My Little Shadow: Part Five (Azriel X Reader)
Warnings: Mentions of an abusive family, trying not to freeze to death, but otherwise there's some sisterly fluff!
I swear Azriel will be in the next episode! And he's going to be very worried about Y/N.
Part four
Part five
Tag list: @mis-lil-red
By the first hour of the day, the cold had begun to seep in, despite my wedding dress made of many layers and my sister's warm attire.
By nightfall we were freezing.
I had spotted a cave that was well insulated, and hid us deep in the dark caverns.
Stella had said nothing, a faraway look in her dark rimmed eyes. She hadn’t asked for this, but I knew why mom had sent her with me. Unlike my other sisters, Stella still had that hope of freedom, she had not yet been weighed down by the ugly reality of that place. That there was no escape.
But we escaped. I remind myself, ruffling through the pack my mother had given me.
There was an extra set of warm clothes in there, food, and most importantly, weapons and the tools to make a fire.
I bit my lip. If I lit a fire in here, not only could we suffocate from the smoke, but the heat could cause a snow in at the entrance.
Feeling out the shadows, I knew that they’d be happy to help, having been alone in this cave for who knows how long.
I looked over at my sister, who was shivering as she looked out towards the light at the entrance.
She had been this way the whole time. The only time we had been out from underground while we were in Hewn City was during starfall, and sometimes not even then if our father was in a particularly foul mood.
Letting out a breath that fogged in the air, I made up my mind. “Hey Stella, come over here.”
Her head turned, and by god if her golden hair and blue eyes didn’t shine brighter in the thin beams of light that made it this far into the cave.
I nodded, pulling out a thin blanket that had also been packed. She scooched over, cuddling up to my side as I draped a blanket over us.
“Hey Stella, do you want to hear a story?” I ask, hoping to remind her of the nights I would read her stories until her eyes couldn’t stay open anymore, the soft giggles and funny sounds I made to drown out the outside world.
She nodded into my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her, letting the shadows come a bit closer.
“Have you ever heard the name Shadowsinger sister?” I asked, running a hand through her hair. Since she currently still had her head buried in my side, I let the shadows form another sheet on top of the blanket, the new warmth immediately noticeable
She shook her head, not looking up, and I chuckled. “Well, their name isn’t just for show. They are called that because they can actually talk to shadows, they can understand their little whispers and secrets, the games they play in the dark.”
Stella lifted her head just enough to look up at me, not noticing the shadows that now kept us warm. Her eyes sparkled with that childhood curiosity of all that’s unknown. “What do they talk about?” She asks.
I had no doubt she thought this was a story I was making up, just like all the other stories I told her.
What she didn’t know was that every story I had ever told her had come from the shadows. Choosing the ones that had happy endings.
“Well, they talk about all sorts of things. They are fascinated with stories from other lands. You see, for the most part shadows don’t travel much. They are old as time, and tend to prefer to sleep. But some want to roam, to explore. The ones that stay like to hear the stories of those that have ambition, and after that, they share the stories with those who can, and will listen.”
“Do you have to know how to sing to be a shadowsinger?” She asked, and I couldn’t help but to laugh.
“No, no they don’t. But they are very rare.” I say, taking her chin in my hand and tilting it up towards me, putting on a serious face. “Stella, if I tell you a secret, can you promise to keep it?”
She nodded, a little grin on her face.
“I’m serious Stell, if I tell you this, you must never tell anyone without asking me first.” I say, conveying how serious I was.
She thought about it for a moment before nodding. “I promise.”
I smile, my heart hurting from the love I felt right then. I had never told anyone what I was, but I knew I trusted Stella, even if she was still so young.
“I’m a shadowsinger.” I whisper, letting one of the shadows crawl up my hand, I hold it up to her so she can see.
She gasped, her blue eyes wide with wondrous delight as she reached out to touch. I let them drift over onto her hand, and she giggles as they swirl around playfully.
“It’s beautiful.” She murmurs, letting them return to me.
I smile as I slide them back into the shadow blanket. “Now you know my secret. If you are ever afraid, or unsure, always remember that there are always friends, even if they like to hide.”
She snuggled up to me, and I kissed her on the head, wrapping my arms around her. “Go to sleep now. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
Only when I felt her breathing even out into one of a steady sleep did I let my thoughts wander.
Mom said to run and never come back, run to lands unknown.
And I was fully prepared to do that.
But I had a deal with another shadowsinger, and even if I didn’t I wouldn’t just leave my mother and sisters with someone who was sacrificing females.
My time in Prythian wasn’t done yet.
So tomorrow, I will head to the Winter court, and I will find someone who could contact Azriel. Somehow I knew that he would keep me and my sister safe.
As I drifted off to sleep, I realized that I trusted him, that somehow I knew that he wouldn’t hurt either of us.
With that thought in mind, I slept more soundly than I had in years.
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Kloktober 2023, Day 19: Inspired by a non-metal song - in this case, "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring Charles Offdensen!
He'll wrap you in his arms
Tell you that you've been a good boy
He'll rekindle all the dreams
It took you a lifetime to destroy
He'll reach deep into the hole
Heal your shrinking soul
But there won't be a single thing
That you can do
He's a god, he's a man
He's a ghost, he's a guru
They're whispering his name
Through this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat
Is a red right hand
You don't have no money?
He'll get you some
You don't have no car?
He'll get you one
You don't have no self-respect
You feel like an insect
Well don't you worry buddy
'Cause here he comes
Through the ghettos and the barrio
And the bowery and the slum
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his
Red right hand
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if you were to summarise sirius' personality and character traits, how would you do it?
hi hi hi! so sorry for long this took but okay, so, let’s do this.
so, his CORE trait for me will always be loyalty, hands down. i once waxed poetic about sirius’ devotion to the potters to my friends for like, half an hour straight (one of them actually teared up). the way he talks about james even after so many years, how his first instinct is always to look out for harry, how everyone talked about him & j even when they believed he was the traitor—all of it just really drives home how he gives all of himself to someone when he decides to. if someone’s his person then he’ll do whatever it takes for them (if you’re not, tho? ur lucky if u even get a look in ur direction)
he’s also very competent. he was probably brought up as a pampered heir, with access to all the resources his little heart desired, so coupled w his innate ability/potential/aptitude, it becomes a deadly combination. he uses logic to work through things, prides himself on his intelligence, and probably wouldn’t like hanging out with people who can’t atleast match him in some sense (so laziness/incompetence grates badly).
as a corollary, he’s also pretty arrogant, in that casual sense that old money people are ykwim? he’s had the world on a silver platter his entire life, and even when he’s cut off from it, it’s still a part of him. there’s also the fact that he’s got a lot going for him—looks, power, smarts wise—and that just adds to it. so it can be off putting or it can be hot or both, but he has a superiority complex and he doesn’t exactly hide it. less interaction with the plebs, the better for him.
irreverence and dark humor!!! sirius copes using morbid jokes and making people uncomfortable; he has slight control issues and this way, he makes sure everyone’s always on their toes. it’s also like,,,a way to kind of gauge how others will react to him based on how they deal w his humor. bc he’s not sunshine and roses, right? and he doesn’t want anyone treating him like it or expecting him to be so. and in a way, their reactions to his jokes correlated to their degree of acceptance for him.
intense. when it comes to things he likes, he’s very passionate about it, almost with a single minded focus. and it can get A Lot. he operates in a lot of extremes, right? so either 0 or 100 and this comes across in the way he interacts with people, the level of interest he shows to things, and how much effort he puts in, if it’s His Thing, then he won’t leave a stone unturned but if he doesn’t care? then he will not give a single shit
soooo, these are some of the things i very strongly believe in for sirius 🙈 tell me what u think? (and as always, @artemisia-black has some great metas on sirius’ character so i’d recommend checking those out for sure!)
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