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aphroditelovesu · 2 years

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Yandere House Targaryen Headcanons (Platonic)

"Fire and Blood." — House Targaryen.

❝ 🐉 — lady l: I don't think I've ever written a headcanon this big! But I liked how it turned out and I hope you like it too. I made some changes to the ones that participate, in this case, it's Viserys I, Aemma, Rhaenyra, Daemon, Jacaerys, Lucerys, Joffrey, Aegon III, Viserys II, Rhaena, and Baela. I did this because it's easier to organize, but don't worry, the others will come later! Good reading and sorry for any mistakes. :)

❝tw: yandere themes, possessive and obsessive behavior, unhealthy platonic relationshipsa , child being taken from its parents, mention of torture, murder, war and blood.

❝🐉 pairing: yandere!platonic house targaryen x gender neutral!reader.

❝word count: +2,5k.

The way you entered the life of the Targaryen family was very unconventional, but for them, it was the work of the Seven. You were brought at a young age into the arms of Queen Aemma, King Visesrys I and Princess Rhaenyra, only a year older than you. Your origin is unknown to all who are not part of the family. Some say you were the child of peasants who lived in the Vale and on a trip there, Viserys and Aemma met you and were enchanted by you, as did Rhaenyra and decided to take you with them, others say that Daemon killed your parents and when he was about to to kill you too, he was ''bewitched'' and decided to take you with him to King's Landing where the King and the Queen took you as their child, but it's not really important anymore because now you're with them and they don't mean you let go.

Aemma became especially attached to you as you grew older, she really came to love you like her own child and the way she always tries to keep by her side as long as possible made that very clear. The Queen just wants you happy and well, she sees you as her ''precious baby'' and she can't let anyone ruin that. Aemma goes to great lengths to see you smile, she gives you everything you need and more. She is a devoted mother and very attached to her children, Rhaenyra and you, but in a way, she is even more to you. You, like her, are very attached to the Queen as well, as she is what you know as a '’mother’' and anyone who tries to deny that you are not really her and the king's child will lose their tongue. It doesn't matter if you are completely different from them, if you have dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin, you are their child and no one can say otherwise. Those who dared to do so lost their tongues.

Viserys also spends as much time with you as possible, for as King he doesn't have as much free time, but what he does have, it's all spent with you. Viserys tries to be as rational as possible in this family dynamic that has developed around you, but he can't deny the situation they've gotten themselves into by stealing someone's child. He knows it's wrong and he feels guilty about it, but hearing you call him "daddy" makes those thoughts disappear in an instant. He's a good father actually, always taking care of you, pampering you and protecting you as much as he can from the evils of the world which made you an extremely naive person, but Viserys won't say he doesn't like that innocent side of you, because he does. It just forces him to think that you must be protected forever, that you will never stop being your daddy's little girl/boy. That you will always need him to protect you and ward off the monsters of your nightmare.

Rhaenyra is your older sister, protective and possessive of your attention. She, from her family, is one of the most possessive with you, she feels entitled to have you because you are sibilings and, therefore, she is the one who should have you whenever she wants and she always wants you with her. The Princess is the one who you are closest to in the family, only after Aemma, as she is always by your side even if you are with your parents she will still be around. She claims it's because she's taking care of you like a big sister would, but in reality it's because she doesn't want you to spend time with other people, even if those people are her parents. She loves to take you flying with Syrax and read to you, her favorite moments spent together are when you are hugging her tightly as you fly your dragon. Rhaenyra's possessiveness is often overwhelming as you will never truly be alone, she insisted on sharing a room with you and she is very insistent. She is suffocating, your alone moments will never really be alone as the princess will always be lurking around, watching over you like a good sister.

Daemon is, without a doubt, the worst of the Targaryens. At first, he didn't really like the idea of having you in his family, as you weren't one of them, not by blood at least. You, in his eyes, were nothing more than a stranger your brother clung to, but he would make him see the truth, after all, you didn't even possess valyrian traits so how dare you be called Targaryen? But to everyone's surprise and himself, Daemon also became so obsessed with you as soon as he laid eyes on you. Aemma and Viserys were worried at first about Daemon as they knew what he was like but they were relieved a little bit to see that he got along with you, in fact, more than well. Daemon is the most dangerous of all your family, he is possessive and violent, and he saw you as a property to be claimed by him, to be raised and loved by him alone. He didn't see Viserys capable of raising you, as his brother is weak in his vision and he was too protective of you, but Daemon wants you to be able to fight for yourself and he'll be more than happy to teach you how. He spends all the time that is available to him with you (and the time that is not his) talking about the future with you, about how he will be King and that you will stand by his side. Daemon's unpredictable and volatile nature should not be ignored as he is more than capable of taking you away with him and he will if the opportunity arises.

Family is what you all are and what you will be forever and ever. They're all obsessed with you to different degrees, but if there's one thing they all agree on, it's: protecting and loving you above everything and everyone else. Aemma and Viserys are the ones most aware of what you're being forced to deal with, at a such young age, and they know the delicate situation and what they did in taking you away from your original family, they know all of that, but they selfishness and the love they feel so much for their precious child speaks much louder. Rhaenyra has grown up to believe that you are indeed her sister/brother, she doesn't care if you don't look alike, you are sibilings and that's final, she loves you and is always by your side, you have become everything and the one person that she trust and she will be cursed if she lets you go. Daemon doesn't care about any of that, he just wants you with him and will be offended and furious if anyone questions his intentions with you. How dare they? You are his niece/nephew and he loves you like a father and only wants the best for you, and the best for you is to staty with him, he very often quarreling with Viserys over this. Daemon has no morals and would kill many, but he would never lift a finger at you. Never.

However, after Aemma's death, the situation became unbalanced and everything became even more fragile. You were in tears and Rhaenyra and Viserys looked to you for comfort, all three of you suffered the same: the loss of the woman you loved so much. Rhaenyra would cry in your arms and Viserys would often just hold you without saying anything, just letting the tears fall onto your shoulders. Both were coming after you for comfort, but you went to Daemon for that, as he was the only one who wasn't shaken by the Queen's death. To say that Daemon was happy to have you all to himself isn't enough to express what he felt, happiness and triumph perhaps? Triumph because you chose him over Rhaenyra and Viserys to be consoled, you chose him and that only adds to his illusion that you only trust and love him. Only him and Daemon will always keep that in his head.

When Viserys remarried and to Rhaenyra's friend, she didn't react well to this situation. Not only did she feel betrayed by her father and friend, she felt threatened, threatened with the promise of a male heir and being replaced. Rhaenyra implored you to keep as far away from Alicent and any children she might have as possible, for she couldn't handle the fear of losing you, especially after she saw that the new Queen seemed interested in you. Sure, you and Alicent have seen each other a few times, but Rhaenyra has always tried her best to keep you away from her friend because you are hers alone and after her betrayal, she couldn't imagine you leaving her for Alicent Hightower. No, she will not allow that to happen. Although Alicent has more ways to reach you, as the Queen, everyone knows that Viserys is very supportive of Rhaenyra and he will do what she asks. Rhaenyra knows you are safe from Alicent, but who knows for how long?

Daemon was exiled again and he hoped he could take you with him, but Viserys wouldn't allow it. He knew he could try to force you to go with him, after all, he had Caraxes, but after seeing that you didn't want to go, he ended up forgetting about it. For a while. Although he was busy fighting at the Stepstones, you never got out of his head, to the point of being a distraction, even after taking an arrow, you were all the prince could think about. Would you be safe? Do you miss him? Daemon is a danger to himself and having you in his head all the time just makes the situation worse. But on the one hand, you are his biggest motivation to live and win, he wants to see the pride on his face when he comes back victorious and feel your warm embrace that he so missed.

The Targaryen family dynamic never changed over the years and the affection for you only grew stronger and stronger, to the point where you became the only one capable of holding this family together. Viserys spent the most time with you over the years, you became the center of his attention as he grew older, the influence you have on the King is superior to any. Rhaenyra even after getting married and having children, was still stuck to your side, nothing will be able to separate the two of you and your support of her is what keeps her strong, her children would eventually develop their yandere tendencies for you like their mother. Although Daemon spent time in Essos with Laena and his daughters, he still sent letters daily and when he could, he would pay you a visit. Not even time will be able to take you away from them. From their obsession.

Jacaerys is extremely overprotective of you. He doesn't care if you're older and even better than he is at fighting, he still feels the need to protect you as you are part of his family and Jace is very protective of his family but even more so of you. The prince developed his obsession for you since he was a child, you have always been by his side and his mother, helping to take care of him and protect him and he is immensely grateful for that. Besides, you're like him, both different from the rest of your family physically, you didn't have valyrian traits but you were both Targaryen and that's all that matters at the end. He is very intelligent and somewhat manipulative and he won't mind having to manipulate you to get your attention and approval. Jace wants to impress you, he wants you to feel nothing but pride in him and when you praise him he melts. He just loves you so much, like the rest of his family.

Lucerys, of his brothers, is the most attached to you. He is possessive of your attention and will complain if anyone else has it, as he considers himself the most deserving of it. Luke is an intelligent and adorable boy by nature. He doesn't quite understand these twisted feelings he and his family feel for you, but he knows that you are precious and should be protected and adored, as his mother told him so. Lucerys is always seen around you, often holding your hand as he snuggles up to you, demonstrating to everyone that you belong to him, that you belong to them.

Joffrey, Aegon III and Viserys II for them being very young, they don't understand what's going on, they don't understand why their family is so involved with you, why they are so protective and obsessive about you. None of them understand what's going on, except what their parents tell them: you are their one priority. As the youngest in the family, they are, along with Lucerys, the most demanding of his attention. Little princes invite you to play and be a part of their pranks, as they know they amuse you. They're naive, the only thing they understand is how much they love you like the rest of the Targaryens did and there's nothing wrong with loving, right?

Rhaena and Baela didn't spend much time with you, having grown up in Essos, they lived most of the time with their mother and father, but things changed after Laena's death. You all met at her funeral, and you went to try to comfort the princesses. Baela and Rhaena had already heard of you, as Daemon always mentioned you when the opportunity arose, so they knew almost everything about your life and the love Daemon had for you, they just didn't expect to be obsessed with you either. They are quite calm in their obsession with you in reality, and they accept as long as you can spend time with them in an acceptable and dignified way, you will never see them complaining about not being able to spend enough time with you. But make no mistake, Rhaena and Baela are possessive like their father and they won't tolerate being left out by anyone.

The Targaryens are said to be closer to the gods than to men, but to them, you are the goddess/god they so adore and are madly obsessed with. You have so much power over them that people say they are your tamed dragons. This family is full of problems and disputes, but they will all be united when it comes to you. Unfortunately, the entire responsibility of a kingdom has fallen on your shoulders and your family's overwhelming possessiveness only makes the burden more unbearable to bear. Be wise in your future choices, (Y/N), for one wrong step could start a war, a war for you.

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ugh-yoongi · 1 year

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fic where yoongi says exactly what he means all the time (ie - i have a massive crush on you) and reader thinks “no one is that direct” and doesn’t believe anything he says because i love miscommunication in fics but YOONGI SURE AS SHIT DOESNT

you know why

hello my beloved birthday-having friend <3 hope you enjoy.

fun fact: this is the yoongi bee dressed up as the night she got drunk as fuck and spent an hour doing a powerpoint presentation on bts kinks. don't we love that for her :)

direct

pairing: yoongi x gn!reader genre: college au, strangers to friends to lovers; fluff warnings: yoongi is an implied fuckboy, brief mention of blood, very direct communication, cigarettes, swearing, a kiss. rating: e for everyone wordcount: 700

You meet Min Yoongi in your chemistry lab.

You meet Min Yoongi when he’s half asleep and wearing a permanent scowl. Looks like he’s just rolled out of bed, and you sneak a glance at his shoes to confirm. Yeah, two different ones, just as you’d suspected. You’ve met this brand of academically-declined fuckboy before and it’s never ended well for you, so you breathe out a sigh of relief when he ducks into a row towards the back.

Then your instructor tells you to pair off, that whoever you choose is who you’ll be stuck with for the rest of the semester, and no one else must want to work with Min Yoongi, either, because he’s the only person left. He blinks half-lidded eyes at you—slowly, like a cat—and says, “Fine by me. You’re who I wanted to partner with, anyway.”

And you scoff. Min Yoongi didn’t even bother to buy the textbook, and you’re at your seat with an arrangement of notecards and highlighters and a stack of notes you’d taken over the weekend just because you were bored and wanted to get a head start. “Yeah, I’m sure I was.”

You’re dumb enough to refer to Min Yoongi as a friend five months later.

It’s a Friday night. Your roommate is god-knows-where, probably getting railed within an inch of their life at some party. Good for them. At least someone around here is taking advantage of their college years instead of wasting away on a threadbare thrift shop couch, a magical girl anime playing on your laptop; the one you watch only when you’re alone, because it’s too embarrassing otherwise.

Then there’s a knock at the door.

Min Yoongi is on the other side with a black eye and a busted lip. Refuses to meet your eye. Says, “I didn’t know where else to go,” even though he’s got a posse that’d put small armies to shame.

You roll your eyes. “You don’t need to bullshit me to get my attention.”

He smiles at that. “Why do you always think I’m bullshitting you?”

“Because you’re a sewer king, Min Yoongi.” Then you sigh, because couldn’t Yoongi have pulled this stunt when you were showered and wearing clean clothes? “Fine, get in here. But I’m not doing this shit again.”

Yoongi always smells like smoke and petrichor and trouble, and it’s the same when he breezes past you this time, too. “Thanks, doll. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

This fucking guy, you think. “Yeah,” you intone, “what are friends for, huh?”

You become absolutely certain that Min Yoongi is full of shit two years later.

“You’re full of shit,” you tell him, watching as he flicks the ashes of his cigarette onto the hood of his beat-to-hell car.

“Don’t you think this is getting a little old?”

“Don’t you think you’re too old to act like this?”

“Who’s acting?” Sticks the cigarette between his lips and takes a drag. Blows the smoke out, waves it away from you.

“You are,” you insist. “No one on earth is this honest. Especially not you. Especially not about something like this.”

Yoongi groans. Tosses the butt onto the pavement and stomps on it. “You want me to prove it?”

You curse the way your heartbeat hastens. How embarrassing that you’re falling for this. That all Yoongi has to do is sell you some kinda line about being in love with you for all your good sense to crumble at your feet. “You’re not in love with me,” you argue. More like you insist.

“Says who?” he fires back, inching closer. Smells like smoke again—nicotine and a desperate kind of hope and bad ideas that might not be all that bad. “Says you, who doesn’t believe a fucking thing I say?”

“That’s not—”

He stands between your spread things. Places two fingers beneath your chin and forces you to look at him. “I’ve never lied to you, doll. Not once.”

“Bullshit,” you answer, your voice diminished to a pathetic hush, but there’s no heat in it. “Fine. Prove it, then.”

You become absolutely certain that you don’t know a goddamn thing when Min Yoongi presses his lips to yours.

#beeday drabbles #yoongi x reader #yoongi x you #yoongi imagine #yoongi fluff #yoongi drabble #yoongi fanfic #bts x reader #bts x you #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bts fanfic #bts drabble #jewel answers #jewel writes

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annymation · 4 months

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The Kingdom of Wishes- A “Wish” Rewrite

Chapter 13- Magic Mirror

Chapter 12

Asha is now sitting on the hand drawn bed that she drew with her magic pencil the previous night. Staring at the 7 teens in front of her, she looks at them completely stunned.

Asha was about to open her mouth to ask a million questions, such as how did they get there? Are they okay? Do they believe her now? Is the king dead?

(Man, if you've been missing the past few chapters this all must feel pretty weird huh?)

But she doesn't have time to say anything, as Dahlia rushes over and hugs her tightly:

"WE'RE SO SORRY WE WEREN'T THERE FOR YOU!!!" The girl's scream echos around the cave, she speaks quickly and on the verge of tears "We were so scared- and and Magnifico was looking at us like he was gonna cut off our heads if we said something! BUT THAT DOESN'T JUSTIFY IT! I should've spoken up for you! I'm the worst friend eveeeeeeeer!" Dahlia says dramatically.

Bazeema, Hal and Dario come in for the hug too, Bazeema being the next one to apologize

"I know it's not much, but I brought an apology gift..." she whispers shyly, while reaching inside a bag she's carrying, and takes out a plant, composed of small star-shaped blooms that cluster together to give the illusion of a single flower "A hyacinth, your favorite... They also symbolize the desire for forgiveness."

(Yeeeeeah remember back in chapter 2 when Bazeema made a garden of purple hyacinths as a birthday gift for Asha? Yeah... It was aaaaaall foreshadowing that eventually the 7 teens would ask her for forgiveness. All details in this fic are foreshadowing! Also I just love flower symbolism.)

Asha takes the flower and smiles softly while the four hug her.

Gabo is standing next to the bed with his arms crossed. He interrupts the sweet moment:

"For the record, back at the plaza I tried to throw a rock on Magnifico's head SEVERAL times, but Mr "respect the corrupt authority" here kept stopping me." He says, pointing at Simon with an annoyed expression.

"Uuh yeah I did, because otherwise you'd be executed for treason, you're welcome." Simon says matter of factly, he looks even more tired than usual, after all he and the others have walked through the woods the whole night to find Asha.

"I would've died a happy man." Gabo says with a cheeky smile.

"You're not a man, Gabo. You're 17." Simon, the 21 year old, says sounding as tired as he looks.

"I would've died a happy boy." Gabo corrects himself with the exact same tone and cheeky smile.

Asha giggles at that, and she finally opens her mouth to say something "I don't blame you guys for not standing up against the king... Simon has a point Gabo, Magnifico is really REALLY dangerous." Asha warns.

Hal leaves the hug and speaks sarcastically with a smile:

"Yeah, we could tell heheh! Next time you find out that the kingdom is ruled by a two sociopaths, just let us know, okay? We can handle it." She finishes with a wink.

Dario looks surprised by that comment and comunnicates in sign language: "Wait, we can? I've been freaking out about it the whole way here." He still has a dopey smile while signing.

"Speaking of which... HOW did you all get here?!" Asha asks them, baffled that they managed to travel so deep into the woods.

Dahlia is more calm now, as she explains with a knowing smile:

"Let's just say we got help, from a little someone who's reeeeeally good at finding you anywhere you go."

"I told you guys I could find her!" Exclaims a little kid's voice coming from bellow the bed.

Asha is confused as she crawls on the bed to see where the voice came from and-

"Valentino?!" Asha exclaims with her eyes wide.

The goat is as happy as can be, looking up to her with his tail wagging.

"Hiiii!" The little goat jumps on the bed and starts licking Asha's cheek " I'm so happy to see you! I explained eeeeeeverything to them, so they'd come with me!"

Asha hugs Valentino, happy to see him... But not understanding how is the goat talking again.

"I- I'm happy to see you too Val... But... Aster, I thought you said Valentino couldn't talk anymore."

Aster, who has been floating around watching the conversation with a pleased smile, flies closer to Asha and explains:

"It's simple really! Some of my magic stayed inside him. That time, he REALLY wanted to say thanks to you. Now, he really wanted to tell your friends that you needed help, so my magic was re-awakened, ain't that right lil buddy?" Aster asks the goat with a cheerful smile.

"Maaa!" Valentino bleated in confirmation... Aaaand now he doesn't need nor want to talk anymore, so he went back to normal.

(This is still THE idea I'm most proud of in this whole rewrite, I unlocked talking goat on demand.)

"I see... So did Valentino really tell you guys everything?" Asha asks her friends with an awkward smile, hoping the answer is yes because it's really a long story.

Dahlia confirms that Valentino did indeed tell them everything, by saying "You mean how the king and queen have been changing people's wishes for years?"

"And when you found out, you ran away and wished upon a star?" Bazeema continued, while looking at Aster with a shy smile.

"And the star... Or rather, "Aster" here, answered?" Simon finishes the train of thought, looking at Aster with a... Suspicious glance.

"YUP! Look's like you guys are all caught up!" Aster says excitedly while floating around the cave.

Hal already seems to like the star boy's energy as she begins to introduce herself "Well, it sure is great to finally meet the guy who protected our girl back there, pleasure to meet you, Aster! The name's H-"

"Hal Diallo, right?" Aster interrupts with a smile as he shakes her hand, his smile widens once he does so, since he's seeing Hal's star.

Hal is surprised that he knows not only her name but also her last name.

Aster then proceeds to list all the others while pointing at each one "And you guys are Dahlia Hayashi, Bazeema Latif, Gabo Brandt, Safi Ayad, Dario Allegri and Simon O'Donohue... Did I get all those right?" Aster asks innocently.

(And yes, I did research all those names to fit with each character cultural background, except for Simon's that is from the movie. Yes, I do have a lot of time in my hands.)

All the 7 look at the star in shock but then slowly turn to Asha in confusion, Asha looks at them with an awkward smile. So Gabo promptly asks:

"Geez Asha, I know you like us a lot but did you really tell everything about us to star boy over here?" He asks in a cynic tone.

Aster quickly corrects him "Oooh no no no you got it all wrong ha ha! I know you guys because I've watched everyone from the sky." Aster laughs it off a little more.

"... THATS SO MUCH WORST!" Gabo exclaims looking actually scared this time.

Asha intervenes while getting out of the bed "Ooookayy this is a whoooole other can of worms that we don't have time to get into right now!" She says, referring to everything she learned about Aster the previous day "All that matters is that Aster is here to help us defeat King Magnifico and Queen Amable, and save everyone." Asha says confidently while holding Aster's hand.

Aster's stary freckles begin to sparkle when he notices she's holding his hand.

Gabo begins to to ramble in his usual sarcastic tone "Oh really? Awesome! Wow! Mind explaining HOW, exactly? Because although we didn't stay to watch the fight 'cause the rain started triggering Safi's allergies-"

"It's true, you know how bad it gets, we ran away as soon as it started raining." Safi interrupts, speaking for the first time.

(This is my way of saying they didn't see Magnifico almost break Asha's wish by the way.)

"Yes, yes we know how bad it gets Safi-" Gabo looks at his friend frustrated, not liking to be interrupted, even though he interrupts people all the time "Anyway- Although we didn't stay to watch the fight, word of mouth says that shinny pants over here got tossed around by Magnifico like he was a mouse being chased by a cat."

"He was more of a snake, if you ask me" Aster says with a shrug, and proceeds to talk confidently "And by the way, I certainly was no mouse, I was the one who won that figh-"

"Wait..." Asha interrupts the star as she remembers what Aster told her yesterday... She turns to Dahlia and quickly holds her friend by the shoulders as she pleads desperately "Please- Please PLEEEEASE tell me that lightning killed him!"

Dahlia looks like she really didn't want to bring the bad news, but she says it anyway "Uuuum... Well, yes-"

"*GASP* WWWOOOOO-" Asha jumps with joy, throwing herself on the bed with her arms up and a huge smile on her face.

But then her celebration is cut short by Gabo being his straightforward self:

"For like 5 minutes, then the queen did some creepy stuff and brought him back from the dead."

Asha and Aster both looked at him in shock, Asha slowly lowers her arms as she asks:

"... She did what now?"

"I've heard she gave him a true love's kiss... Would be quite romantic if it wasn't so scary" Bazeema says in a whisper.

Both Asha and Aster seem very disappointed by this, Asha remains in silence kinda just processing it, while Aster thinks for a moment before he states casually:

"... Well that's just cheating" Their arms are crossed and his mouth has a pout.

Gabo begins throwing some harsh reality as he speaks frankly "Yeah but that's how it went twinkle star, because guess what? Those two are CRAZY POWERFUL. And as long as Magnifico has that magic of his, there's nothing we can do, none, nada." Asha looks very frustrated with those words "So we might as well get comfy living in the woods from now on. Get used to the humidity, Safi." He says as he also lays next to Asha on the hand drawn bed.

As if on cue with the comment about humidity, Safi let out a sneeze

"ACHOOOO! Sorry..." Safi says while itching his nose... He thinks for a moment, and an idea seems to cross his mind as his eyes light up "I think... The king might have weakness though." Safi says raising his finger with one hand while itching his nose with the other "... But it's just a theory, maybe I'm wrong."

"ANY clue might be great help for us, Safi. Please, what do you think?" Asha looks at her friend in the eyes with a hopeful expression.

Safi looks back to her, her words encourage him to tell his friends a secret he has been keeping in for a while, he takes a deep breath before saying

"Alright... Last year, my mom asked me to help her at the castle-

We cut to a flashback sequence where we see Safi and the same cleaning lady from chapter 8. They're dusting off a fancy room in the castle.

"She needed my help because they were short staffed that day, and the king really wanted the castle spotless. Then he came in, complaining that my mom didn't clean his bedroom yet or something... I didn't pay much attention, but I did notice he left his magic staff leaning next to a wall... I got curious, I wanted to take a closer look at it, so I walked towards it while pretending to dust off some furniture. But when I got too close to it... Some ACTUAL dust got in my nose. I tried holding it in but...

"a- A-AAAACHOOOO!"

I sneezed on his staff and knocked it over. Magnifico immediately heard me and RAN to catch the staff before the gem touched the floor, and he did it just in time. I was relieved and so was my mom. I even laughed a bit thinking he would too... But he didn't... He looked at me in the eyes like he wanted to kill me then and there. He grabbed me by the scarf and lifted me off the floor a little. He yelled to my face:

"YOU INANE, FILTHY LITTLE BRAT! YOU ALMOST COSTED ME EVERYTHING!"

I was so scared, I tried a apologizing but that seemed to only make him angrier... My mom only watched nervously from the side. Then, a hand touched his shoulder... It was Queen Amable. She looked at him worriedly, and he looked back to her, I couldn't see his face... And just like that he let go of me and left the room without a word. Then the queen smiled to me, like what just happened was no big deal

"Please do forgive the king, my dear. He has been under a lot of stress lately, that's all... But you shouldn't be here in the first place, now, should you? No, a castle is no place for children. So how about you run along and enjoy the rest of your day, hum?" She placed a finger on my lips as she said with a sweet voice "And we'll keep this as our little secret, won't we?"... All I could do was nod."

The flashback ends.

We cut to all the other teens staring at Safi with expressions of both surprise and pity.

Aster's is floating in a sitting position with his legs crossed, he looks very sad.

"... Why didn't you tell us?" Asha asks, sounding heartbroken that the king and queen treated her friend that way and he had to keep that pain in silence.

"Probably the same reason you didn't tell us when you found out about their secret... I was scared." Safi said quietly with a sad expression, Asha nods in agreement "Also my mom told me not to gossip..." Safi adds quietly.

Dario comes over and gives Safi a hug.

"Heh thanks bud." Safi says, feeling relieved to let all that out.

Gabo, as always, ends the sweet moment by saying bluntly "Ok so we all agree the staff is like, his achilles heel, right?"

"... Yeah, if not breaking it was so important then why would he run to catch it when he could just use his magic to make it float?" Dahlia ponders.

"Because he can't do magic without holding it... " Aster answers, with an expression of realization.

Asha also has that same face of realization as she says "... Of course! None of the kings that came before him even had magic staffs, they could do magic with their hands alone... Magnifico DOESN'T know magic!" A smile forms on the corner of Asha's lips, it's almost comical how every aspect of that man was a lie all along.

"Soooo if we break that gem on his staff" Aster says with a huge smile while flying closer to Asha's face, his hair shinning brighter and brighter.

"He will be powerless." Asha finishes his sentence, looking at Aster in the eyes with a determined smirk.

"Uuuh that's great but... How are we supposed to break it?" Simon asks confused "Even the literal STAR here couldn't use his powers against the staff's magic, so what are we supposed to do?"

Aster turns to Simon with a confident look "Yeah sure, it was too much for me to handle... On my own." He turns to Asha for her to complete his point.

Asha get's up and makes the bed that she drew return to her sketchbook, surprising the rest of the teens.

While she does so, she finishes Aster's point:

"But together... We can fight."

She uses her magic pencil to draw some drums.

And we transition to the song:

What We Know Now

Lines in Purple- Asha

Lines in Red- Dahlia

Lines in Yellow- Safi

Lines in Blue- Hal

Lines in Bold Orange- Gabo

Lines in Green- Simon

Lines in Pink- Bazeema

Lines in Bold Yellow- Aster

Lines in Bold White- Everyone

(Lines between parenthesis- Me)

(Asha begins to draw some drums with her magic pencil, making them fly out off the page. Aster immediately gets her idea and begins to play the drums as the instrumentation of the song.)

… We've been deceived That royal pair are not what they've claimed to be They're more vicious than I could have ever comprehended When I made a wish and Aster came down This is not what I expected or intended But now that it's happened I don't regret it

(She begins to sing turning to her friends, her expression is bold. As she says the line "When I made a wish and Aster came down" the two of them share a glance, with Aster smiling at her as he plays the drums, and she looks at him with a warm smile.) 'Cause now I've seen Them show their true colors, in shades of green Saying that your wishes aren't safe because of me and That's a lie, lie, lie, lie. And now we know how we'll get the upper hand

(Aster uses their light to reflect on the gems inside the cave, creating the figure of Magnifico and Amable on the walls, that turn from blue to green. As Asha says the last line she raises her hand to the sky and starts walking out of the cave, with her friends following her to the forest.)

… If it's not us then who and when? If we don't fight they know they'll win Not allowed Knowing what I know now The lengths they'll go there's no amount I won't sit back watch this play out That's my vow Knowing what I know now

(She marches with them to the clearing in the forest, pushing the tree branches out of her way, some birds fly off the trees upon hearing her sing. As they reach the clearing, she turns to her friends to know what they have to say... Dahlia is the first one to step in)

… Get up, yah! No, I'm not the only one that's (yah) Fed up (yah)

(Dahlia walks to be next to Asha as she raises her hand to the sky with every "yah", motivating their friends even more)

… Wait 'til they hear our feet go dun, dun, dun, dun (yeah)

(Safi sings as Dario grabs one of the drums that Asha drew and begins playing it at the "dun dun dun" part. Dario may not be able to sing but he helps Aster with the instrumentals.)

… I don't think they'll be prepared for what's coming

(Hal sings her line with a passion, as she extends her hand forward to call the others to join their hands together in a group circle)

… A revolution hit the ground runnin'

(And they do so, then they raise their hands together, and with that we transition to Asha making a drawing of the castle that turns into a miniature, for them to plan how they'll get in.)

… If there's one thing they can't keep down Uh-huh It's us and the strength we've found It's too loud (loud) Knowing what we know now (knowing what we know now)

(Asha then draws little miniatures of her friends and Aster, they all come to life and get in position on the castle as the group begins to formulate their plan)

… And who, who knows if we'll succeed?

(Simon looks unsure, as he holds the little miniature of himself that Asha drew.)

But we- Won't stop and we won't retreat or turn round

Round

(Gabo notices the fear in his friend's eyes and offers these words of motivation)

Knowing what we know now Knowing what we know now

(They all sing together with Asha... All except Simon, as we see a shot focusing on him a bit far away from the group, smiling at them singing, but his eyes give away how he's trying to hide from the others how he's unsure if they're doing the right thing.)

… Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo Hoo-ha-hoo-ha-hoo-ha Hoo-hoo-hoo

(We get a sequence showing small glimpses of the group making their plan, and we can see time passing as we transition from early morning to mid afternoon)

… Can they tell what we're becomin'? (Hoo) Hear it in the way we're drummin' (hoo) I was sweet but now I'm something else (oho) Yah, yah, yah, yah! (Hoo-hoo)

… Ain't it nice of us to drop in (hoo-ha) To take what's ours to take it back in? (hoo-ha) They think we're nothing (hoo) But we're something else! (Ha) Yah! (Hoo)

(In this sequence, the group already planned everything. The gang dances together, as Dario is now the only one on the instrumentals, Asha drew a bunch of drumming instruments for him to go crazy with... But the camera suddenly moves up, as we focus on Aster looking at the castle in the distance as the sun begins to set, and the star sings his verse.)

… I've seen too many bad things that I can't keep count (The sky) And land now both unite To fight (fight) Knowing what I know now Knowing what I know now (hoo-ha-hoo)

(Aster refers to all the bad things he has seen them do while he was in the sky, as well as all the bad things he could see inside Magnifico with his eyes. His expression as he sings is bold and serious, as if he can't stand all the injustices he has seen.)

… They shall see all of your stars (We are) Aligned by your own scars So profound (Ahh) Knowing what I know

(He's flies down and begins to sing looking at all the other teens, referring to THEM as stars, that have been aligned to fight this battle because of the scars that the king and queen caused)

… I know (hoo)

… I know (ha)

… We know now (hoo)

… Knowing what we know now

(And the song ends with them striking a group pose)

...

So we transition to the castle, as we get a scene of Magnifico and Amable in the throne room, with 4 guards lined up in front of them.

"So let me get this straight..." Magnifico speaks to the guards with his voice filled with frustration, as he's sitting on the throne with his hand on his forehead "After searching THE WHOLE NIGHT, none of your troops could find any sign of that girl, nor the star?" He glares at the guards in front of him.

The guards all seem nervous, but one steps in to say something

"W-we went as far into the woods as we could, your highness... But there were some setbacks."

"Setbacks?" The king pronounces the word like it disgusts him "What kind of setbacks are we talking about here?"

"Last night when we were searching... Some of our men could've sworn they heard voices and whispers, the likes of cursed spirits..." Another one of the guards begins to explain, he sounds frightened.

"I've heard some say that the trees attacked them!" Another guard adds in, also sounding just as scared

"And I experienced the most unbelievable thing!" Finally a third guard starts telling what he saw, and we get a quick flashback

We see the guard at night searching through the woods.

When suddenly the ground beneath him starts to shake and... A giant flower sprouts out of the ground and closes it's petals with him inside...

Our perspective in the flashback changes to Aster hiding in the branches of some trees, giggling quietly as the guard screams for his companions to get him out.

(So yeah, the whole night Aster was messing with the guards by asking the animals to whisper creepy things and giving life to the trees and so on... The Peter Pan vibes in him keep growing.)

End of flashback.

And we cut to Magnifico staring at them shocked, not shocked that those things happened, oh no, he knows exactly what those things really mean... He's actually shocked with how incompetent they are.

Magnifico stays silent for a moment... The guards are all standing up stiffly, waiting for what he'll say next.

"... he he ha aHAHAH AH HA AHAHAHA!" Magnifico lets out a laugh that echos through the room, the guards look nervous. The king turns to the queen sitting next to him, she's staring at the guards with a cold expression. Magnifico talks to her like he just heard the funniest joke in the world "Did you hear that, my sweet? Hah ah They retreated because of- aha hah- some scary little whispers, moving trees and a FLOWER! HA!-Ha ha ha-" The king's genuine sounding laugh descends into a fake, deep one, as he stands up holding his staff tightly. His expression is twisting from a smile to a furious scowl-

"You FOOLS!"

Using his staff, Magnifico attacks the guards with a lightning spell, the guards manage to escape it just in time. As they look to their king in horror.

"IDIOTS!"

He does so again, the four men are now running for their lives to the exit, but Magnifico slams the door shut with the snap of his fingers.

"IMBECILES!"

He summons a third lighting strike that barely misses them, as they're now cornered against the wall.

Magnifico marches towards them, his face is red with rage while his staff is glowing green, ready to attack them again at any moment.

"That was THE STAR'S magic! THAT MEANS HE WAS NEAR YOU!" He hits the staff on the floor, creating a loud clang of the metal against the marble, the white floor is now cracked. "WHY did your captain not alert me about this?! I gave him a mirror PRECISELY for him to tell me about ANY SIGN OF THE STAR!" The king exclaims to the four men cowering in fear in front of him.

His voice is loud but it's not hysterical, it's a booming and commanding tone that demands respect and attention.

They remain silent, trembling in their armor.

"WELL?" He insists for an answer to his question, threatening to attack them again.

One of them spills the beans "I- I heard a rumor this morning that he lost the mirror!..." The man immediately covers his own mouth, realizing what he just did.

Magnifico turns to the guard that said that, his face relaxes as he says "... Oh did he now?... How unfortunate." his voice sounds calmer now, but the sense of uneasiness is palpable... his staff stops glowing. "Well then. Congratulations men, it seems the captain's position will be vacant very soon." The king speaks calmly as he starts walking back to his throne "Who knows, if you don't disappoint me any further, one of you might even take his place."

The guards all shiver at that, not sure if the king means their captain would just lose his position... Or worse.

"That will be all for now. Dismissed." The king snaps his fingers and a large door opens, allowing them to leave. The four guards bow down before rushing out of there. Once they're out, Magnifico snaps his fingers again to close the door. "... UUUUUUGH What's the use of ruling a kingdom when you're surrounded by idiots?" He slumps down on his throne, sounding miserable as he vents to his wife.

The queen holds his hand, her previous serious expression is gone, replaced by a passionate gaze "Patience, darling. We'll have our star sooner than you think, I just know it." She says soothingly.

He kisses her hand before saying "So do I, my love... But you were right, as always. We can't rely on others to even tell us where that blasted star is. It's true what they say: if you want something done right, you must do it yourself." He gets up from the throne and starts walking to the exit "I'll go to the forest to get them myself." He stops on his tracks for a moment and turns back to his wife with a pondering look "Hmm... Say dear, would you prefer that I brought the girl dead or alive?" He asks her in a loving tone.

"Alive, I could use a test subject for my potions, but either way would be lovely." Amaya responds, smiling wickedly.

"Then I better be on my wAAY- " The king almost trips over on something when he was walking to the door, he looks down and it is- "BRAVO! Watch where you're going you little devil!" Magnifico berates their lynx.

Bravo looks up to the king unbothered by the screaming, and it seems like he did it on purpose, not to stop his owner from going out though... But because he wants to show them something.

The lynx let's out a growly meow as he looks to the king and starts walking to another room, after taking a few steps the feline stops and looks back at the king and queen, as if to ask if they're coming with

"... It seems he has something to show us." The queen says while rising up from her throne to follow her pet.

The king raises one eyebrow at that, not quite sure if that's worth his time. But he follows along either way.

The two royals follow their pet up the flight of stairs, until they reach the king's study next to the wishes room.

And on the table, they see a hand mirror, that looks just like the magic mirror from Beauty and The Beast. It's glowing with a green light.

"OH! So I guess he didn't lose the mirror after all. Well done, Bravo." Magnifico says as he pets the lynx's head, Bravo seems pleased. "Now, let's see if we get some good news today."

The king holds the handle of the mirror and begins to speak with whoever is trying to get in contact with him

"About time, O'Donohue! So, have you found the star ye-" The person trying to speak with him comes into view in the mirror, we're not seeing who it is yet, only the king's face of surprise and confusion when he sees who it is "You're not the captain..."

We still only focus on the king's face, as we hear a familiar voice coming from the mirror:

"Erm no... I'm his son, actually, I'm sorry for stealing this from him but... there's something I think you should know."

The king looks intrigued at the mirror, he's ready to listen.

...

And we cut to another scene-

(*Jumps on screen* I MIGHT write a small bonus chapter just to show you guys how THIS conversation went, because if this was a movie then we wouldn't see it, but I want you guys to know SIMON IS NOT A TOTAL JERK AS HE SEEMS! So like, if you guys really want it, I'll write a bonus scene showing what Magnifico and Simon talked about, like a deleted scene of sorts! Okay moving on!)

It's evening time, the sun is almost completely set. And we're back to the forest.

We see 6 of the teens, Asha and Aster all together around a camp fire, sitting on logs. There's a small pot above the fire with some mushroom soup that Dahlia prepared, she brought the pot it in her bag, and the other teens also brought bowls and eating utensils with them.

Asha has an empty bowl of soup next to her, she's already done eating. She's now focused on trying to draw something on her sketchbook, not paying much attention to what her friends are talking about. Valentino is sleeping next to her.

Meanwhile, Aster is staring at her with what can only be described as a teen absolutely smitten, resting his head on his hand as he admires her.

They're also “wearing” their human disguise, so he looks 3D like all the others, if it wasn't for his fancy looking clothes he'd blend right in with all the other teens.

The other teens are all sharing stories and venting about how they've actually always had their grievances with the king and queen, but they never told anyone because they thought others would think they were ungrateful.

"-And then, it only took me messing up my juggling act ONCE and the king howled with laughter, but he never laughed at all with my actual jokes- UGH I've always felt there was something off about him." Hal vented to her friends about her experience as one of the court jesters look.

"You think that's bad? I've lost count of how many times I've seen them complaining about my dad's food." Dahlia said while eating her soup with an angry face... But then she starts smiling as a joke comes to her head "Sometimes I felt like asking THEM to try cooking something for once... But I’m pretty sure if Magnifico got near an oven he'd self combust hahah" She laughs at her own comment

The others chuckle as well

Bazeema shyly chimes in with her own story "Once, my mother accidentally planted red roses in the garden, when the queen specifically asked for white ones, so my mom painted all of them white in secret, and the queen actually believed it hihihi" Bazeema giggles, finding the situation really absurd.

"... Wait, wouldn't that kill the roses though?" Asha asks, taking her face off her sketchbook for a moment.

"... Unfortunately, it did, but my mom said it was better to sacrifice some roses than to upset the queen." Bazeema explains a little sad for the roses "I managed to save a few of them though." the bashful girl adds with a hopeful smile.

Gabo cuts in with a smug look "Ya know, since we're competing to see who had the worst experience with the monarchs-"

"It's really not a competition." Safi corrects him

Gabo ignores him and continues to say casually "I'm pretty sure I heard Magnifico killing someone in the dungeons once."

Everyone turns to look at Gabo with eyes wide as tennis balls.

"... I’m sorry, you heard what?" Aster asks, in the same position he was sitting when staring at Asha, but with his head now turned to Gabo.

"Killing: The act of un-aliving something that was previously living-" Gabo proceeds to define the meaning of the word, like the star doesn't know what it means

"Wha- I- I know what the word means!" Aster says, annoyed that Gabo thinks he's THAT innocent.

"Sorryyy, I just can never guess what your galaxy brain knows and what it doesn't, few hours ago you asked what was the meaning of the word "Revolution"" Gabo said sarcastically.

"Ummm how about you stop mocking Aster and get back to what you were saying about the king, I feel that's kind of a big deal." Asha said seriously, placing her sketchbook next to her.

"Oh yeah, right right *ahem* this one time when I was a kid, I stole the dungeon's keys from my dad, cause I wanted to see how it was down there, ya know? Just give it a quick look" Gabo smiles as he starts narrating like he's telling a scary story "Then, I heard someone screaming behind a door, and I could see some green light coming from the keyhole, just like Magnifico's magic... then all of the sudden- CRACK" Gabo says loudly, scaring everyone, specially Bazeema "I heard the sound of something breaking... And the screaming stopped." He says sinisterly.

(Keep in mind the teens left when it started raining at the plaza, so they didn't see Magnifico almost break Asha's wish, had they seen that Gabo would probably connect the dots that what he heard was not a murder but an inmate having their wish broken)

"... You're making this up to scare us, aren't you?" Dahlia asks with an unimpressed look.

"NOPE! It's all true. I ran out of there so fast I almost lost my shoe, and I've been keeping this inside me for years. Joking about it is just how I cope." He explains quickly as he shrugs. He then turns to Dario with a smug "What about you D? Your dad's the royal announcer right? Did he or you see something you shouldn't?" He asks like he wants to hear more gossip.

Dario's face turns sad as he looks to the side, then he just signs:

"I rather not talk about it."

"Understandable, then how about you Si-" Gabo looks around and notices that there's only 8 of them in the circle

(ONLY?! Uhum, like coming up with dialogue for 8 people is easy, It's really not!)

"Hey, where's Simon? Did he even eat?" Gabo asks everyone.

"Sleeping, of course, he's inside the cave, has been there for a while in fact." Dahlia says pointing at the cave they were in up the hill.

"Ah, I should've guessed" Said Gabo rolling his eyes.

"Someone should go check on him before we're out of soup though." Asha mentions, worried that he doesn't have enough energy for when they go enact their plan.

"I'll get him!" Aster says excitedly, as he morphs from his human disguise form to his 2D animated real form, and starts floating so he can get there faster "Be back in a flash."

Aster flies to the cave quickly, when he's about to get in-

"AAAH!" Simon was already walking out of the cave holding his pillow close to him, he get's startled by the wishing star flying towards him.

Aster stops flying just in time before crashing on Simon "Oh good, you're awake! Come on, you should go eat with the others, can't break in a castle with an empty stomach, am I right? Hahah I wouldn't know though, I don't eat." Aster giggles.

But then they pay more attention to Simon's face and realizes... He doesn't look like he got any sleep at all, in fact... He looks scared... And it's not just because Aster just startled him.

"Hey Simon... You look kinda shaken up, did you have a nightmare or something?" Aster ask concerned.

Simon looks away from Aster, as he just holds his pillow tightly and starts walking to where his friends are "Nope, you just scared me. I'm fine." he says with his usual monotonous tone.

Simon is walking ahead while Aster is following him. Aster looks sad, he has been sensing that the gentle giant doesn't like him for some reason, he thinks for a moment, and an idea pops in their head:

"Ya knooow, if you're having trouble with nightmares, I can actually make dreams! If you'd like maybe I cou-"

"NO" The young man says sternly without looking at the star.

Aster is taken aback by that... He doesn't understand why Simon is acting so weird.

Simon takes a deep breath before he turns back to look at Aster, with a calmer tone "Sorry... I just-... I just really don't want you in my head, okay?" Simon says with a concerned look.

Aster thinks he understands the issue, Simon is just shy and the star has been breaking the "personal space" boundary that Asha told him about.

"Ooh I get it, you want privacy! Thats totally fine! Tell you what, I swear to you I won't use the magic in my eyes to look what your soul desires, deal?" Aster says reassuringly, hoping that'll make Simon like him more.

Simon just turns away from the star and says "... Deal."

Then he just walks to be with his friends.

Aster doesn't quite understand what's up with Simon... But it's probably just a human thing he doesn't know about yet.

The two join the others at the camp fire.

"Well hello there sleeping beauty, did prince sparkling wake you uuuup?" Gabo jokes as the two join in the circle.

"Will you ever call him just "Aster"?" Asha asks him while still trying to draw something on her sketchbook.

"As long as I have star related puns? Probably never." Gabo says with a cheeky smile.

"*sigh* Fair enough" Asha says smiling at her friend, knowing that's just how Gabo is. She then turns to Simon "So, did you sleep well Simon?"

Simon just sits down smiling as Dahlia hands him a bowl of soup

"*yaaaaaawn*... Not much actually, but I'm fine, don't worry. Promise I won't pass out during our plan... Heh heh" He says with an smile... That looks quite forced.

"He's totally gonna pass out guys, we're so screwed." Gabo jokes and a few of the teens snicker a little.

Hal is one of the ones who laughed a bit but still she stands up to defend Simon "Aw come on Gabo, don't be like that, yeah Simon may be a sleepy head, but he always been there to help us out when we need him, right big guy?."

Simon gulps his own soup with the face of someone who knows they've made a huge mistake.

"T-thanks Hal..." He smiles to her "Though I really wish I could do more t-"

Asha suddenly takes her face off her sketchbook to ask "Hey, by any chance did you girls bring a mirror?"

Simon almost chokes on his soup "MIRROR? HUH?? HOw-" He coughs a bit and tries asking more calmly "I mean haaha why would you need a mirror NOW, Asha? hah ha"

Asha and the others look at him confused by his weird reaction, but she brushes it off as Simon just being tired "I'm trying to figure out a way to draw myself perfectly... Call it a plan B I have in mind, for emergency." She winks as she shows some drafts of herself on the pages of the sketchbook. "But I'm not sure if they look quite right, I've never been that good with self portraits."

Hal has a big smile as she says "Heeeyyy I think I saw a river back there, you should try looking at your own reflection on the water!" she says, pointing to where she saw the river.

Asha smiles to her friend as she gets up "Great idea, I'll be right back. And after Simon is done eating and you guys get all your stuff organized we can get started on the plan." She says confidently

"Yeah yeah yeah best friend, go on! Go over there and draw your beautiful face, you can do it!" Hal pretty much rushes her to leave. And as Asha walks away Hal says quietly while looking at her get into the woods"... Aaaaaaand sheeeeee's faaaaaaar enough?... YUP" Hal jumps to sit next to Aster and asks "Alright Aster, come on, when are you telling her?"

Aster was distracted playing with the fire on a stick, but once he hears that he turns to Hal in confusion "Huh? When am I telling her what?" He asks curious tilting his head to the side.

"The thing anyone with eyes can see, you’re in love with her." Hal says with a smirk.

"............ I

WHAT?!"

Chapter 14

Final Thoughts

Guess what song we're getting neeeeeext!

Oooooh writing the 7 teens, how I’ve missed you, I love them so much! Poor kids went through so much.

Gabo is definitely the one I like writing the most, you guys can probably tell, I just love his sense of humor.

Can I just say that the funniest thing I ever came up with in this rewrite is that the answer to how they can defeat Magnifico COMES FROM SAFI??? LIKE?? THE CHARACTER THAT HAS HAD THE LEAST LINES AND ONLY PERSONALITY TRAIT IS SNEEZING??? THATS THE ONE WHO SAVES THE DAY?!? HECK YEAH!

That part when Magnifico is yelling at the guards is a DIRECT reference to the scene in Sleeping Beauty when Maleficent screams and zaps her minions with her staff by the way, like, the words “Fools, idiots, imbeciles” are exactly what she said. Magnifico is now a lot more of a short tempered kind of villain like Hades, while Amable is more like lady Tremaine or The Evil Queen, always cold when around others. But just you wait when they reencounter our heroes, oh the evil levels will go through the roof.

And I’m sure you guys are wondering what’s the heroes plan, right?… Yeah you’ll see :)

…. Oh and I need you guys to know that EVERYTHING bad that happens with our heroes from this point on is HIS fault, not mine!

👇

Thank You for Reading!

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incorrect-jojolands-quotes · 2 months

Text

some interesting things to consider with chapter 13

Spoilers below and I might add more to the list soon.

Dragona's mispronounced name is a play-on Dragona's name and the word for trash. In Kanji, the first part of Dragona's name can be reinterpreted as JoJo (do-ra) and the term used for trash (gomi) is often used as an insult to call someone useless, shit, worthless, etc. So, Dragona is basically called "JoJo trash/useless JoJo" under the guise of mispronunciation. If we were to translate this into English, Dragona would be miscalled "Crap-ona" since Ds can be misread as Cs and Gs as Ps.

A popular drama known as "The Glory" became popular overseas around 2022 due to its story about a girl severely bullied by rich students ultimately gaining revenge. It was praised for the rawness of the bullying portrayed and it was based on a real life situation in 2006 where the victim of bullying experienced what was portrayed in the drama. What was not portrayed (I think) was the experience of the real life victim having their chest mutilated to the point of scarring.

Dragona mentioning about not wanting to live due to the circumstances reference Bruno echoing similar sentiments to Giorno before passing away. Both felt like they have nothing left to live until the Joestar gave them hope due to their actions.

Jodio's thoughts on why things happen reference Pucci having similar sentiments after Perla's death-- which leads him to reunite with DIO. While Pucci wonders why the knowledge he was forced to take in hurt him, Jodio wonders why the knowledge he was denied to have hurt him instead. We see how his quality of being methodical also has a flaw that explains him mentioning in chapter 2 how the "unfairness" of the world drives him mad.

To be blamed for the insurance payout and Barbara Ann being mostly a stay-at-home-mom means Jodio and Dagona's father must have been very high ranked to end up in such a situation while serving as a breadwinner of the family before his abandonment. Jodio and Dragona's father leaving is similar to Jotaro abandoning Jolyne for their safety. Both had to leave their children behind because otherwise their children will be harmed.

Meryl Mei's detail about school tuition is interesting due to McKinley High being a public school and initially thought to be an error. Remembering how Barbara Ann mentioned Jodio's academic performance earlier, she could have put him in a private school intended to bring his performance up, and that's why Barbara Ann mentioned school tuition. It makes me wonder if Jodio had just started going to public school; did he actually improve, was tuition ultimately too much, or did Meryl Mei manipulated things to put him in her high school so she could keep better watch on him?

Howler references King Crimson song "The Howler", which comes from an album trilogy (Discipline, Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair) that came out after the band's hiatus and known for introducing a brand new sound. Discipline features the song "Matte Kudasai", Beat has "The Howler", and Three of a Perfect Pair is yet to be referenced. There's a song in Beat called "Requiem", which caused the group to break up due to creative differences but later reconcile.

Three of a Perfect Pair has exactly 9 tracks with one side representing the New Wave style that Beat introduced and the other side representing the Industrial style that Discipline introduced. I got a whole post made about the albums here.

As a infrastructure group worth 50 billion dollars, they may have great influence over the community similar to that of Meryl Mei and branches that hire people for contract and whatnot. Is it possible that Usagi's father used to work for them? Is it possible that Jodio's father has some sort of connection to the insurance payout that Usagi's family currently live off?

Howler could be a play-on the Hawaiian world Haole, which is used to describe something not native to Hawaii, particularly foreigners. There are a few irl construction/infrastructure companies called Howler that are notably not from Hawaii. Given rich corporations' histories with exploiting resources such as land, Howler could be a company with malicious intentions towards Hawaii's lands.

The Japanese term used for "absurdity" can also be translated to "illogical", "nonsensical", and interestingly "unjust". When we see the characters mentioning absurdity, they could just not only be saying things don't make sense but things aren't fair or equal. It makes a callback to Chapter 2 more interesting.

ABSUЯD is a song written by Guns N Roses from their album Chinese Democracy, which was known to take a long time to come out and a rather very unpopular album due to how different it sounded from Guns N Roses' previous music.

#the jojolands #jjba #jojos bizarre adventure #jojo part 9 #jjba part 9 #jojolands #jjba jojolands #jojolands spoilers

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itsgameofthronesimagines · 2 years

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Can you do an Otto Hightower Where the reader is Viserys and Daemon’s younger sister where she has a secret relationship with Otto. Daemon being a protective older brother. She could join in on meetings (like Rhaenyra did in the show) and they could have longing stares, secret touches, and they sneak around? Fast forward to when Viserys fires him, the Reader begs him to take her with him because she loves him but he promises he’ll return and he asks her to wait for him. Time jump to where she is older and this takes place at Laena’s funeral, they finally reunite! They could have a similar beach scene like Rhaenyra and Daemon did? Please please! I’m the dork who like characters like Otto and Tywin…

Title: We Light The Way

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Pairing: Otto Hightower x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 7,266

Warnings: Heated makeout sessions. Vulgar language. Age gaps. NSFW. Smut towards the end. DNI unless you are 18+. By clicking the ‘read more’ button, you are knowingly reading at your own risk. P in V (wrap it before you tap it)

Summary: Princess Y/n Targaryen, sister to Prince Daemon and sister to King Viserys, knows that her brothers turn a blind eye if she doesn’t act like their innocent baby sister. So she uses that to her advantage and sneaks around with a certain Hand of the King...

Taglist: @leniabranch (I believe you wanted to be tagged the next time I uploaded an Otto imagine)

A/N: You mentioned Tywin and now I’m curious what it would be like to write about his character... also I’m so sorry if you weren’t requesting nsfw. You mentioned Rhaenyra’s and Daemon’s scene and I got carried away. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!

(I do not consent my works to be reposted/copied)

"So, I said to him, 'Well, I believe you might be looking up the wrong end.'"

The lords of the King's Council all laugh at Viserys' joke, all except Lord Corlys, of course. Princess Y/n Targaryen watches from the small crack in the doorway after having just come back from refilling the wine pitcher in hand, not yet wanting to interrupt the impending doom the Sea Snake always tries to bring attention to her brother.

"My lords," right on cue, Corlys stands up while unraveling a map, "The growing alliance among the Free Cities has taken to styling itself 'the Triarchy.' They have massed on Bloodstone and are presently ridding the Stepstones of its pirate infestation."

Viserys looks around before his eyes land back on the Sea Snake, hands absently playing with the egg from his platter, "Well, that sounds suspiciously like good news, Lord Corlys."

"A man called Craghas Drahar has styled himself the prince-admiral of this Triarchy," Corlys gravely reports, "They call him 'The Crabfeeder'--"

Y/n's eavesdropping is interrupted when she hears soft footsteps make their way down the hall. Looking over her shoulder, she finds her niece, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, quickly bounding down her way to the older woman, "There you are. Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry, Aunt. It won't happen again," Rhaenyra breathes, rushing to straighten her hair and dress as she joins Y/n at the door.

"You mean it won't happen a third time?" Y/n quirks a sharp eyebrow while knowingly staring down the young girl, a corner of her lips rising to a smirk as she brushes Rhaenyra's hair off her shoulder, "If I have to serve my brother and his council another round of wine by my lonesome, I should soon throw myself out the window of the Red Keep or resign to shoveling dragon shit."

Rhaenyra grins, quite similar to her aunt's, and both princesses huff amusedly under their breaths before pushing the doors open to the King's council room. They bound up the steps as the conversation Y/n was spying on continued.

"And are we meant to weep for dead pirates?" Viserys questioned Lord Corlys.

"No, Your Grace--"

"Rhaenyra, you're late," Viserys catches sight of his daughter as she rounds the table to him, "The King's cupbearer must not be late. Leaves people wanting for cups."

"I was visiting Mother." Rhaenyra leans down and kisses her father's temple in greeting.

Viserys theatrically sniffs the air around her, playfully eyeing his daughter with suspicion, "On dragonback?"

Rhaenyra smirks before turning away, gladly taking the wine pitcher from Y/n once her aunt flashes her a teasing smile. With the young princess serving the councilmen, Y/n stands off to the left of her brother, Viserys, hands respectfully folded in front of her. The discussion of the Stepstones drag on and Y/n starts to drown it out. It was not new of Lord Corlys to try and have Viserys and the other councilmembers take his matters seriously, no matter what threat Driftmark may face ruling over the Narrow Sea. By now, Y/n has mastered ignoring certain voices on the King's council, her ears only perking up when something new and interesting is afoot, otherwise, she quickly grows bored of these meetings, despite having the honor of taking part in them.

The only reason she finds these meetings bearable is when she has all the time in the world and every reason to stare at Otto Hightower, Hand of the King, without question or judgment. And putting herself behind King Viserys gives Lord Otto all the more reason to longingly stare back, always flashing her a small smile from under his facial hair. Long meetings like this are always Y/n's favorite because meals will be served and she has a reason to present Otto with a platter of food or a refill of wine. So when her hand innocently brushes his, no one bats an eye.

Their secret relationship was still new since Lord Otto has taken the appropriate amount of time to mourn his wife. Y/n's stomach would still flutter like a young maiden whenever they exchange those small looks, longing stares drifting down each other's frame ever so slightly, a silent promise for later.

Today, like any other day full of meetings, the King finally excuses the Council and the lords all part to have a moment of peace to themselves. As usual, Y/n squeezes her brother's shoulder and departs for her chambers, a slight skip in her step and a smug smile as she nods to anyone she passes in the halls. Her chambers, a private part of the castle, just so happens to be on the way to the Hand's room, and if Lord Hightower were to make a short stop to visit the King's sister, who is to say?

Y/n throws open her doors and quickly shuts them behind her, barring the handles before turning back to face the insides of her room. Biting back her wide smile as she descends the few steps, her eyes scan the room, searching for something she was eager to find. She needn't search for long as Otto steps out from behind her folding screen.

"Princess."

Her smile broadens, taking several steps forward to close the distance between them. Otto receives her with open arms as Y/n glides easily into his embrace, reaching up and curling her hands into his hair as her lips slide clumsily with his. Lord Otto's hands blindly roam her body, leaning into her warmth with equal heat and desire. Eventually, their lips have to part for air and the world sits right with Y/n as she leans her forehead against his, catching her breath with her smile unwavering.

She pulls away just enough in order to look at her lover properly, "So Lord Corlys has a Crabfeeder problem."

He peers down at her through half-lidded eyes and a fond smile, "Hm. Listening in were you?"

"Only when the conversation is interesting," she teased back as she leans back in to place a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth, revelling the scratch of his beard against her lips. Y/n's pride only grows when she pulls away and Otto intends on her following her, desiring more.

However, being the tease she is, Y/n pulls herself out of Otto's arms and swiftly moves to her dining table, "You know what would make quick work of the Sea Snake's infestation?" She peers over her shoulder at the Hand as she walks away, her grin ever prominent, "A dragon. Or two. You could always convince the King to send me and Daemon out to the Stepstones and make a statement of our power. With both of the King's siblings dismantling the Triarchy, the Crabfeeder would quickly learn not to make a mockery of our ports."

Otto straightens his posture, following her to the table, "Is that your desire? To hastily enter a war that hasn't yet made a threat?"

"The Free Cities are testing our weak points, acting as pirate killers while we lie and watch them," Y/n takes fruit from her dinner tray and turns back to him, leaning against the lip of the table, "They may not pose as a threat now, but they have already dug their claws into the Stepstones. All they have to do now is leave an impressionable mark."

Lord Hightower reaches the table and sits in one of the chairs, his eyes rising to look up at the princess as his hand slowly crawls over the surface of the table in her direction, "I tire of talking about politics for one day, let alone entertaining the idea of sending you out on dragonback on your own."

"But I wouldn't be alone. I would have my dragon and Daemon and Caraxes."

His hand barely catches onto the sleeve of her dress, his eyes watching the fabric pull against his grip instead of looking up at her, "Perhaps the princess would want me to summon another council meeting immediately?"

She playfully sighs, giving in as she sets her fruit back on the table. She leans into Otto's space until she has fully climbed onto his lap, "You will do no such thing."

His hands expertly find the ends of her skirts, hiking them up to her waist as he reaches for another kiss, "As you wish, my love."

~~~~~~~~~

The hour grows late just as Otto is summoned to the King's chambers. Y/n spends her evening in her room, eating fruit and absently turning the pages of a book she's read a hundred times just as there was a knock on the door.

"Come," she called, slamming the book shut as she stood.

Rhaenyra pokes her little head in with a playful smile, "I have a surprise for you."

When she fully pushes the door open, Y/n gets a glance at another individual standing beside her, taller and with even longer silver hair. Y/n's eyes light up like fireworks as she runs to her doorway, "Brother!"

Daemon Targaryen steps into the room and swings his younger sister around as she jumps into his arms. She laughs into his shoulder, delighted by Rhaenyra's surprise. It has been an age since Daemon has been back at court and even Y/n could admit the meetings have been boring without her second eldest brother second-guessing every lord sitting at Viserys' table.

"Ao jurnegon sȳrī, mandia," Daemon greets her, a small smirk gracing his thin lips.

[You look well, sister.]

"Nyke could ivestragon keskydoso syt someone qilōni prefers se company hen līvi se lowly vali toliot zȳhon own lentor." She teased back.

[I could say the same for someone who prefers the company of whores and lowly men over his own family.]

Daemon runs his hands down her shoulders, shaking his head, "I am Commander of the City Watch. And the scum of the streets requires my attention."

Y/n rolls her eyes, "Are you here for the tournament?"

"Of course, he is. Why else would he be here?" Rhaenyra says from the doorway, arms crossed and leaning into the wood.

"Well, I would hope he had come to his senses and wished to join his brother's council again," Y/n huffed a small laugh while turning away and fetching a wine pitcher and a goblet, "Or perhaps come to support his cousin as she goes through a difficult pregnancy."

"Viserys has you in those infuriating meetings and Aemma has you for support," Daemon huffs back, accepting the wine goblet after Y/n had poured wine into it, "My talents are suited elsewhere, dear sister. Why run the court myself when I know you are fully capable?"

"Because I'm not a part of the court," Y/n loops her arm through Daemon's and leads him to the group of furniture centered in her room, gesturing Rhaenyra to join them, "I'm still a cupbearer."

Daemon's nose scrunches up as he's seated, "Do you mean to tell me that Viserys has not yet given you a seat at the table? What cunt made him decide against it? Was it Otto Hightower?"

Despite wanting to defend Otto, Y/n wisely chooses not to and only shrugs in response, "I don't see any reason why anyone would advise against it, dear brother."

"I'm still a cupbearer as well," Rhaenyra pitched in as she sat down, both her aunt and uncle turning their heads toward her.

"That is different, Rhaenyra. You are still young."

"If you were the King's cupbearer for as long as Y/n has, you would deserve a place at that table," Daemon tells his niece, all the while pointing at his sister with his cup with a sneer of disgust, "Now, I would bet my life that the one responsible for this treachery is none other than that sniveling, slithering, good-for-nothing cunt of the Hand of the King!"

"Treachery?" Y/n openly laughs, standing back up to fetch another tray of food from her dining table, "It hardly counts as a crime, Daemon. Even if Lord Otto is behind the King's lack of promoting me, which I highly doubt, there's no harm in it."

"'Harm,'" Daemon scoffs, shaking his head slightly as Y/n rejoins him and Rhaenyra, "Otto Hightower's ambition is only for himself, and not for the good of the Crown. If he truly had a love for this family and a love for Viserys' rule, he'd advise you to have a seat in the King's Council. The dragon has three heads and Viserys has two siblings. We would be stronger if we all were able to advise him."

The passionate words struck Y/n, eyes wide as she stares at her brother. Daemon gulps back the rest of his wine and the room lingers with silence. When he looks back at Y/n, she quickly flashes a quick smile to him and to Rhaenyra to reassure them both, despite the doubts lingering in the back of her mind.

~~~~~~~~~

Once Daemon is sent away, his words eventually go with him and Y/n forgets her doubts. After Aemma was lost to childbirth, along with her baby boy, a grieving Viserys exiles his brother to Dragonstone and names Rhaenyra as his true heir. For a moment, a brief moment, Y/n wondered why she wasn't a competitor for the throne, but quickly squashed that thought before it could fester. Between losing their cousin and missing their brother, Viserys and Y/n stick close to one another, sharing their grief.

During this time, Y/n and Otto have become more serious with each other, becoming a bit too bold even in public. Their touches last longer, their stares lingering far past appropriate, and it's been getting harder to sneak around. This spurs on the topic Y/n has been waiting to ask her lover.

"You could ask him to marry us, you know. He won't deny it."

Otto slowly sets down his quill, his sigh briefly disturbing the candles around his desk. Looking up, he meets her gaze as she's draped over his chair, reaching for her hand, "What's best for us is not necessarily best for him. Your brother is grieving the loss of his wife and son. I would not ask him for your hand in marriage at a time when he needs you the most,"

He kisses the palm of her hand, closing his eyes and lingering in her warmth. Y/n is satisfied with this answer, running her free hand over his hair before planting a small kiss on his temple. She stands up straight and looks to the door of his office before back down at her lover, "If someone were to see me walk out of here, tell them I was merely consulting with you on how to best comfort our king."

He nods in agreement and watches her go.

Y/n continues to bring up the topic of marriage, and each time, something new is in the way of Otto asking the King. First, Viserys announces his engagement to Lady Alicent Hightower, which came as a surprise to everyone present at the announcements, except for Otto. The grand wedding came around as well as Alicent's first pregnancy, then her second, third, and fourth. Three years have passed, and by the time Y/n was confident her lover was about to ask her brother to wed them, Daemon arrived back from the Stepstones. Y/n quickly forgot her proposal to Otto in exchange for reuniting with her other brother again.

But by the time the dust settled, it was too late. Once Y/n awoke and broke her fast the next morning, Daemon had already been sent away again and with this, she heard the news of Viserys dismissing Otto as his Hand. Heartbroken and confused, the princess made her way to Otto's chambers, demanding an answer.

"Why is he doing this? What happened last night to make my brother send Daemon away and dismiss you? Why does everyone somehow know except me?" She desperately asks in a single breath while regrettably helping her lover pack his things.

Otto sets his riding gloves down and heaves a large sigh before turning to her, "I cannot say."

"You can't or you won't?" When he could not answer her demand, she sucks in a sharp breath of air, "And what are we to do?"

"We?"

"Yes, 'we', unless I have been bedding another Otto Hightower for the past four years." Y/n snarled.

"Sarcasm is beneath you, my dear."

"And keeping secrets from me is unbecoming," she hits his chest, lightly, but gets her point across if his hurt expression had anything to say about it. Torn to shreds, Y/n's next sigh comes out trembling, regret welling in her eyes until her hands reach up and caress the spot in his chest where she had hit him. Defeated, her voice reverts to a whisper, "Take me with you. I will forgive everything, here and now, if you take me away from here."

"Your brother has just dismissed me. I doubt he will approve of me taking you away to Oldtown to be my lady wife," Otto's strong, withered hands gather hers and places them over his heart, "You're the princess. Your place is here."

A soft sob escapes her, disbelief in her teary eyes as she looked up at him, "But not with you?"

"Oh, I wish it so, Y/n, I swear it," he whispered, gathering her up in his arms and kissing the top of her head, rocking the two of them into a brief moment of calmness, "Perhaps this all happened for a reason. The gods might wish us to marry but not at this time. Our time will come. Just wait for me at the end of this road."

He feels her head buried in his chest as she turns it side to side, "I can't deny my brother's wishes if he decides to marry me off to someone else. I've already delayed him this long."

"Try. I know you can persuade him."

"If you believe that, then let me persuade him to keep you."

"I promise I will return. I know I will," he leans back and takes her face in both of his hands, forcing her to look him in the eye, "Take care of Alicent. Tend to her every need."

They pack the rest of his things in silence, not even touching each other until the next morning. Y/n woke to a frenzied knock on her door and rushes to answer. Otto is standing there and she barely has time to register his riding clothes before he's swept her up in a long, passionate kiss.

"Wait for me." He whispered against her lips.

In a flurry of his cloak, he retreats, not even waiting for Y/n to respond. He's left the Red Keep before she could even dress for the day, taking Alicent's youngest son, Daeron, with him to be fostered in Oldtown.

~~~~~~~~~

Ten years. Ten. Long. Years.

Princess Y/n Targaryen feels herself growing old as both Rhaenyra and Alicent grow up. She does her best to befriend her lover's daughter, but Alicent grew out of her shell shortly after Rhaenyra's marriage to Laenor Velaryon. When she grew into a queen, Alicent suddenly had no need for friends outside of her sworn shield, Ser Criston Cole, and her confidant, Lord Larys Strong.

From her marriage to Laenor, Rhaenyra birthed three sons, Jacerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey. Y/n was there for each of her niece's labors, trying to be the mother figure Rhaenyra deserved to have at her side in these stepstones of life. Y/n also tried her best to be with Alicent and her children. She gave advice when she could and even helped raise her niece and nephews if Alicent appeared stressed. The Queen thanks Y/n with feigned interest, only entertaining the older woman in her presence. Otherwise, she had no interest in being her sister-in-law's friend.

Daemon had run off and married Laena Velaryon in this long decade as well, having twin daughters with a third on the way. They travel through Essos and hardly ever journey back to Westeros. Viserys has done nothing but get worse in health, slowly decaying from the inside out. In many ways, both of Y/n's brothers were far from her reach, and her lover farther still.

Never in her life has Y/n felt so alone until this very moment. Her brothers are more distant than ever, the man she loved thousands of leagues away from her. Her niece is married with children and everyone else has followed her lead. Everyone appears to have moved on with their lives. All except Y/n, who remained frozen in time, never moving forward.

Viserys eventually notices his forlorn sister and asks her when she intends to marry. Cold and defeated, she answers with little emotion, "I'm old and barren. I would not make a good wife to anyone because I am no longer of age to have children."

"Come now," he tried to cheer her up, alone in the throne room. He smiles hopefully, "There's no need for such words of doubt. Plenty of suitors have come and gone from here and you never once spoke to me with interest to any of them. Surely, someone must have crossed your mind?"

It was like watching a barrel of wildfire ignite at the drop of a match. Y/n's whole body stiffens, her emotionless face suddenly coming to life from stone to fire. She glared up at her King brother, venom dripping in every word she spoke, "If you wish to be rid of me, brother, just say the words."

Viserys retracts, horrified that she would even make such an accusation, "Now, Y/n--"

"You pushed Daemon away and now you are pushing me away!" She roared, voice echoing off the walls of the vast room, "Slowly, day by day, you have pushed your siblings away until they had no choice but to leave. Not once did you ask Daemon to be your hand, now look where he is! And what of me? I had been your cupbearer long before Rhaenyra was born and not once did you ever ask me to join your council! Now, all we have left is our resentment for each other!"

"You know why I couldn't name Daemon my Hand," Viserys retorts, exhaustion putting pressure behind his eyes. He covers his face with one hand as the start of a headache ignites, "And Otto Hightower was a loyal servant to the Crown before greed brought his motives elsewhere--"

With his face covered, he completely misses the way Y/n shrivels in on herself, folding her arms close to her body. He speaks up once more, "But go on. Clearly, you've had something on your mind for a while. Speak freely, baby sister, and be free of it."

Silence echoes through the chamber louder than her yells could, and the two bask in it until Y/n takes a deep breath and finds her courage to speak, "You gave Daemon the opportunity to be your heir, and after you disinherited him, you could have had me take his place. But you didn't. You just brushed past my existence and moved onto Rhaenyra."

The words hurt Viserys like a stab through the heart. The King lean forwards in his chair of swords, "Y/n--"

"I am your sister, Viserys!" She cries in anger, her eyes and nose pink with emotion as she peered up at him, "Your blood! I have equal relations to you as Daemon does, and yet no equal titles or lands of my own. You name your daughter, a woman, as Heir to the Iron Throne but have not once given your own sister anything she could have possibly desired!"

"And pray tell would that be?!" Viserys roars as he shakes his walking cane, tired of the accusations and the squabble between him and his sister, "Tell me! Your King demands it!"

"The man I loved!"

The words ring in his ears along with his gasps of air as he tries to catch his breath. They stare at one another, panting and drained of all their emotions, like most pent-up siblings. Y/n licks her bottom lip, blinking rapidly while her eyes cast to the stairs leading up to the throne, ashamed. Viserys leans back on his throne, exhausted, watching the way his sister battles with her thoughts before she decides to Hell with them.

"Otto Hightower," His eyes widen when she spoke that name, but allowed her to further explain, "I loved him then, I love him now. I thought you knew. I thought you knew and refused to act on it. I thought you knew my love for him and you dismissed him anyway. You sent my love away... and for ten years, I have been stewing in my resentment of you, thinking how cruel my big brother can be."

"Y/n..." Viserys whispered, guilt boiling in his stomach as he watched his little sister shrink in on herself, "I am so, so sorry. For all of it. If I could take it all back--"

"It's far too late for that now," Y/n rapidly wipes the tears away, straightening her posture and taking deep breaths. Viserys could visibly see the stone wall she puts up as she now faced him as a dragon princess, "Fifteen years too late for you to grant me lands and titles, and ten years too late to marry me off. I'm sure by now Rhaenyra has informed you that she will be leaving for Dragonstone with her family. I intend on joining her."

She turns and walks out of the throne room, and Viserys no longer had the strength to stop her.

~~~~~~~~~

Living on Dragonstone with Laenor, Rhaenyra, and their children was peaceful, apart from the boys running around and having adventures of their own. Jace and Luke were wonderful, and they loved their Great-Aunt Y/n. Having a new baby around was wonderful, too. Whenever Rhaenyra needed a break, Y/n was happy to take over. Rhaenyra was thankful to have her aunt with her family, living in their ancestral home together, away from the viper den of King's Landing.

They receive two letters not long after moving into Dragonstone. The first was from King's Landing, reporting the deaths of Lord Lyonel Strong and his son, Ser Harwin, and the second letter was from Driftmark, detailing the funeral for Laena Velaryon. Leaving Joffrey behind with a wet nurse, the rest of the family head to Driftmark to pay their respects. Upon arrival, Corlys and Princess Rhaenys were waiting to greet them, gathering their son up in their arms as they mourned their loss. Baela and Rhaena were there as well, but Daemon was nowhere to be found, much to Y/n's disappointment.

"Take me to your father," she demanded gently of her nieces after she held and kissed both of them. The twins take both of her hands and led her away from the growing crowds of funeral attendants. They brought her to a quiet room within the keep, and then she quietly sent them away to be with the rest of their family, "I promise I'll have him ready for the burial."

Heading inside, the room was completely dark other than the natural light coming through the window. She found Daemon easily enough, slouched in the corner of the room, and gathered him in her arms. He wasn't responsive other than to bury his face away from the world in his sister's shoulder, silent as the grave. Y/n was hoping for a better reunion than this after ten years of missing her brother, but he had just lost a wife and child. She couldn't afford to be selfish when Daemon was grieving.

Y/n repeatedly kissed the top of Daemon's head, squeezing him as tight as she could as would a mother to her child. Y/n doesn't remember her own mother very well, but she could imagine her holding Little Daemon like this whenever he was upset.

"I'm here... I'm here."

Daemon Targaryen does not cry in front of anyone, but for his little sister, he makes an exception.

After some time, Daemon is willing to show his face long enough for the ceremony. Y/n leads him outside where everyone had gathered around. While she was attending to her brother, the royal family arrived and was now waiting for them before saying their last goodbyes.

Y/n nearly tripped over her own feet when she saw Otto Hightower among the crowd, proudly wearing the sigil of the Hand once again. She nearly forgot how to breathe when she recognized his face, the air completely stolen from her lungs, heartbeat pounding in her ears. If she caught his eye, she couldn't tell with the crowd moving towards the cliffside where they would throw Laena's remains into the sea. For now, she couldn't approach him. Daemon and his daughters needed her first and foremost.

Throughout the eulogy Vemond Velaryon gives, Y/n keeps her gaze lowered and her hand on Daemon's arm. Halfway through sending Laena's coffin into the sea, Daemon whispers into her ear, "Our beloved Hand of the King can't keep his eyes off you."

Y/n paused, looking up at Daemon before following his gaze. She pulls her hair out of the way when the wind takes hold but sure enough, Otto stood far from the grieving family, dutifully keeping his hands folded in front of him. His eyes, however, were cast onto Y/n, only occasionally looking away out of respect for the dead when Laena has finally been put to rest. When he noticed you staring back, Otto's eyes lingered longer, as if the past ten years never happened and you were back in the council room, sharing glances and quick touches.

Y/n looks away and lowers her head again out of respect for Laena, dismissing Daemon's comment, "He's looking at you, brother."

All the guests quietly conversed with one another after the eulogy, any exchange becoming awkward or full of meager stares. The family of the deceased was approached numerous times and given plenty of condolences, but for the most part, Y/n either stuck to Daemon or Rhaenyra, not wishing to speak among the royal family as her estranged relationship with Viserys was still a sore subject.

It's not like she could mix with the crowd anyway. Ever since Daemon noticed Lord Otto staring, he had yet to leave Y/n's side, and she has elected to ignore it. But, as always, Daemon gets bored easily. He leaves the gathering and before long, so does Rhaenyra, but only Y/n appeared to have noticed, that is until Caraxes and Syrax flew overhead, alerting everyone of the prince and princess' departure.

Y/n was staring up at the evening sky, fondly watching the dragons fly away together. She didn't notice Otto approaching her until his hand gently touches her elbow, jolts of lightning running up her arm as she turns to face him.

The two of them found themselves walking alongside the beach together, long after the sun had disappeared over the horizon. The waves crashed and the wind blew, filling in the silence between the pair until the Hand spoke, "Alicent spoke highly of you. She said you tended to her and her children in her time of need," he waits for a response but didn't get one, so he continued to fill the void with words, "I owe you my gratitude for stepping in when her mother couldn't."

She winced, pained by the reminder of his first wife. Y/n keeps her voice even and stern, looking out onto the waters instead of looking at him, "I wasn't a mother to her. I was merely serving my Queen as I saw fit. When did you come back?"

"I returned to King's Landing by His Grace's command after the death of Lord Lyonel, may he rest in peace," Otto put his hands behind his back as he walked, watching his shoes sink into the sand, "I was beside myself when I arrived only to realize that you weren't there to receive me."

"I left shortly before you were summoned. My brother and I had a fight about-- well, about plenty of things, I suppose. I left for Dragonstone to take some time away."

"If you had waited--"

"I waited long enough," she snapped suddenly, stopping in her tracks and forcing him to do the same by her glare alone, "Ten years may have been a blink of an eye for you, but not for me."

"What makes you so sure? How do you know how I felt all these years?"

"I can only guess. It's not like you wrote letters to tell me otherwise." She snarled.

Otto lowered his gaze to the sand once again, ashamed, "I couldn't. It would have been a painful reminder that I could not have you."

Y/n huffed, annoyed by him and herself for acting like fools. She stared out over the water again before asking the question that had been troubling her all these years, "Why did you keep refusing to marry me? Why not ask my brother and be done with it?"

Lord Hightower sighed, his eyes wandering as he tried wording his next excuse the best way possible, "Your brother... back then, when he looked at you, he only ever saw a child."

The scowl on her face showed how unimpressed she was by his words, "I am only three years younger than Daemon."

"You were young when you and I started having relations. Viserys was at the height of his power and Daemon was known for killing a man for almost any reason," he smiled gently, "I would not have survived long enough to marry you had I tried asking your brother for your hand."

She shook her head in disbelief, running her hand over her hair when the wind picked it up and threw it back in her face. Otto watches the movement with calculation, wondering how long would it take him to run his fingers through those soft silver locks and sniff out every pin and braid. Y/n peers back and recognized that look, smiling a little to herself as she remembered how impressionable she is to him. Y/n makes a step forward, her feet sinking into the sand as she stood in front of him. She watches her fingers trace shapes in his cloak, the offending fabric keeping her from his torso and the beat of his heart. She peers up at him then, through her long lashes her violet eyes meet his and the mystery of his eye color wandered into her head. Were they blue in a certain light? Or were they green like his house colors, green like the flames of the great lighthouse that call House Hightower's banners to war? Y/n wonders if this is a mystery she can soon find out herself, purposely letting her eyes wander down to his lips. She internally cheered in triumph when the motion drove Otto to gasp out a tiny breath, "And how about now? Would you ask for my hand now?"

"Would you still have me?"

One of her hands reach for his mouth, fingers lightly tapping on his bottom lip, "If it weren't for your idiocy, I'd have you already."

A deep, gentle chuckle sounds deep in his chest, wrinkles ever prominent in the corner of his eyes when he smiled to himself. His lips briefly kiss her fingertips as he whispered, "Well, then. You'll be happy to learn that I already arranged everything. King Viserys summoned me and admitted that by doing so, he hoped to make you happy. I asked and he granted us permission to be married the moment we arrive back in King's Landing."

Y/n's hands pause their movement, her half-lidded eyes now widening in surprise, searching his face for an answer in disbelief, "Really?"

"Yes. He said he was done disappointing his sister."

She exhales excitedly, a sparkling smile gracing her beautifully aging face. Otto lovingly watched as small wrinkles, trying to make themselves known, show in the corners of her eyes as well. He happily counted each one before they disappeared from his sight when Y/n leaned up to kiss him.

It's warm and almost unbearably charged. Both lose their breaths quickly as their kisses drag out and become frenzied. Otto's hands make their way through her cloak, gripping tightly onto wherever flesh may be through her dress. Y/n's hands find purchase in his hair, gripping tightly as her leg rubs subconsciously against his crotch.

Otto breaks from the kiss, clawing for breath while trying to voice reason, "Y/n..."

"I told you. I waited long enough," she whispered into his lips, pulling him close again, "What difference does it make?"

They find themselves taking refuge inside the remains of a ship sticking out of the sand like a large dragon's ribcage. The little cover shields them from the wind and muffles the sound of the crashing waves. Y/n could see stars peeking through the shipwreck, shining down on her as she lay on her back, Otto's cloak the only thing between her and the sand. She rushes to hike up her skirts and lower her stockings as the Hand unfastens his belt and pulls the strings of his trousers. She started to see other stars behind her vision as her fingers run through her folds and rub circles over her clit, her moans drowned by the crashing waves and violent winds outside their sanctuary. Otto breathlessly watches her in awe. A goddess in every way, a dragon perfectly fitted into the body of a woman. She catches his predatory gaze and feels the warmth tighten deep in her belly from the intensity of his eyes on her, witnessing her sin and unable to control himself from waiting any longer.

Lord Hightower leans over her body, loosening her cloak and pulling her dress down to expose her shoulder, kissing her bare collarbone as he pants into her skin, "I miss moments like this more than anything."

As did she, if the rising pitch of her moans had anything to show for it. The warmth in her belly ignites like a fire and her patience grows thin. Forcing her own fingers away, she leans up and runs her lips over Otto's then trails down to his neck and relishes the scratch of his beard against her fair skin. Feeling her wetness run down and smear on his already ruined cloak excites her to the point she felt like she could fly without a dragon. She gasps out a demand, "Lie down, my love."

He does so, and to be honest, his obedience excites her all the more. Perhaps this was his way of apologizing and making up for the lost years, but to have him bend to her will made her feel like the Queen of Dragons herself. Like Vhagar, striking terror wherever she flew.

With Otto on his back, Y/n swings her leg over his waist until she was hovering over him, her knees sinking into the sand on either side of his hips. Her skirt pools around them at the motion, covering Y/n's new mount from sight. Otto blindly ventures under her skirts, experienced hands gripping around the apex of her perfect thighs. One of the princess' hands grips tightly onto the beard hair on his chin, forcing him to look up at her, his intense gaze still filling her with delight, hot magma still pooling in her belly. Her other hand dives underneath her skirts, expertly finding his. She guides his fingers further up her thigh and to her core. With determination, she watched his reaction as she made him feel his hardened length enter her with his own hand.

Her slick and warmth welcoming him inside her body drive the both of them to groan involuntarily, drawing out provocative sounds as she fully sinks down onto him. Otto unconsciously closed his eyes, feeling every inch of her both inside and outside. She's so warm and tight, rhythmically gripping onto his length. Her thighs rub either side of his hips, and he notes the insides of them are slightly rough. When she experimentally rolled her hips, a moan and a jolt of realization brought him to the conclusion that she learned how to do this by riding dragons.

She refused to bounce. Instead, she rolled her hips and drew his length in and out of her, back and forth and then in circles, like she was leaning her weight on the back of a dragon, flying through the skies. Her hand, still grasping his underneath her skirts, moves his fingers to rub against her clit, the rough pads of his fingertips sending a jolt up her spine and driving a cry out from her lungs. Otto takes the hint and takes over, tracing circles over her bud as she leaned her head back to moan up at the sky. With his hand now where she wants him, Y/n takes her hands and leans back to hold onto his legs, using this added momentum to quicken her pace, huffing hot air down the cleavage of her dress as she screwed her eyes shut in heated bliss.

"Take me fully this time, my love," she whimpered hastily, "All the way, without hesitation. I'll be yours by law soon. What does it matter if we do or don't wait before our marriage bed?"

Her words drive his fingers to start furiously rubbing against her clit, painfully but in a good way as her insides catch fire. Otto is panting uncontrollably, desperate to catch his breath as he's ridden by his young love, peaking ever so near by her words and her fluttering cunt. Y/n loses the rhythm of her hips as she desperately tries to get near her climax, jaw dropping and unable to swallow her unbridled screams of ecstasy. Her throat and lips are dry but all she could do is continuously moan and scream, feeling the tip of her betrothed's length begin to hit her cervix. Her grip on his legs tightens, sharp claws digging into flesh as her movements continuously hit that spot she's just dying to meet.

"Yes, yes, yes-!" Her coil cannot tighten any further and she's desperate for release. One of her hands dives back under her skirt and swats his hand away from her clit. She makes him grip onto the meat of her arse with both hands while she rubs her own clit in the motion she knows will make her see stars, now furiously bouncing her hips up and down his cock, "That's it, my love! Take me. Make me yours-! Oh, gods--"

Otto's hips suddenly rise to meet hers and now they're both howling at the moon, Y/n's walls fluttering all around his length as he spills deep into her, tremors running up and down her whole body as the dam overfills and spills over, rushing to the top of her head and down to the tip of her toes, forcing them to curl. The intensity of her climax is so large that she can no longer force noise from her mouth, her jaw hanging but nothing falling from her lips.

She forgets everything for a moment. How to breathe, how to speak, and how to even open her eyes. Otto's hips fall back down to earth and she soon follows, draping over his entire body in exhaustion. She rises and falls against his chest as he breathes, frantically at first before finally slowing down, despite his heartbeat still fluttering against her cheek. Finally, Y/n smiles in contentment and opens her eyes despite the uncomfortable feeling of Otto's seed leaking out of her and running down her thigh. She lifts her head to meet his and finally noticed that the Hand of the King appears to be asleep.

"My love?" She questions, slightly panicked as her hand cups his face.

Slowly, he comes back to reality as well, his eyes fluttering open and a restrained chuckle escaping his teeth, "I'm too old for this."

Y/n couldn't help but laugh a little, too, leaning down and rubbing her nose along the side of his neck, taking in his musky scent, "I'll never do that again if it helps."

"You'll do no such thing," he harumphs, making her laugh as his arms fully envelope her, "If one day my heart gives out from the way you ride me like a dragon, then so be it. Clearly, the gods have always meant to have me at your mercy, Princess."

~~~~~~~~~

A/N: So I did struggle with trying to figure out hold much younger Y/n was going to be from Viserys and Daemon. I think Daemon is meant to be 22 years old during the first episode so I tried to base her age off of that. And yes I added Daeron Targaryen for no reason other than to be somewhat accurate with the lore.

Please support by leaving a like or something. If you have a request, please leave it in my inbox!

#otto hightower x reader #otto hightower imagine #otto hightower #hotd imagine #hotd #house of the dragon #house of the dragon imagine #imagine #king viserys targaryen #viserys targaryen #daemon targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen #alicent hightower

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brf-rumortrackinganon · 3 months

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How do you know from whose PR articles are coming from? Can’t it be that the publications are just writing them themselves?

Recently, there have been articles about how Kate feels lonely without Meghan. It’s clickbait obviously. The article just talks about how they could’ve been like Diana and Sarah, but then continues to says that Kate has been successful in the rf because of her inner circle. Where do you think this is from?

Also, during the BAFTAs, William asked one of the nominees about her experience filming, saying they must have had fun. It was completely innocent and was said in a politely engaging in a casual conversation kind of way, but the Daily Mail spun it to look like a “gaffe” because the film was about a girl who was raped. I stumbled upon a sussex squaddie’s tiktok talking about it and although the account acknowledges it was a spin, he also says “William must have made some enemies” meaning there must be someone trying to make him look bad. Do you think that’s true? I thought maybe it’s just the dailymail stirring stuff to punish William for keeping himself and Kate away from public eye these days.

Honestly, this is the thing that drives me insane with royal watching. It causes paranoia. And most royal watchers begin to hate on certain royals just because they assume certain narratives are coming from that royal’s pr even though we have no proof.

You sound like you might be new to the analytical side of royal watching. That's okay!

The only reason I mention that is because if you've been a royal-watcher since before Meghan, you would have noticed a very distinct, very obvious shift in how the royals are covered and discussed in the media after Meghan came in (2016/2017). This happened because Meghan had her own PR, strategy, and comms people, Sunshine Sachs and Gina Nelthorpe-Crowne among them, promoting and marketing instead of relying on the BRF or just doing it herself personally as all the other royal girlfriends/married-ins did. And we know Meghan kept her LA team even after moving to London and getting married; it was confirmed in one of the royal books. I think it was Bower's Revenge.

How do you know from whose PR articles are coming from? Can’t it be that the publications are just writing them themselves?

It's in the details. Here are a few.

If the article is talking about apologies or olive branches, it's from the Sussexes. They're the only ones who've demanded apologies and olive branches, ever since the Oprah interview and including in Harry's Spare interviews.

If the article is discussing several members of the royal family but Meghan is listed first, it's her PR. If the article uses titles, it's from the BRF. If the article uses their first names but William and Kate are first, it's just the publication writing.

If the article is about Meghan and it's on a random topic (like that beauty article the other day about her magical hair) or it appears randomly (like when she otherwise hasn't been in the news), it's her PR. Publications aren't going to randomly write about someone unless there's cause, and cause is usually a pay incentive.

Now, People will also take stories from the BRF too, especially and mostly about Kate. Usually any long-form article about Kate that includes "close sources" or "palace insiders" quotes, it's from Kensington Palace/William's PR.

People and US tabloids also regurgitate stories from other media. If you see similar articles with near-identical quotes, that's their own writers, not usually sourced from someone's office.

Everyone also has preferred journalists that they give info to and will seek out for stories. For Meghan, it's Scobie (though she doesn't seem to be talking to her anymore, probably because she's pissed about the Dutch Endgame leaking the names) and Gayle King. For Harry, it's Bryony Gordon. For the BRF, it's usually one of the Richards, sometimes Rebecca English. For Camilla, it's Piers Morgan. (I track some of this in my Timeline series.)

If an article is about Charles and talks about a new idea or a new initiative, it's from his PR. We call them trial balloons - Charles is notorious for using the public reaction to these ideas to decide what to do.

If the piece is overly critical of Kate in comparison to Meghan, it's usually from Meghan's PR. If Meghan's name is listed first, then it's definitely from her PR. If it's bashing the Waleses children or criticizing Kate's parenting, it's from Meghan's side (though she's been very careful lately not to have her name directly connected to those stories).

If the piece is overly critical of the Waleses/Cambridges while simultaneously full of gushing praise for the Sussexes, it's usually Sussex PR.

I don't believe that William/KP briefs against the Sussexes anymore but back when they used to in late 2018/early 2019, you could tell when it was KP speaking versus the publications reporting - e.g., stories about concern for Harry's mental health were William and KP.

There are also key phrases that each principal royal like to use. Like you'll hear "keen" a lot with Kate - that's Kensington Palace speaking. "Olive branch" is Meghan.

There's also a very specific way that the writers refer to insiders/close sources, especially for William/Kensington Palace, but I'm totally blanking on that right now.

There are other ways to tell whose PR has sourced a story. These are just the ones off the top of my head. If anyone else can think of others, please share them!

Kate feeling lonely without Meghan is from Meghan-friendly associates. Meghan might be shit when it comes to public service, but she really knows her shit when it comes to PR and media. She knows that for maximum effect, she needs an affiliation to Kate. That's why she wears outfits similar to Kate's. That's why she styles her hair in big bouncy Chelsea blowouts. That's why she tries to be kid-friendly like Kate. She needs Kate for the attention she can't get on her own. Meghan needs Kate. Kate doesn't need Meghan - she's shown us that over and over again.

Anything that connects Meghan to Diana is also from Meghan. There was a whole PR campaign back in 2017/2018 when she was trying to convince Harry's world that she was royal material about how she was just like Diana. So Meghan (and Harry) also uses Diana for the attention boost.

However, anything that mentions Diana and Sarah together, that's not Meghan. Those are from the reporters themselves. Meghan so obsessively wants to be Diana that Sarah is the last person she wants to be associated with or compared to. Meghan thinks she's better than Sarah.

Kate being successful because of her inner circle is KP. Kate herself rarely speaks through PR - she's content to let William and their comms team speak for her. (Which I suspect is one of the reasons why Meghan immediately disliked her; Kate has no interest in using all this fame she has for her personal benefit where you know it's Meghan's dream to be that famous.)

Nah, it's just the Daily Mail stirring shit up. It goes back to the old adage "if you won't give me the news, you'll be the news." It's not really punishing William so much as using William for clicks, attention, and traffic, which is how digital media makes their money. Everyone does it and everyone understands that to keep their media coverage positive, they need to give the reporters something to write about. It's an unofficial pact that the palace has with the media.

William and Kate do understand this but it's not their priority to do something just for the optics and media coverage. I suspect this approach largely comes from how they were both treated by the media and paparazzi - they both understand that the interest in them is organic due to their positions. It's very 'if you build it they will come' so they don't necessarily worry about media and press coverage the way others in the BRF might.

(I do think they're a little too extreme with how media-averse they are. On the one hand I understand it because maybe they do have legitimate PTSD from how they were treated by the media and they seem to be closer to the Elizabeth/Philip style of monarchy with royal mystique and palace intrigue than the Charles/Diana/Camilla style of royalty and monarchy with transparency and open coverage. But on the other hand, they're public servants living in publicly-funded and publicly-subsidized estates; they need to be pulling their share of the weight and that means needing to be seen by the public on a regular consistent basis doing regular, consistent service. This is a lifetime commitment, not a "in 20 years when I'm King" commitment. Obviously exceptions apply when there are health concerns at hand, like there are now, but they can't alawys lean back on health concerns - not when Charles has cancer and is still seen regularly by the public.)

And that's fine! I don't think it's paranoia though - it's more stan culture to me, where the more consumed you are by your favorites, the more obsessive you become about how they're treated by others and covered in the media. At the end of the day, it's all parasocial relationships. The celebrities we favor, pay attention to, follow - they have no idea we exist and they have no idea how consumed by their life we are. Collectively, sure, they get it but individually? No. They have better things to do and they think we have better things to do.

That's why I think it's healthy to take a few steps back, look at everything more objectively, and ask exactly the kind of questions that you're asking.

As for not having proof about certain narratives, to an extent you're correct - no one is going to explicitly come out and take responsibility for saying certain things or causing certain drama. But they have subtle ways of showing their hand and giving us the proof. You just have to know what to look for and, barring that, just wait for the royal books. The books fall on a spectrum with deeply researched and investigated (like Tom Bower) on one side and biased reporting (like Scobie) on the other. If you read more of the 'biased reporter' books, those authors are falling over themselves to defend their sources and when they do that, they throw everyone else under the bus and end up confirming rumors or spoiling someone's PR game.

#ask #brf #in this essay i will

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aleksanderscult · 2 months

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It's rant time

I swear every time a person says "Alina was a little girl/teenager" and "the Darkling was a weirdo for wanting her" my peace is replaced by an immense annoyance.

So just because the Darkling is immortal he's not....allowed to have a relationship?? So what, he must remain single and alone forever otherwise he's gonna break your white moral code? Do all immortal creatures must remain single and not have a partner?

Since when was Alina a "little girl"? She was seventeen, a certified adult by the Grishaverse standards since people are considered adults by the age of sixteen. So where did the "teenager" term came from?

And bold of you to assume that the word "teenager" even exists in this universe. In the Grishaverse you're a child and then you straight up become an adult at the age of sixteen. There are no teenage years for them.

And these passages from "King of Scars" prove it:

"She's barely sixteen" - which probably means that sixteen is also the age where girls begin to get married. In this case, Elke Marie will get married even sooner and no one bats an eye (everyone except Nikolai who tries to find an excuse to not get married).

And let's not forget the fact that Alina was immortal while she still had her powers. So if she had never lost them, sooner or later she would inevitably end up with Aleksander. The only other creature who could be with her.

Literally no Grishaverse character was disturbed or raised eyebrows for Alina's age. They all chastised her for wanting the "bad guy". Because it was the choice that made them revolt not the age, since she was an adult by then. They expected much from her (to rule, to lead, to fight) because quite simply she wasn't a child.

This babyfication of female characters in every piece of media has become a trend and I don't like it. You people will never accept other fictional universes' rules and you will never allow female characters to have depth and complexity. Alina had a sexual desire for the Darkling, she had feelings for him, she wanted power and she had her own darkness inside her but you will never get her out of the "she was just a little girl" description. You make her even worse than how she was written.

And it's evident how you have no problem with Nikolai proposing to Alina and even suggesting that he wanted children with her but everyone raged when the Darkling showed interest and sexual desire for her.

#I'm literally so pissed right now and I'm not even sorry #take your hypocritical puritan ass out of my sight #I have complicated feelings about Alina's character myself but the way some people treat her??#“that sweet baby” “she did nothing wrong” “she was just a child”#what travesty is this??#either take her character as she is (a complex one) or shut the fuck up #and about the Darkling just say that you hate him instead of saying random bullshit that have no base to support your “argument”#you're only making yourselves look like circus clowns #also if you don't like this kind of dark complex stuff then why do you read them??#the darkling #pro darkling #alina starkov #rant time #darklina #pro darklina #alarkling #pro alarkling #king of scars #grishaverse #shadow and bone #aleksander morozova #pro aleksander morozova

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sebstan2020 · 2 months

Text

The King

Chapter 4

Violet is a bad girl at school, not giving a care about her grades that are falling and getting in trouble every week. She smokes, drinks and she's only sixteen. Her mother has had enough of her and doesn't know what to do with her. But when she's forced to go to her mother's employee dinner for the United States Army, she meets the mysterious and handsome General James Barnes.

She is infatuated with him and can't seem to stay away. The closer she gets to him, the more she craves him and soon she finds herself entering a world of darkness, pain and pleasure.

Violet twirled around in the office chair, the never-ending voice of Debra ringing in her ears, and she groaned silently. She wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea at all. Her mother, Debra, and Wendy mostly typed on their computers while gossiping about each other, or more likely, it was Debra talking and Wendy and her mother laughing back in response. Her mother must have conditioned herself to endure Debra, because how on earth could she survive every day like this? Violet had sat and pretended to listen to her mother while she explained what her role was and what she was doing on her computer, although she generally couldn't concentrate with Debra’s snorting laugh in the background, and Violet’s fuse was getting lower and lower.

She was getting ready to explode, and sooner or later, she was going to need a cigarette. But she couldn't—not here, not on government property. Surely there were other employees here who went out for smoke breaks; we can’t all be good people. But she didn’t want to disappoint her mother, and this was her only opportunity to even get a chance at seeing James again, so she knew she couldn't blow it.

“Violet, are you listening?" Her mother said this as she stopped spinning abruptly and faced her mother.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, and her mother huffed.

“Come on, you're supposed to be paying attention to what I’m doing." Violet brought her chair in closer and said it in a hushed voice.

“No offence, mom, but how can I when I’ve got Debra laughing and snorting like a pig every three seconds?” As if on cue, Debra laughed with a snort, and Violet groaned. She was really getting on her nerves. In a minute, she was going to pick up that stapler and throw it at her stupid head to shut her up.

“Just ignore her; it’s what I do; now I wanted to show you this." Violet did wonder if any of the information her mother was showing her was classified, but she assured her it wasn’t. If it were, her boss wouldn’t have let her have her daughter here for work experience. Her mother was showing her some sort of spreadsheet that Violet pretended to understand, and she nodded along.

"Oh, shoot, we’re out of paper; I just need to get some for the printer,” her mother began to say when Violet quickly got up before her.

“I’ll get it; I could do with stretching my legs and getting away from,” she silently nodded her head in Debra’s direction, who luckily had her back to her so she didn’t see, and her mother slightly giggled but rolled her eyes at the same time.

“Alright, if you go down to the storage room, there’s a pack of printer paper. We need 80gsm; otherwise, it doesn’t work, and can you also get some post-it notes? I’m running low,” her mother ordered, and she nodded, eagerly skipping out of the stuffy office and into the cool, air-conditioned hallway. Violet made it her mission to go to the storage room, but at the same time she was on the hunt for something—or someone else. Wandering the corridors, she gazed in wonder at the pictures adorning the walls, the glass cases with historical images, and several tall flags. This country prided itself on its army, and it sent a warm feeling inside Violet.

As she reached the end of the hallway, she saw an elevator. Perfect. The general office must be on the top floor. The elevator had wooden dark doors matching the interior of the hallways, and she pressed for it to go up, bouncing from one leg to another and racing inside. She pressed the number for the top floor and felt it move up. Her heart was beating fast, her stomach tossing and turning as if on a rollercoaster, and she quickly stared in the giant mirror behind her, sorting her hair and makeup out. The doors dinged open, and she stepped out into the busy hallway.

Several men in fine suits walked past her, but they didn’t acknowledge her or even notice she was there. She stood out like a sore thumb, a thin, petite girl in black and white standing in the corridor of a US army base. It was bright and yet again filled with historical memorabilia. Violet stepped out just before the elevator doors sucked her back in, and she wondered down the hallway, staring up in awe at everything.

There were voices up ahead from two men talking loudly. She decided not to head that way and went down a different hall. She passed many doors but was too nervous to open them, fearing she might enter in on an important meeting or someone she shouldn’t be stepping into. There was no doubt that she shouldn't be up here, but who were they to tell her she couldn’t come up here? She was Violet fucking Wallace, and she could do whatever she liked. If they asked, she’d just say she got lost. Besides, the more experience, the better, right?

Wandering the corridor, she heard a sweet voice up ahead. She looked up and saw the grand doors of an office. Wide and dark, with bright gold handles, she could only imagine who was behind them. Had she found him? Was he just up ahead? Her feet were moving faster than she thought, and her eyes stared forward as the doors grew bigger and closer. But it ended abruptly as she headed into something hard. She stumbled back, and a pain went through her head at the impact.

“Excuse me, what are you doing up here?” Violet hummed in confusion, catching her balance before looking up and gasping softly. A tall man stood in front of her, most likely the hard thing she bumped into, and glared down at her. He had short, dark hair, and he wore a professional uniform. He had a dark scowl on his face, one that was intimidating and stern, and Violet swallowed. Shit, she was in trouble. She knew she shouldn’t be up here, and the tall, frightening man made her stutter on her words.

“I was just looking for the storage room; I’m here on work experience,” she uttered with a squeak in her voice. It wasn’t like her to get scared and intimidated. She normally would have stood up to someone like this. But this was obviously an important officer of the army, whatever his rank, and she didn’t want to piss them off.

"Well, this clearly isn't the storage room. This is a classified area; you shouldn’t be up here, little girl,” he scolded, and Violet felt a flash of anger transfer through her. She stood as tall as she could, glaring up at him, and was about to throw a mean word at him, something along the lines of an ugly frog, only because he looked like a frog with his strangely cut hair and wide mouth. "Listen, frog,“ but a voice cut her off—a softer voice and one she had been looking forward to all day.

“What’s going on?” The two of them turned as James stepped over, standing tall and proud. Violet felt her breath get taken away, as if carried off by angels, and she stared up at him. He was just as gorgeous as she remembered. Only this time he was dressed in his generals uniform, all those shiny medals on his chest, the tie tightly around his neck but still showing it off, the beard still there just as she had hoped. She liked him more with the beard. And those dazzling blue eyes were still there. His dark lashes shadowed them. Oh, they were to die for. Violet got a whiff of his rich cologne, which took over her like a drug—better than any in the entire world—and she had to hold herself together. As James stepped into the circle of the three of them, he looked towards her and the man beside him, acting as if he didn’t know her or had ever seen her.

“This girl is in a classified area of the base; she shouldn’t be here,” he scolded the general, who glanced at her, his eyes blinking downward.

“And as I said, I’m on work experience; my mom sent me to go get paper from the storage room,” she sassed back to him, to which he glared at her and took a threatening step forward.

“You should watch who you’re speaking to, young lady or not.“.

"Okay, thank you, Sergeant." James halted him, pressing a hand against his stomach to further prevent him from moving forward and giving him a pointed look.

“I’ll take it from here,” James assured him, and the man, now known as a sergeant to Violet, looked back at him with shock.

"But, sir, she’s-“.

“I said I'd take it from here,” James repeated in a low voice, one that sounded like he shouldn't be questioned, and the sergeant scoffed, glaring down at Violet, who equally glared back at him before he stormed off. Violet hummed in delight to herself as she watched him scurry off in defeat. She liked winning. But she was suddenly brought back to life when his voice addressed her, and she turned to face him.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see you standing outside my office,” he said in surprise as he stood firmly in front of her. She wasn’t sure if it was the uniform or not, but he looked taller, and she liked it. Violet cleared her throat and threw a piece of hair over her shoulder, smiling up at him.

“I really was trying to find the storage room. I’m here on work experience with my mom,” she said innocently, as if she had done no wrong, and he smiled.

“Thinking about joining the army,” he said with a raised brow.

“Maybe if someone can convince me to,” she shrugged, as if hinting at James that she wanted him to do that. If he told her to join the army now, she’d sign up without a doubt. James chuckled, looking down at his shoes, and shook his head.

“If I’m going to be honest, I’d say no,” he said, and she furrowed her brows at him in shock.

“Really, but you’re the general of the US Army,” she pointed out as if he didn’t know it, and he nodded.

“Yes, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Long hours, hard work, less social life, lots of travelling—you're too young to be doing all that.” Again, he had told her she was too young for something, and Violet felt the urge to argue back. But she didn’t. She hummed and twiddled a piece of hair around her finger.

"Yeah, it doesn’t sound like you get much of a social life,” she admitted, and he nodded.

“If you’ll excuse me a minute,” he said. He turned away and walked a couple feet to the left, where a young lady sat at a large wooden desk with gold accents on it. She wore dark black glasses on her natural face, with her hair in a neat up-do. She wore a white blouse and black skirt with black sheet tights and heels. James handed her some documents he had been holding in his hand and whispered something in a hushed tone, and she nodded politely.

"Yes, sir,” she answered, and Violet realised the sweet voice she heard earlier belonged to her. She was very pretty and looked very professional, and Violet assumed she was some sort of secretary. She suddenly felt a little jealous that she was getting all his attention and not hers. She shot a glare at her, although the pretty secretary didn’t look her way, and stood from her desk, carrying the documents James had just handed her, and strutted down the hallway, adjusting her glasses on her noses. She was tall, all legs, and a perfect figure, and it only fuelled more jealousy in Violet. But as she trotted down the hallway like an obedient horse, Violet realised it was just her and James.

“Sorry about that,” he said simply as he came to stand in front of her again. His cologne swept between them, and Violet breathed it in deeply, almost moaning at the rich scent.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were the general of the US Army,” she said, crossing her arms as she stared up at him, and he chuckled.

“I wanted to surprise you,” he replied, and she hummed.

“By the way, I did have a cigarette that night,” she sassed, and he smirked.

"I thought you would. If you want to join the army, you’d have to quit smoking,” he said, and she raised a brow at him.

“Really, I bet hundreds of those soldiers were smoking that night. I bet you’ve smoked,” she grinned, trying to get some dirt on him, and he shook his head.

“I don’t doubt that my men smoke, but if you want to join the army, you have to show you’re physically fit to join, and a smoker is not,” he explained. Violet scoffed. She was fitter than anything. Although she rarely made it to gym class, she still had a thin figure, and she hadn't reached that smoker's stage of coughing their lungs out and sounding like one.

“I’m fit as a fiddle, and I smoke. I mean, not all the time, but here and there,” she shrugged. That might have been an understatement. She had at least two cigarettes a day. She didn’t even know why she cared. She wasn’t actually going to join the army, but something made her want to prove him wrong, and he chuckled.

“Wait a year, and we’ll see. And no, I don’t smoke, and I never have, and I never will,” he said softly.

"Really, have you not even tried one?” She asked, and he shook his head.

"Well, you can’t say you don’t own a cigarette; I gave you one,” she pointed out, and he tilted his head up slightly.

"Yes, you did, but I did that to keep you from smoking it, not for me to smoke it,” he corrected. In fact, the little sin stick was still in his jacket pocket from dinner night.

“So if you’re not wanting to join the army, why are you here?” He asked, and Violet sighed a little. She, of course, wasn’t going to tell him she was only here to see him; otherwise, she really would look like a creep.

“My grades are falling a little, and if I’m going to get a decent job, I need some life skills,” she admitted, and he frowned a little.

“How come your grades are falling?” He asked, and she scoffed, looking up from her dark eyes.

“Because I don’t pay attention in school. School is just not for me. I’d much rather go out and enjoy life while I can,” she smiled with a cheeky grin, and James hummed.

“But you risk not being able to get a good job and a salary. If you don’t work, how are you going to afford your sin sticks?” he said, and Violet felt her mouth drop open in shock but gathered herself quickly before James could bask in that moment of winning. He had a point: no job equals no cigarettes, no booze, no nothing.

“Which is why I’m here?” She held her hands out, and James softly laughed under his breath.

“I see”.

“Maybe you could show me around, tell me what goes on around here, and give me some work experience; perhaps let me in on some secrets.” She winked, hoping he would say yes.

"Well, as much as I would like to, Sergeant Mills is right; you are in a classified area of the building, one you shouldn’t really be in,” he said with a tilt of his head and a raise of his brow, and both movements sent the tingles pushing through Violet’s body. Oh, how this man was making her feel things she had never felt before, and he was doing such an easy job of it. All he had to do was look at her, and she was begging for more.

“You’re right; I’m sorry,” she said in a true voice. She suddenly didn’t like upsetting him and wanted to do whatever it took to please him.

"However, I can show you to the storage room,” he said, and Violet’s face lit up.

It seemed funny to her that James, the general of the US Army, had the highest rank you could have and knew where the storage room was. It didn’t seem like a place he would ever venture to. But Violet was not complaining. In fact, she was jumping for joy that James was escorting her to the storage room. On the way, they passed a few men dressed in formal uniforms, most likely other sergeants or officers, and she noticed they didn't dare question or give their general a look of uncertainty about the young girl walking next to him. Violet hadn't even begun to think of how long she had been gone and what her mother was thinking; she was just basking in James and his company.

The storage room was located on the lower levels of the building, and he led her to a plain door, opening it for her and revealing stacks of papers, brown folders, brown envelopes, sticky notes, pens, and other stationery needed around the offices.

"Thank you,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Your welcome; it was nice to see you again, Violet,” he said softly, as if he wasn’t going to see her again.

"Well, get used to it because I’m going to be here every day,” she grinned. She had decided then that she was going to do work experience every day. He was her nicotine rush; even after talking about cigarettes, she didn’t even want one; she wanted him.

“Are you going to be able to fit that in with school?” He asked with a frown.

“Yes, I can come after school and on the weekends,” she shrugged simply.

“Forgive me, but how is work experience here going to help with your grades?” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, and Violet was a little stumped. It wasn't, but she needed her fix on James and had no other excuse.

“It’s teaching me about life and what it’s going to be like out there.”.

“Maybe you need a tutor, some extra studying?” He advised, and Violet sighed.

“My mom can’t afford a tutor, and there’s no point. I don’t want to learn, but I’m hoping maybe this might open my eyes a bit and make me focus more if I know I can be like someone here, someone important, or someone who can actually do something,” she said truthfully. It was the first time the words coming out of her mouth were true and meant something. It did scare her to think that if she failed everything in life, she’d be homeless, living on the streets, and end up being a crack addict and having to sell her toes for a single hit. She grimaced at the image of the homeless she saw during her nightly travels—the skinny, frail men and women begging for drugs and money, the ones without their teeth and glassy eyes that meant they were high nonstop. No, she didn’t want to stoop to that level of life.

“I’m sure you can; you just have to focus. Perhaps you just need a little structure and some discipline in your life. Anyone can learn if they put their mind to it, and anyone can do anything as long as they put the effort in. You shouldn’t be hard on yourself. I know someone like you who hated school, and now he’s a businessman with a million-dollar company.”.

Violet looked up at James, her eyes softer and lighter than before, and she shyly smiled. She felt a warmth inside her, and she liked it. For once, someone wasn’t having a go at her for failing. Everyone was so quick to judge her, but not James. Even the first time they met, he didn’t snap or treat her like a reckless child.

"Really?” she asked quietly, and he nodded. And then, to her shock and delight, he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a light squeeze.

“We can all have a little fun in life; otherwise, we’d be boring as fuck. But remember that life isn’t just handed to you; you have to earn it through hard work, and soon enough, it pays off.” He smiled lightly, lifted his hand off her shoulder, and gently took her chin in his finger and thumb, giving it a sweet caress before dropping and walking off without another word. Violet scurried into the storage room, slamming the door behind her and letting out a shaken breath of excitement, nerves, and wonder. She reached up and touched her chin, just where he had touched her, and closed her eyes, remembering that sweet, beautiful touch.

Chapter 5

Hey I hope you like this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments

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#sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #james bucky barnes #sebastian stan smut #bucky barnes fanficiton #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes dom

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doc42 · 1 year

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“But that’s not how the story goes.” (Second verse, same as the first)

“Then guard the king,” Ser Jon Darry snapped at him. “When you donned that cloak, you promised to obey.”

Rhaegar had put his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “When this battle’s done I mean to call a council. Changes will be made. I meant to do it long ago, but … well, it does no good to speak of roads not taken. We shall talk when I return.”

“We shall talk when I return.”

And perhaps Rhaegar felt he will return because he saw Daenerys in a vision when she ventured into the House of the Undying long years after he went to the Trident.

Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother's hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. "Aegon," he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. "What better name for a king?" "Will you make a song for him?" the woman asked. "He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.

But that only happened because Daenerys ventured into the House of the Undying, defying concerns and fears of her entourage, so... Did she in some small way bring about her and Jon Snow’s destinies, “the Song of Ice and Fire”, when she looked back?

Rhaegar himself was following an older vision already, the dream of Aegon the Dragon and the Song of Ice and Fire, but a drop in an ocean... that vision must’ve made him more certain that he is on the right path because we know it had this most tantalizing quality of dreams: it was true.

Bran closed his eyes and slipped free of his skin. Into the roots, he thought. Into the weirwood. Become the tree. For an instant he could see the cavern in its black mantle, could hear the river rushing by below. Then all at once he was back home again. Lord Eddard Stark sat upon a rock beside the deep black pool in the gods wood, the pale roots of the heart tree twisting around him like an old man's gnarled arms. The greatsword Ice lay across Lord Eddard's lap, and he was cleaning the blade with an oilcloth. "Winterfell, " Bran whispered. His father looked up. "Who's there?" he asked, turning ... ... and Bran, frightened, pulled away. His father and the black pool and the godswood faded and were gone and he was back in the cavern, the pale thick roots of his weirwood throne cradling his limbs as a mother does a child. A torch flared to life before him. "Tell us what you saw." From far away Leaf looked almost a girl, no older than Bran or one of his sisters, but close at hand she seemed far older. She claimed to have seen two hundred years. Bran's throat was very dry. He swallowed. "Winterfell. I was back in Winterfell. I saw my father. He's not dead, he's not, I saw him, he's back at Winterfell, he's still alive." "No," said Leaf. "He is gone, boy. Do not seek to call him back from death." "I saw him." Bran could feel rough wood pressing against one cheek. "He was cleaning Ice." "You saw what you wished to see. Your heart yearns for your father and your home, so that is what you saw."

How cruel of the Undying to then show Dany the slaying of Rhaegar that made her what she is, a reincarnation of his fire, just as they proved they could bend time just so Dany and him could touch eyes with each other.

Rubies flew like drops of blood from the chest of a dying prince, and he sank to his knees in the water and with his last breath murmured a woman's name. . . mother of dragons, daughter of death . . .

He saw Dany standing there at the other end of time and he thought he was seeing Visenya, the third and the last head of the dragon he was trying to bring back from the mists of distant past, with a baby dragon on her shoulder, and he knew the dragons will return... and perhaps when he went to the Trident he thought he will see them again.

But that’s not how the story goes.

#Rhaegar Targaryen #Daenerys Targaryen #A Song of Ice and Fire #ASoIaF

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written-in-flowers · 1 year

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Fly Away: Pt. 7

Pairing: Young!Aemond x Young!Velaryon!Reader | Side pairing: Rhaenyra x Alicent, Aegon x Helaena

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Au: friends to lovers, childhood love, incest (duh), slight homophobia expressed, repressed feelings, mutual pining, teenage runaways, mentions of bullying, arrange marriages

Word Count: 8k

Summary: Young love overcomes all in a family full of broken bonds and broken hearts. When Princess Y/N Velaryon and Prince Aemond Targaryen are discovered missing from their beds, their mothers must come together to find them. The search might do more for their families than a mere marriage pact can.

A/N: want to clarify now that we stick with young!Aemond throughout the story. Ewan’s Aemond comes in at the very end. This is mainly done starting a bit before The Princess and the Queen and a little bit after the events at Driftmark. I do pull some scenes from the show, but it remains relatively loose throughout. Want to also point out that The Dance doesn’t happen in this universe, so...happy ending expected, because we need more of those.

Taglist: @yitish, @imjustboredso, @dangerousbluebirdpoetry, @discowizard88, @mddieeunson , @caramelcandescence, @bookwhoresthings, @astrumark, @minteaspoon

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***

Helaena stood in the main hall of Dragonstone, her cream-colored coat contrasting with the green and gold dress she’d worn. The light coming in from the high windows shined around her, giving her a candlelight glow. It was the first thing he noticed about her as he returned with his mother. He’d waited for her and Cole in the dragon pit, recalling how her dragon soared smoothly through the skies before landing gracefully. Helaena insisted on joining him in finding Aemond rather than stay home with their grandsire. She loved Aemond as much as the rest of them, if not more. The two outcasts of his family often flew together, building a bond that Aegon remained separate from.

“Helaena,” his mother breathed in relief, hugging Helaena even if the other did not respond. “Thank the Gods you arrived safely. Ser Criston,” she nodded at the knight who’d come with her.

“My Queen,” the dark-haired knight bowed his head to her, “Have you had any luck?”

“None,” she replied. “The maps have no useful information.”

“Prince Aemond is a clever boy, Your Grace,” Ser Criston said. “He will not make it so easy for us to find him.”

“A fact that I agree with,” Aegon told him.

His mother might covet Aemond over the rest of them, even if she claims otherwise, but she did not know him very well. She didn’t know about all the times Aemond evaded capture from guards searching for him. She wasn’t aware about his midnight visits to the rookery to send messages to his beloved. Aegon only knew because he caught him walking in the hallway shadows with the scroll in his hand after a night of drinking.

‘Aegon, give that back!’

‘Hm, I wonder who this is for…Aemond…Mother told you not to write to Y/N anymore.’

‘I don’t care. Now, give me my letter.’

He truly loved you. Aegon glanced at Helaena, who intently listened to Criston’s reports from King’s Landing. He wondered what it felt like having someone who loved him that way. Someone who’d risk being punished just to have a part of him on paper; someone who’d leave behind their entire life to be at his side. Aemond wrote poem after poem praising your beauty and grace, as well as the warmth you brought him. He’d risk his mother’s favor to have pieces of you, little shreds of the girl who’d stolen his heart. Aegon imagined his brother walking through dragonfire simply to reach you. Aegon could never fathom someone doing the same for him. Why would they? He’d do nothing but disappoint them as he’s done his entire life.

The realization came to him slowly, growing clearer and clearer to him as he watched Ser Criston and his mother talk over the painted table. If Aemond tucked away letters in his room somewhere, then surely you did as well. He had a rough idea where to find your quarters, and it is not as if anyone would care or stop him. Carefully, Aegon walked backwards away from the group towards the staircase leading out of the hall. His soft footsteps went unnoticed by everyone except Helaena, who turned her head at the slight sound. He put his finger to his lips to signal her silence, then reached the stairs. He went up them silently, and found the hallway going further into the keep. He kept his hands behind his back, casually walking as he glanced into each room on his way.

Aegon noticed her before she noticed him. A maid dressed in a red gown with a white apron busied herself with changing sheets in one of the bedrooms. His eyes scanned down her slim frame, imaging what beauty must be underneath. She had a pretty face, and a bosom that caught his attention instantly. He pictured himself pushing that lovely body onto the bed and taking her as he should, as she’d absolutely love.

No. He needed to stay focused. Aemond was missing, and your room might have answers he needed.

He forced himself to keep on walking until he found a closed door. Aegon stared down both sides of the corridor before slowly turning the knob and opening the door. Inside, he did find an empty bed chamber. He knew it was yours by the drawings left on the writing desk and hung on the walls. Plush furniture sat in one corner of the room with a small table for placing treats and tea. Jewelry on a vanity table convinced him that he’d found the right room.

Aegon walked right over to the desk, scanning over the scattered papers to find more unfinished drawings. Picking up the topmost one, he saw you’d taken a stab at drawing buildings. You’d drawn the palace gardens back home, particularly the enclosed space overlooking the ocean. He saw you’d added small passing ships on the horizon, and drew flowers around the edges. You could use more practice, but he could at least make out figures in them. He found another of the strawberry bushes. A far away landscape featured two women standing with their backs to the viewer; they stood side-by-side close and possibly holding hands as they watched ships and dragons in the skies. He wondered who they were until he saw one woman’s long curls down her back. Their mothers? He nodded his comprehension.

He found another of your brothers in what resembled a training yard, clashing swords with smiles on their faces. A study of drawing smaller bodies as opposed to adults, he supposed. Aegon could not help feeling a small ball of resentment in his stomach. Aemond had a difficult time adjusting after he lost his eye. Aegon might snort or snicker when Aemond knocked something over or bumped into a wall, but that did not dampen his guilt. A proper brother would’ve made sure Aemond went to bed, or at least went with him to find Vhagar. He recalled The Pink Dread, a pig he’d dressed as a dragon for Aemond, and felt worse. It’d been a joke, a jest as brothers do. It displeased his mother, who claimed he must maintain an image of family unity in the world.

And that same boy is now in the world with the girl he loved. It was a tale fit for singers.

“What are you doing in my sister’s room?”

Jace’s voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to see him and Luke standing by the door. Jace glared while Luke stared in curiosity. How could his father truly believe they are not what they are? Rhaenyra’s treason was as clear as day, but he remained willfully blind. Truthfully, Aegon did not care as much as his mother before. He hoped never to have the throne; he had no wish for it nor felt suited for the job. He preferred freedom over the shackles of the crown. Rhaenyra could keep it, as long as she left his family alone. Daeron is safe in Oldtown, but he, Helaena and Aemond are not. She’d do it so her bastard sons can take the throne after her. The two boys who’d blinded his brother.

“Looking for clues,” he replied, returning to the pages and deciding your letters wouldn’t be here. “Aemond had a whole box of letters at home. Your sister might have one too.”

“Y/N is not supposed to be writing to Aemond,” Jace walked further into the room carefully. Aegon imagined he expected a fight. He wondered if he’d slice his eye open just for being here.

“So? Since when does your sister care what your mother says?” he asked, crouching to a drawer and finding more art supplies and writing tablets. “She clearly didn’t if she ran away in the middle of the night.”

Jace couldn’t ignore this logic. He walked up to Aegon as the taller boy stood, then said, “She wouldn’t keep it here. This is the first place Mother will look.”

“I know where she hides things!” Luke suddenly said excitedly, glad to have a reason to be included. “It’s the same place where she hides her sweets.”

“What sweets?”

Jace and Aegon watched little Luke hurry forward to a bookcase near the balcony. Grabbing the desk chair, he dragged it right up to the case and stood on it. Luke felt around on the very top shelf, dangerously standing on tiptoes to do so before he let a huff between his teeth. When returned with a wooden box in his hands.

“She showed it to me when I came to her room the other night,” Luke informed them, opening the box. “She keeps sweets in here sometimes…yes!”

Aegon took the box as Luke retrieved a brown pouch and left for the bed. Jace and Aegon examined the box’s contents together. You kept several dried or crushed flowers on one side, a seashell, a necklace made of different colored stones, and papers. Lots of papers. Aegon recognized his brother’s handwriting on one, and pulled it out.

“I watch ships pass in the morning,

And think of your violet eyes.

Violet eyes, which hold the world,

But dream of flying from it as well.”

Aegon did not bother with the rest. Jace picked another one, reading it and then laughing.

"'Your hair reminds me of starlight'," he snorted. "Your brother is so strange."

Aegon agreed, but he glared and nudged Jace. "He's not strange. He's sensitive," a word his mother used often when describing Aemond. "What else does it say?"

"Nothing important. And yours?"

“Nothing.”

Aegon rifled through the box to find another letter. This appeared to be the newest of them, since it was less worn. A gasp escaped his lips when he read about his brother’s plan to meet you on a small island outside of Driftmark and between Dragonstone and King’s Landing. He told you he needed to prepare things first, which he assumed was rations and equipment. Aegon tried recalling any islands in that region, but only Driftmark came to mind. He closed the box, tucked it under his arm, and stormed out of the room with Luke and Jace behind him.

“What did you read?” Jace asked Aegon, trying to keep up with his long strides. “What is it?”

“They ran away,” he said, his suspicions finally being confirmed.

“Yes, we all knew that, but what else is there?”

He arrived back in the main hall where the families still stood on opposite sides of the table. “They’ve been writing to each other,” he told them when they spotted him and the boys. He walked right up to his mother, putting the wooden box on the table, “They planned it together. Look.”

His mother read Aemond’s letter, then peeked through the rest in the box. Her eyes met Rhaenyra’s, and in some secret way, they understood each other. “Does it say where?” Rhaenyra approached, taking the letter to read it herself. She then frantically searched through the maps in front of them to find no such island in the area. “Maester Gerardys,” she called to the old man, “Why is this island not charted on any of these maps?”

The maester read the letter next, then his jaw dropped. “Ah, because this island was considered abandoned several years ago.” He then lowered his head, “Forgive me, Your Grace. I thought the princess was merely interested in historical geography. It never occurred to me that she may be planning an escape.”

“Your meaning, Maester?”

“Princess Y/N came to my solar some weeks ago asking about historical landmarks. As a Maester of The Citadel, I always encourage the journey into knowledge,” he said, putting the letter down. “She asked for any books or maps containing uncharted or since abandoned lands. She told me you knew about her interest.” Aegon spotted his regret hanging on his narrow shoulders, “Forgive me, Princess. I should have suspected Princess Y/N was up to something when she kept her research secretive.”

“What can you tell us about this island?” Ser Laenor asked him next.

“The most we know is it used to be a trading post in the days of Aegon the Conqueror,” he shrugged. “It was taken off the map after the trading routes between Westeros and Essos changed due to pirate ships in the area. The last anyone knew was that pirates raided the village, slaughtered most of its people, and those who survived moved to neighboring lands. It has been abandoned since then. I have the books she might’ve looked into in the library.”

“We will see them,” his mother urged, letting the maester lead her, Ser Criston, Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor away towards the staircase.

Aegon, Helaena, Jace and Luke watched the adults walk away with the maester. An uneasy feeling settled into Aegon’s bones. A sudden impatience and suspicion surged inside him. They knew where Aemond was. Why were they stalling?

“Aemond and Y/N are missing,” he said to the group at his side, “And here they are going up to look at some old books.”

“The books might tell us more about where they are,” Helaena suggested. “We don’t know anything about this place. It’s old, like the Maester said.”

“Our sister wouldn’t go anywhere dangerous,” Jace spoke before Aegon. “She’d research more before leaving.”

“Aemond is the same,” Aegon said. “They are not fools. Wherever this place is, they’d make sure they could live there first.”

“Y/N is missing,” Luke added. “We should be looking for her. She might be hurt.”

“She’ll be fine. So is Aemond,” Aegon replied, looking down at him. “He is a skilled huntsman and has good wilderness skills. He…He pays much more attention to things than any of us. Even if he is half-blind.”

He let the last words sting. He saw both boys shift uncomfortably as he said it. He was glad it upset them. His own stomach churned imagining Aemond struggling right now. Aemond needed to do everything on the right side, since he cannot see it if it’s on the left. His neck must be aching from turning his head so much. The Maester said his body will adjust soon; it’s been less than a year, and he’s managing fairly well. But, he still occasionally ran into tables or chairs. Not due to clumsiness, but his disability. The two boys, dark-haired and dark-eyed, permanently blinded his baby brother, and never apologized for it. They believe he deserved it.

Over an insult. .

“We should go,” Jace said, breaking Aegon from his thoughts.

“What?”

“We all have dragons,” he reasoned. “We can go now to where this island is, and find them ourselves.”

“We do not know where this island really is,” said Helaena. “We should wait for Mother and Rhaenyra.”

Aegon turned back to the painted table, still glowing and warm, and noticed a pitcher of wine nearby. It’d been hours since he touched a cup of wine. He’d gotten in one or two during his search in the city, but he forced himself to focus on his search. His fingers itched to reach for the pitcher and cup. But, he kept his eyes back on the table. His mother appeared pleased with him so far; he did not want to ruin that.

“We’re wasting time,” Jace continued. “Anything could be happening to them right now, and here we are, talking.”

“What do you suggest we do?” Helaena asked him, a tone of annoyance in her voice. “Do you suggest we go flying ourselves to find them?”

“Yes,” Aegon answered, standing straight to look at her. “Yes, I agree with Jace. If our families want to play ‘put-the-pin-on-the-map’ then they can do so. We have our own dragons. Why not go ahead and find Aemond and Y/N?”

“Because it can be dangerous.”

“How dangerous?”

“We do not know. That is why it is dangerous.”

“I doubt my sister would go anywhere deemed dangerous,” Luke spoke. “She’s very smart and clever.”

“So is Aemond,” Aegon added. “We’ll put it to a vote. All in favor of going to find the star-crossed lovers?”

He, Jace and Luke raised their hands.

“All opposed?”

Helaena raised hers. “Mother will be furious if you run off, Aegon,” Helaena said, putting her hand down. “We are all meant to be here where we can work on a plan together.”

“We are working on a plan,” Aegon shrugged. “The plan is to go to this island of theirs, find them, and then return home.”

“We should bring food!” Luke piped up at his side, “They might be hungry.”

“And wine,” Aegon smirked. When he caught his sister’s eye, he said, “To celebrate their safe return, of course.”

She rolled her eyes and it briefly reminded him of their mother. Helaena is wrong. Their mother will be so overjoyed by Aemond’s reappearance, she’ll forget that Aegon took his nephews to go find her. Without any more discussion, the group began preparing to fly again. Jace and Luke gathered rations from the kitchens below, while Helaena followed Aegon to the dragonpit. He’ll find Aemond, bring him home, and his mother will be delighted.

“Aegon, we should not do this,” Helaena said, briskly following him outside. “We should wait.”

“I’m done waiting.”

“Are you truly, or are you so eager to prove yourself to Mother that you’ll behave recklessly?”

He looked over his shoulder at her, “What are you talking about?”

“Mother is always berating you. She expects disappointment from you every time,” she retorted. “Not that you have not given her cause to feel such a way. You’re always off somewhere in the city, drinking or gambling or bedding women. You are rarely home, and when you are, you ignore all your responsibilities as a prince. You’ve never shown interest in your duties. You don’t even show interest in your own family unless it is serving a purpose for you.”

“Shut up,” he rounded on her at the last line. Her words stung hard. “I do have an interest in my family. I am concerned about Aemond, aren’t I?”

“Yes, right now, but we both know once Aemond is home, you’ll go right back to ignoring us.”

“I don’t ignore you.”

“Yes, you do. You only spend time with Aemond during lessons or sword training.” She hesitated, “You never take notice of me, surely.” When he stared back at her, she continued, “I did not ask to marry you, but I at least understand there are obligations that come with marriage. If you want Mother’s approval so badly, you can start by giving her grandchildren, at least. I thought the idea of having a woman you don’t need to pay for might be enough for you, but clearly it is not.” She kept her fists clenched at her sides, eyes squeezing tight as if she forced herself to say these words. “You don’t even care what people say about me.”

“What do people say about you?”

“That I must be so daft that I don’t know how it works,” she said, not looking at him still. “That perhaps I do not tempt you or am not pretty enough.”

“You are pretty,” he rolled his eyes, “And I’d teach you how.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Because…”

“Because why?”

“Because you’re…We have nothing in common, Helaena. You like your insects and have those silly dreams. I don’t believe we’ve had a normal conversation until yesterday.”

“Oh, as if you need to have common interests to bed a person. I am not asking for your love or affection. I know you are not capable of it-”

“-I am capable of it,” he challenged, getting closer to her.

He saw the contempt in her eyes. He rarely saw such raw emotions in his younger sister; she often kept to herself at home, and never approached him. Aegon looked over her face, taking in her features and her lips. They looked soft. He shuffled forward, pressing her into a wall just inside the doorway leading outside. The small gasp she released sounded soft and sweet. Cupping her jaw, Aegon looked at her a bit longer. Helaena is beautiful, there is no doubt there. She is delicate and timid most of the time, unless provoked to stronger feelings. Perhaps he’d been wrong about her the whole time.

“Aegon…” his name came out in another sigh.

Her nose looked like their mother’s, round and button-like. His thumb traced her lower lip before resting on her chin. He did not hate Helaena; she is his sister. He despised the institution that chose her for him, instead of letting them choose themselves. Aegon did not ask for this. He did not ask for any of it, but the gods forced it upon him. Looking in her eyes, he knew he’d never intended to hurt her. His interest in women lied in others, not in his delicate sister.

“Aegon, if you intend to leave, we must go before-”

Aegon leaned down and kissed her. Most of the women Aegon kissed tasted like wine or ale. Helaena tasted like neither. She didn’t have much of one, but the tongue that slid into his mouth brought out a faint moan. Aegon kept Helaena pressed to the wall as he deepened their kiss. One hand going up into her silver waves, the other wrapped around her waist. That familiar warmth rushed over his body as he continued kissing her. She soon kissed back, getting into the rhythm, and making him hard.

“You should not listen to what others think,” he said breathily, pulling away from her. “You are a Targaryen. You are blood of the dragon, and they are little sheep. A dragon eats sheep. She does not listen to them." He kept her close to him. She smelled like dragon from her previous flight, but it did not bother him. He should care more, he realized. Just like he should have cared about Aemond more. He cleared his throat and stepped away from her, "Let us go find our brother and bring him home, hm?"

He still felt the warmth of her lips on his as they walked to the pit.

***

The sea breeze never reached the threshold of the forest. You felt it breeze through the canopy above, occasionally brush on your skin, but nothing like being near the house. You tugged at the collar of your shirt, wishing you could remove it, though with Aemond so close by, you decided against it. The kiss in the lake was plenty of touching for you.

"Aemond, where are we going?" You asked him, stepping over a fallen tree as you walked on. "Do you know where we are?"

"We're on the southside of the island," he said. "We're going in the direction of the river. Animals are more likely to be near water sources. But, I'm going to set traps Ser Criston showed me."

"Will they work?"

"I hope so. I do not wish to wander too far into the island. We don't know what lives here, if anything at all. Besides," he turned to look over at you, "I have you to worry for as well."

"What does that mean? I can take care of myself."

"Not if it's a wolf or a large predator," he said. He then said, "I do not mean to say you are weak, Y/N, but you are no fighter either. If something attacks you, there won't be much I can do for you if you are hurt."

"I feel the same as you," you walked a few steps closer to him, taking his hand. "Let us set these traps and be done with them. I can look around for herbs or fruits we can eat as well."

He smiled softly. He still wore the makeshift patch you'd given him, and his shirt and breeches but no other layers. You’d done the same with your own clothes, opting to wear a shirt and your riding trousers. You walked together further down the stream, occasionally stopping so Aemond may set up his snares. You stripped a nearby berry bush of its fruits, and even found an apple tree. When Aemond finished a snare, you'd dug up a few mushrooms and herbs you recognized from Maester Gerardys's book of medicinal herbs and flowers. You assumed if they're safe to consume in medicine, they're safe for food. Overall, you'd gathered a good haul.

Walking a bit further inland from the riverside, you watched Aemond constructing his last animal trap before something caught your eye. A large ray of light through the trees revealed a clearing not too far from where you both stood. You could not see much other than the rim of tall grass surrounding a single tree, and knew you should stick to Aemond. However, curiosity got the better of you. Carefully, you moved from where Aemond sat crouched on the ground, towards the clearing. You gasped softly when you saw what stood in the center.

Tall and stark white with crimson five-pointed leaves on its long branches, a heart tree stood planted in a meadow of grass and flowers. In the thickness of its trunk, a face had been etched into the bark. The red sap that often came from cracks in the mesmerizing trees resembled tears as it slipped from the eyes. The weirwood trees of the Old Gods could be found in various places around Westeros. Almost every noble castle had a heart tree, since they'd once grown everywhere until the First Men arrived and cut them down. The only ones you have ever seen were in the Red Keep and on Dragonstone. They had their tranquil, quiet place where those of the Old Gods may pray to their deities. Your family followed The Faith of the Seven, so you had no real use for a heart tree, yet you still enjoyed the seclusion of the keep's godswood.

"Y/N! Y/N, where are you?" You heard Aemond call from afar.

"Over here!"

In a few minutes, Aemond broke through the treeline to see you near the heart tree. His eyes widened at the tree, surprised to find it in the middle of a southern island. He walked up beside you and stared up at the tree with you. The carved face stared back at the both of you, two strangers taking in the shade of its leaves.

“The Northerners say that the old gods can see people through the eyes,” you said, recalling the histories and cultures you’d read. “It’s why Northern people have important ceremonies in front of heart trees.”

“Ah, nonsense,” Aemond dismissed. “It’s only a tree.”

“I don’t think so.”

You continued staring at the white tree. You’ve never met anyone from The North because it is too far away, and not many of them come south. Yet, even at home, whenever you walked into the godswood, you felt them there. The Old Gods weren’t stone statues or stained glass windows or rainbow crystals like The Seven. You didn’t see Northerners putting their beliefs into material things, especially since many are descendants of the First Men. The Old Gods lived in the streams and the winds blowing through the trees. Even now, a soft gust blew through the small meadow of grass and flowers. It cooled your warm skin, and relieved you of the heat in your cheeks. It felt as if the gods said ‘Come here, child. Come into the shade and rest your tired feet.’ Something about the ominous tree brought a feeling of serenity and calmness. You liked it.

“How long do you think its been here?” you asked.

“Centuries. This island did once have people on it, so maybe some of them believed in the Old Gods.”

“Or it was here even before them, and they left it alone,” you suggested. “I like it.”

“You do?”

“Yes. Why? Don’t you?”

Aemond thought about this. Then he said, “There is a certain magic to them, I suppose." He went silent again, "It’s…It is kind of like our dragons.”

“What?”

“I think Northern people have a special connection to these trees,” he explained. “Like we do with our dragons. I’m not a believer of the Old Gods, so I feel nothing for this tree, but I’ve met Northern people who say being in the presence of these trees is being in the presence of their gods. It’s why they pray in front of them; their prayers are not like prayers to the Seven either. It is simply speaking from their heart.” He glanced over at you, “They also have marriage ceremonies by the trees.”

“I’ve heard. I’ve never seen one though,” you continued looking at the tree, “Can you imagine what they look like up north?”

“There's surely snow, I imagine,” he smirked slyly.

You nudged him, “You know what I meant, silly.”

You giggled together, and then settled down at the base of the tree. You took out two apples, and handed Aemond one of them. Munching into his, Aemond said, “Would you want to do that?”

“Do what?”

“Marry like the Northerners do?”

The question stunned you for a moment, but then said, “I don’t think so,” you took a bite out of your apple, letting the juices fill your mouth and swallowed. “I find their heart trees lovely, but I do not believe in them enough to marry in front of them.” You hesitated, “I suppose I’d marry under The Seven like my mother and father. I’m sure your mother would’ve wanted the same, since her family are patrons of The Faith.”

“Aegon and Helaena were, so I guess as much.”

“Would you, if you had the choice?”

“Maybe.” He bit into his apple, chewing it before saying, “I find Valyrian wedding ceremonies intriguing.”

“You’ve seen one?”

“Obviously not,” he said, “But I read about them in a book of Old Valyria. Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives married in such a ceremony.”

“How is it done?”

“Well, both man and wife make cuts on their lips and put the blood on each other’s foreheads, and then cut their palms to put into a cup to drink it.”

“How disgusting.”

“Is not.”

“Is too. I wouldn’t want to drink your blood.”

“Why not?"

"Because it's blood, Aemond," you replied incredulously, ending with a soft laugh. "Why? Do you wish to drink mine?"

"Well…no, but it'd be for the ceremony. It'd be meaningful." He ate more of his apple, "So in a sept then? I don't believe they have any here."

"Oh, they must. All little villages have at least one somewhere." You bit into your apple, staring out into the meadow around the tree.

"Y/N," he said after a while.

"Hm?"

"Would you still want to marry me? Even after…my eye…and all that?"

You looked over at him in disbelief. "Of course, I would." He did not answer, but the soft hum he gave away his thoughts. "Aemond, your…you missing an eye does not bother me. It never has. You are still you, and that is-"

"-Who you are fond of," he finished for you.

You hated how he'd phrased it. "I…" the butterflies in your stomach fluttered harder than ever and your throat turned dry. "I…"

Why can you not simply say it? You felt it. You loved Aemond, but in a way so much more different than others. You loved him the way Jonquil loved Florian or Queen Alysanne and her Jaehaerys. You’d flown far from home to simply be with him; you would've gone across the world for him. You could never escape him even if you'd tried. Aemond Targaryen was in everything you did. He'd somehow wedged himself into the nooks and crannies of your life and there he stayed. When you'd heard the betrothal was off, you thought you might die. Being with Aemond is the only certainty you've ever felt.

So, why is it so hard to say?

"Aemond, I…"

"You do not need to say it if you do not-"

"-Aemond Targaryen, if you truly believe that I do not love you, then you clearly lost more than your eye," you snapped, facing him. Your shift in tone alarmed him. You continued, "Aemond, you could've lost both your eyes, your arms, and legs, and I'd still love as much now as I did before. You could sprout wings and a tail, and I'd adore you. Aemond," you grabbed his hand, catching a grip on your nerves, "I love you. How could I not when my heart always yearns for yours?"

The three words left him silent. He surveyed your face as if trying to catch a lie, but you kept your eyes on him. “Seeing your eye may take getting used to,” you admitted, “But that does not make me love you any less. I need you to believe that. Please, believe me, Aemond.”

“You…” he hesitated, “You love me?”

“Of course, you fool,” you laughed softly. “Would I have come here if I did not?”

You looked at the tree behind you. No, you are not a follower of the Old Gods, but you’ve heard non-believers still swear upon them. “I swear it,” you said, almost a whisper as you gazed at the crying eyes near you, “By the Old Gods and the New, Aemond.”

A whim took you by the hand, and you grabbed Aemond’s. An officiate should be here, but what customs and traditions matter? This island belongs to you both. You can create your own traditions. You brought him to the base of the tree, standing a few feet from the trunk of the heart tree, and took both of hands. Aemond looked puzzled for a moment, but then smiled softly. His smile always lit up his face; the missing eye never distracted from that, not to you.

“I,” you started in a shaky breath, “Y/N of House Velaryon take you Aemond of House Targaryen to be my husband in this life and the next.” It sounded good so far. “Here in the presence of gods, I ask that my life walk alongside his. Where my husband goes, I will follow.” You struggled to find more pretty words, then said, “For there is no me without him.” Pecking his lips, you waited for him to say something.

“I,” he finally said, “Aemond of House Targaryen take you Y/N of House Velaryon to be my wife in this life and the next.” He catches on so quickly. One thing you loved about him. “I ask that my life be forever bonded with hers, and our souls become one. I shall comfort her in times of sadness, and guide her in times of darkness. I shall follow her wherever she may go, and whatever the gods may put in our path.” He gave your hands a gentle squeeze, “Because I love her. There is no me without her.”

The world stood still. No wind, no birds, no animals sounded in the meadow. The gods, you imagined, stopped the world to listen to your vows. They sensed the truth in your words, and accepted your prayers. It did not matter if no living person witnessed your ceremony. The Old Gods had witnessed your marriage, and gave their blessing in silence.

Aemond smiled softly, then kissed you without a warning. Unlike the lake, this one remained chaste and soft. When he pulled away, you saw a pinkish blush on his cheeks and kissed him again. Somewhere out there, you knew your mother would chastise you for this, but she was not here. Nobody was. The only observer to Aemond laying you down in the grass and continuing kissing you was the carved face of the heart tree.

***

“It cannot truly be that far from here,” Rhaenyra said, annoyance rising in her voice. “If Lord Corlys’s man saw Starshine and Vhagar flying nearby, then obviously this means their little hideout is there.”

She did not contain her impatience this time. They knew where the children were, they should be setting off to find them. Standing in the maester’s solar, she looked back at the group staring at her. Alicent stood at the forefront, stern and determined, wringing her hands. Rhaenyra did not notice any picked skin around her nail beds, but she knew the queen resisted the urge. She wanted to embrace her, convince her to go with her to find their children. But, she stood a few feet away where the large, withered old book sat on a table. It detailed old trading routes during Aegon the Conqueror’s day. One of the dotted red lines crossed right onto a small island right outside the mouth of The Gullet, miles and miles away from any other land mass. It’d been at Maester Gerardys said: when Aegon took The Crownlands, he changed routes to navigate right towards King’s Landing after many reports of pirates in the area. Aemond and you showed equal interest in this particular part of history. It is obvious they are there.

“Princess, we’re not entirely sure that is where they are. There could be dangers that we do not-” Maester Gerardys began, but she cut across him.

“I have a dragon,” she seethed, “Whatever danger lurks on the island will face Syrax’s dragonfire. I am not stalling any longer.” She grabbed her riding gloves from off a table, and slipped them on. “I am going to get my daughter. Your Grace,” she turned to Alicent, “Will you come?”

Alicent hesitated. She’d always refused to join Rhaenyra on flights. She told Rhaenyra she preferred to remain on the ground. But, The Queen visibly gulped back her nerves and raised her chin, “I will.”

“Good.”

She led Alicent out of the room and down the hall. Syrax will be saddled still, and she can hold two people now. Rhaenyra remembered the last time she’d mentioned this to Alicent, who’d declined. She’d sat up in her bed, wearing her nightgown, and persuading Rhaenyra that running away was foolish. Rhaenyra first thought it was because she’d have to fly, but as the hours dwindled, she realized Syrax didn’t scare Alicent. It was Otto Hightower, who’d instilled his firm beliefs into his daughter; the man who’d convinced her that without him she is lost and alone.

“I hope they are alright,” Alicent’s anxious words broke through her thoughts. “Aemond…His eye still pains him, and he needs to take his treatments.”

The mentioning of Aemond’s injury brought guilt into her stomach again. It’d been an unfortunate thing, a casualty in a fight amongst children. Luke only meant to defend his brother, whom Aemond assaulted; he’d never meant to take the whole eye. Rhaenyra thought back to how she’d reacted, and knew she’d behave the same way over again…But, she should have shown more sympathy. She thought back to what you’d told her after everything settled. Rhaenyra casted a glance over at Alicent.

“How is he adjusting to it?” she asked cautiously as they walked towards the dragon pit on Dragonstone.

Alicent did not answer immediately, but eventually said, “It is a slow process, but he is progressing. He still knocks into things on his blind side, and his depth perception is not as it was. I have not even let him fly Vhagar. I’m always worried something worse will happen to him on that beast.”

“What could possibly happen to him on Vhagar?” she asked, bemused. “Dragons have eyes as well, Your Grace.”

“I know,” Alicent admittedly defeatedly, “It’s that…After he lost his eye, I fear some other horrible act will harm him more. I constantly fear for him. I fear for him, Aegon and Helaena. I worry if I take my eyes off him for a moment, something terrible will happen and it’ll be because I was not watching. I was not there.”

Rhaenyra almost asked why Alicent feared for her children’s lives, but then remembered what else transpired that night. She recalled how Alicent pleaded with the King for justice. She’d stood, distraught and frustrated, as her husband told her the matter was done. For years, King Viserys has upheld Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne despite having a trueborn son. Should Rhaenyra wish to remain unchallenged, she’d need to make sure her siblings did not usurp her. Rhaenyra never truly thought of what she might do. She knew Alicent would never plot a coup to have her deposed, and instill her son as king. Alicent is not the kind of person to break promises. Rhaenyra would’ve let them continue living in the Red Keep. They would all be safe with her as their queen.

Did Alicent…

Did Alicent believe she’d kill them? That she’d kill her? Rhaenyra stopped by the gates leading into the pit, and stared at Alicent. Brown met violet in this stare.

“Nothing will happen to them,” she assured her, stepping closer.

She then realized how long it’d been since they’d stood this close. So many years of keeping their distance at tables and in rooms, she forgot the aura of Alicent. She’d forgotten the little things she’d loved about Alicent. The faint smell of flowers that came from her hair, mostly from ages of running lavender oil through it every morning. She vividly recalled days where she used to purposefully hug Alicent simply to smell those curls, feel them brush her face and encompass her fully. She wished she could relive it again, even if for a moment, for a minute.

“Our children are safe.”

Alicent paused, sad eyes widening slightly with recognition. She’d moved to take Rhaenyra’s wrist before someone approached them. Then, the universe put that distance right back between them.

“Princess,” the bald Dragon Keeper walked over to her, “Syrax is saddled and waiting for you. The princes and princess have already taken flight.”

“They have done what?”

Rhaenyra’s shocked expression alerted Alicent. “What is it?” she asked Rhaenyra, “What did he say?”

“He says the princes and princess have…taken flight?” Rhaenyra tried making sense of the words herself, “They have gone?”

“Yes. Prince Aegon said he and his cousins would be flying ahead of you to find Prince Aemond and Princess Y/N.”

“They’ve gone?” Alicent guessed from Rhaenyra’s expression.

“They have.” Rhaenyra growled, and clenched her fists. “I told them to stay here!” she said, guiding Alicent into the dragonpit, “I told them to stay home and we’d go find Y/N and Aemond. Why didn’t they listen? Why do children never listen?”

“Because, unfortunately, Rhaenyra,” Alicent said breathlessly, “Aegon is much cleverer when his head isn’t swimming in wine.”

Yes, it would’ve been Aegon’s idea. He appeared quite desperate to prove himself to his mother. Perhaps they’d all underestimated him. Syrax stood on the other side of the wide pit, being held back by armed Dragon Keepers. Large and formidable, the yellow dragon immediately settled once Rhaenyra came within reach of her. She did not appear bothered by Alicent’s presence, but then again that might be from years of her smelling Alicent on Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra climbed onto Syrax first, then pulled Alicent up behind her. She saw the nervousness in Alicent’s face, how she held on tightly to the back of the saddle, giving a soft yelp when Syrax moved.

“It takes some getting used to,” Rhaenyra explained, getting onto the saddle in front of Alicent. “Hang on to me.”

Warm arms tightly wrung around her waist, and clasped together at her midsection. Rhaenyra nodded at a Dragon Keeper, who then moved out of the dragon’s way.

“Ready?” she asked Alicent.

“Ready.”

And for the moment, time became their friend. When Syrax took off into the sky, Rhaenyra and Alicent weren’t Princess and Queen. They’d become the girls who’d kissed in the seclusion of the godswood, and shared every waking moment together.

Feeling the wind blow through her hair and coat, seeing the thick white clouds above and the vast blue ocean below, they became those girls again. They might’ve just left the Red Keep in the dead of night, escaping on Syrax and flying off into a new life. They’d be together always; they could live and love as they pleased with no laws or families keeping them apart. Rhaenyra imagined it as she guided Syrax through the air. Had the fates allowed it, they’d be in a small house right now somewhere beautiful, dressed modestly and living in a house of light and love. She’d have freedom. She’d have Alicent. Tears started brimming her eyes, blurring her vision and heating her cheeks. This was all she wanted since the night she kissed her in the sand dunes.

Her daughter. Her little dove who loved romantic songs and stories; who’d seen running from home as an escape to real happiness. She sympathized with you. She’d wanted the same. In truth, she knew you'd be safe. Not only because you are her daughter, but because you had Aemond, who loved you. His love for you burned like dragon flame, breaking down walls and bridges to be with you. She knew he’d never let anything happen to you.

But, he is just a boy. Much like she and Alicent had been girls with silly dreams.

Rhaenyra allowed herself to live that dream for now, in the skies where it’ll stay.

****

A/N: heeeyyy we got some kind of marriage ceremony going on lol and Kid Squad and Super Moms are on the way! Feel free to leave any feedback, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter <3

#aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #aemond x you #aemond x yn #aemond one eye #house of the dragon #hotd drabbles #hotd imagines #hotd fanfic #hotd fanfiction #ewan mitchell #leo ashton

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antibioware · 10 months

Note

ok i'll bite. have you read any one piece fics, and are there any you would recommend?

you're so damn lucky One Piece is a fandom full of shit fanfictions because last time someone asked me a question like this, they ended with a 50+ fanfictions rec list.

Anyway, I'm gonna divide the list between gen/pairingless fics and fics with a romantic pairing.

NO PAIRING:

for all the love and gold (don't just do as you are told) by guiltylights

Nami asks Sanji to reduce the amount of money spent on grocery shopping.

Blood of the Covenant by kiite

Zeff never wanted a kid. A restaurant, sure— but he hadn’t planned for the kid. (Or: a brief look at Sanji’s childhood, through the eyes of the man who raised him.)

triskelion by razbliuto

Sink your fangs in, sister, and don't let go. — The Boa Sisters, still breathing despite all odds.

[this one is insanely good, literally made both me and my girlfriend cry]

UV by razbliuto (Viola/Doflamingo, Viola/Monet)

There's only a one letter difference between ultraviolet and ultraviolent. — Viola, and the art of unforgetting.

[while this one does have pairings, it's less a romantic story and more a deep dive into traumatic relationships in Viola's life. This is my absolute favourite OP fanfiction and it's heavy, be warned]

that certain calmness by grainjew

Because Sanji's rebellion has always been service, and there is nobody he would rather bow to than his captain.

you are not immune by pheenick

It starts with a rather gut-busting sneeze that’s concerning enough to bring all conversation juddering to a halt. Sanji blinks, absently patting his chest before furrowing his brow at a strange thickness congealing in his throat. Another sneeze. Fuck.

Customer Service in the Food Industry by Maldoror_Chant

They were starving. That was reason enough for Zeff to open the Baratie's doors and feed them, whoever the hell they were. Then he offered them a job, because the waiters and most of the other cooks had all jumped ship again and these guys looked kinda tough and not likely to scare easy. He didn't care if they were refugees of the World Government, he didn't care about their past, he didn't care what else they could do as long as the dishes were cleaned, the soup served, the vegetables chopped and Zeff's rules respected. Oh, and the pigeon had to stay out of the kitchen. That was a must. Give the Health Inspector the wiggins otherwise. Oddly enough, it did not turn out to be a complete and utter disaster. Strange things happen on the seas.

[CP9 post-Water 7 start working at the Baratie, the concept is so funny]

nothing to do (with you) by guiltylights

Judge thinks that Sanji is a failure of a son. Zeff doesn't think that much of Judge at all.

the mortality of kings by guiltylights

Zoro and Sanji, the right and left-hand men of the future Pirate King.

breathlessly, live (there's a place for us) by guiltylights (modern AU)

'You don’t have to prove anything, you know,’ Nami says finally. Sanji frowns, puzzled. ‘I’m not proving anything?’ ‘No Sanji, I think you are. It sometimes feels like you’re doing this more for your own sake than for mine.'

we slept on the ocean last night by Origamidragons

It starts like this: Luffy can’t sleep alone. (Pirates have nightmares, too. The Strawhats, as always, find a way through.)

PAIRINGS:

Burning Man by neonglaceon (Zoro/Sanji, multiple chapters, M rating for sex scenes)

“You’re lucky, Zoro,” she had spat, eyes turned up towards the sky, like she was trying to hold in tears. He'd never seen Kuina cry before. He’d never seen any expression on her face other than her teeth gritted in determination or her grinning in victory. “I want to be the greatest swordsman too. But girls grow up, and their bodies become weaker than men's. I’m never going to be the greatest.” Kuina tells him this, and Zoro can barely comprehend the words she’s saying. He thinks of the countless hours he’s spent training by the river bed, the green locks of his hair left on the floor after Koushirou helped him shear it all off, of the people he thought of as family a lifetime ago calling him by a name he despised. Zoro puts a hand to his chest, where he’d hastily wrapped bandages earlier that day, remembering how his body had begun changing and he didn’t understand why- “You’re lucky to have been born a man, Zoro,” Kuina finishes lamely. Zoro sees red.

[This is THE trans man Zoro fic and one of my favourite zosan fanfics, I suggest to pay attention to the trigger warnings before reading]

and then the sun came out by demonzoro (shrinewreck) (Zoro/Sanji, M rating for sex scenes)

Maybe there is something to be said that the first time they kiss, they kiss on a sinking ship. As if to say: this too, is inevitable. The waves are gnashing above the sea’s bottomless maw, and the timbers of the sinking galleon groan their own dirge – as far as this space of sea is concerned, the world is ending. Then there they are, balanced on the cusp of it, concerned only with how they exist relative to each other. There’s an awful devotion to it, and it shouldn’t be romantic. But Sanji is hopeless. He’s always wanted a love like this.

Be Hungry For Me byJacknessofHearts (Sanji/Usopp)

It takes more than years for Sanji and Usopp to confront their feelings. It also takes a lot of good food.

Don't Look Back byJacknessofHearts (Nami/Vivi)

Nami and Vivi and saying good-bye.

[This is the best namivivi break-up fic]

Like Ink Through Her Veins by grainjew (background Nami/Vivi)

Vivi manages, away from her crew. Usually, managing means ruling a country, reading the newspaper, and checking up on her father. Sometimes, though, it means sneaking out of the palace at midnight and getting drunk with passing pirates.

[while this isn't a pairing fic as much as it's a Vivi-focused story, the romantic pairing is important enough to the story to finish on this side of the list]

poison and wine by Origamidragons (Nami/Vinsmoke Reiju)

Nami isn't expecting to run into Vinsmoke Reiju plotting a murder at the same high-society party where she's planning a heist, but, well. Two birds, one stone.

You, Drowning Between My Arms by ginger_snappin (Sanji/Usopp, M rating )

Again and again, Sanji is forced to relive the day after he rejected Usopp.

[God I fucking love "stuck in a time loop" fanfictions, especially if they have characters as well written as this one]

salvage by hongmunmu (background Sanji/Usopp)

Franky offered Usopp a place in his family. Leaving Water 7 on the Thousand Sunny, Usopp considers who he is, why he left, and why he's there now.

[fic focuses more on Franky and Usopp's student/mentor relationship than romance, but as before, it falls more on the pairing fic side of the spectrum]

free and alone, together bysrididdledeedee (Alvida/Boa Hancock)

In which Alvida arrives on Amazon Lily, and everything changes.

Easy as Anything, Simple as That by Trixree (Sanji/Luffy)

“Luffy? What’s the matter?” “We’re gonna’ have a wedding,” he says incomprehensibly. Which—no. Absolutely not. Haven’t they had enough of weddings, lately? Nami's certainly had enough for a lifetime, thanks. “What are you talking about? What wedding?” she demands as coherently as she can while running on only two-and-a-half hours of sleep. “Mine and Sanji’s,” Luffy declares.

a glance that holds the world and all its seas by JacknessofHearts (Sanji/Usopp)

It's the big party after defeating Hody Jones. Usopp gets Sanji away from all the mermaids. (Honestly, Sanji, these nosebleeds are disgusting.)

Inevitable by LibbyLune (Zoro/Sanji, M rating for violence)

A closer call than usual makes Sanji give a precipitously timed confession, and waiting for Chopper to let him out of the infirmary makes waiting for a response much worse than he could have anticipated.

To Argue and to Cherish by modeoheim (Zoro/Sanji)

On a small island, on a lovely night full of music and fun and food, Zoro and Sanji accidentally get married. It is as ridiculous as it sounds—or at least it is at first, until Zoro finds being married to Blackleg Sanji isn't as bad as one might assume.

Variations On A Theme by rainsometimes (Franky/Nico Robin)

Four short interconnected pieces in which Franky does not save Robin from drowning. Although he’d like to.

stolen things by Origamidragons (Nami/Vivi)

A catalogue of things stolen by, for, and from Princess Vivi of Alabasta with regards to a certain thief, as documented by her long-suffering captain of the guard.

But Patience Boasts by Augment (background Zoro/Luffy)

Sanji and Zoro have very different love languages.

NSFW/Just Porn:

Little Things by KuriKuri (Zoro/Law, NSFW)

“Yeah, well,” Zoro says, “I thought you’d say no.” “Why would I say no?” Law asks, the corners of his lips tugging down in a frown. “Because you’re a control freak,” Zoro snorts, looking away from the sake bottle to meet Law’s eyes instead. “I thought control freaks didn’t drink.”

eager baby, blue by torkz (Nico Robin/Jinbei, NSFW)

Jimbei is training, and Robin is not immune to huge, handsome men in blue.

go back to sleep by itsmylifekay (Zoro/Sanji, NSFW)

His skin tingles with an unfamiliar sensation and he shifts, mind becoming more alert as he takes in his surroundings and the strange, lingering warmth on his arm. If he concentrates hard enough, he can feel the fading shape of long fingers pressed into his skin. “Go back to sleep, stupid marimo,” he hears. Sanji is standing close by, pulling on the last of his clothes and straightening his tie. His voice is low in the softness of the early morning and Zoro grunts at the words.

#long post #one piece #one piece fanfiction

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