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quaithe-seastar · 4 days

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The Dragon's Gold

Chapter Four

Pairing: Aegon II Targaryen x Aerys Reyne (male oc)

Summary: Aerys Reyne, son of Naerys Targaryen, the second-born daughter of King Viserys and Queen Aemma, has been best friends with Aegon since childhood. As boys, they had been inseparable. Many said that it reminded them of the early days of King Jaehaerys reign. When the princes Aemon and Baelon were still children. Wherever one boy was, it wasn't long before the other came running behind him. That was until forbidden desires of the heart forced a wedge between them. After the death of his grandsire, King Viserys, Aerys finds himself torn between two sides: stand by his oldest friend or stand by the only mother he has ever known.

Warning: Self-harm, depression, religious guilt

a/n: This chapter takes place shortly after the events of episode seven. There will be a few small time skips in this chapter. Dialogue in italics means that the characters are speaking in high valyrian. I was just too lazy to attempt to translate it. Though, there may be some high valyrian thrown in here and there. No beta, so I apologize for any or all grammar and spelling mistakes.

Aerys

Aerys sat quietly at the giant dinner table in the great hall of the castle he called home. Yet the place seemed so strange to him. He used his fork to poke lightly at the food on the plate before him. Aerys had little appetite and barely managed to stomach the salty vegetable stew of the first course. Today, Aegon married Helaena in a lavish ceremony. Aerys had not made it to the ceremony as he was feeling unwell. It wasn’t a complete lie. He had been unable to keep his breakfast down this morning. But the king made it clear that his presence at the feast was not optional. So here he was. Sitting miserably at the end of the hall, wishing he were anywhere else.

Aerys reached out to grasp the cup of sweet arbor red that sat beside his plate. It was his seventh cup of the night. The king had put a stop to Aerys drinking after they returned from Driftmark, but he allowed Aerys to indulge himself during the celebration. Before he could lift the cup, he felt a calloused hand covering his own. He followed the hand upward to find the face of the owner. It was Ser Otto. He threw Aerys a friendly smile, but his eyes did not match. It was a warning.

“Perhaps you’ve had enough, Lord Reyne.”

Aerys retracted his hand slowly and placed both hands on his lap.

He glared at the plate, biting his tongue. The loud chatter of the room all around him became muffled in his ears.

Aerys wanted to cry. The familiar sting in his eyes was becoming overwhelming. It took everything in the young man’s power to keep his composure. The inside of his mind was running wild. Is this what the rest of his life will look like? Feel like? He thought back on the past two weeks. The strain growing between him and Aegon was weighing heavily upon him. They had hardly spoken to one another. Their few interactions were brief and always under the supervision of his mother or grandfather. The entire time, Aerys picked nervously at the threads of his shirts as he tried to avoid the glares of Ser Otto and the Queen.

Then, there was the news of Ser Laenor’s death and the rumors that Rhaenyra and Daemon had gotten rid of the knight so they could wed. Rhaenyra had sent a raven to Aerys, informing him of her marriage and denying all accusations. Aerys didn’t know what to believe anymore. It was all too much for him to handle.

Aerys felt hopeless. It felt like he was standing outside his body, watching rather than living.

He wanted to be wrapped safely in the warm furs in his bedchamber. Another wave of overwhelming sadness swept over him. Aerys pushed his chair back and cringed at the loud noise it made as it hit the stone floor. Suddenly, it felt like all the eyes in the room were on him. He cleared his throat.

“My apologies, my king, but I’m not feeling well. May I be excused?”

The king's dark indigo eyes stared at the young man. He thought for a moment before he nodded his head. Aerys ignored the glare from the hand. The chatter picked up once more as he departed from the great hall, though it was muffled in his ears. As he began making his way to his bedchamber, Aerys heard a voice call out. When he turned, he was met with pale white hair and violet eyes.

“You left in quite a hurry; I was worried. Are you well?” Aegon asked softly.

Aerys was confused by his look of concern. Why would he come after him? Aerys let out a tired sigh. Perhaps he was overthinking it.

“I am fine. I apologize for leaving. I’m afraid it was all just a bit overwhelming for me. You know how I feel about big events like this.” Aerys flashed him a small smile, hoping it would be convincing enough.

Aegon stared at Aerys as if he were studying him. “Perhaps some fresh air would do you some good. Would you like me to accompany you?”

The thought of spending another moment with the prince made his stomach ache. Aerys smiled once again and gently shook his head.

“That is most kind of you, Prince Aegon, but I am fine. I’m sure your wife is missing your company.”

The two stood in the hallway quietly. At that moment, Aerys wished for nothing more than the comfort of his oldest friend. But things were different now. What he needed was a moment of peace. A moment away from everyone, to be alone to gather his thoughts. The prince nodded, nervously picking at the skin around his fingernails.

“As you wish, Lord Reyne.”

He stepped back and turned to walk into the great hall, returning to the feast. Aerys stood there for a moment, silently fiddling with his nails. It was all too much for him. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be here. He did not wish to play the part of the happy old Aerys as his life fell apart right before his eyes. Aerys was tired of being trapped in this insufferable prison, but what could he do? He did not want to leave his home. The thought of leaving terrified him. The idea of being surrounded by people he did not know or trust made his chest hurt. The boy hardly knew most of the people in the great hall; most of them had come from Oldtown. Would this be the life the gods would curse him with? What had he done to deserve such cruelty?

He tried to think of what he had done to upset the gods. He always went to worship in the great sept as often as possible. Aerys also prayed to the old gods at the weirwood tree. He always thanked them for everything they had blessed him with in life. His family, his home, his life. So. . .why? Had he offended them somehow? Did he not pray hard enough? Did he not thank them enough? Aerys turned on his heels and stormed down the hall as fast as he could.

Aerys could feel the tears as they streamed down his face. His hair bounced, and some fell in his eyes.

Frustrated, he roughly pushed his hair back. He grabbed the suffocating silver chain necklace around his neck and yanked it off, throwing it to the dirt. He had finally made it outside to the deserted old weirwood tree. Sobs escaped freely from his lips, and he did not attempt to hide them. Not that he could, even if he had tried. Aerys dropped to his knees, clasping his hands together to pray.

“Forgive me, gods, for I have sinned. I have committed a most horrific act. I’ve shamed my father. I’ve shamed my mother. I’ve disgraced myself and both my houses. A sickness has rooted itself in me. Please, gods, help me! Please, I beg you!”

The boy cried, hunched over, digging his hands into the dirt. The weirwood tree had tears of its own. Aerys raised himself to look at the moon. His knees were beginning to ache from being on the rough ground—another punishment he deserved. The boy struggled to catch his breath. His head throbbed in pain. Aerys reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small knife. He lifted his tunic to expose his stomach. The boy bit his lip as he placed the blade against his skin. It didn’t need to be deep, just enough to quiet the noise. It was a nasty habit he had picked up over the past two weeks. When he could no longer continue reopening the scab on his cheek. A cut here and there goes unnoticed. If the maids who sometimes helped him bathe did mention it, all he had to do was say it was an accident. They never questioned him; it wasn’t their place to do so.

He watched as the blood pooled and dripped down his stomach, painting his pale skin red. He lifted a finger to press into the wound, grunting at the sting that followed. It was not the ideal way to deal with his pain, but it worked. With a shuddering sigh, he pushed himself back onto his aching legs, hiding the blade in his pocket. Aerys felt his shirt begging to cling to his skin. Fortunately, his tunic was black, so it was unnoticeable even as the blood seeped through.

Aerys closed his eyes, clenching his hands into fists. I’m alright. Everything is fine, he whispered to himself over and over again. He waited until his breathing returned to normal, or at least as normal as it could be before he entered the castle. The celebration was still ongoing. Aerys could hear it even as he was walking up the stairs. He kept his head down, counting each step he took. All he wanted to do was sleep. His mind and his body were at their limit. Aerys didn’t even bother removing his boots as he entered his room. The boy just dropped onto his stomach, ignoring the pain of laying on the fresh cut. Perhaps he would feel better in the morning.

—

Aerys glared at the angry red line on his stomach. It had been two days since the wedding. The guilt and shame that always came after he hurt himself still gnawed at him. Yet he refused to look away. He always made himself look at what he had done. Aerys dropped his tunic, allowing it to hide the angry red mark, and turned his head up to look at his face. He patted down his unkempt hair, pushing it away from his forehead. The boy who stared back at him was a stranger. His eyes were void of emotion when he only wanted to cry. This is not me, he thought.

His mind drifted to Nyra. What would she think if she saw him like this? And what wouldn’t he do to be wrapped in her arms again? To have her play with his hair and tell him tales of her shared girlhood with his mother, as she had done many times before. His grandsire was right; her presence would be missed. There were many times he had found himself walking past her old apartments. He missed her. He missed the boys. It felt so wrong not being able to see them every day. Not being able to play with them or listen to Luke’s wild tales of the adventurers he would go on someday. The boy planned to make a name for himself like his grandfather, the sea snake, did.

A loud knock at the door brought Aerys back to the present. He walked over to the door, pulling it open. His eyes widened as he spotted Queen Alicent, with her sworn shield, Ser Criston, outside the door.

“Your grace,” he bowed his head in respect.

“May I come in?” She asked.

Aerys’ eyes shifted nervously between the queen and the white cloak. He nodded his head and moved to the side, allowing them entry.

“Wait outside the door, Ser Criston.” The woman ordered.

“Yes, my queen,” the knight nodded.

Aerys closed the door slowly, careful not to slam it. He followed the queen to the small table.

“May we sit?” Queen Alicent asked.

“Of course, your grace,” Aerys responded almost immediately.

“A raven came this morning. I wanted to tell you the news myself,” Queen Alicent smiled.

“What news?” Aerys asked, anxiously awaiting a response.

“Word has come from Castamere. It seems your brother's wife is expecting a child. You are to be an uncle soon; congratulations, Aerys.”

Aerys smiled at the news. It was the first time he had genuinely smiled in weeks. His brother and sister-in-law were having a child, their first child. He would have to write to them right away. It had been some time since he wrote to his brother. Things had become so hectic for the both of them, with his life falling apart and his brother dealing with the frustrations of ruling a noble house. Once again, he found himself happy to have been born second. The pressure of ruling was something he could do without.

“That’s wonderful. Thank you for telling me about your grace.”

“Of course,” the woman replied.

A quiet silence echoed between them. Aerys gulped nervously. Was there something else? His fingers toyed with the ring around his finger, praying for his mother to give him strength. Queen Alicent stared at him, her face unreadable. He wasn’t sure what she was feeling or what she would do.

“There was something else I wished to discuss with you.” She cleared her throat, shifting in her seat.

“About the incident that occurred two weeks ago. I wanted to apologize for my father. What he did-”

“Nothing happened, your grace. I-”

“Aerys,” the woman sighed.

He dropped his head, staring at his bare feet under the table.

“I know what happened. It was wrong for him to lay a hand on you. I wanted to assure you that it will never happen again.”

Aerys remained silent.

“But I also want to make sure you understand that what happened before my father found you two must never happen again.”

“It won't, your grace!” Aerys said hurriedly.

“I know it won’t,” Queen Alicent smiled. She placed her hands on the table, reaching out for his.

With shaking hands, Aerys moved, placing his hands into hers. Her grip was firm but gentle.

“I believe I understand all too well how you feel,” the queen hesitates, her brows scrunching together. “Matters of the heart can be so overwhelming for someone so young. Especially those that are forbidden to us..”

She kept her eyes on their connected hands. Aerys was confused by all of this. The woman always maintained such a regal appearance. It was hard to imagine her as anything else but the queen. It's hard to believe there was a time when she was just a girl, so tender and free—a time when she wasn’t the queen or the mother of the king's sons.

“I understand things have been hard for you since Princess Rhaenyra’s departure. The two of you were always inseparable; I can imagine how difficult it must be to no longer have her at your side.”

Aerys raised his head to find the woman staring at him. Her eyes trailed over every inch of his face. She leaned forward, wiping away the tears from his face.

“But it is important that we refrain from acting on desire. You are of royal blood, Aerys. That means there are higher expectations placed upon you. You must be wary of the things you do. Whispers travel fast and cannot be unheard of. You must understand this.”

“I understand,” he said, nodding his head.

“I’m glad to hear that. Well, I'm afraid I must be off. You should send a raven to your brother and congratulate him.”

“I will, your grace. Thank you.”

Aerys escorted the woman to the door, pulling it open for her. Ser Criston stepped out of the way, allowing space for the queen to pass. The boy waited until they disappeared down the hall before closing the door. He turned and pressed his back against the door. Aerys lifted his head, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. Agana, he needed to see Agana .

—

Aerys fiddled with his ring as he stood in the outer yard. He was waiting for the stable boy to ready his horse. The outer yard was busy and full of life. It distracted the boy from his problems as he watched everyone go about their business.

“You're a difficult man to find these days,” a playful voice called from behind.

Aerys stilled, his stomach tensed up like a clenched fist.

“My apologies; I did not realize I was being sought out.” He turned, finally coming face to face with Aegon.

Aerys had successfully avoided the boy for two days, though it seemed his luck had just run out.

“Are you going somewhere?” The prince asked.

“I was going to the dragon pit. I’m sure Agana is missing the wind beneath her wings.” Aerys shrugged.

“I’ll come with you. No doubt Sunfyre is missing me.”

Aerys fought the urge to scream. He fought the urge to tell the boy to stay behind.

“If you wish,” he sighed.

Aerys waited for Aegon’s horse to be brought to him. The two quickly mounted their horses before they were off. They raced through the streets of King’s Landing. Aegon had challenged him to race, to see who could make it to the dragon pit first. It was a childish game, but Aerys found himself unable to ignore his taunts. Luckily, his white mare seemed to be leaving Aegon’s chestnut gelding in the dust. Aerys reached the dragon pit first, though only by a close second. Aerys gloated about his victory as the two entered the giant dragon pit. It was so strange. For a moment, it seemed like it used to be. Like nothing had changed, they were the same boys they used to be. The dragon keepers led the two under the dome to the man-made caves built to house the dragons.

Sunfyre was the first to raise his head as the group approached. Two dragon keepers stayed with Aegon while the other two carried on. Aerys followed quietly behind the men as they led him to another cave. A rush of confidence filled his body as they grew closer. The cave was dark, even with the torches lit.

Glowing emerald eyes stared at the two from the darkness. A low growl filled the air as the she-dragon began to stretch herself out. Aerys smiled as the iron gates began to open. He walked forward slowly and stopped when he stood before the dragon. The light of the torches glistened from her silver scales. The boy extended out his hand, waiting for the dragon to make the next move. Her eyes lingered on the dragon keepers momentarily before her gaze moved to her rider. She lowered her neck, allowing his hand to rub along her muzzle.

“Rytsas arli, Agana.” He greeted her warmly.

The young lord could seldom go a day without visiting his dragon. She was a great comfort to him. Aerys quickly scaled his way up Agana’s back to his saddle. He strapped himself in as he waited for the outer doors of the cave to open. Agana stood to her feet and turned. Aerys swayed side to side with every step she took. The loud creaking out the gates was all that could be heard. The sky was clear. The gods were smiling down upon King’s Landing.

“Sōvēs,” he commanded.

The dragon let out a low roar as she ran forward, leaping into the sky as she reached the end of the cave. The sun shined down on the two of them. A loud chirp from behind them made the boy turn his head. Sunfyre was not far behind. Aerys smirked as he commanded Agana to go faster. It seemed the lord was anxious for another race. The two dragons soared through the skies together. Agana, being slightly bigger than Sunfyre, had the advantage. But the golden dragon and his rider seemed quite determined. The silver dragon pulled up higher into the sky until they were hidden in the clouds. It took only a short time for the other two to follow. Aerys quickly spotted the golden dragon hovering below in the clouds. Aegon had a hand over his eyes as he searched the sky.

“Dive, ñuhys zaldrīzys!” Aerys ordered.

Agana dove right past the golden dragon. Sunfyre let out a roar as he barely managed to move out of the way. Aerys laughed as he held on tightly to the reins. The racing carried on for some time. It was almost sunset before the four finally returned to the dragon pit. Aerys helped the dragon keepers escort Agana back to her den. He met Aegon at the entrance of the dragon pit. They mounted their horses once more.

“You cheated,” Aegon accused.

“I did not!” Aerys argued.

The debate continued as the two made their way through the streets. The boys burst into a fit of laughter.

“I missed this,” the prince sighed, reminiscing about their friendship.

“Me too,” Aerys huffed sadly.

“Aerys, I know things have been-”

“Aegon,” Aerys groaned, dreading what the prince would say next.

“No, just listen,” Aegon snapped. “You’re my oldest friend, Aerys. I don’t want to lose that. Can’t we just start over? Please?”

The two boys stared at one another. The clacking of hooves and the chatter of the city coming alive under the setting sun bridged the gap of silence. How could Aerys deny such a request? The ache he felt in his heart over the loss of his friend these last two weeks was unbearable. His heart aches for the familiarity, the warmth, and the sense of belonging that Aegon provided.

“I would like that,” he lied.

Things would never be as they were. How could they? They crossed over a bridge that had since crumbled to dust. But perhaps they could pretend. Maybe they could ignore the sounds of their hearts calling out for one another.

—

“The maester believes Helaena is with child.”

Aerys did not dare to look up from the pages of the giant book in his hands. The book held the histories of the great houses of Westeros. It was filled with so many outlandish stories that it was hard to believe many were true.

“Not surprising, you have been performing your duty.”

“Don’t say it like that,” Aegon groaned.

Aerys sighed, raising his head to look at the prince. Aegon was lying on Aerys’ bed with his head dangling off the side. His eyes were closed, and his fingers toyed with the laces of his tunic.

“You make it sound like we’re cattle or something.”

“I don’t mean to sound crass, but is it truthfully any different? I do believe having children is one, if not the main purpose of marriage.”

“I know it is! I just-” the prince groaned, hoisting himself up to sit. “I didn’t expect it to be... this soon.”

“It has been two moons since the wedding, Aegon. Surely, you knew it would happen soon. It only takes one time,” Aerys laughs.

“I’m glad my worries can bring you so much joy.”

“Oh, calm down, Aegon. I’m sure most men are frightened by the idea of becoming a father. You have time before the babe comes. Enough time to prepare yourself.”

Aerys flashed him a reassuring smile before returning to his book. His fingertips toyed with the edges of the pages.

“But what if. . .” Aegon paused, furrowing his brows. “What if I’m not. . .good at it?”

Aerys slid the book forward on the table. He stood from his seat and walked over to the bed. They both stayed quiet as Aerys moved to sit in front of Aegon, taking the boy's hands into his own.

“Aegon, look at me,” Aerys whispered.

The prince remained staring at his lap. Aerys squeezed his hands to get his attention. The prince shamefully raised his head.

“I cannot guarantee that you will be the best father in the world or that you won’t make mistakes-”

“Your words give me such comfort.”

“Just listen,” Aerys laughed. “As I said, I make no guarantees. But I do know you, and I know that under your entitled, carefree attitude, you are a good person. All you can do is try Aegon. Who knows? Perhaps you may surprise yourself.”

Aegon shot the boy a playful glare. “When did you get so wise?”

“I always have been,” Aerys scoffed.

The two boys glared at each other before they shared a laugh. Aerys tried desperately to ignore the pang in his heart. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. Aegon is going to be a father. Aerys was supposed to be happy for him. So why wasn’t he?

#aegon ii fanfic #aegon ii targaryen #aegon ii x oc #fire and blood #hotd #hotd aegon #house of the dragon fanfic #king aegon #male!oc #targcest #asoiaf fanfic #house targaryen #house of the dragon

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vigilskeep · 1 year

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(1/3) Hi Harker! You know a lot about Dragon Age and its politics, so I'd be grateful if you'd help me out with the following matter: I made a non-Warden Cousland who joins my HoF during DAO events and whose personal quest is to take revenge for Howe's betrayal and crimes. She romances Alistair.

So in the Landsmeet, a visibly elf-blooded (hardened) Alistair is supported by the HoF (not Cousland) and the power-hungry Eamon but that's not enough and Fereldans are also quite racists, so I feel like Alistair is going to need marrying Anora or Cousland in order to get more votes and become the next king.

hmm okay so the breaks from canon here are visibly elf-blooded alistair and non-warden cousland. and the question is which outcome would be best for ferelden?

even as a younger child, cousland is the daughter of a teyrn. if anything happened to her brother she would have been the future second most powerful figure in ferelden, and the people raising and training her would have been aware of this. anora has the exact same background as daughter of a teyrn, and both would have been trained to govern. while anora has experience with actually ruling the whole of ferelden, cousland is from a more established family and has no associations with loghain for those who consider him a traitor. i would say cousland’s actual fitness to rule is up to you; i can’t make that judgement on your character, it depends on who she is and what she’s like! anora is characterised as a capable ruler devoted to her country, a layered character whose dedication, practicality, and skill are equally her ruthlessness, her ambition, and her determination that she alone is the right answer. i would consider looking at your HOF’s background and considering what their idea of a good ruler is, what their perspective is on how ferelden looks under anora’s rule, etc.

considering this rule is a partnership, you may want to think through whether alistair/cousland or alistair/anora would work together best. the epilogue slides claim hardened alistair and anora work well together, a “surprisingly effective pair” who both take an interest in ruling. cousland still being around while that’s happening is a weird and interesting power dynamic; i imagine anora would feel very threatened by her overall especially if they’re still in a relationship. as for alistair/cousland, how they work together and how good cousland is at the job is again up to you, but since they’re in love i’m assuming they’re a good team. as you mention, anora would be imprisoned—i actually didn’t know that, i ran through the landsmeet dialogue for this—but i have no idea how that turns out in the long run and there doesn’t seem to be any canon information on that. anora does point blank refuse to publicly abandon her claim and i think it’s unlikely rebellion would never be raised in her name. her claim is just too good of an opportunity to miss for anyone who wanted to rebel and i don’t think anora could resist the chance if offered. possibly matters could be brought to a compromise, perhaps where she settles for the teyrnir of gwaren, but that’s still a very dangerous and powerful position to leave her in. her claim and experience will always look good whenever alistair/cousland do anything wrong, and that goes doubly if alistair’s visibly elf-blooded. frankly i could see anora being executed, eventually, if compromises didn’t work out. that’s the game of challenging royal claims and it’s what she would have done to alistair; hardened alistair very much doesn’t disregard it as an eventual option in his landsmeet dialogue, either. i think all that’s true of any version of events where she isn’t queen

personally to summarise i think it would be an odd choice in this circumstances not to put alistair/cousland on the throne because the HOF knows and presumably trusts them personally, it’s a good political solution, cousland isn’t even a warden here so those problems (with the question of heirs and with warden neutrality) are removed, and they’re in love so why actively ruin it for them. but if your HOF has a very high opinion of anora, or (accurately or inaccurately) considers your cousland personally inappropriate for the throne in comparison to anora, they might be set on the other choice. the former is more obvious but the latter may be a stronger character decision

#hope those are some helpful thoughts!#i don’t know everything so other people feel free to chime in if i’ve missed something or made mistakes #ultimately i think it’s more interesting to look at the situation and think abt what your hof would think rather than whats objectively best #after all there is no objective best i think that’s what makes the landsmeet one of the most interesting da choices

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mindofharry · 3 years

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Be My Baby

In which Prince harry and Princess Y/N are set to marry and are more than happy about it. They celebrate in more ways than one.

AHHHH!!! ITS HERE!!! FINALLY! Prince harry is my guilty pleasure. pls treat him with the respect he deserves. these two are officially my favourite people ever.

fluff & FILTHY SMUT!!!!!! feedback is welcome as always! <3

“Princess Y/N is arriving soon, Harry” Anne, the queen of england said putting down her tea. Harry is the prince, next in line for the throne - Marriage is very important to the throne and for the throne. Anne has been very strict about that, preparing Harry for marriage. Princess Y/N of wales, is who Harry is meeting with today. Hopefully, to settle a deal. Harry has never cared for marriage or for a partner. He’s a lone wolf as his family would describe. But if he wants to be king, he needs to marry. And Y/N is looking like the only option at the moment.

Harry nodded putting the paper down and looking up at his mother. He pursed his lips leaning back in his seat.

“Is something the matter, dear?”

Harry shook his head “No, mother. Just tired” he lied, reassuring his mother. Anne didn’t press any further just got one of the servants to pour her more tea. She could read harry very well, she knew her son better than he knew himself. Y/N is perfect for him. Even if they do not marry, she will be a life long friend. But anne is sure they will marry within the year.

And Queen Anne is never wrong.

Y/N was late.

Harry was beginning to become bored, don’t get him wrong he loves his sister and mother. But he can only take so much. All he wanted to do was to be curled up with a book in the abandoned side of the castle - no one except for the young prince had been there. It was locked up for years before harry found the key, it was like a whole new world in there. It was dirty, messy, filthy - just how harry liked it. He decorated a room in there, and it’s like his safe place from all of this. All of these stupidly important responsibilities. His safe haven.

They were meant to be meeting, talking about their futures together. If his mother thought this was what was best for the country, then harry would push through. He hadn’t see Y/N in years, meeting when they were both much younger. No pressure, just the two kids playing in the fields. Y/N was beautiful, so care free. Harry wished he was like Y/N - the only think she seemed to care about were the moon, the sun and the stars. They never saw each other again after that, they have both obviously seen each other in papers and at events. But never talked. Y/N didn’t know why, neither did harry. They weren’t on the same chapter in life. But now, they’re both willing to do what is best for their country.

And maybe it wouldn’t be too bad marrying a soon to be king.

A servant comes into the dining room bowing at the styles family. Harry waits for him to speak - except a tall girl, bumps into him making the servant fall foward. Y/N (the tall girl) giggled, before clearing her throat and bowing at the styles family. Harry smirked and leaned back. Anne was standing a smile on her face as she saw her soon beaming for the first time in months.

“Your highness” Y/N said bowing, nearly falling down again. But she grinned covering it up. Her dress was long and tight - her mother made her wear it. She would much rather be in a nice flowy dress in the woods right now. Maybe reading about the sun. But her mother needed her to do this, so Y/N would.

Y/N’s father died a couple of months back, it was sudden and no one saw it coming. So her mother needed her to marry as Y/N is the oldest of four girls. They needed a man of the house and once Y/N married, harry would be that man. Y/N didn’t like that one bit. She could be the man of the house if she wanted to. She didn’t understand why they needed a man to pay for things, to do stuff for them. Women are just as capable. But there was no fighting with Y/N’s mother. And Y/N knew she was having a rough time without her husband and Y/N’s dad.

“Princess Y/N, it’s good to have you here” Anne said, as a servant helped her back into the seat. Y/N had the same treatment but she looked rather uncomfortable. She was seated infront of harry, which was glad of. It’s a nice view, she’ll admit. He had grown into his baby face, she thought. And that hair. Fuck, that hair.

“Thank you for inviting me, your highness” Y/N said smiling softly. “Your castle is amazing” She said and Anne nodded pointing around at the paintings. “I actually just got these new paintings in from a new artist in rome. Just beautiful, right harry?” Anne said, giving harry the look. His mother is giving him that look a lot recently, Anne just wants what is best for him and harry just doesn’t seem to care at all. It’s like he’s away from reality. In another universe half of the time. Anne was hoping Y/N would be able to bring him back down to earth, but from her entrance in here - Harry and Y/N are a lot more similar than she thought.

“Yeah, they’re beautiful” Harry said staring at the girl infront of him. Y/N blushed under his stare. She had never felt anything like this before for a man. Her stomach was in knots and her cheeks were getting hotter by the second.

The dinner was nice. It was quiet with Y/N trying to keep up the small talk - Anne was impressed with that. Everyone she had invited to the palace would only talk when spoken to, but Y/N had a certain way about her. She had manners of course, the kindest soul, but she talked. She could talk all day if she was allowed. She just never ran out of things to say. But the food was really good, so Y/N was quieter than usual. Harry had one question: did they feed her in the city? The way she was eating was like she had been starved for years.

“This is amazing” Y/N said putting her fork down. Anne grinned at the girl nodding to herself. She had found a keeper.

“Harry, why do you show Y/N around? She’s going to be staying here for the next couple of weeks” Anne announced and Y/N nearly choked on her water, she tapped her chest.

“I am?-“

“she is?”

Harry and Y/N both spoke at the same time, Anne tutted and ordered the servant to fill up her wine.

“Your mother and I have arranged it. Everything you have is here already, you’ll have your own quarters too. Your horse is being transported down here as we speak” Anne said making new room for arguing. “Y/N your mother said she would be happy for us to host you here if the dinner went accordingly. And i think it went more than accordingly” Anne continued sipping her wine.

Harry and Y/N looked to each other their eyes both wide with amusement and shock. Only their parents would do this.

“Now, run along. Gemma and I have some talking to do” Anne ordered, the servants came and helped the princess and prince up following them out of the dinning room. Y/N was rather uncomfortable with the servants being everywhere, she had a lot more freedom at home.

“Hey, you wanna do something fun?” She asked and harry raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“Hey! Intruder” Y/N yelled and the servants looked around quickly, harry was startled when Y/N laughed loudly taking his hand in hers and running down the hallway towards the abandoned part of the castle. Harry grinned and laughed loudly as they ran together.

This girl, he thought.

The door was locked. Harry brought a key out of his pocket and Y/N laughed loudly making harry shush her as he unlocked the door. Quickly they made themselves into the abandoned quarters and giggled to themselves when they heard the servants feet making their way to this side of the castle - but immediately they turned away, knowing that they weren’t allowed on this side of the palace.

Harry was distracted with locking the door, but Y/N was amazed. She looked around at this place and couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her. This place is really fucking amazing, she thought. It’s obviously abandoned, that man she could tell - but it was still so beautiful. Paintings, upon paintings and books at every end. There was high ceilings and stained glass windows giving a nice hew to the room. Y/N brought her hands to her hips and spinned around her dress moving as she did.

“This place is fucking amazing!”

Harry laughed and finally got the door locked popping the key back in his pocket. He moved beside the beautiful girl and didn’t say anything. But Y/N knew.

“You come here often?” She asked and Harry nodded.

“Found it a couple years ago. Think it was my fathers” He said and Y/N sighed looking around.

“It’s beautiful” you’re beautiful, he wanted to say but he bit his lip instead walking in the direction of his safe haven. Y/N quickly caught up placing a hand on his, harry flinched at the touch. This definitely wasn’t allowed. If anyone saw they’d have to marry immediately. But nobody was here, he reminded himself. And with that he squeezed Y/N’s hand a little tighter.

Harry opened the door the room he had been coming to for years now. It had a few chairs, a huge window with curtains on each side, a fire place in the middle and blankets and pillows surrounding the room. Y/N smiled to herself as she saw harry become more himself. It was like this room allowed him to be himself.

“You come in here often?”

Harry nodded making himself comfortable on one of the pillows, Y/N soon followed sitting very close to the prince. Harry had no complaints at all.

“I come here most days. When i need to take a breath, escape my mother and the stupid royal family” Harry said and Y/N giggled leaning in to harry, their lips close.

“I can think of many ways we can escape reality. Why don’t we try one of them?”

Harry let out a sigh and placed his hand on Y/N shoulder, it fell down her arm to her waist. Harry had been with people before, he had kissed and pleasured many, many people. But never did he feel like this. He felt as if she was a goddess, and she would brake it the touch of his finger. She looked almost fragile, like a painting.

“Kiss me, Harry” She ordered and harry wasted no time, placing his lips on hers.

Her lips are soft and gentle, just as harry had expected. He moved his hands up her hips to her shoulders again, Y/N moaned letting harry's tongue into her mouth. Harry groaned and pulled away smirking at that flushed look on her face. He loved it.

Y/N bit her lip standing up, unzipping her dress. She turned around, the only thing she had was a small night dress and corset. Harry cursed under his breath standing up behind her. Everything felt so intimate. They both felt a lot of things, Y/N never wanted this to stop. Harry hugged her from behind, kissing the back of her neck. After a few seconds, Y/N turned around in his hold, holding his gaze. She began to take off her corset and night dress, now bare. She felt confident in Harry's glare, he made her feel good. He sucked in a breath looking down at her perky breasts, her nipples hard from the temperature of the room. He made a mental note to put the fire on after this, Harry knew you two would be in here for as long as you possibly could. He knew his mother would be beyond pissed that they had gone off alone together.

Harry placed a hand on Y/N’s breast, teasing her nipple with his index finger. His rings were cold on her skin making her whimper. Harry smirked at the sound, lowering his head and taking her nipple in his mouth his tongue swirling the nub of it. Y/N’s hands found harrys hair and she tugged on it hard.

“Fuck” She cursed and harry let go with a pop, again he smirked at the sight of the princess. So undone and flustered. Harry absolutely loved it. Holding her gaze, he began to undress unbuttoning his shirt and pants. Heat rushed to his penis, as Y/N watched him undress.

“Want to have you in my mouth” Y/N said, getting on her knees. She knew she would have bruises by the end of this - but she knew it would be worth.

“Don’t make me cum” Harry ordered, Y/N just smirked and pulled his underwear down almost drooling at the sight of his red, cock full of pre-cum. What a sight, she thought. And it’s fucking huge. Bigger than she thought that’s for sure.

She hummed, pumping harry’s rock hard cock. His head flew back, a moan filling the room. Harry wished her hair was pinned back, he needed some to grip. He took both of his hands and gripped the side of her head. Y/N spit on his cock, keeping eye contact with harry.

“Shit”

Y/N licked the tip, running her tongue over the slit, tasting the saltiness of his pre cum. Harry’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.

“You taste so good” She moaned, finally taking his full cock into her mouth. Her hands began pumping the base of the shaft, as she sucked him off. Harry moaned, but tapped the side of her head.

“Need to be in you, no more foreplay” He said and Y/N pouted whipping her lips.

“But i like having you in my mouth” Y/N argued, harry smirked pecking her lips, tasting himself on them. He hummed in agreement. “Next time, let me fuck you” He said kissing her neck, Y/N sighed and placed her lips on his before crawling over to the fireplace - there was a white sheet layed out. Y/N lay down and harry kissed down her stomach, teasingly kissing her thighs. “You’re definitely wet enough for me, aren’t you princess?” Harry said slapping her pussy, Y/N moaned and nodded.

Slowly, harry thrusted into Y/N making them both whimper. “Fuck, you feel so good” Harry said, kissing your lips. Y/N just moaned, gripping his back and putting her legs around his waist. Harry began to move faster, his hands either side of Y/N.

“Faster” Y/N said and harry complied, pounding into her. The moans coming out of the both them were enough to make them both cum within seconds. And that’s basically what happened. They both climaxed, harry falling down into Y/N’s chest. Y/N only felt pleasure and ecstasy.

Shit, her mother picked a good one.

***

“Fuck” Y/N panted into harry’s mouth as he took against the wall. They were left alone for ten minutes, and this happened. They were looking at the new paintings and architecture Anne had got, browsing around the hall. Harry had convinced the servant that his mother was calling and of course the poor servant couldn’t dismiss it, so they had a good ten minutes while the servant searched for the queen.

Harry pounded into her the paintings on the wall knocking loudly, Y/N laughed loudly making harry put a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t want to attract any attention, do we princess?”

They continued their hot and very messy quicky and then made their way to the gardens. Y/N and harry soon found that the gardens would be another safe haven. Beautiful flowers and when the sun is shining a beautiful place to sit and relax.

They couldn’t wait to marry - seen as harry wants Y/N in his bed, all the time. They fuck like bunnies, it’s amazing how they haven’t been caught as of yet. When they get their own palace, harry will christen to the whole place. They’ll fuck in every corner. Every room. Every library and garden.

Y/N looked at harry smiling as he lay on the grass. No one was around as the servant hadn’t arrived back. Y/N quickly looked around before pulling harry into what she could only assume was a place to keep all the fruit and veg away from foxes. It was closed off and you could lock it from the inside.

“Jesus christ Y/N” Harry mumbled kissing your neck as you leaned back on a bench.

“Another round?” You asked with innocent eyes.

“Another round” Harry confirmed lifting up the bottom of her dress and pushing her down so she was flat on the bench. He kissed up her legs, biting down on her thigh.

He pulled up her night gown and saw her bare pussy, wet and glistening just waiting for him. He could cum at the sight. He moaned kissing her thigh, teasing her.

Y/N tugged at harry’s hair, giving him a warning. “Stop, teasing” She pouted and harry smirked finally making his way towards your pussy.

Y/N closed her eyes when she felt harrys breath against her core. “so wet, princess” Harry said, the vibrations going right through her body making her jerk up a little. Harry loved the affect he had on her, the littlest thing would make her jolt with pleasure.

Harry spread her legs a little more, his tongue licking up her slit. Y/N’s tugged on harry’s hair, moaning loudly. Harry watched her unfold becoming so flushed, but Y/N looked so very beautiful in this light.

He pressed his lips to your clit, flicking his tongue up and down. Your hips moved with his tongue movements, harrys hands made their way to your hips trying to get them to stay in place. You wrapped your legs around his shoulders and began to shake and moan.

“Fuck me” You murmured coming down from your high.

“Oh, i will princess”

The days went on and more fucking occurred. Again they fucked like absolute bunnies. They were sure everyone knew by now, but the servants were way too afraid to say anything. Anne would have everyone’s head if she found out what they were doing.

“I can’t wait to marry you” Harry said laying down beside her in their safe haven. Y/N smirked rolling over on her side. He was so beautiful. His eyes, his freckles, that one dimple that came out when he laughed. She was so lucky to call him hers.

“You just want to have me in your bed everyday” She said and harry pretended to think about. “Hmmm, yeah” He said, making Y/N laugh loudly before pecking his lips.

“Can’t believe you’re mine” Harry said pushing her into his chest. Y/N grinned pecking his neck and looking up at him.

“Forever”

#harry styles #prince!harry styles #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry harry styles fanfiction #harry styles blurb #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles requests

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anaiswriterr · 3 years

Text

The Dragon Kings Queen

Pairing: Dragon King!Bakugou x Queen!Reader

Rating: M

Warning: This is part four, I’d like to point out be aware: 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝗼𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝗺𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞, 𝐠𝗼𝐫𝐞, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐭𝐜. Please don’t read if you are not comfortable with it, and if you’re under the age of 18+ I will give a warning when it becomes NSFW but at the moment it’s SFW.

Synopsis: ➪ When the word marriage crossed your mind, you believed you’d marry someone you loved. Not this brute of a King. So here you are standing at the end on an alter, pushing away the urge to run and fight. Possibly start a new life, instead of being dragged into a loveless marriage. But for the sake of your people.. They say he’s not what rumors make him out to be, but how can you believe that when his eyes burn into yours; just as fiery as before. How could you, ever love someone as barbaric as him…

- chapter four: gifted dagger -

•

You clutch hard onto an old bladed dagger, it digs into your palm and slices a long line against the soft skin. Droplets of blood pools onto the gravel below you, heaving you throw the weapon into a tree bark. You groan out in frustration when it doesn't latch onto the wood, "I can't do this!"

"Don't say that, it's your first day. Try again," Kirishima urges, bending down to grab the dagger off the ground, handing it back to you placing the blade down into your palm; you seethe in pain. Swallowing down the yelp that threatened to escape passed your lips, Kirishima notices your stained palms before snatching the dagger back from your grasp.

"We'll pick this back up later, don't want you getting an infection."

Perhaps he was right, the blade was only slightly rusted - it's been over an hour with the blade constantly digging into your skin; if you didn't cover it up soon then an infection was possible. You shrug, "An infection compared to getting eaten by a bear, or an ogre is nothing in my eyes; so don't worry about me. We can continue," You reach out to grab the dagger out from his hands, but he hides the blade into his holster. Nodding his head side to side, "No can do, my job is to make sure you are safe 24/7 and if that means making you go to the infirmary then so be it."

You arch a brow wiping away the sweat beads off your forehead from the hot dewy morning, "Is that a request?"

"Your Highness, will all due respect, it's an order."

"Fine, but I quite frankly would like to survive so if we could continue this on later-"

"Of course," he smiles, "Now, go fix your hand. I was told Bakugou would like to speak to you-"

"That will not be necessary since I will not be speaking to him." You pour a cup of water over your palm, attempting to clean off the dirt. After yesterday's events you have vowed to not utter a single word to him, he's clearly a hard head who never had anyone stand up to him. As his "wife" what better then to punish his actions then using the silent treatment towards the temperamental brat. Kirishima scratches the back of his head sheepishly, fiddling with his weapon. "Well you know Your Highness-"

"Y/N will do just fine. Please no formalities between us two."

"Right. Um well, you know. Bakugou is a hard kinda guy to work with, it was hard for even I to get to be as close as I am with him. He hates silence, he might ask for it. But radio silence might not be the best answer between the two of you.. considering you two are on thin ice right now."

You arch a brow in question, wiping the sheen layer of sweat off your brow bone. "What do I do then, Kirishima. How do I win over a beast who doesn't attempt at all?"

***

To say you utterly hated Katsuki Bakugou was an understatement.

For one night he managed to put on a mask that nearly caught you in a rope of curiosity for the man - maybe he was just misunderstood. Like hell, his mother had the same fighting and burning spirit one of a dragon meanwhile his father was more calm, well rounded, wise like a dragon. So why was Bakugou the mean one of the bunch.

'You can't fix everyone, Y/N.'

Well that sentence surely did not age well, you wince as the healer places an alcohol soaked cotton ball onto your wound. Biting your lip back in pain it takes up all your strength to not pull back and away from the old man.

"I'll be right back, my Queen it seems like you may need some herbs from the garden and recently I've run out. Don't worry it'll only take me five minutes." The healer reassures you, you nod in return pressing the cotton ball into the cut, cleaning the area in the meantime.

"That's alright, take your time." You smile.

The stinging pain slowly subsided when you finally became accustomed to the clear liquid, to handle a dagger will be much harder now. You are determined to prevail, just a small bump in the road nothing quite serious. A knock on the infirmaries white door retracts you from your thoughts, eyes wondering towards the window that overviewed the garden shows it's not the healer.

"Come in."

Short blonde hair with ruby red eyes strut in, Mitsuki, your mother in law smiles down at you. "Hello dear, I heard you were in here.. I wanted to speak to you. Are you okay?"

You can feel your heart nearly drop, your mother in law was as sweet as a ripe strawberry in season but the aura she carried screamed and resembled Katsuki. You nod, greeting her with a formal cheek kiss, "Oh I'm fine just a tiny cut is all. What would be the problem?" You wave off her worry.

"Oh no dear, there is no problem. I'm glad it's just a cut, I was worried it was far worse. I just wanted to spend time with my daughter in law - I wanted you to know that though this may be a hard time, I went through this. You will be just fine. I also... heard your and Katsuki's fight last night.. I didn't mean to intrude I was just on the way to find Melody when I stumbled upon you two, how are you feeling?"

Oh dear. She knew, did anyone else know? Of course people know the two of you were practically testing who can yell the loudest - this is embarrassing. He really did manage to get a rise from you.

You stare down at your palm, this was the first time anyone here has actually asked whether or not you were fine.

"I-I'm okay, he's just hard to get to."

The bed of the infirmary dips slightly beside you as Mitsuki's takes a seat beside you, "Yes, he can be a handful most days. Katsuki doesn't exactly know how to be... nice? It's probably my fault, I was constantly pushing him as a child. You know, he turned out to be a fine warrior; a fine commander." You nod listening to his mother, "I guess the two of you are no longer on speaking terms. I get it, I moved from a neighboring kingdom to here. It was hard to get his father to open up," Mitsuki sighs.

"But the two of you fell in love."

"You are very right, but like all love. It took time."

A silence falls between the two of you, she was the only person who you could remotely relate to right about now. She was the only one who could even fathom how scared you are, you were served with a silver platter all your life nearly always spoon fed and suddenly thrown into a tribe you knew nothing about. "How did you do it?"

Mitsuki arches a brow, "What do you mean?"

"H-How do I survive in that forest? What do I have to expect even after? How did you do it?"

The former queen sighs, eyeing your injury. "Well, from my kingdom we had similar principles I already had the basic knowledge of outdoor survival. To keep it short," She grabs your free hand in comfort. "I'm sure they haven't bothered telling you the objectives, the point system.. the tribal ceremony for those who make it out of alive. You must come out with a Goblin heart, no exceptions. Afterwards believe it or not you are placed on a pedestal at midnight the day you arrive back where you must eat the entire muscle, uncooked. The blood is told it'll bring great fortune and fertility. The process.. was nevertheless grueling I felt like a caged animal with all the drums and cheering. Y/N you must not, and I repeat my not throw up during the feasting."

You nod intently, stomach curling at the thought of a eat raw heart. But tribal traditions and regulations must be met, your heart pounded. It seemed like no matter where you turned there was always a set back, a catch. You survive the forest and now you must feast in front of the entire kingdom?

"Stay high, on top of the trees are the best option. Don't make a fire at night - I know, it'll be tempting. It'll grow cold as night falls, but the most dangerous creatures come out then and are attracted to light. You'll be dead before you even know it." Mitsuki lectures with a stern gaze, tightening her grip around the palm of your uninjured hand. "Find running water, a stream, lake, river. Whatever, it's freshwater. You'll catch your fish there, berries and nuts are also located near there. If you'd like to start a fire I suggest start when the sun rises, the creatures of the forest will retreat since they are nocturnal."

You store this information into your head, such valuable keys of survival. You are determined to return breathing, to return alive.

"Goblins are tricksters - never trust a single word that utters from their mouths. It's poisonous. They are most active during the day, but during sunlight stay low and stay quiet, follow the wind and it'll guide you. That is all I can say, I wish I could say more. Personally, I attempted to change this law for years. It never seemed fair, I pray I see you again Y/N."

"Thank you. I hope to see you as well." You smile sadly at the blonde woman who carried a guilty expression, her hands finally let go of your free one. "I'm terribly sorry, Y/N. I have one last thing to gift you, It's not much. Katsuki was supposed to give it to you this morning but it appears the outskirts have called upon him once again." Mitsuki reaches out for a golden box to the left of her, the velvet embroiled box calls your attention.

"It's said to be a gift from the gods. The gods who birthed dragons, carried down by generations. All Dragon Queens have used this, a sacred weapon to help kill the beast and restore balance; Katsuki has made the executive decision that you get to receive this gift." Mitsuki's hand fiddles with the locks of the box, the top lid opens with a flick of her fingers.

A blade, shines in the light.

Cleaned and sharp, the Queen's dagger passed down from hundreds of years worth of battles.

Is gifted.. to you, by the king.

"I-I can not accept this. This gift, I do not deserve this. It's sacred-" You babble, waving your hands you gently push away the box bestowed to you between the spot that separated the both of you. Two queens of the Dragon Kingdom. "You can, and you will. I was gifted this dagger two months after both I and Masaru's wedding. Katsuki wanted you to have this sacred weapon now. He has chosen you, please take it."

You nod in response, hands trembling as you reach out for the velvet box. The handle of the dagger stings in your possession, the bleeding in your right hand has finally stopped when you hold the blade with two hands. It was much more easier to carry, sharper, and even thinner - as light as a feather, fit for a Queen, fit for battle. It was your husband who bestowed this gift to you, "When you are out there, Y/N. Remember.. to fight like a dragon."

"And how must I manage to fight like a dragon? I don't even know how to throw a dagger properly - at a still object, may I add." You show her the deep cut in need of stiches on your palm, "Dragons, my dear, always find a way to win."

***

Your palm is tightly wrapped with herbs to protect the freshly new stitches, meeting Kirishima in the backwoods where training took place. You managed to learn how to build a fire, a makeshift knife if your original weapon were to ever be kicked away from you, how to catch a fish and how to determine which berries were poisonous and which were safe for consumption.

You wince at the feeling of sharp branches scratching against your bare legs, dressed with royal training gear you wondered if you could actually make it to the finish line. You take a bite of a berry, it's tart yet semi sweet flavor cleans your palette of fish. Kirishima watches from the side with a satisfied grin, nightfall was quickly approaching and since this morning you have requested no sort of rest. You drink away at your makeshift cup, the leaf holding only a handful of water you eagerly drink away at.

Kirishima looks up to the darkening sky, hews of purples, pinks, and blues paint the sky as stars begin to appear.

"I should probably get you back to the Palace," He says wiping his hand away from dirt he collected off the tree bark he leaned against - watching your crouched and exhausted figure warm your hands over the mini fire you created. You look up, "I suppose you're right," You reach over to the stream beside you cupping a handful of water and watering down the fire, stomping it out with wet breaches and leaves. Patting it into the ground to stop the embers from continuing to burn.

Kirishima fiddles with his swords and daggers, "You did great today, Y/N." He praises you, proud of how far you've come in just a day. It took him hours to catch a fish when he was just a child, when his parents were alive. You thank him, moving beside him as the two of you walk down the backwoods trail. Only sharing small talk and friendly conversation.

You hum at the story he told of both him and Bakugou, "Well.. how exactly did the two of you meet. You two seem so close to one another, not to mention.. Kirishima you're very loyal to him - his family. What's your story?" There's a visible hitch in his breath, his shoulders tense up as he stumbles upon his words. "I-I'm so sorry! If you don't want to talk-

Kirishima chuckles waving off your worries, "No, nobody has ever asked me. We were just.. brothers. I met him in the mountains, I was just eight years old and back then Dragon hunting use to be a huge problem. Hunters, Poachers - they would all terrorize Dragons who lived peacefully with no mercy murder entire hoards. My parents.. were hunted and killed along with the entire clan and neighboring tribes. I was running, miles away from my home for days. Crying, hungry, thirsty, I was to afraid to fly because they would see me."

You listen intently, nodding along to his words, saddened by his past. Feeling guilty for even asking, he continues.

"Bakugou, can be mean, a brute, barbaric, and even sometimes cruel. But I promise you he has a good heart; so easily he could've turned his back away from me in the mountains. Let the Goblins and Wolves feast on me, instead he took me in. Into the Royal campgrounds, his parents welcomed me in. Cleaned my wounds, gave me a hot meal, warm milk to combat the winter, fresh pair of boots and clothes, even a warm bed to sleep in. Bakugou didn't talk, didn't even introduce himself to me after a few days. However if he didn't take me in then I would've died alone in the cold. And for that I am loyal to them, hell he even let me hold onto his toy for a while." He chuckles.

A silence grows between the both of you, with only snapping branches beneath your boots. Its crunches sooths the silence until he spoke once more.

"I hope you know you're going to be okay, Y/N. I believe in you, and in three days time when you have to walk into that forest; I am convinced I will see you also walk out.

"Thank you Kirishima, I-I'm sorry for what happened to your family."

The redhead waves you off once more smiling to you as the castle gates approach, "It's okay, things happen for a reason. Now go clean up, Melody should have your bath ready. Sleep tight your Highness." He bows gesturing for you enter passed the gates. You press a small kiss to his cheek watching a dark red blush spread throughout his face, "Goodnight Kirishima."

Walking passed him and into the handmaidens arms, Kirishima watches you. A hand pressed hard onto his sizzling red hot cheek that burned out against his palm, smiling sheepishly, gushing over the lingering feeling of ghost lips that once pressed against his cheek. Turning away with his back foot, he hears two pairs of heavy boots stomping against the ground, royal guards heave - catching their breathes.

"What's wrong- where Bakugou?" Kirishima quickly asks eyeing the guards who ran all the way here from the stables in search for him. "Sir Kirishima, King Bakugou has requested your immediate arrival at the outskirts-"

"It's the eggs, sir!" The other interrupts, "The Dragon eggs, the four Gardina left behind."

***

"What's the problem? What happened with the eggs, I thought they were fine."

"Since Gardina's sudden death the eggs need warmth, there's talk from other kingdoms across the seas even, that people are thinking about stealing them, selling them for one million gems on the magical black market." Bakugou grimaces, his arms crossed over his chest. "It seems that we should pay a visit, remind them who we are."

Kirishima nods his head, moving along with his friend passed the campfire where soldiers sat. "What can I do to help?"

Bakugou moves the curtains of his tent, "After you train Y/N, the same day as the games I need you to take the eggs and hide them away as far as possible, I don't care where just away from here. Hide them with the others in the mountains if you'd like - we can not afford them to go missing. Far too dangerous for anyone else." The blond commands, tiredness seeps through his voice as he rubs his eyes to combat the sleep he's been in desperate need for. "I'll give you the green light when to bring them back, I won't return to the Kingdom until the day of the games. Did my mother give Y/N the Royal Dagger?"

Nodding to himself Kirishima smiles, "Yes, she was given it this morning just before noon."

"How did she do?" Katsuki rubs the back of his neck, "Rocky as first, but the girl picks up fast. Will you be here to send her off?" Kirishima tilts his head crossing his arms, "I don't know if she wants me there."

"If you care about her coming back alive, you'll be there." ***

- 3 days later -

The carriage ride is slow, dangerously slow as you remember the long tight hug Melody gave you before your leave at the sunset, Former Queen Mitsuki sits in front of you, her hand clutches onto yours in comfort as you shake in fear in your seat. Kirishima is waiting outside the enchanted forest where it was the most safest - a crowd has formed of simple tribe and clan members outside their homes as they attempt to try and get a glimpse of you; their Queen.

You have yet to meet them, only knowing the castle walls and the workers who served.

You can feel your dagger inside it's brown leather hostler dig into your thigh; but it's fine. It's the only thing keeping you distracted from your pounding heart beat against your chest and the clamminess of your palms. The stitch's finally healed by a magic teller.

You don't even notice the purple hews of the setting sun turning pitch black with only the moon and stars to prove it's light on the passage way; you breath deeply through your nose. Watching how you approached the enchanted forest quicker then you anticipated. Queen Mitsuki and King Masaru insisted you sleep, but you respectfully declined. How were you supposed to sleep when you were being forced into the most dangerous forest known to mankind. They could've just simply pushed you into a hungry Dragon's nest.

The carriage stops and the horses neigh signaling your arrival, a part of you wishes your mother had declined the offer of King Bakugou it would've been nice if he were to even apologize. But since you do not live in a fantasy world, you are reminded this is real life. And you are most certain no prince dressed in armor will come to your rescue and insists he runs off with you. You're stuck here.

You look back nervously at the former king and queen who both bite back their bottom lips, "I will see you in three days time. We both will."

The door to your side of the carriage is thrown open by Kirishima who holds his hand out to grip yours, "M'lady."

Hesitantly you let go of Mitsuki's hand, bidding the two goodbye and latch onto Kirishima's calloused rough ones. Your boots settle into the ground when you let go of his hand, eyes catching a pair of vermillion orbs, ones you haven't seen in three days. His necklaces of teeth he's collected over the years frightens you, will you have a necklace like that one day? "Are you ready, my Queen."

His eyes.

They say nothing at all, just a simple red gleam. He watches you approach the entrance of what seemingly looked like a one way ticket to death, is he going to say anything all? Probably not.

His malicious words still ring clear in your mind, "You wont be a Queen if you're dead."

Death is something you refuse to meet, at least not yet. You turn to face him, he has no emotion and the tears that threaten to spill are wiped away by your wrist. The only people here to witness the games are him, Kirishima, a few men from the counsels parliament, royal soldiers (who you suppose are only here to protect the king and stop you if you decide to run) and both Bakugou's parents who insisted on staying in the carriage. Bakugou's quiet glare is something most would be terrified of, but you refuse to be belittled and underestimated.

"Y/N? Are you okay?" You hear Kirishima ask, your eyes detach from the blonds. Nodding you wipe your clammy hand against the leather hunting skirt you were dressed in. "I'm fine, I'm ready."

You're scared. That's an understatement, "Time starts as soon as you enter, retrieve the Goblin heart and come back here the third day at sunset. If you are not here by then we will assume you have died." A counsel man announces, you hold back the urge to flip him off - he didn't know you. Nor did you know him, to throw your life away as if it were never meaningful to another was plain cruel but there was a thing you refused to do.

Give up.

"I'll see you later Y/N."

'I will not die'

You set out into the forest, without looking back, with the feeling of two vermillion eyes staring into your back.

TAGLIST: @loxbbg @urmomsshousee @samkysnks @mikithekiki @aegeanblues @mykuronekome @lowkey-a-faerie-in-disguise @orange-aesthetic-yay @katsukibabe @vvanills @katiekat300 @utterlyconfused-tm @learningasigo @bigkoalafications @bnhaficswriter @tspice283 @simpforeveryone @crackhead1-800 @poetryandhoetry01 @bakasbitch18 @riceballsandanime @franko-pop @lostmarimoismyhubby @junniev8 @thirsthourdemon @cowward @the2ndl @reaperintheroses @bakugousmrs @maemi324 @beautifulparisiangirl @commandertorinshepard @bnhafan101 @meliapis @thecaoswitch @liviwivi1 @hikaru-mikazuki @angie-1306 @theinfamoushotdog @minibobabottle @honeylemondragonemperor @iloveitblackbnha @yokesmam @annepamgkrth @the2ndl @sugarandsoft

AUTHORS NOTE: Personally one of the worst fucking chapters I’ve produced, anyways yooo Bakugou kinda feels guilty Y/N is going through this but you know this is going to be a strength building exercise for her. The ceremony after is based off of GOT so iykyk. Anyways my eye has been shut for like three days it just keeps watering and so irritating to write with. Okay I’m done ranting, I hope you liked it.

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lazypeachsoul · 3 years

Text

alone together - edward the elder

Request: submission to Rosie's 250 followers challenge ( @for-bebbanburg ). Based of the prompt: "I said I liked being half-educated; you were so much more surprised at everything when you were ignorant." - Gerald Durrell

Warnings: Nothing, the situation is a bit sad but it's mostly fluff.

Word count: 1,6k

A/N: I'm really sorry about how late I'm posting this but health has not been that good this past few days. Also, can you tell I have trouble writing fics with already established relationships? I found this gif on google so if it's yours tell me so i can give you credit! 🌼

Masterlist.

To be added to my taglist use this forms or write me an ask!

Looking inside the room filled with parchments and writing tools you could clearly distinguish your friend’s figure looking at one of the stories. The past few days had been difficult on the entire family and you could see the toll it had on Edward, especially since he had tried to stay strong for his mother and for what would be his kingdom.

Even when you walked inside the room he seemed to be too concentrated on the page to listen to your entrance. He was about to turn the page when your hand stopped him, forcing him to finally look at you. His face was paler than usual and the dark circles under his eyes were visible, even if his expression showed nothing but strength and a little bit of surprise at the gesture.

“How did you manage to enter? I ordered Steapa-” He turned in the direction of the door to probably reprimand the guard, but you interrupted him. “Steapa thought some company would do you good and he allowed me in.”

He took a deep breath trying to calm himself and looked at your still touching hands. It wasn’t a completely rare gesture, even if the priests and ladies of the court thought it was too bold, but that day it felt different. It felt like there was so much you wanted to say but couldn’t, like you wished you could take the pain away.

Life in Wessex had been complicated since you could remember. You were born in a time of fighting and chaos caused by the incursions of the danes, and that’s all you had known your entire life. Sometimes a sliver of calm seemed to settle on the land but everybody knew it only the calm before the storm.

Even amongst the continuous hardships you had been extremely lucky. You were the second born and only daughter to a Lord from a land close to Winchester, a lord who was a member of the witan and very close to King Alfred himself. Your privileges meant you were to be saved among the first if a raid were to occur and you would be transported to Wincester to stay with the rest of the ladies.

It was during one of those raids that you became close friends with the Aetheling Edward. Or at least as close as the scary Lady Aelswith would allow you to get to her darling boy. During the long months that it took the Wessex army to defeat the danes and return to your family the land, and during that time you seemed to find in Edward a nice companion for the scary times.

During the years you had visited Winchester several times and always felt the excitement of seeing an old friend again. The times the both of you spent together on those visits had slowly decreased, Edward being whisked away for his education as a future King and you trying to make yourself known around the city as a respectable lady in training.

But every visit included an arduous negotiation with Steapa and your lady in waiting to allow you a visit to the gardens away from the queen, the priests and every nosy person at the court where you could get up to speed with your friend. Even if the meeting took place while you were seated in different stone benches and your guardians were standing two feet away.

Somewhere along those multiple visits and secret meetings feelings arose but were quickly shut down by your father. He would love to see his daughter married to the King of Wessex but it was not a reasonable thought. Everybody knew you were not Lady Aelswith’s favourite person and she would never allow for those feelings to be acted upon, so it was better to concentrate your efforts in finding a husband whose mother didn’t dislike you that much.

And you tried, but it was easier said than done. After your third meeting with a possible suitor went wrong your father asked the Lord King to give you shelter in the court and an occupation that might help you find a suitable husband.

The Lord King, who you suspected knew all along of your feelings for his son but probably thought it would be entertaining to see how things developed. The man who had treated you with the utmost respect and who was now dead.

You felt Edwards hand enveloping your hand and gently squeezing it. If it was to get out of your reverie or just for support you didn’t care, but it felt good. Your thumb started softly caressing the back of his hand, the biggest show of affection you were allowed even if what you wanted was to wrap him in your arms.

“What are you thinking about?” You spoke looking directly at his frowned face.

“Everything, nothing.” With a deep breath he tightly shut his eyes and rubbed them with his free hand. “I spent all my life getting ready for this moment and now that it’s here I feel like I’m unprepared. The witan will be meeting soon and I know that they see me as nothing but a child who is not fit to rule Wessex. I don’t know what will be of my mother now that my father is dead. I don’t know what would be of me now that he’s not here to guide me.”

His confession made your stomach turn and a lump formed in your throat. He had probably been feeling lost since his father died but he was only now talking about it. And it made you feel useless because the most you could do was support him.

“You are the son of a king, the grandson of a king and will be the father of a king, Edward. This is what you were born to do, rule Wessex and fulfill your father’s dream of a united land.” You could feel him tense but tried to ignore it, prefering to get your thoughts out of the way first. “The witan wouldn’t dare to choose a different king when they know you are the best option. They will probably debate for days, because the Lord knows they enjoy just discussing the most trivial of topics, but the decision has been made since you commanded the troops at Beamfleot.”

He sighed deeply before unlacing your hands and letting himself fall on a chair. Running his hands through his dirty blonde curls muttering something. When asked about what he said he just smiled sadly.

"I said I liked being half-educated; you were so much more surprised at everything when you were ignorant."

You laughed, remembering the amount of times the priests had called both of you ignorant during your childhood years just for asking questions. And he was right, life seemed to become more complicated when the joyful feelings of childhood started to vanish.

“We were surprised because we were innocent, I don’t think you have ever been ignorant.” You tried to argue, memories flashing back of all the trouble he had gotten you out of just by being educated and charming. “Maybe we were just sheltered and now the roof has blown off and for once we’re on our own.”

Silence set around the room, the only noise present was your breathing and the shifting of your dress every time you moved. He seemed to be deep in thought again and this time you didn’t dare to break him out of his constant thinking. It wasn’t until he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees that you paid attention to him again.

“Maybe we were sheltered and a little bit ignorant. Maybe our parents tried to protect us from the disaster and pain surrounding us all the time. We never heard real stories about battle or war. We never learned what it really takes to thrive as a kingdom…” He pointed at the books filled with stories of his father’s life on the shelves. “But that doesn't mean we are alone.”

He got up quickly, maybe too quickly for you to fully understand what the words really meant. In a long stride he was back in front of you looking at your eyes with an intensity that you knew only meant trouble.

“You’ve been here since I can remember. I saw you when you were not taller than two feet and I see you now that you are a beautiful lady.” He continued his speech making your face flush. “You are the closest ally I have ever had and I would like it to stay that way no matter the circumstances”

You had thought of him as more than a friend often but now that you were on the receiving end of his words it almost didn’t feel real.

“Maybe we can be alone together.” He tried to explain, offering you a hand to take.

Your mind was going faster than you could keep up. In a small amount of time you thought about it, about what it might mean for you and him, your families...you even thought about what it might mean for the kingdom. And in all that thinking you couldn’t find a single reason to say no.

You placed your hand back in his, and if before it felt different now it felt otherworldly. With a smile he raised your hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss to the back of it. You couldn’t avoid but softly hitting his cheek like you did when you were younger and you wanted him to stop being mean, because some part of you hadn’t felt this close to him since before rules were placed for your interactions.

“I would love to be alone together with you, Edward.”

Taglist: @solinarimoon @webreathfandoms @thebohemianpenguin @filiandkili

#the last kingdom imagine #the last kingdom x reader #tlk imagine #tlk x reader #king edward x reader #edward x reader #king edward imagine #edward imagine #edward the elder #rosies250 #myfic

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bitch-biblioklept · 3 years

Text

The Darkling x f!oc

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 <you are here> Part 8

Chapter-7 The Winter Fete

Chapter Summary: With Alina finally harnessing her powers, revenge seems closer than ever to the Darkling. Baghra is afraid of losing the human her son was, and regrets making some decisions.

Word Count: 1.7k

(my gif)

It was done, the sun summoner had finally learnt to harness her powers. Revenge had never seemed closer than now.

The Darkling was ecstatic on finding out that Alina had finally summoned. He might even have done a little happy dance when he was alone, but he would never admit it.

The Grand Palace and the Little Palace had been decorated wildly, untastefully, but he didn’t care much. His time to avenge the assassination of his wife was close, and Zlatan was finally going to pay for his sins. The Darkling even agreed to put up a show for the sake of entertainment.

Alina had started looking better, her face was fuller and less sallow so her similarity to Serephina had almost entirely disappeared. And her blue and gold kefta was a big difference as well. His darling had always adorned a black kefta with silver embroideries on it, and the colors of all the classes; Coporalki, Etherealki, Materialki on the cuff of the sleeves. She had also preferred to wear traditional Suli clothes, even if that made most of the counts mad. She had never shied away from her heritage.

Aleksander had vividly remembered the functions in their wedding with the Suli people, it had been grander than anything he had ever seen since. The Suli were great people too, warm and welcoming to everyone. On finding that they were Grisha, they worshiped them like saints. Sankt Colvin and Sankta Rohini, they were given these lovely names to keep their identity a secret.

He didn’t dwell on the memory too much, but kept it in the back of his mind, in the reachable range to keep up his happy spirits, to remind himself of what Ravka had taken from him after he had worshipped her all his life. Ravka was a drowning woman who dragged his lover with her.

Koroleva Alina, the people chanted on seeing her display of her powers. Koroleva Alina, this is what Serephina had been called when she had caught the attention of the king. The trust between the Grisha and the non-Grisha was fragile and there just because he had won a war for him.

The king had been a recent widower, having lost his queen in the battle between the Ravkan kingdom and the Shu queendom. He was looking for a queen, and that was when he had caught Serephina, who was going by the name Alina at the time, catering to the guests dressed in a servant’s uniform.

“You, you right there,” the king pointed in her direction, and she stilled wondering if she did something wrong. “Come here,”

And keeping the mask of a meek, terrified woman afraid she had done something to offend the king, she walked. Her eyes briefly found his, and she found the grey eyes a bit wide in anticipation.

The noblemen eyed her up and down as she walked in the center of the throne room, a few even making passing remarks on her beauty. Aleksander would have clawed their eyes out right then and there if it weren’t for a gentle gust of wind asking him to calm down.

“You are so beautiful, dear.” The King said. The entire throne room quieted. “What is your name?”

She kept her eyes trained to the marble floor. “Alina, Moi tsar.”

“I am making you one of my personal servants from now on, Alina.” the king declared. “You will be taking care of my son, the prince.”

She looked at him for help, but said, “As you wish, Moi tsar,”

“Good, you are dismissed for now.” The king said. She hurriedly left, but her eyes found his from across the throne room. What had just happened?

They hadn’t guessed that it would be for keeping an eye on her, her behavior, who she met and how she acted. And on seeing perfection, the king had decided that she would be his Queen.

The Darkling gripped his flute of champagne too tightly, hearing a crack and loosened his grip. He downed the contents and left the glass for a servant to take. Serephina said the king had never touched her, and he knew she wouldn’t lie to him. They had even had separate chambers, (he would know, he visited her almost every night,) and her only job was the raise the prince and host the important political guests.

It had hurt him, it had hurt him terribly to see them in public, to see the king holding her nimble hand, kissing her cheek, having her at him arm, when he should have been the one doing all this. The King had loved her, he truly had. But to him she was Alina, and he died knowing that she was Alina.

But for Aleksander she had been Serephina, and she would always be Serephina.

And when the king had taken ill and died around two years later, Koroleva Alina had been given the throne, for the prince was too young to rule. She had raised the prince to become a king, she was raising him to become the king, but he was still too young.

And the years she had ruled had been Ravka’s golden age. The fifteen years she had sat on the throne were the best Ravka had ever seen. The young king took that further after she had faked her demise and it was more than half a century of prosperity and peace for the people.

It was then that he had decided he had to marry her with proper customs and had taken her to the thorn wood monastery in the forest. There the Suli had taken care of them, organized their grand wedding and had made them their Saints.

He was forcing himself out of his memories of her when Ivan had tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

“The trackers have returned.” Ivan said.

“What do they say?” The Darkling asked.

“They found it.”

This was the happiest he had been in fifteen years. His plans would unravel themselves soon enough.

Soon, Moya milaya. Soon. He promised.

Baghra was in her hut, pacing around, and waiting for her maid to return with information. She had never before felt this anxious. Maybe, maybe she should just tell him the truth.

She was just pondering all her options when the maid returned, panting. “They found the stag.” She said.

They couldn’t have, it was supposed to be a myth! No one had ever seen it before, then how did the trackers find it? Were they lying to get away from the Darkling’s wrath? Yes, that should be it. There wasn’t any stag found and the trackers were lying. But who would even dare to lie to the Darkling?

So many things were swarming in her head, and there had to be a way that would stop him. If he found the stag and took control of Alina’s powers, he was done for. Ravka was done for. Her son would be gone, pushed beyond the edge of redemption.

She will have to stop him before her son becomes one of his own abominations. There should be a way.

If Serephina was here, she would have thought fast. What would she have done? Baghra paced around, her fingers dancing against each other as her palms sweat. Sere had known Aleksander better than anyone, better than Baghra knew her own son, and that had been a cause of beef between the two of them, albeit it was mostly from her own side because she wanted to spare her son from the heart break and pain of separation that she had suffered.

What would she do? What would she do?

Nothing would distract him, no. She could pretend to faint, but he would call a healer and everything would be a waste of time. Maybe she should run away. She knew him well enough that he would come looking for her first and then go after the stag.

Serephina wouldn’t need anything to distract him. She would have just smiled in his face and he would melt instantly, Baghra scowled at the thought. She wouldn’t even have to smile… she could ask him for his head and he wouldn’t even blink before agreeing. How did Sere get that kind of trust from Aleksander, that would always be a mystery for her, but Sere would do anything for him too. Hell, she had done a lot things for his gain or to save his life.

She decided to think of something else. She wasn’t Serephina and she couldn’t do anything of what Sere could do. It was wasting a lot of her precious minutes.

Baghra didn’t even have much time to think before the Darkling was at her door, knocking. The maid rushed out on seeing him, bowing her head in greeting, muttered a quick “Moi soverennyi,” and then disappeared behind the woods somewhere. Hopefully she wouldn’t be here to hear the experience firsthand.

“My men have found the stag,” He declared. His slate eyes were dancing with amusement she had never seen on him. His thirst for revenge had pulled him under.

There was only one way to stop him now. Maybe if she had had more time, Baghra would have thought a way to stop him without really telling him the truth. Maybe the truth wouldn’t have been uncovered this way. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

But she was old, and her mind wasn’t as sharp as it had once been. So she told him the truth, the only way that she thought was appropriate in that moment. She knew it would stop him, change his sense of reality. He might even attack her for lying to him. But it would save him from falling over the edge. He will still be human.

Baghra knew she was going to regret it, that one decision had been the worst she had ever made in her life, but that had seemed like the good way back then. She hadn’t considered that he would drown himself in this thirst for a bloody revenge.

“Serephina is alive,” Baghra’s mouth told the truth before her mind could think of anything else.

*sorry for the cliffhanger there 🤓*

#shadow and bone #the darkling #aleksander morozova #general kirigan #ben barnes #general kirigan imagine #shadow and bone imagine #the darkling imagine #the darkling x f!oc #the darkling x reader

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apexqueenie · 3 years

Text

The Blood King (Bakugou x Reader, Medieval AU) Ch1

Synopsis: In fairytales, princesses like you got to marry handsome princes like your best friend Shoto, but you’re not living a fairytale. You find the harsh realities a punch to the face as you and Sho run away outside palace grounds and into the real world. But the harsh brings out the beautiful, and in your case, it took the form of the scarlet covered barbarian king, whose territory you disturbed.

A/N: This is the first long series that I’m writing, I hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: Swearing, a bit of violence (This is Bakugou lol), eventual smut (I’ll put a warning dw, totally skippable)

[Ch1]->[Ch2]->[Ch3]->[Ch4]->[Ch5]->[Ch6]

You didn’t know how much more badly a plan could go, but here you were, lost, wounded, and scared in the middle of the freaking forest, the sound of a very angry beast trailing after you. You tugged at the unconscious man on the floor, his head bleeding severely. He was losing too much blood and you couldn’t keep pulling him along without stopping the bleeding first. Your only option was to fight. How did this all start exactly? Well, it started when you decided to ditch your wedding.

***

In a daze, you pulled yourself from your slumber, rising to the sound of gentle knocks at your door. “Who’s there?” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes.

You shivered slightly and crossed your arms, realizing that you had kicked off your blankets in your sleep. Your best handmaiden, Ochako, barged in, not even bothering to answer the question.

“Good morning princess” she sang delightfully as she opened your large curtains, allowing the morning light to spill into the huge room. Ochako, although not being of royal blood, was a close friend of yours throughout the years. It was her job to serve you, but you loved her and treated her as your sister.

“Chako, I told you (y/n) is fine when we’re alone” you said with a yawn.

Ochako hummed as she walked to your wardrobe, sifting through it for the perfect dress. “Ah, but you see your highness, we aren’t alone.”

Before you could question her, a familiar face peeked around the door, heterochromic eyes glancing around the room. “Hi” he says before entering the room and closing the doors behind him.

“SHO!!!” You yelled, launching yourself out of your bed to give your childhood friend a big hug. You haven’t seen him since last summer.

The both of your fathers were Kings of kingdoms who traded with one another, meeting in person once a year to discuss the details. While they both enjoyed a bit of drinking and chess, you and Shoto ran around the gardens barefooted with sticks in hand for fake swordplay. They were always about knights and dragons, and since there were only two of you, you took turns being the dragon or the knight. Princesses weren’t taught to practice swordplay, so Shoto took it upon himself to be your mentor. He taught you what he remembered from his private lessons, insisting that if you were to meet a real dragon like in your games, you would be able to fight it off.

“But won’t you be here to protect me?” you asked, lowering your stick.

“Yeah,” he said, “but when we meet a real dragon, we’ll be protecting each other.”

Every year, you two would meet to run around the gardens, hiding from your handmaidens and butlers until meal time. Every year, you would shy a bit away from the games and start sparring for real, Sho providing the wooden swords to teach you what he’s learned from the top sword fighters across the continent. Every year your blades danced with his until the both of you could read each other’s movements with a single glance. And every year, you felt a growing affection for the boy that you were too afraid to bring up.

The two of you talked about your home lives often, sharing stories and complaints about being “perfect” and a “role model” to your citizens. Shoto’s father constantly pushes everyone in their family to their limits, causing the Queen to go insane and burn Shoto, leaving a signature red scar on his left eye. While she was locked in the medical housing part of the castle, Shoto started to understand why his mother lost her mind and silently started to rebel against his father. Your father was similar, always correcting you and forcing you to practice perfect mannerisms. You were his first born, you were supposed to be the perfect example of what a future Queen was to be, especially for your younger siblings; the second born son barely of age to train by sword. If you were anything less, you were to be locked in your room until you had time to “reflect”, your maids unable to speak to you in fear that the King would hear and throw them in the dungeon. Your mother, being too vain to involve herself with any of her children, never saw any of you until your birthdays. She opted to drown herself in self-pampering every other day. Both of your lives were royal hell until “The Meeting”, where the both of you could forget about being perfect for a day.

You wrapped your arms around Shoto’s neck and buried your face in the crook of his neck, the both of you clutching each other close. His body radiated its own heat, warming you more than the thin fabric of your nightdress could. You pulled away, realising he got even taller this year.

“I missed you Sho!” you smiled.

“Likewise” he replied, slinging his sword from his back, only there was another object wrapped in silk next to it. “Did...anything interesting happen this year?”

“Hmmm,” you pondered, walking to your vanity and grabbing a brush. “Well, Jinko is pregnant again.”

“Your mother?”

“Heh, she was never around enough to be a ‘mother’, she’s merely my birth-giver.” you snorted, combing your soft locks.

“So, is that the fourth…?”

“Fifth.”

“Well then.”

“Yep, and as soon as she’s done pushing it out, she’ll ignore it 364 days of the year. Hell, Ocha was there more for me than my mother ever could be” you say, earning a small blush from the girl.

Shoto sighed, taking a seat on the edge of your bed and placing his sword next to him.

“Anyways, what’s the meeting about this time?” you asked now moving onto cleaning your face.

“That’s… uh...well, I have to talk to you about something soon, but first, I brought you a gift” Sho said a bit awkwardly. He turned and handed you the silk wrapped object. You took it gently, afraid of breaking it, that was, until you unwrapped it. Your mouth dropped as you felt the silk fall off and onto the floor, completely forgotten as you held up the object in awe. In your hand was a long silver blade engraved with delicately curved patterns surrounding a single mother pearl at the center and down the blade itself. The hilt fit perfectly in your hands, the weight completely balanced.

You were damn near about to cry. “Sho...its-”

“Get dressed so we can try it out” he smiles and hands you the sheath.

Giddily, you sheath your sword and headed to the dressing curtain where Ochako waited for you with a big smile. She seemed to have known about this whole visit because she held up a bit more of a casual dress, one that wasn’t as long as it normally would be. You never understood why you had to wear dresses as a princess, but it couldn’t be helped, you had no control over your clothing choices. Ochako however, had the power to hem the dresses for you so you could run with a bit more freedom.

***

“Sho! I can’t believe you did this! How’d you manage to sneak this by your dad?” you ask once you are dressed. You moved to take the direct route to the gardens, but Shoto pulled you to a different route around. “Sho?”

“That’s the thing I have to talk to you about,” he said, peeking into all the rooms and hallways before entering, “I don’t want to run into anyone else right now.” He pulls you along swiftly until you reach the gardens, taking one last look around you before relaxing a bit.

“Hey, Sho, what the heck is going on?” you ask, lowering your voice.

The boy in front of you couldn’t look you in the eyes. He was worried about something, which was totally uncharacteristic of him. Trying to ease his nerves, you reach out and gently squeeze his hand, but he doesn’t respond back. Instead, he just sighs, finally about to say something.

“So...you know how we...always meet up every year?” he asks.

You nod, slightly confused at where this was going.

“Well, our fathers have been discussing…”

“Discussing what?”

“Something very.. special for next week-”

“My birthday isn’t for a couple of months”

“It’s not that-”

“Then?”

He turned his head and sighed.

“...Discussing our marriage…” he trails off.

“Sho! Oh wow, This-this is great!” you beamed. You always thought about the day you’ll have to marry someone. Your role as a princess was to marry a prince, and become a beloved Queen to your kingdom. You dreaded that it would be for trading purposes, that you’d have to marry some pudgy old man so that your father could share more land, but you had the option to marry your best friend! Anyone would be delighted at the thought...anyone but Shoto.

Your smile quickly faded as you studied his face. He expressed a mix of guilt, awkwardness, worry, and something you haven’t seen before…was that fear?

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, still unable to look at you, “I can’t do this-”

“Is it too early still? Because it’s ok, we don’t have to-” The words stung, but you couldn’t let that get to you.

“No! No, that’s not it, it’s just that I can’t”

“You can’t what? Tell me what so I can help you.”

“I… I love you (y/n), just...not like that” he says, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What? Wait, what do you mean?” you asked, stomach dropping.

“I just mean that I, I don’t see you like that.” he said.

“So, I’m not good enough?” you shook your head.

“-No-”

You could feel the tears stinging in your eyes, “so...there’s someone else?”

He lets go of your hand to rub his arm in a nervous manner, “No, that’s not it either, I just don’t know how to explain it-”

But he was lying. You knew Shoto was a bad liar around you. It was bad enough that he couldn’t look at you, but even worse that he was taking steps away from you, slowly inching backwards in the opposite direction. He wasn’t trusting you with something and you didn’t know why, but your anger took over, and suddenly, you didn’t want to know why either.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you to inform our fathers that this wedding won’t be happening, Todoroki.” you huffed. You saw the hurt in his face when you called him by his last name, but you could care less right now. You turned around and headed back to the castle, back to your room, and back to Ochako so you could cry in comfort. You kept your eyes trained at the ground, a silent message to all your servants to leave you alone. However, the message was left unknown to someone who didn’t live in the palace, someone like King Enji.

You were cut off from the path to your room by the tall and heavily built man, his eyes cold and harsh staring at you from above. You stopped and immediately curtsied in respect, as you were representing your father every time you met with a leader of another kingdom.

“Good morning, King Enji.” you said, giving him a well practiced ‘princess smile’.

He only grunted in response, nodding his head to the sword strapped to your back. “I see you received my son’s wedding gift, do you find it satisfactory?”

“Oh-the sword, right! It’s beautiful, your greatness. I am so humbly honored to receive such a gift.” you bow. You had completely forgotten it was there after what happened with Shoto. It was supposed to be a wedding gift, a sign of his love for you, but he didn’t love you like you loved him. You should be throwing this thing away, you should feel disgusted...so why did those words come out so naturally? Why did the sword feel so familiar? Hopefully Ochako could help you answer those.

King Enji nodded in approval, motioning to some servants he had waiting out of your sight. “You have good manners, young one. Perhaps my son could learn a thing or two from you when it comes to respecting his elders.”

Two female servants took place besides you, awaiting further instructions from their King.

“Your father has agreed to allow me to provide the dress, courtesy of the profits he helped me make last year. My servants will be taking your measurements, as well as note your likes and dislikes for the preparations.” he says before walking off.

All you could do was smile now. You couldn’t make your father look bad, even in front of servants. You continued to hold back tears as the handmaidens escorted you to your chambers.

So much for spilling your heart out to Ochako.

***

The maidens were merciless, insisting that every measurement be as precise as possible. You tried to delay them, but your efforts were futile. They brought every bit of conversation back to the dress, and to the wedding plans you know you won’t have. Guards were installed in front to ensure no one came in or out until every inch of your body was measured to perfection. They measured your breasts and behind about five times over to ensure that “your best qualities were perfectly framed” for the wedding. Best qualities? Were you just boobs and ass for the future King? You sighed, still letting them continue their measuring. Shoto wouldn’t have cared…

No, he was Todoroki to you now, until he can give you an explanation.

But...do you even deserve one?

As King Enji’s servants gave you a break to bring out supplies for your fitting, you walked over to the sword your “fiance” gave you, unsheathed for its glory to shine on your bed. He knew how you liked it, designing it to perfectly mirror you. He took note of everything you loved, remembering your style interests from whenever you two would talk for hours on end. You traced the flawless engravings on the blade itself, almost tearing up again. Turning the sword over, you saw the engraving on the bottom of the hilt, small, yet beautiful nonetheless.

“Let’s protect each other from now on”

All the anger you felt before was gone, replaced by pure guilt.

He really did love you.

Just not in the way that you had hoped.

You were being selfish, and you needed to make it right.

Before you knew it, you were yanked back to the full length mirrors for more measurements.

Both the measuring and interrogations lasted nearly the entire day with the servants drawing several designs and re-measuring you for each one. Of course, they didn’t accept a “that looks fine” or “this one is good'', so they continued to create new ones, each more extravagant and beautiful than the last. Evening came, and the maidens packed their materials to head back to their own kingdom. You thanked them sincerely for all their hard work and rushed off to say goodbye to Shoto until he disappeared over the hill and into the forest, like you’ve always done...except you weren’t.

You arrived to meet your father, King Enji, and Shoto in the main hall a little out of breath while they said their last goodbyes. King Enji broke his attention away from your father to give you a polite nod, acknowledging your presence. Your father noticed this and turned to give you a big hug, laughing heartily.

“Can you believe it? You’re getting married in a week! I need to tell your mother straight away! She would be so proud.” he says, pulling strands of your hair behind your ear.

“Yes, I believe she would” you smile. You weren’t in the mood to explain that she’d only use this as an excuse to out-fashion you on your own special day.

Shoto hung his head in silence right next to his dad, still not making eye contact with you. You tried to pay him no mind and instead focused on building up your courage to ask something of King Enji in the politest way possible.

When you got the chance, you squeezed out every bit of bravery left in your system to say “Erm, King Enji, is it alright if Prince Shoto stays?”, twiddling your fingers innocently.

The red headed man looked a bit taken back by the question, but he didn’t seem opposed to the idea. He snorted, waving his hand to Shoto, who stared at you with an open mouth.

“Ah, young love,” your father chuckled, and went to see his comrade out the door.

Without a second to spare, you grabbed Shoto’’s hand and led him to your room, closing the door behind you quickly.

“(y/n), what are you doing?” he asked, watching you shove a chair underneath the handles of your doors. You had enough palace servants for today.

You turned around and immediately threw your arms around his waist. He stood rigid with surprise before hesitantly hugging you back with a light grip. He was still confused from the fiasco earlier, but didn’t blame you.

“Sho....I’m so sorry, I should have understood.” you whispered. “I hope you could forgive me..”

He gave you a slight squeeze, “Of-course, (y/n). I’m sorry too, I-”

“Stop. You don’t need to explain anything to me. All we need to do is get this wedding cancelled.” you interrupt, looking up at him. “Also, I’m glad you didn’t say anything.”

He looked relieved, giving you a soft smile. “Thanks, (y/n).” He pulls away from you and takes a seat on your bed next to where your blade still sat, unbothered. “But, I realized that if I were to tell my father, he’d assume it to be an insult no matter what I say, and end the friendship. with your people. Then he’d have me married off to someone else and make my life more hell than it already was. I’d rather be married to my best friend than a stranger.” he smiled.

You opened your mouth to say something, but the words escaped you. You were stumped. After all of this, it turned in your favor, but you didn’t want this anymore.

You huffed and stood up abruptly, heading to your drawers and searching through them.

“What are you-?” Sho trailed off, standing up with you.

Finally, you found an assorted set of bags you use to collect things on your trips to the forest. With most of your years being devoted to molding you into a perfect queen, you haven’t used these for anything more than bringing home a pretty set of rocks in hopes that your mother would pay attention to you. Now, you were finding the biggest ones, planning to fill them with essentials to help you survive the woods.

“We’re not going to do anything we’re forced to be into,” you said, “No matter what, our fathers won’t allow us to cancel this, but they can’t do anything if we’re not here.”

“(y/n), you’re not thinking of leaving are you?” he asked, worry apparent all over his face.

You handed Sho a bag, staring him straight in the eye. “I’m absolutely thinking of that.” You grabbed a bag for yourself and shoved the rest back into your drawers. “We both have siblings who can inherit the throne, right? And if we disappear together and write a note saying something like “oh this is going too fast and we decided to take a break together in the mountains”- neither of our fathers could blame each other, so-”

“Hey,” Sho laid a hand on your shoulder, “we don’t have to do this. I told you, I really thought about this, and as long as it’s you, I’ll be happy-”

“No, Sho,” you said, shrugging off the hand and looking through your closet for extra clothes, “you can tell yourself that, but that’s not going to be true. I want you to be just as happy, and that’s not gonna happen if we go through with this marriage. Look, I know Ocha’s grandmother lives in a small town East of here, past the forest. If we can get there, we can rest and figure out what to do, ok?”

You looked at him for confirmation, his brows furrowed and his lips spread into a thin line. For a few seconds, he contemplated the terrible outcomes of your plan, but he knew you would just do this yourself if he didn’t come with you.

Finally, he nodded before he could change his mind.

This probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but at least you were together.

#bakugou imagine #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki x reader #mha medieval #bakugou #x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x reader series #shoto todoroki

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anonniemousefics · 3 years

Note

cardan pov ch 21 anon here— I totally wouldn't mind a long, steamy detailed one 😍

Ps - you're a sweetheart to even give the option 🤧

Yessss -- you are my kind of people. (I was actually hoping someone would want this! lol.) Gather around, my thirsty sinners. You asked for it - it’s His Monstrous Bride Part III. (This isn’t all that explicit -- I tried to make it pretty. :) )

(Also I didn’t do much editing - sorry. I need to get back to work. LOL.)

For reference, here’s His Monstrous Bride and His Monstrous Bride Part II and this little steamy Cardan POV drabble from The Wicked King and also this sappy thing.

------------------------------------

There’s no escaping it this time. Cardan is escorting Jude Duarte back to his bedroom, their bedroom, and there’s absolutely no escaping it. Every eye has been watching them all evening. Surely every conspiring mind has now been examining their relationship from afar for its weaknesses, and Jude must know this, too.

That has to be why she’s taking it this far, Cardan tells himself. She must want to keep up the ruse, a show of their marriage’s fortitude.

So, when the door closes behind them, his first plan is to take the secret passages to the Court of Shadows for the night – as he has every night since Jude returned. He’ll find a cot there and practice attempts at flipping coins through his fingers until he can’t keep his eyes open anymore. He’ll try not to think about Jude.

And one day, that will become habit. One day, it won’t be so bad.

Behind him, Jude sighs and sags against the doorframe. When he turns to look at her again, she almost hurts to look at. She is ravishing, draped in decadent gold that glitters like chain mail. If she is exhausted, she hasn’t looked it yet. Or maybe he hasn’t been paying close enough attention – the gown dips perilously low in the front, and it’s been practically impossible to keep his eyes from taking little trips there.

It’s that sight and more that pulls him back a step against his better judgment -- and then another.

“You were very formidable tonight, my queen,” he tells her. He likes calling her his queen. He likes even better the look she gets on her face when she hears it. She seems as little flushed when he steps nearer.

“After that speech you made, it didn’t take much,” she says, looking up at him with those big, warm brown eyes. When she looks at him with admiration like this, he thinks he might actually be something worth loving. Or at least, he will make himself so if it means Jude will always see him like this.

“It cannot be anything other than the truth,” he reminds her. “Or it never could have left my tongue.”

He’s spent many fantasies in his younger days dreaming up villainous soliloquies, but he finds now, looking down at Jude like this, so close and so soft, her eyes glittering, her pink lips parting, his mind drifts to poetry. He wishes he had better words to give her. He wishes he had the magic to make her understand what he feels.

If she could know, maybe then she could feel something in return…

But then, Jude says, her voice low, her cheeks flushing: “You didn’t come to bed last night.”

Cardan scrambles to hide his surprise. After slapping him in the royal rose garden, he’d felt fairly certain she wouldn’t want him anywhere near their bed. He must be misunderstanding…

“I’m here now,” he says.

How many times has he wished he could see into Jude’s mind? He’s lost count at this point. Is she angry with him? Is she plotting? Is she desiring him? He never knows. He can’t keep up. What’s important is that, right now, in this moment, she isn’t moving. She’s still gazing up at him, her eyes flitting over his mouth, and he’s so aware of her warmth. If one of them were to move, they could be touching.

He’s going to try. He must. He’s desperate for her.

Gingerly, carefully, he takes her hand, and she lets their fingers entwine again. She gazes up at him again, like an invitation. Her eyes are so clearly full of hope, with the tiniest quirk of a smile on her lips – and he’s done for. He gives in to the unseen pull that draws him to her lips.

He’s kissed her before, but this. Oh, this. When he’d tricked her into marrying him and traded kisses with her in the dark, it wasn’t even as good as this – and until this, that had been his favorite. In that moment, he’d felt like he was hers, and she his, and for a moment, everything was safe and right. He’d cursed the memory of that feeling while she was in exile, fearing he’d never again have anything so perfect – but here, he thinks he might have been wrong about that. He hopes he was wrong. It feels like she’s surrendering to his lips, arching into him, each kiss a request for another.

He never wants to stop. When she’s like this, he wants to kiss every soft bit of her she’ll let him. He touches fingers to her chin, leaving kisses across her mouth, her cheeks, her jaw. The sigh she lets out when he dips to kiss her neck sends a bolt of desire, hot and severe, all though his whole body.

“You looked like a knight in a story tonight,” he murmurs there. “Possibly a filthy story.”

She kicks him in the leg, but he feels her smile against his skin – he knew she’d love that. He takes her lips again – he would give anything, everything to keep making Jude smile.

Nothing’s slowing down, and he’s dizzy in this pull of heated desire and confusion – where is this going? What is she thinking? Surely, she’ll shove him off soon, like she did in the room behind the dais. But she’s staggering, too -- maybe just as dizzy -- and he presses her to the wall. The air leaves his body when she pulls at his shirt, sliding her fingertips up his back.

There’s no misreading that, right? She’s clearly into this. His tail seems to think so, the little traitor. It’s wrapped itself around her ankle, and the feel of her calf beneath it sends thrills up his spine. It’s so deliciously indecent – he’s losing his head. He wants so much more. His fingers push into her hair – her skin is hot under his hands. More.She wraps her arms over his shoulders, pulling him flush with her curves. More. He takes her in his arms, his hands at her hips, lifting her feet off the floor.

It’s then she draws in a tight breath. Freezes in his arms.

Of course. Of course. He sets her back down. He knew this was coming. This was too much. He’s too much. Now he’s overwhelmed her. Her cheeks are rosy, her eyes bright – her chest (oh, gods, her chest) heaves like she’s been running.

“We need not--” he starts, and he’s out of breath, too. But Jude shakes her head.

“No, just give me a second,” she says, and bites her lip, and Cardan feels absolutely feverish. He wants to bite that lip.

Jude takes a step back. This may be his undoing. If this is going to end poorly, he may end up running off into the night, shrieking like a feral lunatic, never to be seen again.

“I’ll be right back,” she says, which is somehow not reassuring at all. Especially when she turns and fairly flees for the wardrobe.

Cardan is dumbstruck and breathless as he turns, looking wildly around the room for his own exit. What did he do? How did this happen? She seemed just as desperate for him seconds ago – what did he do? His palms are sweaty – was that it? Did his hands disgust her? He tries to dry them on his trousers, which are feeling a little uncomfortable and too tight. Oh, no – was that what she’d noticed? His – his…

Cardan closes his eyes. There’s going to be no coming back from this humiliation. (At least now his trousers are comfortable again.) It’s time to go feral. Time to join the cats of the wild that raised him. This is his destiny, he supposes.

There’s some rustling behind him from the wardrobe, and he knows it’s Jude returning. Probably to tell him it’s best if she finds her own rooms. He takes a deep breath and swallows to steel himself.

And then turns.

Jude.

Jude is – Jude is – Jude Duarte is completely naked.

Cardan makes some completely embarrassing sound in his shock. She is -- oh, gods – she is exquisite. He has always thought her the only real thing in a land of spirits, and she has never looked more real than she does now. That enticing curve of her ears is nothing compared to the full swell of her hips, the heaviness of her breasts, the formidable curve of every toned muscle. He feels more real just looking at her.

She’s biting that lip again, her eyes glittering with mirth.

“Come here.” He means to ask it, but he can’t help it. He must have more of this.

Her gaze smolders as she sashays to him. Then drops to her knees before him.

Is this a dream? It’s a very good one. Cardan really hopes he doesn’t wake up too soon.

“Is this what you imagined I’d be like,” Jude asks, her voice husky, “back in your rooms at Hollow Hall, when you thought of me and hated it? Is this how you pictured my eventual surrender?”

Cardan’s face burns. Admitting his darkest fantasies to Jude Duarte was not something he’d ever planned on doing. But she doesn’t seem to hate the truth of him – she may not love him, but there is clearly something she doesn’t mind so much.

“Yes,” he hears himself admit. He’ll take the gamble.

Jude presses a hand to his thigh. He wonders if she’ll notice the twitching in his pants.

“Then what did I do?” she murmurs.

This can’t be real. Can it? It’s not even been a week since she slapped him. And he’s not sure she won’t do it again if she knows the truly depraved things that once filled his prepubescent mind.

But she also might not…

“I imagine you telling me to do with you whatever I liked.” Another gamble. The truth hasn’t hurt him yet tonight.

Jude splutters out a laugh. Cardan smiles, nervously.

“Really?” She sounds incredulous.

“Along with some begging on your part. A little light groveling.” He cannot believe he’s doing this. He should be slapped. “My fantasies were rife with overweening ambition.”

And then Jude slides back to the cold stone floor, lying on her back before him, and his heart stops. He’s read that in novels before – about sights making the hero’s heart stop. He assumed it was an exaggeration – hyperbole. It is not. He’s not sure how he’s still alive.

“You may do with me whatever you like,” Jude says, extending her arms out to him. “Please oh please. All I want is you.”

She’s teasing him. He knows it. She thrives on trickery. Still. How can he not at least get a little closer? He must at least try…

He draws in a breath. Drops so that he is on all fours, hovering above her. Beneath him, her auburn hair splays out like a fan across the stones, and the hollow at the base of her slender throat darkens with each breath. She reaches her hands to his shoulders, holding him there. Holding, he notes – not pushing away.

He turns his head to kiss her wrist. Her pulse races beneath his lips – he’s not imagining it. He knows he’s not, and it’s then he’s starting to understand that this may not be a trick. Jude wants him. Jude Duarte wants him – even after learning the truths of his darkest imaginings. That is absurd.

That is…utterly glorious.

“Mock me all you like,” he murmurs and brushes back a lock of her hair, tenderly. “Whatever I imagined then, now it is I who would beg and grovel for a kind word from your lips.” Her lips part slightly in surprise – she is the very picture of his desires. “By you,” he says, “I am forever undone.”

And undone as he is, Cardan is helpless to his body’s call. He bends to kiss her again, and when he does, she slides her fingers into his hair, pulling him to her. When he arches against her naked body, he groans, aching with need. Somehow his shirt is undone – he’s not sure which one of them did it. Only that it’s got to go. He wants to feel every inch of her against him. If she’ll let him.

And just when he thinks he has her figured out --

“I’m not mocking,” Jude whispers against his ear.

That stops him.

He pulls back. It is absolutely unbelievable that she has not been teasing him. She truly wants him to do with her as he pleases? There is still so much about Jude Duarte he does not understand.

“We have lived in our armor for so long, you and I. And now I am not sure if either of us knows how to remove it,” he says.

“Is this another riddle?” Jude asks. “And if I answer it, will you go back to kissing me?”

Gods. He will never tire of the puzzle of Jude Duarte.

And now that she seems to be truly offering, truly wanting, he is further surprised to realize how drastically his own wants have changed. Every fantasy he had pales in comparison to witnessing Jude Duarte want him.

“If that’s what you want.” He moves to be at her side. He mentally kicks himself for not sounding more sure of himself. It’s just… she has hated him for so long. And she may not love him ever.

But wanting him. She does want him. That is enough. That is more than enough.

“I told you what I wanted,” Jude challenges. “For you to do with me whatever--”

“No,” he cuts her off. She doesn’t understand. “What you want.”

Show me you want me. He wants to witness the proof.

And she shows him. She straddles his body, and it is better than anything he could have imagined. She is statuesque – she is monumental. He is in awe below her.

“I want--” But she blushes and kisses him instead, her breasts pressed to his chest. She kisses him again and again.

This is what she wants.

Her hands are everywhere – his face, his chest, his stomach. Her fingers are sliding under his trousers.

This is what she wants.

His hands meet hers, and he lifts his hips just slightly to pull off his pants. He watches her face every second, watches for any sign that she’s changed her mind. But she keeps her gaze on his face the whole time – heated. Expectant.

This is what she wants.

He’s aching, wanting, dripping with desire. He holds his breath – she takes him in her hand as she brings them together in a careful slide.

This is what she wants.

She gasps, and he cups a hand to her soft cheek, the other a gentle anchor at her back while she moves slowly. She turns her head and bites his palm, sharp and fierce, a low sound in the back of her throat. It is agony and bliss all at once.

You are what she wants.

He hasn’t done much worthy in the short span of his never-ending life, but somewhere along the line, he must have done something right. He thinks this must be how lion tamers feel – no, better. Jude wants him. She is taking from him all that she wants, and he will give her everything he can. He’ll give her a map and a shovel to dig through the wreckage of his heart. He’ll let her keep any broken bit she likes.

His thoughts leave him completely as they move together as one toward their pleasure and its blissful pain. He knows only that she sighs his name against his skin, and it is the first time in these many long months that he’s actually felt like a king.

------------------

Tagging: @yellowavocadopit, @dagypsygirl, @ireallyshouldsleeprn, @booklover-sleeplover, @mwejh, @courtofjurdan, @faeriequeenofwest, @sugawsites, @loveyourselfsolid, @owl0y0s, @feelinglikecleopatra, @akaloto, @charrise, @persephxnecoven, @raging-bisexual-alert, @rteme, @nahthanks, @addies-invisible-life, @elorcanislife, @snusbandxknifewife, @poeticbrownmermaid, @duarteegreenbriar, @thefolkofthefic, @alittledribbledrabble, @carmensworld17, @annejulianneh111, @amandlas, @elriel4life, @idk-what-name-to-use, @thewickedkings, @juliazato, @woodsbeyond1, @booksmusicandgoodvibes,

#jurdan #jurdan fanfic #cardan pov #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #tfota #the folk of the air #the queen of nothing #qon chapter 21 #queen of nothing chapter 21 #jude x cardan #fic: his monstrous bride #fanfiction #tfota fanfiction

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restlessmaknae · 3 years

Text

liar, liar, watch out liar

Princess Gowon from Baekje is forced to marry Prince Changmin from Goguryeo as a part of a peaceful agreement between the two kingdoms. Too bad it’s only a seemingly peaceful one, and too bad she almost gets killed for believing in her father’s good intentions.

♦ Characters: prince!Changmin x princess!OC

♦ Genre: historical, angst, fluff, romance

♦ Words: 10.5k

♦ Warning: mentions of blood, war, death, emotional manipulation

♦ A/N: This story is a part of the ‘all is fair in love and war’ collab. Check out the rest of the stories here! Click here to be added to the TAGLIST and to let me know about your fic preferences.

A princess should be delicate like the dandelions growing in the garden of the royal palace.

A princess should be obedient like the most loyal tamed horse for a horseman.

A princess should be resilient like the trees that bear the weight of the heavy snow that falls when winter strikes Baekje.

A princess should be kind as if she was meeting her friends when she was meeting with princesses from the other kingdoms who were nowhere near her friends.

And the most important of all: a princess should always listen to the king and queen because they know what’s best for her, they know what she needs to do in order to be of help to their own kingdom.

Princess Gowon knew all these rules, she knew them as if they had been lullabies whispered into her ears each and every night. That’s exactly why she didn’t protest when she was given no chance but to be the future wife of Goguryeo’s oldest prince as a part of a deal that her father and prince Changmin’s father sealed.

Due to the tension in the four kingdoms - with Baekje and Gaya currently at war -, the two kings had decided to reach an agreement regarding the future of Baekje and Goguryeo. They had decided on a peaceful deal, and what was a better way to keep their words than to get their children to marry each other, so that they would become one family, and family was considered sacred in their society?

Given that the royal family in Goguryeo consisted of only boys - with Changmin as the oldest prince and Sunwoo and Youngjae as the twins -, and it was only princess Gowon and her older brother - Juyeon - in Baekje’s royal family, she had seemed like the only option to give away as the safeguard of the deal.

What she didn’t think was that this agreement would bring even more conflict, tension, blood and tears into the lives of the four kingdoms.

Princess Gowon wasn’t more nervous to step foot into the Anhak Palace than she had been when she had previously visited other kingdoms. After all, she had been here before a few times, and meeting prince Changmin didn’t really make her feel a different way. If anything, she felt completely neutral towards him.

She wasn’t here to enjoy herself, she knew that very well. As a princess, it had been evident for her from a very young age that she would be marrying someone for the sake of Baekje, someone whom she wouldn’t have married otherwise. As long as it was beneficial for her kingdom, she could keep her chin up high and do what she was supposed to do. While the men were trained to fight and protect Baekje, she was there to engage in social events, harmonise the relationships between the royal families, and to possibly bring something more useful to the people - including a marriage.

With Baekje and Gaya currently and war - that had started a long time ago and was still going on in more or less intense waves -, it was only natural that his father would be looking out for a way to secure the kingdom’s safety with another one of its neighbours. With Silla, Baekje had always been at peace, so it was crucial to secure the kingdom’s future with Goguryeo, too.

So with her parents and her brother by her side, she politely bowed to the members of the Goguryeo royal family one by one. They were wearing their delicate, formal clothing as usual. The king wore its crown cap that was made of white silk exceptionally elegantly, his royal scarf decorated with gold and silver ornaments, finely sewed and detailed. The bright colour of his plum-purple robe and midnight-blue skirt indicated his status while the queen was wearing a vivid burgundy dress with floral patterns and a tangerine-coloured skirt. The princes’ clothing were similar to the king’s, except that their robe was in a less eye-catching colour and it was longer, so it covered their bodies until knee-length, making up for the lack of skirts underneath.

When princess Gowon arrived before prince Changmin and he caught her eyes, he gave her a full bow, politeness radiating off of him. The last time they had seen each other was a few years ago, so his more defined features, the sharpness of his jawline and the width of his shoulders took her by slight surprise. She wondered whether he was as equally taken aback by her womanly appearance as she was regarding his manly look.

“Princess Gowon…” The prince breathed after he had straightened his back, gifting her with a gentle smile. His warm, chestnut-brown eyes became little crescents as his lips were raised into a smile, and under different circumstances, it might have made her smile genuinely at him. Instead, it came out as a forced one on her part.

“Prince Changmin…” She reciprocated his gesture, keeping the eye-contact as she was supposed to.

“It is lovely to have you here,” he remarked after a few seconds of silence while they were waiting for her brother to stop exchanging words with the queen of Goguryeo who was cooing over prince Juyeon’s gorgeous features. If princess Gowon had been all alone and no one would have seen her reaction, she would have most probably made some faces, but she had learned how to suppress her emotions for a good while now.

“Likewise,” she added politely despite all the words she would have liked to say instead of this one. However, she restrained herself from acting out of character because that would only backfire. Not to mention that the prince seemed too genuinely happy - or he was merely too good at masking his feelings - for her to say anything snarky.

Thankfully, they could move on from the very much forced round of introductions, and move onto the celebratory meal that was held to commemorate the start of a prosperous relationship between the two families, hence the two kingdoms. Their marriage had already been settled, her belongings had also been brought with her that day, so that she could move into the Anhak Palace right away, only the wedding awaited to be organized formally, so this meal was also like the one royal families would hold for marriage proposals.

Since the twin princes were very interested in prince Juyeon’s stories about the adventures he had had in the forests, princess Gowon was left to engage in a conversation with the two royal parents and prince Changmin himself. She could note that her soon-to-be-husband was very much mature for his age, and he cared about the future of Goguryeo deeply, but at the same time, he had a certain amount of pure innocence and childishness to him which she didn’t know how to process. It didn’t seem like harmful behaviour though, but she had been taught not to appear anything but strong and determined and mature, so others would take her seriously. Hadn’t he been taught the same? He wasn’t a child anymore.

She kept wondering whether what she could see was the real him or the image he had been oh so precisely building up in the last few years based on the expectations and the pressure of being the oldest prince in his family. Royal children had been given multiple principles to live by from a very young age, and usually, the freedom of speech hadn’t been guaranteed. They had certain power as royals, but never enough to be able to speak their minds, and that could suck the joyfulness and innocence out of their lives.

No matter how dragged the whole thing seemed, when it was time for the royal family of Baekje to head back to their own kingdom and leave princess Gowon behind, prince Juyeon turned to his little sister while the parents were talking between themselves and said:

“I’m sorry you have to go through this,” he mentioned quietly, so that only him and prince Gowon could hear. She smiled a bitter smile, and briefly put a hand over his shoulder before retreating back.

“It’s not your fault,” she reminded him gently, not going on about how it was unfair that women had always been put into much more difficult situations than men just because they were born this way. Though she didn’t know what Juyeon would need to bear if he was to be the king of Baekje one day. They were both doomed from the start, and they couldn’t escape their fate either. Yet, their lives were still more precious than their freedom.

Prince Juyeon let out a long sigh, scratching the back of his neck as if he had been trying to come up with a plan. In the end, he let his arms fall back beside his body, lifelessly and uncontrollably.

“I wish I could make this better, but you know father…” He whispered, glancing in the direction of their father once to make sure that he hadn’t heard what he had said. Thankfully, it seemed like he didn’t pay attention to the two of them.

“I know, and as long as our marriage actually brings peace to the kingdoms, I’m fine with this,” princess Gowon reassured him, but swallowed back the continuation of her confession: as much as I can. There was a very fine line between what she was willing to take on and what would make her crumble, and she knew that she was far from breaking down, but at the same time, even more of her freedom had just been taken away from her despite the fact that she didn’t care about whom she actually married.

“I hope prince Changmin will treat you right. If not, let me know,” prince Juyeon asked her seriously, and his care and affection made her smile genuinely. As if letters could be taken from one kingdom to another at such short notice… Nevertheless, his words warmed her heart.

“I will, Juyeon. Don’t worry!” She reassured him, and those words were her last words to her brother before her father took his place, and instead of similar wishes, he leaned closer to the girl and lips sealed, eyes darting daggers, he looked straight into her orbs, his strict fatherly side showing. Then, he opened his mouth and simply said:

“No matter what happens, just stay put!” The king commanded firmly, and the princess bowed to him in response, promising him that she would not cause any trouble. Even though she had never shown any sign of disobedience, she wouldn’t do so this time either.

What she didn’t know was that his father’s words would mean something completely different than she would have thought so.

Princess Gowon had to realize that she hadn’t lived elsewhere but the Sabigung Palace in Baekje, therefore coming to the Anhak Palace to live there from now on was extremely odd. She had known the ins and outs of Sabigung Palace, all the places she had been hiding back in the days when she had been playing around in the garden with his brother, all the trees by which she had been daydreaming about being a mere, ordinary girl, all the hidden chambers and all the stories behind the slight flaws in the walls and furniture.

Here, she didn’t know anything. Everything felt distant and unfamiliar, and she felt a pang in her chest when she realized that she wasn’t only in a completely new place, but she was here all alone. Everyone she had known before was gone with her marriage-less days, and now she had a new room, a new servant and a new routine.

No wonder she didn’t feel immediately comfortable beside the royal family in the palace, and the first dinner with her and the royal couple and the three princes was anything but smooth. She could literally feel the barrier between her and everyone else in the room, and it didn’t help either that she could feel the difference between their upbringing judged by the way the twins acted despite the fact that they were only two years younger than prince Changmin. Yet, prince Sunwoo and prince Youngjae were the epitome of restlessness, making jokes and flippantly telling stories by the table to which she merely nodded and hummed politely, not knowing what to do with herself.

That night, she was kindly shown to her room, her servant packed out her clothes and arranged them according to her wishes, and she was helped to a hot bath which she thoroughly enjoyed. She felt a bit less foggy-minded after cleaning herself, but she was still thinking too much to be able to get a goodnight’s sleep.

The next day wasn’t better either, though it definitely helped a bit that it was just her and prince Changmin in the dining hall this time with the royal couple already having finished breakfast and the twins still not woken up by the time she had made her way to the table full of food.

“Were you able to sleep well? Is your bed comfortable enough?” Prince Changmin inquired first things first, his chestnut-brown eyes shining fondly. She felt a knot in her throat for lying, but she had to nevertheless.

“Yes, I was able to do so. Everything was just fine.” She bobbed her head a bit, her eyes scanning the number of options on the table instead of looking into his eyes. Even though she was usually an immaculate liar, she feared that the prince might be able to look through her. She didn’t want that to happen, at least not so early.

“I am glad to hear that,” he noted joyfully, his words laced with reassurance. He helped himself to some water afterwards, but it was him who broke the silence yet again. “Would you like me to show you around the palace and the gardens today? I would like you to feel more at home, so I assume it might be of help to you.”

The chopsticks froze in princess Gowon’s hands for a moment, his question taking her by surprise. Not only because it was a very attentive inquiry of his as he might have realized that she didn’t know how to get around, but also because it seemed like based on his words that no one had forced him to ask such a question, it was him who felt the need to do so.

When she finally looked him in the eye, his lips curled upwards, his chestnut-brown orbs disappearing a bit. It was rather adorable how such a delicate prince had these features with those deep dimples, yet he also had exceptionally manly features to himself, so she was still in awe by the duality of his appearance. It was also the first time in her life that she could examine a male’s features longer apart from her own relatives, and the thought itself made her stomach take a turn.

“I…” The princess started hesitantly, searching for the right words to say. The prince still looked at her patiently, very much anticipating her answer. “I wish to rest a bit more after yesterday,” she added firmly, and it was almost disheartening how much trust he put into her, and how much he actually believed her lie.

“Take as much time as you need to rest, princess. I would be glad to show you around anytime,” prince Changmin offered with yet another smile before turning back to the rest of his breakfast.

She felt oddly guilty for rejecting his very much kind offer, and she didn’t feel good about it for the rest of the day, so she spent almost all the day in her new room, pondering over her own feelings, the consequences of her actions, and what she might need to get used to this new situation if she wanted to be respected, and if she wanted to avoid being as uncomfortable around the royal family as possible.

Oddly enough, she found herself wanting to trust prince Changmin as well, and also, she felt bad for telling him a fib, so the next day when he wasn’t there in the dining hall, she asked her servant if she could notify him that she would like to speak to him, and when they met in the corridor, she let him know that she had rested enough, so he could show her around if he had the time for it. She knew that the princes had physical training on a daily basis, so she didn’t know if he would have time for it, but it turned out that he had been to his training lesson first thing in the morning, so he was free for the rest of the day.

It was a lovely spring day, rays of sunshine illuminating the corridors in many shades of yellow and orange, painting a whole colour palette as the rays were sneaking through the windows. The air was fresh, full of the sweet fragrances of the blooming trees and the delicious scents coming from the kitchen. Prince Changmin didn't even hesitate to lead her into the kitchen as well, introducing her to the ones who were working there before showing her where they kept their food in case she felt like grabbing some fruit in the middle of the night - which he mentioned was a favourite pastime of his little brothers. Hearing that, her lips inwardly curled upwards because she could see from the way the boy was talking about the twins just how much he loved them. That realization made her think of her own brother, and his lack of presence saddened her. She already missed him as she had been seeing him almost every day for two decades, and now she saw nothing of him.

She was shown all the different chambers, halls and rooms, the prince letting her know about whom they belonged to, whom she needed to ask if she wanted to open up some less used ones, and she was also introduced to a lot of different servants and other noble men and women around. She felt a bit dizzy by the end, so she was thankful that they headed outside, breathing in the crispy, fresh air and watching as the trees were heavy with blooming flowers in multiple colours of the rainbow, some of them hovering above the big pond outside the palace’s main building.

Princess Gowon stood there for a solid minute, taking in the scenery that was just so different from the mountain-filled view of their palace in Baekje. Her awe must have been obvious as prince Changmin inquired:

“Do you love nature?”

“I do love it, but I have been to forests and the mountain side mostly. We do not have a pond, but it is mesmerizing,” she explained matter-of-factly, letting the soft, spring breeze take her words far away, keeping them a secret away from everyone else, except the two of them.

“We have a river that crosses the palace, this pond is a proof of it, but we have the majority of the riverside a bit further from here. We can extend our walk there if you would like to,” he suggested, suddenly excited. She couldn’t tell whether he was so high on spirits because she had spoken up more than she usually did so, or it was because he loved his home dearly, and he was glad to show her around even more.

“I would not mind,” she admitted genuinely, and now that she didn’t lie, she felt a lot better. Prince Changmin seemed so genuinely caring and attentive, she would feel like a fraud if she kept lying to him, and plus, what’s the worst that could happen? After all, if they were forced to marry each other, they would need to tolerate each other even if they didn’t like how the other was behaving. So what was she afraid of? Building trust with someone whom she didn’t know, that was one fear for sure.

As they started walking around the pond, the prince didn’t seem to mind the silence that fell upon them, but it seemed like he wouldn’t mind talking either as he asked a few moments later:

“Do you miss your palace?”

Princess Gowon knew that it would have been the easier way to go with a lie, but really, what would be the use of it? Should she lie, so that he wouldn’t feel bad that it was her who had to move palaces instead of him? He might feel bad anyways. It’s not like he could change anything though. This was their fate, and no matter how odd it was, this way how they were to live from now on.

“I miss the feeling of familiarity. I also miss being around my brother and seeing him all the time,” she decided on a brief yet honest answer, getting lost in the beauty of the scenery instead of the warmth in his eyes. She felt oddly vulnerable being honest with him, so she couldn’t bear to look at him, but she hoped that he didn’t mind either.

“I believe I would also miss my brothers. My days would be so much quieter and less livelier without them,” the prince confessed with a soft giggle that sounded one with the chirping of birds and the sound of the passing wind: he was hopeful like spring, elegant like the way the flowers were blooming around them, and he was energetic like the little birds flying around them. He was light and soft, tender and warm, and for this reason, he seemed to resemble the season between the cold, icy winter and the scorching summer.

She wasn’t surprised to hear his confession after witnessing how he had been looking at his little brothers, but she didn’t feel like she was in the place to comment anything on it, so she merely hummed, and kept on walking without saying a word.

“I hope you know your brother can visit us anytime. He is always welcomed here, even to stay here for the night,” prince Changmin spoke up yet again, and his tone was gentle just like the intention behind his words.

She snapped her head back at him after his suggestion, finding herself face-to-face with a soft yet coy smile, shimmering eyes and heart-shaped face radiating beaming joy. He seemed so full of life, so full of love that she started doubting that she would ever deserve to marry someone like him. Not that any of them had a chance to disagree, but still... She was far too cold for him. If he was the light, she was the dark. If he was the calming earth, she was the searing fire. They were completely different.

“Thank you, prince Changmin,” she said honestly, bowing a bit to be able to show her respect. The way he made sure that she knew that his brother could come visit her, so that she wouldn’t miss him warmed her heart, more than she would have liked to admit it. She didn’t want to trust him so early on - she had a hard time trusting anyone thanks to his father’s strict way of bringing them up and telling them not to trust anyone apart from their own family -, but the flicker of trust was present, and maybe, more and bigger sparkles could follow that.

That night, princess Gowon couldn’t sleep, but for a different reason than the night before. Now she was pondering over the prince’s gentle gestures, the way his whole face lit up whenever he was smiling, the way his beaming laughter filled up an icy chamber in her heart with warmth, and the way his soft giggle could send pleasant shivers down her spine. He was such an odd prince in her eyes, but for all the right reasons. He didn’t seem manipulative or someone who would only care about power instead of the safety of the kingdom’s people, and he seemed genuine but still very much polite. She would swear she had never met anyone like him before. It both scared and reassured her at the same time. It scared her because what if it was all a lie? A mere facade? And then, she would have no choice but to inevitably fall, tasting the bitter aftermath of her trust falling apart right in front of her eyes.

She kept tossing and turning in bed, the dreamland not strong enough to reach for her and drag her into the webs of soundless sleep. Her heart was pounding fast and loud, and her thoughts were racing so quickly that she felt breathless even without running at all.

However, her sleepless self was the only reason she was able to catch sight of her window being opened from the outside. It would have been an otherwise incredibly quiet and slow process, but she caught onto the sound immediately. The moment she snapped her head in the direction of the wooden-framed window, she pushed herself up in the bed and put her feet down on the ground. All questioning words died on the tip of her tongue when the moonlight shone onto the object in the intruder’s hand: a knife.

She didn’t think twice, she rushed to the door and flung it open with all her might. The intruder - his face covered by the large hood over his head - noticed her movements even despite the darkness in the room, and swiftly ran after her. She knew she wasn’t a trained runner, so she had to use something else to be able to escape him or to mitigate the hurt.

“Help me! Help me, please!” She screamed frantically as soon as she started running, the lit-up corridor making her feel a bit more at ease since she could at least see something around herself.

However, due to the fact that the guards were supposed to be waiting outside the palace and others might have been sleeping tightly, she exclaimed a few more times to regain someone’s attention.

The intruder caught up to her quite fast, and grabbed the hem of her night gown from behind, pushing her to the ground. She felt her whole body shaking from both the shock and the painful collision, but she tried her best to push herself off the ground. As she did so, she could feel the intruder grabbing her by the shoulder, but in the next moment, the grip loosened, and then his hand was pushed off of her.

Princess Gowon stood up hastily, looking behind herself with her heart in her throat, catching sight of prince Changmin pinning the man down - now that his hood fell onto his neck, it could be seen that he was a middle-aged man with a few scars already painting his pale skin in purple and burgundy marks. He even dared to smirk at the prince who used his own strength to keep him on the ground, his hands pinning his shoulders down.

“Who are you? Who sent you?” Prince Changmin exclaimed furiously, and the rage in his voice scared her already shaken up heart. She wouldn’t have thought that he was capable of such vigority. “The guards will be here anytime, so you better tell me beforehand before they will get you to tell them, and they won’t go easy on you,” he warned the man firmly, the authoritative edge to his tone not leaving room for any kind of objection.

The man didn’t take his words seriously. Instead, he let out a wicked laughter that shook her to the core. She felt sick to her stomach, feeling nauseous.

“Do you think that I would have accepted this job if I was afraid of death? I only want Baekje the best just like my king. To be able to reign all the kingdoms. That’s my wish,” he spatted nonchalantly, and the mention of her kingdom made her shiver. Was he actually from Bakje? Her kingdom? One of her people? One of those she would have wanted to please by being a part of the marriage deal?

Princess Gowon needed to hold onto the nearest wall to be able to stand still while prince Changmin had already put together some pieces that she hadn’t dared to.

“Are you the king’s man?”

“Wasn’t it obvious? He would take any chance to bring other kingdoms down,” the man admitted, still grinning. She felt like the whole world was crashing down on her in that moment; getting her killed would have meant an excellent reason to go against Goguryeo in a war, and no matter how gruesome it was, the man was right. Her father would take any chance - it seemed even killing off her own daughter to be able to blame it on the other kingdom - to acquire more land to reign.

Through the fast-paced, ragged breathing of hers and her foggy thoughts, she saw as the prince’s grip loosened on the man the moment the weight of the man’s words registered in him, and that was definitely a mistake.

The man could quickly escape him, and pushed the prince off, cutting his side with the knife in his hand, trying to run up to princess Gowon yet again, but as she was running away from him, the guards appeared and pinned him down. He had no other choice but to surrender since they were stronger than him, and there were also a lot of them. He stood no chance.

The adrenaline was rushing in her veins, her blood boiling, and her body feeling shaky, but even despite all, the sight of blood oozing out of the prince’s body struck her, and she rushed to him while exclaiming:

“Someone please notify the medics, too! Prince Changmin is bleeding!”

“It is fine, princess. It is not a deep cut,” the prince tried to reassure her with a weak smile as he got up from his previous posture, and princess Gowon didn’t even realize that she was holding his arm to help him up. Touching him felt almost reassuring; as if she could ground herself in the middle of chaos by knowing that he was still well and alive.

“Still! You need assistance! Now! It can get infected,” she warned him, her voice resonating back from the walls. She didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but she couldn’t let him bleed out when it was her fault that he was cut. That man was clearly after her, and even though he wanted to save her, it was him who had gotten hurt in the end.

Thankfully, the royal medics were there quickly, and while the guards were taking the man away, putting him into a well-secured chamber in one of the buildings that were attached to the palace for such cases, prince Changmin’s wound was professionally taken care of. Princess Gowon kept biting down on her lower lip as she was watching the medics working on disinfecting his cut. He bore the procedure well, only hissing a few times, but it still hurt to see the pain flashing across his face. She would never want to see him in pain, especially not because of her, and worrying about his condition helped her mind to numb all the memories from the previous hour.

When they finished taking care of the prince’s wound, and it was just her and him left in the room, she sat down on the edge of the bed. Tentative as she was, she didn’t dare to sit closer to him, so it was no surprise that it was him who leaned closer to her when he pushed himself up in the bed even though the medics had previously told him not to do so so quickly.

“Do you feel better?” Princess Gowon whispered, her voice full of worry and guilt. The fact that his chestnut-brown orbs were still shimmering so brightly pained her even more because she wanted him to yell at her, to say that she put him in danger, to blame her for his cut, but he didn’t do any of those. Instead, he responded:

“I do, do not worry about me.” He shook his head gently, scanning her face for visible injuries. The way he looked at her so attentively and affectionately as if he would heal any of her scars if he found any… It was like playing with the flames of a candle: ever so healing and soul warming, but the closer you were to the source of warmth, the more searing the pain was.

“How about you? You might still be shaken up, especially after what you have gotten to know…” Prince Changmin trailed off by the end, his eyes looking for hers. As expected, the princess didn’t dare to look into his orbs because she was afraid that if she had done so, there would have been no turning back. She was already on the edge, she couldn’t let herself fall off the cliff without a safety net.

Silence filled the air for a few minutes while she was trying to put together how she was really feeling. The numbness wore off, and now she was left alone with an excruciating pang in her chest, and it was killing her from the inside. The more she thought about what had happened, the more she wanted to lose herself in the cacophony of noises and feelings and memories. Everything would have been so much better if she hadn’t been so aware of what had happened.

“I-” She started after god knows how long, but her voice came out hoarse and weak. However, prince Changmin didn’t look at her any differently. When she caught his stare, he was looking at her just as patiently as before, and that’s what prompted her to continue. “I mean, my father told me to stay put no matter what happens before they left the palace, but I would have never thought that he meant it like this. I have always obeyed him, and to realise that he…”

Got someone to kill me, was what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t get herself to say the words out loud.

Instead, the door of her heart opened, letting out all the swirling feelings in her body in the form of salty tears, her whole body shaking with the sobs that accompanied her heartbreaking cry. She put her hands in front of her face to be able to muffle her sobs and hide herself from the prince. He didn’t care though. It was him who put his arms around her body and whispered into her ears:

“Your father won’t be able to hurt you. I promise you,” he stated confidently, and despite the fact that they had barely known each other, she wanted to believe him. She needed to, or else, she felt like she would be able to fall apart even more.

If her own father who had seen her growing up - obeying every single one of his wishes and commands, taught her manners and everything she needed to know to be able to carry herself around others with equal confidence and elegance - wanted to kill her, so that he could conquer another kingdom, whom could she trust anymore? If love was a trust game, was she going to lose this time as well with trusting prince Changmin? Maybe. Maybe not.

The only thing she knew in that moment was that she couldn’t stop crying, and that she wasn’t strong enough to push the prince away.

One might say that a good night’s sleep could heal all problems and ease a terrible headache, but the next day was more terrifying for princess Gowon than what she had needed to face the day before. She wasn’t afraid because of the actual events, but rather because of her feelings. How could she even know who she was anymore after almost getting killed by her own father? Who was there to look at her as family from now on?

Considering the mess with the whole situation and the fact that there was a war going on between Baekje and Gaya to this day, she was certain that her brother had no idea about her father paying a generous amount of money to an assassin to kill his daughter, so that he could blame it on Goguryeo, saying that they had violated the terms of their contract, thus they had a reason to go against the kingdom. As if it hadn’t been obvious from the man’s words the night before, he had confessed fully since then, but it didn’t help the royal family of Goguryeo either.

“Obviously, we must not let princess Gowon go back to Baekje in case she gets attacked yet again, but we cannot turn a blind eye either because the king has gone against what we have discussed. We will prohibit him from entering the kingdom in any way, we will double our guards along the borders and double-check the letters sent in,” the king of Goguryeo announced the next day, everyone sitting around the table where that said contract had also been sealed.

Princess Gowon’s head hung low, shame rushing through her body in waves. She couldn’t bear to look anyone in the eye, especially not prince Changmin. She had let him see a side of her that no one should have seen. She knew she shouldn’t have cared anymore about her father, but she couldn’t help but think that her father might have been so disappointed in her if he had gotten to know that she had shown a weak side of her to someone who might turn into an enemy one day.

However, the real enemy was her father this time, and the ones around her were those who had saved her. Even though she found it difficult to wrap her head around this mayhem while keeping herself together, that was the truth. She couldn’t continue considering his father’s teaching and words after he had paid someone to end her life.

“You do not have to let me stay here if you do not feel safe with me here. I would understand,” princess Gowon spoke up as she raised her head, looking into the eyes of the royal family members. Her words were almost like pleading. Please, don’t make this more unbearable for me. I can’t accept your kindness.

She was underwater, only feeling the surface faintly, being drowned in her own shame, guilt and pain. She had never experienced anything like this before; the way it spread across her whole body in waves, numbing her senses, making her breathless without moving an inch in the first place. If words could bleed, she would be bleeding out right now.

It was the queen who broke the silence this time after exchanging a glance with her husband.

“Princess Gowon, we can only imagine how difficult it must be for you to learn that your father has tried to get you killed. It is not only out of politeness that we let you stay here. You have done nothing wrong. You do not have to bear the consequences of his actions,” she explained to her as kindly as possible, the edges of her lips raised into a gentle smile.

That might have been a mistake since princess Gowon felt even worse than before. She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve to be treated so affectionately. If the only purpose of her life was getting killed at such a young age, why would she be treated differently than a living corpse?

Or maybe it was just his father’s way of making her feel after all these years she had devoted to being the best, strongest, most obedient, most diplomatic princess, the perfect daughter, the perfect strategist, the perfect girl who could fake a smile even in the worst case scenarios. What was she without that girl?

“But I feel like I am invading your space. I am forcing myself onto a family that is not mine,” she objected wearily, her voice wavering by the end. She balled her fists under the table, trying to hide how weak she felt. She was so good at mastering how to appear strong even if she was falling apart inside, so how couldn’t she do the same this time?

“Blood does not always mean love,” the king remarked firmly, and there was such a confident edge to his voice that she didn’t dare to question him. She knew that her relationship with her parents wasn’t the best, but she had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to be able to earn their love and respect. For what? For pain and chaos, nothing else.

“We will take care of you here,” the queen added gently, and the way the twins nodded to her words as if they had been waiting for this moment to show their support warmed her heart. How could they treat her well so unconditionally? They didn’t even know her, only for three days.

“You should write to your brother. To explain the situation to him, and to let him know that you are in safe hands now,” prince Changmin spoke up as well, turning to her with his whole body, his chestnut-brown eyes shining worriedly. She had never intended to make him worry about her, but that cautious glint hadn’t left his orbs since the night before. Empathetic as he was, he even let her sleep in his own room that night, telling her to try to rest a bit because he would guard her dreams. Needless to say, his presence might have helped her jittery heart, but she was still tossing and turning in bed most of the time.

“I will.” She nodded for she had known that it was her brother only whom she would want to let know about how she was feeling. Her mother was similar to her father in the sense that to her, how she had appeared in front of others had always been way more important than how she had been feeling, so as long as she had done the right thing and had said the right words, she had been accepted. It had always been her brother who had paid attention to her feelings, listened to her worries through seasons and hours on end, joked around with her, made special memories with her. He was the only one left back in Baekje who would have truly cared what had happened.

They talked a bit more about the issue, but they sat down to eat breakfast afterwards which wasn’t any less heavy, but she tried her best to force some food down because she knew that she wouldn’t do anything good by starving herself. She could also feel prince Changmin’s watching eyes on her, and she didn’t want him to unnecessarily worry about her anymore.

Thankfully, despite the tension in the air, the twins weren’t acting out of character, and tried to light up the mood to which she was truly grateful for. Because it was one thing that they were as lively as usual, and the familiarity of their characteristics and the almost routine-like storytelling time was able to put her mind a bit at ease, but it was another one that she was glad that they didn’t look at her any differently after the incident.

“Would you like to take a walk around the pond?” Prince Changmin inquired gently after breakfast, his words barely a whisper. It could be seen that he was trying his best not to scare her at all.

Heavy as her heart was, she knew all too well that locking herself up in her room - where she had almost been killed out of all places - and thinking about the what ifs, letting herself being swept by the stormy flashbacks from the night before and engulfed by the memories of her wasted youth to try to become the perfect princess for her parents would do her no good. She would be slowly going insane, and she wouldn’t want to.

“I would not mind,” she responded rather tentatively, but it was only because she didn’t know what they would be talking about, and she was afraid. Afraid of opening up, of seeming vulnerable, of appearing differently than the one he had imagined her to be before. She was afraid of being herself - the version of herself that had always been criticised and shamed. The girl with flaws, the girl who made mistakes, the girl who spoke up.

Prince Changmin only nodded though, and so they walked side by side out of the palace, right into the hazy spring scenery, ever so mesmerizing and bright. Even though it was still as beautiful as for the first time, the sight of the colourful trees, the sweet scent lingering in the air and the joyful sound of the birds chirping only made her feel suffocated. This wasn’t her, she didn’t belong there, she didn’t feel like she fitted in with her surroundings at all.

Her heart almost skipped a beat when the prince broke the silence that fell upon the two of them, but instead of pressuring the topic of her father, he rather inquired about her memories with her beloved brother. Then, that kind of turned into talking about all the dumb and ridiculous things their brothers had done in the past, laughter bubbling up inside of them and filling up their lungs with joyous air after reminiscing about their memories. Princess Gowon had to realize that she enjoyed listening to the sound of his laughter, even more so this exact time - because she knew that having the privilege to listen to it meant that he was still there, that he was still willing to be there for her, and his presence grounded her.

He was like a harbour that welcomed ships continuously - through horrible storms and heavy rain and icy snow -, always staying there, always being an indicator of something constant, of something that wouldn’t be swept off by the passing time, the manmade concept that was still ever so relevant and ever so real when one looked around themselves and saw the scenery changing. He was the light that never faded, the sun that always covered the storm-hit meadows with warmth and the hope for a better tomorrow.

“What about your favourite type of flower?” Prince Changmin inquired next, and seeing her perplexed expression, he giggled a bit before adding an explanation. “Someone’s favourite type of flower says a lot about them.”

She might not have understood why her favourite type of flower would have been that crucial of an information to him, but she deemed it as a safe topic, and with her, a safe topic meant that she was willing to speak and open up - without filters, without hiding behind all those masks and facades she had mastered how to keep on.

“As common as it may seem, I like cherry trees the most,” she admitted genuinely, and she felt so good for she hadn’t actually told him a lie. The smile she got in return was worth every truth - even if she didn’t dare to believe that there was anyone as genuine as him.

“Cherry trees are strong, resilient and delicate. I am not surprised that you like something that resembles you,” he confessed with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The princess’ heart beated a bit louder, a bit more out of tune, a bit more confused. How could he say such things with such ease and honesty? It truly rendered her speechless. If she was enigmatic and unreachable, he was charming and bright, the gravity that pulled her in.

She didn’t even know what to say, but prince Changmin, the kind boy he was, made her forget about the reason they were walking around the pond in the first place by asking questions about her life that no one had been interested in before him. It felt oddly reassuring to talk about sweet little nothings with him because if he accepted her with all those perks and flaws, then he might be able to accept her as a whole, and to her, that would mean the world.

Princess Gowon indeed wrote to her brother, telling him about what had happened, and telling him that the royal family of Goguryeo was nothing but supportive of her ever since, protecting her from the slightest of calamities, and having sent more guards around the palace and outside of her chamber, too, so he wouldn’t need to worry about her safety. She ended the letter by wishing him all the best and asking him to take care of himself and to keep her in his memories.

She sent the letter with a royal messenger as soon as she could, but the more she waited, the more worried she became. When days passed by, and she hadn’t yet heard back from prince Juyeon, she became suspicious, and it wasn't long until she learned that the tension between Gaya and Baekje had peaked yet again, and more soldiers from both kingdoms were sent to the battlefield - prince Juyeon possibly being one of them. An excellent fighter and a quick runner, her brother had fought for their kingdom multiple times before, but she would have not expected him to go onto the battlefield yet again.

Needless to say, she worried enough about the current situation even without her brother put in more danger than usual, but it was so like his father to send the boy away to fight while he was just sitting on the throne, coming up with whatever master plan he wanted to execute regarding his kingdom. She had been so naive and so stupid for ever believing that he might have some kind of plan that wouldn’t involve as much blood as it was necessary. How couldn’t she have seen the signs? Maybe she had been brainwashed from the very start. Or maybe her determination to become the perfect daughter and the perfect princess had blinded her own common sense.

She was particularly grateful for the support the royal family of Goguryeo showed her in these trying times. The twins prided themselves in providing her with hilarious stories, making her crack a smile here and there, the walls around her crumbling down a bit more day by day. The king always navigated her through the conversations around the table, so that she would feel comfortable. The queen made sure to keep her company whenever she found her alone in a chamber or in the garden of the palace - letting her know about the way their family kept strong throughout the years, telling her how the kids (the three princes, but she referred to them as her kids still even though all of them had outgrown her) had behaved when they had been younger, and how politics and being a mother could work well together.

Even despite all of their efforts, it was prince Changmin who could make herself feel the most at home. Maybe it was because he had seen her at her lowest, most vulnerable point, so when she appeared stronger, she could trust him that he would accept her just as well. There was just something about him that made her feel safe; not only his presence, but the way his chestnut-brown eyes shone bright like the stars on the night sky, glowing but never losing their spark. Or maybe it was the way his giggle was so light and wholehearted - like the air she breathed in, the wind that passed by her whenever she was walking around the pond. Or maybe it was in that gentle tone of his - the syllables playing along his mellow lips like a lullaby, one she would be able to listen to until the day she would die, putting her to a final yet serene sleep. Or maybe it was in those fleeting moments, the feather-like touches of his, the protective actions towards her, or the way he guarded her heart as if it had been something he could do so all by himself - but she let him nevertheless. There was no use going against the wishes of her heart when it was finally beating again.

It came to her as no surprise that they would be talking about deeper, more meaningful topics when he was the one who made sure to check the letters sent inside the palace in case she had gotten the one from her brother, he was the one who constantly looked out for her well-being, and he could already see through her - noticing whenever she had worries entangling her mind, grasping her heart and squeezing all light out of it that hope could invite inside, leaving her in nothing but darkness.

“Have you ever regretted being born as a prince?” Princess Gowon asked one day as they were walking around the pond. A habit of hers ever since coming here. A tradition of theirs, if she might say so. There was something about the way they could walk around in nature, away from the stuffiness of the inside of the building, and with prince Changmin by her side, it felt even more healing.

The prince, a mere boy, tilted his head in contemplation, puckering his lips a bit as he was thinking through his answer. She knew that it wasn’t an easy question - not only on the heart but on the mind as well. The feeling of being royal wasn’t something black and white, it was a mixture of both with all its shades.

“I do not usually regret being born as a prince, but there was a time when I wish I would have been just a mere boy without any titles. My mother was very sick, and I wished to stay by her side all day long, assisting her with whatever she needed, but I had to let the servants do this instead of me. I was helpless. I could not do anything, and that was really, really hard on me,” prince Changmin recalled bitterly, his eyes telling tales of other times.

She could feel his resentment even just by the look on his face because his usually cheerful, almost fairy-like features were dressed in more somber, solemn ones, making him appear as a more serious, manlier side of himself. His orbs were shining in the vast universe instead of the usual sea of pureness, and the hardened features of his indicated that he knew what it was like tasting the bitterness of life.

“I am not saying I can understand that because I have never been close to my mother, but if there was something happening to my brother, I would like to be by his side just like you with your mother,” princess Gowon remarked quietly, and at the mention of her brother, she was suddenly reminded of the present, and with that, the cruel fate of their separation.

“Everything will be fine. He will come back even stronger, and write back to you,” the prince reassured her, sensing her sudden tenseness. She had never liked to appear weak or emotional because emotions were a sign of hesitation, a chance for failure, a flaw that she would not be able to showcase, but the prince was exceptionally excellent at reading people and their body language. Not even the slightest changes could slip his attention.

“I hope so, too.” She nodded solemnly, watching the comets in his eyes colliding, inviting her heart for a journey that she might regret. Because everything that she could not prepare for - just like the wishes of her heart - was terrifying in her eyes. A girl who had always lived by following rules, obeying commands and calculating with all different kinds of scenarios suddenly found herself without any direction, without any plan to move forward with and any guidance on how to mitigate the way her heart was acting around the prince.

They just looked at each other for a few moments, endlessly dragging on as if time rested a bit around them, letting them enjoy the serenity and complexity of the simplest form of human interaction: looking at each other, into each other’s eyes that were the doors to their souls, windows to the depths, the secrets, the hurting, the memories - all the good and bad, all what made them the versions of who they were on that day.

“You can talk to me less formally if you want to, princess Gowon,” he mentioned with a dimpled smile afterwards, reminding her of the fact that she still very much addressed him in the most polite way possible - in the way she also addressed his parents. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear to hide her slight embarrassment.

“I am just too used to being overly polite with everyone.”

“I know, but I would gladly let you be more informal with me. Whatever would make you feel more comfortable,” he offered in the most attentive way possible, and when his lips curled upwards, hers automatically followed, the reaction of her body ever so unfamiliar yet almost natural by this time, by his side.

She truly, genuinely, deeply wanted to believe that the moon and the sun and all the stars would listen to her hopes and her brother would be able to return from the battlefield safely, and that she would be able to hear from him soon, and maybe she also wished for something else - for her heart had never given up on love, maybe it merely sought it more after everything that had happened. And maybe it wasn’t that bad to listen to her heart.

It turned out that it wasn’t only her brother who had been out on the battlefield, but in a careless moment of her father’s, he had been attacked as he had been on his way to visit someone, and he had been killed - even without going to war, but understanding the tension between the two nations, it wasn’t that surprising.

However, with the death of the king, there was a need for a new one, and by the time she was notified, prince Juyeon had already become the one to take the throne as the rightful heir - the first child and the only one in the bloodline who could be the king. She thought that her letter would be the least of the new king’s worries, but he eventually wrote back to her, and his rage was evident in his writing and in the way his handwriting got less composed by the end. He told her that she could come back now if she wanted to, but he would understand if she didn’t want to after everything that had happened.

At this point, she could not feel sympathy towards her father. Maybe it was an ugly twist of fate that he had ended up being dead after he had tried to kill his own daughter, but she couldn’t feel sorry for him. Not in a bit. If he had been that careless to not have enough guards around him and to have been killed out in broad daylight when he had had people around him who should have protected him while she had been attacked at night, in the safety of her new chamber, by someone who killed people for a living, he hadn’t deserved to die a less cruel way.

She was a princess nevertheless, and princesses have duties, and one of them was having her fair share of responsibility in such a situation. Thankfully, the royal family of Goguryeo supported her along the way, from ensuring that she had a chance to go back to Baekje safely once to have a conversation with her brother face-to-face, discussing what she could do and how the kingdom should move forward after this - from him earning respect from the royal army and the people of Baekje to her going along with the actual wedding to secure the peace between the two kingdoms, for real this time.

She had talked about this with prince Changmin himself, and he had made sure that she knew that she wasn’t pressured into anything, but if she still felt like she wouldn’t mind going along with the wedding, he wouldn’t talk her out of it. He would make sure to treat her well, to let her have her say in matters of his own side of the family, and to fulfill whatever she wished for. She still thought that he was too good for her, but she realized that it was also his own choice to agree to the wedding, and if he did it for himself and his family without anyone pressuring him, she would try to accept his kindness and maybe his love, too.

So after a king had died and a new one had been born from one day to another, having a royal wedding didn’t seem that out of the blue. Average people didn’t know anyway what had happened behind the scenes, so it was almost what they should have expected, and with the heightened tension with Gaya, having a real ally was a blessing. Every kingdom was represented in its own way at the wedding, and coming to think of how she had ended up at the ceremony was heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time.

The war was still very serious, and there was definitely no room for celebrating in such a time and era, but she was nevertheless a firm believer that there was hope for change with a new king on the throne, with a tightened relationship with Goguryeo now, and she was also a firm believer that with a change in the lives of the kingdoms, maybe her heart would also open up, and like a bird that escapes its cage after it had been captured and trapped and almost crushed under the weight of pressure, she would be able to fly high again. Slowly at first, only just trying out her wings, but more and more bravely as time goes by, and maybe, with someone else by her side.

#the boyz #the boyz scenarios #the boyz imagines #changmin #changmin scenarios #changmin imagines #the boyz q #the boyz q scenarios #the boyz q imagines #the boyz angst #the boyz fluff #changmin angst #changmin fluff #the boyz q angst #the boyz q fluff #restlessmaknae

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hillbillyoracle · 4 years

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Tarot as Representations

So one of the recommended uses I talk briefly about in my zine, tarot in the time of the apocalypse, is to use tarot cards as icons in a parred down travel altar set up. What I didn't get into too much is how to select these cards to use as representations. I wrote the zine originally with a more experienced practitioner in mind and thought that most folks would select a card based on intuition.

Which will totally work. But recently as I was using cards to set up a petition, I realized there was a lot more I could have said there. Some of it

Astrological Representations

So a lot of people know that Tarot has astrological associations. I knew about a lot of these but I've been learning about so many more recently. You can use these associations to create representations of your work with the planets for petitions, prayers, or other workings. If you have decks you don't need, you can us the card as a base to attach paper talesmins to and give them some rigidity while adding to the correspondences (good for if you need to tuck it in a car visor or a book). Really there are so many options for using tarot as representation for astrological concepts.

The classical planets and the 12 zodiac signs are the most agreed upon from what I can tell and they are as follows.

Classical Planets

Moon - the High Priestess

Sun - the Sun

Mercury - the Magician

Venus - the Empress

Mars - the Tower

Jupiter - the Wheel of Fortune

Saturn - the World

The Moon card is traditionally associated with the sign of Pisces but I've swapped these out a few times and not noticed a major difference. I have also substituted Judgement for Saturn when not working with them in an earthly or cthonic capacity and that's worked alright for me. I try to stick to the traditional associations when reading a spread but when picking a representation it seems like it's slightly less important.

Outer Planets

Uranus - the Fool

Neptune - the Hanged One

Pluto - Judgement

These are less agreed upon but what I've found most common. I use them when reading but I will swap them out when picking a representation. I think they work okay for the most part. But truthfully I don't work with the outer planets a whole lot and don't often need a representation of that.

Zodiac Signs

Aries - the Emperor

Taurus - the Hierophant

Gemini - the Lovers

Cancer - the Chariot

Leo - Strength

Virgo - the Hermit

Libra - Justice

Scorpio - Death

Sagittarius - Temperance

Capricorn - the Devil

Aquarius - the Star

Pisces - the Moon

Just as a note, the signs also correspond with parts of the body and can be used to represent requests or petitions in that way too. I have some times used the Emperor (the sign of the head) and the Moon (the feet) to represent that my request is for my whole body. It's too much to fit into this article but it's easy to find on Google and something to add into the language of what you can represent.

Representing Fixed Stars

It's become more popular to work with fixed stars of the Zodiac (Deneb Algredi, Algol, Regulus, etc) and one way I've been using to set up an altar to the ones I work with is to select the tarot card that corresponds to the decan that the fixed star is found in and par it with the Star card.

The decans and card associations are too many to list here but the principle is fairly straight forward. There are 4 elements of the zodiac (Fire, Earth, Air, Water) and they correspond with the four suits of the Tarot (Wands, Pentacles, Swords, Cups; respectively). The Aces embody the elements themselves. Without the Aces, each suit has 9 cards, that are then divided by the three modalities of the Zodiac (Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable). Each of these modalities has three cards representing the three decans of each sign. Each decan covers 10 degrees of a sign and have associations themselves.

Cardinal signs are at the beginning of each season, so they are equated with the beginning of each suit (2,3,4). Fixed signs are in the middle of each season, so they are equated with the middle of each suit (5,6,7). Mutable signs are at the end of each season, so they are equated with the end of each suit (8,9,10). Using this you can figure out what decan belongs with which sign.

Say you want to represent Algol, who is at 26 degrees Taurus. Taurus is a Fixed (5,6,7) Earth (Pentacles) sign. 26 degrees is between 20-30 and so is in the last decan of Taurus. Meaning the card you'd select would be the 7 of Pentacles.

Sun, Moon, Rising

So on occasion, when I realize I probably won't be using a deck but I want to keep it around, I'll pull a few of the cards and use them as artwork. One way I've done that is by displaying my Sun, Chart Ruler, and Rising Sign using Tarot Cards. I don't have any presently to show as an example but I will get stiff paper, attach cards in a grid, and put it in a cheap frame. Now that I know the decans, I would also include the decans in addition to or replacing the sign cards. I use the World here for Rising Sign because it has felt right to me and at one point incorrectly learned Saturn as being associated with Judgement so I still use that when laying out cards for this kind of artwork.

For instance:

The Sun - The Chariot - 2 of Cups

The World - The Devil - 3 of Pentacles

Judgement - The Star - 3 of Swords

Hell of a combination, I know. The reason I've done Chart Ruler instead of Moon is purely because I have a total solar eclipse in my natal chart so they'd use the same sign and decan cards and this way I don't have to have a second deck.

I'm actually working on turning this layout into a spread/worksheet. More on that in another post though.

Deity Representations

I have used tarot cards as deity representation a lot in my practice, especially with travel altars as I mentioned. But it really could be extended to others as well. This is where there's more intuition and less structure to go off of so what I say here is by no means law. Artwork of the cards themselves will dictate quite a lot.

For the Greek and Roman deities associated with the planets, the choice is pretty easy; the Magician can be a representation of Mercury, the Empress for Aphrodite, etc. For Kemetic deities that were syncretized with Greek and Roman deities, you can also use those correspondences too. I have used the Magician card to stand in for both Hermes and Yinepu for instance.

For other deities, my recommendation is to stick with the court cards as your basis. These already are often read as actual people in a given situation and the artwork in a lot of decks will only include a single person - which is just helpful for me personally when using it as a representation in an altar set up.

However, where you want to call a deity in a specific role, combining a court card and a major arcana can be really powerful. When I use the cards in my work the Morrigan, I always use the Queen of Swords as my base. But if I want to call her in her role as prophetess, I might combine the Queen of Swords and the High Priestess. If I want to call her in her role as battle raven, I might combine the Queen of Swords and the Tower.

If you work with the Elements as entities or as guardian spirits, you can utilize the Aces for their representation as they are the embodiment of the purest qualities of each element. This also works in combination with a Court Card for deities you are calling in connection with their association with an element. Say if I wanted to represent Geb, I might use the King of Pentacles and the Ace of Pentacles.

Ancestor Representation

I have not done a lot of this personally though in the times I have tried it, it has worked pretty well. Court Cards not only refer to people but often have associated ages as well and in a pinch I've used the Court Card associated with the gender and age that someone passed away. I have not used this yet for someone who has passed away that was nonbinary but I would probably default to using the Knight or the Page as they're less gendered, even though they correspond with younger age groups. It's imperfect and I'll write more on this later as it evolves.

The age groups associated with the court cards (as I learned them) are:

Page: young, usually under 35

Knight: someone mid career, age 35 - 50

Queen and King: someone at their height or who has reached old age, 50+

I tend to pick the suit for what they were most known for; were they really emotionally oriented (Cups), did they work really hard (Pentacles), were they especially known for their intellect (Swords), or were they fiery and artistic (Wands)?

If you want to use the cards to honor your dead generally, you can always use a representation of a psychopomp who opens the way for you if that's a part of you practice. You can also just use the Death card, perhaps in combination with the Six of Cups. I am much more likely to do this than represent a specific ancestor but I have needed to on occasion and this is roughly what I used.

Spellwork Representations

This honestly could - and hopefully will - be it's own article or zine at some point but I did want to mention a little bit on using the cards for spellwork on the fly. The main ways I've used them so far is either to petition the spirits of the Major Arcana for assistance or use the pips to specify what I want to happen.

The former is pretty straight forward. I personally have found the Major Arcana to be spirits in of themselves, which makes sense to me coming from a Chaos magic background, and I have petitioned them with offerings like I would any other spirit. The Magician has seemed to be most open to this so far but others are helpful in their own ways.

The latter works the best if you've worked with the cards long enough to understand their concrete meanings. Often beginners will have these very general understandings, that are still accurate by all means, but hard to take action on. If you're at a point in your tarot practice where you can see for instance the 4 of Wands know it's connotations with marriage and contracts or the 9 of Swords associations with bringing on nightmares, then this method should work for you.

Sometimes I'll combine this with a deity representation and lay a pip before it as my petition and then give offerings and burn a candle or incense. Just using them as representations for what I want to happen alone hasn't worked well but using them in combination with something else has. Have someone walk over the 5 of Pentacles or 3 of Swords enough times and there will be consequences. Just as walking under the 6 of Wands or the 10 of Cups will bring blessings.

Conclusion

So I hope this was helpful to someone out there. It's been super helpful for me to just grab my deck and go in so many situations. I can grab it and then scrounge for offerings when I get some place and not feel like I'm without something core to what I need.

And I know there are so many variations on this. This is by no means the be all end all of how you can use them and I do hope to expand on some of them in later writing, but I do think this is a decent springboard to experiment with.

How do you use your tarot deck for representations?

#witchblr #tarot #tarot lesson #witch #tarotblr

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krreader · 3 years

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ensorcell | chapter 8.

pairing: prince!taehyung x reader fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; prince!taehyung ; arranged marriage ; language ; sex genre: fluff ; angst ; smut word count: 2.7k+ previous: 1 ; 2 ; 3 ; 4 ; 5 ; 6 ; 7

summary: it was funny, how meeting one single person could change your life forever. you were ordinary, he was not. he was rich, you were not. he fell in love with you and so did you. even though he was never supposed to.

a/n: i’m so sad I never get to update my originals as much as I want to, but I’m really happy when I do. especially with this one BECAUSE IT’S FINALLY SEXY TIME

It was on days like these that you were harshly reminded of not really belonging here.

It was on days like these that you realized that the girl struggling in college to get her degree and having frequent anxiety attacks due to the uncertainty of the future was the real you that you had left behind to play pretend. Because unlike some others, you were not cut out to play this game of royal intrigues that some seemed to excel in.

“You're mad.. aren't you?” the familiar voice would have made you turn around and smile a few hours ago, but now you kept your eyes firmly on the horizon and watched the sun set in the royal gardens while royal guards and maids were all around you, making sure that you were well taken care of.

Why, you might ask? Well, because they all thought you were carrying a royal heir, thanks to the man that now sat down next to you. When in reality, the only thing you were carrying was the weight of the lies that kept piling up.

“I'm not mad. I know why you did it,” when Taehyung let out a relieved sigh, you quickly added, “Doesn't mean I like what you did, though.”

“I had to say something. I've gotten so many inquiries about whether the rumors about Dae and me were true today, I knew the only way to make it stop was to say you were pregnant. A royal heir is the most precious thing a kingdom could have. You being pregnant will put an indefinite end to any possible other 'proposals' that my father could make.”

“But I'm not, Taehyung. I'm not pregnant. And I don't intend to get pregnant. Because in case you forgot, we've only been dating for a few weeks. Marrying is a big step after such a short amount of time, but having a baby?”

“I know,” he put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, brushing them over his tired eyes in desperation, “I thought it was the best solution at the time. I should have discussed it with you first, I'm sorry.”

It was a mess. A mess that would be hard to get out of, but at the same time, you really couldn't bring yourself to be angry with him. His father would have married him off to someone that he hated. He did it to ensure that the two of you could stay with each other. In some way, it showed you that he did it because, like his sister said, you meant a lot to him. And from the way he was acting now, a child hadn't been something that he had considered so early on either.

So at least you were on the same page in that sense.

Now, you'd have to figure out how to fix this and get out of this without birthing a baby in nine months. It’s not like you already had enough shit on your plate already.

“Give me a second,” you said when you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, letting out a heavy sigh when you saw the name on the display. You already knew you were in deep shit when you answered, “Let me explain..-”

“No, you let me talk now and you just listen,” your mother started angrily, “You run off with some foreign prince that I've never met in my life without so much as a word to get married to him, because there is no other way to stay together, despite you and him only knowing each other for a few hours. Then you get knocked up by said prince before even getting married to him and are now pregnant without even having finished college yet and having absolutely zero fucking stability in your life while being in a country that is not home. Did I get all the details right?”

You clenched your jaw as you looked at the terrified 'foreign prince' that your mother seemed to like so much. Taehyung maybe should have asked more about your family, now that he was hearing her scream like this.

“I'm not pregnant, mom,” you lowered your voice, “It's.. extremely complicated and I promise I will explain it all eventually, but I am not pregnant, okay?”

“You know what? I've had enough. I'm taking the next flight out and I am taking you home with me.”

That alarmed Taehyung so much that he sat up straight, but you just put your hand on his leg to stop him from worrying, “I'm not five anymore, mom, you can't just come and get me. I'm an adult who can make her own decisions and I've made this one. I am getting married, with or without your approval.”

You knew that she was worried. That her saying that wasn't said out of any ill-will, but she was worried sick for you being here, so far away from home where she couldn't be with you.

And she instantly showed that side of herself when her voice broke a little, “Just come home, sweetheart. We can figure all of this out when you're back here. And maybe your boyfriend could come here too? Why can't he just..-”

If only it were so easy.

“Mom,” you got up and started walking, wanting a moment alone with your mother, “I miss you as much as you miss me, so I'm going to suggest that maybe, if you can, come here and spend a few days here. I actually would really like you to be here for the wedding. I want you to meet Taehyung and see what a great guy he is and his mother and sister, who take such good care of me. I want you to meet them.”

“It's not them I'm worried about. It's everything else. You don't understand how big of a thing this is, the media coverage on all of this is insane. Everyone is suddenly talking so much about you and I'm so afraid of what it's turning you into. I just don't want anything to happen to you, so leaving now..-”

“..- is not an option, I'm sorry, mom,” you said firmly, but at the same time, with a soft undertone, “Call (Y/B/F). She'll be here soon, maybe you can take the same flight as her. I'll prove to you that I'm doing okay and that you won't have to worry about me. I've got this.”

Fake it till you make it, right?

“How could you be so stupid?!” the king was pacing up and down the room, the queen and Taehyung's brother and sister all sitting across from you and him on a couch opposite, “I told you, the worst thing that you could do is get her pregnant and you do exactly that. This is an outrage!”

“Have you even listened to the news? Read an article? Because everything I've seen so far is well-wishes and happiness,” Taehyung leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, “We live in the 21st Century, father. Having a child before marriage isn't as big of a deal anymore as when you were younger.”

He was challenging him, so much that his mother had to gently shake her head to tell him to stop.

The king was already furious enough. Taehyung shouldn't add more fuel to the fire.

You had thought that Taehyung might have told his father the truth about the situation, but that would make little sense. What he did was to stop him from trying to ruin yours and his relationship. If he caught wind of this pregnancy being fake, it would be back to him trying to marry Taehyung off to princess Dae. His mother seemed to be unaware of the situation as well. Only his sister knew, why she did, though, you didn't know. Maybe Taehyung had confided in her beforehand.

“I thought I had raised you well, you know?” gone was the mad king, now all that you could see on his face was disappointment, “But ever since you met her..-” and as soon as your eyes met his, it was back to anger, “..you ruined everything.”

Taehyung let out a snort and got up, “If that's everything you have to say, then we shall take our leave. My fiancé has to rest,” he emphasized the word fiancé, which only seemed to make his father angrier.

But before this could escalate any further, he pulled you up by your hand and out of the room, walking with you to your bedroom.

And as soon as the doors behind you two were closed, his shoulders slumped and you could see just how tired he actually was.

You weren't the only one that was drained by all of this, he just hid it better than you.

Taehyung moved to the bed, then sat down on the foot of it and closed his eyes for a moment.

You watched him, but couldn't do so for long. Your need to reach out and support him was too great. And so you followed him and knelt down before him, gently cupping his face in your hands so that he looked at you.

“This is all my fault,” he whispered, “I made it worse.”

“Why did you do it? I mean.. really, why did you take such a drastic step?”

He looked into your eyes for a long while, then he put his hands over yours to hold them, his eyes becoming sadder by the second, “I was scared to lose you. The only one that I ever had feelings for and that I wanted to spend my future with. That was selfish, wasn't it?”

The corner of your mouth curled into a smile, “I wouldn't be here anymore if I didn't feel the same way about you.”

And the longer this eye contact lasted, the harder your heart beat against your chest. So much, that it felt like it was about to jump out. The urge to kiss him, to hold him and just... be with him, was so overwhelming that you couldn't hold back anymore.

And for the first time since you came here, it felt like you shut off your brain and just listened to your heart. You leaned up and kissed him, carefully at first because you were afraid of taking it too far, but Taehyung was as desperate for this as you were.

This wasn't even about sexual needs, this was about feeling the other person so close to you, to feel a union that would bring you closer together and would help you feel a little better in a shitty situation like this.

He wanted that too... so he deepened the kiss.

You sighed against his lips and slowly got up, only so you could straddle him a moment later.

His hands traveled from yours to your waist, holding you so tightly that you felt like his hands were leaving marks on your skin.

Keep in mind that you haven't had a proper moment like this since that first kiss that you shared back home. All those emotions, those feelings... you both just bottled them up because you had no other choice. But now, the bottle was overflowing. And there was no going back anymore.

Taehyung fell back into the mattress, you with him, without ever breaking the kiss once.

The only moment you both did, was for you and him to take off your shirts, then it was back to exploring the others mouth.

Fingertips running over your back, a trail of goosebumps forming where they touched and once he unclasped your bra, your entire upper body was covered in them.

One of his hands came up to your neck to hold it firmly, his thumb brushing against your jaw, stopping to kiss you for a moment, but leaning his forehead against yours and breathing heavily.

You thought he might say something, but he couldn't. It was all too much in that moment. Too many feelings and emotions. All he could do was quickly turn you around so that you were lying on your back and he on top of you.

His lips found their way to your neck, beginning to kiss every single spot on it.

Your hands were running through his beautiful and soft hair, letting out quiet moans every time he found a spot that made you shiver.

It was clear that he wanted to make you feel good. As if he wanted to make up for something, which he really didn't have to. But as his lips wrapped around your nipples, you couldn't bring yourself to say no. Not when his tongue felt so good and felt even better when it was finally between your exposed legs.

You had only been able to imagine what kind of lover he was before, but you were glad to see that – despite not knowing his sexual history – he seemed to know what he was doing. His tongue was caressing your clit, kissing it and biting down on it every now and again. Every time your moans became louder, he slowed down, just so you could fully enjoy this and he could draw this out for as long as possible.

He didn't say a word, just enjoyed making you feel beautiful, loved and outright good.

Soft kisses, hard kisses, sucking on it.. he drove you mad relatively quickly.

“I think..- I think I'm..-” you couldn't finish this sentence, Taehyung had already felt your grip tighten in his hair. He licked on your clit like he had before and to top it all of, sucked on it a little harder than he had earlier. And that was all it took to bring you over the edge and to have you moan out his name. Loud.

Your body became limp afterwards, breathing heavily as he kissed his way back up.

A grin had spread on his face, kissing your cheek when he whispered, “I should thank whoever built this castle for making the walls thick.”

You let out a chuckle and spread your legs a little wider, grinning when he looked down, “You're not done, though, right?”

“Right..-” he dipped his head to kiss you once, twice, then he leaned down to your ear, his hardened length now resting against your throbbing clit, “Are you sure?”

Butterflies erupted in your belly when he said that. This caring and wonderful man, still worried if you maybe didn't want to continue after all this... it might have been stupid to think that way, but in that moment, you thought to yourself: ‘It's all worth it...’

“Yes,” you wrapped your arms around his neck, “I want you. All of you.”

“You have me,” he whispered back, slipping inside you so easily because of how wet you were, “All of me.”

You had seen his dick earlier and had seen that it was long, but now that he was actually inside you, rock-hard at that, you could really feel just how long.

The moment he was completely buried in you, you let out a breath that you had unconsciously been holding and waited for him to continue.

But it took him a while.

He just waited, held you in his arms and kissed your cheek every now and again.

“Hey.. are you okay?” you asked eventually, putting your hand on his cheek to make him look at you.

And when he did, you were surprised to see tears in his eyes. Worry filled your face, but he quickly laughed, “Shit, I'm sorry. I'm just... I just really needed this.”

“My vagina?” you said, mainly to lighten the mood. And it did.

Taehyung let out a laugh and kissed your forehead, “No.. happiness. A moment of peace. With the woman that I'll marry.”

Your smile softened, your thumb brushing over his cheek, “Well then.. why don't you show your wife-to-be what she can expect from her future husband?”

“Many,” he pulled out a little, “many,” then pushed back in, a little harder than the first time to make you moan, “Orgasms.”

Now, that was music to your ears.

And the moans that escaped his throat afterwards as he continued pushing himself inside you again and again were an even sweeter melody. Every time he moaned your name and told you how good you felt, your heart felt like it was exploding.

This is what you had both needed.

Because now, there was no uncertainty anymore.

This was right. This felt right. You and him together.

And whatever obstacle would come your way, you would face it.

Together.

#bts imagine #bts x reader #kim taehyung x reader #taehyung x reader #v x reader #kim taehyung imagine #taehyung imagine #v imagine #bts #bangtan boys #bangtan sonyeondan #bangtan #kim taehyung #taehyung #v #reader #mine

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r00en · 3 years

Text

For Every King Chapter 2

If you guys wanna read the up to date of this it's right here on Ao3. Let me know what you think! Anyway here ya go! As a warning this does get NSFW...I mean it's Doffy man is a yuckie boy.

They talked about it. Well talked was a strong word. Red screamed. Tossed things at him. Mocked him for having nothing between his ears but hot hair and tangled string. Doflamingo laughed at that one. It was clever. A few times he had to stop his Pica from rushing in and boxing the captain up in a stone cube which would have only made her angrier and time alone with her thoughts and feelings would do no one any good. At last when she had thrown the last of the chairs within reach and her breath was stuck somewhere in her throat did he get more than a single word in to her.

"The way I see it you have two options. Join my family as my subordinate-" Doffy made sure none of his family was within ear shot of that one. They all knew but it was the quiet part best not said out loud. "- Or...marry me. Become the queen of Dressrosa. And what ever being the wife to a warlord makes you." Honestly he had no idea. Warload duty was far from his priority list and a title of convince more than anything else. It must have counted for something. "You said yourself that crew of yours is nothing but a big time gang of nameless nobodies. I don't think you can remember a single ones name. If anything this seems like a step up."

Red was still fuming. Her temper matched her namesake and it was something he enjoyed about her. Arms crossed and puffing like a kettle he wondered if anything he said was even getting through to her or if it was all white noise in her little rage. At last she spoke. Quietly, almost composed after she pressed her hair back and took a deep shuttering breath.

"And what do you get?"

His grin vanished, replaced with a puzzled look and a hum of confusion.

"What....do you get Doflamingo?" Red turned on her heels, walking the few paces to his throne and setting him with a stare that made him stand up at last. Something about it made him feel...small. Uneasy. Not at all fearful but perhaps what he was looking for was concerned. Towering over her felt better. "I'm not dumb." No, she was not. He wouldn't have offered if she was. Donquixote Doflamingo does not offer such a thing out of the pure goodness of his heart. What do you get out of our marriage. Done a fine job of listing all my benefits you have but what about you hmm? We both know you're planning something. What is it?"

Perhaps he didn't like her intelligence. A lesser woman would take what she could get, never question, never weigh the options and pressure those that handed out favors. But Red liked to bite that hand, more so when it was him attached to it. She would push and poke and pester until he retracted the offer or spoke. This song and dance was not new. It made his jaw twitch. "A different option. Neither of us are happy with this order. The way I see it I don't want you in my 'family' any more than you want to be in it. Giving you this in its stead would at least keep you happy long enough for Kaidou to forget the whole matter or if fates on our side...achieve what he's been after for years now. Perhaps I'll pressure Ceasar into finding an alternative to you're blood and we can both go on our ways like none of this ever happened." It was mostly the truth. "A marriage of convivence is hardly out of place in this world. Less so for a King."

Stepping past her he shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched to look out over the city just outside his window. "I'm giving you a gift Red. You would think for once in your life you would take it with a smile." That pomp and charisma was gone. Replaces with a lazy annoyance and casual tone that relaxed her. "He'll kill both of us if we don't make good on his order's.

He was right. Red stood staring at the throne he left trying to think of any way to wiggle free. There was nothing. Running wasn't an option, running from Kaidou was suicide at best and a slow, painful death at worst. She would be hunted down perhaps by Doflamingo himself and returned only to be strung up and used as a literal blood bank. Her best guess. She could fight it. Kick and scream like a child at his feet and hope he didn't just resort to the later for her impudence. Insist on becoming an Officer in his family? Her own pride wouldn't allow it and for what ever reason Doffy was hard set against the idea. Though he let most people into lower fodder ranks that was no place for her.

Plus there was this apparent leak of information. Who knew what truly got out and who knew of the Smile fruit and her roll in it all. At the end of the day becoming queen and what ever else came with marriage to the Donquixote Doflamingo was her best shot at keeping as much freedom as possible, ease Kaidou and his demands and keeping herself safe. In a fair fight without her protection and her power Doffy would murder her. With all his tricks she knew deep down he had always gone at least a bit easy during their play fighting. And while she had gotten her fair amount of punches in at the end of the day she knew...he would win. Having him as a shield against the world well it meant something.

That didn't mean she couldn't make him regret asking.

"You'll have to do it properly."

He hummed at her again, turning from his view to stare at her with those red glasses that almost made it hard to tell what he was thinking if he wasn't so damn expressive otherwise.

"You know, ask me properly. The way they do in all those horrible romance novels you read."

"Those are Baby-"

"Dosn't matter. It won't count if you don't do it right." She was grinning, he could feel it though her back was turned her shoulders shook with a laugh just being contained. She was going to be stubborn about it. Going for force him, a GOD to kneel for the likes of a simple human. No matter how amusing he thought her to be. Then again...their whole relationship was a back and forth of nonsense and playful flirting. Why should their marriage be any different. He didn't have to hate this.

It only took a few long strides for him to meet her in the middle of the room again. All grinning teeth and twitching fingers. Massive hands took hold of her shoulders and pressed back until she was forced to stumble backward. One step, then another, and another until her heels hit the small steps that lead up to the throne. He kept pushing, making her step up two of them, pause and a third as if he was judging the height. Once he was happy enough Doffy moved back and lowered down to one knee. Graceful and quick the feathers of his horrible pink coat fluttered behind him like the ugliest set of wings she ever did see. Forcing her to catch a chuckle in her throat and behind her hand lest she ruin this moment of what she hoped was embarrassment for the great Warlord.

Those hands reached back out, pulling hers down and catching her attention. The room fell quiet, only her heart beat drumming in her ears could be heard but just under that, if she strained she could swear she could hear his too. Just as quick, and heavy. Was he nervous? His grin never faltered but she could swear she could see the hint of red just under his glasses. She must have been seeing things. His hands gave hers a soft squeeze to draw her attention back to him and she gave it. Glad to be out of her own head and focused back on his embarrassment. That's what this was all about.

"You look good down there you know Doffy."

"Don't push it Red." It was a low warning but playful, and it had her smiling. "Now you'll have to forgive me...I didn't expect to be proposing to a beautiful woman today and I find myself without a ring. For now...." Red watched as his fingers contorted in that knowing style, twisting his strings carefully around her ring finger until it created a band large enough to pass as some kind of ring. It was far softer than she expected though given how he had used the stuff before it must have come in different forms. It seemed rather...personal. Almost too personal really for the occasion. It made Red a bit uneasy if not a bit too flustered. As did the look on his face as he too stared down at the new accessory to her hand. Large fingers running down the scars he seemed to just notice riddled her skin from finger tip to palm and beyond. Hidden only by the cuff of her sleeve that Doffy tried to push up but stopped short when she gave a little tug in defiance. "...will that do for now...princess?"

Red scoffed at the nickname. Giving his shin a little kick for good measure. "Oh shut up you pink idiot. You're not even doing it right. There is meant to be a whole speech involved and everything."

"Oh-hoho....it's almost as if you've planned this all out. Tell me then. This great speech. How does it go?"

Well he embarrassed her enough payback seemed only natural. Clearing her throat she pulled a hand from his grip and tried her best to put on the most love struck look she could muster. It caught Doflamingo off guard it seemed as his grin dropped ever so slightly and his breath seemed to catch in his throat. He let out a small sound she wasn't expecting when she placed her hand on his cheek and bent a little lower so she could speak in a hushed, loving voice.

"I have adored you since the first day we met....and I can think of nothing I would want more in all the seas than to spend the rest of my days right by your side. More than treasure or titles. Fame or gold my hearts one desire will and forever more will be you...Doflamingo. Will you marry me?"

He wasn't sure what he was expecting. One of her crude jokes, some goofy long winded speech complete with some silly accent. But not this. Not what sounded like an honest declaration of love and a wish to stay beside him above all else. A joke or not it struck something in Doflamingo that he wanted to shake loose. Wanted to banish to the deepest part of himself and never look at again yet it kept bubbling up. This warmth spread through him no matter how hard he tried to swallow it down and apparently he did try. Physically swallowing hard as he forced that grin back onto his face with much difficulty. Why did he want to kiss her?

"My my my, if I didn't know any better I would think those were you true feelings my dear. Perhaps I was right and this was all just to rope me into marriage." That earned him another kick which he happily took, throwing his head back with a laugh as she turned away from him to pout again.

"You're the one that offered Doffy. If anyone had this planned out from the start it would have been you." His hands raised in his defense. Normally he was three steps ahead but this was all far from his control. Red wasn't the same puppet on strings that he could us as the rest of the useless slobs in his kingdom. Nor was she a family member who followed him with a blind devotion bordering on the obsessive. For that matter she hardly feared him at all sitting comfortably under the protection of their boss, not to mention his entire empire rested on her blood. She was a problem that he couldn't fix through normal means. Yet if he was to be saddled with someone in such a manner at the very least he was lucky it was her. The woman who glared down at him with that cocky smile to match his own. The one who snapped and bit at his hand when he offered it yet shared a drink and let him ramble about his exploits for hours on end all while poking fun at him with every word. A challenge. One Doflamingo was rather unused to.

"After all this feels more like a punishment. Being married to a spoiled brat with a god complex."

The quick gasp of her caught breath rang though Doffy's ears as his hand wrapped tight around her neck, both of them coming to a hard stop against the cold stone steps that led up to the 'spoil brats' throne that just seconds ago they were playing pretend on. His movement also instinct as he glared down at her with the intensity of a belittled king.

"Don't mistake my offer as weakness little captain. I may be unable to kill you but you forget all I need is your blood....and I'm not overly particular about how I get it." His laugh bubbled up from throat, fingers curling tighter as he watched from behind that red tint for the fear in her own eyes. Thirsty for that expression to cross her pretty little face, yet all he received was a smug smile of satisfaction and something else. Something that flicked across her eyes so quickly he almost missed it. Something that twisted his stomach into a heated knot and had his hips rolling would he not have stooped lower onto her knees to ground himself over her.

"Touch a nerve did I 'my king'?" Her voice did not shake with fear or even anger, only laced with that beautiful giggle that hinted at her teasing intent. His brow twitched as he waited hearing the air forced from her throat as he squeezed harder as if trying to make his point. Get her to remember just what was happening.

Something brushed ever so softly against his stomach. Sharp yet tender it rippled over the fine muscle that flexed under the sensation causing him to buckle slightly and try and shift away from the touch only for it to chase him. It was her hand. Tipped with those metal claw like weapons she was ever so fond of. The tips pricking small lines of red against tan skin with small beads of red bubbling up to follow the map she seemed to be making until her hand settled over his hip. Gripping down hard those claws dug deep into his flesh and forced a hiss from between clenched teeth. Warm, wet rivers dripping down to bloom red and stain the hem of his pants.

"Letting me get so close isn't like you Doffy. I can't tell if you're getting sloppy or going soft." The word punctuated with a knee pressed between his legs. A move that made Doffy twist and lower just an inch more. Perhaps all it took to take what he wanted was to threaten her life like this? Though the sting of his side was distracting. "Perhaps if we kill each other the boss will understand. You think?" Her words were raspy as she struggled to speak, his hold tightened around her neck so did hers at his side. The stalemate was locked. "D-do you think you could choke men faster? At least afford me the respect of a quick death." A small cough echoed through the hall, specks of red sprayed from her lips and splashed against his cheek. That long tough of his swiping out to taste some of the warm drops that caught just under his lip.

"Would you like that?" His question was short, forced as if he didn't mean to ask. "Die by my hand, right here?" Just in case he lessened his hold letting her suck in a deep breath of much needed air. The pink returned to her cheeks as blood flooded back and beat heavy under his fingertips. "Is that preferable to being married to a god?"

Red laughed. It was wet and strained but a laugh none the less. "....Can't I have both?"

Something snapped in Doffy. Surging forward he caught her lips against his own as the taste of iron flooded his senses. His hold releasing to tug her forward and keep her deep against his kiss flushing their bodies as close as he could in a near possessive hold. To be with him, and to be killed by him. What a beautiful thing to say. From her shoulder down to her chest his hand crept. Feeling every inch of her form though the tight cotton of her captains jacket feeling over the thick stains he could only guess the origins of. She felt firm yet soft in wonderful places. Wiggling under him as his mouth dominated her far smaller one. Tongue mapping out each inch it could find as if committing it to memory. Here, right against the steps to his throne where anyone could see, dripping with his own blood as her claws still sunk their way deeper into his side refusing to give up their hold just in case he took her up on such a wonderful request.

His cheek felt hot at first. Registering that before the sting and force that sent his face snapping to the left. Forcing him from his desired place against her lips. Glasses slipped down his nose, caught only by her own fingers that came to settle almost carefully over his face to keep them in place. He stilled, unsure how to act having never been struck in such a way before, at least not while he was tongue deep in someone else. Swallowing down the urge to snap her neck or dive back in. Was she toying with him?

His side was burning, Red was slowly shoving him back and off her which he at least for now obliged. Shuffling back on his feet to stand at his full high. Perhaps towering over her would do him some good and help him clear his head. He watched as she followed with a bit of a stumble. The back of her sleeve wiping across her mouth, an action that made his eye twitch and jaw clench. Though she was still bleeding he was a tad offended. "How many years has it been?" She wasn't looking at him, the question catching him off guard with how casually it was asked. Earning a hum from him. "That we have known each other."

Doffy gave a shrug. The feathers of his coat fluttering back into place behind him. "Years?"

She gave him a look, making a show of dusting her ass and coat as if his floor was dirty. It would have been if she hadn't slapped him. He should pout, and he did a little. Hands stuck on his hips as he stared her down. "It's not every day I threaten a woman's life, kiss her and she asks me how long we've known each other..."

"That's because all the women you kiss or threaten are women you hired." Fair. Her laugh was a bit rude however.

"Cheeky as ever. Care to tell me why you're asking now?"

Red tapped her chin, a bit of blood still stained the corner of her mouth and Doffy had a strange urge to reach out and wipe it away. He suppressed it by focusing on the dulling pain in his side only for it to remind him how much he enjoyed her. "I'm trying to remember...when the last time I was kissed like that."

A strange thing. Sure he had thought about it many times but this was the first time Doffy had ever acted on his impulses with Red. And no other ten foot tall heavenly demon was out prowling the seas. Much less getting so close to Bloody Red. The thought of someone doing so boiled his blood just a tad. Doflamingo held no claim to the captain. He was not in the business of being tied down in a relationship with anyone. Most were disposable to him regardless of their status in his life. And even still his thoughts of Red until recently had be carnal at best. She was attractive, capable and most importantly just as ruthless as he was. Never bothering him about morals or rules, caring very little or not at all for the lives he took. She was all passion and freedom. Bowing to no man and playing with her own rules. This marriage was a matter of convivence. For all it mattered she could live on the other side of the palace and never speak to him again. Not that he wanted that. Having her curled up in his bed seemed...peaceful in an odd sort of way. But it wasn't until these past minuets that Doflamingo, Warlord, and King felt something different. Perhaps it was because she played this game with him. Just out of his reach. Untouchable, unharmable yet always right behind him. So in tune with his every desire giving only want he needed and never want he wanted.

He touched his glasses, still firmly on his face thanks to her quick action. Those were the things that made his heart catch in his throat. Perhaps he should go back to hating her....

"Ah! I remember!" Doffy snapped out of his thoughts. Hunching forward with a grin, excited to hear what she was on about.

"A man who kisses like me? I'm all ears my dear, please!"

Red looking out at the chairs lining the widows, each marched with a special symbol. A please for the high in his family.

"Of course you kiss just like your brother."

#fanfic #Doflamingo #donquixote doflamingo #donquixote corazon #one piece #doflamingo x reader

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cozy-the-overlord · 3 years

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Dances and Daggers

Summary: The Summer Festival is upon Asgard, as is the tradition of the dagger ceremony, where each unmarried gentleman chooses a lady to bestow with the honor of carrying his dagger for the night. As Prince Thor’s betrothed, Teki’s only goal is to accept his dagger with grace and hope that her violent stepfather doesn’t find fault with her in the process. But Prince Thor is unpredictable, and when he ignores his engagement on a whim Teki finds herself in a desperate situation. Luckily, Thor isn’t the only prince in Asgard…

Pairing: Loki x Original Female Character

Chapter 14: The Reckoning

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Word Count: 2,438

Chapter Summary: With Loki gone, Teki finds herself reaching a breaking point.

A/N: I’m sorry.

This chapter includes depictions of violence.

Thanks for reading!

TW: Graphic violence, child abuse

Tags: @lucywrites02 @gaitwae @moumouton4 @berriemalfoy @whatafuckingdumbass

if you want to be tagged, feel free to just send me an ask/message! :)

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The rest of the day passed in a blur. Somehow, Teki managed to return to her rooms, although she didn’t remember how—she was fairly certain the Queen had offered to escort her back, but she wasn’t sure if she actually had or not. Perhaps she was in shock, or perhaps her mother’s training to keep a mannerly expression was rooted deeper than she realized, but some way or another Teki made it back to her bedroom before she completely fell apart.

It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. She sobbed into the front of her dress, the words circling her head in an endless chant. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair.

He was the only person she had, the only person she could talk to, the only person who would listen. He was the only place were she could smile, where she could stretch out and actually breathe instead of suffocating all alone laced into a crimson dress. He was the only person in her life that didn’t have to care about her and somehow the only person who did.

And they had taken him away.

It was clear that her mother and Osvald had known about it. The dressmaker debacle made sense now—it was all planned, to keep her and Loki from protesting until it was too late. That night, Teki face down on her bed, hiccupping into her pillow, listening them whispering outside her door.

“It’s a good thing,” her mother was saying. “Even with her throwing a fit about it. I’m glad the King agreed. He was just mucking everything up.”

Teki turned her head to the wall, staring but not seeing. Empty vials of poison danced across her vision.

Was Daddy mucking everything up too, Mama?

She was still sniffling that night when her door creaked open just a crack.

“Teki?” Brant’s voice was hushed, uncertain. “Can I sleep with you?”

She quickly wiped her cheeks, humming in quiet affirmation as she grasped for her responsible voice. “Did you have a bad dream?”

Ever since he had learned to walk, Brant had been sneaking into her room at night, fleeing his bed and the snarling creatures he was certain lurked in the darkness. He had only stopped this a few months ago, after Osvald found them curled up together one morning and spent breakfast ranting on about how Teki was turning his son into a recreant.

But tonight, Brant shook his head as he crawled under her covers.

She frowned. “Then what’s wrong?”

He stared up at her with wide eyes that glistened in the faint moonlight coming in from the window.

“You’re sad,” he said.

Oh, Brant. Teki pulled him close, and he hugged her back. She rested her cheek against his sandy hair. It was nice to have somebody to hold on to.

“Yes, I’m sad right now,” she murmured. “But it’s going to be okay. I promise. I’ll be fine.”

“I have to take care of you,” he whispered solemnly. “Prince Loki told me I’m s’posed to.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Prince Loki?” she asked. “When did he tell you that?”

“He came while you and Mama were gone. He said they were sending him away and he had to talk to you. He said he’d be learning more magic things, so when he came back he’d be able to give me wings.”

Teki bit her lip. She wondered what he would’ve said, had he managed to get to her before they sent him off. She thought of the day of the Games, hidden away in the healer’s tent.

I don’t want you to marry my brother.

Next to her, Brant inhaled.“Teki?” he asked slowly, as if he were afraid to put the thought to words.“Do you think you could maybe marry Prince Loki instead?”

There was a lump in her throat as she pushed his bangs out of his face. “No,” she sighed. “It has to be Thor.” Saying out loud only made the cords around her heart pull tighter.

“I like Loki better,” he whispered, barely a breath.

Teki stared into the nighttime shadows. “So do I.”

Suddenly, Brant grinned through the darkness. "We could run away!” he hissed excitedly. “Prince Loki says there's secret tunnels all over Yggdrasil. We could go through one and meet Loki in Vanaheim!"

"Brant." She hadn't heard that one before, but it sounded like something the prince would tell her brother. Teki felt very tired. "That's just a story. They're aren't any secret tunnels."

"Yes there are! He told me where— I put them on my map!" He sat up, readying to crawl off the bed. "I'll show you!"

Teki pulled him back. She wished she had his steadfast belief in everything-- in magic wings and secret tunnels and happily ever after. As it was, all she could do was hold him closer. "It wouldn't work," she said. "They'd follow us and take us back. It wouldn't work."

For a moment, Brant seemed completely deflated, but then he perked up once again. “If I change my wish, do you think he could make it happen?” he asked excitedly. “Instead of the wings?”

Something about his face, the way hope seemed to radiate from his smile, crushed her even more.

“No,” she whispered. “Nothing’s going to change.”

…

The next week was less of a continuous period of time and more like a string of actions that looped over and over again. She dressed. She played piano for Frigga. She picked halfheartedly at her food. She waited for Thor to ask her to dance, then waited for him to move on once he had. She fell asleep to the empty throbbing of her heart.

Rinse and repeat.

Sometimes at night, she’d pull Loki’s dagger from its sheath and stared at her reflection in the polished blade, running her hands over the golden snakes on the hilt and wondering what he was doing. He had said he had always wanted to study in Vanaheim. She wondered if he was enjoying it. She hoped he was. Somehow, the thought that he was just as miserable worlds away from her as she was here made Teki feel even worse.

Her mother tolerated her gloom for a bit, but by the end of the week it was clear she was ready to move on.

“I had an idea!” she announced one day after barging into her room without warning. Teki had barely any time to shove the dagger into her nightstand drawer, but luckily her mother didn’t seem to notice her scrambling. “You know those little white cakes you love, that they make for the Winter Festival? I was thinking that perhaps we could convince the chefs to make an early batch. We’re nearing fall after all, and I can’t imagine that they’d refuse a request from the Crown Prince’s bethrothed!”

Teki mumbled a nondescript reply. Speaking to her mother—even looking at her—had suddenly become one of the most difficult tasks throughout the day. She avoided it when she could.

“Or, perhaps the three of us could take a day trip to the countryside! Remember that little cove we visited when Brant was a baby?”

When Teki didn’t even bother to answer this time, her mother huffed indignantly. “Tekla, I am trying here. You can’t just sit and mope in your bedroom forever.”

“Why did you marry Osvald?” Teki asked suddenly. It had been a question that had clung to her like a shadow for the last few days, Loki’s words rattling in her head. Your mother had a plethora of other options. Why Osvald? Of all people?

For a moment, her mother was stunned into silence. She laughed nervously. “Well, your stepfather and I met, and we got along very well, and we felt that we liked each other very much—”

“I don’t believe you.” The Teki of last month—the Teki of last week—would have fainted at the thought of such bitter words, but now she didn’t even flinch.

Her face darkened into a deep scowl. “What do you mean you don’t believe me?”

She should’ve stopped there, but the simmering resentment that had been bubbling within her for so long had just found a vent.

“Why did you really marry him?” she snapped. “What did he do to get you to marry him?”

“Stop!” her mother snapped. “I’ve had enough of this from you! You’ve had your time to sulk, now we have appearences to maintain.” She stormed from the room, only pausing briefly in the doorway to spit one threat. “If you won’t listen to me, then perhaps you should have a talk with your stepfather.”

The door slammed as she left. Teki sat in silence as the vibrations echoed in her eardrums. She had the sudden urge to scream—just to scream, at the top of her lungs until the windows shattered and the very foundations of the palace shook—but she swallowed it.

…

It came to a head the next day. She had just taken Brant for a walk in the gardens—his idea, as he insisted that looking at flowers always made people feel better. It had been sweet sentiment, and Teki tried her best to smile for him as they strolled past the lake, hoping that her brother didn’t realize that the sparkling water only reminded her more of Loki.

When they returned to their apartment, Osvald was waiting just inside. His cold glare immediately screamed trouble, but it wasn’t until she realized what it was that he was holding that Teki’s chest turned to ice.

“I found your little hiding spot.” His voice was low and dangerous as he tapped her father’s journal against his other hand.

Teki didn’t say anything. She watched the journal swing up and down against his palm, hypnotized by the soft beat of worn leather against skin. Besides her, Brant whimpered, gripping her hand more tightly. She didn’t move. Something kept her frozen in place, but it wasn’t the usual chill of fear. No, a single thought broke through the fog in her mind as she watched her only physical memory of her father dance in Osvald’s hands.

How dare you.

“You stole from us,” he continued. “You went through your mother’s things and you stole from us.”

“I didn’t steal anything.” She felt Brant stiffen at her words. You didn’t talk back to Osvald. They both knew this. They both knew what would happen if you did. But the fire blazing within burned through her caution.

Osvald was seemed taken aback by her bitterness, but he recovered quickly. “No?” He stalked closer to her, waving the journal in her face. “You’re lying to me now? Is this what I’ve raised? A filthy, lying little thief?”

“I didn’t steal anything,” she repeated. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her to drop her gaze, but she held her glare into his glittering eyes. How dare you. “That book is my father’s. It belongs to me.”

His scowl deepened. “I am your father. And I will not tolerate this behavior—”

“You’ll never be my father.”

She cried out when his fist crashed into her abdomen, doubling over as pain exploded across her ribcage and air rushed from her mouth. Her stepfather grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her backwards, slamming into the door. Colors splashed across her vision as her head smacked against the wood. Before she could completely lose her balance, Osvald yanked her up by the front of her dress.

“You think you’re tough, don’t you?” he hissed, throwing her back to the floor. Somewhere in the background, Brant was sobbing. “Brave little bitch.” His boot collided with her chest. Teki’s pained scream almost drowned out the sickening crack from her ribs. His foot came down again.

Her chest was on fire.

Teki coughed as she struggled to shield her abdomen, the taste of blood metallic and heavy on the back of her throat. He kicked her again, crashing against her lower back. When she gasped for her next breath, it felt like burning coals rushing down her airways.

“You never seem to learn, do you?” he snapped. She braced herself for the next blow, but instead her stepfather cursed.

Painfully, she craned her neck just enough to see her little brother pulling at Osvald’s arm. “Stop it!” he cried, tears running down his cheeks. “Get away from her!”

No—

Teki fought to get up but her limbs weren’t working properly, everything was throbbing, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe—

Brant shrieked in pain, a horrible screech that cut Teki to her very core. The room shook as a body hit the floor, Osvald growling words that she couldn’t hear over the pounding of her heart.

Get away him from Brant—get him away from Brant—

Her brother lay lifeless on the ground, Osvald towering over him like some malevolent spirit about to feast. Teki wasn’t sure how she made it to her feet, but once she did, she flung herself at her stepfather with the last shreds of strength she could muster.

He must not have been expecting her to move, because when she collided with him her meager effort was enough to send both of them tumbling to the ground. Her body howled as they hit the hard wood. She had barely enough time to gulp for air before Osvald had her pinned to the floor.

“Is that the game you want to play, you fucking cunt?” he snarled, his hand a vice around her neck. Teki thrashed against his grasp, but he only pounded her head against the floorboards. “Is this what you fucking wanted?”

She couldn’t breathe. Teki clawed at his hand in a panic as she battled for air, scanty gasps that were rewarded with a tighter grip.

She couldn’t breathe!

“Please!” she choked as his wild eyes bored into her. Her vision was going white around the edges. “Please!”

Osvald didn’t budge.

He’s going to kill me.

Tears flooded the corners of her eyes, running down the sides of her head.

Dead dead dead dead dead dead—

Please! she screamed in her head, for her voice no longer worked. Please! Mama! Norns! Somebody!

But it was only Osvald, panting down at her with eyes as black as Hel—

I don’t want to die!

Only Osvald, sneering mouth twisted in laughter because he knew no one else was coming—

… please …

But there was nothing. Even her stepfather dissolved into a million bits of sparkling glitter as Teki faded away into the white abyss.

#loki x ofc #loki marvel #loki fanfic #dances and daggers #dances and daggers chapter 14 #the reckoning

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