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magical-mistakes-vm · 2 months

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It is time for the Council of Elders meeting and to decide Jonathan's fate...

Mahala was still asleep when the time for the council meeting arrived. If it hadn’t been for all three of the warlocks checking on her, and being sure that she was fine and just resting as she healed, Vollrath would have stayed and told the council to fuck off and he’d deal with Jonathan as he saw fit.

Instead, Vollrath replaced his suit jacket, that had been wrapped around Mahala, with a throw blanket and prepared to walk down to the conference room with Baldur. The lingering scent of her perfume on the collar of his coat made him doubt his decision to head the meeting, and simultaneously evoked an overwhelming sense of protectiveness. “Anyone comes through that door but Bal or I, kill them, El. I don’t give a single damn who it is or what the fuck they want. I will not allow anyone to come for her from the meeting, but that does not mean that someone won’t sneak into the building to try to get some kind of weird revenge or some shit, if it’s gotten out to the Coven at large.”

If he managed to keep his temper till the end of the meeting, it would be some small miracle. Already he wanted to go down to the holding cell that Jonathan was in and end the man’s life; then spirit Mahala away to his mansion like some prince locking up his princess to keep her safe from dragons. He’d been worried about witch hunters the night before, yet it had been a member of his own Coven who had almost killed her.

“Don’t worry, Vol, I’ve got this. I get it, she’s special to you. Fuck, she’d damn special period. We don’t have a witch that powerful in the whole damn Coven. I’m not sure I’ve ever met one in my whole life. If you think I’m letting anyone near her, you are insane.” Elmar reassured him. He kept his voice calm and level. Of the three of them, he always was the one with the longest fuse, and at the moment that was a good thing.

Vollrath nodded, then went over and placed a soft kiss in the middle of Mahala’s forehead. His breath stuttered slightly, the expression on his face tight and pained. “I will make up for this, meine kleine Hexe. Just don’t hate me when you wake up again.” His fingers almost trembled as they ghosted over her forehead and down the side of her face, the softest feather light touch. It was as if he was afraid one false mood could literally cause her to shatter.

Clearing his throat, Vollrath stepped back, straightened his suit, and then he and Baldur left the room. All the way down to the conference room they discussed in hushed tones their ideas on what punishments to put before the Council. Banishment from the Coven seemed the least that could be accepted, binding of magic next, and then there was full death for the attack. Normally Vollrath would make decisions on his own, but everything about the situation demanded the Council of Elders take action. It had been a long time since the Council had been invoked, and he knew that none of them would take it lightly that it had been now.

****

The video had been watched repeatedly, slowed down, and even parts enlarged so the Council of Elders members could see more detail. The Council had been deadlocked for over two hours, at times almost shouting at one another in disagreement of what the appropriate next steps and punishment should be. If no one changed their vote, another option would have to be devised and voted on. Vollrath informed the room of this once more, and prepared for debate again, something he was dreading. He had not anticipated this. He really had thought that the vote would not be very contentious.

Then the door to the meeting room opened. “It’s not a tie, dear brother, there is one vote left that has not been cast. So, you will not have to come up with another option. And, looky here, I’m it.” Every head in the room whipped around to the door of the conference room. Eyes went wide, a few scooted back from the table, gasps were heard, both Vollrath and Baldur were on their feet, but it was a toss up which of them was more shocked. “What? I mean, I do still get a vote, right Vol? You haven’t taken me off the Coven Council of Elders ranks have you?”

“No.” Vollrath felt his mouth go dry as he stood staring at his brother Balor. The last time he’d seen him had been four years before, and it had not ended well. If it wasn’t for his voice, Vollrath might not have even recognized him. Balor’s dark blonde hair was darker and longer, pulled back now, his beard longer than it had been before, but his startlingly blue eyes were as piercing as ever. He cut an imposing picture, his shoulders taking up the breadth of the doorway, arms crossed over his obviously muscled chest, and standing straight to his full six and a half feet height.

“You still have your seat, Balor. It was you who walked away from it, if you remember.” Vollrath fought to control his tone and expression as his brother entered the room with what could best be described as a strut. It caused Vollrath to straighten, but even then his brother had just over four inches on him. They had always looked similar, but at the moment, they were opposites. Where his brother looked like he could be a performer at a metal concert, Vollrath was in his finely tailored suit, perfectly trimmed facial hair, his auburn hair shorter and neater, and his eyes the ever changing hazel that had led his grandmother to bequeath him with the title of the Lion of the Nachtnebel.

“Good, I didn’t think so. I do apologize for my tardiness, it seems my invitation got lost in the ethos. Thankfully, a kind soul did ensure it got delivered in time for me to attend.” Balor smirked as he strode further into the room, expression smug and stride cocky. Only his brother and Baldur could match him in abilities and magic in the room, and he knew it. He did have to wonder where Elmar was, although glancing around, the little witch he’d heard so much about was absent too. “Play the video again, dear brother, I’d like to see for myself what transpired. I’ve heard the allegations, but I don’t like to vote on rumors and second hand information.”

Baldur slid his phone into his inner suit coat pocket with the mic facing up. Elmar was now on speakerphone so he could hear who just arrived, and not be surprised if anything went down. There was no doubt that Balor would press things, he always did, so better to be prepared. The fights between Vollrath and his brother had been legendary since they were children, and had not lessened as they got older. Since Mahala was affected by unshielded magic, it might be best for Elmar to be ready should the Nachtnebel boys go head to head once more.

“Of course.” Vollrath didn’t sit, but hit the button to play the video again. No one other than Balor was watching it as it once more ran though, projected on the screen. The rest of the occupants of the room were watching him, uneasy at his sudden appearance. How had he learned of this meeting? While he technically had a seat on the Council, most in the Coven feared him if not outright disliking him as well.

“I see. Interesting.” Balor commented once it had finished. One hand stroked his beard as his head tilted to the side, a silence stretched for a few minutes as he considered things. “And half of you are ready to allow Jonathan to escape with just banishment for his attack on the witch?” Balor’s gaze swept the room, landing on every one who had voted for just the banishment. “You really think that should be the only punishment for that attack?” His eyes narrowed, and Vollrath could swear his brother’s eyes seemed colder than he’d seen them before.

No one said anything. No one even moved. The room was so silent that even the smallest brush of fabric or deep breath sounded loud. Balor regarded them all with a bit of condescending amusement. This is why he kept to himself and his small group; hypocrites, the whole lot of them. Was his brother proud of this Council? Of these Elders who were afraid to voice condemnation for the violence they all saw?

“I want to see her.” He spoke to his brother, but noticed Baldur tense next to him. That was interesting. Vollrath, he expected to react, but that Baldur did and Elmar was missing meant this woman was important. He wanted to know how important, and to whom exactly. It seemed there was much more going on than he had been informed of, than maybe anyone had.

“Why do you want to further traumatize her, Balor?” Vollrath’s voice was eerily calm. Even Baldur was concerned how calm he sounded. With all that had gone on during the day, he’d expected more of a reaction. Balor was the last one that Vollrath had expected to see show up. He rarely cared about general Coven business and now something regarding Mahala hung in the balance. The universe had to be hating him for some reason. How had he been notified of this meeting?

“I don’t and I won’t. I was called to be here, I want to meet the one who has someone around you VERY concerned. Then I will vote.” Balor’s smile took on a sarcastic edge as he dared his brother to deny him. If he’d been paying attention, Vollrath already knew what he was going to say, there was no reason to keep him from meeting the woman. Or was there? Was there more than the video showed?

“Baldur, please escort Balor to my office.” Vollrath was once more almost too calm. He knew that Balor was looking for a reason to strike out, to make a scene before all of the Elders. At least that was how it felt to Vollrath, who had more than once faced his brother’s anger for being passed over for Master Warlock. If this was a test, he did not intend to fail, and he knew that Mahala would not.

Baldur nodded and led Balor from the room. “You will not upset her, you will not intimidate her, and you will not hurt her in any way. Elmar is with her, and if you do anything…”

“Save it, Baldur. I’m not going to. Something is up with my brother and I want to know what. You don’t think I can read him?” Balor interrupted him, and made it clear what his intentions were as they walked down the ball. “I am not going to challenge him in that room, but this I can do. That you and Elmar are standing by him means he has not lost the faith of the general Coven, and that he's on the right side of this….whatever the fuck it is.” His brows rose as he tipped his head and looked over to Baldur.

“Your brother hasn’t even slipped a bit, Balor. I’m not sure why you would think he had.” Baldur’s brows drew together. How had Balor known about the meeting? The vote? And Mahala? Someone in the Coven was talking out of turn. That it was to Balor was not that big of a concern, but if they talked farther it could be. Maybe it had been a bad idea to leave Balor out of the Council of Elders' call, but that still meant someone else had decided to involve him. Who else had someone decided to involve?

“I did not even flex my magic in the slightest, I pulled it back to be honest. She is very weak physically and drained, I felt the pull on my power, and wasn’t sure it was safe to let her feed off a strong tap not knowing her abilities. I can heal her if one of you two is not going to, however. I can feel residuals of Vollrath’s magic on her, so I know he tried and she is quite powerful in her own right when not drained, but she could use some help, Baldur. I did no harm. Ask Elmar if you doubt me.” Balor was now extremely concerned. He also understood why his brother seemed off. This witch needed protection, and instead had been attacked, in Vollrath’s own office no less. He was quite sure that at one point, she had been on the brink of death, even with her supernatural powers. This was what was causing her delay in healing, Jonathan had caused that extreme of damage. He pulled his powers back even further as he read the situation unfolding around him, and guarded his thoughts and emotions. There would be a time for expressing them later.

When they reached the door to the office, Baldur knocked, then entered first. “Mahala, this is Balor, Vollrath’s older brother. He wanted to come meet you before the final vote is cast in the meeting of the Coven Council of Elders.” His eyes then met Elmar, who looked none too happy about the other warlock being there as he helped Mahala to her feet. Baldur watched her with concern, she still looked unsteady. Regret over the antics from the morning weighed heavy on him after all that had happened afterwards.

Mahala stood, still looking shaken and drawn hours after the incident had happened. Shaking Balor’s hand, “it’s a pleasure, Balor? I’m sorry, my head is still…” She raised her hand to her temple then reached over to grab Elmar’s arm for balance quickly. Her breathing deepened, and Elmar took her hand off of his arm so that he could wrap it around her back, and get her back to the couch to sit down. She was getting pale and clammy. “Sorry...Sorry…” Her voice was slightly slurred.

“What did you do?” Baldur leaned forward and all but growled in Balor’s ear. Magic crackled in the air from both Baldur and Elmar. “If you hurt her…”

Elmar got Mahala some water, and ran his fingers gently over her forehead as she relaxed back over on the couch. He remembered that not only had she been choked, but slammed into the wall a couple of times by Jonathan. Maybe she had been more injured than they had originally thought. He’d just been relieving her headaches and nausea, but it seemed that more than symptom relief might be needed for the future.

“I now cast my vote for death. Immediate would be most prudent.” Balor watched Vollrath’s surprise. “It has been hours since the attack, I can feel the residual magic of not only the Master Warlock of this Coven, but also of his two Seconds upon her still, and she is not fully healed. When she rose to greet me, she could not stand more than maybe ten seconds without getting dizzy and almost passing out. Jonathan did not merely physically attack her. If she had been a normal human she would be dead; if she were not such a strong witch, I also believe she would be dead, so the punishment should fit.” He saw the glances around the room. He was quite sure they expected him to diverge from Vollrath’s desire, but he could find no argument to do that. That didn’t mean he was without more questions about Mahala, however.

“El, is what Balor says true? Do you need help, or have you got this?” Baldur asked when he saw the concern that was etched on Elmar’s face. If anything happened to her, Balor would learn even more how much Mahala meant to his brother. Vollrath might be the one to carry out a death sentence personally and instantly, something that hadn’t been done since his father had been Master Warlock.

“I’ve got it, I think. He’s right about it, she’s still got a lot of healing to do. Oh, and he also didn’t do anything, he wasn’t lying.” Elmar looked back and nodded. As much as he didn’t like Balor, he wouldn’t lie about that. “I’m wondering if she has a more serious concussion than we thought. Jonathan slammed her up against the wall more than once, the walls in this place are concrete block, it could have done some damage. When the meeting’s over, talk to Vol. Probably don’t want to let her sleep tonight or be alone.” Elmar wasn’t looking at them, he was focusing on the healing he was doing, and helping Mahala relax. If he had looked, he would have seen neither man was happy with what he’d just said.

“I’m ready to vote, let’s go back.” Balor didn’t even wait for Baldur before heading to the door, his voice was clipped and short. He had been able to read all he needed to know. His brother’s residual magic, Baldur’s residual magic, Elmar’s magic, and the strength of her own, coupled with the fact that she was still healing meant Jonathan tried to kill her and almost succeeded. There was nothing else he needed to know. He hadn’t expected that. He’d seen the tape, he only had wanted to meet the woman, and he knew that Vollrath would not deny him. Instead, he’d gotten a lot more insight into things than he’d counted on.

Baldur had barely caught up with him when Balor entered the boardroom once more. He looked around at all assembled with condescension before meeting his brother’s inquisitive gaze once more. “Interesting witch you have in your office, Vol. Also, still seriously injured.” Balor didn’t even try to hide his irritation as he looked around at the faces of the others again, noting their confusion and shock at this. “Elmar is taking good care of her, at least there is a strong warlock to do the healing. I give you credit for that, Vol.” He inclined his head to his brother, who seemed to be confused where he was going with everything.

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theexodvs · 4 months

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The intimacy "touch-starved" men desire can be found within the covenant of marriage.

#touch starved #touch starvation #Touch starvation isn't real #Touch starvation is not real #Touch starvation doesn't exist #Touch starvation does not exist #Marriage #Covenant of Marraige #Covenant #Marriage covenant #men's emotions #male emotions #emotional men

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unfriendlyamazon · 11 months

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more tales from twitter... one of the few things i miss was the relationship memes going around anyway here’s one for my fav toxic ship

#i don't have a ship name for these two #my headcanon for pegasus is actually marriage is very important to him #it's a sacred covenant #pegasus j crawford #maximillion pegasus #bandit keith #keith howard

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pandoratheprocrasticreator · 1 year

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au where the day of unity isn't until decades later and luz never comes to the boiling isles. willow somehow still gets transferred to the plant track and gets really good at her craft. amity never learns that bullying is bad, actually and they never reconciled in school.

and years later, blight industries is the most affluent company on the isles. odalia continues to be allergic to letting amity, who is her only child at this point to not run away from home the moment they turned 18 and cut all contact, associate with witches of "lower social standing."

so eventually when odalia tells amity that she's going to find her a nice respectable spouse amity just rolls her eyes and goes with it. maybe its some other heir to a big company. maybe it's a captain from the emperor's coven. maybe it's even the golden guard, if hunter managed to survive that long.

and then eventually she finds out that her mother has been trying to get her a date with PLANT COVEN HEAD WILLOW PARK

you've seen the countless amity x hunter miserable arranged marriage aus get ready for the amillow friends to enemies to arranged marriage to friends again to lovers 50k slowburn

#toh #the owl house #shut up pandora #amity blight #willow park #odalia blight #amillow #the hunter and amity arranged marriages were interesting unfortunately what the fandom didnt know then #was that there was no way belos would ever let a clone of his brother marry a witch bc belos thinks they all have cooties #i discussed this with my friends mandareeboo and yardsards and if they want to add anything they should feel free to #anyway im thinking odalia uses her connections to get audiences with the emperor #and every day shes like oh emperor you know my daughter is very beautiful and talented and of marriageable age #wont you introduce her to a respectable member of your coven #and belos gets so annoyed that in the end he forces willow to marry amity to get odalia to stop bothering him #and here willow would be kind of fucked up too #you dont become a coven head without doing religious trauma on the members of your coven #id like to think if no one was able to help her become confident like luz did when she discovered her plant powers #she would have overcompensated by becoming a horrible person as well #she would have tried to emulate boscha and amity bc to her thats what strength is #idk how gus fits in maybe hes also a coven head maybe he acts as willows guilty conscience maybe hes chilling

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shinobicyrus · 1 year

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Last year, the Republican Party of Texas added language to its platform calling for an end to no-fault divorce: “We urge the Legislature to rescind unilateral no-fault divorce laws, to support covenant marriage, and to pass legislation extending the period of time in which a divorce may occur to six months after the date of filing for divorce.”

It’s not just Texas: A similar proposal is presently being workshopped by the Republican Party of Louisiana. The Nebraska GOP has affirmed its belief that no-fault divorce should only be accessible to couples without children. At the Republican National Convention in 2016 — the last time the party platform was overhauled — delegates considered adding language declaring, “Children are made to be loved by both natural parents united in marriage. Legal structures such as No Fault Divorce, which divides families and empowers the state, should be replaced by a Fault-based Divorce.” (It’s unclear whether the party’s twice-divorced nominee for president weighed in on the debate at that time.)

#Oh what a fucking surprise #this really telegraphs what the Right thinks about marriage #not that it's a contract between to equal partners #but it's a covenant built on the altar of Masculinity and ''the Family''#the smallest social unit in which a man can exert Control #his own personal fiefdom #it doesn't matter that No Fault divorce has *Demonstrably* saved lives #what matters is that - as explained by the article - 2/3rds of No-Fault divorces are initiated by women #it's an escape hatch #and Conservatives - in the name of *Their* ideology #want to nail shut #not for the safety of women #not even for the well-being of children #who have to live in a household where one of their parents is miserable and effectively coerced by the state to remain there #it's about the Ego of Men #and it's about power #the well being of everyone else involved is secondary #Divorce #No Fault Divorce #Patriarchy #Sexism #Christo Fascism #Christian Fundamentalism #Republicans

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elrondsscribe · 1 month

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I’m new to this fandom so I may be speaking out of turn, but the concept of ship wars here of all fandoms is baffling to me

Like are all these vampires canonically not part of maybe a handful of big messy drama-filled polycules worldwide?? Like 5 tops?

(Except Lestat at some point at least tried to fuck basically everyone, so really one massive polycule lol)

#multishipper elvella strikes again #tvc meta #elvella rambles #like c’mon gang #not to invalidate anyone #but for example the idea that loumand ‘invalidates’ loustat is objectively hilarious #like are they all baptists in covenant marriages or something?? 🤣 🤣

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xmcu-fietro · 1 year

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I know this is just a rumor but YES YES YES

#PETER MAXIMOFF FANS THIS IS HOW RALPH CAN BE IN THE SHOW #look even putting my love for Peter Maximoff aside if marvel misses this opportunity to have Ralph and Agnes interact as the ‘enemies stuck #in a fake marriage’ that they are then what’s the point. like imagine the comedy #that dynamic would be hilarious #i'm in the middle of writing a fic (Peter as 'Ralph' POV) that starts right when the hex ends and 'Agnes' shows up at her house #so be on the lookout for that at some point #peter maximoff #quicksilver #ralph wandavision #ralph bohner #peter maximoff truther #wandavision #agatha harkness #agnes wandavision #agatha coven of chaos

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twicearoundthesun · 1 year

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[coven au]

Sana woke abruptly as the door to her chambers flew open. Panic cleared the sleep from her eyes immediately; she reached for Mina and pulled the girl towards her, towards the side of the bed furthest from the door –

“It’s me, it’s only me!” Momo’s voice was rushed, breathless. She’d run here. Sana heard the chamber door close and two locks deploy.

“What’s going on?” Mina’s voice was raspy with sleep. “Why do you sound so scared?”

“We have to run. Royal soldiers are here. They took your brother-”

“What!? Why!?” Mina stood from the bed.

Momo shook her head. “We have to go. Please, please pack a few things. My father will send men after us with more supplies to get us through a few weeks until this is sorted-.” She said, beginning to rifle through Sana’s wardrobe and toss thing in a bag. “We’ll stay at my uncle’s hunting cottage until this is over.”

“Momo, slow down! What’s going on!?” Sana couldn’t keep the fear from her voice.

“I’m not going anywhere without my brother.” Mina added, though hers wavered too.

“Mina.” Momo’s voice sounded pained. “They arrested him for possessing magic.”

“What? Possessing? The King – He knows my family has always had magic, Kai’s never used it, my dad is friends-”

“The King is dead.”

Sana’s mouth fell open.

“He was assassinated last night. The Prince commands the royal army. He –” Momo’s voice was thick with emotion as she paused. “They pulled Kai from our bed and arrested him.”

“The law is no magic can be practiced. He might have magic, but he’s never used it. Just like you two. He’s innocent.” Through the dim moonlight, Sana and Momo met eyes. Mina continued. “I’m sure my father is working to clear his name as we speak.”

“The new king sees anyone with the ability to use magic as a threat. I don’t think your father can clear this overnight, Mina.”

“Kai is not a threat!”

“Kai is an example!” Momo’s voice boomed as she finally lost her patience. Sana caught a familiar shine in her eyes as Momo grabbed Mina by the shoulders, making her look up. “Kai is an example. No one is safe, anyone with magical abilities – no matter how powerful, no matter if they’re buddies with the royal family and in line to be governor of the most powerful province in the stupid kingdom – is going to be hunted down and prosecuted. Okay?”

Mina didn’t say a word. Sana didn’t breathe.

“And I just – I have to get you two out of here. Before they come for all three of us, I need to get you two to safety while our parents work this out. So please, please get out of bed and pack your things.”

The door handle rattled. The three of them froze. Momo’s hand went to her belt, and Sana shuddered as she realized Kai’s sword shone from under her robes.

A sudden force bent the door, but it held strong. A ram. Whoever waited outside the door knew they’d need to take it by force.

A few seconds of stillness. Then, they jumped into action.

Momo began to push furniture against the doors. Sana pulled Mina to her, out of bed, to the window. She dug in the chest underneath it, pulling out the rescue ladder her father always insisted she knew the location of. Looped it around the cast iron chock hidden by the chest. Sana had always thought he was paranoid.

Whoever was on the other side of the door had come back with friends, and now even the furniture creaked under the force of them hitting it.

“GO!” Momo rushed towards them, and Sana climbed out quickly, urging Mina to follow. As she joined them on the window ledge, Sana watched Momo unleash an inferno, setting her room ablaze. Mina gasped. She’d never seen Momo use her power before.

CRACK!

Sana jumped, shaken from the memory by the sharp sound of an axe against wood. She heard a snicker.

“In your own little world there?” Momo smirked, drawing back to strike the stump again.

“Not anymore.” Sana mumbled. She watched Momo set up another piece of wood and step back. Her best friend was truly a sight; here Sana was, bundled to extremes in furs and cloaks while Momo wore nothing but simple pants and a sleeveless tunic. Her muscles stretched under her skin as she brought the axe up. The snow was beginning to come down harder, melting as it landed on her but clinging to Sana’s robes.

“What were you thinking about?”

“When you burnt all of my possessions to the ground.”

Momo tilted her head and split another log. “Was that the same night I saved your ass from certain death?”

“Hm, guess it was. Aren’t you cold?”

“Not in the slightest.” The axe came down again.

“Well, I’m cold.”

“Go in the tent.”

“I’m keeping you company.”

Momo only rolled her eyes and continued her work. Sana stood, opting to help out by passing Momo the whole pieces of wood for her to split. They didn’t say a word for a few minutes – until Momo’s stomach growled loud enough for Sana to hear while she was passing off a log.

“Wow.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Is there anything left to eat?”

A small pause. Another crack of the axe.

“No. I can go back out after the storm. Visibility’s only getting worse.”

Sana nodded. She would go scavenge later, though she knew not to expect much. They hadn’t had full stomachs since the first frost. They weren’t going to starve yet, but she didn’t know how much longer they could scrape by like this. While Momo made sure the cold itself wasn’t an immediate problem, the scarcity of food still seemed likely to kill them, eventually. She couldn’t bear it.

“This cold is worse than anything we’ve had before this.” Sana started the conversation for what felt like the fiftieth time. “We’re really getting into winter, now.”

Momo nodded slowly, focusing on her work. She knew what Sana would say next.

“We should reconsider moving on. Somewhere warmer, where food is easier to find.”

“If we leave the province, they’ll have a harder time finding us once they get this sorted. My father told us to stay within the borders.” The answer was almost practiced at this point. Momo took the next log from her hands.

“He also told you he’d have it worked out before the snowy season. It’s been silence from home for months now.”

There was no rebuttal to that, only a deep breath. The next log was split with intent, the two halves tumbling off the stump and far out of reach. She was ignoring the issue, shutting the conversation down once again.

“Momo.” Sana said, more sternly. “I don’t think anyone’s coming for us anymore. And – I know, that’s hard to admit. But I… I think we need to look out for ourselves now. It’s been almost a year since we left home, months since we left the hunting cottage… No one’s coming. We need to give ourselves the best chance at survival.”

“Our best chance of survival is here. As close to home as we can safely be.”

“Maybe at one point it was, but now – it’s time, we can’t stay and freeze. Food is getting impossible to find. The only news we’ve heard about the province capital… it isn’t looking good.”

“We have connections, immunity here. Leaving that would be stupid.” She said with a glare. Sana sneered.

“And what did those connections do when they took Mina’s brother to the gallows? Your betrothed, Momo.” She tensed, and Sana felt bad invoking him into the argument. But Momo needed to see that they wouldn’t be safe here. “He was killed because he was the governor’s son. You’re the one that told me that. There’s no use in staying here. There’s danger in it.”

“What about our families, Sana? Our home?” Fire burned in her eyes, almost literally. “You don’t want to be close to them? Ready to go back when this clears up?”

Sana’s heart hurt. “As long as the king sits on the throne, as long as this witch hunt is taking place… It isn’t going to clear up. You know that. We’re not going home. We have to admit that to ourselves.”

Momo didn’t answer, but the air filled with the faint smell of burning wood; she dropped the axe, the handle now scorched where she’d been gripping it with white knuckles. Her hands balled into fists at her sides.

The last time she’d seen Momo accidentally burn anything out of anger they’d been kids. But it was a difficult truth and she had been pushing it. She inched forward, until she was an arm’s length away. “Momo.”

The girl only shook her head, wiping away angry tears that Sana hadn’t noticed and then pressing her palms into her forehead with force.

“Hey.” Sana kept her voice soft. She gingerly put a hand on Momo’s back – she was warmer than usual to the touch. “Deep breaths. I’m... I’m sorry I brought Kai up. It’s been stressful lately and I pushed the issue.”

“But you’re right.” Momo’s voice cracked. “I don’t want to go further from home, but we’re dying, here. We’ve been starving for weeks. And now we have another mouth to feed. We don’t have enough food for us as it is. I… I should have left her in the forest.”

“You did the right thing, helping her.”

“I know I did. I shouldn’t have, but I did. I couldn’t leave her. She couldn’t have been older than Mina, and I just…”

“I would have done the same.” She ran her hand up and down her back. “You did the right thing.”

“I don’t want to leave.”

“I know you don’t. I don’t.”

“Leaving feels like admitting it’ll never go back to how it was.” Momo whispered, in such a defeated voice that Sana wished she could tell her she was wrong. She stayed quiet. “I don’t want to accept that we’ll never go home.”

“I know, Momo. But it’s going to be okay.”

“How can you be sure?”

Sana took a deep breath. She wiped some of the melted snow dripping down Momo’s face, and held her cheek.

“I can’t.” She rubbed her thumb over her cheekbone. “But as long as we have each other, we’ll be okay. Just like it’s always been. The dream team.”

“A third of the dream team is dead.” Momo whispered, tears finally spilling.

“And we have his baby sister. We swore to him we’d protect her, remember?”

“We were seven. We were protecting her from monsters under the bed, not... Not this. And she doesn’t want to leave, either.”

“We’ve always protected her, Momo. The last time she a suitor proposed to her, you lit his room on fire. We haven’t broken our promise yet. And I never intend to. ” Sana dusted off some snow. “So it’s time for us to move somewhere safer.”

Momo sighed. “I know... We’ll… We’ll talk to her. And the new kid. When they both wake up.”

Sana offered her a gentle smile. Momo only bit down on her bottom lip, turning back to the wood block and picking up her axe.

#momo isn't straight dw #they were just Best Bros in an Arranged Marriage bc Politics #coven au #samo #sana #momo #mina #twice au #witch au #twice fic #sorry this is a little scrambled #ive been editing it for days an you know what. Im just posting it because ive written two more coven au fills that are jammed behind this

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why-bless-your-heart · 2 years

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the more you honor marriage, the more you honor and elevate the religious life.

#Marriage is good!!!#It’s a covenant it’s a symbol of trinitarian love it’s a model of the church!!!#We need marriage!!! It’s so important!!!#And it’s precisely /because/ it’s so important that the religious life is a higher vocation #because you’re giving up an incredible good — the love of a spouse and children #for something even greater!!!#Where marriage makes the love of a man and woman visible #the religious life makes the love of God for man visible #it really is the better part.

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thebreakfastgenie · 3 months

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If there were spies at Los Alamos why didn't they expose who was fucking each other at Los Alamos

#I know it was not contained to the covenant of marriage

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magical-mistakes-vm · 1 month

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The meeting is over, but the conflict is just beginning...

"Who is she, really?" Balor asked when only he, Baldur, and Vollrath remained in the conference room. His eyes studied the two other powerful warlocks closely. There was no missing she was more than just a novice witch that had been innocently in Vollrath’s office. Something more was going on and Balor aimed to get to the bottom of it. "Don't bullshit me, little brother. I touched her, she is no average witch, and your two best friends are twitchy as fuck. You're barely containing yourself, and that isn't like you, Vol." A smirk formed as he waited for one of the two in front of him to answer.

"Mahala Codona. Last night I caught her in the forest near my mansion preparing to summon her mother's spirit, but the spell she was going to use was not one she was prepared for. Not to mention you can sense her strength of power, and she could see through double enchantment cloaking. I thought it best to bring her under my protection. She has had absolutely no training, and had no idea of her abilities." Vollrath left a ton out when speaking to his brother, and Baldur wasn't about to add anything. Neither of them had any idea how Balor had learned of the meeting, and for the moment that meant they trusted him just barely more than an outsider.

"So she's nothing to you? Interesting and positive." Balor’s brow rose and his smirk grew. He knew Vollrath better than that, and he was pressing buttons to see which would get his little brother to react first. It had been decades since a Coven Council of Elders had been called to hand out such a punishment as the one they had tonight. For it to have been called now meant there was a reason for Vollrath not to have made the decision alone. That reason meant one of the two in front of him had a vested interest in Ms. Codona.

"Should she be?" Vollrath’s head tipped and his eyes narrowed as he regarded his brother. What was Balor getting at? What did he know? Vollrath wasn’t sure, but he didn’t want to give too much away till he did.

"What if it is not Vol she means something to?" Baldur was not about to watch the two Nachtnebel brothers spar, and have Mahala hurt again by neither of them considering the fallout. Easier to just use a little subterfuge and get this conversation over quickly. Balor was less likely to take him on than Vollrath, so there wasn’t much risk. When Balor turned his attention to him, he met Balor’s gaze evenly, their blue eyes boring into one another. There was no doubt the elder warlock was trying to ascertain if he was being honest. Baldur had no intention of flinching.

"Interesting." It was all Balor said but his mind was turning that video over and over in his head, scrutinizing every small detail. There was still something wrong with the situation unfolding now in front of him. Why hadn't she had on Baldur’s jacket when attacked? It had been his brother’s, not something that Vollrath would have given out lightly. Any stray hair or attachment to him could be used against him. Why had Vol cut him off in the healing, and Baldur let him? Yes, Vollrath was the Master Warlock, but they were not so different in strength and ability for it to have made much of a difference. Why had they been trying to hide how badly she was hurt from Vollrath? If it had been Baldur or Elmar that she meant something to, then they would have been more upset, although it was clear she did mean something to Baldur. So, Baldur was covering for little brother, time to press a little harder and a slightly different button.

"Then Baldur, you will not mind if I see fully to her current healing, and personally do the initial set of enchantments and shielding? Consider it a blessing from the other half of the Coven." Inclining his head with what could be best described as a sarcastic smile, Balor completely ignored his brother, but did not have to see him to know the nerve had been hit. The very air of the room crackled with Vollrath’s reaction. It was all Balor could do not to gloat over having found the exact button to press to get right under his brother’s skin perfectly. That had been a little too easy.

"So a new witch brings peace?" Baldur didn't trust him. However, that is exactly what Balor had just implied with his statement.

"She is a Codona. She is THE Codona. The lost witch. Of course it is going to." Balor smirked and raised his eyebrows, letting the statement hang in the air with no further clarification.

Baldur glanced at Vollrath. What was he missing? "Which means?" Something told him that he was going to absolutely hate the answer that was coming, but he had to know.

"Her father is Bazyli." Balor now grinned like a fool, and watched all color drain from Baldur’s face. The other warlock had no clue, nor did Vollrath from the looks of it. "So if you have intentions with her, you'll be joining the two Covens, and mending one gigantic ass rift. I have to say Baldur, I never quite pegged you as one with brass ones quite that big. So, of course I want to assist with that.” Sarcasm dripped like honey, pooling around their feet. “Or…." he looked directly at Vollrath, "has the Lion met his Lionessa, which is more of what I suspect. Her power is impressive, as is her ability to survive such an attack. If she is not, then I challenge you Baldur…" He felt the hard snap of Vollrath’s power, as his brother’s jealousy and anger started to get the best of him. There was the sign that had been exactly what Balor was going for to know that he wasn’t just under his brother’s skin, he’d struck a death blow to Vollrath’s ability to hide any semblance of the truth.

"Balor…." Just one word. Just his name. Vollrath didn't need to say more. His voice was full of warning in its tone, his hazel eyes narrowed and went jade green, his jaw tensed as he stood straighter, and his shoulders went back. No, this was not happening. Elmar and Baldur had been goading him teasingly, both were in serious relationship with witches within the Coven. Balor was serious and looking to challenge Baldur in a way that would take Mahala from him.

"She is a powerful, single, untrained, uninitiated, witch. I am within my rights as a Coven Elder and my level as a warlock. There is no ring upon her finger. The customs of the Coven are very clear. Unless there is a betrothal or other engagement to an Elder of the Coven, it is my right, as an Elder, to give challenge for rights to train, bring under apprenticeship, and more. She is exceptionally beautiful, so I will look forward to seeing what more there might be. I do have the right and you know it. I aim to exercise it RIGHT. NOW." Now it was Balor who looked aggressive, as he smirked at his younger brother, his eyes going from blue to an icy grey. There was little that Vollrath could say to argue with him, unless he were to reveal that she was in the beginnings of a relationship with Vollrath himself.

A knock at the door had both men stepping back and relaxing some. There was no doubt who it was. Neither wanted to cause a scene or bring Elmar and Mahala into the disagreement that they were so far not a part of. There was about to be a war in the room between the two Nachtnebel brothers, Elmar entering the frey was not needed.

"Guys, it's late. If you’re still having some kind of meeting, I'm going to take Mahala home with me and Savina. She's still having effects from what happened earlier, and really should be resting somewhere other than an office couch." Elmar was annoyed, and he let his gaze rest briefly on all three in the room to show it. Someone in the room was pissed off and trying to hide it, he guessed more than one someone.

"How is she?" Vollrath didn’t hide his concern from his face or his voice. His brother had already figured it out, and was looking for a fight. There was no reason to put Elmar further on edge by acting indifferent. This night had already gone straight to hell without adding more to it.

"Let’s see…you tried to give her a stroke over being jealous," Elmar noticed Balor’s rather surprised reaction to that news, but failed to care and continued, "then she's slammed twice into a wall, choked, almost killed, gets intimidated by your brother, and has several hours of the Council being here and none of them ratcheting down their magic. The fact she's still sane and her brain hasn't oozed out her ears might be a blessed miracle. Someone in this room is also about to go atomic, so please ratchet that down before she does decide to have a brain bleed, and I have to fix that too." His arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the other three in turn, lips thinning in irritation.

Baldur’s brows had been raised as Elmar unloaded on Vollrath. He was normally the calmer and reserved one, but it was clear he'd reached his limit. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen that happen with his friend. Looking between the Nachtnebel brothers, Baldur also noticed that Balor was studying Vollrath who once more looked frustrated with the whole situation. It was going to become a pissing contest and the whole building, if not area, would be the battleground. Hopefully Elmar could get Mahala out of the blast zone before that happened.

"No worries, Elmar, I have made challenge regarding Mahala. As such, she will come home with me." Balor gave no one time to react before he strode quickly from the room, leaving the others to try and catch up. He was grinning as he made his way down the hall. It was game time.

banner by @cafekitsune

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jellyfishinajamjar · 2 years

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The Owl House AU where Luz takes a lot longer to get to the Demon Realm. Everyone is grown up and in covens. Amity is in an arranged marriage to Hunter, and they both hate it.

Then Luz shows up, and they both fall for her.

Or: “Hey, my husband and I saw you from across the bar, and we hate each other’s vibes”

Some ideas:

Hunter is definitely pushing the max life expectancy for Golden Guards. This is helped in part by Amity being smart enough to figure out that every Golden Guard is the exact same height, build, and they all die young. Hunter doesn’t know the specifics, but he knows if Belos finds out he knows anything he would get killed. The two of them keep it a secret.

Hunter and Amity have separate bedrooms but a shared library. They’re good friends they just aren’t in love, and resent the artificiality of their marriage.

With Hunter running the Emperor’s Coven and Amity running Blight Industries, they don’t see each other very much outside of their house (Manor? Castle?)

Edric and Emira got disowned for tarnishing the family image (read: they ran away from Odalia’s abusive bullshit the literal second they turned 18). They couldn’t bring Amity with them, and Odalia made sure she couldn’t leave by getting her married to Hunter. Amity understands, and she’s glad they escaped, but she can’t honestly say she doesn’t hold some resentment for them, both for indirectly causing her arranged marriage and for leaving her behind.

None of the Grimwalkers had ever lived long enough to get proposed to, so Belos had no idea what to do about it. He signed off on it as a way to insure that Blight Industries was firmly under control. He secretly gets something of a kick out of trapping his brother’s grimwalker in a loveless marriage to a witch.

Because their marriage is basically an issue of national security / the Blight’s reputation, they have to keep up appearances as a couple. Odalia threatened the Twins, and Belos threatened Amity. Suffice to say, neither wants to fuck this up.

Speaking of the Twins, they ran away before they could get coven sigils. They do off the record healing for criminals fronted as a veterinary clinic. Edric is the public face, but it’s Emira’s illegal healing that keeps food on the table. Edric feels useless because of that.

Edric fronts in Beastkeeping and Emira in Healing, but since they don’t have sigils they can still do Illusion magic. They use that trick to fake sigils so they can operate semi-above board. They help Eda out on odd jobs / keeping the curse at bay with potions / babysitting King. Both dabble in potions enough to make the Boiling Isles equivalent of black market testosterone for Edric.

Edric is transmasc, and uses illusion magic to help with his image. It was that, coupled with Emira coming out as gay, that forced them to run away from Blight Manor.

I can’t decide if Hunter is out transmasc or transfem and hasn’t ever had the space to figure it out. On one hand if he’s transmasc there’s the angst of unsafe binding, and Luz gets a girlfriend and a boyfriend. On the other hand, if we go transfem there��s Amity helping her realize and helping with her gender expression while they’re in private, plus the angst of never being able to be out in public and the canon typical identity issues.

Willow graduated in the abomination track, but with Gus’s help managed to avoid getting a sigil. She studies plant magic in secret, and got a concealment stone from the Twins that makes it look like she has an Abomination sigil so she doesn’t get arrested. Because she can’t use the magic she’s actually good at without getting busted, she got a job with the twins in their clinic working the counter. Since the veterinarian service is run at a loss to give plausible deniability to the back ally emergency room / hrt dealer, it’s basically a charity case. She tries to help out wherever she can so she doesn’t feel like dead weight.

Gus and Mattolomule are dating.

Alador is still overworked making abominations, but Amity tries to make it easier on him.

Hunter has Flapjack. He just stumbled onto the Bat Queen while on a patrol and Flapjack stuck with him.

Terra is dead. She got super old and Raine pushed her off a ledge. I don’t know who the new plant coven head is. New plant coven head smokes pot

I’ll add more stuff as I think of it

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