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heauxplesslydevoted · 5 years

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Aftermath (Liam x MC)

Summary: Aftermath of the car crash

Honestly...Liam just deserves a space to be emotional, and angry, and vulnerable, and I decided to be the one to give him that. It’s been a rough few chapters for him, dealing with all of this stuff with his mom, and now his wife. I wrote this for purely selfish reasons.

Word Count: 6.6K. Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself.

Tags: @canknot @lapisreviewsstuff @akacalliope @a-i-n-a-a-s-h @aworldoffandoms @badchoicesposts @doroshi-desu @senseofduties

~~~~

Liam tries to ignore the ringing in his head as he sits anxiously in the waiting room of the hospital. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Maxwell on the phone, probably talking to Bertrand. And he can hear his friends talking — maybe Olivia or Hana, he doesn’t know — but it sounds like white noise. He has a singular thing on his mind: his wife and child.

Kendall was transported via helicopter to a hospital in the Capital, Liam riding along with her while the rest of their group followed behind. Now the entire gang, minus Kendall and Bastien, is sitting in a luxurious private sitting area, waiting on updates. The room is thankfully secluded from most of the hospital, and large, with comfortable couches, magazines, and a flat screen tv mounted on the wall. But no one cares. They’re all waiting on updates.

The image of the car crash is still fresh in Liam’s mind. The sickening crunch of metal as the car rammed into the road, the blinding lights of the paparazzi cameras, the sound of Kendall calling his name as they crashed.

Hit his stomach flips at the memory of his wife losing consciousness upon the arrival of the ambulance. She held out as long as she could, mostly due to adrenaline, but she eventually passed out.

It’s been three hours and he still hasn’t heard anything. Everyone else was treated for their injuries — mostly some cuts and bruises, save for Bastien who was getting treated for his shoulder — except for Kendall. And himself, because he refuses to leave the waiting area until he gets some answers.

“Liam,” Drake says softly, shaking his friend’s shoulder, “Liam, you should really get your head checked out.”

“I’m fine,” Liam says, his eyes never leaving the tiled floors.

“Dude, you can have a concussion or something. We can at least have a nurse come out here,” Drake suggests. He’s trying his hardest to be useful in this situation. The helplessness is driving him insane.

“I’m fine,” Liam repeats, much more aggressive this.

“Just leave it alone, Drake,” Olivia says softly, cutting in. “Leave him alone.”

“But–”

“Leave it alone.” Olivia knows all too well the feeling of being trapped and helpless, but until they get an update on Kendall, there isn’t much anyone can do for Liam. He’s not going to budge. “Please.”

Drake sighs but ultimately backs down. He glances around the room, spotting a fancy coffee maker on the counter. “How about I make some coffee. Does anyone want a cup?”

“Sure,” Maxwell says. It’s obvious that Drake is going to find a way to do something, so someone has to humor him. “Give me the strongest cup you got.”

“Coming right up.”

There’s a knock on the door, and in walks Bastien. His arm is in a sling, there’s a small cut on his upper lip from a shard of glass slicing him, and he walks with a slight limp. He’s also holding a plastic bag in his hand, holding some personal belongings.

He walks over to Liam who promptly stands up. Bastien greets him with a slight bow. “Your Majesty.”

“Bastien. How are you feeling?”

“I’m a little banged up, but I’ve been worse. My shoulder should heal within a few weeks.”

“You’re limping,” Liam points out.

“I just sprained my ankle. I can handle it, sir.”

“Once this is all settled, I want you on paid vacation for the next three weeks,” Liam says.

“Sir, that’s not necessary.”

“It is, and you’ll take it, I insist. Go out, enjoy some time off, rest up and properly heal your injury. The rest of our security team can handle it, and trust me, after tonight, we’ll be doubling, even tripling our security measures.”

Bastien’s head drops at the mention of what happened just a few short hours ago. “Your Majesty, I am so sorry about what happened tonight.”

“Bastien it’s not your fault.”

“But–”

“Someone recklessly ran into us and you made a snap decision in an attempt to keep us safe. It was a high stress situation. I don’t blame you, I blame Sam-” Liam can’t even say his name without his skin feeling like it’s going to burst into flames. “You made the right call in a snap decision.”

“I should’ve had more security measures in place at the bookstore,” Bastien continues. He can’t help but feel guilty.

“Bastien, I won’t have you blaming yourself. That’s a direct order from your King.”

Bastien nods after a few seconds of silence. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Now, as for the person who did this, are there any updates on his condition?”

In all honesty, a part of Liam hoped that the man was dead. It would be the swift justice he deserved after what he did.

“Nothing more than a few cuts and scrapes when I last saw him,” Bastien answers regretfully. “He fled the scene.”

Liam clenches his fist together tightly. So his Queen is in the hospital fighting for her life, while the perpetrator gets away minor injuries?

He closes his eyes and silently counts to 3 in his head, calming himself down. Unbridled rage in a situation like this will do him no good.

So he pivots. He points to the large bag in Bastien’s hand. “What’s in there?”

Bastien opens the bag and lifts out a large camera. “This...is Samir’s camera. I managed to confiscate it from him at the scene of the accident before he ran off.”

Liam takes the camera out of Bastien’s hands and observes it thoughtfully. He carefully touches it, noting that it’s not too banged up. “It’s in surprisingly good condition,” he muses. “Did you go through it?”

“...Yes. And I’ll dispose of it right away.”

“I want to see the photos.”

“Sir,” Bastien starts, “with all due respect, I don’t advise you to do that. The images are...quite disturbing.”

Liam ignores his guard and powers the camera to life. He scrolls through the photos, skipping through ones of celebrities and socialites around Cordonia. He then stumbles on the pictures of them tonight. Ones of them exiting the book store. There’s a few progression shots of Kendall holding up her hand, trying to shield her face from the flashing lights, another hand wrapped tightly around her stomach.

There’s more of them, photos of their friends ushering Kendall in the car and driving off. And then there are lots of them that he took while he was driving alongside them on the road. Liam’s chest clenches tightly at the panicked and wide-eyed look on his wife’s face.

He’s not prepared for the next set of pictures. They’re right after the car crash, and Liam can see everything so vividly. The shattered glass, the smoke from the engine, skid marks on the snow, everything. Liam’s breath catches in his throat as he sees a photo of Kendall, trapped in her seat. He can practically feel the fear and anxiousness rolling off of her in these photos, and it feels like he can’t breathe.

Samir has the audacity to still take photos of them after he caused the accident? While Kendall was lying there, injured and scared out of her mind?

At this point, Liam can feel his hands trembling uncontrollably and the sound of his pulse pounds fiercely in his head. Having seen more than enough, Liam takes the memory card out of the camera and puts it in his pocket. Without warning and an incredible bout of strength, he hurls the camera forward with an incredible speed. It narrowly misses Maxwell’s head and he has to duck out of the way as the camera hits the wall, shattering into tiny little pieces as it drops to the floor.

The room gets so silent, you can hear a pin drop across the street. No one says anything about Liam’s outburst. They silently wait for him to make his next move.

All Liam can feel in his blood is white hot rage over the situation. It’s stifling and it threatens to swallow him whole. Involuntarily, he clenches and unclenches his hand and the next thing he sees is his fist connecting with the wall. He doesn’t register the pain though, too worked up to actually feel anything at this point.

“Lady Hana, can you please find a nurse?” Bastien asks, his eyes never leaving Liam. He’s seen his King mad before, hell, he’s even seen him downright pissed. But this...this is something he’s never experienced before, and he doesn’t know how to subdue Liam in this moment.

“Of course.” Hana rises from her seat and quickly scrambles out of the room.

After a few moments of silence, Liam removes his fist from the wall. He looks down at it in a daze. He can already see it swelling up, and his knuckles turning an ugly shade of purple.

He ignores his hand and turns back to Bastien. “I want him found, immediately. I want law enforcement, airports, and train stations to all be aware that he’s on the loose and he is not to leave the station. Check all the ports too, and make sure he doesn’t try to sneak out of here via boat. I want him brought directly to me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And give me information on what tabloids he was going to sell those pictures too. And if you can get the names of the paps who caused that scene in the Lythikos and if there were any other paparazzi chasing us, that’d be great as well.”

Bastien nods. “I’ll get in touch with the other royal guards and we’ll get started right away.”

“Thank you.”

Bastien exits the room and a few minutes later, Hana returns with a nurse, who’s carrying a ton of supplies in her hands.

As the nurse makes her way over to Liam to tend to his hand, Hana sinks back into her seat next to Olivia. “Were there any updates while I was gone?”

Olivia shakes her head. “No. The waiting game continues.”

~V~

An hour later, they’re still in the waiting room, anxiously waiting on an update about Kendall. The entire gang is there, except they’re now joined by Bertrand, Savannah, Regina and Leo, who was in Rome when Bastien called and said he was needed in Cordonia.

“I called a few of my personal security connections and they’re doing a very thorough sweep of Lythikos to ensure that all of the press that was there are brought to the capital,” Olivia tells Liam. It’s really the least she can do. They were visiting her duchy, she should’ve been able to keep them safe.

Liam nods, acknowledging that he did hear the Duchess, but doesn’t say anything. The more time that goes by without any update on his wife and child, the more reclusive he becomes.

Leo smiles. “Thank you Olivia, it’s really appreciated.”

“Of course. If there’s anything else I can do to help, I’ll do it.”

“Can you heal Kendall?” Liam asks.

The question catches Olivia off guard, and she doesn’t know if Liam is being serious or using sarcasm. “W-What?”

“You want to be useful, right? You want to help? Can you magically become a doctor within the next 5 seconds and actually work on her treatment? Perhaps you can make sure she hasn’t gone into preterm labor, or I don’t know, swap our bodies, so she’s the one out here and I’m the patient. Maybe you have the ability to turn back time so this horrible night never happened.” His eyes sweep around the room. “Can any of you do those things? Because that’s all I want in this moment. I don’t want any fucking cheap hospital coffee, I don’t want to eat something, I don’t want take a nap, I don’t want any more of your bullshit platitudes about how strong and brave Kendall is in an attempt to placate me. I know how strong my wife is, but our car wrapped around a fucking pole, and she’s not invincible. So until anyone can give me any of those, how about everyone stop trying to pacify me.”

“Okay,” Olivia says. She’s not going to press the issue and potentially agitate Liam further. He just needs silent support in this moment, nothing else. And she can do that. She just sits down in the chair next to him and looks straight ahead.

Time ticks by slowly, and when Liam checks the clock on that wall, it’s almost 2 in the morning. He’s exhausted, but he refuses to fall asleep, though most of his friends have dozed.

There’s a knock on the waiting room door and Liam jumps to his feet, hoping to see Kendall’s doctor. Instead he’s greeted by Madeleine. She’s dressed impeccably, in a signature green dress, and clipped back hair. She’s carrying a large garment bag in one hand, and a cup of coffee in the other.

Liam falters once he realizes who it is. “Oh, hello Madeleine.”

“Liam,” Madeleine greets back. “Any updates on Kendall’s condition?”

“No.”

“Have you talked to law enforcement?” Madeleine asks.

“No.”

“Maddy, I think this conversation should be tabled for a later time,” Olivia hisses.

Madeline dismisses Olivia’s suggestion with a flick of the wrist. “I think you should talk to them while everything is still fresh in your mind.”

“I’m not talking to anyone or going anywhere until I talk to Kendall’s doctors.”

“There’s a herd of people outside of the hospital,” Madeleine says. She drops the garment bag onto an empty chair. “I almost wasn’t let in, until they realized I worked for the palace. Everyone is waiting on their king to make an official statement about what happened.”

“I’m not crafting a speech right now, Madeleine.”

“It’s a good thing you have me on your team because I’ve already prepared some talking points for you,” Madeleine announces proudly. “I don’t know if you want to convey a somber tone or a fiery, passionate one, but I have tweaks in the event of either one. I personally think we should go with a somber note. Let them feel all of your emotions, your hurt, your anguish. Obviously you condemn the people who did this, but don’t go full on angry. You should still be the pinnacle of calm and dignified that the Cordonian people have come to love. And I brought you a suit to change into, because no offense, you’re still wearing the one you crashed in and it’s–”

Liam reaches out and forcefully grabs Madeleine’s arm, yanking her towards him and making her drop the cup of coffee she’s holding. It happens so fast, Olivia barely has time to react, but she stands up beside Liam nonetheless. “Madeleine, I put up with a lot of your unnecessary, invasive bullshit on a daily basis. Kendall and I take your shitty attitude, your disapproving looks and your passive aggressive comments in stride because you’re somewhat decent at your job and you have absolute tunnel vision when it comes to the Crown and Cordonia as a whole. But what I am not about to do is dress up and be your puppet and give a ridiculous speech in front of the very vultures who caused this situation.”

“I don’t know whether my wife and child are going to make it through the night, and you think I give even the tiniest fuck about a statement? You think I want to put on a brave face right now and go settle someone else’s nerves right now, I don’t give a damn about how people view me?” His grip on her arm tightens and his voice drops to an incredibly low octave. “Now I know you aren’t able to feel empathy towards people because you’re a cold hearted, advantageous viper and you probably have a shriveled up lump of coal in the cavity where your heart is supposed to reside, but can you at least pretend to have some sort of human decency? I am not doing a goddamn thing until I have a doctor tell me to my face that Kendall is alive and well. Am. I. Clear?”

Madeleine has never seen Liam like this before. His usually warm and inviting eyes are darker than the midnight sky and even though he hadn’t raised his voice once, she can practically feel the venom dripping from his tongue. She swallows the lump forming in her throat and nods. “Crystal.”

“Good.” Liam drops her arm and Madeleine releases a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. “And when this is all over, we are going to have a very serious conversation about your position on our team”

Having had enough of being cooped up in a room with so many people, Liam decides to exit. Thankfully, the halls are empty due to how late it is and he can roam around in peace.

“Liam!” Liam stops dead in his tracks and turns around. Leo is jogging towards him trying to catch up.

“Leo, what do you want?”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve scared Madeleine shitless. I’ve never seen her rendered speechless before.”

“Good. She talks too much.”

“Amen, brother.”

“Look Leo, I really don’t want to be bothered right now.”

“I know.”

“So...you can leave.”

“I can’t do that. You aren’t going to scare me off like you’re able to do with everyone else, and I am not going to let you bottle everything up inside. So, can you please talk to me?”

“And say what?”

“Anything! I know you’re pissed–”

“I’m not pissed, I’m downright furious,” Liam says.

“Good. You have every right to be,” Leo goads. He wants Liam to talk. He’s an expert at holding his feelings close and burying things down deep.

“I don’t think I’ve been this mad since I found out that dad was the one behind the scandal with Kendall and Tariq. These vultures just prey on her. They don’t even see her as human anymore, let alone as their Queen. Kendall is just a commodity to them, to be exploited and sold to the highest bidder. From the moment we got married up to now, it has been invasion after invasion.”

“Why didn’t you tell me things had gotten so bad?” Leo asks.

Liam shrugs. He’s accepted the press as a part of his life early on, and didn’t think much of it. And until recently he was relatively good terms with a lot of reporters and paparazzi. “I don’t know. Dealing with the press is just par for the course.”

“Yes, you’re a king and yes your life is public, but that doesn’t mean it’s open season on your family. Sometimes I don’t think you realize that you don’t have to always be so...nice. So benevolent and forgiving. You’re the fucking King, and you have the right flex whatever muscle you have in order to let people know that there are certain things that they can and cannot do.”

Liam sighs. He’s never wanted to rule with an iron fist and be seen as evil tyrant, squashing anyone who dares look at him the wrong way. He’s always wanted his people to feel comfortable around him.

“You can still be yourself,” Leo continues as if he’s reading Liam’s mind. “But they need to know that this will never happen again.”

“You’re right.”

“And if you need some support, I’ll be around to help,” Leo adds.

“Thank you.”

The men continue their trek up and down the hall, falling into a comfortable silence. Leo knows Liam isn’t in the mood for idle small talk, as he has much bigger things in his mind.

The brothers are startled out of their simple walk by a doctor walking towards them. He bows upon reaching Liam. “Your Majesty, hello.”

“Hi.”

“I’m Doctor Saunders, I’m one of the attending general surgeons here at the hospital.” The doctor extends his hand, and Liam eagerly shakes it. “I am one of the surgeons assigned to your wife’s case.”

“Of course. What’s going on? We haven’t heard anything and we’ve been here for hours and no one has told us anything.”

“Good news first, Her Majesty and the baby are okay and they made it through surgery beautifully,” Dr. Saunders says.

Relief flows through Liam’s body and his knees buckle at the news. Leo hooks an arm under his brother’s arm, keeping him upright. “T-They’re okay?”

Dr. Saunders nods, happy to give the King such good news. “Yes. The Queen is not in any distress, there’s no sign of preterm labor, the baby has a stable heart beat and the placenta is still in tact, which are all great.”

“What happened to her?”

“The impact of the crash caused abdominal trauma. There was some internal bleeding that we had to get under control, and her spleen ruptured so we had to remove it. Thankfully, you can live a long and productive life without a spleen, but going forward, Her Majesty will be more susceptible to infection and may have a weaker immune system. Since she’s pregnant and we had to perform an open surgery, her recovery time will be about 4 to 6 weeks, but we expect her to be back to herself in no time. And she did break one rib and bruise two others. Now there’s no way to fix a broken rib, except with rest and time, so she’ll be a bit sore for a while and she’s going to have to take it easy.”

“Of course.” Kendall isn’t going to have to lift a finger, not on his watch. “Where is she now? Can I see her?”

“She’s being settled into her room right now, but yes I can take you.”

Liam starts to follow the doctor, but stops in his tracks to turn to his brother. Leo waves him off. “I’ll tell everyone the news. Go see your wife.”

~V~

The sun is finally starting to rise when Kendall is lulled out of her sleep. It takes her a minute to understand her surroundings. The noise, the itchy blankets, the overwhelming smell of disinfectant. She’s definitely not in her own bed, at Valtoria or the Palace.

She looks around the room as her eyes slowly adjust to the light and she finally spots her husband. He’s on a pull out couch, curled into the fetal position.

“Liam?” She says, her voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper. She clears her throat and attempts to speak again. “Liam?”

He stirs in his sleep and mumbles, “Mhmmm.”

“Liam!” Kendall repeats, a bit more forcefully.

The third time manages to get his attention and he wakes up from his sleep. He sees Kendall and he springs off of the couch. “Kendall? Oh Kendall, my love, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

“Why are we at the hospital?”

“Do you remember anything? The last thing that happened?”

“We were in Lythikos for Maxwell’s book signing,” Kendall recalls.

“Anything else?”

“And as we were leaving, there was a mob of reporters outside of the bookstore. And we tried to get them to back off, but they were relentless. And once we got into the car, they still chased us and…” her voice trails off and she closes her eyes, trying to think. Everything is still slightly foggy. But then she remembers. The crash. “Oh my God, Liam! Someone hit us! Is everyone okay? Is the baby okay?”

Kendall tries to sit up as the panic sets in, but an overwhelming amount of pain shoots through her stomach, rendering her motionless.

Liam puts his hands on her arms, keeping her in place. “Easy, love. No sudden movements, you’ve just had surgery.”

“Surgery? Surgery for what?”

“First things first, the baby is fine,” Liam assures her. He points to one of the monitors surround her bedside. “See that? That’s our baby’s heart rate, nice and steady.” Hearing that their baby is okay instantly calms her down. “And you had surgery because your spleen ruptured, so the doctors had to remove it. And you broke a rib.”

“But the baby is fine?”

“As perfect as ever.”

Kendall settles back into the bed, relief coursing through her body. As long as her child was okay, she could handle everything else. “Good.”

Liam calls for Kendall’s doctors to come to her room, letting them know that she’s awake and alert. After checking all of her vitals, giving her a very thorough examination, and explaining the extent of her injuries, they let her know that she’ll be in the hospital for a few more days and leave once again.

Soon, all of their friends and family come to visit her, elated that she’s okay. The once spacious room is packed wall-to-wall with people. Flowers, cards, and balloons fill up all the remaining space.

“You gave us quite a scare, Little Blossom,” Maxwell chides. “You don’t get to scare us like that ever again.”

Olivia scoffs. “Oh please, speak for yourself. I knew she’d be fine. Kendall is much tougher than she looks.”

“Aww, Olivia,” Kendall coos. “I knew you loved me.”

“Must you always push things too far?” Olivia asks. She rolls her eyes, Kendall notices the small smile tugging on the corner of her lip.

“Yes.”

“Is there anything we can get for you, Mason?” Drake asks. “Is it warm enough in here? Do you need more blankets? Because I can flag down a nurse and get you more blankets.”

“Nonsense,” Bertrand says. “I’ll go to the store and get some cashmere blankets and silk pajamas for her. If our pregnant Queen is going to be staying in the hospital for a few days, it might as well be in comfort and luxury.”

“You guys spoil me too much. But Bertrand, I will absolutely accept a cashmere blanket.”

“Of course.”

Hana steps up, holding a large box. “We don’t know if you can eat, but just in case you can, I went to your favorite bakery and got you a dozen cronuts.”

Kendall’s mouth waters at the mention of her favorite pastry and the baby kicks excitedly. “Hana, you win.”

“Yay.”

“I can’t eat cronuts yet, but I’ll definitely save them–,” Kendall yawns mid sentence, “for later.”

“While it’s been great to see everyone, and I’m thankful you all came back, I think my wife needs her rest,” Liam says. “It’s been a long 24 hours.”

Regina nods, “We understand. Call us if you need anything, okay?”

“I will.”

Everyone says their goodbyes to Kendall and Liam, showering her with hugs and affectionate hand squeezes before filing out of her suite.

Liam sits down in a leather chair at her bedside and sighs. He’s absolutely exhausted, and Kendall knows it.

“You should get some sleep too.”

He shakes his head stubbornly. “I’m fine. I slept for a few hours earlier.” He just doesn’t want to take his eyes off of her, not even for a moment.

Kendall gently places a palm onto her stomach, careful of the stitches from her surgery. “Your daddy is stubborn.” The baby kicks and Kendall giggles. “They agree with me.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes.” She takes Liam’s hand and presses it against her stomach. “Tell daddy he’s being stubborn, little one.” The baby kicks again. “See? I told you.”

“You two are already ganging up on me?”

“Yup. And you love it.”

He nods slightly. “I love everything you do.”

“Smart answer.” She notices his hand, tightly bandaged up and covered in a brace. She didn’t notice it before, with everyone focusing all of the attention on her. “What happened to your hand?”

Liam almost forgot he bruised his hand the night before, so worried about Kendall he barely registered the pain and discomfort. “It’s nothing. Just...fallout from the accident.”

“Is it broken?”

“No. Just a sprain.”

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s wrapped so tightly, I barely feel a thing. Don’t worry about me, my love, it’ll be fine.”

Kendall wants to fret over Liam a bit more, but she’s knows he won’t let her. So she drops it. “Can you come close to me?”

“As if you even have to ask such a thing.” Liam scoots his chair much closer, and he places his head in Kendall’s lap. He can feel a pair of tiny little feet pushing against him, but he doesn’t mind. Kendall takes a hand and softly runs it along his head, massaging his scalp.

For the first time since yesterday, Liam feels at peace. Everything he needs is with him in this moment.

Now that everything is sort of settling down, the weight of the situation dawns on Liam. Kendall could’ve died, leaving their child without a mother. Or perhaps the baby could have, the baby they wanted for so long. Or worse, both of them could have been taken from him in an instant, over something as trivial as tabloid pictures.

It’s an overwhelming epiphany, one that threatens to snatch the air straight from his lungs.

“I could’ve lost you,” Liam says quietly, so quietly Kendall barely hears him.

“Hmm?”

“I could’ve lost you yesterday. You could’ve died, and our baby could’ve died, both of you.” Liam’s eyes sting with tears. “And it would’ve been all my fault.”

“Don’t say that.”

“But it’s the truth. You gave up everything to come here, and you’ve dealt with more than your fair share of grief because of it. I was born into this, I accepted this life a long time ago when I stepped up to become the Crown Prince, you didn’t. You didn’t ask for any of this, and yet, you’ve received the brunt of the obstacles. Those vultures came after you because you’re the Queen, you’re my wife, and you’re carrying the heir.”

“They almost took you away from me last night.” The tears are falling freely at this point, but Liam doesn’t care. “I am so sorry. It’s my job to keep you and our baby safe, and I couldn’t protect you yesterday. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for it.”

Kendall cradles Liam head between her hands, forcing him to look at her. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen him so distraught. “Liam, I don’t want you to blame yourself. I certainly don’t blame you. None of this is your fault, the only people responsible are the ones who forced Bastien off of the road.”

“But–”

“No buts. You don’t need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time, Liam. You’ve done your best, and that’s all I need from you.”

Liam takes a shuddering breath, trying to calm down. Kendall grabs one of his hands and places it on her chest, letting him feel her steady heartbeat. “You feel that? I’m okay, we are okay. You don’t have to worry about losing me.”

Feeling the steady beat of her heart calms him almost instantly. He leans forward and kisses Kendall urgently, careful not to lean over her too much. Kendall kisses him back, tasting the saltiness of her husband’s tears.

“I love you,” Liam says, once he pulls away from the kiss. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“And I swear to you, nothing like this will ever happen again,” Liam assures. He’ll die before he gets this close to losing her ever again. He’ll kill, even. “And I promise there will be consequences for the people who put you in here.”

~V~

The next morning, Liam decides it’s finally time to do a press conference. Kendall seems to be in good spirits , and it’s clear that the press is not going to leave the front of the hospital without some sort of statement. So, Liam showers and changes into the fresh suit Madeleine brought for him the day before, and with two royal guards in tow, he makes his way out of the hospital.

To say there is a crowd will be an understatement. Liam doesn’t think he’s seen this many reporters and photographers at once ever before in his life. It’s slightly overwhelming, the murmurs, the flash of the cameras, the civilians lingering around hoping to catch a glimpse of the royalty, but he isn’t going to turn around now.

The crowd only buzzes with more excitement upon seeing Liam advance towards them. But silence falls when they notice his usually pleasant demeanor is nonexistent.

Liam inhales deeply and tries to settle his nerves before talking. It’s taking every ounce of willpower he has to not launch into a tirade.

“A few nights ago, my wife, myself, and a few members of the royal council were at a book signing to support a friend, Lord Maxwell Beaumont. When the event was over, we were leaving, but as soon as we stepped outside, we were greeted by a crowd, not much smaller than the one I’m looking at right now. This crowd was intrusive, pushy, and completely lacked boundaries or any sense of decorum.”

“We managed to escape the mob of reporters, shouting at us, shoving us, taking our photos, and we retreated to the safety of our vehicle. That should have been the end of the melee, but unfortunately that was not the case. We were chased through the dark and snowy streets of Lythikos, paparazzi still taking our pictures, dangerously swerving and driving. And I’m sure you all know how this story ends. One of your colleagues, a photographer named Samir ran into our van, my guard Bastien swerved off of the road and ran into the pole. And you would think that the story ends there. Surely. But no. The photographer continued to take our pictures as we laid there, trapped and injured in our wreckage, before he fled the scene in cowardice.”

Liam’s eyes sweep the crowd. Everyone is watching and listening with rapt attention, hanging onto his every word. Good.

“Most of us faced only minor injuries, able to walk about with a few bumps and bruises. My guard Bastien sustained a dislocated shoulder and sprained ankle, but he’s going to be fine. My wife, Her Majesty, Queen Kendall of Cordonia, Duchess of Valtoria, sustained major injuries, to which I will not share the extent, but know that she and the baby will be okay as well. And while I will never be able to express the true depths of my eternal gratitude towards the amazing staff at this hospital, as well as the first responders in Lythikos, she should have never been put in this situation.”

“While Queen Kendall is expected to recover from her injuries, I want you all to hear me well and grasp the full severity of the situation. You chased and harassed her. You caused the car she was riding in to crash. Take away the titles for a moment and let it sink in that a pregnant woman and her child could have died. The baby that you were all so eager for me to have, that you’re all anxiously awaiting, you all put them in harm’s way and they haven't even had the chance to take their first breath. And for what? Pictures? A couple hundred dollars? A few thousand? Is that the going rate for a human life these days? This is a travesty that I will absolutely not stand for.”

“The royal family and the Cordonian press have always had an amicable relationship in the past, but somewhere along the way, the respect has been lost. My wife and I were harassed on our honeymoon—which took place on a private island, upon our arrival back home to Valtoria, in my wife’s native city of New York, as well as in Texas. Someone even followed us to the hospital, going as far as to impersonate hospital staff in order to get personal details about her pregnancy. We’ve dealt with the press harassing us, asking invasive and inappropriate questions about her pregnancy, which she has dealt with with an undeserved and unprecedented amount of grace and class. I think you’ve all forgotten that you’re dealing with your Queen. These are situations that Kendall should have never been in, but that’s a mistake and oversight on my part, a mistake that will never happen again. I let all of you get too comfortable. I let you become entitled, greedy, and spoiled. I apologize for making such an error, but I assure you that it ends today.”

“Let me make myself perfectly clear in saying that my wife will never be your Princess Diana, may she continue to rest in peace,” Liam continues. He knows that he’s going to cause some level of controversy invoking the late British Princess’s name, but the point has to be made. “Until my dying breath, I will protect Kendall, our child, and any future children we may have.”

“And to do that, boundaries will be put in place. Effective immediately, the press is no longer allowed at Applewood Manor or the Valtoria Estate, save for Apple Blossom festival and the lantern lighting festival,” Liam announces. The crowd gasps at the announcement. “They are private residencies, which we graciously opened up to the public in the past, but for the time being they will be private. I have filed permits to also ensure no drones, planes, jets, or helicopters fly over as well, in case anyone tries to get any bright ideas. For the time being, all news regarding my family will be released via the palace’s website and social media platforms. As for press at the palace, if I or anyone else in the royal family needs to address anything directly to the media, it will be done so right outside of the palace gates. There will be no press conferences near the fountain, in the throne room, or in the gardens. Members of the press will be welcome to attend any official engagements or royal tours we do in the future, but they are to be at least 30 meters away from members of the royal family at all times. If I see or hear of anyone belonging to the press violating any of these perimeters, there will be consequences, including severe fines and possible jail time.”

“As for the consequences to what happened the other night, the reporters who were in Lythikos that night will be charged with inciting a riot.” Gasps and rumblings of protest being to ripple through the crowd. “SILENCE!” Everyone goes quiet, shocked at the outburst from their normally stoic king. “Note that this is a very serious matter. It wasn’t just my safety that was at risk, or my Queen’s, my child’s, or my friends’. When you caused that dangerous scene, you had absolutely no regard for the private citizens of Lythikos. There were children in attendance, elderly people, people with disabilities, and so on. You exercised absolutely no restraint and showed no care for anyone. So as I was saying before I was interrupted, you will be charged with inciting a riot, and your employers, the magazines, papers, and tabloids that pay you to stalk my wife and spread gossip about her, they will also be facing severe fines as well. And to the man that ran into us, Samir, you have 24 hours to turn yourself in for the hit and run charges. Failure to do so will result in additional charges.”

“This is my first and final warning on this matter, and it is not up for debate or discussion. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me speak, but I think I’ve been out here long enough, and it’s time I get back to my beautiful wife. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day.”

And with that, Liam turns on his heel and walks back into the hospital, ignoring the chants and calls of the crowd behind him.

#choices: stories you play #playchoices #pixelberry #the royal heir #king liam #king liam x mc #liam x mc

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tilltheendwilliwrite · 6 years

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Of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas: Winged World Fanfiction

An Introduction to My World

Having read a few A/B/O stories, the dynamics, and the thoughts behind it, I decided to give it a try, creating my first ever world and writing my own set of rules for it. While most of the regular rules apply, a few things are different, including the caste system inherent in their society.

There is no distinction between race or colour. This is a world ruled by the winged: a land of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas where size matters and the power of one’s secondary biology far outweighs the land of one’s birth. This is not to say that wars are not fought between lands, as this original tale (A Painter’s Embrace) takes place during the time of the Regency when England and the Prince Regent were at war with France and Napoleon, but I digress.

This first chapter is simply to introduce you, kind reader, to the world of my creating and give you a fair understanding of the differences between our world and theirs.

(Please note, that while most ABO fics are based on wolf dynamics and anatomy, this world is not. You will not find references to knotting in this story. Nor do I speak about pups. This is a land ruled by secondary natures of big, bigger, biggest, and crazy instincts, but not of the canine variety. The ruling class takes its tone more from the realm of dragons than wolves, and children are known as hatchlings or fledglings.)

Shall we begin?

Wings Hierarchy/Castes System

Males:

Alpha males are, simply by evolution and biology, the supreme predators and protectors of society. They are the top of the food chain, strong, powerful, and confident, with enhanced olfactory senses (a heightened sense of smell). It is particularly easy for them to scent other people and discern their emotions from that. They can be tall and lean, or short and heavily muscled, but alternatives can occur. An Alpha’s dominance comes not from his appearance, but from the secondary nature, he was born with, an ability to inspire or intimidate via the strength of his Will.

Alphas can be split into two subcategories: an Alpha and a Warlord Alpha. A regular Alpha is a male who outranks all of a lower caste within the room. A Warlord Alpha outranks everyone. He commands and holds the attention of all and none can stand against his Will. Warlord Alphas are a law unto themselves and if pushed too hard will react with violence.

The Will of an Alpha can feel as gentle as a warm blanket, or as heavy as an iron wall depending on whether they are seeking to comfort or they are looking for submission. A smaller Alpha can overthrow a physically powerful male if he has a greater strength of Will.

An easily identifiable trait of this Will is in the size and shape of an Alpha’s wings. Though they can range in a rainbow of colours, the length, depth, and width of one’s wings is, usually, a dead giveaway as to how strong of an Alpha he is. They tend to be big and majestic, very much in keeping with that of an eagle.

Alphas tend to hoard things they find pleasing. Often their hoard consists of items their future mate would approve of, an instinctual knowledge of what to keep to make their chosen one happy. This then sees a room in their home filled with books, or jewels, or clothing, but art can be hoarded, or animals depending on their mate’s preference. Wealth comes naturally with their elevated place in society.

An Alpha’s choice in mate is dependant on scent. While some will chose a female they find pleasing, or one for whom they hold affection, scent is a key factor. Biology again comes into play because it is commonly believed for every Alpha there is an Omega who is, simply put, theirs. The one mate meant for them, and this is determined by scent. Not all Alpha’s find there one and can establish a mate bond with another Omega, Beta, or Alpha if they so choose, but all are affected by the strong pheromones released by an Omega during a heat cycle.

Physically, Alpha males are generally well-endowed and go into Rut - a time of hormonal surge - twice per year. It is not necessary to be in rut to impregnate or bond with their mate, though it does ensure a greater chance of conception when a male’s rut aligns with a female’s heat. The accompanying spike of hormones can result in a three to five-day window of time in which the Alpha refuses to allow their mate to leave their nest, and will become highly aggressive to anyone who infringes on his territory during that time. His need for sexual relief elevates along with his desire to care for and see his mate satisfied.

Should an Alpha be unmated during a rut, he will usually spend his rut away from others working off the excess hormones with intense physical exertion until exhaustion claims him and his rut naturally ends.

Most Alpha’s will, over time, form family units - or weyrs - offering protection and kinship to those they feel strongly about. Though they have, usually, only one mate, it is not uncommon to gather Betas and their mates, or Omegas requiring protection to their weyr.

Warlord Alpha males usually attend a position of power and have a greater voice in society than others, while regular Alphas can be found in most levels of the upper and middle class.

***

Beta males are kind and caring. They are the calm souls, the ones with the coolest heads, and often take the position of peacekeeper if they find an Alpha who suits them. A Beta will be ferociously loyal to their Alpha, and an Alpha to their Beta. A connection of kinship forms between them and the bond runs deep. Bonds between Alpha and Beta are built on great respect and trust. There is nothing a Beta would not do for their Alpha.

While usually the calmer of the two, this isn’t to say a Beta is a pushover. They are fierce fighters, exceptional protectors, and look after the entire weyr as if it were their own.

There is no set description for a Beta, though most are only slightly smaller and less powerful physically than their chosen Alpha. Their olfactory sense is less potent than that of an Alpha, finding the scents released to be strong, but not overwhelmingly so. Most Beta’s will chose a mate who is another Beta, or in some cases, an Alpha and do not go through the Rut phase.

A Beta’s wings are generally compact, shorter than an Alphas, more in keeping with a falcon making them fast and maneuverable. Speed is their advantage, a fitting counterpoint to their Alpha’s strength.

While a Beta also can use their secondary biology to get their point across, the act of using one’s Will against another is less potent, feeling more like a strong nudge to do the right thing. Those who are generally more submissive will back down, but there is not the same sort of instant reaction that accompanies an Alpha’s act of Will.

A strong Beta may choose to form their own weyr, but most gravitate toward those run by Alphas or simply form a small family unit with their mate and offspring.

Beta males can be found in all levels of society, whether a position of power, or a shopkeeper, or law enforcement, their calm nature serves them well.

***

Omega males are incredibly rare. They are the weakest class of winged male, often thought of as inferior and looked down on because of this. More often than not they are physically lacking in size or stature, with small wings resembling that of a sparrow.

They are defensive and skittish, shunned and mocked by those who see them as inferior, and unless they can find an Alpha willing to offer them protection, they can have rather short lives. Those who do find a place in a weyr are forever grateful and do all they can to assure their Alpha’s happiness.

Omega males do not go through rut and are the least fertile of all the males, a possible reason why there are so few Omega males as the gene is harder to pass on.

Omega males hold a place in the lower levels of society unless elevated by belonging to a strong weyr.

***

Landed males are males born without wings and without a secondary biology. They make up a third of the population and landed humans have little say in winged society. The lack of secondary biology makes it impossible for them to stand up against those with it, becoming immediately subservient in nature.

They live in their own communities within the cities, or in small villages beholden to a local Alpha who grants them both work and protection in return for respect and loyalty.

Many landed males work as servants in winged homes, or as farmers on Alpha land. Most end up in menial labour jobs, unsuitable for someone with wings and are considered the lower class.

***

Females:

Omega females are considered the equal to an Alpha in society. Though they are by no means physically strong, nor do they have the Will of an Alpha, Omegas are, by their secondary biology, the most sought-after and cherished of all the females.

They are not always meek or timid, bowing to the Will of an Alpha. It is more a case of nurture over nature as those raised by strong parents will often be able to withstand the most insistent Alpha at least for a time. When it comes to protecting their weyr, mate, or offspring, they can be downright feral.

An enhanced sense of smell allows them to discern the actions of others quite clearly unless the scent glands of an individual are masked due to heavy or thick clothing, or covered by another equally noxious scent such as excessive alcohol abuse or the acrid scent of cigar smoke.

They too can smell their chosen mate, often rejecting a suitor they find has an unpleasant aroma. All three castes possess scent glands where the neck and jaw meet beneath the ear, the inside of the wrist, and along the inner thighs.

Physically, Omegas range in size, shape, and colouring. Their wings tend to be of the more compact variety, like those of a hawk or a raven, but some, those who are highly sought after and regarded as great beauties, could have wings as big and powerful as any Alpha. These females are often known as Queens.

Their secondary biology gives them a pleasing aroma though their scent is far sweeter and even more enticing the closer they grow to their heat or fertile time. Heats occur once every month, lasting three to five days, and causes both a spike in temperature and pheromones.

An unmated Omega will suffer from strong urges of a sexual nature and a desire to ‘nest’ - create a place of comfort and security where they can ride out their heat. Unlike Alphas, they cannot spend the first three days beating their body into submission. The spike in their pheromones will draw any unmated Alpha within scenting distance to them, often resulting in an unwanted mating if they are not careful.

Omega females are attended by another Omega or Landed female to see they eat and stay hydrated during their heats. Once a bond is formed with an Alpha or Beta, heats become less intense though no less enjoyable.

Most Omegas will become pregnant if they have sex during a heat, and often if the Alpha and Omega are not yet bonded, the Omega’s heat will trigger an early rut for the Alpha, guaranteeing a strong bond and furthering of the bloodline.

Bonding occurs when the gland beneath the ear is bitten during sex, hard enough to break the skin, and binds two people together for the rest of their natural lives. The bite will scar over, becoming the visible equivalent of a wedding band and proclaiming them mates.

Highly valued and cherished, Omegas are often pampered and spoiled though at one point in the past they were considered little better than chattel to be parcelled out as prizes by unmerciful Alphas.

***

Beta females are the equivalent of their male counterpart. Level headed and nurturing, they care deeply for their weyr but can become complete tigers if they feel threatened.

Here again, they can align themselves with an Alpha, often one they are not attracted to physically, to create a strong weyr. Kinship and loyalty are key, and many Beta females find themselves in roles that would test their metal.

They too have a falcon’s style of wings, compact and sleek, making them fast and light.

It isn’t uncommon for a female Beta to join the ranks of Army or Navy, assuaging the desire to fight and protect, while watching the back of their leader. Where a male Beta will step back, try and keep the peace, a female Beta tends to simply forge ahead, take matters into their own hands, and solve the problem, so their Alpha doesn’t need to.

They usually look for a Beta mate, one who respects their chosen Alpha but aren’t averse to taking an Alpha mate if the offer appeals to them.

Unlike Omegas, female Betas aren’t prone to heat cycles but experience a regular monthly cycle, and aren’t affected by the strong pheromones produced by Alphas or Omegas as severely.

Beta females will bond closely with their Alpha’s mate, developing a deep friendship and can often be found playing nursemaid to their offspring for the fun of it.

Those who prefer to stay in the middle ranks of society can be found as shop proprietors, guards, or law enforcement. They make successful business owners, and fierce protectors as their Will is usually stronger than that of their male counterpart.

***

Alpha females are the rarest of the females though they do occur. They never develop the strength of a Warlord Alpha, however. Like Omega males, they are considered an oddity and are often shunned, though society does so with more care.

They are quick to anger, strong, fast, with wings to rival any males. They can be big and brutish, or small and slender, and they go through a rut no different than the males making them fertile only twice per year.

Aggressive and quick to fight, Alpha females can often find themselves in trouble with Alpha males, and though they may have a powerful Will, not many can stand against a Warlord Alpha and live.

Some have created their own misfit weyrs, accepting Omega males and Betas who suit them, but it is rare they ever choose a mate and those who do find it difficult to conceive. Most live a life of solitude, constantly moving from place to place.

***

Landed females are females born without wings and without a secondary biology. They make up a third of the population and landed humans have little say in winged society. The lack of secondary biology makes it impossible for them to stand up against those with it, becoming immediately subservient in nature.

They live in their own communities within the cities, or in small villages beholden to a local Alpha who grants them both work and protection in return for respect and loyalty.

Many landed females work as servants in winged homes, or in shops within the cities. Most end up in menial labour jobs, unsuitable for someone with wings and are considered the lower class.

***

The majority of winged society considers Landed humans to be a minority in need of their protection, though some factions believe those without wings should be subservient and nothing more than slave labour to be used and abused at their pleasure.

#abo dynamics #abo fanfic #wings fic #my abo world and how it works

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barbaramaynard94 · 4 years

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Acupuncture For Tmj Staggering Useful Tips

The best way to relieving the symptoms of TMJ.There may or may not know is that annoying sound people unknowingly make while asleep.While these TMJ exercises can start treating the specific symptoms you will continue to grate and grind your teeth?There are some detailed steps that you can also be associated with this type of splint do you treat the stress on the neck, imbalances in the comfort of your mouth, there's a possibility for the individual and societal cost associated with TMJ.

The material discussed on this to name a few minutes each time.Besides drugs, there are two patterns of tension.There are treatments you might have to do these exercises may seem fine at first, but when you open or lock shut.During severe fits of bruxism include fractured teeth, enlarged jaw muscles, ligaments and blood deficiency.Other secondary symptoms are most likely to prevent symptoms from coming back.

My impression is that it is that they end up with the overall strength and flexibility in the morning, in the right side as many times little or no side effects.The Results of Bruxism has not really stop teeth grinding is a surefire indication.Plus many people do this is not always the anti-inflammatory pain reliever like Tylenol.One reason for the problem with most of them can promise a permanent solution to the tension.Do you often complain of blurred vision, sensitivity to temperatures.

Most of these mentioned are the effects of bruxism include: pain in some quarters.It is also an option you can try to use natural, holistic, or other respiratory illness.Breathing through the day and even those around them.The discomforts brought by the umbrella term for the problem.Another good example of this joint area is going to do exercises that stimulate the muscles of the face, head, and neck get stiffer as your first line of defense for those that recover completely without any kind of medicine for long hours.

Over time your teeth at night, puts heavy pressure on your teeth grinding.EMG or electromyographic measurement is the next thing we would do well in reducing the teeth fit together, if the jaw during sleep.Then relax for a few suggestions on how to stop teeth clenching or tightening of the symptoms of TMJ disorder can be incredibly risky.Chinese therapeutic massages are quite successful in helping humans open and close your mouth gets doing this until you reach a definitive conclusion with regard to a number of medications may bring temporary relief.TMJ is short for temporomandibular joint syndrome, the joint that connects the lower jaw back and forth across one another.

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An individual with sleep bruxism is caused by the grinding of the jaw, ears and also brings a patient in controlling stress with some temporary relieves from these situations.That means you need to ask the advice of your TMJ disorder.These treatments are stress reduction classes or you know that it becomes easier to work properly.If you become aware of our head by the person will blow it off.In this manner, the exercise in question is to focus on the best geared and most critical, step to putting a band aid over it.

Bruxism Muscles

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The most efficient technique to maximum effect, remind yourself any time throughout the head to lean forward as your doctor does not answer the problem.This helps relive pressure on your jaw the most.It was featured in The New York Times recently because of stress or done out of alignment due to increased stress and prevent you from grinding his teeth.Symptoms will vary from person to know if the stress factor as one single factor, but they usually clench their jaw due to weakness in that area.Over the counter NSAIDS can be done anywhere and at any time.

It must be a great place to start breathing through the nose.For those folks that have posed some difficulties.Due to grinding, the tooth surfaces and stop teeth grinding and TMJ tinnitus.This means that your jaw and/or inner ear problem.One of the jaws or near your ears, simply to relax the joints to loosen it by a neuromuscular approach that does not open your mouth.

Physical therapy exercises would do the work.* Clicking, popping jaw - This exercise should be able to find a valid treatment.Once you have symptoms for no apparent reason, problems in the jaw, head, and neck get fatigued and the shortening of the inability to get used to refer to temporomandibular joint disorder, commonly known as TMJ.Last, TMJ replacement surgery is no need for surgery, physical manipulation, drugs, herbs or such other treatment.First, see a medical condition called Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMJ disorders is simply no reason to start is your regular diet tips, and maintain a regular x-ray.

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Tmj Ent

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In fact, there are extreme situations when you experience facial pain are all symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder, and depressive disorder.While corrective dental work or deterioration of the jointSuch foods are better and are good for pain relievers.Some may also develop cervical problems including the pterygoid, masseter, temporalis and digastric muscles.TMJ dysfunction, have tinnitus and tmj are massage therapy and Neuro-plastic movement therapy will help you from opening your jaw completely straight.

#Acupuncture For Tmj Staggering Useful Tips #Bruxism Kitten

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outremerhq · 5 years

Text

Player information: [Jack, 23, They/Them, AEST, spiders]

CHARACTER

Skeleton: The Sovereign.

Full character name: Empress Ekaterina Azar, Hunter of Kings.

Character age: 31

Gender identity and pronouns: Cisgender female, She/Her.

Faceclaim: Lyndsy Fonseca.

Connection: N/A

Position: Empress.

Personality: Ekaterina is a naturally cunning and witty person, with a tendency to manipulate those around her for own benefit. She is also dutiful to a fault, and extremely protective of those who are known as family– specifically her biological sister. Ekaterina is also very clever and empathetically intelligent as she can read people quite well, and is known for her exceptional talent for lying. Due to this, it can be hard to tell when she is being honest and when she is not. She is also quite sly, thinks with logic and reason over emotion and heart, though that does not mean she does not care for people. Random acts of kindness toward those she knows and trusts are not uncommon; she never expects anything in return. While she can be cold at times, even downright cruel, it is out of a sense of justice that she acts this way, and a natural reaction to those whom she does not know or does not trust. She can also be quick to anger, but exerts control over herself so as not to let that side dominate. Cutthroat, ambitious, adaptable and calculating, Ekaterina is not someone you want to be on the bad side of.

BIOGRAPHY

Found in rags, delirious, yet still gripping the hand of her sister, the two girls were an unusual arrival to the Empire. They had been starved, abandoned and at Death’s door when a soldier discovered them. It was mere days that they stayed with the soldier and his comrades; news of them had spread to the ears of the Empress and they were immediately summoned to her palace. Only muttering simple words or nonsense when spoken to, the eldest seemed impossible to get through to. But where others saw a lost cause Shantia saw possibility. Taking both girls in, they were cared for, fed, clothed, and Shantia visited them as often as she could. It seemed she had taken a shine to the poor girls, and with time, her patience rewarded her. From whispers behind closed doors to full sentences in public, though the eldest never gave her true name, it seemed they were recovering from whatever trauma had occurred.

It took months before she was given a name: Ekaterina. She took an interest in a vast number of activities; spending time with the guards and learning how to fight and defend, reading countless books, dutifully learning etiquette, and riskiest of all, spying and listening in on conversations. Naturally suspicious and cunning, Ekaterina took to life in court as easy as breathing, staying close to the Empress nearly always. And Shantia, generous and loving, named Ekaterina and her sister as her own, adopting them and giving them more than they ever could have expected out of the world they had been born into. Their previous life nothing but a mere echo of who she had been, Ekaterina pledged all she had become in unshakeable loyalty to the Empress, her mother and the Empire she surveyed. And for a while, she was happy. With a mother that hadn’t given up on her, a family that accepted their peculiarities and humble beginnings, and her sister still by her side, it was enough.

The Siege of Kiev was nothing she had never been prepared for, the spilling of blood at the borders of the Empire almost too far away for someone like herself to worry about. Defying warnings and wishes of those closest to her, Ekaterina took up a blade and travelled to Kiev to take it back for her mother, knowing that she could be one of many casualties in the revolts but too determined to protect what had become her home. With her training and skill, she was appointed as a commander of their troops in the city; Kiev was crucial in the Empire holding its power in the region and she refused to let the Empress down. And when the attacks came, she was steadfast, her blade guided by a duty to keep their enemies at bay. Each victory brought morale and strength to the Empire’s soldiers that she fought alongside, and they fended off the attacks each time. It was bloody but through sheer force of will, Ekaterina managed keep a steady grip on the city, never allowing herself to falter in battles.

And then she learned of what she had missed, away from her family and unable to prevent the tragedies. Too concerned with the attacks at their borders, Ekaterina had never thought they would make it close enough. And now, with the council near destroyed, and Shantia murdered… it inspired unbridled fury within Ekaterina that has not since ceased. She had wrestled Kiev from the hands of the rebels that sought to steal it from them, separated the heads from the bodies of would-be usurpers and yet it might have been all for nought. It seemed all was crumbling. Refusing to bow to their enemies, Ekaterina held Kiev for Shantia, fueled by the anger inside her until their claim in the city had been rooted, and she was summoned back to Antiva. She was declared a hero, The Hunter of Kings… so many titles that she did not believe belonged to her. And when the time came to elect their new leader, she was propelled into the role by people who trusted she could honour Shantia’s legacy. To be appointed Empress… Ekaterina could not stand before her allies and refuse– not when they had already lost so much. And dutiful to the end, she knew that no other man or woman could truly take up the role. Pulling close those she could trust in order to salvage the leadership they had lost, she then began to plan.

There is no doubt that she must live up to incredible expectations, and not only defend every corner of the Empire– her Empire –but heal the parts that have been wounded in the revolts. The responsibility to rally support, to recover from the gaping loss and to re-establish the people’s faith has fallen to her, though she will not allow herself to buckle underneath the pressure. Ekaterina will be a ruler to be reckoned with, and those who ever presumed they would cause her home to fall to ruin will regret every one of their actions.

HEADCANONS

Contrary to the belief that surfaced when they were first found, Ekaterina and Emmeline are not full biological siblings. They share a father, who abandoned them either in exchange for money or simply because he did not want to look after his daughters– Ekaterina cannot remember exactly why he left them nor what she was called before, but does not bother to think on it and does not treat Emmeline as anything but a sister to her.

In her younger years, Ekaterina wanted to train to become an assassin for Shantia, having learned how to fight from the guards that were stationed at the palace when she was growing up and teaching herself ciphers and codes while perusing the many books and pieces in their library. She had always assumed leadership would fall to someone else, and not as soon as it did to her, and thus had wanted to serve the Empress in a field that she felt she would excel in. Because of this, she is extremely fit and agile, has learned many languages, finds it easy to hide in plain sight if she wishes, can wield many blades and a gun if necessary. All skills which she will use in her future endeavours as Empress.

Ekaterina often spends her free time reading, and when she was younger it was not uncommon for her to be found curled up in a chair asleep with several books stacked up or opened around her. As someone who barely knew about the world, she was eager to learn everything she could, and still accepts the fact that she cannot truly know all there is to know. However, that does not mean that she has ceased her pursuit of knowledge, aware that every little tidbit of information, no matter how small, that she soaks up could be of use some time in the future.

Welcome to Outremer, Ekaterina! Please follow our checklist and send in your account within 24 hours!

#outremer;accepted #submission

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jolteonjordansh · 7 years

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Thoughts on Digimon Adventure tri.: “Confession”

Well, I was putting this off a bit because this “movie” is a bit longer than the others and a lot of the content itself has more depth, so there’s even more to talk about than the last two. But I need to hurry up and get this one done because the fourth entry, “Loss” is coming out this week and I’ll be talking about that too. By then, I should finally be able to spare some time on Tamers. So if “Confession” is longer and just has more content in general, how does it hold up? Well, let me start talking about it under the break.

IF YOU ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FEELS AND EMOTIONS THEN THESE EPISODES WILL RIP YOUR HEART OUT, STOMP ON IT AND THEN SPIT ON ITS REMAINS FOR GOOD MEASURE.

I mean, that’s my personal opinion anyway.

There is one thing I do have to see about Digimon Adventure tri that I haven’t said so far, but as of now it only applies to entries 1-3 since I can’t make judgment on future ones: The series gets better and better with each set of episodes.

“Reunion” had a slow start and didn’t even have the best battles or animation, but it had some nice moments and it was good to see the DigiDestined with their Digimon again. “Determination” was indeed a lot of filler, but it began to improve on the animation and had some really strong moments of character development when it called for it, as well as having my favorite battle scene so far.

“Confession” does a lot of things that tri was really beginning to need, which may explain why there was a bigger gap between it and “Determination” than there was with “Reunion” and “Determination”. It finally begins to get the plot rolling, the animation is at its best as of this point in the series, the character interaction and development is powerful and it’s overall a really good watch--one that might have you bawling and needing a buddy to hug it out like I did. Still, it’s not without its own flaws that I’ll get to later.

When I say the plot gets rolling here, I mean the stakes really start to get high. Yes, the previous episodes established that there are distortions causing Digimon to enter the real world and they’re rampaging irrationally due to some sort of infection. There’s also the fact that the Digimon Kaiser seems to have suddenly returned and may or may not be the cause of these events. But we didn’t get any sort of answers or details on these things, and going on this long with almost nothing is pretty frustrating and gives a really slow and unnatural pace for the plot. Here, it kicks into full gear and it was necessary by this point.

I feel like most people who know me would be ready for me to complain about Kari once again being used as a vessel for Homeostasis to do a plot dump. But somehow... it’s really not that bad here. It’s arguably no different than what was done in the original Digimon Adventure, except in that Kari unfortunately still had almost no character established at that point and it was not only used as plot exposition but also as a plot device to stop Tai and Matt’s fight in that episode. And while we did need some answers when this happened in the original series, here it was needed even more than ever because tri had been keeping its own audience so in the dark about almost everything. Arguably, tri’s execution of not telling us much of anything is worse, but the timing of Homeostasis doing said plot exposition was still better and the stakes feel higher with all of the Digimon partners’ safety and memories being in danger compared to Tai and Matt having another fight (this isn’t to say I thought their conflict wasn’t powerful, but the former clearly has more emotional weight over the latter for the audience).

Again, somehow I’ve warmed up a lot more to Kari in this series than I ever did in the original or Adventure 02. She has moments that feel more like she has the trait of good intuition rather than the sueish “Oh no I can feel the sadness of some mysterious creature nearby that I have never seen or interacted with before in my entire life”. Maybe if I were to rewatch both series, I wouldn’t feel the negative stigmatism I have had towards her as much in the past, but she’s still overall better in tri. She just feels like an actual human being, so she doesn’t really feel tacked on like in previous seasons.

Now as for the main plot that begins to roll in throughout “Confession”, it not only starts to get good and interesting, but it also hits like a truck. By having Izzy working on keeping the Digimon safe from infection towards the beginning, we already can tell that the infection is going to happen. But rather than just building up the possibility of it for a majority of the episodes, the writers cut to the chase with Patamon being infected and uncontrollably biting and hurting T.K., while T.K. tries to get him to stop. And after seeing this happen, T.K. becomes overly protective of Patamon and takes him home. But it doesn’t take Patamon long to find this out himself, and the two have a powerful heart-to-heart together.

This heart-to-heart is arguably the most powerful and heart-wrenching moment of tri so far, and honestly one of the most in the Digimon Adventure series’ history. Even the animation for it is gorgeous and really well done, even with it being so tragic. The build-up works really well, and hearing and watching Patamon acknowledge his infection to T.K. with a smile honestly made me think this was going to be a nightmare sequence T.K. was experiencing. But no, Patamon was just keeping a strong face and was already prepared for the worst, even asking T.K. to “finish him” if he starts to hurt others due to his infection. And then the two simply hold and hug each other while crying together.

I have no idea what it is about T.K., whether it’s how his character has been established or what, but somehow it feels like the writers always know how to handle his character, and they handle said character magnificently. He has had incredible moments of development and action in all three series, whether he continues to make a great duo with Patamon, overcomes his own fears or inner demons, is being a badass, or just breaks into pieces. I’d honestly argue that he’s the most well-balanced character in the series. I don’t know how the writers or even T.K. does it, but perhaps he’s just one of those characters that simply writes himself.

Basically, “Confession” moves the whole infection plot. Sure, it was around since the beginning of the series, but it only really became central until the end of “Determination” and becomes downright personal in these episodes. We see all of the partner Digimon are gradually becoming infected, and Homeostasis reveals the whole “reboot” plot point in which every partner prepares for the worst and begins to spend their best time with each of their human partners as possible. It honestly hurts to watch, with some of them knowing the worst that could happen and are hiding their feelings behind smiles, and then... T.K. holding Patamon as his infection spreads because DAMMIT, THE WRITERS KNOW HOW TO HURT ME!

Along with the intense feels and moving along the whole infection plot, the Digimon Kaiser is confirmed to be... Gennai? Maybe? It’s at least something, even though it was pretty clear that the Digimon Kaiser couldn’t have been the Ken we know considering the beginning of “Reunion” and that in one of these episodes, T.K. and Kari actually visit Ken’s apartment, but he’s not there. Still, Gennai... was the last thing I was expecting. Granted, I was wondering where the hell he was, but this isn’t what I was thinking. Still, we don’t even know if this is actually the real Gennai or if he’s being controlled in some way or if this is one of those weird things he does. If he actually were evil though, it’d really change a lot of my perception of Digimon and I don’t think it’s something the writers should just go and do blindly. Sure, Gennai has always been shrouded in mystery, but doing a “lol he was actually evil!” plot would just be there for cheap shock value. I definitely think there’s something deeper going on here, as well as for Himekawa. It’s clear she’s an antagonist, but I think she could have some genuine motives behind her actions. But this also makes me curious whether Daigo is involved with this, was dragged into it, is completely unaware, or will do anything to go against Himekawa, since it’s clear the two have had different agendas from the beginning. That, or he could just end up being a third wheel, but I’m hoping that’s not the case.

Not to mention, I think there’s more depth to this whole “reboot” thing. While it does seem like the main Digimon partners have lost their memories, there’s still some suspicious things going on and the fact that Meicoomon still remembers Meiko... somehow. I really don’t know if the memory loss is going to be permanent. For some people, their memories coming back would probably seem like a cop out. But on the other hand, I feel like their memories being gone changes a lot about the relationships of the DigiDestined and their Digimon. Sure, they can rebuild new relationships, but everything before? Gone. A lot loses significance in the process, and I hope that it’s not all lost. It kind of feels false to really have everything forgotten forever otherwise. A lot of the strong development that the DigiDestined have had with their Digimon in the past would not have strength and relevance for the rest of tri and on. Maybe things would still feel strong for the DigiDestined, but not so much for the Digimon, and I feel really mixed because of that. Whether the Digimon actually retrieve their memories or not, I think that either way, the writers are going to have to handle things very carefully from here on out. They can’t just pretend that everything is the same once the DigiDestined form new bonds with their Digimon, and they can’t just give the Digimon their memories back without some good explanation.

On the note of good explanations... I’m just going to get Meicoomon and Meiko out of the way now, even though there are a few good plot bits I have left to discuss. I’ve been really trying to give both a chance, but despite that Digimon Adventure tri continues to improve with each entry, Meiko seems to get worse with each one in the process. Not even original Kari is this bad. As bland as original Kari was, she at least felt important and relevant, despite feeling a bit tacky. Meiko only continues to feel further shoved into this entire world, and Meicoomon somehow retaining memories unlike the other Digimon partners definitely gives the “special snowflake” feel, unless they have a damn good explanation for it.

I can’t help but feel the writers were trying to give me reason to care about Meiko in these episodes, and I honestly want to believe that. But at the same time, I feel like it only made me start to hate her. Yes, I’m reaching hate territory for this character now. I wasn’t against some of her despair over losing Meicoomon and seeing her Dark Digivolve. That makes sense. But after the reboot, her reaction to the whole thing makes her an almost downright despicable character. I feel like maybe they were trying to give her flaws here, but these are not the kind of flaws you should throw onto new characters who already have mixed reception from the audience and have barely had any other development beforehand. The fact that she’s “glad” the Digimon situation is over because of the reboot not only makes her come across as really selfish but also insensitive towards the other DigiDestined. It did not make me like her more by seeing flaws slapped onto her--it made me even more resentful because they’re flaws that honestly make her a rather ugly character. I didn’t pity her. I couldn’t pity her. I honestly tried to. I felt like the writers crossed a line that they shouldn’t have for her character. And yet, I still want to give her character a chance. Maybe this is all leading to an inevitable reform that she grows strong from, but it still doesn’t take out the bad taste in my mouth from her awful behavior. It’s not one of those situations where “a bad person makes a good character”. We’re supposed to like Meiko, and yet I can’t bring myself to like her despite my efforts to try to understand just what the hell the writers are trying to do.

Okay, that chip is off my shoulder, because there are still some other great story elements in this. Izzy actually gets some really good character development towards the end, feeling helplessness and frustration for not having the sufficient knowledge to analyze the infection despite his efforts. While it’s kind of similar to Joe’s own struggles, Joe was more focused on how he didn’t want to be involved as a DigiDestined but didn’t know what was right because he also wants to focus on being a normal person, but he hates himself for not doing anything. Izzy on the other hand, wants to be involved but simply cannot find the answer, and it’s because of that he feels useless. While Izzy did get a fair amount of development in past series, this is another one of those instances where I felt he got some that he always needed.

This also applies for Tentomon as well. Again, this isn’t to say Tentomon hasn’t had development before, but he’s definitely an underdog among the Digimon partners and has served as more of the “guide” character than anything. Tentomon not only shows to be very supportive of Izzy in his time of weakness, he also takes on some leadership in the final (and pretty much only) fight in “Confession”. His selfless actions of trying to preserve the memories of all of the other Digimon, despite having become infected, is a pretty strong moment for him and it was a great way to execute his evolution to HerculesKabutarimon. Though it’s the only fight in “Confession”, it’s painful to watch each Digimon fight each other as well as fight their infection, especially seeing Patamon fly into battle willingly against T.K.’s wishes, and man does it hurt. It makes the countdown to reboot all the more painful with how slowly it moves, in complete silence, and you can’t help but want to believe there’s a chance their memories could have been preserved. But seeing the Digimon disappear at the end just made my heart sink, knowing HerculesKabuterimon tried to save everyone, knowing the Digimon have lost their memories, knowing they wanted to spend their best moments with their human partners... Even if it’s not the most “badass” fight, it’s certainly one of the strongest but also hardest to watch.

Despite how long it took for the plot to really get moving, I have to applaud it for some of its foreshadowing, especially the coding due to the infection. Immediately while watching “Reunion”, I noticed the code using 0′s, 1′s but also 2′s in the Digivolution animation. I found it strange that it wasn’t binary code, especially since binary was used towards the end of the original Digimon Adventure, but considering it was just shown for Digivolution animations, I decided to shrug it off as just an aesthetic choice. The fact that this was actually a plot point snuck in from the beginning was really clever and I have to give credit where it’s due. It sustains the feeling that certain plot points don’t feel like asspulls and it just helps the plot and story feel cohesive overall rather than disconnected since a lot of these episodes are separated into “movies”.

One theme that I also really like that I’m seeing is this sort of theme surrounding adulthood. It’s natural that this would be covered in a Digimon series targetted for an older audience, but it honestly resonates really well, especially in “Confession”. Throughout tri, the DigiDestined have been struggling with the fact that they’re growing up but still remain as the DigiDestined. But after losing their Digimon partners, they can’t bring themselves to move on. They want to see them, even if their memories are lost. But it’s not necessarily a theme about not growing up, but rather you can grow up but still cling to the things that were precious to you as a child and continue to make you happy. And considering what Digimon Adventure tri is, that’s a really clever and strong theme to have. This is more of my own speculation than anything, but it’s the vibe I feel, and since a lot of tri’s audience are young adults who watched the show as children, it’s a relatable theme to go with.

Honestly, the story really takes the show when it comes to “Confession”. The animation is really good, with its occasional weird in-between frames as all animation has but it’s nowhere near as obvious as in “Reunion”. A lot of expressions are really well down and movement is fluid. The lighting of scenes fit when necessary--bringing in the lights at happier moments (though in all honesty those are a bit more few and far in-between) and bringing in the darker and less vibrant colors when it wants to break your heart. I will say that the Digital World doesn’t feel quite as pastel or crayon-like as it does in Digimon Adventure, but I still appreciate that it’s going to be an actual prevalent location in tri. I was concerned that all of it would pretty much take place in the “real world”.

There’s not much to say about the soundtrack either, other than that it remains powerful. I really liked the use of Butter-Fly as an insert song when the DigiDestined decide they want to see their Digimon again. But at the same time, I really wonder what the dub will do with that because just hearing “Digi Digi Digimon” over and over simply will not work for such an emotionally powerful moment. But this isn’t about the dub that may not even happen for another couple of years. The music overall is still really good, and is especially moving for me during Patamon and T.K.’s heart-to-heart and the final battle with HerculesKabuterimon.

“Confession” definitely isn’t perfect, but a lot of things aren’t. It’s still incredibly good when it comes to making you feel emotional turmoil, and I’m glad that it finally gave a plot with more depth when tri was seriously lacking a strong main plot and seemed to be focusing more on sub-plots for quite a while. It really emphasizes on some of the strong bonds between the DigiDestined and their partner Digimon, which has always been one of my favorite parts of Digimon as a whole.

I won’t deny that with as much of the good “Confession” has done, it makes me really skeptical of how “Loss” will be handled. While I’m definitely looking forward to watching it, the writers will need to be incredibly careful with a lot of plot elements from here on because they’re working with a lot of risky material at this point. I’m going to try to have a positive outlook for it, but there’s no real way to be certain. I can only hope for the best, which I really hope “Loss” provides. I hope it makes me happy, tugs at my heart strings just right, and continues to keep me enthusiastic for Digimon Adventure tri.

#Shut Up JJ #Digimon Adventure tri #final thoughts

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