#fic: Thus Always to Tyrants
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Thus Always to Tyrants
Chapter 1: The Start of the Fall
Gem is the commander of the Wintertide royal army, Grian is the leader of a resistance hell bent on taking the crown down no matter the cost. It was only natural that they would become enemies.
Chapter 1 (you are here) -> Chapter 2
Read on ao3 ❀ here ❀
CW: past/mentioned war, non-graphic violence.
Words: 6,493
Pov: Gem
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The tip of Gem’s sword punctured the dummy’s chest, right through the center of the worn out fabric X sewn into its burlap surface. She planted her foot right under where the blade was buried and kicked it away with enough force to send it crashing to the ground, freeing her sword in the process. The dummy rolled away from her, it’s sewn on face frowning up at her sadly in an almost comedic way as it went. She panted and stood up straight, rolling her shoulders to release some of the tension they had collected in the muscles.
Her ears were met with a round of clapping, and she turned to smile at the group of young knights and squires who had gathered at the edge of the training grounds to observe her sword play. She gave an elegant, somewhat exaggerated, bow before turning to look up at the sky. She shielded her eyes from the shining rays as she checked the sun’s position. It was just about noon by this point, if not nearing it. She should be on her way, lest she be late.
“That will be all from me, I’m afraid. I’m in danger of receiving a verbal lashing from sir Impulse.” She joked to the trainees with an apologetic smile.
“Do you really have to go?” One of the younger squires asked with big, pleading eyes. The others echoed the sentiment, all trying to convince her to stay and show them more.
“Unfortunately, yes, I do,” She said, “It’s a very important day today, as you all know, and my presence cannot be missed. Why don’t you lot work on what I just showed you until you are called to join us, and then you can show me your improvement another day. How does that sound?” There was a chorus of disappointed vocalisations, but they got back to their own work pretty quickly after a stern look was thrown their way.
She walked over to the fallen dummy and took a moment to stand it upright so that it was ready for the next person to use. She jogged over to where she had abandoned her water skin at the edge of the training ring, expertly tossing the practice sword she had borrowed into the designated barrel behind the dummies as she went. She took a few greedy gulps of sweet, crisp water before wiping away the sweat that had accumulated on her brow with the hem of her sleeve. Her clothes were damp with sweat and sticking to her skin, but where she was heading would be just as hot, if not more, so she was not worried about it.
She really should not have let herself be roped into showing off to the younger knights and squires, but how could she not? She simply could not resist their charms; she had no choice but to say yes when they came to her on her way out to beg that she show them a few basic forms. They reminded her far too much of her younger self, she supposed. Bright eyed, full of admiration, and ready and eager to learn. There had been someone once in her life that was willing to give in to her pleas and show her everything they knew, she only thought it fair that she be the same kind of role model in these kids' lives. She would just die if she didn’t live up to their expectations. If that meant she ended up a little late every now and then? So be it.
She hooked the skin to her belt and bid the young ones an enthusiastic farewell, which they returned with varying degrees of equal cheerfulness and disappointment, and with that, she was off. She darted through the servant's entrance and into the kitchen, where she quickly snagged a bread roll out of a basket on one of the counters, giggling at the indigent shout of “Commander!” from one of the cooks as she did so. She waved goodbye to them, and they rolled their eyes at her, crossing their arms as she rounded the corner into the hall.
She made her way through the corridors with the bread roll secured safely in her bite, the loud clanking of her armor bouncing off of the high walls. As she ran, she took the opportunity to fix her bun, which had gotten rather messy during her little showing off session. She tucked loose strands back where they belonged and tightened the binding holding the bun and the braid together. It probably still looked a right mess, but at least it was a little more presentable. With her hair out of her face, she took a large bite out of the roll, groaning at the sweet, buttery taste of it.
She haphazardly shoved the rest of the roll into her mouth and chewed as fast as she could without choking. She licked the flakey crumbs from her fingers and wiped the rest of the mess off on the skirt of her dress. Not the most polite or proper, and her mama would definitely scold her for doing it, but she had not the time to worry about manners. She was going to be late; later than she probably already was.
She waved to the on duty guard at the main door and he yelled for her to have a good time just as she exited earshot. She lifted up the hem of her dress as she ran down the front steps, trying to avoid tripping over the expanse of fabric. She stumbled a little on the final step, pinwheeling her arms in order to steady herself before carrying on her way.
She squinted against the sun in her eyes and slowed her pace to a light jog, a smile coming onto her face as she caught sight of her friends and the small group of guards waiting at the front gate for her. Impulse and Scott looked up as she skidded to a stop in front of them. She put her hands on her hips and bent slightly at the waist as she tried to catch her breath.
“Worry not, I am here!” She proudly declared as she straightened her stance.
“Here, and late.” Scott said from where he was leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and one foot propped against the stone. His long hair was pulled over his shoulder into a braid, a stray stand of the blue locks falling into his amused face. Impulse beside him stood more casually with his thumbs tucked into the belt around his waist. The eldest man stifled a laugh at her expense.
“I will have you know that I am barely late. It is hardly even noon yet!” Gem defended with her hands still on her hips, turning her nose up at him in a playful manner.
“Late is late, Commander,” Scott laughed, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming with delight at her defensiveness. Gem opened her mouth to continue the friendly argument, but was halted by Impulse’s hand’s clamping down on either of their shoulders.
“Alright, that’s enough out of you two. Let's be on our way before our absence is missed.” Impulse said. Despite being lower in rank than her, Impulse was the oldest out of them, and one of her best friends, so Gem took no offense when he gave her a light shove in the direction of the town.
Gem took the lead as they exited the front gates, bidding the guards up at the top of the tall wall a goodbye as she went. Truth be told, it really was not too much of an issue that they were heading out a little later than what they expected. She had long ago coordinated and dispatched another unit to go ahead of them early this morning. Not only that, but her presence was not something that was strictly required, it was a personal choice. Technically there was no way for them to be late to this event. Scott simply enjoyed pulling her leg, and she, his.
The journey to town didn’t take them very long - a journey that they could have made shorter had the capital not been too crowded to bring horses on a day like this - and in the blink of an eye they were entering the crowded city.
Stands and carts littered the usually empty streets, filled to the brim with rare goods and flooded by customers eager to get their hands on whatever was being offered. The decadent smell of cooking meats and spices filled her nose and caused her mouth to water, the faint hint of baked goods and perfumes lingering just under the surface. Lively music filled the air, as did laughter and conversation. Over the heads of many a passersby she could see a stage set up in the center of the city square, where a band was playing the jolly tune that could be heard.
If one was to look even further, they would also catch sight of even more booths and carts, designated entirely to games and things of the like. There were even places set up for the trading of livestock and furniture. Buildings were lined with decorations that were vibrant in colour.
The event wasn’t to officially begin for another quarter of an hour, but it appeared things were already in full swing.
The Festival of Good Tides; a yearly occurrence in Wintertide that was first established several years back after a truce had been called to end a three-year war between the kingdom and its neighbouring lands, Coral Crest. What was originally created as a way of boosting post war morale had become somewhat of a national holiday that the people looked forward to with great anticipation. Its popularity was also helped by the fact that the many activities and wares sold brought a large increase of income to the kingdom, something that many now relied on for the coming winter season, where food and warmth was a bit hard to come by without a bit of extra coin.
Though the festivities only lasted one day, the most was always made of it. Events and trading started at noon and extended into the evening until the sun had set and the stars had risen, from which point the king would make his appearance, give a speech and his blessing for the coming winter, and then the feast would begin. This grand dinner would go throughout the night and into the early morning, with more than enough food and alcohol to satisfy the masses provided by the castle.
Though it had only been a few years since the tradition had begun, its rise in popularity had been swift and widespread. People would come from all over the land just to partake in the joyous occasion, and get a piece of the financial opportunities that it offered.
During this time, Inns would become so crowded that people even took the opportunity to rent out rooms in their own homes to travelers. It was even common for those intending to sell to camp out with their traveling carts and stalls in the surrounding woods during the week leading up to the festival, so common that there were designated areas marked and prepped for them nearly a month in advance.
Gem never really got to enjoy the festival as the celebration that it was, preferring to act more as security so as to ensure that things didn’t get too out of hand, but it was still something that she looked forward to every year. It was one of many highlights that came from living in the capital. It reminded her of who she was here for, who she spent every day of her life training and fighting to protect.
It wasn’t too long ago that this land would have been rife with paranoia and poverty, the war having taken its toll on the people and the land itself. Gem basked in every second of the happiness that she could, while also remaining vigilant that nothing disturbed it. She would do anything to ensure that this time of peace lasted.
“I’m going to split off here,” Scott said, interrupting her thoughts. He jabbed his thumb over to the left of the path they were walking to indicate where he was going, “I think Jimmy’s stall is somewhere over there. I’m going to go see if I can haggle him out of some of the high-quality leather he sells before it is all snatched up. Assuming it hasn’t been already”
“Alright, we will see you at the feast.” Impulse said, giving him a rough pat on the shoulder as a farewell.
“Don’t forget to actually do your job while you’re at it.” Gem teased, punching him in the shoulder. She then motioned for two of the other knights to break off from the group to accompany Scott, and motioned for two others to go in the opposite direction, where she knew more knights were already patrolling. She didn’t want them too split up lest something happen and they need numbers, but it is never a bad idea to have eyes in more places.
“You know me, I’ve always got an eye out,” Scott replied.
“Give Jimmy and Tango my greetings” Gem cheerfully told him as he began to walk away, only to be met with a grimace thrown over his shoulder at her. She laughed at the expression. She knew that Scott’s relationship with his friend's partner was strained and awkward at best, and it was too much fun to tease him about it.
“I think I’m going to head over to my parents' cart. Would you like to come with me?” Impulse asked, looking around the crowded area to try and spot them over the masses.
“I think I am going to hang around the stage. A vast majority of fights always seem to break out in or around this area, so it is best I stay here for now.” Gem said, crossing her arms and scanning the crowd for anything, or anyone, that might be out of place.
“I know we’re here to keep an eye on things, but do try to have a little bit of fun, alright? This is, after all, a celebration!” Impulse insisted, gesturing towards the festivities with a broad sweep of his arms.
“I will do as I please. Give your mothers' my greetings, yes?” Gem asked, shooing him away and sending an extra knight after him with a gesture of her hand.
“Will do!” He gave her a two fingered salute before jogging away.
Gem would not lie and say she had not been tempted to go see Impulse’s parents with him. They were lovely people who adored her and always “snuck” handfuls of candy into the pockets of her dress when she wasn’t looking, but she had meant it when she said the city square and the stage were where 90% of the festival's problems broke out before the feast began, second only to the alcohol booths. Regardless of how rare issues actually were, though, she really would prefer to stay close so she can break up any altercations before they had a chance to escalate
She did, however, make a pit stop over to one of the meat carts to buy her and the remaining knights with her a rabbit and potato skew from one of the stands a little ways away from the center of the festival. It was a divine bit of food, and she would be a fool to not get some before it was all sold out. The bread roll she had snagged from the kitchen had done little to satiate her hunger and it would be foolish to work on an empty stomach, she reasoned as she thumbed coins over to the vendor and was handed a couple of skewers in return for her payment.
She distributed them among her remaining knights and then took a big bite out of the hearty meat as she led the way back towards the stage, just in time to catch the start of the next performance.
A stout young woman in a short sleeved, rose pink dress made her way up onto the stage with a bright smile on her face. A man followed behind her with a staff in his hand, and Gem grew giddy with excitement as she realized where this performance may be going. The man went down onto one knee and offered the woman the staff , which she accepted with a deep bow before he rushed off the stage.
She raised the staff, made of wood old and brittle with a glittering jewel entrapped in its spiraled tip, up towards the sky, and the crowd waited with bated breath. She whispered something under her breath, so quiet that it was sure not a soul in the crowd had heard her, but Gem watched her lips form the words, and she knew what was coming next.
For a moment nothing happened, and then light burst forth from the tip of the staff up into the sky in a coil of glittering gold. The strings of light rippled through the air before coming together to form the image of a bird big and grand, which spread its magneficent wings and flew over the crowd with a brilliant wooshing sound. The crowd screamed with delight and laughter as the bird let out a tremendous caw. It rose high into the sky before turning abruptly and diving straight for the stage floor. It exploded as it made contact with the ground, sending glittering shimmers of light, almost like millions of miniature stars, all across the wooden planks.
The crowd erupted into raucous cheers, which Gem joined in on, holding the now bare wooden skew in between her teeth in order to do so. The woman, her smiling face now red and shiny with sweat, bowed once more, holding her staff out to the side of her and placing a hand over her heart as she did so. She took a moment to wave to the crowd before rushing off stage to make way for the next performer.
What a brilliant performance, Gem thought. Magic in this day and age was a rare sight to see, so even simple spells like that were enough to leave most in awe.
Gem couldn’t even imagine what it had been like back in the day, when magic was rampant and widespread across the lands, when things like this were commonplace and about as impressive as someone tying their boots. Gem was well versed in what little there was to be known about magic, and it wasn’t a lot. There were very little records of that time long past, only a few books here, the odd fairytale there. There was barely even enough to tell the people of today that there was once a period of time where magic ruled the lands, and no one exactly knows what happened to it.
Now there were barely any folks left with any sort of magical inclination about them at all, and those who did had so little of it that they were barely able to do simple illusion spells like the one Gem just saw without being left utterly exhausted by their efforts.
She watched several more performances after this, ranging from a man who juggled an armful of colourful balls, a woman who balanced herself on the tip of a tall, slim poll, a woman who sang a beautiful song accompanied by her husband’s lute, a man who did a magic trick involving balls of fire, and many more.
Hours had passed and the next performer was just about to come up onto the stage when Gem caught something out of the corner of her eye. A swish of red fabric that was all too familiar to her; one of the reasons she always preferred to stay on her toes.
She inhaled sharply through her nose, sparks of anger already kindling in her chest as she whipped around to ensure it was who she thought it was, and without a doubt, it was him. There he was, standing there so close to the stage it would be no problem at all for him to climb upon it should he so wish to. He was eyeing the performer with an almost bored expression. Even with what little anonymity that stupid hood of his offered him, she would recognize him anywhere.
She marched towards the person, her hand moving towards her sword despite knowing she could not, and would not, use it in such a crowded space. Not when so many innocent lives were at risk of getting caught in the crossfire.
His head turned in her direction, his inky black eyes lighting up with amusement as he spotted her, a smirk spread across his bird-like face. He turned away and took off into the crowd, and Gem gave chase without a second thought.
He weaved through the crowd faster and faster, seamlessly avoiding bumping into people as he moved in a way not too dissimilar to a snake in the grass. She shouldered past people, yelling quick apologies to those who shouted in protest as she tried to keep up with the smaller man, his distinctive red cloak being the only thing that allowed her to keep sight of him through the tightly packed crowd.
He led her all the way towards the bustling merchant’s area. This part of the festival was full of richly coloured fabrics that were folded neatly along the surface of the carts that sold them, and there was a large variety of rare clothing article, which hung from racks in tidy rows on either side of her, easy to knock down and cause a fuss should she not move carefully. The air was thick with perfumes and the smell of dye, the scent thick and almost overpowering to her hard-working lungs as she ran through the area with delicate movements. He threw her a devious smile over his shoulder as he ducked under a rack of brightly coloured scarves, which she darted around, knowing she would not make it under.
She wasn’t a fool, she knew this was a game to him, and she wasn’t going to let him keep playing it.
The crowd was beginning to thin the further they got away from bustling city square, giving her the opportunity to increase her speed at last. Her armor rattled as she pushed herself to catch up to the nimble man, her blood rushing through her ears and her heart racing loudly. He attempted to duck into an alleyway, but she followed after before he could escape, turning sharply on her heels. She grabbed the back of his cloak, pulling him backwards and his hood down.
She ducked as a set of razor sharp talons ripped towards her face, messy pieces of her hair whipping past her field of vision as she grabbed the man’s wrist, bringing her palm up swiftly into his gut. He gasped as the air was knocked out of his small body. She took the opportunity to swing around into a kick, and her boot would have connected with his neck had he not raised his arms into a protective position in order to block the blow in the last moment. It was still enough to send him to the ground, however, and he hit the cobble with a bounce that sent him rolling.
He used the momentum to flip himself up into a crouching position, blood running down his chin from where he had presumably bit his tongue. His expression was still somewhat playful, but now had a much more serious glint to it. He kept his talons at the ready to counter Gem’s next attack, his body tense with anticipation. His sharp eyes were taunting her, waiting for her to make the next move as he always did.
“Grian.” She said, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw it at any moment.
“Commander” He said in turn, tilting his head unnaturally to the side, much like the owl he shared his attributes with.
“What are you doing here?” She asked, looking down her nose at him, her thumb inching her sword out of the sheath.
“Is it a crime to enjoy a national holiday like every other citizen in the kingdom?” He questioned in an almost teasing manner.
“Enough of your games! It is no mere coincidence that you would show up today of all days after months of silence.” Gem snapped, her shoulders rising in turn with the bubbling anger in her heart.
Grian, a slippery, troublemaking avian that she had been butting heads with on a near regular basis ever since she was a bright eyed squire fresh off of the snowy mountain she called home, eager to prove herself in her search for glory.
He had made his entrance into her life in a flashy and grand fashion that was bound to leave an impression on just about anyone; an explosion in the castle's courtyard. It had been small, only enough to take out a tiny portion of the wall. It had been so clearly a distraction, but after years of war, it had been enough to cause a panic that only Gem had been levelheaded enough to power her way through. It was her quick wit that allowed her to act swiftly in the face of potential danger, and her friendly and outgoing personality that let her realize she’d never seen his face around the castle before and clock that he was an intruder. She’d taken him down before he was able to do whatever it was that he was planning to do inside of the castle, but he’d still managed to escape in the end.
Along with an increase in security and guards stationed on the outer walls, the royal army gained another knight that day. Ironic that it would be the man who would come to torment her any chance he could in the near future that would see to it that she was promoted early in her career.
They met many times after that first initial encounter, and with each one it only became obvious that his goal from the very beginning was to tear down the Wintertide royal bloodline at any cost and destroy the peace she tried so hard to protect.
He sought to create chaos and disorder within the kingdom, and he would stop at nothing to see these goals met. It was only natural that they would become rivals, enemies that would be at constant odds with each other until the end of all things. Time and time again he would make his move against the royal family, and she was always there to put an end to it. It was an endless dance that they seemed to be trapped in indefinitely, for better or for worse.
As the years passed, he shifted his focus from the castle and the king to something else, something more attainable. He would commonly be found in the streets, yelling about injustices to anyone who would give him an ear.
At first, no one would pay him any mind, and he would always make a break for it the second Gem showed up to put a stop to his public disturbances. Over time, however, as taxes were raised to cover the costs of damages done to the land and economy by the war, and tensions between their neighbouring kingdom rose yet again, his ideals slowly but surely gained more and more popularity. People were moved by his cause, rallied by a hatred for a monarchy they felt provided them very little protection or surety in their time of unrest.
Suddenly he wasn’t a single person acting alone anymore; he was the leader of a group they had no way of knowing the scope of.
They had tried to take him and his mysterious resistance down for years now, but by some feat of the gods they had managed to avoid detection, as well as capture, the entire time. Even now, it is unknown just how large his resistance is, or the names of those who operate within it, making it difficult to do anything in opposition to the group. They had only a few names for certain they could connect to him, but they have all been as untraceable as he. Every tip and clue that came Gem's way only led to empty houses and cellars with nothing but clearly fake plans and documents within them that led her and her men right back to where they had started; with nothing at all.
All of this to say that he and his group are dangerous, effective people who should not be taken lightly, and his presence at The Festival of Good Tides bore nothing but ill tidings.
The avian sighed in an overly dramatic, fake manner, no doubt playing it up to get a rise out of her. She was ashamed to admit that it worked.
“Fine, I suppose there is no point in hiding it from you,” He said, his face once again breaking into a wide smile, “I was looking for you, actually. I knew if I showed up to the festival you would find me within seconds and pursue me until you had me in your grasp.”
“And, why, in god's name, were you seeking to put yourself right into my hands? A bit of a foolish thing to do, if you ask me. You know as well as I do that you are no match for me, birdy.” She taunted.
She swiftly pulled her sword from its sheath and put the tip of the blade to his unprotected neck. It was just long enough for her to close the distance between them without having to take so much as a step closer. His expression remained unbothered and playful, despite the obvious threats to his life.
“I wanted to give you a fair warning,” He replied cryptically.
“What in the hells does that mean?” She questioned, hackles once again rising.
“Something big is coming, Gem.” He answered. His eyes were wide and excited, almost manic even, as he said this. She had never seen him like this before in all her years knowing him.
“Something big? What in the blazes are you on about?” She asked, unease settling in her stomach like a heavy stone at the words
“You would do well to prepare yourself while you still can.” He said instead of giving her a real answer, “For all of our back and forth, I do not hate you. It would sure be a shame if something were to happen to you that could have been avoided.”
“Your mad rambles make little sense. Explain yourself before I have your head!” She threatened, pushing the tip of the sword against his throat further.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you anymore than I already have, but you’ll find out in due time, believe in that. The end might be closer than you think.” He said, and her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open.
He took advantage of her brief shock to sweep his leg out faster than she could react. The hard, scaly part of his taloned foot grabbed a hold of her sword’s blade and wrenched the weapon out of her hands, sending it to the ground with a metallic clatter. She shouted in alarm and leaped towards the fallen sword in an attempt to regain control of the situation, but before she could even get close, Grian pulled a bottle out from somewhere within his cloak and smashed it against the ground at her feet.
There was a flash and a popping noise following the shattering of the glass, and thick smoke billowed out around them, obscuring her vision and filling her nose with the overbearing smell of sulfur. Her eyes burned, watering fiercely as she coughed, trying to clear her lungs of the smoke.
She waved the air in front of her, looking around frantically for the avian but seeing not a single sign of him. There wasn’t so much as a feather on the ground, nor where there any footprints in the grime showing where he’d taken off to. All there was in the now vacant cobble alley was her sword, flat against the ground where it had fallen.
“Gem!” She heard someone call out to her from behind.
She turned to find Impulse rushing towards her. He looked frantic, out of breath. A few other soldiers trailed behind him, visibly on edge as they looked around the smokey alley. Her old friend hurried to her side, grabbing her face and brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes as he turned her side to side to check for injuries.
She pulled away from him, wordlessly moving over to her abandoned sword and picking it up from the ground. She examined the blade before turning her eyes up to the sky, where the smoke was still spiraling up towards the clear blue expanse.
“The men that were stationed with you came to me in a frenzy and said you took off in a rush. They said may be in need of some help, and the thought of you of all people needing help against something on its own is a frightening, so I came as soon as I could.” Impulse said from behind her. “What happened?
“It was Grian.” She said, turning towards him. Then, as an afterthought, she tacked on, “And I didn’t need any help. You know me.”
“It hardly matters to me how strong you are, I will always worry for you regardless. It is in my nature.” He said with a smile, which dropped into a more serious look, “But, Grian, you say? Has he not been off the radar for months now? What’s he doing back in the capital on today of all day? Surely he is up to no good.”
She sheathed her sword, taking a moment to wonder if she should share the cryptid warning that the avian had given her. Her eyes flickered over to the nervous knights standing behind her friend. They were clearly new, fresh out of being squires if she had to take a guess. It was highly probable that they would panic upon hearing information such as this. Besides, anything pertaining to Grian and his resistance was more classified than what she was willing to share with just anyone. She would prefer to inform the king of the news, as well, and it was almost nightfall anyway so his arrival to the festival site was fast approaching. It was best she not have to repeat herself when handling such delicate information. You never know who may be listening.
“I think it would be wiser if I don’t share that with so many ears around. This is information better shared to a smaller group.” She informed him. He glanced back at the soldiers behind him and nodded in understanding.
“Let us return to the festival, this time with eyes and ears more focused.” She said, "If he shows his face again, he will not be getting away so easily a second time."
She turned on her heels and deftly made her way back towards the crowded square, the others following after all. She held her head high, posture straight and professional, but underneath the facade was a twisting feeling of unease that she couldn’t get rid of, and which threatened to force her lunch to make a second appearance.
Her mind was racing, her chest was tight. What could her longtime rival have meant with that threat? No, that had been more of a promise than it had been a threat. But a promise of what, she didn’t know, and that is what scared her. Whatever it was that he had in store for the kingdom of Wintertide, he was so incredibly certain of its success that he was willing to seek her out to personally tell her of its existence.
Either he was a fool, or there was something to truly worry about afoot, and something told her it was the latter since she had never known Grian to be a stupid man.
In fact he was quite the dangerous person.
A harmless person could not gain the following and influence that he had over people in such a short time as he had. Even when the people above her had thought of him as little more than a fly buzzing in their ear, she had always taken every move he made seriously. She would be a fool herself not to treat him as the treat he really was.
If anything, she was surprised it had taken so long for him to make his move. With the reach and numbers he seemed to have within the capital it was a wonder something “big” had yet to happen. Why now of all times? What was his game?
She looked over her shoulder at the abandoned alley one last time, her expression hardening into a determined glare. Even with her worry, she knew one thing for certain; whatever it may be that he was planning, she would put an end to it.
He would not succeed.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Was it necessary to toy with her like that?” His hooded companion asked from beside him, tone high and amused.
Grian stood upon the roof, the smoke bomb having given him just enough time to escape out of view. His cloak fluttered in the wind behind him and his hands clenched into fists, his sharp nails digging into his palms. His expression was blank, his black eyes watching as the commander of the royal army grew smaller the further she got from them. She’d almost seen him when she glanced back. Almost, but not quiet.
“Not that I am complaining,” His companion pushed further upon not receiving a response, “It is rather funny, I must admit.”
“I am not toying with her,” He stated, not daring to take his eyes off of the commander until she was well out of view, “It was a real warning.”
“Even worse,” Was the reply, which was then followed by a laugh, “Now she’ll be wary, more prepared than she would have had you said nothing at all. I have to agree with the Commander on this one, Grian, this seems an odd move to make so early into the plan. After all of the work we put into this, it seems entirely counterproductive. Are you not worried she could put an end to this all before it has even begun?”
“Let her try and interfere,” He said, a smile spreading across his face as the wind picked up speed, “There will be no stopping what is to come.”
#GG rivals au#GG main fic#geminitay#grian#scott smajor#impulsesv#hermitcraft#life series#Danny's fics#fic: Thus Always to Tyrants#Point of View: Gem#scar is there kinda but not enough for me to justify main tagging him so he gets a little tag#scar#i've finally got the first chapter out and an ao3 account made!!#I really am having fun writing again#I didn't realize I had missed it so much#I apologize if it is messy#i am open to constructive criticism
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my favorite lyrics from some of the songs on the thus always to tyrants playlist. also the lyrics that represent venti and the mc’s relationship the most.
#— ✦ mikashisus ramblings#— thus always to tyrants 🪴#genshin impact#genshin#venti#genshin venti#venti x reader#always brainrotting about my pookies i love them sm#was considering putting the fruits by paris paloma on the playlist but didnt#yeah this fic has a good balance of angst and fluff me thinks#mc is the problem guys she rlly is and you’ll see why later
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just had to doodle this little scene from Thus Always To Tyrants by @maedaze
love these scrunkles
#my art#six the musical#six the musical fanart#six the musical fanfic#six the musical fanfiction#anne boleyn#anna of cleves#six anne boleyn#six anna of cleves#anne of cleves#thus always to tyrants#i was suppossed to just make anna giggle but i couldnt draw the hand for it so here we are#love this fic#araleyn
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for favorite album: dear wormwood? I recently got back into the Oh Hellos thanks to your fics and I love the album! You could even do Through the Deep, Dark Valley if you'd like, too!
Aw, thank you about the fics! Glad to hear I reminded you of the Good ShitTM! Now onto the albums.
Dear Wormwood
Favorite: Am I basic as hell if I say Thus Always to Tyrants? I don't care, I listen to it all the time. One of the few songs that has ever made it past the Hyperfixation LoopTM and onto actual favorites. Second favorite is Where Is Your Rider, though Pale White Horse's vibes are IMMACULATE.
Least Favorite: I feel like Danse Macabre only because it's the one song they didn't compose/write themselves. But if I'm not cheating and have to force myself to pick one of the songs with lyrics (and I love EVERY song on this album, for context), probably Soldier, Poet, King because I have the least amount of personal connection to it
Through the Deep, Dark Valley
Favorite: Wishing Well slaps and slaps hard. I don't know why no one voted for it in that poll a few months back. Second Child, Restless Child is definitely a great second fave, though.
Least Favorite: The Valley by mere virtue of the fact that it was the only song from this album I never downloaded/added to anything. It's a perfectly fine song, I just didn't vibe with it.
#pale white horse#thus always to tyrants#wishing well#second child restless child#dear wormwood#through the deep dark valley#the oh hellos#my asks#my fics#hope you continue to enjoy my fics!#where is your rider
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Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Ancient History RPF, Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Julius Caesar - Shakespeare
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger/Gaius Cassius Longinus (hinted)
Characters: Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, Julius Caesar, Marcus Antonius | Mark Antony
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Time Travel, Brutus through history, presidential assassination, Future US Presidential Election, Memories of Philippi, Rebirth, Murder
Summary:
He awakes, and he makes a choice, and a tyrant falls. Again. Again.
Brutus, through history.
#lemur writes#my fic#marcus junius brutus#cw assassination#cw blood#and thus always to (so many) tyrants#brutus through history#continuing the theme of alternative roman-modern history parallels
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anybody in the world wanna do my stupid fucking uquiz........
https://uquiz.com/quiz/q4uuKw?p=4979981
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1, 16 and 18 for the writer ask?? <33
aa thanks for the ask!
1. Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?
honestly, my favorite format is the 5/4/3+1 fics, which i feel could probably go either way w how long i write them. if i Had to choose, probably oneshots– with longfics, i'm always a little afraid i won't finish the project :)
16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?
really not that many on paper bc i have. midterms. coming up. maybe three or four? but they float around in my head so many. so so many. every dayy i grow closer to writing snippets of dialogue from dance au and/or rewriting my coffe!aelwyn spinoff. aelwyn abernant beloved.
18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?
oooo i love this question! usually after the writing process, with one full and one partial exception. the partial is Blurry Text, Twitching Hands (Or, the Annoyances of Finals Season at Aguefort). i really wanted to work in 'the annoyances of finals' from like. the start of the fic bc it was a rewrite of a not-so-good fic, and i kinda wish now that i had just gone with that but. you live you learn. the full was heaven took them home (and now i am lonely) bc. i heard that song and immediately began writing. the most kristen+gorgug song ever.
for coming up with them, about half of them are song titles, bc i am a Playlist Person and the songs gave me Character Vibes, and the ones that aren't are the dimension twentober prompts i got to– those, truly, came from my sleep deprived brain. i wish i could give you more but honestly, october Exhausts Me and i remember little. i can say honestly, though, that i think more about chapter titles than i do fic titles, as fics usually have their theme song by the time i'm done writing it and i just pick The LineTM. w fight or flight i wanted to do a i/i/i/us scheme, so i PICKED through that song's lyrics. for the people subscribed if you saw me edit chapter three's title no you didn't.
#bird :D#ask game#questionnn!#fic titles are nice when the fics have their songs#otherwise. i suffer#it was nice w my fabian+riz fics they're very Zephyrus Album. to me personally. even though songwise they're both dear wormwood.#riz is very much This Will End and fabes is. so many. Dear Wormwood. Danse Macabre. Thus Always To Tyrants. WHERE IS YOUR RIDER.
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Chapter 2 | Sic Semper Tyrannis
“Thus always to Tyrants”
18+ fic, minors do not interact!
Chapter summary:
Aemond takes you on a walk through the castle’s woods and grounds. You investigate the castle at night and stumble upon some suspicious conversations.
Chapter warnings/tags:
Mentions of death, corpses, canon typical incest, ghosts??, the supernatural, betrothal, family drama, Alicent claiming Rhaenyra’s kids are bastards (as usual)
if any of these things are not to your liking/ are triggering i recommend not to read it!
Word count: 5k
Rigor Mortis Masterlist | Main Masterlist
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Eggs?”
You sat at the large breakfast table with Aegon, Aemond and Helaena. Helaena was engrossed with an embroidery project and Aemond was reading the morning newspaper. They all seemed tense.
It was only Aegon who was keeping you company, if you could call it that. You were wearing a pale sea green dress with pink frills and ribbons decorating it. You seemed to have accidentally matched with Helaena who wore a pale blue dress with pink ribbons decorating her dress and complex hairstyle.
You nodded in response to Aegon’s question and held out your plate. He scooped up a bunch of scrambled eggs, not really caring to ask if it was too much. It was. You reluctantly began to eat the eggs and you glanced over at your betrothed. His face was hidden behind the large newspaper. You had seen his face before he started reading it. Instead of the glass eye he wore a black leather eye patch over his, what you assumed, was an empty eye socket. He was quiet and had only murmured a good morning to you when you entered the room. Helaena hadn’t said anything.
You let out a soft sigh and turned to Aegon who was eating the eggs like they were his last meal on earth. It was quite a sight to see.
“Did you sleep well?” You asked Aegon, trying to break the awkward silence that hung in the dining room, even the servants were quiet.
“No. That wench wouldn’t shut up, again.” He replied with his mouth full. Aemond glared at him, his stern eye peeking over the edge of the newspaper he was holding. Wench? It was a mystery who this ‘wench’ was that he was talking about. You hadn’t heard anything last night, in fact, you had slept surprisingly well for someone that slept with a notebook hidden under their mattress.
“What wench?”
“Give it a week.”
“What?”
His answers only confused you even more. He looked more exhausted than he did yesterday. This time he wore a light green vest, single breasted. Not that it mattered, it made him look just as sickly as the mustard yellow did. Perhaps it was just his complexion.
“Swallow before you speak.” Aemond scolded his older brother and all Aegon did was shoot him another glare. Aemond turned his gaze to you and it softened slightly. He closed the newspaper and folded it up before placing it on the wooden table.
Aemond was wearing a red vest with a black shirt underneath it. The sleeves were poofy at the ends and his long silk hair was in a neat long braid again like the evening before. The pattern on his red vest had some botanical elements with abstract leaves and vines. A stark contrast to his older brother whom you figured enjoyed wearing simpler patterns like stripes.
“I apologise for my brother, clearly he has no idea how to act in front of ladies.” You could hear Aegon scoff at Aemond’s words but your betrothed seemed to ignore it. You studied Aemond’s face as he spoke. You liked the eye patch. It made him look mysterious and you liked solving mysteries.
“Don’t apologise, my brother is worse.”
The corners of Aemond’s mouth slightly tilted upwards. It was the first time you had seen him smile, if you could even call this a smile.
“Shadows need the light to exist but roam freely in the darkness.”
You, Aemond and Aegon turned your heads when you heard Helaena speak. She was still working on her embroidery, almost pretending as if she hadn’t said anything before. It annoyed you. First the flowers and now rambling about nonsense out of the blue. A thick silence hung in the air, one you didn’t dare to break.
Aemond and Aegon gave each other a look you were unable to read and they continued eating their breakfast in silence. With nothing to do and your mood ruined you reluctantly continued to eat the large pile of scrambled eggs on the plate in front of you.
You took the time to look around the dining hall, it was large. The walls were covered in burgundy coloured velvet and the darkwood floorboards had been laid out in a herringbone pattern and it looked like it was recently done. Above the fireplace hung a black banner with a red three-headed dragon. The sigil of their family, you had learned. In the centre of the room stood the large rectangle dining table you sat at. You counted eighteen chairs, two at both ends of the table and eight chairs on each side of the table.
On the left side of the hall hung three large painted portraits. A man with short silver blonde hair hung in the middle and the other two paintings were of silver haired women. They looked similar but their features were still discernible.
The wooden door of the dining room creaked open. Alicent and Otto walked in. Aegon, Aemond and even Helaena looked up to face their mother and grandfather. Alicent looked like she had been crying and Otto placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Something that you noticed immediately was Alicent’s hair and the lack of intricate hairstyle. Instead, her curly hair hung loose over her shoulder. Something serious must’ve happened for a lady like her to walk around the house, filled with servant men, with her hair loose.
“The body has been found.”
Otto’s deep voice had cut deep through the silence. You let the words sink in. Not ‘a’ body. He said ‘the’ body. You wondered if this was so normal to them they could afford to use such wording. Or perhaps he meant ‘the’ body whose death they were behind. Your mind was racing, thinking of all possible answers. To think that such a simple sentence could make you spiral so much.
“Who was it?” Aegon asked, the only one who dared break the silence, which you were secretly thankful for.
“Tayla.”
‘Who is Tayla?’
Alicent begins to sob again and quickly excuses herself back to her room. Instead of looking at Aemond you looked at Aegon for answers but he was clearly avoiding your gaze. From the corner of your eye you could see Aemond’s frown deepening but you were unsure if it was because of the situation or because of you choosing to look for answers with his brother rather than him.
“They are getting bold.” Aemond replied after a short moment of complete silence.
‘Who the fuck is ‘they’?’
“They are.” Otto replied as his frown deepened, making the wrinkles on his forehead more evident with every passing moment.
The room filled with silence again, you hated the feeling. Everyone knew something but no one bothered to tell you, not even your future husband. Otto turned to Aemond, it was almost as if they could read each other's mind because without Otto having to say a word, Aemond replied.
“Bring the body to my workplace.”
Then he turned to you.
“We shall walk in gardens together after lunch.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
After breakfast you had made your way back to your room. Some servants quietly entered the room and helped you in an appropriate walking dress you had brought with you. It was a red dress with black frills, ruffled and ribbons, coincidentally the colours of his family’s banner.
You watched out the window as they dressed you. Your room watched over the Narrow Sea and Blackwater bay. The eerie realisation of being able to see the place where each month a body would be found sent shivers down your spine. The narrow sea was calm, too calm. It was hard to see the water in the first place due to the thick mist lingered over the sea but also the city.
“Do you enjoy the view my lady?” One of the servants asked you in a soft voice. The servant was young, she looked no older than the age of fifteen.
“I suppose.” You replied in the most polite manner you could muster up. Even at home you disliked talking to the servants. Not because you didn’t care for the working class but because you preferred to spend your time alone. You didn’t like the workers coming into your room, your ‘supposedly’ private space. Of course you realised it wasn’t their fault, it was their work after all. Besides, you knew this type of work was better than working in one of the new factories.
Back in the North where you used to live there weren’t many factories yet. The people were stubborn and preferred their old methods of producing goods. Your father owned one of the few factories in the North. It was located a few miles outside of White Harbor which meant it was near the ports, which is of course good for trading. Houses were already being built around the factory and would most likely fuse together with the city eventually.
You hated the factories. Your father had taken you once when you were only eight years old and your brother was fourteen years old. You don’t remember much of it but you do remember the heavy feeling you felt when you saw girls your age working the machinery wearing rags and worn out clothes. That day a girl’s hands got stuck in the machinery, apparently it was a normal occurrence. Everything after that was only a vague memory to you. You remembered the blood and how you wailed ever louder than the girl that had gotten into the accident.
Benjamen had teased you about it for months afterwards. He loved the factory, the economics, the leadership, everything about it. He was to inherit it after all. You remembered him boasting about all the things he would change once it was his. His words did nothing but bring you an uncomfortable feeling. It was almost as if he couldn’t wait for your father to die so he could take over.
You snapped out of your thoughts when one of the servants started talking to you.
“Excuse me, could you repeat that please?” You asked the servant bashfully, embarrassed about being so deep in thought that your senses were shutting out the outside world.
“Of course, you needn’t be worried about the bodies, my lady. You’re safe in the castle.” One of the older servants said. The younger girl protested in a hushed voice. “But Tayla-”
The older woman sent a death glare at the young girl and she immediately shut her mouth. It dawned upon you that the servants knew things about the castle and the family as well, perhaps even more than your future in-laws.
“What happened to Tayla?” You bluntly asked the women who were working on your dress. The older woman was busy with your under skirts and ruffles while the young girl was tightening the laces on the back of the dress. You could feel the young girl’s hands stop for a moment before continuing. The older woman stayed silent.
“She went out.” Was all the young girl would reply and secured the laces by tying them together. The older woman glared at the young girl again but continued to work in silence. The information you had gotten wasn’t that useful but at least it was something. Perhaps Aemond would tell you more on the walk, at least, that is what you hoped.
The servants remained silent as they worked on getting you ready. The silence in the room was awkward and you simply continued to stare out of the window. It didn’t take them long to finish and once you were ready they walked you to the garden where Aemond was waiting for you. He was wearing a black outdoor tailcoat where the ends of the coat were aligned with his knees. He was still wearing the dark red vest but you could see his pants more clearly now that he was standing up and not sitting at a table. His pants were neat. They were all black and clearly tailored to fit him perfectly.
The servants dismissed themselves and left you alone with your soon to be husband. His gaze was striking like always. His sharp jawline and defined cheekbones made him look extremely handsome, even with the scar and the eyepatch.
You politely nodded and looked to your left- and then your right, noticing the lack of a third person.
“No chaperone?”
“We are engaged, there is no need for a chaperone my lady.”
Aemond’s bluntly reply and your own mistake had made your cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Of course the two of you didn’t need to have a chaperone with you on a walk. In fact, the two of you could even hold hands on said walk.
“Of course, my mistake.” You awkwardly tried to chuckle it off but the tension between the two of you didn’t disappear.
Aemond offered you his hand in a polite manner. He didn’t speak but it was clear he was trying to be a gentleman. You reluctantly took his hand, internally screaming at the contact. It felt wrong, as if a whole stage of life was skipped. Although arranged marriages weren’t uncommon, most couples still went through a courting phase before getting engaged. You barely even knew this man and yet you were allowed to hold his hand.
The two of you strode through the misty garden. Barely any flowers grew in it. Not only was the soil salty from the nearby sea, it was also winter. The garden was large though, larger than you had thought. The beginning of the walk was silent, like it had been the night before.
You walked on his right side again so he could see you properly. When you looked up at him he seemed to be in deep thought. His single violet eyes glanced at you and he finally spoke.
“Have you grown accustomed to the castle?”
“Not yet, it is quite large. I would get lost if i didn’t have someone walking with me.”
The two of you stopped to take a look over the city below you. There was a detailed stone wall that separated you and the cliff. The city was covered in mist and it was hard to make out any houses besides the one on the hills and the large structures such as ‘The dragonpit’ and the great sept. Of course, the factories were quite visible as well. The long chimneys spat out a dark black smoke that stained the air. It stood out against the mist and you grimaced.
“What do the factories here produce?”
“Canned food.”
His reply was bleak and it annoyed you.
“All of them?” You asked him as you let go of his hands to rest yours on the stone wall in front of you. The wind blew softly, it made the ruffles of your dress sway a little but not the entire skirt. You looked at him again and the tail of his coat was also flowing in the wind.
“No. That one over there produces firearms.”
He points at the factory the furthest away. Because of the mist you couldn’t see if it was in- our outside of the city. The thought of such dangerous weapons being built so close to citizens made your stomach churn.
“Do you dislike the factories, my lady?”
The question startled you a little. It wasn’t something you expected him to ask, especially considering your father owned a factory
“It is an eyesore and the working conditions aren’t great. Besides, I doubt those black fumes from the chimneys will do any good in the long run.”
You saw no point in lying, after all, he was the one that asked. You wouldn’t be surprised if his family owned one, if not all the factories surrounding the city. Something told you he wouldn’t judge you for it.
Aemond, surprisingly, hummed in agreement.
“They are certainly quite ugly, but they make money. A lot of money.”
He pointed at the furthest factory, the one making firearms.
“That is the family’s biggest money maker. We trade within the realm but we also export a lot to Essos, specifically the free cities. My elder sister Rhaenyra is to inherit them all, she lives on Dragonstone, but i must’ve told you at dinner already.” He explained and turned his head to study your reaction.
He hadn’t told you anything at dinner the night priorly. It was Alicent who had filled you in on the current family situation.
“Do you miss her?”
“No.”
An awkward silence fell between the two of you again. Aemond offered his hand again and you took it, less nervous than first. His hand was large and yours fitted comfortably in his. The rest of the gardens were just as dull as the first part was, that was until he led you to a wooded section of the garden.
It was densely wooded but there was a clear dirt path that led to the middle. It was hard to identify what tree was what species since all the leaves had fallen onto the ground over the past autumn and winter. The leaves that were on the ground were a gross wet mixture of half disintegrated brown leaves.
“She is invited to our engagement party, father insisted on it.”
Aemond tried to hide the distain in his voice when he spoke of his sister.
“She and the rest of her family.” He corrected himself with a sigh.
It was silent again. You had to admit you were a bit slow, after all, no one had bothered to inform you about an engagement party. You wondered if your father and brother were invited as well. You turned your gaze up to him and politely smiled.
“I wasn’t aware of an engagement party. When is it?”
Aemond seemed to think for a moment before replying.
“The first day of the second month. That gives us enough time to prepare for…” He trailed off but you knew what he was talking about. He was talking about the next full moon.
The next time a body would be found.
“What happened to Tayla?” You were surprised you even managed to ask that question. The one that was eating you up from the inside out since breakfast.
You and Aemond reached a small cemetery. In the middle stood a large stone tomb with three names on it.
Aegon Targaryen
Visenya Targaryen
Rhaenys Targaryen
The two of you stood in silence in front of the tomb. It looked well cared for. The moss growing on it was minimal and the stone was clean. You had seen cemeteries and tombstones before, most were a dark grey with vines and moss overgrowing the stone structures but this one was the complete opposite.
“I cannot tell you, but you will know, in time.” He replied, his voice was lower than usual. You didn’t like his answer, why couldn’t he just tell you.
“You’re safer if you don’t know about them.”
Another silence fell between the two of you. This one wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward like the others but it felt eerie. His words were sinister and made the hairs on your neck stand up straight. Who was ‘them’. They can’t be good people if they were behind all of these murders. Were they even people?
You had to shake the thought away. Of course they were actual people. The paranormal was only a trick of the mind to fill in the blanks. That is what it was. Even though you tried so hard to shake off the feeling you couldn’t help but feel watched.
‘It is only a trick of the mind. It’s because we’re in a forest and next to a cemetery. It’s because I am not familiar with surroundings.’ You tried to reassure yourself but you couldn’t help but look back over your shoulder.
There was nothing. Of course there was nothing. You didn’t know what you even expected to be there. The treeline was dark and you were sure if his words had frightened you more you would have imagined the shape of a human or creature somewhere in there. It used to happen quite often when you were a child but now you knew the shapes you saw were just a bunch of unfortunately placed bushes, tree trunks and branches cast in a dark shadow. Hell, if you tried hard enough you could point out at least five trunks that looked like they had someone hiding behind them or standing in front of them. You chuckled to yourself and shook your head, resulting in Aemond giving you a confused look.
There was no one there.
So why didn’t the feeling go away?
“Whose tomb is this?”
You asked Aemond, deciding to drop the topic for now to prevent yourself from having nightmares about the possibility of ‘them’.
“My ancestors, the ones who bought ‘The Red Keep’.” He replied, the usual monotone and disinterested tone in his voice was now filled with pride. His face was still neutral, but you noticed a miniscule smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
‘He liked history.’ A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips as well when you remembered the conversation of yesterday night.
Perhaps he wasn’t so bad after all.
“They are buried here in this tomb together. The rest of the family rests in the cemetery.”
He motioned with his hand at the cemetery behind you two. It was quite large and after scanning the graveyard quickly you noticed it was mostly men and their wives that were buried.
“Where are the sisters of the family?”
“Buried with their husbands on their own land, except Visenya and Rhaenys. They are buried in the tomb..”
You nodded and looked at the gravestones.
‘You’ll lay here one day.’
You shook your head as if you physically tried to shake off the thought.
“Why were Visenya and Rhaenys buried with their brother? Did they not marry at all?”
Your question made Aemond chuckle softly. He shook his head and looked at you.
“Visenya and Rhaenys are buried with their husband.”
Huh?
Huh?
“I don’t think I understand-.” You could feel your cheeks heat up as the blood rushed to your face. It must be a miscommunication, right? You were certain there was no other way. You must’ve interpreted something wrong-
“They married their brother.” Aemond replied calmly. His expression showed no disgust or discomfort, in fact, he seemed to be completely comfortable with the fact his ancestors were siblings.
“Both?! At the same time?”
“Yes.”
“To their brother?!”
Aemond chuckled at the way you expressed your confusion. He nodded to confirm your question. He stepped closer to you and rested his hand on the small of your back.
If your face wasn’t overheating before it sure did now. You desperately tried to remember all the customs and rules that came with courting, engagement and marriage. Was this even allowed?! You knew the two of you were allowed to hold hands but he had his hand placed on your lower back, were his hand to trail down a little further he would be touching…
You shook away your vulgar thoughts. You didn’t even wish to think of what would happen if he did. He stood so close to you, his hand not moving from its place. He slightly bent down and you could feel his breath on the side of your neck. Even though the weather was cold his breath felt warm. His whole body was warm.
“I know it must be strange to you, but you have my word that I will explain it when we’re married.”
All you could do was slowly nod. You were afraid that if you spoke it would sound more like a cracked squeak than an actual human voice.
The rest of the walk was silent. He had escorted you back to your room so you could get ready for dinner and (unknowingly) leave you alone with your thoughts. You knew these circumstances were just too good to be true. Sure, you had heard of the rumours of the bodies in the water and the incestious ones but you never expected one of them to be actually true.
You thought you would simply marry an intelligent and rich man and spend your time chasing false rumours to kill time and boredom. But no, now you had to marry this intelligent and devilishly handsome man knowing his ancestors were siblings. Not to mention that your future children will have those ancestors as well.
How in the seven hells were you going to look past this?
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Perhaps it was foolish what you were doing but your curious mind was too restless. You had to know more about his ancestry. He promised he would tell you once the two of you were married, but who knew how far away that would be. Of course, you couldn’t rule out that he was lying. You barely knew the man.
You walked through the castle in your thin white night dress. It was long and flowing, different than the thicker dresses you were used to when you lived in the North. Still, it was quite cold to be wearing this type of night dress in the winter.
In your left hand was a brass candle holder with a white wax candle in it, the candle was lit and illuminating the dark hallways. The flame flickering made your surroundings seem mystical while you searched for the castle’s library. You knew they had one on the second floor, Aemond had shown you on his tour of the castle.
Of course, this is a castle you’re walking through, the second floor was enormous and seemed like a maze of endless hallways in the dark. It made you wonder if you could even find it in broad daylight.
When you turned the corner you noticed a small sliver of light illuminating the stone wall of the castle. Soft, yet clear voices could be heard coming from a room. The light came from a slightly ajar door where two people were clearly holding a private conversation.
You knew you shouldn’t be snooping around and listening in on conversations, it was rude and intrusive. Yet, your curiosity was untamable. You sneaked closer, careful not to make any sound while the voices became more clear.
“I can’t believe she would refuse like this.”
You knew that voice. It was Alicent, but you weren’t used to the tone she was speaking in. It was snappy and distressed and a few soft sniffles managed to crack through her defences as she spoke.
“My lady, I advise you to calm down.”
You didn’t know that voice. It was an adult male, that much you could tell. His voice sounded calmer but a small hint of annoyance seeped through.
“She is a spoiled brat. We invite her here and she does nothing.”
Oh gods they weren’t talking about you, right?
“Her father is dying, her younger brother is getting married and yet she refuses to come here.” Alicent continues speaking in the same tone as before.
Alright, they clearly weren’t talking about you.
“I am sure she is only busy, my Lady-”
“Busy? Busy raising her three bastards to be her heir?” Alicent snapped in anger. You could her a little shuffling in the room and guessed it was Alicent sitting down in a chair or on a sofa. Then heavier footsteps could be heard and the floorboards creaked a little. The urge to look through the small gap of the open door was huge but the fear of getting caught eavesdropping was even bigger so you refrained yourself.
“My Lady please-”
“I don’t want your compassion.” Alicent interrupted the man with another sniffle but couldn’t even finish her sentence before the man interrupted her as well.
“Alicent..”
First name basis?! He wasn't even her husband!
“..you’re grieving. Today has been hard on you and I suggest you rest. We shall continue our talk about Lady Rhaenyra later, perhaps after Tayla’s funeral.”
Neither of the two spoke a word for a few moments but Alicent broke the silence.
“Alright. Thank you Ser Criston, your presence and loyalty is a great comfort to me.”
Ser Criston? The knight in the white uniform from the day before?
You couldn’t stay and think in the hallway much longer when it quickly dawned upon you that they were wrapping up their conversation. As you quietly started to walk away you stepped onto a creaking part of the floor and you swore you would burn all old castles down if you ever managed to get yourself out of this sticky situation.
Alicent and Ser Criston must’ve heard you because you heard the heavy footsteps of Ser Criston make their way towards the door. You hastily blew out your candle and turned the corner. You could hear his footsteps following you and felt your heartbeat quicken. You had to shake him off one way or another. When you turned another corner you walked into a hallway you were very familiar with. It was the one where Aemond’s room was located.
Perhaps you could hide out there under the guise of not being able to sleep. When you finally thought you had escaped from Ser Criston you felt a large hand cover your mouth and pull you into a room. You desperately tried to wriggle yourself out of the grip but couldn’t do so until the stranger had closed the door behind the two of you and locked it.
The room was dark and unlit, the only light seeping in from the windows was the icy moonlight that made the room look creepy. White sheets were thrown over the furniture to prevent the dust build up and it was clear this room wasn’t being inhabited by anyone right now.
When you finally turned around to face the man that had dragged you into the room your mouth slightly went agape in surprise.
Right before stood Aemond’s eldest brother.
Aegon Targaryen.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Taglist:
@helaenaluvr @saltedcaramelpretzel @certifiedhaters @imawhorecrux
#aemond targaryen#house of the dragon#hotd fic#hotd fanfic#hotd#aemond x reader#aemond fanfiction#aemond one eye#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond x you#aemond smut#the house of the dragon
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Snowbaird (Coriolanus Snow/Lucy Gray) fic recs:
Snow and Lucy in the Capitol:
Feverish Dreams
The mockingjay experiment
Love’s a game
Snow dove
National anthem
AU:
Saving each other
Mafia:
Thus always leads to tyrants
Smut:
Victory Lap
Fragile coast
It’s written in the stars
The box by the bed
Thus always leads to tyrants
Deep in the meadow
Old Snow looking back:
Reflections in the garden
Snow dove
Tragic love:
Reflections in the garden
A promise kept
Thus always leads to tyrants
After her
This was always going to happen
A poem for love
The last two loves of his lives
Passed down like folk songs
Fluff:
Feverish dreams
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Hi love!
Would you be interested in writing anything about the Green siblings dynamic and make it happy? 😂 I feel like so many fics about Aemond are dark/sad and that’s fine, it’s more accurate canonically and they’re well written it’s just…I wanna read about my boy being happy even if it’s not realistic 😭😭 and I would love to see him and his siblings getting along, taking the piss out of each other, having fun etc lol
Eden
Hiya lovely! Thank you for your request, I hope I did it justice! this is super inspired by the song Thus Always To Tyrants by The Oh Hellos.
Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Fem!Reader
Word Count: 2.1K
Content Warnings: Nothing, tooth rotting fluff.
(Not proof read)
It was early morning when her husbands soft groaning and stretching pulled you from the plushness and warmth of sleep, rolling on your side to see a lilac and blue eye peering back at you - a worm smile crossed both of their lips. Aemond’s hair was still mussed with sleep “Good morning my Sweet Wife” he greeted you with a kiss on the tip of your nose, a positively girlish giggle escaping you as you stretched. You had yet to become used to being called ‘wife’; never mind the wife of a Targaryen Prince, if your parents could see you, you had no doubt they would be overjoyed with your current standing as a Princess of the realm.
“What are your plans for today, my Lord Husband?” she asked as she huddled closer to him, the warmth of his body calling to her. Aemond Instinctively brought his arms around her, pulling her closer as he hummed in thought, the motion sending a deep rumble through her ears. “Helaena asked if we would like to go on dragon back for a picnic, Aegon and the children will be accompanying also” he said softly, feeling torn. If they went on an excursion, there would be less time for them to have a late rise, but if they didn’t attend - Helaena and the children would be heart broken. “We can’t disappoint the children now, can we?” a tender smile spread across her lips as they broke apart threw back the covers simultaneously.
You had always found it strange that handmaids always seemed to be lurking just around corners waiting to be called upon, as soo as you had opened your mouth to call for a maid - several had tumbled through the servants entrance to yours and Aemond’s shared chambers. The pair of hand maids that had tended to her were ones she had become quite close with in her time at the Keep; Amblin and Aylisha.
You had learned their names, their children’s names and where they had hailed from; Amblin had come from the Reach while Aylisha had come from Esos. When they were first introduced, you had set aside a while day to talk to them and hear their stories, where they grew up and what they liked doing in their free time. It had spread through the court like wildfire - that a princess would treat servants with basic respect.
They had dressed you in a pair of black breeches and sturdy leather riding boots that reached your knees, a loose fitting shirt covered your stays and a riding coat was fastened tightly to you person, your hair was tightly braided away from your face. Giving them a quiet ‘thank you’ before they left the room the same way they entered, your feet carried back to where Aemond stood, your breath nearly hitched in her throat.
His pale hair almost glowing in the early morning sun, the milky expanse of his chest was partially exposed by the unlaced collar of his shirt, she politely shooing the maids away so she could finish gawking in private. A knowing smile spread across his lips as he made his way to you, meeting in the middle of one of the plush carpets in their chambers. Exchanging fond looks as you ran your hand slowly up his chest before beginning to tie the front of his shirt and helping him pull on his jerkin and fastening all of the buckles.
It was mid morning by the time they had begun to make their way to the dragon pit, the Keep was slowly starting to come to life as the exited they large wooden doors and descending the front stairs. Kings Landing was full of hustle and bustle by this time, the small folk bartering with shop keeps, women chattering away to each other in small groups, and wily children playing tag. The sight was enough to bring a smile to your face, and the best part of it all was that nobody spared you both a glance - all of them far too wrapped up in their own lives to notice.
“What has you grinning this morning?” Aemond asked her as they walked up the numerous steps into the Dragon Pit. Vhagar was obviously far too big for the pit, but walking through the pit cut the walk time in half, “I’m just happy today, my love. it is not often you venture out for the sake of pleasure” you responded, a wistful smile on your lips.
Aemond’s brows rose “I never said this was pleasure, we are spending the day with Aegon” he said, amusement dancing in his voice as he pushed the large oaken back doors to the dragon pit open. The doors hinges groaned with the movement, they opened slowly to reveal the backside of a near mountainous hill - she thanked herself, the gods, and her maids for dressing her in breeches today.
Ascending the hill was not so bad - the view of the city was glorious this morning. Casting your eyes down the other side of the hill was when you saw her, the largest dragon in the world; and your husbands mount - Vhagar. The histories Aemond pours over constantly never did the she dragons size justice, and if Vhagar was this big - how large was The Black Dread? you shuddered at the thought.
The she beast was flanked - at a safe distance of course; by two other dragons Sunfyre the Golden and Dreamfyre, their riders and their children. Though a fourth dragon was out a little farther its brilliant blue left no room for debate - Tessarion, Daeron’s mount. Tessarion was a large horned beast, The Blue Queen was an egg from Silverwing’s clutch - the late Queen Alysanne’s mount.
You gave Aemond a nudge to the ribs and pointed to Daeron - sending the three of them an excited wave. Daeron, Helaena and the children returned the sentiment, waving excitedly to you; while Aegon hardly looked capable of lifting his had to give more than a half hearted wave. But you could see the lazy grin that toyed on his lips.
The both of you made your way down to the gathering family to mount up, Aemond allowed you to climb the rope lader on Vhagar’s side first - him following close behind. Aemonds chest was pressed firmly to your back as he tied the ropes and belts around you both “Try not to fall from your dragon!” Aemond called to his brother.
To which Aegon gave him a vulgar gesture before covering Jaehery’s ears to yell to his brother “Oh piss off!” he called back to Aemond. “It will be a long way down!” Daeon called, a wry smile on his lips, “You shut your mouth or I will have mother and Grandsire send you away to never return!” Aegon snapped, though there was no malice in his voice.
You let out a cackle - it wasn’t often you got to see them al interacting to comfortably with each other. All of them either had too many duties to attend to or were arguing with each other - though the arguing was mostly shared between the two brothers. Helaena always seemed more relaxed outside of the Keep’s walls, her shoulders held no tension and her eyes shone like Amethysts catching sunlight.
“Soves, Vhagar!” Aemond called, commanding Vhagar to take flight, Vhagar began to move with thunderous noises and movements making your whole body rattle. Feeling and seeing the ground fall away from your feet never got any less unsettling - though you do now have your tendency to scream under control; now only letting out a hushed “Oh gods” as you white knuckle the pommel of Vhagar’s saddle. You let go of the pommel when you felt Aemond’s warmth beckoning you back to his chest, you settled in for a long flight.
The wind whipped so violently around you that you almost felt bad for Aemond behind you - your braid ought to have been smacking him repeatedly. Though the thought quickly left your head as the ocean passed beneath your feet, you could hardly contain your gasp, “beautiful, is it not?” Aemond asked, voice barely audible over the rushing wind.
You nodded “It is most exquisite!” you beamed, “I was talking about you” he hummed lowly into your ear, heat rushed to your cheeks “Oh hush Aemond!” you replied, trying to hide your giggle. The cerulean blue of the ocean stretched on as far as the eye could see, the expanse of darkness broken by an occasional ship and the foam of breaking waves.
The hours in the saddle passed by rather quickly when flying, there was always something new to look at; be it a new species of bird, large fish or the occasional whale in the water. Aemond often found himself pointing out things his love would enjoy, the excited giggle never failing to make his heart soar with happiness. Not many things happened in Aemond’s life made him happy, but you? his love, the very breath in his lungs and the blood thrumming in his veins - you did.
Dragon screeched were heard all around as Tessarion and Daeron shot by them both, “Catch us if you can!” Daeron yelled, his voice fading as quick as it came as he passed them. Daeron was egging both his brothers on, a flash of gold zipped by you both, hot on his little brothers scales “Last one there is a virgin!” Aegon cackled. You looked back at Aemond - giving him a nod as if to say show them who is boss. He let out a throaty laugh before offering Vhagar another command “Adhirikydho Vhagar, toli ziry!” he shouted.
Vhagar gave a begrudging and thunderous grumble before heeding her masters orders ad diving after the other dragons, leaving Dreamfyre and Helaena to follow after them at a much more appropriate speed. You let out a happy yelp as that fluttering feeling happened in your stomach, the kind you get when you were falling. the ocean was fast approaching the three brothers and their fourth begrudging passenger. Vhagar suddenly banked left to soar past Sunfyre and Tessarion, both dragons parting out of respect for their elders and to make room for her immense size.
Ocean blue waters quickly became a patch of lush green grass as you began your descent on Vhagar, the chilly air becoming less intense the closer you got to ground fall. Vhagar was the first to land, followed by Tessarion and Dreamfyre, Sunfyre landing last. The four dragons landed with relative smoothness, the ground beneath the largest of them crumbly slightly at the sudden force thrust upon it.
The four of them sat together indulging in the delights that had been stowed away in baskets on Dreamfyre’s back. Everyone’s favourites had been packed; Lemon cakes, Roast meat, cured meats, both sweet and savoury pies and wine and water. You leant back on the heels of your palms, watching the children play tag with Daeron; the sound of laughter rang out across the open field as Daeron caught Jaehera and spun her around in his arms. Aemond looked across to Helaena and Aegon; Helaena peacefully embroidering while Aegon sipped at his wine, he tilted his head towards your ear.
“Perhaps he will get drunk enough to fall from his dragon” he remarked light heartedly, causing you to gasp “Aemond!” you giggled, playfully smacking his upper arm. You looked up at him with those gorgeous eyes of yours and all was right in the world “Avy jorraelan”, he whispered, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead.
“And I you”, you whispered back.
High Valyrian Translations
Soves, Vhagar! - Fly, Vhagar!
Adhirikydho Vhagar, toli ziry! - Quckly Vhagar, after them!
Avy jorraelan - I love you
Taglist; @adelusionalwriter @hopelesswritergall @princesssszzzz @arcielee @whoahoney
#request#aemond fanfiction#aemond fluff#aemond one eye#aemond headcanons#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond targaryen#aemond imagine#aemond x reader#aemond x y/n#aemond x you#hotd aemond#prince aegon#helaena targaryen#aemond x fem!reader#aemond fic#aegon ii targaryen#aegon the elder#alicent#team black but an aemond apologist#team green
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Thus Always to Tyrants
Chapter 2: Secrecy and Shadows
Gem is the commander of the Wintertide royal army, Grian is the leader of a resistance hell bent on taking the crown down no matter the cost. It was only natural that they would become enemies.
Chapter 1 -> next (tba)
Read on ao3 ❀ here ❀
CW: Alcohol consumption
Words: 5,682
Pov: Grian
❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀
“Head back to the hideout and wait for me there, Scar.” Grian addressed his companion. “I’ll meet you there later tonight to update you on the situation as soon as the meeting comes to an end and we’ll proceed from there.”
“So bossy,” Scar said, and Grian could hear the pout on his lips without having to look at him. Regardless of his (most likely dramatized) complaining, however, he did indeed leap from the roof to do as he was told, fading away into the shadows of the setting sun.
Grian waited a moment before dropping back down into the alley he and Gem had fought in, his cloak billowing up around him on the way down. It still smelt of smoke in the small space, though most of the visual remnants had cleared out by now. He pulled his hood back up over his head, hiding away his feathers and obscuring his features as best as the thick fabric could.
There was at least a quarter hour of sunlight left in the sky, so that meant he had just as much time to burn before he was meant to meet with his someone who could make or break his plan. And he knew exactly how he was going to spend it.
He reentered the festival area, the overwhelming noise and smell bearing down on him in an instant. Grease, spices, perfumes, body odor, and more all punctuated by the ear ringing sound of laughter, bartering, and arguing. He could not claim to be a fan of any of it, nor could he claim to want to be here on this day, but, well, scheduling just works out in ways one does not like sometimes, and as a result he had no choice but to be out and about on a horrid day like this.
He made his way through the tightly packed crowd, moving fluidly between the warm bodies that stood between him and his objective. Grian was the average size and build of an avian of his kind, but he was smaller than the average person of any other race, so it was easy for him to maneuver his way through just about any obstacle, including the living ones.
He slid effortlessly into the shadows with his back against the backside of some kind of tent, likely a changing or storage area for performers. He peaked around the bend and spotted the Commander and her entourage immediately. They were alert and uneasy where they stood close to the stage. They monitored the area with careful eyes, ready for anything, for anyone. But he wasn’t just anyone. He had long ago learned to stay silent and hidden when he did not want to be found. His ears perked up at the sound of the Commander's voice.
“Patience, Scott. This is delicate information; I can’t risk letting it slip to the wrong person. We must wait for the arrival of his majesty before I am to utter a single word more on the subject.” She whispered, Grian’s ears just barely picking up on the quiet words.
“But if it is as grave as you appear to believe it is, I worry that we don’t have the time for you to wait for him to be present.” The blue haired man whispered back, though his pitch was louder than Gem’s, making him incredibly easy to hear in comparison. He did have a point, as well. If Grian’s plan really was going to take place sooner rather than later, she should be acting now. What was her reasoning behind being so secretive about it?
“No, Grian isn’t like that,” She interjected. Oh? “He wouldn’t tell me about a big grand plan and then immediately act upon it so soon after the fact. He knows I would be on high alert after something like that, so he will wait even if it means he gives us a chance to prepare, because the longer he waits the more likely we are to let our guard down.
“Not to mention, we’ve not a single clue what we are even preparing for, and he knows that. If we rush in head on, even if he were to act right now, we would have no idea what we are getting ourselves into. No, If I had to guess, whatever it is he has planned will not take place until the King’s speech or even later after it. And that is assuming it has anything to do with the festival at all, which I am beginning to doubt. We have time, and we are going to use it to clear our heads of the initial panic and wait for the King.”
Grian let himself smirk at the assessment, impressed. She was right of course, just as she usually was. He wasn’t planning on doing anything just yet, and what he did have in mind for today was something she wouldn’t suspect regardless, nor was it something she could stop unless she knew where to look. He knew without a doubt in his mind, as well, that she didn’t know where to look.
“You know that I am not one to doubt your mind, but are you sure about this? We all know what he is capable of. Should we be taking the chance?” The taller man with the nubby horns asked in a nervous manner.
Do you truly know what I am capable of? Grian wondered to himself, already knowing the answer.
Gem put her hand on the older man’s shoulder and said with sincerity “Trust me, old friend. I would not do anything I thought would put us, or anyone else here, in danger.”
This seemed to quell at least some of the man’s unease, because they fell into silence shortly thereafter.
Grian knew that Gem was still anxious herself despite the confident front she put on in front of her group of knights; the way she shifted from foot to foot and glanced around while twirling a stray strand of hair hanging in her face was a dead giveaway of this. Not many would notice these nervous habits unless they were looking for them. In fact, he knew it was likely that she made attempts to hide these shows of weakness to those around her, and she hid them well enough. It was simply that Grian had spent far too much time observing her, and anyone else who might be a threat, to not notice them easily.
She was nervous, but she was good at playing brave and making sure everyone else's nerves were calmed; a skill that any good leader should possess. The crown really was lucky to have her on their side, Grian thought with a note of bitterness.
Speak of the devil and he shall arrive, here comes the king now.
The crowd, previously an eclectic buzz of ear grating noises combined into one, quickly turned to unanimous cheers and murmurs of excitement, though if he focused hard enough, he could also hear some poorly concealed comments of contempt from some festival goers that made him snicker to himself. The crowd turned almost as one, and Grian followed their gaze over to none other than King Ren himself.
The thicket of people in the square parted to make way for the large, white horse which he rode upon. The stead was draped in riches almost as grand as his own attire, looking every bit the royal transportation that it was. Grian had to hold himself back from sneering at the way he held himself, back as straight as a board and head upturned so he was able to look down his nose at the common folk.
His jewel encrusted crown sparkled in the quickly fading sun, scattering fragments of colourful light in every direction. His red, fur embroidered cloak looked far too warm, even for the chilly weather. His many rings looked expensive enough to feed a family for months with the coin you could get off of selling it. Even his stiff, well-tailored clothes looked more expensive than a vast majority of the exported goods sold in the clothing area of the festival. Overall, he looked just as pompous and over dressed as he always did.
At his side, holding onto the reins of the horse from down below, walked the King’s royal advisor and personal guard, Martyn. The man stood tall, his clothes just as uselessly expensive looking, but less stiff to allow him easy movement and covered by a layer of grey armour to protect his delicate weak spots. The strip of green fabric that was tied around his forehead looked more a hindrance than a help, doing little to keep his hair out of his face and only providing a way for sweat to gather and sit stagnant on his skin.
Gross, questionable fashion choice, but who was he to judge.
With the appearance of the two important men, Grian distanced himself from the stage and took to the roof tops beyond the stands and tents. He huffed as his talons made contact with the tiles and his knees bent back to steady him. He was not out of view by any means, but who would think to look to the roof at a time like this? They were all too drunk or occupied with preparing for the feast to care if they saw him anyway.
He watched the Commander march over to the King the second he dismounted from his horse and speak to him, her hands animated as she seemingly explained to him that they needed to talk. He waved her off at first, which Grian could see made her angry by the way her body became tense. Then his advisor put his hand on his shoulder and whispered something into his ear. King Ren nodded and then motioned for Gem to follow him.
Grian jumped from one roof to the next as he followed Gem and The King to an area of the festival that was less occupied, his movements light and airy, but also quick and precise. Eventually they reached an unoccupied area behind the stands similar to the one Grian was hiding behind not long ago. The soldiers formed a semi-circle around them as they came to a stop, keeping an eye out and making sure no one got close enough to listen in on the conversation the two of them were about to have. They were very great at their job.
He settled into a crouch on one of the roofs near them, his talons curling under to grip onto the rafter in order to stop himself from falling. He had positioned himself close enough to hear most of what was said, but hopefully not close enough to be seen or heard himself.
“... warning, you say?” Ren asked, carelessly loud as Grian focused in on the conversation.
“Yes, your highness” Gem confirmed with a nod of her head.
“That hardly makes any sense, Commander. What reason would he have to warn his enemies that he has a plan against them?” The King asked in a condescending tone that left Grian sneering at the sheer indignity of it.
“Your highness, I mean you no disrespect when I say it would be unwise of us to underestimate Grian. Odd as it may be that he’s come to us with a warning, it would do us well to take him seriously. We have no way of knowing the power and numbers he has, nor what it is that he is planning.” Gem said, her tone firmer.
“Or if he is planning anything at all.” Ren said. Grian could not see her face, but he could tell the Commander’s eyebrow twitched, a facial que that she was pissed. She took a measured breath before responding.
“It would be wise to be on guard regardless.” She said, tone even and steady, masking her anger fairly well. King Ren opened his mouth to argue, but then his advisor settled his hand on his shoulder yet again and he raised a jewel encrusted hand up to his chin, scratching at his beard. Everyone waited with bated breath for him to say something, anything. Gem’s shoulders were tense.
“I trust you, Commander,” He finally said, “If it would bring you peace, tell the soldiers to keep their eyes open and increase the security in the streets. Do you believe he will try anything tonight?”
Grian perked up in delight. An increase of soldiers in the streets was not a good thing by any means, but it still meant a decrease in soldiers within the castle. That could work in their favour. What a pleasant outcome to his risky warning. He knew it was worth it.
“No, your highness,” Gem said, “It is unlikely he will make his move tonight, but I still believe it would be for the best if we tighten security, especially around the feast.”
“Have it be done than. If that is all, I believe I have a speech to make, do I not? You’ve kept me from it long enough.” Ren said.
Gem and her right-hand men bowed to the King, and with that he took his leave, the soldiers that had been guarding the area following after him. Gem and her men stayed behind for a moment, anger clearly stewing. She punched the stone wall behind her with a noise of frustration before bringing her hand up to rub the spot between her brows. Impulse tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and took the lead back towards the city square.
Grian knew he should be going. He was most definitely late for the meeting at this point, but surely it could not hurt to listen in just a little bit more. Who knows what he was likely to hear. He unhooked his talons and took off across the rooftops once more.
As he grew closer to the center once more, where the stage had shrunk in size and been surrounded with rows upon rows of tables that were overflowing with delicious foods, he jumped from the roof and onto one of the unattended, canopy covered alcohol stands. He sank into the surface, causing it to cave in the slightest amount. He pulled his talons into his core to avoid tearing the fabric apart and rolled towards the edge until he was on his belly overlooking the feast.
He had perfectly positioned himself on the stand next to the royal dining table, where everyone important or related to the king was sat eating the plethora of food. There were large kegs of alcohol atop the tables, rendering the stand he lay upon useless, so it was unlikely for anyone to approach it and find him.
He watched as Ren made his way up onto the small stage, Martyn ever by his side. He began to talk, voice loud and domineering over the crowd as laterns all around them began to light up the growing darkness. Grian tuned the entirety of speech out, uncaring of whatever prattle was going to come out of his mouth. He knew he would gain nothing of value from it. His speeches were all the same, empty promises of safety full of nauseating amounts of self flattery.
His attention sharpened as Ren raised a golden goblet of wine up into the air, “To another year of prosperity!” He declared.
Grian covered his sensitive ears as the cheers of the crowd grew far too loud for him to bear. He watched as the King made his way over to his designated table, marked by the grand, gold lined red tablecloth that covered the surface. He uncovered his ears when the noise softened to an acceptable, but still aggravating, level as everyone began to feast.
The King sat at one end of the long table, Martyn sitting to his left with cautious eyes. Gem sat at the other end, Scott and Impulse on either side of her; they were who Grian had positioned himself near. Scott, the one with the blue hair, looked peeved. He leaned in towards an equally as angry appearing Gem, his elbows on the table as he spoke to her. Grian closed his eyes and focused his sensitive ears to hear them among all of the noise.
“I just do not understand his unwillingness to listen,” Scott said in a tone just above a whisper. “He knows better than anyone where your skills lie. It would do him well to trust in your word and instinct when facing something unknown like this threat.”
“He meant me no disrespect,” Gem said, though her tone said she believed otherwise. “This is out of the usual for Grian. He may even be right, who is to say it is not just a trick he is playing on us all?”
“But to dismiss it so easily-.”
“That’s enough, we’ll talk more after-.” Gem interrupted and the cut herself off, her eyes turning towards the roof tops.
Grian ducked out of view, though he doubted she would have seen him from where he was regardless. It was too risky to keep listening in when she was in some way aware of his presence, so he took that as a sign that it was best he be on his way.
He looked around him and found that the sun had fully set at this point. The moon and stars were both high in the sky, meaning it was well beyond time for him to go. He rolled towards the edge of the canopy and slipped off with one easy motion, hitting the ground with a near silent clink of his talons. He kept hidden behind the booths until he rejoined the crowd outside of the town square. The flickering fire from the lanterns cast dancing shadows across the walls and the ground, creating a kaleidoscope along what was visible of the stone floor.
He reached the tavern in a timely manner and pushed the wooden door open. This place was usually more busy, but with the festival in full swing most would prefer to get their alcoholic fix in the streets where they could enjoy the festivities at the same time. Because of this, the spacious tavern was mostly empty, save for a few regular drunkards and people who had stumbled in to avoid the noise of the outside world.
It was dark inside, the few, scattered lamps that were lit around the space providing very little actual light. It was also filthy, with trash, food scraps, and sticky puddles of ale littering the floors and tables. There was a man slumped over one of the tables near the entrance, his hand still loosely holding onto an empty mug. He swore he spotted another man underneath a table near the back, but he chose to ignore it.
Grian made his way over to the bar, where the tender was stood rubbing the lip of a mug with a filthy towel as he eyed Grian with suspicion and murderous intent.
“I thought I told yous to stop coming here after the last time,” The man said, setting the mug on the counter with enough aggression that it rattled the racks of cups behind him. “Yous is trouble, too much trouble.”
“I’m here to meet a friend,” Grian said with a smile, undeterred by the aggravation directed his way. The man did have a right to want him gone, after all. Last time he’d been inside of this establishment he’d started a bar fight that ended with Gem showing up and the two of them fighting. The damage done to the interior had been spectacular. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen him around? About my height, maybe a little taller. Brown hair, green streak in the front. Perhaps he had gills and earfins?”
“I have the right mind to call the guards in here right now, you know. Lotta nerve you’ve got showing up here to conduct your shady business.” The man said, crossing his arms.
“We both know you won’t, though.” He said, his grin turning into more of a smirk, “So, have you seen him?”
The bartender grunted, a sour expression on his face, before he pointed to the far corner of the bar, where a hooded figure sat at a large, round table all by himself. Grian gave the bartender a slight bow before heading over to where his potential ally was sat.
The hooded man looked up as Grian approached, his green eyes reflecting the flickering orange light of the lantern that hung from the ceiling. He was nursing a mug of ale that Grian knew from experience tasted like warm piss on a good day, and based on his twisted expression as he took a sip, today was not a good day. Well, people didn’t come here for the taste of the ale anyway.
Grian pulled one of the chairs away from the table and spun it around so he could sit with his legs spread and his arms resting over the back. He was rewarded with an unimpressed look, for more reasons than one.
“About time you showed up. I’ve been waiting a bloody quarter hour.” Joel scolded, his sharp teeth on display.
“Sorry, Joel, I got a little caught up on the way here.” He said, choosing to leave out the part where he had been spying on Gem and her people.
“Sh! Keep your voice down, would you? Might as well just run into the streets and announce that I’m here while you're at it!” Joel whispered harshly, leaning forward with paranoid eyes. Grian rolled his own black eyes at the exclamation.
“Joel is a very common name, and you aren’t the only one with it. I can guarantee you that no one knows who you are. Even the hood is unnecessary.” Grian retorted, leaning forward to flick the hairline of the hood. Joel leaned back, glaring.
“You’re wearing a hood as well, you know.” Joel protested.
“Because unlike you, I am well known in this area, and I would be recognized.” Grian replied with a tilt of his head. He felt like that was obvious.
“Whatever,” He said, taking a swig of the drink in his hands as his eyes scanned the tavern, “Let’s get down to business before this place falls apart on top of us.”
“Oh, come now, it’s not that bad.” Grian said, waving his hand. He reached over and snatched the ale from Joel’s hands and took several hardy gulps. He licked his lips and slammed the mug down onto the table, “That being said, the owner very much would like to see me buried six feet under, so perhaps it is best we get this over and done with as soon as possible.”
Joel looked perturbed by the assertion and the theft of his drink but said nothing of either.
“So, tell me, what choice have you come to in regard to the plan?” Grian asked.
"She has agreed to the plan, and I’ve been officially assigned to take care of preparations for you. I will personally be coordinating everything over the course of the next few weeks. It should all be in place just in time for the New Moon, just as you asked.” Joel said, posture straightening as he spoke.
“Excellent news!” Grian said, taking another drink of the alcohol and wiping the foam off of his lips with his shoulder, “I will arrange for a place for each group to camp out until the night we make our move.”
“I was just going to ask about that. I have already taken the liberty of renting out one of the vacant shops in the market district under a fake name. I already have a group here who accompanied me on my journey, so I will have them base there, but the shop is not nearly big enough to occupy the number of people you have requested.” Joel said. He eyed the mug Grian had stolen from him, and Grian slid it back over to him. Joel frowned when he saw how much Grian had drunken from it, squinting at him over the lip of the mug as he took a drink himself.
“Leave all further housing to me, I will take care of it.” Grian said. He briefly wondered if he should order his own ale but decided against it. He didn’t need to give the bartender more reasons to be angry with him.
“You can expect the second group of men and women to arrive by the end of next week. They will be disguising themselves as the family of my men already here, so be on the lookout for merchants selling glass.” Joel said.
“Give them word that they should head to Big Bakeries once they’re inside of the Capital and ask for the secret recipe. He will send them my way and I’ll get them settled.” He said, reaching over for the mug. Joel let him take it, and he deflated in disappointment when he found it empty.
“I’ll be sure to pass along the message,” Joel said before slapping his hands on the tabletop and pushing himself up into a standing position, “You made me wait too long, so I’ve got to be on my way. I’m on a tight schedule if you want things moving smoothly. Is there anything else you need from me?”
“I think we’re done here unless you need something from me,” Grian said, moving to stand as well when Joel shook his head ‘no’. He kicked the leg of the chair to spin it around to its proper placement and pushed it in, “It’s been both a pleasure and an honour doing business with you, I look forward to our future interactions.”
“You know how to get into contact with me if you need to,” Joel said, fixing his hood so that it properly hid his face.
“And you, me. If the usual avenue doesn’t work for whatever reason, you may also find me through the same method as your men, or you may also reach me through the inventors on Tinker Avenue. All you have to do is tell them you are there to watch when they ask what you need.” Grian said.
“Gods, I forgot it was your reach that tipped us off to your existence. It’s disturbing how many connections you have within the city. It makes one wonder what you need our help for at all.” Joel said, eyeing him.
“We are many, but there are hardly enough of us to lay siege to an entire castle all on our own. Your assistance is as greatly needed as it is appreciated.” Grian said. Joel nodded in understanding and then rounded the table to stand near him. He held out his hand and Grian reached out his own to shake it, careful to not scratch the man with his sharp nails.
“I was here much longer, so it only makes sense that I will be the one to head out first,” Joel said. Grian nodded and let go of the man’s hand, watching as his ally departed from the tavern.
He waited what he hoped was an appropriate amount of time to avoid appearing like he was following Joel out before pulling a bag of coins from his belt and tossing them towards the bartender. He caught it with a nasty look and tucked the bag away under the counter. He pointed towards the door and Grian rolled his eyes as he saw his way out before he could be thrown out.
As he entered the night air, he shivered a bit. Though it was only fall right now, it was already growing colder by the day. Winter would be upon them in no time. He would have to remember to inform everyone that they should wear warm underclothes once the fated night arrived.
The festival was still well in effect at this point, the jovial sounds reaching his ears and the smell of the food making his stomach rumble. He hoped their joy would last after his plan was enacted. He was doing it for them, even if they didn’t know it. While he had faith that everything would go well, especially with the news that their sister kingdom, Coral Crest, was on their side, there was always the ever-looming threat that things would go wrong.
In any case, he needed to get home to tell Scar the good news and give him a new task. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he exited the town, the noise finally dissipating to a low murmur before disappearing entirely and being replaced by the near silent sounds of crickets and wind ruffled leaves. He hurried through the trees to the location of his and Scar’s main hideout, one only they and Mumbo knew about, and looked around to ensure he wasn’t followed. Not that it really mattered. This place was completely guarded by magic, but one could never be too safe when you lived the life Grian did.
Once he was sure he was alone, he entered the cave hidden among the boulders and trees, and carried on further until he reached a split in the long tunnel. He came to several of these twists and turns until he finally reached the cavern he had been calling home for many years now. It was small, the interior only about the size of the average house, illuminated naturally by amethyst and some species of moss that grew along the ceiling and ground. There was a hammock in the corner for him to sleep in, a few chests scattered around the area, and a table that held a pitcher of water and piles of papers, both used and unused, in the center of the room. The left wall was entirely covered in papers with his messy handwriting on them, along with diagrams of the castle; all of his planning throughout the years.
Few people knew that this place existed. It was safer that way.
“Scar.” He said, his words echoing in the dark. He let out an exacerbated sigh when he received no response. He raised his voice, “Scar!”
“So impatient,” A voice said directly beside him. He didn’t so much as flinch, having had years to develop an immunity to the Scar’s bullshit and antics, “Give me a chance to respond!”
“Coral Crest has agreed to help us during the new moon.” Grian got right to the point. “They’ll be sending groups of soldiers to us over the next few weeks until then, so we’ll have to be ready for their arrival. Can you safeguard a few houses?”
“Anything for you, my delightful birdie friend.” Scar said. A meow reached Grian’s ears and he looked down to find Scar’s familiar rubbing against his leg. She looked up at him with wide, sparkling eyes and he reached down, gingerly taking her into his arms before standing again.
“And while you’re at it, do me a favour and safeguard the glass shop over in the shopping district as soon as you can. There are a few Coral Crest allies stationed there already, and we wouldn’t want something happening to them.” Grian tacked on, scratching Jellie under the chin with the tip of his talon, as gentle and careful as could be though he knew he could not hurt her. She purred in his hold.
“Consider it done.” Scar said, and then continued with a satisfied grin, “The pieces are falling into place just as we hoped they would, aren’t they?”
“We’ve prepared for this day for nearly a decade. There is hardly any room for anything to go wrong.” Grian stated matter-of-factly, settling Jellie down on the ground.
“Let us hope that things keep going our way then.” Scar said before he and Jellie disappeared just as suddenly as they had showed up, no doubt getting right to work with the things Grian had tasked Scar with. Scar may be a bit on the carefree and goofy side from time to time, but he was also quick and efficient, especially with Jellie by his side. It would be taken care of by morning, Grian was sure of it.
All he had left to do until Joel arrived with more of his men in the coming week was go over the ground plans with his engineers, but that could wait. He pulled his cloak off of himself and discarded it on the chair by the table before heading over to the swinging hammock that hung from the lower parts of the ceiling. He climbed into it with practiced ease, folding an arm behind his head and settling the other on his stomach with his feet hanging over the edge. For now, he would sleep and await the new day.
He smiled a true, sincere grin up at the stone ceiling. Soon it would all be over, and this living nightmare would finally, at last, come to an end. Scar was right, everything truly was falling right into place for him.
Gem froze mid-sentence and turned her head at an unnatural speed towards one of the alcohol booths off to the side of the table. Her mouth snapped shut and her brows furrowed, lips twisting into a confused and foul expression.
“What is it, Gem?” Impulse asked, leaning back in his chair to look in the direction she was.
She hesitated for a second, eyes trained on the darkness. There was nothing there that either she or the boys could see, but still she couldn’t shake the feeling there was something, no someone, there. She, against her better judgement, turned her attention back towards her meal. She couldn’t let that encounter with Grian drive her mad with paranoia this early on. She had to be on her A-game, and that included not jumping at the shadows.
“It was nothing,” She said, ignoring the growing pit of unease that had yet to leave her. She only hoped that her words held true.
#GG rivals au#GG main fic#grian#geminitay#joel smallishbeans#goodtimeswithscar#hermitcraft#life series#Danny's fics#fic: Thus Always to Tyrants#Point of View: Grian#cw: alcohol#very sorry for the wait everyone!#thank you for your patience!#let me know if this needs any more content warnings and I will update it in a heartbeat
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gonna take down some fics i have on here and just make them ao3 exclusive bc they have flopped so fucking hard and it’s always the ones that are my favorites 🫠
thus always to tyrants and abandon ship being two examples.
#— ✦ mikashisus ramblings#genshin impact#— thus always to tyrants 🪴#— 🌊🐚 abandon ship#genshin#if my fics are gonna flop here i may as well just leave them on ao3 instead#kinda homophobic that my favorite fics to write get like zero traction whatsoever#makes me fear for my regula solis epoch
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❤️👻🎁??
❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?
“Mankind cannot grow wings, so they fly kites instead, and tell themselves that they are soaring.” -Ganondorf being a broody bitch to his kid
(I write a lot about kites it's...probably something I should unpack at some point)
👻 What is your wildest headcanon?
My wildest headcanon? Probably that Ganondorf is really terrified of clowns. I just googled it and it's called Coulrophobia. It's partially why, when I write Ganondorf interacting with Ghirahim that he tries to dismiss him immediately from his presence because Ghirahim sort of reminds him of clowns. He will use him as needed but that doesn't mean he has to tolerate him.
🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?
I'm currently very interested in ways that Ganondorf can antagonize Rauru without really trying so hard because he knows that Rauru, just like him, does enjoy having power. Here is an excerpt:
Rauru had more control than this.
He should have had more control than this.
However, it had become an addictive feeling. This ability to have this man, who he knew to be evil, who he knew had ulterior motives, under his control. He was not foolish enough to believe that Ganondorf felt any true sense of fealty towards him and his kingdom. In fact, he was well aware that the Gerudo chief had his eye on the secret stone. Too often did the man let his gaze linger over them for a moment too long, betraying his desire to acquire such power. Such were the desires of warmongering surface dwellers, Rauru had long surmised. So long as the power of the Zonai remained in his hands and out of the Gerudo chief’s reach, he would continue to remain under his control.
Ganondorf, however, seemed to play just as dangerous a game as Rauru. He knew the man was coaxing him, goading him into exercising his power as king of Hyrule over him. It was as if the Gerudo chief was testing him, attempting to see how far he was willing to go with the power of a monarch in his hands.
The king’s tent was set at the edge of Hyrule Field, where one of the larger chasms the Zonai had opened was located. The monsters that lived in the Depths had been crawling out, causing chaos across the land he had vowed to set right, to bring peace to. Naturally, having Ganondorf as his right hand man, he dispatched him to help the Hyrulean forces get rid of the menaces. In that moment, as Rauru observed their efforts from his vantage point, he knew deep in his heart that he was way in over his head keeping Ganondorf as close as he did. The man fought like a vicious whirlwind, cutting down as many enemies as several of his men did in one go. He could see the malicious grin on the Gerudo chief’s face, relishing battle and bloodshed as he mowed through monsters as if they were mere annoyances as opposed to being an actual threat. On the battlefield Ganondorf showed his true nature, that of a warmongering warlord that relished his own prowess and bloodshed.
Rauru should have him imprisoned, he knows that. However, he could not justify imprisoning a man who had not outwardly done anything wrong, and had, for all intents and purposes, been agreeable to their treaty thus far. It would make him out to be a tyrant, someone who would not accept anyone who posed a threat to his throne. He was not that type of king.
He just had to keep Ganondorf in line, was that not right? So long as he kept the Gerudo chief close, so long as his eye was always on him, Ganondorf could not do anything.
And that was why he insisted that the Gerudo chief stay in his tent. After all, his right hand man deserved as much protection as the king himself, the Gerudo chief being a king in his own right.
(Not that it seemed like he needed any, given the skill he put on display in battle).
As Rauru poured over the map on his makeshift desk, marking the territories they had covered, he could not help the prickle he kept feeling at the back of his neck. Ganondorf’s presence was hard to ignore; he knew the man was watching him intently, most likely donning the infuriating smirk that seemed natural on his weathered face. It was unnerving how capable Ganondorf was of sitting still for hours on end, simply watching, obviously scheming, never uttering a word when Rauru was busy with the affairs of his kingdom.
Could the man not look somewhere else for once?
Rauru looked up, meeting the Gerudo chief’s gaze with a frown.
“Is there something you wish to say, Ganondorf?”
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Masterlist
✦ = most popular, ♥︎ = my fav
AUs
Twisted Wonderland Vampire AU
Twst Medieval AU
Multi
After Ghost Bride, Leona and Vil compete to see who can charm MC (Multi x Reader) Part 2 ✦
Someone New (Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, Idia, Malleus x reader)
Twst guys + baby fever ✦
Unrequited Love in Twst
Hozier Drabble Masterlist
Heartslabyul
Riddle:
Riddle x Short!Reader ♥︎
Trey:
Cater:
Ace:
Deuce:
Savanaclaw
Leona:
Sentimental
First Love/Late Spring
Waking up with Malleus and Leona ♥︎
Malleus-Leona love triangle ✦ ♥︎
Wishes of Love ♥︎
Ruggie:
Jack:
Octavinelle
Multi:
Touch (Yan!Octavinelle)
Toxic Jade and Floyd HCs
Azul:
Sunlight
Jade:
Floyd:
Scarabia
Jamil:
Friends
Kalim:
Pomefiore
Vil:
Desiderium ✦
Cupiditas ♥︎
Daydreams (+background Rook)
Depraved
Rook:
All Good Things
Worship
Epel:
Ignihyde
Idia:
Idia with a crush on Yuu
Diasomnia
Multi:
Cold (Yan!Diasomnia)
Silver:
A tale as Old as Time (+Malleus)
Sebek:
Shrike
Lilia:
Thus Always To Tyrants (+Meleanor) Fic art!
Malleus:
Friendship Bracelet ✦
Love at first sight ✦ ♥︎
Flirty!Yuu
Possessive!Yuu ✦
Fate ♥︎
Fae and Human Aging ✦
Random Malleus HCs ✦
‘Just Malleus’
Last of his family ✦
Birthdays
Tulips
Dinner with the Queen
Name
Insatiable (+ Rollo)
A Tale as Old as Time (+Silver)
Malleus missing Yuu after they’ve gone home
Pink in the Night ✦ ♥︎
It Will Come Back (Kitsune!Malleus x Reader)
Other
Rollo:
Angel ✦ ♥︎
Vile
Insatiable (+ Malleus)
Pity
MC confessed to Rollo
Meleanor:
Thus Always to Tyrants (+Lilia)
Character Analysis / Theories
Malleus ♥︎
Malleyuu Theory
Twst and Madoka Magica
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Can we again appreciate, also, the horror and pressure that comes from Luz’s ‘realization’? The fact that she blames herself for helping Philip find the Collector; And because the Collector taught Philip the draining spell, she sees herself as responsible for both antagonists. She gave Belos access to someone who let him become an immortal emperor with “magic stronger than anybody’s”, and King access to the Collector that is now terrorizing the isles. Belos had an actual game plan thanks to Luz, beyond just killing random witches; And let’s not forget that the draining spell led to Eda losing her arm, which she doesn’t know about yet!
Obviously, Luz can’t be blamed. The entire isles was manipulated, what makes her think she could’ve done any better, should’ve done any better, when she wouldn’t hold it against anyone else? Dare I say it’s almost arrogant in a roundabout way even, for Luz to hold herself to that extreme, godlike standard, and herself alone; Out of a sense of self-loathing.
But it kinda wraps around to Luz feeling the need to fix things and be responsible for them, and I can see the connection between that and her once wanting to be a chosen one, which was in itself a rationalization and attempt to make up for, justify, and explain her inadequacies in life. If Luz is a Chosen One, then her being different and rejected by the others makes sense, if Luz is a Chosen One, then it’s okay for her to assume all responsibility for everyone else, and thus blame herself over others!
Which… Yeah, in a way she DID get to have that ‘magical destiny’ she talked about in Witches before Wizards; But in the worst way possible, WELL after she’d gotten over that. Just like her brother King getting over wanting to be a tyrant with powerful lore, only to be burdened with the curse of being a Titan after all. It’s so cruel that when Luz’s wish IS fulfilled, it’s in the most Monkey’s Paw way, technically a straight play on the idea, but also a deconstruction too. Like she and King are being ironically punished for their wish, well after they’d made up for something you couldn’t blame a child for having.
I wonder if Lilith has made this connection, too? Does she blame herself, and as much? She DID at least catch onto Philip’s evil… Plus, she’s likely already used to blaming herself for stuff; Eda’s curse, which was only intended for a single day for her (even if her plans still meant taking Eda’s future for herself), as well as being manipulated by Belos in general. At this point, I think Lilith is just used to it, and focused on just making things right, like when she offered to take Eda’s place in the ritual sabotage; She’s self-pitied enough as is. Plus, who knows how therapeutic her time with Gwen could’ve been; And Luz is now with HER mom too!
Anyhow I guess I want to see Cool Aunt Lilith provide support for Luz over this, and reassure her that it isn’t her fault, at least no more than anyone else’s. This does remind me of a fic I made back when Season 1 ended, of Lilith thanking Luz for helping open her eyes… Maybe when Season 3 is over and I get a sense for how circumstances turn out, I could write a counterpart sequel in which Lilith returns the favor with her advice, even as Luz thanks her as well.
But yeah; Philip already had most of it figured out, how to get the Collector, and he just needed anyone to be a sacrificial distraction for the Stonesleeper. Lilith even points out that he did most of the puzzle to the lair; Luz might blame herself for being the reason Philip became any more than the incredibly cruel yet seemingly ineffectual human he was, instead of the worldwide threat thanks to the Collector’s knowledge.
But Philip was ALWAYS like that he and he’d always find a way, and didn’t need the Collector to form a cult of personality, just capitalize on it with the coup de grace. And yet, I can just totally understand the wracking damage and pain, because Luz didn’t just help Belos with any menial task, but perhaps the most fateful one of all, sans killing Caleb… Philip meeting Luz and her Cool Aunt really is a turning point for the entire lore of the show. But Luz’s destiny that changes the world is no longer a blessing, but a curse.
We’ve discussed how Luz has done SO much, has had an incomprehensible impact and legacy via her arrival; The way she’s changed everyone and then the people around them. But she really did take it a step further in a cruel way, a way she must still forgive and not blame herself for regardless, and it pairs very well with Philip being the same, in a negative way. And how BOTH affected fate together with finding the Collector, in their own mixed way.
Thanks to Them is a title that could have multiple meanings; Perhaps about Luz and Philip’s (and Caleb’s) juxtaposed legacies, and more! It feels like a double-edged title… And double-edged is how one could describe Luz’s feelings towards being a Chosen One with a Destiny, her ability to do good, and conversely the risk of doing bad, and the exhausting expectation to keep up the good. My girl is like a Gifted Child but instead of excelling at grades it’s excelling at improving the world and helping people! Even if Luz focuses on not self-pitying but making up for it... How can one make up for so damage??? You can’t, but that’s not an issue because it was never her fault.
TL;DR It is very much not Luz’s fault but I just want to remind everyone why this in particular would cause Luz so much anxiety, and in understanding the gravity appreciate more her angst. It’s not just that she helped Philip but the NATURE of that ‘help’, and seeing the Collector last episode has just intensified her understanding of the consequences. It’s a lotta baggage and Luz likely heard the Collector mention to Belos that he taught him all that magic.
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I think. tumblr deserves a chapter 6 leak since I post them them so often in soul pizza.
make of it what you will ??? :)
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