled his ears in excitement. “Settle down kiddo, we’ve got plenty of time to tell you.” Just as Zorran finished that sentence a deep deer cry came from outside and what quickly bolted in and into a stall next to Gordon was a deer centaur with a jockey riding on its back. They were both soaking wet from the pouring rain and the second the jockey got off the deer shook himself dry. “Ah! Henry! How many times do I have to tell you to wait so I can dry you?” the jockey scolded his steed. “I hate being wet though…” the deer, Henry, said as he was given a towel to dry off.

Thomas had skittishly dashed into Edward’s stall and hid behind him when he heard Henry cry before he charged in. The young colt looked to Edward in a hope of an explanation. “Who are they?” “Those two are Henry and Zak, Henry is a very kind soul, but he’s a bit of a worrier. And he doesn’t like rain. Zak is both Henry’s jockey and his adopted father, he’s firm and strong, but his heart is in the right place.” Edward answered when said mythic looked to their direction.

“Hey guys, sorry about the floor. I’ll get to moping that up.” Zak said but did a double take when he saw Thomas. “Oh? Is he the new guy the fat controllers were talking about?” “He is indeed Zak, this is Thomas.” Zorran said to his co-worker. Thomas smiled nervously, he slowly walked out from behind Edward and approached the two, revealing his wings. Henry and Zak gawked when they saw that Thomas was an alicorn. “Woah! He’s an alicorn?!” Henry gasped as he walked up to the small colt and circled him a few times to get a better look, James and Gordon backed up to let him study Thomas. “How on earth did the Hatt’s afford an alicorn? Let alone find one.” Zak asked as he studied Thomas from afar.

“Apparently he’s here for protection. Sodor’s code word is Sanctuary after all.” James commented while stretching and waltzing off back to his own stall. “Wow…” Henry awed with a smile, he did a light skip on his front legs to Thomas as an instigation of play when a loud crash of thunder sounded overhead. Henry screamed and bolted into his own stall next to Gordon. Zak sighed then looked to the others. “See you all in the morning, ‘night.” He said then walking into Henry’s stall for the night. “Goodnight Zak.” Zorran said then looked to Thomas. “Are you going to be okay tonight Thomas? Maybe Edward can stay with you.” “I don’t want to bother him, plus, I don’t want to be seen as a scaredy-foal. I’m 14 after all.” Thomas smiled with his chest puffed up a bit before Edward placed a hand on his shoulder. “Believe it or not Thomas when Henry first came to the railway he stayed in my stall for a bit until he was comfortable in his own, same with Gordon, and the both of them were 13 and 14 as well. I don’t mind if you’d like a bit of company and comfort.” Edward said with a kind smile. Thomas looked decisive for a second before he nuzzled his head on Edward’s arm. The old stallion petted Thomas’s hair before he began to put his pyjama’s on.

“I can safely assume people don’t see you often without a muffler on or a wing girdle?” Harper asked as he handed Gordon his own set of pj’s. “No… the only person who’s seen me like this up until now has been my jockey.” Thomas answered. “What’s your jockey like? Since we’ve been told we’ll see them tomorrow.” Zorran asked. “My jockey mainly acts as my handler for now since he’s way too big for me to carry him, he’s a lot like my dad and he’s really caring and compassionate.” Thomas said as Edward helped him to take off his shirt since he didn’t have any pyjamas to change into. “Is he a mythic or is he human?” Harper asked. “He’s mythic.” “What kind?” James asked the colt. “He’s a fallen.” “A fallen what?” Zorran asked. “I don’t know, he’s always referred to himself as a fallen. I’ve never been able to get much more out of him.” Thomas sighed as he laid down on a mattress on the floor, Edward joining him by his side and handing him a pillow. Thomas took the pillow but rested himself under Edward’s arms so the stallion would have to rest on Thomas’s back, Edward chuckled and petted the young colt as he relaxed to ease into sleep.

“Well I guess we’ll have to see for ourselves tomorrow. Gordon? Are you ready in there?” Harper asked while knocking on the door to Gordon’s stall. “I’m ready.” The big stallion said from behind the door. Harper in a puff of red smoke disappeared and a big bat took his place, it flew over the stall walls and just like that it was out of sight.

Thomas gripped Edward’s arm in a fright, hugging him close to his body. “I didn’t know Harper was a vampire this whole time…” he shivered out. “He’s not a hundred percent a vampire Thomas, he’s half sea wizard as well.” Edward soothed the young colt. “Well if you wanna get things out the way then I guess knowledge about his new co-workers is in order. I’m a ghost, that’s obvious. Zak is a witch doctor, or shaman. Edward is a plain mustang centaur. Gordon… I think, is a shire mix breed of some kind. Henry is a forest spirit. And James is a crystal unicorn.” Zorran answered as he gradually floated higher above them to the support beams in the roof, kicking back as if he just set himself up in a hammock. “I’ll see you lads in the morning, ‘night.” “Good night Zorran. ‘Night Thomas…” Edward said before easing Thomas down to head to sleep. The young colt trilled in a soft purr, lifting one of his wings over Edward as a blanket. Edward chuckled softly before the two fell asleep.

In the morning as all the centaurs got up for the day the fat controllers came to talk to Thomas. The horse hybrids and their jockeys were eating breakfast when they heard a knock on the stable doors, Zak stomped his heel into the floor and the door magically swung open to reveal the stout men.

“Good morning everyone!” Bertrum said as they walked in. “Good morning sirs, what brings you all here?” Edward asked. “We’ve come to tell Thomas some news, oh! I see you’ve been informed about what he really is.” Stephen said when he noticed Thomas didn’t have his mufflers or wing girdle on. “Oh! Ah… I hope it’s okay sir.” Thomas said when he realised he was still only wearing his pants. “That’s okay Thomas, you’re going to be given a new uniform today anyhow.” Charles said making the alicorn smile and wag his tail. “Really?” “Hah-hah! Yes! We want you to head straight to the forge works to receive it, they will also be giving you your harness and reins and other work necessities.” Bertrum said. “You’ll also be meeting your jockey there, his ship finally arrived last night.” Stephen said.

Thomas bounced on his front hooves in a skip, he wanted to run straight out the door and get going. “Hoho! calm down Thomas, you need to still get dressed, and James will be escorting you to the forge works.” Charles said. James groaned when he heard that, and judging by the excitement on Thomas’s face the young colt wanted to get going as soon as possible. The crystal centaur sighed in defeat and got up from the table to fully get ready. “Could someone throw that out for me?” James asked as he walked back to his stall and got his clothes on, Thomas speed getting fully dressed as well.

When the two were done they were out onto the mainline and travelling down it at moderate speeds, Thomas having trouble keeping up with the stone mythic. James had noticed this but assumed Thomas would ease out by the time they got halfway, when he didn’t and the colt was still fumbling awkwardly James ran alongside him to talk.

“Thomas? Why are you running like that? You look like a sausage made of rubber with a jelly centre.” Thomas was huffing as he tried to keep up with James who had a longer stride than him, he also wasn’t as fit and had a physical deformity that made running awkward for him. “It’s not my fault, my wings are to big so when I run they offset my balance.” “Ah, I’ve heard of conditions like that, I thought they were fixed with a bit of therapy and practice.” James commented. “They are, but again, I’ve never had a teacher with wings, so I’ve never gotten physical therapy for that. And I was always kept in a close quarters room, I’ve never had space to properly run like out in a field.” “Sounds like you’ve been pretty sheltered then…” James said in an almost envious tone. Thomas decided to ignore that comment as he didn’t know whether he should be sad or insulted.

When the two got to the forge works there were a few workmen already waiting for Thomas’s arrival. James bid Thomas goodbye for now and erupted a black crystal from the earth before jumping into it in a flash of light and disappearing, the young colt assuming that was James’s method of teleporting while he trotted in.

He was told to strip down to his underwear and was given a compression suit for horses, except it had gaps in it for where his wings would go. When it was on he was given a white shirt for his human torso and then came the actual uniform he was to wear. For his human torso he was given a light blue collar shirt with a deeper blue vest over it, a bolo tie with a simple clip as the clasp, and finally a silver ring over the base of his horn but hidden by his hair.

For his horse body he was given a sturdy white leather chest piece that covered his horse torse but left the back empty for his wings, it had several buttons and clips on it for what Thomas could only assume was for his harness and reins. And last was a long blue cloth that had a number 1 on it that was clipped to his flank and covered the base of his tail.

“I gotta say that number does look good on you, almost makes me jealous.” A man from behind Thomas said as he was the one that clipped on the numeral cloth. Thomas darted around when he heard the voice and instantly lit up like a lighthouse when he recognized who the man was. “Titan!” Thomas cheered as he hugged the big burly man into a tight squeeze, using his wings to wrap around him as emphasis. “Haha! Good to see you to buddy, sorry I wasn’t here yesterday to join you, the ship I was on was delayed because of a sea beast.” Titan laughed hugging the boy back. “I’m just glad you’re here!” Thomas trilled and trotted as he snuggled his father figure and jockey. “Alright lad, calm down, we’ve still got the full day ahead of us. Why don’t we head down the mainline back to Knapford?” “Sure! How about a race?” Thomas skipped. “Why not? It’ll get you some practice in while we’re at it.” Titan said as he walked out to the front of the forge with Thomas darting around him with a glee filled smile.

Titan stopped at a line in the concrete to use as their starting line, beckoning Thomas to come over and ready up. “Alright, on your marks, get set… GO!” The two darted off, Titan floating just centimetres off the ground as he kept pace with Thomas’s awkward galloping. Titan knew they had a lot of work to do, but they had all of eternity if necessary.

Once the two got back to Knapford Thomas walked around a little bit until he found the yard and had spotted Edward getting a train ready. He neighed to get the stallions attention and when Edward saw Thomas he was very surprised by the get up and who he had floating beside him. “Edward! Look! I’m blue, I’m blue! Just like you!” “Haha! That you are Thomas. Oh! Your also number one,” the old stallion observed seeing the cloth on his flank. “Does that mean I’m the best?” Thomas giggled as he trotted in place from excitement. “Alright calm down kiddo, I’m sure it means something, we can find that out later. For now though I see you’ve already made a friend, who might this be?” Titan asked looking to Edward.

“Oh! Right. Titan, this is Edward. He showed me how to buck yesterday, and Edward, this is my jockey Titan Crescent.” Thomas introduced the pair. Titan lit up at hearing that Edward was Thomas’s first teacher. “Well hello ‘ol boy nice to meet you, thank you for being Thomas’s first teacher.” Titan said offering a handshake. Edward smiled and gently shook it, feeling flattered by Titans words. “It’s nice to meet you Mr Crescent, Thomas has told us your essentially his guardian and I must say you’ve done an excellent job, he’s such a polite yet cheeky young colt.” Edward commented with a little chuckle. “Oh dear, what has he done?” Titan grinned. “He spooked our express stallion awake when he was taking a nap, oh! Speaking of whom, here he comes into the yard now.”

The trio turned and watched as James, Gordon and Harper entered the yard. But things quickly turned ecstatic when the vampire and mystery mythic locked eyes. “No way… Top Hat?” Titan asked. “Ten Cents?” Harper questioned. The second those words left Harpers mouth Titan bolted into Harper, giving him a tight tackle hug, the vampire not even being half Titans height as the mystery mythic laughed in a hearty glee. “HAHA! Hello my old friend! How have you been? I didn’t expect you to be actually working on the railway, last I saw you, you were still bickering with Frank and Eddie. How did you get from there to here?” Titan smiled while gently putting the number 4 jockey down.

“How did I get from there to here?! Ten Cents! I don’t know if you’ve realised how big you’ve gotten! You were still shorter than O.J last I saw you, how did you get from then to now? I thought you divinely mythic aged ludicrously slowly.” Harper asked as he floated in front of the large mythic. “Oh sure fire tales for later in the eve’, I’m more excited we get to be work colleagues again.” Titan smiled. “Ah I should have known a powerful centaur like Thomas would need an even stronger jockey to rein him in, and I can’t think of a better man for the job. But honestly Ten Cents, you old dog! I didn’t think you’d be the first of us stars to have a kid!” Harper smiled looking over to Thomas.

Titan floated back over to the colt and landed back beside him. “I’d have gotten it on paper by now, but you know how the laws are, it’s been a miracle we’ve gotten this far and to this point already.” The giant man said while ruffling the alicorns hair. “Oh! Zorran and Zak are going to be so surprised! And all the others to if we get the time, they’re working at Arlesbrough harbor.” Harper informed. “We’re gonna be what now?” Zorran asked as he, Zak, and Henry entered the yard when the former rivals to Harper and Titan spotted the large mythic.

“Well I’ll be dipped! Titan Crescent is that you?” Zak gawked and having Zorran following suit when he recognised the former little number 1. “Zak! Zorran! My you two have changed, I adore how your hair looks now Zak, it looks great long. And Zorran, oh how the tables have turned ay?” Titan said walking up to them and giving them firm friendly handshakes. “I know, I never expected you to give Hercules a run for his money, but here you are.” Zorran said grasping the man’s hand in a cold icy lock.

“Say, how have the others been? Top Hat just told me they’re working at Arlesbrough harbor.” Titan asked. “Yeah, some of them are. Big Mac moved up to the Skarloey railway working as their standard gauge or as their river hauler since one travels along the railway. And Zip moved to working on the Arlesdale railway, apparently that side of the island is the gateway to its most mystic part and its entrance is heavily guarded by fae folk, so Zip got a little curious.” Zorran explained when Henry’s ears flattened and he whimpered a bit until Zak gently pet his side to calm him down.

“Are you okay Henry?” Thomas asked sounding concerned. “It seems we have a few stories to tell when we get back to the stables tonight, but for now we’d better get back to work.” Edward said as he watched Zorran float up to him then mount on his saddle. “True, we still have trains to pull.” Harper said floating back up and then sitting back down on the carriage Gordon was pulling, proceeded by giving the reins a flick. “Someone can fetch me my coaches.” Gordon said as he trotted off to the platform. Edward looked to Thomas with a bit of a sad sigh. “You’d better do it Thomas, I have to get back to my branch line, I’m rather behind on my work.” “But… I thought we were going to be working together.” Thomas said with a bit of disappointment. “We will be kiddo, just not all the time.” Zorran said with a grin. “Now! My coaches!” Gordon yelled from the distance. “Is it just me or does that centaur sound like a certain someone?” Titan smirked to the ghost. “3… 2… 1…” Zorran counted smugly before a harsh ‘thwap!’ could be heard from the station followed by Gordon yelping. “How many times have I told you to use manners?!” Harper shouted causing the quartet to snicker into a fit.

Titan waved the other pair off as they trotted down the line and guided Thomas by the reins to get to work. When they stopped in front of a pair of coaches Thomas took a hold of the coupling to pull them backwards, the carriages budged with a jolt but with the sharp movement made a strange phenomenon happen.

The coach facing them groaned with a disturbing creek making Thomas stop pulling. The coaches wood then suddenly splintered and broke, cracking and breaking into a vaguely familiar shape. Titan pulled Thomas back and grit his teeth in a hiss of- ‘uh oh’, while the young colt hid behind his leg. “Whoops… I think these ones must have been due for-” “I say, where were you taking us?” a ladies voice spoke making Titan and Thomas look back up to the coach.

In a splash zone of broken and splintered wood on the coach was a face, and a female one at that. Titan then smacked his forehead. “Ah, terribly sorry m’dears it seems we’ve given you a fright.” Titan apologized and beckoned Thomas back in front of him. “Yes you have, now, can you please tell us where we are going?” another ladies voice from the other coach says. “T-to Gordon, it’s time for the express.” Thomas says as he takes the coupling again and pulls them out. “But we’re not the express coaches.” The two coaches say in unison. “I’m Annie, and she is Clarabel.” “And the express coaches are on the other sidings.” Clarabel says gesturing over to the white and green coaches beside them.

“Oh! Uh, terribly sorry your ladyships. I’m new around here so I didn’t know.” Thomas said then pushing the two back. “Say, I didn’t know haunted coaches were even still allowed, how did you two manage to survive the restrictions?” Titan asked. “Well Sodor isn’t nicknamed sanctuary for nothing, every species is welcomed here.” Annie said. “Granted they don’t cause any trouble.” Clarabel said. “Any species huh?” Titan pondered but looked to Thomas. “Hm, well for now we’d better get the express coaches. It was nice talking to you two ladies.” “It was nice meeting you to, uh… gracious we didn’t even get your names.” Clarabel commented sheepishly. “Oh! Well how rude of us, my name is Titan, and this here is Thomas.” Titan said ruffling his boys hair. “It was a treasure meeting you! Until another day?” Annie called. “Until some other time!” Titan said as he guided Thomas to where the actual express coaches were.

The whole day was pushing and bucking, pushing and bucking. Thomas felt himself rushed off his hooves very quickly. But he enjoyed it! He was finally out and about, running some short distances up and down the yard. But he never got to fast as he would trip over his wings or they would make him lose balance. By the end of the day the steeds had begun returning back to Knapford to return their coaches and get a drink of water from the fountains.

James came thundering in and came to a sharp stop with Annie and Clarabel, his hooves dragging against the wooden sleepers and gravel balise. “Here’s James!” the crystal unicorn cheered at his arrival. “Oof! James! Careful.” Annie scolded the stallion at the sudden stop. Titan rolled his eyes, his attitude almost reminded him of Harper back in their younger years, except the vampire hybrid wasn’t as brash.

Thomas sniffed the air as James uncoupled himself from his train, the air smelt like there was a chemical in it somehow. “Do you guys smell that? Like a chemical smell?” “No, nothing out of the ordinary.” James quickly said and was about to trot away when Titan stopping him in his tracks and took a long whiff of the air. “That’s the smell of freshly cut gemstone, you never forget the smell after visiting a mine. James, I’m no expert on you’re kind but I’m very sure broken pieces of your body aren’t a good thing.” Titan confronted the unicorn. “N-Nonsense! It keeps my hooves sharp! Your exactly right! What would you know about my kind?” James seemed very offended but at the same time backed into a corner. He turned his nose away from the large jockey and walked around him to get away to work on his next train. Thomas grew worried for the unicorn but Titan shook his head in disapproval. “I can’t believe I ever had that faze, the only reason I did was because mine was justified.” Titan commented. “Huh?” “Oh, story for hopefully later tonight Thomas. I promise.” Titan ruffled the colts hair and guided him over to the fountain so he could rest.

Henry and Zak were already there taking a break, Henry cupped his hands into the water to take a drink while Zak was working on a wooden tiki. The stags ears twitched at their approaching presence and he gave a kind wave, he did abruptly leave Thomas last night after he had just shown an interest in playing with him. “Hello Thomas, Mr Crescent.” Henry gave a curt bow to the mystery mythic. “Oh don’t be so formal kiddo, it’s just Titan. Ay Zak, you still have wood carving as a hobby?” Titan said as he walked off with Zak to have an adults talk, leaving Thomas and Henry alone together.

Thomas hopped up onto the ledge of the fountain and laid down to have a rest, splashing his hooves with some cold water. “Are you alright Thomas?” Henry asked. “Yeah, just a little sore. First day of hard work I’ve ever had.” Thomas said while taking off his compressor socks and horse shoes to rub his sore feet. “Would you like some help?” Henry asked. “Help? Help how?” Henry smiled at Thomas’s question and showed that his hands lit up with a dim green glow and his eyes lighted up. “I’m a forest spirit, one of the perks of that is the natural ability to heal people.” Henry hovered his hands over Thomas’s hooves and just like that in an instant his aches were gone and his pains healed.

The alicorn colt was amazed, he didn’t know Henry could do magic. “Wow! You’re really good.” Thomas said while stamping his front hove as a test. “Thanks, I’ve had a lot of time to practice… I’m also the only healer here. Well, maybe except for Stuart.” “Who’s Stuart?” “A hybrid faun that works on the Skarloey railway, I think he can cast a little bit of healing magic, but I’ve never been in his presence long enough to tell.” “Hopefully you might someday, it’d be really useful to have more than one healer on the island.” “What about you Thomas? Do you like to practice a certain type of magic?”

Henry’s words got Thomas thinking. The young colt could still count on both hands the amount of times he’s casted magic before, and every time it caused him to have a knockback. “I guess… blasts? That’s the only magic I’ve ever casted, and it always makes me fall backwards.” Henry looked surprised at Thomas, but in a thoughtful way he peered into Thomas’s eyes. “Did you know that a magic casters first attempt at subconscious magic often defines what their style is? Mine for example was creating vines upon vines of thorns, when I panicked they started to entangle me and even began to choke me.” Thomas was shocked. “That sounds horrifying! Your own magic turning against you, how did you get it under control?”

Henry chuckled slightly. “That’s the biggest misconception of magic that non-magic casters interpret. Considering you’ve never been taught anything on magic I’m not surprised you’ve interpretated that as well. No, magic is a reflection of you right down to your mental health, it is your thoughts and ambitions. If you perceive magic as a threat it will become a threat. Going back to my first time I ever cast magic, I wasn’t in a good head space. I was getting headaches from my antlers growing in, and I was having horrible nightmares every night. And also going back to how I said a magic casters first attempt as subconscious magic often defines what type of style they use, I was showing my style with those first thorns. I specialise in plant magic.” Henry showed this off by growing a blue and white flower in his palm.

“This is a rare type of flower on Sodor only growing near the top of Culdee Fell or in the deepest parts of the enchanted forests, I was very lucky to find a sample on the Skarloey railway near Shane Dooiney. It’s called a silent princess, it was an old princess’s favourite flower back before Sodor was revolutionised by the English.” “Wow…” Thomas was amazed by the beauty of the flower, the luminescent blue in the shade catching his eye.

“I guess my very long point being, I don’t think your ill-trained in magic Thomas, I think you’re just interpreting your magic wrong.” “How?” Thomas asked. He understood it from Henry’s story but he didn’t understand it from his own story.

“Think about it. You might not have ever been told point blank that you are something powerful, but you got the inclination. Along with having no teachers for the sake of keeping you safe I can only imagen you feel like your magic would be naturally powerful and huge compared to you, which is why it comes out as a blast, you don’t think you can get a grip on it because it’s out of your experience.” Thomas looked like he had just been told the meaning of the universe, his eyes were wide with amazement as the gears in his head were turning and clicking into place.

“So… my style might be something to do with light, but it comes out as a blast because I think it’s too powerful for me?” “There you go!” “Huh… that… actually really puts my mind at ease, thanks Henry!” Thomas smiled while swishing his tail. “Heh-heh, no problem Thomas, I’m glad to have helped.” Thomas hoped up and brushed against Henry’s side like a cat, he trilled like a bird and a few short yips that sounded like enchanted neighs. Henry had heard James make such funny neighs and assumed it was a unicorn thing.

The pairs jockeys soon arrived back, ready to take them back to the stables. Zak mounted Henry and Titan held Thomas’s lead to guide him. When they arrived back at the stables Edward and Harper were setting up a dinner table and food for everyone, as they walked in the doors Edward peeked around to see them. “Welcome back you four, how were your days?” the old stallion asked.

“I got some practice in on running, that’ll be helpful.” Thomas smiled as he took off his reins and Titan taking off his hitch. “Oh that’s right, James told us you have a physical deformity with your wings.” Edward stated. “I thought you’re wings looked a little big on you.” Gordon commented. “He’ll grow into them, just you watch, he’ll be the best flyer on Sodor.” Titan said as he scratched his boys ears. “If we’re talking working mythic on the railway then he’ll be our only flyer, the only ones who can fly are me, Harper, and now you Titan.” Zorran said.

“On that note, can we discuss how you four know each other?” Gordon asked looking to the quartet of jockeys. “Remember how we’ve told you we used to work in America for rivalling boat companies? Well Titan was the number 1 on Harper’s side.” Zak said as he took Henry’s saddle off. “So you two used to be work colleagues?” James asked pointing to Harper and Titan. “Yes, I worked closely with the railroads. Ferrying the trucks and cargo around. Titan despite his species was the boat equivalent of a shunter.” Harper answered.

“Hold on, you used to shunt?” Thomas asked looking up to his father figure. “I did, though it was out on the water and I actually used the boat to do it.” Titan chuckled. “And I will never for the life of me figure out why, you could control water at the time.” Harper said. “I found human crafts rather fascinating, and to be fair you all did think I was human at first. The only person who knew was Hercules.” Titan smirked at his old colleague. “That was a surprise to find out that you were a mythic that day when it spread around the harbor.” Zak commented with a look of old surprise in his expression. “Right? And when he actually showed it off for the first time? That was the warmest and coldest I’ve ever felt in my life.” Zorran said while rubbing his arms in a chill running up his spine.

“How do you think we felt? We were there when it happened for darn sake! That absolutely pissed off expression at the hunters that he had? I never knew he could give Captain Star a run for his money until that day.” Harper said in a dramatic gasp. “It was also weird to find out you were the oldest person in the harbor although you didn’t act like it.” Zak said. “It’s a divine thing.” Titan said while grabbing himself a beer bottle from the fridge and taking a swig before handing it to Zak. “That should give it a kick.” Zak took the drink and gave a gulp of it. “Oof, yeah, that’s strong.”

“So can we maybe stop with the suspense and actually find out what you are? Even Thomas doesn’t know.” James asked while plonking his gem flank down at the table. “James, I expect this from Gordon, not you.” Harper scolded. “Oh hush up Top Hat, if I’m offended I’ll let him know.” Titan said as he removed his hat and coat, then disappearing them in a wind of ash and flame.

What revealed itself after the removal of his hat however, was the small set of horns he had just above his hair line and a gold ornament hung between them. “Oh, the crown thingy is new.” Zorran commented. “I made a plea with the higher ups and it was approved, the only condition is that I have to raise this little man.” Titan said petting Thomas’s head who was fascinated by the horns on his guardian.

“Plenty of mythic have horns though, that doesn’t exactly tell us much.” Edward said. “Alright then, this might be a little more recognisable.” Titan then had a silver rusted ring appear above his head, it floated in mid-air and followed his every twitch of his neck.

The stallions looked up and astonishment, this care giver of Thomas’s couldn’t have been implying that he was… “A halo… and Thomas called you a fallen. Of course, someone closely as powerful as him would be qualified to be his guardian.” Edward said in a realization, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Nah-ah, last I checked angels can’t have horns.” James said with a sneered frown. “Normal angels; correct. Fallen angels; no. 33 years ago when I still worked with Harper a powerful demon came to Bigg city port. I had fought him off but it left my heavenly signal very tainted, so it condemned me. My halo was shattered and my wings singed of my feathers. I sent him packing into heaven’s jail, but my divinity was lost in the process. Heaven was in a huge fuss over it because there hadn’t been a fallen angel since Satin, so I was sent to trial. I was basically given community service and a very long probation with the condition that I raise someone in the next few decades. Then I could get my divinity back.” “So your raising Thomas to get your angelic-ness back?” Zak asked. “At first I was doing just that and treating it like a job to do, but the more Thomas grew up the more I saw myself in him. So, I made it my mission to do right by him when I didn’t have that.” Titan answered. “Didn’t you act out to begin with in heaven because you wanted attention?” Harper asked. “Yeah, my older siblings were very dismissive of me and were really busy, so they didn’t have much time for me.” “You had siblings?” Thomas asked. “Yeah, Michael, Jophiel, Raphael. If you’ve heard about the bible then chances are you’ve heard of the archangels. I was the first archangel to be created in millennia.” Titan explained.

“I’ve actually read the bible, what part of god were you if you were an archangel?” Gordon asked. “Gods humanity they dubbed me, the biggest titan of titles to be had. And like humanity, I’ve struggled, I’ve messed up royally on some occasions, I’ve made progress, and more. So you can see how that mirrors my existence.” “Considering world war 2 was coming up in the next 20 years after you became burned I can see how that was a hidden message.” Harper commented. “Am I… am I really on the same level as an angel?” Thomas asked honestly looking rather worried. “Angel’s used to ride alicorns into battle, so while you’re not on the same level as an angel yet, you’ll grow and thrive into that, I’m sure of it.” Thomas didn’t look to confident at his father’s words, he hung his head low on the table with his ears drooping.

Henry trotted up and sat next to the young colt, wrapping his tail around the others back and giving him a kind smile, reminding Thomas of their talk earlier. Thomas smiled and wrapped his wing over Henry’s back, it was clear the two were growing close. Gordon peered at the alicorns outstretched wing and walked over, when he was behind the two he examined Thomas’s feathers. “Gordon, we’ve been over this. I don’t think it’d be a good idea, he needs an actual pegasus to teach him.” Harper said as he helped Edward serve the food. “What’s this now?” Titan asked. Harper sighed. “Gordon was a product of the Gresley line from Doncaster barns, he saw the pegasi being trained and flying all the time before he was bought by the Hatt’s. So naturally he thinks he can maybe teach Thomas how to fly.” “Hey! My cousins were taught by City of Truro, he was a clipped pegasus and yet he got them successfully flying up in the sky.” Gordon argued.

“He had wings at one point Gordon, he has experience, you don’t.” His jockey rebuttaled. “I’m half pegasus, that’s why I’m far lighter than a pure breed shire horse!” “But you’ve still never had wings!” “Gentlemen!” Edward cut the argument and the whole room silent, all eyes on him.

“Harper, as much as I actually agree with you in that under normal circumstances I would not trust Gordon to teach Thomas how to fly, he is the only one out of us who has knowledge in such anatomy. I’d presume Titan has more bat-like wings than feathered ones, and you also have bat wings. Zorran doesn’t need wings, and James barely has enough magic to levitate more than 2 trucks let alone himself. I think our number 4 may be Thomas’s best option for the time being to learning how to fly, at least in teaching the theory behind it or the basics.” Edward argued.

“Thomas? Would you be alright in learning how to fly?” Titan asked. Thomas practically hopped on the spot as he circled in pure excitement. “Yes!” He finally shouted and frolicked up to Gordon, giving him a big hug. The large stallion stiffened at the touch and everyone looked at them in shock as it was a known fact that Gordon didn’t do touching.

Thomas tap danced on his front hooves, his tail wagged behind him and his ears wiggled in joy, his wing fluttering with their feathers rattling together is what gave Gordon piece of mind. The big blue stallion hugged Thomas back, petting his head and holding him to his chest. The little colt began to trill and when Gordon put them apart he placed his hand on Thomas’s wing to get it to stop rattling. “First lesson then little Thomas. Don’t rattle your feathers, that is seen as an intimidation display to other pegasi, and the last thing you want to do at your stage is to pick a fight you won’t win.” “Why would a pegasus want to fight another pegasus?” Thomas asked. “You’ve heard of bar fights before right?” Gordon asked. “Ooohh…” Everyone laughed at the young colts realisation.

When the laughter died down Titan wanted to bring up what Edward mentioned about the Arlesdale forests, and why they seemed like a sore subject.

“Uh, Edward? You said that we could maybe hear more about the Arlesdale forest later. So, why does that place seem like such a sore subject?” All the local mythic to the island suddenly seemed shaken, Henry coward to Zak, hugging him close. While the others looked uncomfortable.

Edward started however. “This happened in 1915… Arlesdale forest was basically the name of the forest that covered the entire north side of the island. When the first world war started they really cracked down on the mythic business to use the mythos instead of their machines so more iron could go towards the war. That ambition lead them to the forests of Sodor, as it was a well-known fact that many mythic were living in there. So…” Edward trailed off in a sad tone. “They started raiding it, to draw the mythic out.”

Titan and Thomas were horrified, but in their shocked silence the old stallion continued. “The humans got as far as a few kilometres before the forest retaliated and pushed them back out, cursing itself with a powerful fog that no human may enter and only mythic or kin of mythic can even make an entrance. But the damage was done… even in those few kilometres there were a few houses and villages, mainly belonging to faun. Those poor souls were taken or killed, and the land the humans managed to conquer was turned into the mid Sodor railway. It’s the worst piece of history for us mythic on the island, and relationships between humans and mythic’s are still rather bad because of it. That area of the island is now called the Arlesdale railway, and is run mainly by fairy folk on miniature gauge tracks.”

Titan was saddened but also not that surprised, he was God’s humanity after all. Thomas however was horrified, he had no clue humans could be that cruel, he had only ever seen them as weird mythic that didn’t have the same energy around them. The young colt hugged into Titan’s hip, he was now nervous about being here, he could see why he was now hidden for all these years. Titan petted his head and eased him back down, and he also took notice that Henry was taking an exceptionally bad reaction to this story. Then it clicked, Henry was a forest spirit.

“Were those your grounds Henry?” Titan asked. Henry was in silent tears as he sniffled with a nod. “M-my m-m-mother was the g-guardian at the time, I w-was eight when they c-came… sh-she was k-killed when she went t-to check what was g-going on… I ran, I ran straight out as f-fast as I could… and ran into Edward…” Henry said through sobs when Zak continued, “Edward took him in from there and he was integrated into the railway, originally trying to pull the express but because of his damaged connection to the burned forest he was and still is kind of sickly. Then I was replaced after you left Titan in late 22 and came here so my abilities might be put into better use, and when I arrived I first took up what I thought would have been a temporary job as being a jockey, so I could get a house and get on my feet, but it ended up being permanent as I got to know Henry better.” Zak said as he soothed Henry down by rubbing his back and hugging him close.

Titan smiled at the albino witch doctor, knowing the feeling well of growing attached to a kid. “But why here? Why the UK? There were plenty of American soldiers.” the fallen angel asked. “The UK was always my back up plan, it was a lot smaller and obviously on another continent, so it worked great for a new start.” Zak answered. “You know, I always admired that about you. Your absolute ballsy-ness and disregard of nearly all common sense to preserve your life, you’ve always been very bold. A freak to your own species, then victim to mythos trade, that’s a hell to go through. And I’m surprised Magister Zero actually gave that away, whoever replaced you must have been a close second.” Titan stated. “He actually replaced me for a diesel, it made sense for the time. My ship and me didn’t really have the best of health, so I was the most logical one to boot.” Zak said. “Then why not just let you drive the diesel and scrap your old boat?” Titan asked. “Because the piolet of that diesel was a were-orca.” Zak answered nonchalantly. “Yeah, Oscar. Good kid and a pretty big change of pace at the time.” Zorran said. “huh… seems like a lot happened after I left…” Titan rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe we should arrange a get together, have the whole team back together for a night out.” Harper suggested. “I’d say that’s a stellar idea, once we get Thomas more worked into the railway I’d happily see the others again for old time sakes.” Titan said.

“Hm… about Thomas, if we were on the topics of giving Thomas a teacher beforehand, why not have James teach Thomas the basics in magic?” Zorran asked. James spat out the food he was eating. “Pu! What?! Me? Hell no!” James shouted. “Oh come on James, don’t be so dramatic.” Harper scolded. “Oh nah! Don’t pull that with me Harper, I’m not Gordon and you’re not my jockey! I have better things to do than to teach a 14 year old who can’t even run straight how to do magic.” James crossed his arms. Thomas looked really embarrassed, he used his wings to hide in while the others could hear muffled sounds of sheepish whining.

Edward walked over to the crystal centaur and grabbed him by the horn and dragged him over to a support beam. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! OW! Edward let me go! Gah!-” The old stallion drove the unicorns horn through the wooden beam of the stables and tied a cloth around the back his head so his horn was stuck there. “If Gordon can teach the basics of learning how to fly, then you can teach him how to do basic magic.” The old stallion dusted his hands off and returned to the dinner table. “I won’t be able to teach him anything with my horn through a poll!” James struggled, trying to shimmy back and forth to get his horn lose.

“Um… why is James having such a hard time getting his horn out?” Thomas asked, watching with a little amusement. “Have you seen what happens to kittens when you grab them by the scruff?” Zorran asked. “Yeah.” “Same thing, except when a unicorn is grabbed by the base of the horn they struggle to move or cast magic.” Henry finished. “So I should watch out if someone tries to grab my horn?” Thomas asked. “Yep! That’s also why we gave you such grief when fitting your horn mufflers, can’t have ‘em to tight or you’d start walking funny.” “You mean I don’t walk funny already?” Thomas quipped to his guardian. “No, you run funny. Theres a difference.” Titan defended. “Speaking of which, before we do anything with magic or flying, we’d better get him acquainted with running first.” Edward followed up.

“I agree, but I actually have to agree with James’s attitude towards Thomas’s running. I think it’d be a waste of time for any of you to teach him how to run, the best teacher for him learning how to run is himself. He just needs to get the exercise in.” Titan said looking to the slightly confused and hurt alicorn. “I think to put it in nicer terms Thomas, basically your anatomy is something only you can get a handle on. Your horn makes you run like a unicorn, but your wings also make you run like a pegasus. Both of those two have different run cycles, so no one other than another alicorn could teach you how to run. That’s an experience you’ll have to earn yourself. Find your rhythm and work with it.” Zak said petting the young boys hair. “Look at you acting all parent like,” Titan teased his co-worker making the others snicker and laugh.

Once everyone was finished and the dishes were done, everyone went to bed. Thomas had a large thick mat set up in his stable with a few large pillows and a nice fluffy blanket, Titan tied up a hammock since the bed that was already installed was too small for him. Once the two were comfortable, everyone had lights out and dimmed the lanterns.

Thomas however couldn’t fall asleep. He just laid there on his mat, hugging a pillow to his face and chest. What had been revealed to him today was a lot to take in…

His father figure used to be an angel, he found out how horrible humans could be, and worst of all… he found out how utterly defenceless he was. He had been in this mentality that he had been hidden for so long to protect others from him, and to also protect himself. But the truth was he was woefully over exaggerated, he didn’t know how to fly, he didn’t know how to cast the simples of spells, heck, he couldn’t even run straight without wobbling in his gallop. He had been over exaggerated to his whole life, like he was some prince of mythos, and that he was a kind of demigod. Well, he was, but he was an incredibly bad example. He needed a freaking fallen angel to be his body guard for crying out loud! And the fact that Titan wouldn’t have ever met him if he wasn’t assigned to look after him really hurt. Was he really his guardian? Even if he said that he loved him, was that just a part of his job?

The young colt wanted to cry, but he knew he would alert Titan if he did. So he just bottled his tears up. He kept his horn away from the pillows and his wings tucked in tight away from his line of vision, he just wanted to pretend that they weren’t there, or at least only one of them were, he wanted to imagen he was a normal magicless centaur like Edward or Gordon. He had never felt so unsure in his whole life.

The next morning Thomas was incredibly groggy, he was asleep on his feet and almost cut Zak with his horn when he nodded off for a second, and actually walked through Zorran and into a wall. Henry caught Thomas nodding off again as they all started to leave the stables, he let out his own dear/horse cry to wake the colt up, giving Thomas a small startle. “You need to wake up Thomas, Gordon is waiting at the platform to take the express soon.” Thomas shook off his drowsiness and started to stamp off to Knapford, running as best he could while still trying to stay up.

When they got to the yard, Titan dropped Thomas’s lead and tied it to his hip. “You can take the coaches to Gordon, I’ll make a small start on the other trains.” The fallen angel petted Thomas’s back, hoping to ease some of the work off him today. “Thanks Titan, I’ll be back.” Thomas pulled and pushed the coaches up to Gordon who seemed to be less than happy at Thomas’s delay. “Hurry up you!” He snapped. This made Thomas also cross. “Hurry up yourself!” the young colt huffed in a horse heft.

Harper hadn’t sat down on the carriage behind Gordon yet as the train wasn’t to leave for another 5 minutes, so the vampire had gone out real quick to stock up on some snacks for the stallion. But that of course left the larger centaur without a conscious to ground him. So when Gordon heard Thomas’s remark he grew a mischievous grin. “Yes… I shall, ah!” Gordon smiled to himself when he felt the rough bump that knocked him forward a few steps.

The big blue stallion flicked his reins off of their peg from the carriage and tied them around his waist so they wouldn’t become an inconvenience, his ears twitched as he listened for the chain rattling’s of the coupling being moved between the hitch and the shunters poll. When he heard that his own coupling was secure and the passengers were all boarded in, he pushed forward and began to move out of the platform. But Thomas hadn’t been disconnected from the coaches yet, so when Gordon began to take off with the express he dragged Thomas behind along with it.

“Woah! Ah! Gordon? Gordon?! Stop!” Thomas cried as he was pulled behind the coaches with his hooves dragging along the sleepers and ballast, it hurt as his frogs were run along the rough material like a cheese grater. As they went along Thomas tried to initially keep up but his sloppy running proved to be doing him in yet again, his shorter stride compared to Gordon also didn’t help much. The young colt then tried to jump up on the buffers to keep off the rails but his hitch was too tightly close to the coupling to climb up properly. Thomas was soon running out of ideas as Gordon kept picking up speed and the alicorn couldn’t keep up anymore, and if Thomas let himself drag behind the train he would be left with no hooves by the end.

As a last ditch attempt, Thomas opened his wings and began to flap them as he ran, like how he saw pegasi take off. His wings caught the wind from Gordon’s speed under them and gave him lift, pretty soon the alicorn colt was being pulled along like a kite just having to flap every so often. Thomas was amazed! This was the closest he’s ever gotten to flying before! Thomas was so thrilled he let out a high pitched horse cry as he cheered with his arms in the air. “WOOHOOO!” The fun was abruptly cut short however when the train came to a sharp stop and he was slammed into the back of the coach. His hame smacked into his second chest leaving a decent bruise but Thomas was too thrilled to care about the pain right now, he just flew! He flew for the first time and it was amazing!

Thomas undid the coupling himself and weakly trotted to the side of the track on shaky painful legs, his hooves hurt from being dragged on and his sternum hurt from faceplanting into the back of the coach, his nose didn’t thank him ether and he was pretty sure it was bleeding.

“Gordon!” “Thomas!” Harper and Titan called as they had flown after them once they saw that Gordon had taken off with Thomas still behind him. The young blue colt dropped to the ground once his legs gave up on him, but he still had a big glee-proud smile on his face. “I did it! WOO! I flew! I actually flied!” He cheered.

Titan came up to assess Thomas while Harper went up to Gordon and hit the emergency brake so the train wouldn’t be going anywhere. Thomas was a little scraped up and sore in a few places that it didn’t look pretty, but Titan was just glad he wasn’t crying. Now, what was this about him flying? “Tommy, what the hell happened?” “I wasn’t uncoupled from the train in time before Gordon took off, when he picked up speed he was going fast enough where I started to fly once I opened my wings! It was like I was a kite he was just pulling along!” Titan though, did not look pleased. In fact, he looked rather furious. “Did he now?” the fallen angel asked glaring over to Gordon. “Hey… maybe that’s how he could teach me, he could run and coach me while I’m being pulled along behind him!” Thomas said until he noticed Titan’s expression directed at the big stallion. “Sure sport… Hey, why don’t you ask Harper to clean you up while I go talk to Gordon.” Titan said getting up and walking over to the front of the train. “Please don’t hurt him dad!” Thomas called as he got up and brushed himself off.

The former oh so wanted to amputate the older centaurs legs as a punishment but he really didn’t want to endure the wrath of Harper, he’d seen what the kraken-vampire king could do and the idea of fighting him was something he really didn’t like. When the young archangel reached the front of the train he could see some passengers looking cross and the station master seemingly trying to discourage the disgruntled crowd, and Harper was to the side of the station ripping into Gordon and giving him a tongue lashing with the formerly proud stallion suddenly looking very meek in front of his jockey.

When Titan walked up to them Harper sheathed his fangs and eased his temper, Gordon was surprised by his partners sudden 180 mood change until he saw the expression of the person behind him. Titan’s face was loomed in shadow with his eyes lighting up the dim air of his murderous expression in a blue hue, the shade wasn’t as passive as one might think, the haunting blue glow was reminiscent of blue flames licking at the souls of the dammed or a frozen hell.

Gordon was fearful of Harper as it was a rare sight to see him so mad, but he was petrified at the sight of Titan. How could eyes burning so hot feel so cold? He could now realise why Harper stopped on his rampage of tearing him a new flank, Titan looked like he would do it literally with his thighs still attached.

Gordon felt his legs begin to shake and tremble as he cowered at the stature of the large man, with each wide step Titan took Gordon took two steps back of his own. He was hunkered down, ears flat, and expression absolutely terrified as he feared for his life cornered by the shrubbery and fence of the station. Titan got down on one knee and stared into Gordon’s soul with the fear akin to being hit by a frozen bullet, the stallions attention all on him. “If you ever pull a stunt like that again I will show you what it’s like in the darkest side of hell… are we clear?” Titan whispered into Gordon’s ear. The horrified stallion could only whimper as tears threatened to spill over his watery eyes.

Satisfied with the answer, Titan got up and left. When the mountain before Gordon was gone he could now see past him that Thomas and Harper had been watching the whole thing, both looking pretty worried. Gordon scrambled up onto his legs and bolted over to Harper to give him a full force tackle hug, he will never take for granted his jockey’s scolding ever again.

Harper hugged his comrade back to calm him down as they still had a train to pull, he petted his back carefully and guided him back to the hitch, taking one last glare at Titan before setting off again.

After Titan and Thomas made it back to the yard, Thomas got in a lot of trouble after the station master filled Titan in on the full story. The young alicorn was confined to the yard by himself while Titan watched him from afar, he shunted trucks and coaches all the while grumbling. “It’s not fair, I get my first ever taste at flying and I get in trouble for it. All the other stallions can at least run without galloping funny, and James can use his magic.” At the mention of magic, Thomas remembered Henry’s words about how magic works and how he’d been interoperating his own.

The colt backed away from the trucks he was pushing and decided to give a levitation spell a try. He concentrated on his breathing, calming down and relaxing his mind and muscles, not putting any strain into his horn and just letting his thoughts handle it. Thomas staired at the coupling between the train he was shunting, the small chain glowed with a light blue aura around it and lifted slowly, it was held in the air a little to Thomas’s amazement before it moved over to the hook on the other truck and looped on. Once it was there, he dropped his magic and the coupling staid where it was.

Thomas stamped his front hooves in excitement and fluttered his wings and wagged his tail, he had done it! He used magic successfully for the first time! The young colt kept going, the truck after that, and the truck after that. He pushed the train together and got a rhythm going of coupling them up, chaining them along one link at a time in smooth succession.

Next Thomas tried moving the whole truck. He couldn’t wrap his magic around the whole rail box, so he tried moving it by getting a grip on its buffers with his magic, which worked! He was shunting the trucks with his magic! He then moved onto trying to pull the train, he grabbed a hold of the coupling on the lead truck and pulled it along, he felt his horn strain as a row of trucks was heavier than one, but he managed, he pulled it to the other end of the yard and then added a brake van. Thomas was very proud of himself, he just marshalled a train together with only his magic!

But unfortunately his pride was short lived as James came grinding into the yard with his trucks. “Tah-dah! You can take my trucks away now Thomas, I’m ready for my coaches!” Thomas heard as Annie and Clarabel groaned from next to him. He couldn’t say he blamed them. He then smelt a familiar chemical smell, that one that Titan said was the smell of cut gemstone. “Are your hooves broken again James?” Thomas asked. “What?! No! They’ve never been broken! Hmph!” James huffed as he uncoupled himself and used his magic to pull Annie and Clarabel up to him. Thomas sighed and used his own magic to take the trucks away.

Almost in an instant, James and Thomas’s horn’s zapped each other! “Ow!” Both unicorn creatures yelped and instantly buckled down from a splitting headache. “Ahhh! Thomas! What was that for?!” “I didn’t mean to!” James and Thomas whined. “Are you two alright?” Annie asked as she watched the whole ordeal. “No! I just got static magiced!” James snapped. “How did that even happen? I was just trying to take the trucks away.” Thomas said confused. “That can sometimes happen when unicorns use magic at the same time, they need awhile to adjust to each other’s auras otherwise they give each other a static shock like just now. But Oooof Thomas, you pack a punch.” James explained as he steadied himself back up. “What would you expect James? He is an alicorn.” Clarabel said when the face of her coach disappeared and a lady in a ball gown floated over to Thomas to help him stand up.

Thomas was confused, he didn’t know she could do that. “Woah, you now look like Zorran!” Thomas said surprised. “That’s because I’m a ghost silly, most ghosts will be transparent.” Clarabel said. “I think he’s more confused we can even look human and not just a mouth on a coach.” Annie said doing the same thing as her sister, instead coming over to help James. “They just unpossessed the coaches Thomas, if Zorran were to possess something he could make it look like a face to. Annie and Clarabel just like to be more hidden.” James explained.

“Why?” Thomas asked the sister spirits. The two looked at each other then seemed to look sheepish or embarrassed. “It’s a little personal Thomas, we don’t like to talk about it.” Annie said. “Oh, okay then. Well thank you for helping us.” Thomas said as he shook himself off. “Not a problem,” Clarabel said before beckoning to her sister that they return to the coaches. “How about Thomas sets us on the line James, and then you take us away and leave the trucks for Thomas?” Annie questioned. “Works for me.” Thomas sighed. James smiled and did just that after Annie and Clarabel possessed the coaches again.

Once James was out of range and running down the branch line Thomas got back to work, taking the time to practice with his magic. He pulled and pushed with his magic the rest of the day and would even try to get off the ground and glide to the other side of the yard if some trucks he needed were far, he also managed to figure out how to make a massive jump using his wings to give him a boost. Thomas felt incredible! He was making more progress than he had with anyone trying to teach him in 10 years! He figured out how to fly on his own, and he was figuring out magic on his own as well! Well… sort of on his own anyway.

When the end of the day approached, Titan came down from the station roof and guided the young alicorn back to the stables. Thomas looked up to Titan with a happy expecting expression, after all he figured out how to do magic in the yard while Titan was watching over him. But when the fallen angel looked back at him with a less than amused frown Thomas’s enthusiasm dropped. Maybe what he did wasn’t good enough, it was only a levitation spell and gliding after all. Thomas promised himself that he would do better tomorrow, maybe figure out how to teleport and actually take off.

Thomas pondered this the walk home, but his thoughts were interrupted when Edward came trotting alongside him. “Hello Thomas, I saw that you flew behind Gordon’s train today, that must have been incredible!” The old stallion cheered for the young colt. But Thomas didn’t feel like it was that incredible anymore with Titan’s frowning expression. “It was an experience, but I doubt I’ll be doing that again…” Edward picked up on Thomas’s sad tone and noticed Titan’s frown. “Did you get into trouble for it? I can imagen being pulled behind a train isn’t exactly something to be praised over.” “Yeah… I did.” Thomas’s ears drooped. “But you managed to get a taste for flying! You should be able to apply that knowledge to next time right?” Edward asked with an encouraging enthusiasm. “I…” Thomas wanted to tell Edward that he had been all afternoon once he got back to the yard and even figured out how to use magic, but he was worried Titan might scold him again. “Hopefully…” Thomas muttered.

Edward gestured to Zorran for him to intervene, the old ghost could pick up what Edward was putting down and got Titan’s attention. “Ay TC, mind if we chat? I’ve been trying to get a more complicated ghost thing happening with Zak for a while but we may need some divine intervention.” Zorran guided Titan away over to Zak leaving the centaurs to talk.

Once they were gone Edward spoke to Thomas. “So, tell me everything that happened today.” “First was the thing with Gordon’s train, then when we got to the yard again Titan found out the full story and I got into trouble. He put me in the yard by myself as a punishment while he watched from the roof of the station. But while I was there I actually managed to do some magic thanks to Henry’s advice! I managed to push and pull the trucks and even couple them together! I even figured out how to glide and jump super high! But… I don’t think Titan was impressed… I know he must have seen me, there was no way he couldn’t have from his view point.”

Edward felt a pang of sympathy for Thomas, he wrapped his arm around the alicorns shoulder and gave him a small squeeze hug. “Well, even if Titan is upset with you, I think you should be proud of yourself, you managed so much in one day! You’re improving quicker than you think Thomas, have you even noticed your wobbling less as you walk?” Thomas then took notice of his trotting, he was indeed managing to keep on balance! And in the yard earlier he had to have been galloping around to try and get a running start for his gliding. “Oh wow! I am! I didn’t even realise,” Thomas smiled, his enthusiasm returning with a big ol’ smile. Edward chuckled as he amped up his trotting a little into a light gallop, bumping Thomas’s side in a teasing fashion. “Let’s see if you can keep up with this old colt then ay? Race you!” Edward then zoomed off! Thomas giving chase, “Your on Edward!”

Titan watched as the two centaurs raced off down the line, he hoped Edward would be careful with Thomas, he’d already been injured enough today and he didn’t want his little buddy to take another trip.

Zorran and Zak were talking between each other as they walked at their own pace, Titan knowing he was the third wheel and that Zorran had just wanted to give Edward and Thomas some room to chat. The tall standing divine mythic looked down to the pair and cut their conversation short. “Do you two think I might have been a little too harsh on him?” Titan asked. Zorran and Zak looked up to their former rival with a look of confusion, but Zorran was the one to address it. “He did seem pretty out of it when he was chatting with ol’ Ed, and he asks me to get involved very rarely. So when he does motion me to I can tell it’s important.” “What is the full story behind Thomas’s little spill? I’ve only heard it in passing today.” Zak asked wanting more context.

“Apparently Thomas and Gordon were in a bit of a grumpy mood, antagonising each other. So before Top Hat got back to the carriage Gordon took off early with Thomas still coupled behind him. Thomas was grinded along the rails for a bit before he figured out how to open his wings and fly. And he didn’t land safely ether, he face planted into the back coach when the train stopped, going at 90 kilometres per hour, I imagen that couldn’t have felt nice. So I ringed into Gordon and that was before I got back to the station. I just thought Gordon was being an ass until I was told Thomas enabled it. It made me feel like an idiot for defending Thomas afterwards because I worry he now thinks it’s okay to do dumb stuff like that because I’ll always be there for him, and it’s not unfounded now. He was practicing how to glide and even figured out how to use his magic! He could have had another knock back, crashed into a train, or even tripped again the whole time. This kid is so far behind, and with his strength now over powered compared to his experience I’m afraid he might accidently overdo it and hurt himself.” “That’s where Thomas got that from?”

The jockey’s looked to Henry who had been walking a little ahead of them but was apparently ease dropping. “Thomas got that from you?” “Got what exactly from me?” Titan asked the forest king, a little confused. “That mind set, we talked about his power beforehand and that his mindset was the thing holding him back. He thinks he’s too powerful for his own good, and if he thinks that then his magic will act on it, I had the same issue when I was younger.” Henry explained and it then clicked to Zak what his son was referring to.

“Oh! Thomas is having the same thought process you did back then? Okay that actually makes a lot more sense. Ty, like Henry said Thomas thinks he’s too over powered because you told him so, and with that mindset it probably makes him to scared to actually try magic, and whenever he does do magic his psyche will take over his control and make his magic have a powerful knock back.” Zak explained.

Titan looked at the witch doctor with a dreadful expression. “I… I did this?... I did this to Thomas?” he questioned worryingly as he checked his head back up to the way his son and Edward had ran. “If you’ve been the only one around him most of his life then it’s very likely, otherwise who else is he going to pick that up from?” Zak said. “I think your sheltering Thomas a little too much, if he figured out how to use magic and get to gliding by himself in the span of a few hours then I’d say he’s doing pretty well, I know I’d be proud if I were his age.” Henry said. “And call me for a fool, but you sort of sound like how Zeb treated Zip in his early years. Not letting him get to far ahead and monitoring his every move, what spells Zero tried to teach him and a few other things, and we all know how that ended up for him in his teens.” Zorran said.

Titan had his old memories of Bigg City port come rushing back to him. It was true, Zebedee absolutely watched Zip like a hawk when he was growing up, the naga was apparently really protective of his adoptive pixy son. And as such when Zip came into his teens he wasn’t preforming as well as the others had expected of him, he was rather depended on the others as a result and rather incapable. It wasn’t until Zip actually started to get a little upset with Zeb and put some space between them did he have enough room to learn on his own and eventually improve, by the time Titan had left, Zip was one of the most valuable members of the Zero fleet. And it looked like through Henry’s own past trauma his young mindset did the same to him, and now he was seeing it again in his own child because of him.

The young deity mythic looked really hurt, but what parent wouldn’t after they just realised they’ve been unintentionally hurting their kid. Titan steeled himself up and voiced his next course of action. “I’m going to chat with Thomas once we get back, I need to apologise to him…” To Zorran and Zak it was weird seeing Titan look so defeated and worried, fears were something just not normally in the fierce angels vocabulary. Zak petted Ty’s thigh in a comfort before walking up to Henry and giving his own reassuring pets, he knew Henry’s past was not one the deer centaurian liked to bring up. Zorran looked up the line and began to float ahead. “I’m gonna go check on them.” He then zoomed off to catch up to Edward and Thomas. Titan noticed Harper and Gordon coming up so he decided to join them the rest of the walk, much to Gordon’s dismay.

When everyone was back at the stables and beginning to take off their equipment Titan assisted Thomas in getting his off, he was gentle and wore a not so angry expression this time, making Thomas wonder what he and Zorran could have possibly talked about to change his mood. He didn’t have to wonder long however.

“Thomas? I wanted to take the time to tell you I’m sorry, how upset I got with you wasn’t okay once we got back to the station.” Thomas was surprised but it slowly warped into astonishment the more he just registered what Titan said to him. “I also owe you a humongous apology… for the most of your life… Henry brought it to my attention that you two apparently had a talk about magic beforehand, and he explained it to me your mindset towards your power. Thomas, I am so sorry I taught you that. I am so sorry I taught you that your power was something to be contained, I never wanted to make you feel like you were beneath your power, I am so sorry for giving you that misconception. And I’m proud of you, you managed to learn how to levitate something and practice how to glide in the span of a day! This is absolutely incredible progress for you! And your running, you’ve made so much progress in so little time… it really makes me regret not letting you see other mythic sooner, but I’ve come to realise that I was just being a really over protective parent, I was trying to protect you but in the end it was hurting you… I am so sorry, for what I’ve put you through.”

The second he finished that sentence Thomas jumped on Titan in a rough hug, his fears of the previous night suddenly washed away, Titan did care about him, he cared about him so much. “I love you dad…” Thomas whispered. Titan hugged him back tightly, petting his hair down gently. “I love you to son…” He gave Thomas a peck on the head before putting him back down to finish the rest of the alicorns harness. Thomas smiled and wagged his tail the rest of the night until it was dinner.

Thomas helped set the table, cutlery where the cushions ran parallel, even fluffing the cushions with his new levitating magic. Once that was done the food was still a long way away so Zak told Thomas to go play a little. The problem with that was that the stables weren’t very large, and he wasn’t allowed to go outside because it was dark out now. So Thomas tried to practice some things he’d seen pegasus centaurs do, he stretched out his wings and started to run his hands through his feathers, lining them up and evening them out, but he had some trouble the further away from his body his wings got.

Eventually Gordon came out dressed in some more casual clothes and spotted Thomas trying to preen his wings, and honestly doing a fumbling job. He had gotten the first half of his wings done as far as his arms could reach but the rest was a disaster. The big blue stallion checked to see if Titan was around before approaching the young colt, when he was standing in front of Thomas with his shadow looming over him did the young colt take notice of his presence.

“Oooh… um, h-hey Gordon. I-I’m sorry Titan went off on you, it really didn’t hurt as much as he made it out to be, he was just being over protective.” Thomas apologised for his guardian. “Don’t be sorry for him Thomas, he’s a grown mythic in his own ways, if he’s sorry he can tell me it himself. But I’m more intrigued by what you are doing, are you trying to preen?” Gordon asked. “Preen?” Thomas asked confused. “Preening is what birds do to groom and straighten out their feathers, pegasi and other feathered wing mythic do the same. However,” Gordon sat down beside Thomas’s wing and began gently running his hands through his feathers to straighten them out.

“These type of mythic are often in herds or flocks, as you can probably tell your arms don’t reach far enough to straighten them all out, so they rely on team members to finish the rest.” Gordon cupped his hands over his mouth and breathed into them as if he was warming them up, but he quickly ran his hands through Thomas’s feathers again, this time the feathers turned stiff and shiny and strong like he just put in hair jell over them. “Whoa! What did you do? They look so glossy now,” Thomas asked amazed. Gordon suddenly fell into shock and fluster, looking like he was embarrassed or terrified and looking to quickly scrape an excuse together. “Uhhhh, g-glands! Yes that’s it! Glands that I h-have! Before I came to Sodor I worked looking after my cousins and relatives who had feathers and such, when they were young I would preen them! Y-You should have some to Thomas.”

Thomas didn’t seem to by Gordon’s lie completely but he could tell there was some truth behind it when his voice got calmer, so he decided to take Gordon’s word for it. “Okay… So where are these glands and how do I use them?” The alicorn asked. “They replace your tonsils in your neck,” Gordon gently pressed under Thomas’s chin where they were. “When you breath out a long breath you can squeeze those glands and what will feel like spit will shoot onto your hands, that spit is actually a natural oil that when smoothed over your feathers straightens them out, you try, I’ll press on those glands while you open your mouth.”

Thomas and Gordon did just that, Thomas spat the oils into his cupped hands when Gordon pressed on Thomas’s throat. The young colt found it uncomfortable and rolled his neck when it was done. “Ugh, bleh.” “You should be able to get the hang of it with a little practice, just make sure not to do that aimed at anyone, it’s seen as very disrespectful.” Gordon warned. “Got it.” Thomas then went back to preening the feathers he could reach and Gordon got to work on the feathers that were further away.

As the two worked this large task of fixing Thomas’s wings up, Gordon decided to strike up a bit more conversation so he could try to bond with the alicorn colt if he’d be working with him, and trying to teach him how to fly. “So… have you been growing a mane?” Thomas was confused. “What’s a mane?” “A mane is a plume of feathers or fur that grows around your chest or second chest.” “I don’t think so. Why? Am I supposed to be growing one?” “It could just be my biased because I’ve seen many of my relatives grow manes, but when I see mythic having big fluffy manes I can’t help but feel like their very regal and elegant, and that’s a look I think would fit an alicorn. So I was just asking.” Thomas gave it a little thought, if growing a mane out would make him look regal he kind of wanted to know a little more about them. “When do pegasi normally grow a mane?” “They’re sort of born with one normally, but it’s just downy fluff until they grow older. When they hit their late teens is when their full adult bodies really starts to grow in, so if you do have a mane it should be showing up in full swing by the time your seventeen or eighteen.” “Nice,” Thomas said with a little smile, he would need to ask Titan if he was born with a mane because he honestly couldn’t remember.

Gordon then took a peek down at Thomas’s back hooves and he noticed a bud growing on each leg above from the hoof. “Ah, I see you’ve been growing your dewclaws.” “Dewclaws?” Thomas looked at his hands to see if he had been growing claws and he hadn’t noticed. Gordon stifled a laugh, “Heh-heh, no, no Thomas, on your back legs.” Gordon pointed. Thomas lifted his leg and his eyes lit up with understanding. “Oh! Is that what these bumps are?” “Yes, those will grow into dewclaws.” “What are dewclaws?” “Dewclaws are talon-like single claws that pegasi have, they’re used to grip into vertical surfaces or to pick things up from a swoop, like how hawks snatch up prey.” “Are pegasi carnivores?” “No they’re omnivores, but some pegasi in the past used to take on characteristics of specific birds, some took on after eagles, some after ducks, and their hooves would reflect that.” “So duck pegasi exist?” Thomas asked with a little amusement. “Oh there used to be, but they were breed out when the horse carriage industry came into full swing. Now you’ll see duck pegasi characteristics in hippocamps and kelpies.” “What are hippocampus and kelpies?” “They’re both types of water horse mythic, you’ll mainly find them around beaches if you’re lucky. Okay, that’s you’re wing done, want to move on to the other one?”

Thomas however had an idea he wanted to try out. “I actually wanna see if I can groom my other wing by using my magic.” He explained. “Alright… but be careful not to pull any feathers out.” Thomas stood up for this and spread his opposite wing, he gleeked his oil glands into his hands and tried to pick up the little liquid that was there. It was challenging to pick up water Thomas had to admit, but after 20 or so tries he finally managed and began to glide it through his feathers. He found this so much easier and faster than doing it by hand, using his magic to reach further than he could and getting it done in half the time. “Huh, I guess that would make sense that alicorns can preen themselves if unicorns can groom themselves with their magic.” Gordon commented, secretly surprised and impressed that Thomas was taking up on magic so quick, he could only hope he would take that quick to flying.

Just then Titan walked up to them. “Alicorn’s rarely actually stayed in herds, they were often solitary mythic when living on earth.” He commented. Thomas grew a little concerned. “Does that mean I should be keeping away from you guys?” “Oh no, no Thomas, I said rarely, that’s not to say they hate socialising, they just kept to themselves which was odd considering most other horse mythic stayed in herds.” The alicorns guardian explained. “Why is that? From what I’ve heard most centaurian’s followed alicorns like leaders in the past.” Gordon quizzed. “That’s actually a lot later in history than you think, before my brother Jesus was born, centaurs and all other kinds of mythic followed alicorns as leaders because when an alicorn was released onto earth it meant that their time was coming up. Essentially, letting an alicorn go was a mark of retirement. So by then they were wise and powerful, which made them great leaders. After my brother came to heaven though that practice stopped and alicorns could then only be found on earth. Alicorns were then hunted along with the other mythic during the witch hunts, and like so many with them they went extinct as a result.”

Thomas felt meek at that revelation, that he was the only alicorn left in existence. “So I’m a one of a kind?” “In all honesty we don’t know, we don’t know if alicorn’s used their powerful magic to hide or if they are just gone. A lot of angel’s believe that their just hiding and I want to believe that to, but so far it’s only been divine intervention that’s made one be revealed so far.” “Me…” “Yes.” Titan confirmed his son’s thought.

Gordon petted Thomas’s hair, he knew the feeling of being one of a kind in a world where you would be an exception. Thomas leaned into Gordon’s touch when James interrupted the moment.

“Thomas!” Everyone half jumped at the stone unicorns sudden yell, “I wanted to get you started on some magic training, if you’re going to be shunting in the yard and using your magic to do it, then I’d figure we’d better start getting used to each other’s auras so we don’t shock each other again.” James handed an old book to Thomas that read in runes and English ‘Magic Study’.

“This was the book I used to get going on basic magic, It should help. I’ve already gone through it with a fine tooth comb so you’ll find a few lines underlined in pencil and a few notes and drawings here and there.” James said as Thomas opened the book and began skimming the pages to find that James had scribbled on many of the pages with various notes and doodles “If you need to be taking notes Thomas I have some spare work books you can use to write in.” Gordon said walking into his own stall and coming back out with books and a few pencils. Thomas took them off Gordon’s hands and instantly began to read through the book at the kitchen table, writing down anything he found interesting or something he wanted to follow up on.

Titan looked to Gordon with a quizzed look. “How come you have work books? James I get why he has a book on magic but I don’t recall a reason why norms would have writing books.” “They’ve become more popular as of late for norms because we’ve been slowly getting an education in the past few generations, kind of hard to read station signs where you’re meant to stop if you can’t read them. I was born into a high prestige family so an education was mandatory fortunately. Edward however is actually literacy and numerically challenged, he’s been attending a church on his branch line on his free time to try and get some lessons in though.” This surprised Titan, Edward of all people was without an education?

“Edward? That’s a surprise, he always seems so collected, I wouldn’t have ever guessed he was illiterate.” James then cut in. “I was surprised to, I asked one of the Sir Topham Hatt’s for a cook book one year to give Edward as a Christmas present because he was the one always experimenting with food at dinner, I was surprised to see him look worried at it like it just spat fire at him. That’s when he told me he couldn’t read.” “I had a similar experience. When I first came to the island Edward asked how old I was, when I answered him I was twelve years old he asked if that was higher than four, I thought he was pulling my leg trying to be funny so I just scoffed and changed the subject. Looking back on it I can now realise he was being very serious.” Gordon stated.

Speaking of the devil, Edward had overheard them and decided to step in. “If all of you are so fixated on my education, then I will be happy to inform you as to why I’m illiterate. I was born in the late 18th century, so wild centaurs could still be found around then. I was born in Glasgow and captured along with the rest of my herd, we were brought to Barrow-in-Furness where we were then put to work. My herd didn’t have a literacy system in place and we didn’t even know how to write in Scottish, we just spoke it. So along with learning a new language we also had to figure out what a literacy and numeracy system was. I didn’t get to far with writing, I only drew the station signs in a book with a map layout so I knew what signs to lookout for to stop at.” Edward explained. “And you’re only now beginning to take classes at a church along your line?” Titan asked.

“A friend of mine who keeps a vicarage’s grounds helped me, most of the clergy were surprised a mythic would even enter a house of god.” Edward informed making Titan rather upset. “My dad helped create a lot of mythic we know today, he wouldn’t mind at all if any came to church, he’d welcome them just like all the others.” “Maybe you should tell them that.” James commented with a chuckle, knowing what would probably happen if Titan showed up to a church. “I wish, but fallen angels like demons were taught to be feared for a good reason. The people in mass are my type of people but I wouldn’t want to scare them.” “Fair.” Edward said to the formerly divine mythic before heading into the kitchen to start dinner but Titan decided to join him.

“If you have more time on your hands Edward I wouldn’t mind teaching you, I home schooled Thomas after all.” The large man offered. Edward thought about it, “Can you also teach me what the deal is with this worship of a book? And whatever else happens in a church?” “You want to become religious?” “No, I don’t think so at least. The humans at a church just seem to be a lot more kind than most of the other people I’ve meet in my life, I honestly want to keep seeing them but it’s not like I can follow them to a café once the day is over.” “So you want to understand and make friends.” “Yes, as much as I like talking with the others, meeting some new people would be a welcomed change.” “I get it, and who knows, maybe you’ll set in motion a more constructive view of mythic.” “You honestly think a small old centaur like me could change people’s views on mythic they’ve had for generations?” “I don’t think, I hope. It’s obviously not a guarantee but I believe your already heading in the right direction if you’ve been getting friendly with the people there.” Edward paused for a while, setting up a cook pot and lighting the stove. “…I’m not exactly to confident in teaching them how mythic really work, but I would like to take your offer up on being taught after hours.” Titan could work with that, after all, the future wasn’t set in stone.

The night went on as per a new norm the mythic would come to find. Thomas would be at his new book studying up with James checking in on him every so often, then for a few hours Gordon would lecture him on flight theory. The jockeys would chat and laugh about the old days and share old tales of a world with an oceans distance between them. Edward and Henry would work on food together, discussing recipes and new ideas. Then once everyone ate it was their usual bed routines.

Thomas would sleep on a large mat, Titan would hang in a large hammock. Edward would lay down in a pile of pillows and curl up to get comfortable, Zorran would float around the construction ever keen and on the lookout. Henry would cuddle up to Zak, his body half on a mattress and half on a rug with a blanket over the pair. Gordon would wrap himself in a blanket and Harper would transform into a bat and sleep somewhere in the room, whether on Gordon or hanging upside down from a ledge. James slept on a large flat of stone, his floating limbs losing their magic as they fell to the ground in all different messes as the unicorn snored.

The next morning, Henry was aching all over and sounded like he was hacking up a lung all throughout breakfast. Thomas was concerned and a little confused as to why Henry couldn’t just heal himself better. “Henry healed my aches a few days ago, why can’t he just heal himself?” “Henry’s healing powers are connected to his own health in a way, that’s why he can heal minor injuries, but full bodily chronic pains and a chest bug are out of the question.” Zak explained. Thomas understood, but was then curious as to who would take Henry’s train. “What should I do about Henry’s train then? All the others have their own work to do by now.” “Go ahead and get the train ready, we’ll see if this doesn’t improve after some medicine.” “Will do Zak, let’s get going Thomas.” Titan said before running with Thomas out to Knapford.

While they were running, Thomas got a thought into his head. If no other centaurs were available, then maybe he could pull the train. The idea suddenly made the young alicorn very giddy as he began to run with a skip in his hooves. Titan saw this and could guess why, he rolled his eyes with a smirk and began to mentally prepare for his sons impatience.

When they got to the yard Thomas used his magic to shunt and pull the cars again, and when Edward trotted by with his own train behind him he was surprised to see Thomas looking so spry. “Did Thomas make another milestone Ty?” Zorran asked from the carriage. “No, Henry’s still sick back at the stables, so Thomas thinks he could maybe pull the train if Henry doesn’t show up.” Titan answered making Thomas nod in excitement. “It’s not as easy as you think Thomas, it’s a lot of hard work.” Edward commented as he passed by. “If there’s no strain then there’s no hard work!” Zorran shouted out as they went.

Once Thomas was at the platform he waited to see if Henry would arrive, as the time turned closer for the trains departure and people were climbing into the coaches the fat controllers were standing on the platform waiting for Henry to show up. When it was calling it to close for comfort Sir Bertrum walked up to Thomas and Titan. “Thomas, Titan, I want you to quickly find a carriage car and attach it at the front of the train, you’ll have to take the train.” “Yes sir!” Thomas cheered as he skipped off to find a carriage.

Once the pair found a carriage they put it at the front of the train, Thomas coupled it up to the coaches while Titan got a carriage harness and reins ready for the alicorn. Thomas was then hitched up and Titan sat on the carriage holding the reins. The young colt danced on his hooves with eagerness but the eldest Hatt was quick to intervene, having seen this happen a few times already in his life. “Thomas, remember, there are poachers out there, and there have been a few instances along the route your taking where some tried to shoot at Henry. If you value your safety you need to keep a clear eye out in the shadows for anything shiny like a silver gun barrel. This is a privilege, yes, but it’s one that comes with bigger risks than shunting in a yard.” That instantly dropped Thomas’s excitement when he was reminded yet again of his position. He gulped and nodded to the senior most controller. “Yes sir, I’ll keep my guard up.” “There’s a good colt. Now, Edward will go first, then you, so this next whistle isn’t yours.” Just as Sir Bertrum finished that sentence the whistle for Edward’s platform went, and when the train cleared the signals Thomas’s platform whistle went.

Thomas gave a mighty enchanting neigh before trying to pull the train forward, it was a struggle but he managed to get going. As they travelled along the country side, Thomas couldn’t help but feel free pulling the coaches, he was happily running with the wind through his hair when a glint from a shade in the bushes caught his eye. He then felt his hackles raise, he kicked his magic in full gear to hopefully be strong enough to stop a speeding bullet should one be aimed at him. To the young alicorn’s relief no shots were made, but he was still on high alert as he could feel his father’s aura being rather intense as well, Titan only dropped his threatening aura when they came up to the platforms and started it right back up again when they got the clear to keep going.

This continued throughout the whole journey, Thomas still kept his wits about him though until they got back to the safety of the yard by the end of the day. He was surprised to see Henry in the yard using his antlers to push the trucks and coaches around, he trotted up to the large mythic and gave a friendly bray to let Henry know he was there as he came in. The deer centaur instantly turned his head up and was happy to see Thomas pulling in, he quickly cantered over to greet him as the alicorn came to a stop.

“Thomas! I see you did well with the train?” Henry asked. “I did, though maybe there were a few scares along the way.” “Scares? What do you mean?” Henry asked sounding concerned. “I think I saw a few flashes of silver from the bushes, I couldn’t have been too sure though if they were gun barrels.” Thomas answered. “Oh no, did Sir Bertrum tell you about poachers?” Zak asked as he walked up to them, a grin on his face. “He did, and I don’t know if I should be worried going down that way now…” Thomas answered, not hearing much of the amusement in Zak’s voice. “I can answer that for you Thomas, no. No you shouldn’t be worried. Poachers are a thing but they’re in more country nowhere stretches of line nowadays, Sir Bertrum probably just said that to keep your excitement down and your focus up.”

Thomas was surprised to hear Zak’s words, and was now a little confused. “But, Sir Bertrum said that Henry had been shot at before down that line.” “He did, when he was still new to the railway. Back when this railway used to be just one line with one or two branch lines, it was considered to be country land, so, poachers would be here and try to get at the mythic that worked on the rails. Edward would be able to tell you more, but thankfully those days are considered gone.” “Not quite old friend,” Titan answered Zak as he hopped off from the carriage. “I did sense something out there, Thomas had every right to have his guard up. I don’t think there’s a threat to any of the others, but some people may be gunning for an alicorn score.” “Right…” Zak hissed out awkwardly. “I completely forgot about that if I’m being honest…” “Wouldn’t the Sir Topham’s just give Thomas a guard charm?” Henry asked lifting a gold coin on a string out from around his neck. “Oh so that’s what I’ve been sensing.” Titan commented while looking at the coin.

“What does that do?” Thomas asked. “It’s basically a powerful guard spell that keeps you safe from intent to harm, so if a bullet was coming your way the charm would cancel it and the bullet would vanish before it reached you.” Henry explained then tucking his charm away. “The Sir Topham’s should’ve given you one at some point, Titan can’t always be around to protect you.” Zak said. “Huh… okay. Well, I’d better get this train away, we’ll see you two at the stables latter.” Thomas said before pulling his coaches away to shunt them into a siding.

Once everyone started to retire to the shed they gave they’re praises for Thomas managing to take his first train successfully, they were also empathetic to Thomas’s concerns of poachers. They were giving their own advice on how to deal with poachers when a knock came from the door, and to their surprise it was the fat controllers.

“Hello everyone, I apologize but we couldn’t help but ease drop as we came up to the door. Has something been happening to a few of you on your trains as of late?” Sir Charles asked. “It’s just me sirs, on my first run today I thought I saw something in the shadows, and since I’m an alicorn I’ve sort of become a little concerned.” Thomas answered. “We’ve figured that might of happened sooner or later, news such as an alicorn being on Sodor would spread fast unfortunately.” Sir Charles said. “Which is why I recommended giving Thomas this,” Sir Stephen said as he walked up and gave Thomas a gold coin clasp for his bolo tie with a number 1 etched into it. “This is for your tie Thomas, clip it on and it’ll be your protection charm, you��ll need it for a goods train tomorrow.”

“A goods?” Titan asked looking curiously at his boss. “Yes! We were very impressed by how Thomas managed his train today, so we figured we would give him a longer running train.” Sir Bertrum said. “As for you jockey’s, you’ve been requested to have a meeting with someone, so for tomorrow you won’t be with steeds. Edward, the train Thomas will be taking was your goods, so we want you back in the yard again tomorrow.” Sir Charles said making all the workers very confused. “Hold on sir, this is Thomas’s second ever train, and I’m also his jockey for good reason, what on earth could be so important that I and the rest of the jockey’s would be taken away for?” Titan asked sounding concerned. “You had to leave Thomas behind for a day when he first arrived, he’ll be fine, it’s just from Knapford to Maron. And the person who wants to speak with you all made a very compelling argument, he said something about… a crescent star?” Sir Bertrum said.

The jockey’s grew surprised in unison then looked back up to Titan who looked just as shocked. “Well… guess I can’t keep the man waiting, we’ll be there to meet him sirs.” Titan said tipping his hat with a smile. “Excellent! We’ll see you tomorrow afternoon. As for the rest of you, we’ll leave you to it, have a nice night!” Sir Bertrum said as he and his descendants began to leave. “Goodnight sirs!” everyone chorused.

Once they were gone James jokingly prodded Thomas in the arm to tease him. “Looks like someone is shaping up!” the red stallion cheered. “Hey!” Thomas laughed as he tried to push James’s hands away. “Congratulations Thomas, looks like the Hatt’s are exceptionally proud of you if they want you to take that train.” Zorran commented catching the young colts attention. “What’s with that train that makes it so special?” Thomas asked. “The trucks that make up that train are haunted, and the spirits that possess them are known to be rather mischievous.” Harper said. “So they often like to try and derail the trains.” Zak said. “What? Then why is Thomas pulling them if they have a reputation like that?” Titan asked now filled back with worry. “My best guess is it’s actually a thing for Thomas to do while we have a long overdue talk with you know who.” Zorran chuckled as he floated around above their heads.

“Is he that intrigued?” Titan asked his fellow jockeys. “Oh you bet, he’s been wondering about you ever since you left. And besides, if you’re going to meet him it’s very likely you’ll see the others to.” Harper said with a smile. Titan couldn’t help but smile as well. “It would be nice to see them again, I really do miss Sunshine…” “He’ll be over the moon when he sees you, I just know it.” Zak said chuckling a little. “Well I guess it’ll be a party tomorrow then, I can’t wait to see their shocked faces…” Titan grinned mischievously.

The next morning the jockey’s set their steeds up so they could be working by themselves for the day. Zorran gave Edward a firm handshake and wish good luck, Zak gave Henry a blue bird plush and a hug, Harper listed off instructions to Gordon as the stallion writ them down in a note book, and finally Titan made sure Thomas’s protection charm was firmly on and everything else was secure. Once they were all done they watched as the centaurs all trotted off, leaving their guardians to pack for themselves.

“Just so I’m not caught with my pants down, should I be aware of anything before we arrive?” Titan asked. “We got a few newcomers since you left, we already told you about Oscar.” Zorran said as he packed a bag. “We also had some old faces join, Bluenose believe it or not was discharged from the navy and has been hanging around Magister Star.” Harper commented as he packed some books. “Bluenose?! As in officious naval twit Bluenose?” Titan asked absolutely shocked. “Yep, the one in the same.” Zorran said. “Well sink me, that’s a surprise.” The fallen angel said. “They also managed to get a ocean liner as of recent, she’s a mermaid orca and whale hybrid.” Zorran said with a smirk. “Yeah you and Edward would know,” Zak said in a teasing fashion. “Don’t be rude boys, sharing is caring.” Titan intrigued as he swung his bag over his shoulder. “Yeah, the mermaid is Edward’s long term girlfriend, apparently they’ve know each other ever since before Edward came to Sodor.” Zorran said. “Oh my~” Titan mock covered his mouth with his hand causing the others to laugh.

Once the old sailors were done with their packing they all began to fly over to Arlesbrugh harbor, Zak being carried on Titan’s back. They landed a little away from the town and began to walk in and have a look around, the group ether having never seen this side of the island or not really having the chance to sight see often. But they grew excited when they saw the piers come into view, they began to speed walk to the stairs with Titan in the back, when they got to the level where the building was the former angel hid behind a corner so he could reveal himself in dramatic effect.

Harper, Zak and Zorran turned the corner and cheered a happy ‘Hey!’ that the other mythos in front of the new Star Tug and Marine building copied with a lot more enthusiasm. “Zak! Good to see you again!” A naga said as he slithered up and gave the witch doctor a handshake and then firm hug. “Good to see you as well Zeb! You look great,” Zak commented to his old work colleague. “Zip! Good Christ kid what the hell happened to you?!” Zorran cheered as he saw a tall and large man with big pointy ears in the back and came up to give him a handshake. “Zorran! Good to see you again, and what happened to me? What happened to you?! Is that a goatee I see?” Zip teased back as he and the ghost joked. “Like you have room to say about my facial hair.” Zorran tried to do his best to ruffle Zip’s hair but was proven to be blocked. Zak and Zebedee chuckled at the twos antics, the naga slithering up to separate them and to give Zorran a proper hello. Zak then noticed Zip’s former other half wasn’t at his hip, so he looked around the crowd more and along the building walls were a few benches, one had a merman sitting the closest to Zip. Zak grinned and walked over to sit next to him. “Hey Zug, long time no see.” “Zak, good to see you again, I like how you’ve grown your hair out, and it seems like you’re doing better with your braiding.” The manta ray merman smiled. “Better than what I was doing last time you saw me, that’s for sure.” The former number 3 chuckled.

“Gentlemen, the pleasure is all mine to see you once again!” Harper said as he walked up to his old crew mates. “Nice seeing ya Top ‘at! Oh! You got rid of your monocle!” A merman said from the edge of the pier as his tail swayed over the side. “And I see you got a tattoo Warrior, very fitting and looks splendid!” Top Hat complemented. “Top Hat giving complements? Are we sure this isn’t an imposter?” a burly man with a Scottish accent chuckled. “Can’t even call him Top Hat since he doesn’t wear one anymore,” a shorter man with red hair humoured. “Big Mac! Sunshine! It’s great to see you both again- is that a cane? Mac, since when do you use a cane?” Top Hat asked worryingly when he took notice of the man’s walking stick. “Oh this? I’ve had it for three years now, the lads on the Skarloey railway noticed I’ve been having some aches more often so they made me it, pretty dignifying aye?” Mac asked as he gave the cane a few stamps on the ground. “With the way you ware your pelt now it makes you look very robust in an authoritative way indeed,” Top Hat smiled then turned his attention to Sunshine.

“And Sunshine! You really grew your hair out, don’t you think it deserves a cut by now?” “Nae, I tie it up when I’m on work hours, otherwise it’s kept down.” Sunshine smiled. “I personally like it, it reminds me of the gold falls at the end of Upriver when the sun would hit them just right.” A familiar and deep voice from behind them said as he came from behind. “Hercules!” The former Stars called as they saw the tall man with the sharp blue eyes smile a toothy grin. “Hello m’dears it’s been awhile!” Hercules cheered as he reached to shake Top Hat’s hand. “It’s been far too long, it’s good to hear your voice again.” Top Hat smiled when Warrior caught their attentions. “Oh! Hey Grampus,” Warrior smiled as another more skinnier merman jumped out of the water and sat next to him on the pier. “Hey guys! Long time no swim!” the deep sea merman said as he smiled and waved. “Grampus! How’s the light doing?” Top Hat asked. “Great after we found a vet that actually works with marine mythos, it works better than ever now!” Grampus smiled.

“It would have worked all the same if you hadn’t of gotten it damaged in the first place.” a familiar but irritating voice sounded out as the owner of it stepped off from his boat. “Ah, Bluenose, I didn’t expect you to fancy these sort of meet ups…” Top Hat in a monotone said while Zorran and Zak groaned behind him. “I admit curiosity got the better of me, so I will be here if anyone ‘fancy’s’ my company.” Bluenose said as he walked to a bench and sat down, knowing the answer to that question already. “You’ve got only yourself to blame for that, so don’t ruin the mood with your sulking.” “Kill joy.” Another few familiar voices said as a skeletal man with an eye patch jangled up to the group from his own boat followed by a human Atlantean hybrid. “Sea Rouge! Boomer!” Sunshine cheered as he came up and gave the undead pirates hand a fist bump. “Ay fellas, good to see you again.” Boomer said addressing Top Hat, Zorran and Zak. “Ay Boomer, haven’t seen your mug in a while,” Zak said as he came up to give him a hand shake followed by Zorran.

“So, you’re the one I replaced and heard so much about.” A new more gravelly voice said as its owner watched from the perch of his tugs bow, he jumped off and landed close to the group to walk up to Zak who took a defensive stance. “I can only assume you’re the Oscar I’ve heard about.” Zak said as he and Oscar sized each other up. “Seems we’ve both left a reputation.” Oscar said then offered his hand out for a shake. Zak took it cautiously, but when he saw Oscar give a more confident smile and firmer grip with the shake it spelt respect, Zak smiled back in return. “It’s nice to see you again Zorran, it feels weird not seeing you without your partner in crime.” A voice Zorran knew well spoke from the water and Zorran gave a tip of his hat to the owner of the voice. “It does feel weird seeing you without him here, I’d bet he’d feel jealous. Either way, it’s nice to see you again to miss Orcades.” “You know my preferred name, you can use it.” She insisted. “Alright, Orchid.” Zorran corrected.

“Top Hat, Zak, Zorran, it has been a very long time gentlemen.” A familiar voice said that cut the commotion as a man hobbled out of the door using a staff as a walking stick and a senior merman in a wheelchair following behind him. “Magister Star…” Top Hat smiled as he gave a salute, followed by the other mythos. “It’s good to see you again lads, I see you’ve been doing well.” The old merman said rolling his chair up to them to offer a hug, they each took it in turns before it landed on Top Hat’s turn. “It’s good to see your still around O.J, it’s been a little weird having to be the voices of reason to other mythos.” O.J laughed, “I can only imagen! Haha!” Everyone else gave a chuckle before they heard the heavier footsteps of a large man come up to them, all the mythos minus the jockeys gasped with mouths open when they saw who it was.

“Well now, this is quite the gathering, what are we celebrating?” Titan smiled with a big grin. The whole group didn’t make a sound for a solid minuet before it was Hercules to make the first move, he walked out from behind everyone and approached the now larger mythic. He stood directly in front of Titan’s chest and had to strain his neck to look up into his eyes, what looked back at him were the same blue eyes he had always known, a fierce blue that could always be interpreted as ether a bright hot blue flame, or a fridged unforgiving cold ice, indecisive not unlike humanity.

“Titan…” Hercules whispered as his eyes grew misty with tears, it had been decades since he saw his brother. “Hey Herc.” Titan’s smile broke away into a happy sob, he crushed the man into a tight hug which the other returned in kind. “Gods I missed your hugs, to hell with my height they’re still the same as I remember!” Titan laughed in a hearty jolly boom as he let Hercules go. “To hell with your height indeed, go back to being shorter than me!” Hercules laughed as well as he had to jump to try and ruffle Titan’s hair, knocking his hat off. As the two began to roughhouse a shout came from the crowd as well, “Ten Cents!” Sunshine yelled as he gave a running jump and leaped onto Titan’s back and have a hug around his neck. “Sunshine!” Titan cheered, swinging him around on his neck and sitting him on his shoulders so the shorter man could hug his head. “Man it’s been so long! Don’t you go running off for that long again!” Sunshine shouted as he tried to do his best to noogie the taller mythic. “It’s not like I had a choice, I was a freshly fallen, I had to start working out my options.” Titan chuckled as the others all started to trickle in and approach the former star tug number 1.

As they all started to get reacquainted it was a surprise how much had changed for all of them. “Holy cow, Zip? A controller of a railway?!” Titan gawked as he staired shocked at the man. “Granted it’s nothing like the NWR you’re working on but it’s definitely shaping up, I actually find it more surprising that the fae folk there are letting a pixy be their boss.” Zip said as he pulled a beer bottle out of a cooler he brought. “Huh, if only Magister Zero could see you now, he’d be eating his words.” Titan commented with a chuckle, causing a few of them to look at him with inquisitive looks, mainly Magister Star.

“Have you not seen Zero in hell? I would have thought you would have recognised his aura.” Star asked. “No, no! -Well I mean… okay, I’ve been to hell on some occasions, mainly to serve some errands that Lucifer wanted me to do among the angels on earth or some higher ranking demons, but I’ve never stuck around long enough to sight see, hell! I didn’t even know he was studying in hell until you just told me.” Titan said. “I’d have thought the devil would have mocked you for it.” Mac said grabbing a beer and sandwich as well. “What do you think he is? Ten thousand years old?” Titan asked, making the others nod in a fair point.

“Speaking of age, how old are you now Ty? I thought angels aged very slow.” O.J asked. “Once it was drawing closer to Thomas’s birthday I was allowed to go into heaven for a few errands and excess training, we went into a different area of heaven where time moves much faster, so to me it was another few centuries but on earth it was maybe a month at a time.” “How old are you now then?” Hercules asked. “Fifty million.” “Jesus!” Star said shocked. “No I’m Titan.” the fallen angel joked causing a laugh around the group. “But alright enough about me, what happened after I left?” he asked.

Star started off. “Well, after you left all of us were pretty sad, we all didn’t know if we would ever see you again so we started mourning you as if you were dead. I remember Hercules took the worst to it.” Hercules nodded his head in sad agreement. “And as I’ve told you I was replaced.” Zak said then the magister continued, “After a few months we started to fall into a better routine, we were down one switcher but we managed until I could purchase a new one,” “And that would have been me.” Sea Rouge said raising his hand. “You Rouge?” Titan asked sounding surprised. “Yep, the navy bought the munitions factory and that left me without a job since they didn’t want mythic as staff members, especially undead ones, they thought we were a bad omen.” “But then two years later the navy base was relocated, saying they didn’t want soldiers and military equipment so close to civilians.” Bluenose followed up from Sea Rouge. “And I’m betting they couldn’t take you with them so they sold you,” Titan smirked. “No actually, when we were relocating they did a mass inspection on everyone’s records, including mine. So after an extensive view into mine they found me more suitable for civilian company work instead of the navy, so they discharged me.” Bluenose corrected. “That’s a load of dredge and you know it!” Sunshine remarked rolling his eyes. “He attacked a human officer and he was chased off.” Rouge answered making the others chuckle. “You know what I can’t say I’m surprised.” Titan acknowledged.

“Then a few years later Boomer joined us again.” Sunshine commented. “Yeah, the council decided that maintaining a house boat wasn’t such a good idea, and tenants never appeared to stay long even with me being their personal butler that came with the house.” Boomer said. “They were going to scrap his boat and then run Boomer back through the trade, so I stepped in before they could do that. I paid for his restoration and brought him back, it ended up being a pretty good investment as Boomer worked as a large switcher able to do harbor tug work and switching.” Star commented also giving Boomer a pat on the back.

“Did his jinx come back after I turned?” Titan asked. “No it didn’t surprisingly enough,” Boomer said looking down to the tattoo and scar on his right arm. “To be fair mine didn’t disappear after you turned ether, I remember you and I were discussing it before you left but we never finished that conversation.” Hercules said looking down to his own scared and tattooed right arm. “And I’m afraid a few million years later didn’t give me any answers ether, the angels involved with Lucifer’s fall didn’t have any blessings with humans at the time because so far it was only Adam and Lilith around, so none of them could tell me if their blessings stayed after they got turned.” Titan grumbled. “Well maybe you’re the first, you can probably figure it out still.” O.J encouraged. “I’m not the first by far, the problem is that angels that had given blessings in more recent centuries that turned fallen had their “bless-ies” die from ether war, sickness, or just old age. Apparently angels just haven’t been giving blessings all that much anymore and it only happens in the span of three decades now.” Titan said earning a concerned look from the group.

“So heaven has been retreating from earth for a few generations as of late?” Star asked. “It’s not like hell has been doing much ether, the demons that are here are a lot more like Zero than anything else, not causing trouble and just living among humans.” “So what? Christianity mythos are kind of just flattening out?” Mac asked. “Basically yeah, but I’m sure once another sickness or war comes about they’ll be popping back up again.” Titan said. “Good time to be raising Thomas then without any divine intervention ay?” Zorran commented. “You have no idea, the few demons I have come across have been small potatoes but I wouldn’t want to run into another Johnny.” The others grew frowns and nodded in agreement, a demon like the one that could go toe to toe with Titan was one they didn’t hope to encounter again.

“Getting back on topic, how did you guys get from America to here?” Titan asked. “Well after Boomer joined us we had a few years peace before world war two came, and that’s when Zero wanted to sell his business as he saw it a prime time to move into hell for his more demonic studies. We’d all grown rather familiar with the zeds over the decades and the idea of them being separated and not seeing each other anymore set a lot of us off, so I bought Zero’s business, and then the zeds were stars. Afterwards I thought it would have been a good idea to relocate, so I found Sodor after a while and we moved here.” Star answered. “Then after a few years of working around the docks here a few of us wanted a change, so some of us went our separate ways and went for other carriers.” Top Hat said. “Then that was when a few of us went inland a little more, me and Top Hat found Zak riding on Henry’s back when we went into Knapford and he told us all about a jockeys life, and the rest his history.” Zorran concluded.

“Now enough about us, how did you get from last we saw you to raising my nephew?” Hercules asked sounding very interested in Thomas. “Well after I left I was on the run for a bit from other angels that would have sensed an over powered demon on earth, after I learned how to go to hell I ran straight to my brother Lucifer to see if he could help me since I’ve actually talked to him before.” Titan said. “I remember that, before we joined Magister Star a man in a suit came and talked to you.” Hercules recalled. “Yep, that was him giving me some support should I ever need it. Anyway, I talked to him and he got me started on some more demonic magic that he would teach me if I ran errands for him, I agreed at the time because my angel magic wasn’t working that well anymore and I needed a new method of defence. After I was good enough in some crafts I went back out onto earth to see about getting a meeting with my family, to my surprise almost the same day I was out of hell, who would greet me but some of my most powerful brothers Michael and Amenadiel! …” Titan gave a bit of a pause as he recounted the even with hurt in his eyes.

“They had been sensing me since I first turned but had no idea it was me, so when my demonic signature disappeared and then came back stronger they decided they needed stronger angels. They were, believe me when I tell you, surprised to heaven and back when they saw it was me… both of them instantly grew concerned and wanted to bring me straight back to heaven to get this mess sorted out but then we quickly realised I would burn up before I got close enough. So for a few years I was bouncing back and forth between training on earth and hell to get stronger, once I was deemed fit enough they saddled a lot of magic buffers on me and we began praying that I wouldn’t burn to ash on the way up. So after all that we got to the silver city and surprise, surprise! Dad wasn’t home. So with that hope dashed, we then started to look into how an angel can get their position back in the old scripts, and we found that raising another god-like being could win your favour back… And so I believe you can guess the rest from there.”

“They pointed you in the direction of Thomas from there and I’m betting the rest is history.” Zorran stated and Titan nodded. “I’m surprised that alicorns are even still around, I thought they went extinct ages ago.” Zip commented. “Thomas was a divine intervention, so I’m not sure he counts as a natural. The truth is heaven hasn’t seen another alicorn in centuries, so for all we know is that their ether hiding really well, or they are just gone.” Titan said while rubbing the back of his neck. “So he doesn’t have any potential mentors?” Magister Star asked.

“He does, for the basics at least. After that though I have no clue.” Titan said. “We were actually discussing at one point that maybe you could teach him sir.” Zak said. “I was actually thinking for maybe the more advanced stuff, he’s going to be the demi-god of the night sky so that’s a lot of astrology magic he’s going to be packing.” Titan cleared up since he knew his old magisters art of magic was a lot more advanced than what Thomas was ready for.

Magister Star stamped his staff on the ground and a stack of books appeared in front of him. “Astrology magic is one of those types that you’d better start studying sooner rather than later, the beginner stuff isn’t even all that complicated, it’s firstly reading the stars and finding out the constellations, you can do that with any book.” He said levitating the books over to Titan who caught them in his arms.

“Okay, what’s after that then?” Titan asked. “Next would be water manipulation since the easiest subject of that type of magic is lunar currents, but I imagine learning to read the stars will take up most of his time while also learning the basics.” Star said. “Oof, learning to manipulate water can be pretty difficult. I’d be happy to help once he gets to that level.” Zebedee offered. “I actually already know how to use astronomy slips, I used them when I had to go out at sea back in the day, so maybe I could help in that department.” Hercules said. Titan smiled, “It would also be a good moment to introduce his uncles, I don’t see any reason why not.” “It’d be really good for him I imagen, since he’s only known you for his whole life.” Zak said.

“So, what’s Thomas doing now at least? He starting with the basic’s on trucks? Has he got shunting down? Magic so far?” Zip asked. “He’s running a goods train for the first time today, he’s gotten okay with bucking or shunting, and so far he’s gotten a start on levitation and figured out how to glide.” Titan answered proudly.

On the other side of the island, Thomas was souring above the tracks with his train being levitated behind him as he screamed to get himself under control while going down a hill. “AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!” “ON! ON! ON!” The haunted trucks chanted and laughed maniacally.

“Impressive, sounds like he’s flourishing already.” Magister Star praised. “Oh Zorran? How is Edward doing?” Orchid asked. “He’s alright, he’s been teaching Thomas how to shunt and the beginner steps to pulling trains. It’s honestly rather adorable watching those two work together.” Zorran chuckled. Orchid couldn’t help but share the sentiment, she always found it adorable when her love was with kids, it made her fantasise what could be someday for the two of them if they were careful and played their cards right.

Something then came to Titan’s realisation like a lightning bolt after he heard Orchid, he realised an old acquaintance of theirs from back in Bigg City wasn’t with them, and he was sure that under no circumstances would his brother leave them behind. “Huh… Oi Herc, I just realised, how come Lillie isn’t here with you?” Everyone seemed to grow quiet with a look of distain on their faces as they all looked to Hercules to see what he would do, Zebedee actually held onto the dragon’s arm in an act of trying to comfort him. “Lillie and I had a huge falling out before we left for Sodor Ty, she hit some rather raw nerves and we said some things we shouldn’t have. Since then after arriving here, me and Zebedee had actually grown rather close, now we’ve been dating for two years.” Hercules said with a kind smiled at the end and pulled Zebedee in for a hug and kiss on top of his head.

Titan was surprised, he honestly didn’t know what Hercules’s tastes were but now he could see that he liked them kind but strong. He was now finding some humour in how Hercules and Zebedee didn’t get together in secret sooner. “Daw! Well I’m glad you’ve found it in each other, you two could do brilliant together.” Titan praised. “Wait, really? I thought Christianity didn’t allow same sex relationships.” Harper said sounding confused along with a few others also looking puzzled. “Guys I was in my thirteen-thousands when ancient Greece was coming to an end, I’ve grown up watching humans and mythic doing all sorts of things they probably shouldn’t have done or were testing the waters. So in my opinion, you guys are alright and I support it. My other family members though tend to be divided, some like it, some don’t, but like I’ve said before Christianity mythos aren’t all that present anymore on earth, so there’s nobody really stopping you. Except the law here of course, I imagen Magister Star wouldn’t want a complaint that someone saw you two kissing in public.” Titan chuckled that last part with the others finding it a little funny to. “I’ve already had letters about that actually, and I tell them to ether talk to me in person about it, or to mind their own business. You know those paper balls I’ve been having you burn Hercules?” “Yes?” “Those have been them.” Hercules grinned maliciously at his magisters petty revenge who returned the gesture.

“If we’re on the topic of relationships, I’ve actually been dating a girl since we got here.” Sunshine commented with a smile. “Oh yeah! How’s that been going for ya?” Mac asked while giving the shorter man’s hair a small ruffle. “Heh-heh! Well, we’ve actually been talking about kids lately, I’m okay for it but she want some more security before we bring a new life into the world.” “Oh that’s nice Sunshine, congrats!” Titan cheered for his old bestie. “Anyone else been seeing somebody?” Titan asked.

Zip gently poked Zug’s head to get him to shoosh when he lamented his own woes about his love experience so far. “I’m honestly not too interested at the moment, but it seems girls can never get the hint, even some men have been staring at me. It feels weird, yeck!” Zip shivered that last part out. “Maybe you should go around with a sign on your chest and back saying- ‘Not interested in you or anyone else’.” Harper chuckled a little. “You know what, next valentines day I’m doing that.” Zip said with new confidence making the others chuckle at his enthusiasm. “How do the three fairy-teers find your troubles?” Zug asked.

“Yeah, I wanna know more about you’re little railway.” Titan said having all eyes on Zip. “Well as Zug said, there’s three of them. Rex, Mike, and Bert. Rex is the leader of the trio, although Mike likes to think he’s the leader. Rex is a green hairstreak butterfly with a bit of a wing deformation, his top wing tips are a little too small, so he sometimes has issues stopping or taking off. Mike is sort of a hot head but means well, and oddly enough he prefers goods to passengers any day of the week. He’s a red admiral and I swear when he gets mad, his red glows brighter. Bert is the eldest and a adonis blue, the best way to put him I guess would be shy, he’s a bit of a shy flyer to but I’ve been looking into why that could be.” “You do know one out of three working flyers isn’t a good thing right?” Zorran asked looking sceptical at Zip.

“And three out of five swimmers with one unable to touch water wasn’t ideal for Zero yet he kept you on.” Zip retorted back rendering Zorran’s argue mute and having the others give a laugh. “Haha! He’s got you there Zorran.” Zebedee laughed. “Zip go back to being an idiot.” Zorran teased. “No. Anyhow, I actually want to hear more about the Skarloey from Big Mac, how have the fauns been?” Zip asked causing Big Mac to be put in the light.

“They’ve been alright, Skarloey and Rheneas are the same-old-same-old. But recently we’ve gotten some new commers, their names are Duke, Falcon, Stuart, Duncan, Proteus and Andreas. All of them are rescues from around the area, Duke, Falcon and Stuart were all from the Mid-Sodor Railway near Arlesdale, but that railway obviously closed down to make your railway Zip.” Big Mac said making a sigh breath out of Zip. “Phew, I’m glad. I was wondering what happened to the mythos that used to run the line before us, I’m glad they didn’t leave Sodor.” “Yeah, they’re disappointed that they had to leave their home, but they’re managing to move on okay I think.” Mac said with a sombre tone. “But anyway, Duncan, Proteus and Andreas were all different cases. Andreas was found near the hills close to Cros-ny-Cuirn, he’s a faun ghost who haunts a locomotive that was built in world war 1, he talks odd, speaks about machines with faces that aren’t mythic, ghosts are a fantasy as well as mythos.” “How..?” Sunshine directed to Mac confused.

“We have no idea. But he’s floating around like a new death, and also like if he’s figuring out life for the first time as well. For him it’s like- forget he phases through things when he tries to grab them, it’s like it’s his first time having hands at all. And it’s not like he has amnesia, he told us his name and he even said he knew who Skarloey, Rheneas, Duke, Falcon, Stuart and Duncan were, although all of them claim to have never met him. He also remembers his death, saying he was in a gorge that passed through the hills he was found on, and a landslide of rocks crushed him.” “That’s… really bizarre.” Zak said with his mind rolling over in theory’s to Andreas’s condition. “I was actually hoping you could shed some light on him Zak, maybe give a reading or some therapy?” Mac asked. “I’m not a professional Mac, but I’ll do my best to lend an ear or an explanation, mythic ghosts are already rare enough as is, I’d be excited to get the chance to see one.” Zak nodded smiling.

“You said Duncan and Proteus were also rescues?” Titan reminded. “Ah! Right, okay so Proteus was cursed when he was young to only see through flames, so he carries a lantern around with him wherever he goes. But as an extra downside, the flame often burns his fat instead of burning the candle or wood it’s on, so he’s also very thin to the point he’s a walking skeleton practically. He’s selectively mute though, and often talks in sign or uses his hair or tail to spell out letters or make little puppet shows.” “Ooh, poor guy. Best to not let me near him anytime soon.” Sunshine said rubbing his arm.

“And Duncan?” Hercules asked. “Duncan came from a horrible railway in Scotland, it had a reputation for being a garbage working environment for the humans but it was outright cruelty for the fauns that worked there. Instead of maintaining their hooves or horns, they would have them removed and have their fur and hair shaved down to the skin, then have the area burned so it wouldn’t grow back. They didn’t get given clothes even if they were girls, and the most common cause of death there was being overworked until they dropped. Duncan was very lucky in a sense because he only got a branding scar and his hooves removed, otherwise he’s in great physical condition, but his head is definitely not in the right place. He’s rude, aggressive in some cases, stubborn, and complains a lot.” “To be fair, I’d be that way if I was from a place like that.” Rouge said. “Yeah, I hope he gets the help he needs.” Zebedee said. “I hope all of them do, fauns aren’t known from coming of the best origins.” Titan said causing everyone to agree, they liked the fauns on this island.

As they all chattered on throughout the day and into the evening, Zorran then noticed the position the sun was in and then noticed the time. “Oh crap, we’d better get going back home soon guys. I imagen a few of our steeds will be missing us.” Titan then noticed the time to and jumped. “Oh yeah, let’s get going. Sorry to cut this here guys, but we’ve got places to be.” “It’s alright m’dears we get it.” Hercules said giving Titan a hug goodbye. “Aye you lads go back to your colleagues and kids.” Mac said giving a smile and waving them off. “Ay make sure you bring Thomas around here sometime Titan, I’m pretty sure we’d all like to meet him soon.” Star said giving his send offs as well. “Done, you’ll get to meet him soon. We’ll being seeing you lot!” Titan said as he got up and started walking off with the other jockeys following him. “Goodnight everyone!” Harper called, “See ya bozos later!” Zak hollered. The other sailors said their own farewells as they watched the jockeys take off into the pink and orang skies on their way back towards Tidmouth stables.

When the four landed back down close to Tidmouth they saw a really bizarre sight. Thomas was actually flying around in the field! He was being chased by Gordon who was running and would try to leap and swat Thomas’s hooves, and James was platforming across pillars of onyx he had erupted from the ground after the alicorn as well. Edward and Henry were resting at the top of the small hill watching this all play out until they spotted the jockeys return and Edward waved them hello and to beckon them over.

Once they had gotten to the two they had some questions. “What’s going on here?” Harper asked as he was confused by Gordon’s odd behaviour. “Don’t get they’re attentions yet, you’ll ruin their fun.” Edward chuckled as he watched the three. “Are you saying their actually playing?” Zorran asked surprised as he knew his partners choice of words quite well. “Yes they are, Thomas made another huge milestone today and when he got back to the station he was flying in loops around the support beams of the canopy. It apparently caught Gordon’s attention so the two have been playing all the way back here with James joining in at some point after a little teasing.”

Titan was excited by Edward’s words. “Really? What did he do?” “Apparently when he was taking his first train the haunted troublesome trucks started to get away from him and made him become a runaway down Gordon’s hill, but in a panic he got back the control by levitating the whole train off the rails and then flying ahead of it like what pegasi do on the mainland. He was so proud of himself and managed to do it again on purpose with his next trains, and by the time he was finished he was so excited he hasn’t touched the ground again since.” Edward gleamed as he watched Thomas soar around.

Titan was horrified that Thomas had become a runaway but then felt his chest swell up with pride when he heard of his boys accomplishment, he beamed a broad sharp teethed grin then made a small skip off the hill with his own wings suddenly revealing out from behind his back and flying towards his son.

He swerved around the alicorn laughing with absolute glee, “Thomas! I just heard! I am so proud of you! Well done!” Titan cheered as he circled his child. Thomas smiled big and wide as well with his tail wagging behind him as he then began to give chase to his old man.

The rest of the afternoon was of the flyers playing a game of air tag with some of the runners trying to catch them from the ground, it wasn’t until the fat controllers came did the fun stop and the professionalism return as everyone landed and stood at attention.

“Well done Thomas! The station master’s along your route told us about your save and then progress for the remainder of your trains, great job!” Sir Bertrum said with the other Hatt’s having smiles of their own. “Thank you sir,” Thomas smiled with his tail and ears flicking with excitement. “Unfortunately though Thomas, we want to give you another job but tomorrows trains are already taken. You and Edward will have to shunt in the yard since there’s been a bit of a backlog.” Sir Charles said. Thomas then frowned, he didn’t like this news but didn’t have much of a choice. “Okay sirs, I’ll be in the yard tomorrow with Edward.” “It won’t be all that bad Tommy, on the plus side, Edward can teach you all there is to know on haunted trucks so they don’t cause you trouble again.” Zorran pointed out causing Titan to smile and give his nod to Thomas who gave it some thought then shrugged with a smile.

Once the fat controllers were satisfied that everyone understood their jobs they left for the night causing the others to also retire to the stables. Gordon immediately pulled Thomas to the side and began to preen his wings while the young colt stripped to get into his pyjamas, but he found it difficult to do so since anytime he pulled away Gordon pulled right back to finish the job properly. Eventually Thomas gave in and let Gordon preen him until he was done. Dinner was another Edward special with Titan at the cook pot as well to help read out the cookbook James had gotten Edward, by the end everyone was ready for bed say for Henry who was growing a headache and kept gripping his antlers, whimpering most of the night in pain.

The next morning everyone had gotten up bright and early, Thomas had a piece of toast still in his mouth as he was about to run out the door to meet the others in the yard but was quickly greeted to a slap in the face of rain and cold. “Gah!” Thomas jumped and skidded back indoors, the toast now soggy. “Um… it’s raining.” The others chuckled at the colt. “Hnn….” Henry groaned, doing his best to hide under the table while looking terrified up at the ceiling. “Come on Hen, you’ve gotta train to pull today.” Zak soothed. But the lighting strike did little encouragement for the deer centaur.

“Why is Henry so afraid of the rain anyway?” Thomas asked as Titan gave him a raincoat to fit his body. “A storm happened after Henry escaped his old home, he apparently got very lost in the rain. So most rainy days bring back those bad memories.” Zak explained. Thomas hummed, he wanted to help Henry, but didn’t know how… he looked down at his wings and started drying them off when he felt the underside of his wing, it was still dry, the water hadn’t gone through his wings and soaked them. That gave Thomas an idea then, he gently wrapped his wing around Henry’s back and held his hand. “It’ll be alright Henry, I’ll walk with you. If you stay under my wings, you won’t get wet.” “It’s not the wetness of it Thomas, it’s-” Henry was cut off by another thunder struck, but before it could even finish Thomas had held his hands up to Henry’s ears and instead of a thunderclap, all Henry heard was a twinkling sound, like small windchimes, but Henry was honestly just reminded of the stars when he heard it.

“What…?” Henry questioned. Thomas went to remove his hands but Henry was quick to grab them and hold them back up to his ears, he heard the same twinkling sound again when he did so, confusing him. “Can anybody else hear that?” Henry asked. “Hear what?” Gordon asked. “Thomas’s hands sound like stars.” Henry stated earning a few confused looks from the others. “Oh that? It’s just something Thomas is able to do, he himself can’t hear it but others can. If you were to let his wing wrap around your head you’d hear something akin to a night sky ambiance, and depending on the season you’ll hear more wintery night sounds.” Titan cleared up. “Really?” James questioned and sat down beside Thomas to have his wing wrap around him, and sure enough when James listened he could hear crickets chirping and winds blowing like he was near a beachside at night. “Oooh! That’s neat!” James grinned.

Zak then smiled. “Think you could do this until the station Thomas?” “Sure! You ready Henry?” Thomas asked removing one hand. “Umm… we can definitely try.” Henry hushed out, not having much faith in this plan. “Let’s rattle and roll then!” Thomas chirped, helping Henry get his large body out from under the table.

With wings over their bodies, and hands over Henry’s hunched down head, Thomas walked with the giant forest spirit to the big station, the others trotting in tow. Every time a thunder strike would sound off, all Henry heard was a shooting star pass by. And Henry wouldn’t be able to promise, but he could swear that when looking through Thomas’s wings, he’d see the night sky instead of cloudy grey day.

Eventually they made it to the station canopy where Henry was left to his own devices, the rain had started to let up and the thunder became a distant drum in the back of the band. He even became brave enough to stick his hand out into the lasting drops and let them fall on his antlers, flowers growing in places where the water landed. Thomas was pleased and left to go to the yard for the days shunting, watching Edward join him with Gordon and James heading to wait at their platforms for their trains.

After the two smaller blue steeds had gotten the trains ready and to their respective haulers, Edward shook his body to rid it of the water, with oddly enough a little steam seeming to flow off of him. Thomas used his magic to get the water off himself, finding he’d just drench Titan and Edward again if he shook it off. “Well, that was refreshing.” Titan mentioned as he steamed the water off his body. “I could have done without…” Zorran said as his normally translucent body was looking a little more transparent than usual. “Zak’s waterproofing seemed to have worked on you though.” Titan commented. “Yeah he perfected that not long before he left, and thank god to, being a ghost working on the water is not a smart thing, let alone in a county where 70% of its weather is rain!” Zorran shouted getting his opacity back to normal.

“Do ghosts not do well with water?” Thomas asked. “No they don’t, for most types of ghosts water is basically like acid to us, we can’t touch it.” Zorran stated while he played with his transparency a bit. “Which is weird since you say you remember being brought back in a sailors outfit.” Titan commented with a smirk. Zorran however groaned, “I don’t know! Maybe I just liked playing pretend in a past life, or maybe I died coming home from sailing! Grr!” “Easy, Zak says he’s working every day to help with your amnesia, something like that has just gotta take time.” Edward did his best to soothe. “Thanks for telling me how my own treatment works Eddie.” Zorran snipped making Edward raise his hands and back away.

“Amnesia?” Thomas asked. “It’s when you lose your memories, so basically you forget who you are or who your family are. In Zorran’s case he was human at some point then passed away, he doesn’t remember how that happened, or who he was in his past life. To him he just woke up on a beach in the middle of the night one day, no clue of who he was or how he got there.” Titan explained. “No clue what I even was ether, so admittedly I screamed when I saw a human for the first time, thinking they were wrong somehow instead of the other way around, hehe… that was a funny time.” Zorran chuckled. “Oh… and the sailor outfit?” Thomas asked.

“Depending on how humans die can be the way how their brought back as a spirit, for example if a sailor drowned out at sea they would have an immunity to water as a ghost. Or if they died to hypothermia they’d make a room cold if they walked into it. Y’know, thematic stuff. So the others find it weird that if I was potentially a sailor I would’ve drowned out at sea, and have an immunity to water, but as you can see that is not the case.” Zorran explained. “So at least you can rule out a watery grave, maybe you could’ve died to a heart attack or something?” Thomas suggested. “That’s not an option, humans dying to a “natural death” doesn’t give them a pass to become a ghost. So if a human dies of old age they won’t be brought back, same with other things like cancer.” Zorran clears up. “Maybe you were murdered then? Poisoning? Gun shot?” Thomas asked. “I’d have a strong sense of smell or “vision” to poisons then, and if it was a gunshot I’d more than likely be a vengeful spirit instead of a wandering one like what Zak classified me as.” Zorran cleared, looking disinterested from the conversation as he’d heard all the theory’s a thousand times. “What would magic do?”

That threw Zorran’s head for a loop. “Huh?” “Magic, like if a strike of magic lightning hit you, what would that do?” Thomas asked. “I…. don’t know, you’d have to ask Zak about that, he’s more knowledgeable in the dead than I am.” Zorran said. “Not something you’ve taken into consideration is it Zorran?” Titan asked. “No… I honestly didn’t even think of if I previously dealt with mythos in my past, maybe I was cruel towards them and an uprising happened.” Zorran pondered in thought. “Weird to think that for you… you’re rough around the edges but hurting other mythos is not really something I would pin you with.” Edward commented. “Thanks Eddie.” “AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

All the mythos suddenly looked to the entrance of the yard to see James coming in hot with a row of haunted trucks behind him, sliding him along the rails, and the sound of breaking gemstone grinding against the ballast and rails. “HELP! THEIR PUSHING ME! THEIR PUSHING ME!” James yelled as he was spat back out of the yard and down one of the branch lines. “James!” Thomas and Edward shouted, bolting after the runaway stallion with their jockey’s quickly running into the station to tell the fat controllers.

As the two gained speed Thomas tried to get a running start to fly and started flapping his wings to get him air born. “Thomas! Be careful!” Edward shouted after the young colt as he watched him get above the ground and fly after James. Thomas flew as hard as he could manage to get to the head of the train, the smell of cutting geo being awful, but that meant that James could be in a lot of pain. “James!” Thomas shouted as he flew overhead of James. “Thomas! You’re flying?!” “Not the time! Use your magic! Try and slow the train down!” “What do you think I’ve been doing?!! Their repelling my magic! My body is breaking apart! If I don’t stop soon I’ll shatter!” “Hold on! I have an idea!”

Thomas’s horn started to brightly glow, layers of magical aura stacking on top of each other as it became obvious Thomas was planning something big. Then, with little warning, Thomas started to levitate the entire train! “GAAAHHHH!!” Thomas screamed as he raised his head like a wand, picking up the runaway! “Woah! Go Thomas!” James cheered. “No! On, on, on!” The troublesome trucks chanted as they realised they were being slowed down, but what nobody realised that with the train being picked up off the ground, James suddenly had not ground to stand on. With a slip of his hooves, James suddenly found himself succumbing to gravity.

“Huh? Oh no! Thomas! AAAAAHHHH!” James shrieked as he plummeted to the earth. Thomas gasped! “James!” He bolted down to hopefully catch the black steed but it was too late, James landed on the ballast with a crash! Onyx chunks flying everywhere! “GAAHHH!” James screamed as he lay broken on the dirt. “James!” Thomas cried as he came in for the rough landing, setting the trucks beside the track so they wouldn’t be going anywhere. “James! Are you okay?” Thomas panicked as he fell to the unicorns side. James groaned, “Ow…” “Oh no, oh no, no-no-no-no, I-I need to find Henry! He should be able to fix you!” “Thomas! James!” Edward shouted from the distance as he came toward the crash site. “James!” Edward gasped as he quickly came to his work colleagues aid. “Come on, we have to get him back to Knapford. Thomas, think you could carry him back and fly at the same time?” Edward asked with urgency. “I’ll give it my dammed best shot.” Thomas assured then took James in his arms, swinging him onto his back then getting another running start to fly.

When Thomas got back to Knapford he could see the jockeys already out in the platform with the Hatt’s, he brayed as hard as he could as he came in for the landing, it was wonky but it was successful none the less. “James shattered!” Thomas cried running up to the adults. “What?!” The fat controllers gasped as Thomas trotted up to show them who was on his back. James’s entire equine body was gone, shattered and broken at his hips, his arms hardly staying together with chunks falling off and crumbling the more he held onto Thomas for dear life, his horn even cleaved away at the base.

“Zorran, go get Henry here, now!” Sir Bertrum ordered. “Yes sir!” Zorran saluted before he was gone with the wind in the direction of the mainline. “Hold on James, you’re going to feel a little odd, just try not to grab as much as you can.” Sir Stephen warned before his eyes started to glow and he rested his hands on James’s chest and shoulder. “Grab…? Gya!” James was taken aback by the sudden flood of magic that rushed through his veins, considering he went from weak and exhausted to suddenly feeling energised in a second. He could see what Sir Stephen suddenly meant by grabbing, the immortal man giving his magic to James willingly so he could recover. But now he was vulnerable, if James so desired he could drain his bosses magic for himself quite easily and get a huge magic boost out of it, the magic was incredibly tempting as well, almost like a drug. But James just sat there on his back, keeping his body together as much as possible until Henry arrived.

Which thankfully wasn’t long. An elk cry could be heard sprinting into the station and skipping across the platforms to get to them. “What happened?” Henry demanded, nudging Stephen out of the way. “The trucks pushed him into becoming a runaway and he started to break.” Thomas explained. “Told him he should’ve gotten that cracking checked.” Titan crossed his arms only to be smacked at the side of the head. “Not the time Ten Cents.” Zorran scolded. “Okay, James do you need anything specifically for you to regenerate?” Henry asked, setting his hands on his friend to begin healing his bleeding wounds. “Minerals… a metal and gemstone, and a safe place.” James croaked out.

Sir Stephen removed his tie to reveal a ring on a necklace, it had a gold band with a ruby center stone and two smaller onyx’s to the side. “Wait Stephen, that’s-” “I’m well aware what it is.” Sir Stephen cut his father off then gave his ring to the broken centaur. James brought it up to his mouth and quickly swallowed it, what happened next made everyone go into shock. Ruby started to form over James’s body like a rash that slowly grew larger and denser, it had quickly encased him in a chrysalis like he was frozen in ice.

Once the growing had stopped Henry double checked to see if James was alive. “Phew… He’s alright, I think he’s just gone into a stasis.” Henry said much to everyone’s relief. “What even is James? Theres no way he’s 100% centaurian.” Zorran said looking down to the Hatt’s hoping they might have an answer. “We don’t know, it just said that he was a unicorn when we saw the advertisement, so we purchased him.” Sir Charles said. “Well ether way, when James does recover from this he’ll have some serious questions to answer. For now though, I’m going to bring him back to Tidmouth for him to rest, at least that way he’ll wake up in a familiar space. …When he wakes up…” Henry said that last part to himself. He hoisted James’s encased body into his arms and began to start trotting towards the sheds, Thomas was about to start walking with him when Sir Bertrum stopped him.

“Hold on now Thomas, I’m confident Henry has it from here. You’re still needed however and now more than ever since we’re down a unicorn. I want you to gather the breakdown train and bring it to recover the troublesome trucks, after that you’ll be taking James’s trains while he’s out of commission.” Thomas wanted to argue but knew better than to make the eldest Hatt cross, so he solemnly nodded and quickly skipped over the tracks to get hitched up to the breakdown cranes. A crew consisting of two twin ghosts floated out of the cranes and over to Thomas, greeting him with a sense of urgency.

“Is there an emergency?” “Has anyone been hurt?” “Are medical assistance on the scene?” They bombed Thomas with questions. “Easy Judy and Jerome, it’s just gonna be a salvage. Don’t hound the young man.” Zorran eased as he floated over to Thomas and sat at the lead of the carriage attached to the hitch, picking up the reins and giving them a flick for Thomas to get moving. “I’m gonna be your jockey for this Thomas, Titan volunteered to take Henry’s train on.” “Oh thank you Zorran. Alright, let’s go!” Thomas pulled out of the siding and down the line to the crash site, arriving to see the various trucks groaning with some of them even unpossessing their hauntings to help the others righting their rolling stock back onto the track. “I hope you trucks learned something from all of this…” Thomas frowned at them, using his own magic to start helping to re-right them with Judy and Jerome summoning chains from themselves and using them to lift up the trucks as well.

Later in the day after Thomas had finished packing away the trucks and taking the cargo to its intended destination, then taking the trucks to the works to be repaired, he flew back to Tidmouth stables very late and exhausted. But to his surprise, there was a small party waiting for him! The steeds and jockeys as well as some workmen were there to welcome him home, clapping and cheering as a small banquet was being prepared.

“Well done Thomas, today you really proved to be the best of us.” Edward congratulated as he set down a few appetizers. “Congrats kiddo, you really pulled a power move today.” Zak applauded. “Incredibly well done young Crescent, you’ve grown so far in such a short amount of time.” Harper smiled. “We couldn’t agree more!” Sir Bertrum said as he walked up with his family in tow along with a few familiar faces to the jockeys.

“Magister? What are you doing here?” Harper asked when he saw Magister Star behind the controllers. “It was the Hatt’s idea, might as well make it a proper party to celebrate such an achievement. And a reward if what I’ve been told is correct,” The wizard chuckled. “Indeed, now everyone gather round, this is big news!” Sir Charles said beckoning all the steeds in. Once everyone was standing at attention Sir Stephen stood up on a small crate to address everyone. “I’d first like to say to everyone thank you for coming, tonight is a splendid night indeed. We are here to congratulate Thomas Crescent’s achievements for today, saving the life of a fellow work colleague, and making milestones in his achievements of learning how to use magic and to fly, this we believe is worthy of celebrations as well as a handsome reward! Thomas, won’t you step out to the front?”

The young colt did so with his head held high at attention. “Thomas, due to your unselfish bravery and heroism, it is my honour to reward you with your very own branch line!” Sir Charles beamed as another wave of applause sounded out. Thomas smiled and bounced from hoof to hoof in happiness, hugging the stout gentlemen for good measure. “Oh thank you sirs! I promise I won’t let you down!” The men all chuckled, and when Thomas let go Sir Stephen presented him with a metal name board. “Ffarquhar?” Thomas questioned when he read it. “That’s a breast board, you wear it as a belt so it lays flat on your second chest, it helps passengers read what service your pulling.” Harper clarified. “And that’s the name of the branch line you’ll be running, from Knapford to Ffarquhar.” Sir Bertrum answered. “Oh!” Using his magic Thomas made the plate float over where it would sit on his body. “How does it look?” “Ya wear it like a pro kiddo.” Zorran smiled ruffling the alicorns hair.

“Alright enough of this, let’s get this party started!” Magister Star smiled forming a spell with his staff before casting it into the air creating a makeshift disco ball. Everyone “Ooh’d” and “Ah’d” at the pretty ball before some music began to play, Harper, Mac and Zak having summoned some instruments and begun an upbeat tune. Once the music was on everyone started to mingle and party, Titan showed up a little late but walked up to his son with some people in tow behind him.

“Thomas, I’d like you to meet some extended family members. This is my brother Hercules, and… sorry Zeb what pronouns do you feel like today?” “He, him.” “And his long term boyfriend Zebedee, their your uncles.” “Uncles?” Thomas questioned giving the pair a look over and wagging his tail in happiness once he looks into their eyes. “Oh wow! It’s so nice to meet you both! C-Can I give you both a hug?” The couple chuckled and opened their arms out. “Of course kiddo, come ‘ere!” Zeb smiled letting Thomas pull him into a tight squeeze with Hercules joining in.

“Oi, what about the rest of us ey?” a voice from behind them said. When they all turned it was Sunshine was standing at the head of the rest of the stars tapping his foot smiling with anticipation. “Heh-heh, of course, of course. Thomas, this is your god father Sunshine and his fiancé Rain. Behind him are the rest of the gathering I was a part of when I was your age, the wizard who made the light in the sky is Magister Star, behind him is uncle Mac, to the right is your grandpa O.J, next to him is uncle Warrior…”

The next day after the party, the Tidmouth team heard a cracking sound coming from James’s stall, they were all very surprised to see James break out of his stone cocoon made entirely of a new gem, bright red ruby with a golden glitter starting to mist from his tail and hooves. He fell to the floor in a heap but Edward and Harper were fast to help pick him back up. “James! You’re alright!” Thomas shouted in glee. “Ugh, yeah, j-just give me a minuet… oof.” James breathed, slowly righting himself up onto his hooves and letting his body assemble together, it still floating disconnected at his joints. But somethings were a little different, his horn was more of a cork screw fashion now than the spiral he had before, and the ruby attached to his flesh was more jagged and less smooth unlike the clean cut the others had seen prior with the onyx.

“Ooh! You look amazing James, we couldn’t really see much after the stone you were in grew rock over it.” Henry smiled admiring the new look. “Yeah that was me, I didn’t exactly want you guys seeing my intestines through the rock.” James managed to walk forward and sit at the kitchen table, still pulling his energy back if the gold flow was anything to judge by. “I like the new horn, very stylish from the norm.” Gordon complimented handing James some water and a small bowl of cereal. “Well I figured its officially out now that I’m not your average unicorn, so I wanted to try something different. The new gold tail and frills should kick in soon I just need to regain some strength.” James said taking a spoon to the cereal.

“So does that mean you’ll tell us how you were made?” Henry questioned looking hopeful. “No. I’ll tell you later Henry in private about my healing process but that’s about it. So, apart from me, has there been anything I’ve missed?” James asked. “Well you were out for 12 hours…” Edward cited. “Huh, only that long? Not the worst I’ve ever had. Please continue.” James commented gesturing for the others to go on. “Well Thomas is now considered a hero for helping save your life, he was even rewarded the Ffarquhar branch line to call his own.” Titan mentioned nearly making James spit out his food. “What?! Now hold on a damn second, I was in no danger of death, that is a huge stretch. Also, the branch line I’ve been working on since before Thomas arrived? Whatever happened to seniority?!” Well James’s energy 100% seemed to be back now as his tail and frills flared with gold like a stoking flame.

“Well what did you honestly expect when you didn’t tell us anything about your anatomy before? We thought you breaking and shattering your body would have been a death sentence for you!” Harper scolded. “Well, I’m better now! So shouldn’t that hero title be revoked?” James questioned looking at Thomas. “From what we’ve been told James the decision is finale, and regardless of your accident, Thomas has done a very good job over the past week, he deserves a reward for all that he’s managed to do.” Edward contested.

James looked like he was about to blow his lid off, his face was as red as his body and it almost looked like something dark had flickered through his eyes before he quickly shot it down and to the back of the mind as quickly as it happened. The crystal steed huffed out harshly and almost looked to pucker his lips in, was he trying to hide something in his mouth? “Nope! No! I won’t get mad over this, I won’t get mad over this, I won't get mad over this.” James chanted as he turned around and walked back to his stall, slamming the door shut.

The others were confused but they didn’t have much time to think on it when Titan beckoned Thomas over. “C’mon champ, time for your first day!” “Yes! See you guys later tonight!” Thomas waved his friends goodbye before he galloped out the door and headed straight for the carriage shed at Knapford. “See you later Thomas! Have fun!” Edward called out watching the colt run off.

Thomas hitched up to Annie and Clarabell and was excited to be leaving out of the station, Gordon eventually joined him on the opposite platform wishing the young steed well. The guards whistle blew and Thomas cantered happily down the line to crowds of people, human and mythos alike, congratulating him. When he finally got down to Ffarquhar he was surprised to see a mythos with sheep legs and a human body greet him, he had red wool on his thighs and black ram horns atop his head, but most striking to Thomas was the number 1 sown in on a loincloth around his waist.

The mythic was using his horns to cut away shrubbery from a locomotive with a vertical boiler when he heard the crowd and Thomas trotting in. “Oh! you must be the new number 1, welcome to the line!” He said with a thick Welsh accent. “Thank you, I’m Thomas.” the young colt greeted. “My name is Glynn, lovely to meet you Thom- Good heavens!” Glynn suddenly gasped when he noticed Thomas’s wings. “Y-You’re an alicorn!” “I am, and uh… I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are.” Thomas admitted sheepishly. “Oh, I’m a faun, nothing to special compared to you. Wow… I can’t believe they managed to get an alicorn to run this old line, do they have big plans for it? Or is it only practice since I can see your rather young still.” “Nope, I-” Thomas was cut off by the guards whistle. “Oh! Sorry Glynn, maybe we can chat some other time? I got to keep to time on my first day!” Thomas brayed before trotting out of the station, waving a goodbye to Glynn who smiled and waved back watching Thomas go onto the loop.

Thomas happily galloped along the track, watching birds fly overhead and grass go whizzing by! He let out another enchanted mighty bray with his wings opening up to take flight, this being the best day of his life! “Haha!” He cheered into the open blue sky.

5 notes · View notes