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familyagrestefanblog · 4 years

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Theory on the guardian Temple: Mount Kailash

Every since "The Collector" I was convinced that the guardian mountain in Miraculous is most likely inspired by a real life counterpart. Then "Feast" came around and confirmed it to me. So I started to do some research and here we are with my answer and a new theory: Mount Kailash.

This mountain is surrounded by mysteries GALORE and its was such an interesting research to do! The more I read up on it the more I was convinced that this is indeed the inspiration of the guardian mountain in Tibet (and its entire society) we see in the show.

So let's not waste any more time and let's dive in. As always, I have alot to say ^^

As always, starting with the basics:

Just like in the show, Mount Kailash is located in Tibet and is part of the Himalaya. Its shape is a bit tricky to compare but even if it wouldn’t add up I think it wouldn’t matter that much. As long as the Ml mountains shape isn’t completely off and unrecognizable let a mountain be a mountain, the shape is not what’s most important about it anyway (not in this theory at least). The height on the other hand adds up very nicely. As we see in the flashbacks the guardian mountain may have been up high but also wasn't the highest mountain in the region by far.

This also applies to Mount Kailash. It is “only” 6,638 m (21,778 ft) high, which is small in comparison to several other mountains that go up to 8,850 metres (29,035 ft). So just like in the show, its not the highest mountain but definitely high enough to sometimes be above a cloud layer.

Next is the lake. Just like we saw in Fu’s flashback, mount Kailash also has a lake. Two to be correct. Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal.

The lake seen in the flashback I believe to be Lake Manasarovar (right)

The lake is located right by Mount Kailash and is believed to be the most sacred one in Tibet and has the most transparent water among all the lakes in China. In Hinduism, Lake Manasarovar is a personification of purity and bathing in it and drinking its water is believed to cleanse all sins. That sounds definitely like a perfect fit for the ancient, mystical guardian mountain lake we are looking for here.

Of course, the show hasn’t given us any indications yet that the mountain lake has such a high status (how could it? We saw it in one picture) and for all it is, the one in the show doesn’t have to. If the lake(s) end up having such qualities as well (which I believe and I’m also convinced the second lake will be of great importance as well but all of this is an extended theory for a very different day) than that’s wonderful and I’m more than happy, but if not then I’m convinced as well that it was not just a random lake they put in there but one with a mighty cultural significance.

Beside that, the lake happens to be a fresh water lake. This would also explain how a squid or kraken was shown to us to have been there, since those are freshwater animals.

Next is the whole temple thing in general. In real life there is of course no temple on Mount Kailash, but this doesn't mean that the concept of a temple for this mountain is anything new. In fact, it's really, totally, utterly not. There may be no temple on our mountain but we still do have a Kailasa temple and MY is this one important as well!

Comparing these two makes it quite obvious right away, they do have big differences. The material, the design etc. But once again, inspiration doesn't mean copy paste.

What caught my attention here were for example the big stone circle in the middle that mirrors the guardian symbol and the big tower right beside it reminds of the biggest building from the guardian temple. While the Kailasa temple is not built on Kailash, it's shape is supposed to reflect and honor the mountain because the temple was built for the greatest of the hindu gods, lord Shiva (the main God who is supposed to life on top of kailash's peak) and therefore it was supposed to resemble his home.

Meaning what Miraculous did here in my opinion, is that they simply combined Mount kailash and the Kailasa temple to make their own version for the show that is unique enough to stand on its own but also stays close enough to its roots to properly honor and portray them.

I LOVE this.

(Okay I'm gonna take this little section to gush a little about this temple because my GOSH this temple is a beauty to behold!

You are not just looking at any temple here, all of this was CARVED out of the stonewall in ONE PIECE! This is one of the greatest architectural masterpieces in human history and today no one can actually tell how the ancient local people even DID this.

I mean LOOK at this! This is of pure stone, all in one piece and there is even a gigantic underground section!

And each and every wall is full of smaller carvings from the bottom to the top, telling the stories of their culture, their mythology and believes. And even those are little pieces of art for themselves! This is marvellous! I hope that one day I will be able to see this place in person because... wow!)

Alright, leaving the materialistic basics behind us, lets take a look at its religious and cultural significance and its mystical reputation because those are *chef kiss* just beautiful.

Here is an important thing to keep in mind that since the Miraculous mountain is not going to be straight up real life Kailash, only inspired by it, this also means the show would be able to include some of its myths and folklores a lot more directly. Therefore I’m also including them here in my theory.

Coming back to what I said earlier, that apparently Mount Kailash is the holiest mountain on earth. And well, that's no exaggeration of mine. Mount Kailash is the center point of 4(!) religions, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Tibetan Bön. These religions also make the fact that the guardians are portrayed as monks a perfect fit. The fact that Mount Kailash has such an immense significance for the regional religions also led to one of the greatest check points for this theory:

Mount Kailash is to this day unclimbed. For several reasons I will cut down to the 3 most important for my theory:

1. As Mount Kailash is believed by 4 religions to be the center point/or a place of great significance, it is also a place that people hold in alot of honor, respect and fear as well. It's peak is believed to be place were their gods rest and/or where basically the divine energies of Existence are residing and therefore you don't just CLIMB that mountain.

Regional people and believers go an incredibly long way to honor it even to this day and therefore, no, regional people never dared to claim this mountain for themselves and its forbidden by the law to dishonor this sacred place by doing so. Bringing this back to miraculous I’m sure you already see why this fits like a glove.

If there is any real life mystical mountain the guardians of the miraculous would be located on, it's this one! The Miraculous are the origins of the in-universe world and as we know from Fu it is an unspeakable honor to be chosen as one of their guardians. The guardian society was/is located off of the normal society and at least the local people from Fu's childhood knew of their existence. Meaning here again, the miraculous mountain as well holds a great cultural significance and only the chosen guardians were allowed to climb it but for that they also had to dedicate their lives to the miraculous and life in isolation from the rest of the world.

This in combination with:

2. When I say it is forbidden to climb that mountain I mean FORBIDDEN. Not only by regionals and believers because of religion reasons. No. Between the 50s and the 70s Chinese authorities have officially managed to declare this sacred mountain as off limits, keeping it unclimbed and under protection with all means needed. Meaning no climbing by foot (beyond the free area that has always been allowed) or by any machine. It's peak is to be remained untouched. And this also means any footage taken from the mountain needs to be done from far away, no matter how ouf of the world the happening on the mountain may be. And that's precisely what we saw in "Feast"

One would think that the reappearance of a long-lost temple on a fuck high mountain would get the immediate reaction of storming and exploring it like hell. But that's not what's happening here and I don't think it's just for plot convenience at all. If we are indeed talking about a mountain in miraculous here that is just as protected by the law as mount Kailash in real life, then THIS reporting here is as close as anyone can officially/legally get in that moment without serious consequences with the law and Chinese government.

They didn't NOT storm the temple because of plot reasons, they didn't because they are legally aren't allowed to set foot on a sacred unclimbed mountain that is supposed to stay that way. What a great and subtle way of telling us more and more about the significance of the guardian mountain. Wonderful Miraculous, I applause you ^^

But there is still another reason why Mount kailash's unclimbed status convinced me that this is indeed the mountain we are (at least in an inspired way) being presented with in the show.

My point 3. is the reason why Kailash remained unclimbed by (the native) people in the first place which highly influenced its immense religious status although history to the point where it is believed to be the center place of GODS, THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE and ALL OF EXISTENCE.

Cause its not like no one ever tried to climb it. Naturally people did, just like with any other mountain on earth. But here is the thing: somehow no one was able to actually DO it. Odd how humans were and are able to reach the peak of freaking Mount Everest even though it's ALOT higher and objectively deadlier by a long shot but "small" and "easy" Kailash is the one still unclimbed.

Kailash didn't get its godly, mystical and fear-striking reputation for no reason. We are now officially stepping into folklore and myth terrain which is actually exactly what we are looking for because a show called "Miraculous" is going to REGALE in the supernatural stories of its influences. And when I say supernatural, I do indeed mean SUPERNATURAL. The climbers who survived their trip reported of unearthly happenings and situations that made claiming Kailash simply impossible. I'm not sure if saying Kailash seems to have a mind on its own is appropriate but it surely seems to try to defend itself from people who aren't worthy or not supposed to be there with means from another layer of existence.

Sudden weather extremes that come out of nowhere to stop the mountaineering and a seemingly changing environment that leads the climbers into confusion, the wrong direction (away from the peak) and even their end are two of the greatest examples and they fit perfectly into the nature of the Miraculous.

Another myth I’ve read quite a lot about is that on Mount Kailash time works… differently.

This also goes back to its defence mechanism of intruders because it is said that trying to climb it will let hair, nails etc grow a lot faster or fasten up the aging process all together to the point were relatively young climbers died the very next year of freaking OLD AGE! This is not only interesting for the miraculous mountain because it’s a supernatural coping mechanism of the Miraculous origin place using a power we are already familiar with (Bunnix time powers) but also because Kailash’s very same time anomalies are also said to grand a longer life (to those who are worthy if I’m not wrong). And do tell, what’s Fu’s age again? That’s right, a very impossible 186.

BUT, when the Miraculous guardian mountain does grand those who are chosen to be guardian (probably through a ritual or something like that to ultimately seal their “decision” to dedicate their lives to the Miraculous) a much longer life through its magical nature, that would definitely make Fu’s age much more plausible.

And yet still, even after everything I brought up one can still raises the questions “Yes but why THIS mountain? What’s so special about it that all of the miraculous things would happen there? Real-life and Miraculous. For all it is, is it just a coincidence?”

You all know me well enough by now that NOPE, I’m sure as heck not done yet :D Lets get to my last point and this one is what sold this entire idea to me 100%, without a single doubt left behind. This is the HEART of this theory.

Let me explain to you Mount Kailash’s status as Axis Mundi.

Trying to keep this as easy as possible, I do think its concept is comparable to the medieval believe that the earth is the centre of the universe. That everything from the sun to every known planet circles around us and we were the first and most important thing created. Axis Mundi is somewhat like this.

Axis Mundi means “earth axis” in latin and is basically the center point of the earth. It has several ways to approach its meaning from religion, astrology to geography. Good thing for us, Mount Kailash is a complete jackpot in this regard, so this makes it easy! (This is probably the reason why Kailash is seen as THE Axis Mundi for many people, even if there are several others that fit under certain categories as well)

Astrologically Mount Kailash is an Axis Mundi because of its location between the two celestial poles. Its distance to the north pole is 6666km and to the south pole LITERALLY the double: 13332km. Its wild, but it gets even better!

The geographical point of view only supports the astrological because Mount Kailash is said to be part of a several-linked-monuments-line with the exact same km-count of 6666km in between all of them.

And maybe this is the right time to remind you that the height of Mount Kailash that I have mentioned in the beginning is 6638m.

Although this is a point, I wouldn’t bet my hand on for 100% legitimacy, since when I double checked the Kailash to Stonehenge UK distance on Google Earth, I ended up with a distance of 6.900-something km. But at the same time the measurement system there can get quite off in such mountainy terrains so that doesn’t mean its officially wrong. Just in question. Luckily it isn’t even that important if this is true or not in real-life, because even if it isn’t, then Miraculous as a TV show can still incorporate and work with this myth/conspiracy(?) no problem.

Another geographical but more local reason for why Kailash is seen as Axis Mundi in China is because there 4 main Asian rivers find their source: Shiquan (Lion!) river, Maquan (Horse!!) river, Xiangquan (Elephant) river and Kongqu (Peacock!!!) river. now that’s something to keep in mind in future. Each on one of the 4 sides of the mountain, making it indeed a source of life for all of China and therefore a “center point” as well.

And last but definitely not least and my, this one if my favourite!

As I explained earlier, Mount Kailash is seen by 4 religions as the center place of their gods, the entire universe and all of creation. But not only that. Because since it is the place where literal gods can manifest, it is also the place where our material world meets the spiritual one and they overlap (Hence the supernatural nature and abilities of the mountain).

Do you see what this means for Miraculous?

It means that the guardians didn’t chose their mountain by sheer coincidence. It means that this very mountain peak is the place where humans where/ARE able to get access to the Kwamis!

A while ago Thomas Astruc posted this on Twitter

He describes the nature of the Kwamis as not actual living creatures per se but more like the embodiments of abstract concepts found in this universe’s existence. Humans can only interact with them through the ml jewelleries but even if these get destroyed (bee miraculous in “Queen Wasp”) the Kwami doesn’t “die”, it just goes back to its original abstract (bodyless) form and can be brought back with their Miraculous because, logically, destroying the bee miraculous for example didn’t wipe out the entire concept of Submission. Duh. Therefore, Pollen was still “there”.

So if the Kwamis are more embodiments of abstract concepts which need a specific item to physically materialize in the, well, MATERIAL world then this means there needed to be a place of transition between these two layers of reality to seal the Kwamis to the Miraculous’ in the first place. And BOY, this is it!

I’m so convinced that the guardian mountain is the Miraculous inequivalent of our Mount Kailash, everything fits like a glove and explains so many questions I haven’t even considered to ask before now!

Especially the last part about the origins and nature of the Kwamis and how their transition into the real world happened is such a gigantic lore aspect! There is so much to be discovered and connected here and I’m already reworking everything about the lore I have so far and MAN I’m glad I picked up on theorizing about Ml again! I am EXCITED!

But for now, this is it :D

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug #ml theory #guardians of the miraculous #ml tibet #kwamis #ml spoilers #ml feast #ml season 3 #ml guardian mountain #Mount Kailash #Kaisala temple #ml master fu #ml sugar

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alexhogh7137 · 3 years

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The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven: "..what on earth are you doing here...?"

Word Count 2.8k

Warnings: none

A week has passed since Asta was born. Your week was hectic, painful and long but your daughter made it all a bit easier. Your people celebrated her birth with a huge feast that you attended to, of course. You remember thinking to yourself, 'now I can have some ale.' Ivar made it known that Asta was his child and everyone basked in his magnificence because he is indeed a cripple. Hvitserk bit his tongue and played along as you did the same. Ivar has his ways and it is easier to obey him than to argue and cause heartache. All you want is for Asta to be happy, that is of utmost importance. Today, you have to write to Daario Naharis. Time has slipped your mind and it has come to your attention that you have yet to write to him.

Ivar "Would you like me to take her while you write?" You look up at him, "I don't mind." He offers a smile, "I do not think that you will be able to write a proper letter with her wiggling in your arms-" you two start to giggle.

"Thank you. I won't be long." You hand her to him and he puts her on his hip.

Ivar "Take your time, my sweet. I want to spend some quality time with her." You nod, "I love you."

"And I love you." He bends down and kisses your lips before crunching his way out of the chamber doors. You sigh and stretch your arms in the air, trying to ease the soreness from holding her for so long. But you long her so much, that when she is not in your arms, you feel as if something is missing. Nonetheless, you appreciate the help from your beloved while Hvitserk is out hunting with Ubbe.

You pick up your writing instrument and began to write:

To the Commander of Wessex,

I have to apologize for not writing to you sooner, but I have some wonderful news. I am now a mother to a healthy daughter. I shall return to Wessex when she is old enough to travel with me so that my people can meet her, as well as you Naharis. I wish to hear of all the things concerning my people and their wellbeing. I hope all is well, including yourself. I am doing alright, given my circumstances during my daughter's birth but I am indeed alright. Looking forward to your letter,

Y/n Lothbrok

You stamp the letter and rise from your seat, to give this to your news carrier.

"Thank you."

He bows, "My queen." You watch him get on his horse and ride off into the distance. You look up at your dragon's, feasting on their animals and of course, fighting over the biggest carcass. You chuckled to yourself but you get startled from your name being called.

"My queen!" You turn to face the woman.

"Yes? Is something wrong?"

"No, thank the gods." You nod, "I just wanted to personally ask you if you are alright?"

"Oh yes, I am quite well."

"Are you certain, my queen?" She asked, "because you look quite exhausted.."

"Mm, the beginning stages of motherhood is not easy, madame-"

"Of course-"

"I am tired, but I am very happy."

"That is good to hear. I know of the things you went through..I only wish the best for you my queen."

"I appreciate your kind words, ma'am. Thank you."

"My pleasure. Would you like to come in?" You look where she points as she points toward her home in the village.

"Oh thank you, but I must find Ivar. He is caring for Asta while I take care of some matters."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for talking with me Y/n."

You place your hand on her shoulder, "Any time. If you need me, you know where to find me." She nods and you two part ways.

…

When you reach the throne room, you see Ivar chatting up a storm: boasting about Asta. At first, you get annoyed but then you overhear Ivar telling his people how proud he is to call her his own. Then your heart turned into mush. You make your way up to him and he notices you right away.

Ivar "My love, there you are." You sit down beside him on your throne.

"My queen, she is simply beautiful."

"Thank you. She is very-"

Ivar "Perfect. She isn't just beautiful, she is perfect. A real blessing from the gods." You smile and reach over and caress her rosy cheeks while she is still in his arms.

"I would have to agree. I am surprised that she is here." Ivar looks up at the man from looking down at Asta and makes direct eye contact.

Ivar "What did you just say?" The man gulps.

"I said that I was surprised that Asta is here..it is a real miracle."

Ivar "Are you referring to Y/n?"

"She...she went through a lot, my king. Many of us doubted that she wou-"

"I suggest you bite your tongue.." the man looks at you and takes a step back.

Ivar "Sweetheart, can you hold Asta for a moment?" You do not answer, only quickly grabbing her from his arms before he loses control. Ivar gets off of his throne and walks towards the man who was suggesting that you were weak.

Ivar "What is it? Huh..what were you all doubting?" The man did not respond out of fear. Ivar took out his dagger and grabbed the man by his throat, "What were you all doubting?"

"We did not think that she would be strong enough to deliver! Many women parish during child birth..we were expecting it." You knew that was a fact. But to hear your people think that you were too weak to survive, saddened you.

Ivar points the blade towards the man's eye, "How dare you, huh?! How dare you question my wife?"

"We were wrong, she was strong-"

Ivar "That should never be questioned, she is your queen!" The man nods, "Look at her," the man looks at you, "that woman right there, is stronger than any woman that you could ever meet. Do not ever question her strength."

"Ivar, just let him go-"

Ubbe "What is going on in here, aye?!" Hvitserk and Ubbe come into the building from a successful hunt.

"Just having a discussion, Ubbe."

"I shouldn't have said anything-"

Hvitserk "You said what?"

"I told the Ivar.. that Asta is a miracle child."

Hvitserk "She is-"

Ivar "He said that he amongst others have doubted Y/n's ability to have her." Hvitserk's jaw clenches immediately.

Hvitserk "Is that so?" The man does not respond. "Well she proved you all wrong, did she not?"

"Yes, yes of course! My queen, you have my full respect."

"If you'll excuse me." You walk out of the room and into your daughter's nursery. You place her down into her bassinet. She coos and reaches for you, so you lean down and kiss her entire face.

"My sweet Asta, sleep now." You watch her close her beautiful eyes and fall into a light slumber. You sigh when it is silent in the room. Reflecting on your life, who you are and what you have become as a person, as a woman. In everyone else's eyes, you have achieved it all: you've won battles, you overthrown your father and took back your kingdom, you are married and now have a daughter. To you, you feel lucky and blessed but at the same time, you feel lost. If Ivar's people loved and respected you like they should, then you would feel wanted here in Kattegat. But today, that feeling is nonexistent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wessex England a day later..

Daario has been working nonstop: making absolute sure that the people of Wessex are safe, fed and doing their duties. Helga has been working as well, and keeping Daario company.

Daario "Helga.."

Helga "Yes?"

Daario "Have you heard any news from Y/n?"

Helga sighs, "I'm afraid not." He hangs his head, "I am sure that she is fine, Naharis."

Daario "She didn't look good Helga. You saw her when she left."

Helga "She was in labor, Daario. It is very painful-"

Daario "I know that. But she fell-"

Helga "What? Why was I not informed of this-"

Daario "It slipped my mind. All I cared about was her, not informing her people." She nods, "But yes, she fell. Not too long before she went into active labor-"

Helga "Well that makes sense now. If something happens to the mother when she is that far along during her pregnancy, that can cause the child to come quicker. Much quicker."

Daario "I just hope that she is alright. She has gone through too much Helga, she can't be gone now. She can't be." Helga takes a rapid and deep breath, "She fought too long and too hard to lose her battle now. Especially right when her life got brighter with this miracle child."

Helga "I don't think that she is gone. If she was, I would be able to tell."

Daario looks up at her glaring at the floor, "What? How?"

Helga "She is like a daughter to me Daario. If she was gone, I would just know." He sighs and looks back down to the floor.

Daario "Helga, could you leave me for a moment? I would like to pray in peace please." He says standing up.

Helga "Of course sir." She walks out of the door, closing it behind her. He wipes a stray tear that has fallen on to his cheek from the sense of fear of losing you. So he gets down on his knees, in front of a cross that he has hung up on his wall in his chambers and prays.

Daario "Please Lord, be with Y/n. I have not heard from her in days, and I cannot stop worrying, my Lord. Be with her and keep her strong. If her child is in this world, keep her safe and strong as well, my Lord. Be with them all, keep them safe and...alive. In Jesus's name I pray, amen." As he stood up, he got a knock on his door.

Daario sighs, "Yes?"

"A letter, sir." He rushes over to the man and grabs the letter from his hands. He breathes out loudly when he sees your name on the envelope.

Daario "Thank you, you may go." Once the man leaves, he looks up and whispers, "well that was fast."

After he read your letter, he wanted to travel to Kattegat to see you and the baby. He did not know how he would be able to do so, but he did not quite care about anything else but you and the child. So he left Helga in charge and set off to Kattegat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is now nightfall in Kattegat and things are happy as can be. Hvitserk has been spending quality time with Asta all day and Ivar has been spending quality time with you. Ubbe and Torvi have been spoiling Asta and she's only a few days old. It has been joyus to say the least.

Ivar "How is she doing huh?" He asks his brother once he sits down next to him.

Hvitserk "Y/n or Asta?"

Ivar "Asta, of course."

Hvitserk "She's perfect."

Ivar "Yes, she is." He looks at you holding her while talking to Torvi. "They both are true perfection."

Hvitserk "Yes they are. And yet we are the lucky one aye?" He says, nudging Ivar.

Ivar chuckles but it soon fades when he hears the gates to his kingdom opening.

Ivar "Did you just hear-"

Hvitserk "The gates? Yes, I did."

Ivar "We are not expecting anyone.." You see the double doors opening and your grip on your daughter tightens. You did not expect to see the man come through the door that did.

Daario "King Ivar-"

"Naharis?!" His eyes met yours and his expression turned to pure joy. He sees the beautiful daughter in your arm's.

Daario "Y/n!"

"What on earth are you doing here?! My kingdom-"

Daario "Is in good hands."

"Who's hands?!"

Daario "Helga's."

"An old woman." You look at Ivar in complete disbelief. Ivar's eyebrows scrunch down to his eyes and his mouth is closed tightly. "So you are telling me, that you left my kingdom, which is filled with women..in an old woman's care?"

Daario "I had to see you."

"I told you when I left, that I would come to you. I left you in charge of my people for a reason. I did not want you to leave Wessex!"

Daario "I'm sorry, I-"

"Torvi, give her to Hvitserk please." She takes Asta from your arms and walks Asta to Hvitserk and you slap Daario in the mouth. Ivar immediately tenses every muscle in his body.

"How dare you defy me!"

Daario "I did no such thing."

"You left my kingdom, when I told you not to! You are in charge because you are capable, Helga is in no way capable of keeping my people safe."

Daario "I just had to see you. I was worried about you."

"I appreciate your concern Naharis, but I sent you a letter."

Daario "I wanted to meet her.." you realize that fighting with him is no use. You can't do anything about his actions now. All you can do is pray to the gods that nothing bad happens.

"Fine, come with me." You walk towards Ivar and Hvitserk, who are sitting next to each other. "Her name is Asta."

Daario "Wow..she is beautiful."

"Thank you."

Daario "May I hold her?"

Ivar "I don't think so."

Daario "Why not?"

Ivar "Because I said no, so the answer is no. You came here..into my kingdom, unannounced, at night, and thinking that you can hold my daughter?" Daario takes a step back, "I don't think that you are in the position to do so."

Daario "I shouldn't have come here."

Ivar "No, you shouldn't have. But nonetheless, you are here..hmm?" He nods, "And you came all this way to..what exactly?"

Daario "Check on Y/n, make sure that she was safe, and okay after having Asta."

Ivar "You came here to make sure that she was safe..in her own home? Did I hear that correctly, Hvitserk?"

Hvitserk "You did, my brother."

Ivar "mm."

Daario "She is my queen and I was worried about her. She did not look very well when she left, and she wrote in her letter that there were complications during Asta's..arrival and I came here to make sure that she was indeed alright."

"I understand your worry, but I wrote to you that I was okay. You did not have to come."

Daario "No one has to do anything Y/n. It's what feels right in their hearts is what they end up doin-"

Ubbe "You have got to be joking, aye?" He said coming inside from checking on the village. "What are you doing here?!"

Daario "I came to check on her."

Ubbe "Y/n or Asta?"

Daario "Both, I suppose."

Ubbe "Y/n wrote to you, no?" He said, taking a bite of food.

Daario "Yes but I wanted to meet her daughter."

Ivar "Why did you want to meet her so badly, huh?" He said, getting up from his seat and walking towards him. "It couldn't wait until she got back to Wessex?"

Daario "I acted too quickly. I should go."

"You can stay the night here, but must leave by morning. Wessex is unsafe while you are here. I cannot allow you to stay longer than the night."

Daario "I accept that. And I appreciate that. I am sorry for coming."

"I am not mad at you, I am upset about the fact that at any given moment, I can lose my kingdom and my people. I fought too long and too hard to lose it now."

Ivar "You won't, my sweet."

"Well, if I do, you will lose your life..are we clear?"

Daario "Yes, my queen."

"Good, my maiden will find you a room." He thanks you and walks off. You sit down on Ivar's lap and sighed, "Well, we were having a peaceful day."

Ivar "We still are-"

"No we are not."

Ivar "Think of it this way, if anything were to happen, we can use his body as a sacrifice to the gods huh?!" He says in a high pitched voice to add drama, making you laugh.

"But I would lose it all, and my people."

Ivar "I think that you are forgetting that these are your people, my love. Everything I have is yours."

"I love you."

Ivar "I love you most."

@hvitserkmarcosource @youbloodymadgenius @ivarsgoddess @heavenly1927 @saldelys @krissydclayton93 @conaionaru

#the battle between love and fire #alex hogh andersen #vikings #hvitserk #ivar the boneless #marco ilsø #ubbe lothbrok #hvitserk lothbrok #ivar lothbrok #torvi vikings

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awesomefairytailfan · 3 years

Text

Fanfiction

So I Going to be starting a Dynasty Warriors fan fiction series here and on fanfiction.net that does not mean I'm going to stop uploading funny picture text images and this is the first chapter no real conversation hasn't even been proof weed by who's going to start it just me talking to my tablet with my speech to text thingy and the protagonist who I haven't made a name for it yet from Canada before the pandemic contemplating on his situation in ancient China.

In less then a week I should be able to have someone check over this and we're going to go through the first chapter. Maybe I should call this first chapter an opening.

Chapter one am I just in a dream?

The last few weeks I just keep asking myself the same question over and over is this all a dream is this just one big dream now? Being in ancient China don't let me know when on the calendar I supposed to use don't even know if this world has an equivalent of it no it's not my world I'm not some sort of super badass in my own world but in this world I am strong I take damaged easily when I woke up in this world or made me fell asleep in my own I found myself walking for I don't know I have no watch on me but I found a number of people being attacked by wolves was completely convinced at that point I was in a dream so I figured let's go wake myself up by grabbing a big stick in it packing them but then something funny happened I found myself running faster than I ever had outside of video games I attacked the walls and I actually sent them major damage one of them jumped me from behind I barely even noticed it then I'm headed to the ground and killed it the people said to me you must be a music Warrior what what Lord do you serve have you gone to fight someone named on Don Zillow do you know who that was I'll talk about what I know about him in a bit I noticed a a small irritation in my back I asked them to look at it and they said I got a small Scar from where the wolf attempted to bite me to death I said Tiny bite me to death I need a doctor my day say no it's only a minor scrape especially to a Musa Warrior I asked him to speak English but they responded what's English? I said it was the language we was speak they said no we speak Mandarin I decided yep I'm definitely in the dream at that point sorry running myself into a tree it hurt a bit but I actually broke the tree in half some people showed up who I did not say from the walls and they'll ask me what was going on and they was saying the Musa Warrior saved us stick just flying off the ground and then done to me I have noticed a big annoyance I was hungry luckily they wanted to have a feast for me shall we walk back to the village and order for us to get some food and number of them dead some things I'd rather not talk about with the Wolves sad don't let stuff like this go to waste I asked him where we are I think they were pretty Pacific and I'm like okay no idea what that means I asked them what country we are in they said China I started finger to myself find it this really wasn't the dream if I'm somehow stuck in China and I don't know what time they asked me a bunch of questions where I'm from Canada over a great ocean and I also said my ancestors are technically from the same land mass as here but I think that continent is actually farther than where my home line is from China don't let me know for sure I'm not an expert in distance of countries and all that have I got that today prepared a small feast they did tell me it was a small village and I had to agree smaller than my hometown and no technology anywhere I was thinking if this is my life now I am going to be I'm going to be so bored but I got offered a lot of free food took some adjustment for me to actually eat things was never no I'm already ten but never was normal to begin with I've always had Asperger's I'm supposed to take medication not going to be able to in ancient China I guess nobody knew about the calendar I kept calling the Christian calendar I think that's what they mean by the years we use never did find out if it was after or before Jesus Christ and then I found the weirdest ability of all I'm super strong now a bunch of heavy wooden blocks was about to smash a kid I pushed the young child out the way thinking suicide maybe I'll wake up but those heavy things did not even hurt me they say see you must be a Musa Warrior can you protect our small village from the evil Don Zillow I told them it's probably the best kind of job I can do for now I'm and told them I never really add something you could call an actual job told them I was on disability a lot of what I say they constantly laughing did not believe they saw me at 2 Mighty and magnificent to be considered disabled in my own world

and they did not believe that I wasn't actually Chinese I was clearly not from this world but I'm constantly moved on I managed to do a number of odd jobs around the town with superhuman strength and with all my time watch and consuming recreational entertainment I managed to entertain them when they had down time which allowed them had more because I could make jobs a lot quicker and easier the kids found me hilarious adult sometime Tom me not to talk about certain things on topics the way I did say good yeah don't want to upset them too much this lasted for about a month I think and tell the town faced its biggest danger of all I was actually the first one to notice that because I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I noticed the fire off in the distance and decided to wake the town mayor of not knowing how dangerous it was noticeably closer the mayor said evacuate everyone we can he started shouting knowing immediately Dan got it was super dangerous I'm like danger fire luckily with my always completely loud voice and my ability to one very fast it was less than like 4 minutes before everyone what's going out of bed quickly the mayor told me top send some trees flying out an amount I think I managed to save the town Catching Fire for like 15 minutes then luckily. Got every one to evacuate and get them money and thinks it could carry but eventually the whole town went up in Flames nobody died everyone had close to travel in but the town was found dead I might have just went into fire except at this point there was so much time passing I believe mostly I wasn't dreaming anymore and that just would have killed me mosa Dean man in the village was talking with the mayor of the town a bunch of the kids were asking can't you make everything better can't you make all the fire damage go away I had to say I don't I can't do anything like that and I don't even know what we were going to do next his not my decision I don't know the knowledge to make that decision and the News came from the mare he decided we're going to one of the Cities some of the people protested we were just beep on ourselves in the danger of the Warlords and on Zillow fighting but the mayor said only a city trying to accommodate so many people at once our hometown is destroyed we do not have the resources to build another before the winter and then we started going towards the city I figured if I can get everybody to the city NeNe I could earn some extra money and you some future knowledge to benefit Chinese Society in general not like I can make them ocracy happen but maybe I couldn't please how much stuff they're about to plant or how quickly they can do harvesting I know a bit about that stuff we travelled as fast as we can and I often had to find myself killing animals with whatever I could it wasn't really that dangerous I beat the crap out of them they could barely do anything to me we had to sweep in pants and a like but I usually got a good night sleep despite being on main source of Defense because while they decided the high people on Sentry Duty and to have somebody wife buy me to wake me up they had to wake me up a few times like that but no one got killed and one day I bet after we started going for that day we were on a big we went up a big hill and then we saw the city I was thinking nice city maybe get to look around but Polly should spend at least a few days after we get there with the townspeople who take good care of me some of them said I'm might be needed to get a job or Join one of the military armies when I asked about it I wasn't thinking I'd probably do that I like saving people but never really been much for military outside of playing video games it was going to be a few hours on our way down that's when the biggest action happened that I wanted to wake up phlegm when I kill somebody.

#fanfiction writer #fanfiction #Dynasty Warriors #OC protagonist #3 kingdoms

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i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle · 3 years

Text

Chapter 10: Dragon Love

Spike’s first stop when he went out of the castle was to the post office, where he goes to meet up with a new friend, Gabby the griffon. Perhaps one of the few overexcitable griffons ever. Their friendship managed to make Rarity a bit jealous of Gabby, but in the end they learned to share their time with Spike.

Spike: Hi Gabby!

Gabby: Oh hi Spike! How’s my favorite little scarred, but still adorable dragon doing?

Spike: Pretty good! I actually came over if you were interested in going with me, my mother, and all our friends friends to Saddle Arabia to see a Royal Ball. There will be plenty of entertainment, food, and friends both new and old to mingle with.

Gabby: Sure thing, Spike! Sounds like a good time!

The steps of hooves are heard from behind the desk. It’s the town mailmare, Derpy Hooves.

Derpy: Both of you going to the ball, too? Awesome!

Spike: Oh hey Derpy! Did you want an invite too?

Derpy: Oh, I actually happened to come across Rainbow Dash before I went into work today! So I’ve already been invited. But I still appreciate it, Spike!

Spike: Very nice! It’ll be great seeing both of you there! I need to head off to find a few more friends I want to invite, but I’ll catch both of you later!

Gabby: Alright, Spike! Seeya!

Spike leaves the post office while waving back to Gabby and Derpy.

Spike: Alright next stop, Thorax’s changeling hive…

Spike gets out his own pack of portal gum to travel to see his friend Thorax. Once just a normal changeling that was discovered in the Crystal Empire by Spike who defected from Chrysalis’ rule and would later help Starlight, Trixie, and Discord defeat Chrysalis. And then showed many others in the Changeling army another way for them to live instead of dependent on invasions to feed on love. The Changelings quickly became a sovereign kingdom of their own.

Spike walks near the hive, Changeling guards recognize him and acknowledge him as a friend of Thorax’s and allow Spik to pass to see him. Eventually he reaches Thorax’s throne.

Spike: Hey there, Thorax!

Thorax: Hello Spike! It’s been a while since we talked just the two of us, what brings you to the hive?

Spike: I just came over to invite you and any of the other changelings here craving some real love, cause in Saddle Arabia there will be a Royal Ball that precedes a Wedding for two of me and Twilight’s friends who live there! Both events are sure to have plenty of love to go around whether it’s friends with friends, family with family, and relationships old and new coming together! And that’s before the actual wedding!

Thorax’s mouth just starts drooling

Thorax: Oh wow… two events full of scrumptious love we can get our fill just by sitting around all the love that will be in the air?! You bet that I’ll go! Is it ok if I bring along some of our hungrier citizens that could use a boost?

Spike: Of course! I definitely wouldn’t want to deprive any of your subjects, if they really want a piece of the love that is sure to be everywhere!

Spike and Thorax go around the hive inviting any changelings that want to come to, as obviously this event is going to have enough love to perhaps fill these changelings for maybe a week or even more. If they decline, they likely know they’ll have their fill for one reason or another anytime close to the time the ball might start, Thorax’s brother Pharyanx among them. Otherwise, they could usually tell who wants to go for if they drooled or flicked their tongues just imagining all the love they could get.

Ocellus: Oh my gosh, I absolutely must go! I have been quite starving as of late…

Spike: Don’t forget Ocellus, your friends from School should be there as well. In fact, I plan to get Smoulder too, when I head on over to the Dragonlands. I think my pony friends will get the rest.

Ocellus: Oh yes, absolutely will be nice to see my friends there too! So much love and friendship to go around! I can’t wait!

In a few short moments, they’ve gone though the whole hive and determined who wanted to go and who didn’t.

Thorax: Thank you for telling us about this, Spike! You will help a lot of our citizens, plus we should have a great time aside from our love feast we’re sure to get!

Spike: No problem, Thorax! It’ll be great to see you there. For now though, I’m heading off to the Dragonlands for my final stop, before settling down for whenever my mom says it’s time.

Thorax: Ok Spike, tell Ember and Smoulder I said hi!

Spike: I will! Bye!

((Story continues after the break))

Spike waves off to Thorax before creating another gum portal, this time to the Dragonlands. He’s still become too accustomed to Equestria, but the Dragonlands is still his species’ home. So Spike always gets to have a dose of his heritage every time he comes over. Spike doesn’t plan on leaving Equestria, even when he’s a super huge adult (And he and Twilight have already discussed how that will go, probably will take a little bit of Genie magic to make it work but that is a very, very, very long time from now, so it’s not exactly a subject that comes up often between the two). But as perhaps the first dragon to grow up in Equestria he’s very much an ambassador to Dragons who may themselves want to move into Equestria, though mainly the smaller ones since if too many big ones come in, there will be problems like when a red dragon sleeping made smoke that was polluting Ponyville, and it took him learning what Fluttershy’s stare could do in order to get him to leave. Not to mention the large size of the big dragons tend to cause a panic in fear-stricken populaces.

Spike flies around the skies of the Dragonlands until he finally catches a glimpse of Smoulder. Which then he swoops down to catch up to.

Spike: Hey Smoulder!

Smoulder: Heeeeeeyyyyyy! Sup’ Spike! Come here to toughen yourself a bit, in the Dragonlands?

Smoulder gives Spike an affectionate punch in the shoulder

Spike: Ouch!

Smoulder: Oops, sorry

Spike: It’s alright, I know that’s your way of saying hi, sometimes. But anyway, I came to invite you somewhere. Your other friends in school will be there as well, I just got done with a visit to the Changeling hive and Ocellus will be going. My pony friends will probably be getting the rest.

Smoulder: Where are all of you going?

Spike: Saddle Arabia, a Royal Ball is being held as well a wedding between two friends of me and my Mom’s who live there.

Smoulder: Hahahaha, no wonder Ocellus is going. She’s going to get the biggest love feast she’s had in a little while!

Spike: Yeah, probably ha. But do you think YOU will go.

Smoulder: Eh, kinda sounds a little too lovey-dovey. But maybe I should go for a chance to hang out with my school friends at least.

Spike: There should be plenty of food as well as entertainment as well. So even if you’re not exactly into any of the love stuff happening, it’s still mainly just a party.

Smoulder: True, I could probably enjoy just going anticipating a big party... So sure, I’ll go!

Spike: Great! Now I only need one more invitee, and I think I’ll see if Ember’s able to go. You have any idea where she is?

Smoulder: I think Lord Ember is meeting with her father, former Lord Torch in their volcano home.

Spike: Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen their volcano home. Can you take me there?

Smoulder: Sure! Just follow me!

Smoulder jumps up in the air to start flying, Spike following as well through the air., until they finally get to a humongous volcano that definitely looks like Torch, and probably Ember too once she’s as big as her father many thousands of years from now could fit in. Spike and Smoulder approaching a cave near the bottom of the volcano.

Spike: Is this an active volcano?

Smoulder: You bet it is! But when it erupts, that only means it’s shower time for ol’ Torch

Spike: This place definitely isn’t a place anyone other then Dragons want to approach then, that’s for certain.

Smoulder: I guess if any ponies wanted to try visiting they’d probably need some sort of heat shield spell or wish from your genie mother. Otherwise yeah, this is a pretty dragons-only spot. But only for the safety of non-dragons, we swear.

Spike and Smoulder head into the cave, the cave is actually pretty hot. It’d probably be unbearable for any ponies without some sort of magic heat suppressor around them to just walk in this place, even besides the fact it’s a volcano that could spew out deadly lava and suffocating ash at any moment. But for dragons like Torch, it’s an atmosphere they revel in. Dragons after all treat lava simply like a hot sauna, and the smoke just brings the lovely smell (At least, in a typical dragon’s opinion) of ash and sulfur.

Eventually they get to the center of the volcano where they can see the towering Torch and his daughter Ember. The current and the former Dragon Lords.

Spike: Hey… er… Ember and Torch!

The two look over to see they have visitors in the small dragon that was born and still chooses to live in Equestria, and another who happens to be the representative in the Friendship school.

Ember: Ahhhh! Hello both of you! Spike, this is the first time I’ve seen you go as far to see us at our home! You’ve sure came a long way from Equestria. What’s the occasion?

Spike: I simply went on over to ask if you and Smoulder would like to attend a Royal Ball and wedding between two of my mom and me’s friends. Smoulder already agreed but thought while I’m here I thought I’d extend an invitation. Oh, and Thorax says hi to both you and Smoulder.

Ember: Haha, of course Thorax says hi. If you invited him he was probably drooling for all that love that will be at that event you’re going to. But perhaps for the sake of peaceful diplomacy, I should go. If a Princess like Twilight is going, along with Thorax, I have a feeling others like the Yaks aren’t too far behind.

Spike: I’d ask your father too but er… his size would probably be a problem unless he agrees to being magically shrunk.

Torch: BA HA HA HA HA, it’s ok little Spike. I don’t think I was going to go, anyway. After all, I’m retired now. But I hope you, Lord Ember, and Smoulder have a good time in Saddle Arabia. Show the ponies how dragons can really light up a party!

Spike: Uh, I hope you aren’t telling us to light the palace on fire.

Torch: Nah, I promise it was just the expression.

Spike: *phew* I guess while I’m here, anything going on lately here? Equestria will always be my home, but as a dragon I guess I should still keep up with anything going on here. You’re the current and former Dragon Lord’s. I imagine you two talk about this nation a lot.

Ember: Heh, maybe a little. But this is our home, usually we just jokingly rib at each other between just us as father and daughter. We sometimes talk about our politics, but things are usually stable when you have one leader promised in power for tens of thousands of years and a general populace that generally remains for themselves with their own stash of treasures.

Torch: Yeah, in fact after I’ve retired I’ve simply been just reflecting about my long reign and the many, many, many, many mates I’ve had over my era.

Spike: Wait… did you say many mates?

Ember: Oh shoot, that’s right. Spike grew up in Equestria, he doesn’t exactly know how… “relationships” for lack of a better word work in the Dragonlands

Spike: What are you talking about?

Torch: In the Dragonlands, there is no such thing as marriage. Only several mates over our long, long lives.

Spike goes wide-eyed

Spike: SAY WHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

Ember: Yeaaaaaah… I imagine that must be surprising to anyone who’s mainly experienced life in Equestria. But if you just think about it, most Ponies’ average lifespan is just over 100 years and their regular definition of love is. once they find somepony they love they’ll spend time with them for the rest of their life, barring something happening resulting in divorce, or an unfortunate early death of half of the couple. However, dragons live so long that even if there was a mate a dragon really loved. It might of been perceivably boring at least in our views, to had been with only one.

Thus, it’s actually pretty normal for both male and female dragons to just move on to a different mate at some point. Sometimes, more then one at one point of time! That’s not even seen as wrong here whether you kept it a secret from your mate(/s) or not. And if for any reason a dragon misses a past mate, absolutely nothing wrong with going to see them again to become mates again, if both consent of course.

Spike just stands there trying to process this information that dragons have a very vastly different outlook on love from the one he was raised to know by ponies.

Ember: We’re just starting to at least have some aspects of Friendship. Is it any surprise that love is a lot different too? We can still love and can get infatuated, such as your crush on that white unicorn. But we never settle down with just one mate throughout our lives. Though forgive me for being grim, but you might actually be kind of thankful that this is normal for dragons. Because even if you get into a relationship with the white unicorn at some point she… won’t exactly be around very long in relative to your long lifetime…

Spike breaking out a bit of his trance of being told how Dragon love works, to look to the side solemnly.

Spike: Yeah, I’m well aware of that… I don’t exactly like talking about it however…

Ember: Well uh… it’s still a little while until then. I don’t mean to get you down, but we’re just teaching you a few things about us that most ponies don’t put in any books about us, since until they actually bring brave enough researchers. Any information they have about us are pretty incomplete or even inaccurate information. It’s possible that pony researchers thought we had lifelong mates if they had noticed a couple once or twice but never actually asked if the couple had ever been married or anything.

I think at the very least Celestia knew enough about us, but since she sort of kept her policy towards the Dragonlands as leaving us alone. Informing Equestria about how we live never came up as a priority.

But thanks to your pony mother who’ll soon be ruling solo in Canterlot, we’re entering a new era of prosperity between Dragons and Ponies and other species. I’m pretty sure soon we’ll have some updated books about us in the coming years that will make this common knowledge there. You were raised by ponies, but you’re still a dragon. So thought it’d be useful information for you to know

Spike: I gotcha, but still. Can’t help but feel wowed, and almost a little scary of how many I might end up meeting over my life when I’m old enough to start mating.

Ember: Hehehe, you’ll still have that scar of yours, eye scars happen to be a very attractive trait in older dragons cause it’s perceived strength. You’re sure to have a lot of female dragons after you in your older years. Maybe even me and Smoulder at some point

Ember jokingly winks, Smoulder being the rebelllious teenage dragon just gives a “blegh”.

Spike: …Aren’t you and Smoulder both a decent bit of years apart from me?

Ember: I’m mostly joking, but in actuality once both dragons in a couple are about hundreds of years old it’s not considered wrong to go with any dragons whether they’re 100 years older or younger. Again, just think of the difference between Pony and Dragon concepts of time passed. Yes, it’d be wrong right now, but that’s mainly because relative to dragon aging you’re still just about a hatchling. But say in about maybe a decade or two when you’ve grown to early teenage size you may just be young enough to still be ok for Smoulder to be with, if she so wished.

Smoulder: You better not be shipping me with him, or else I don’t care if you’re Dragon Lord. I’ll kick you in the shins!

Ember just laughs.

Spike: I guess I understand, but boy this feels like a lot of odd conversations will come across from all this…

Ember: From a pony perspective, yeah. Dragon’s approach to love is really weird, but some day it’ll be normal to you at some point, I assure you.

Torch suddenly looks a little away from the conversation and thinking a little solemnly. Ember noticing that’s kind of odd for him to do so.

Ember: Huh? Father? What’s up?

Torch: Nothing too big, Ember. Just reflecting on the conversation you just had with Spike and on my own history. Even though yes, I’ve had many, many, many, many mates over my long life. I… admit there may have been one dragon that I was with for only a few years, that if the pony concept of Marriage for a lifetime did exist in the dragonlands. I would of certainly tried to propose at the very least… though I doubt she would of ever accepted it…

Ember: Who was this, Father?

Torch: Her name was Jennesis, though I liked to affectionately call her Jenny. She was a beautiful pink dragon with green back spines. And she was absolutely the most beautiful and kind dragon I ever had the pleasure to live with.

Spike: Is she still around?

Torch: I don’t know, this was a few thousand years ago. And also unfortunately, she probably wouldn’t say the same about me. As I admit unfortunately, I wasn’t exactly as good a mate to her as she was to me. Which is why we were only together for a few years.

Ember: Which in relative lifeline comparison between dragon and ponies, is like a pony relationship ending in at most less then a week...

Spike: Oof

Torch: Yeah… I admit it’s one of the few regrets I otherwise have, of what I otherwise feel was a glorious reign as Dragon Lord. I had many mates before and after Jenny, but none have ever quite matched up to her.

Ember: Dang, not even my mother?

Torch: Your mother was a lovely mate as well Ember. But Jenny was just on a whole ‘nother level.

Spike: Well, this has certainly been an interesting conversation. But if it’s ok, I’m going to start heading back to Equestria. I have everyone I wanted to invite now. But I suppose thanks for teaching me a few more things about being a dragon. I’m sure it’ll be useful information to know in the far future.

Ember: You’re welcome Spike! I’ll see you in Saddle Arabia!

Spike: Bye Ember! Bye Smoulder! Bye Torch!

Spike waves off to all three before using another gum portal to get back to Equestria, where he walks back to Twilight’s castle. All that information Ember and Torch gave him still kind of bouncing in his head as some of it was still a lot to take in. But nonetheless he gets set to just relax until Twilight likely gets back from finishing her own list of invitees.

UP NEXT: Chapter 11 - Celestia’s Secrets, Part 1

#Secrets Of The Dragon's Tear #Spike #Gabby #Derpy Hooves #Thorax #Ocellus #Smoulder #Ember #Lord Ember #Lord Torch #Torch

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stealinghero · 4 years

Note

Huzzah for Sengoku Basara! After reading those headcanons, I demand fluff with Yukimura please! ^.^ maybe he is getting advice on how to confess his feelings from someone like Sasuke or even Masamune?

Of course it had to be Masamune. It’s not pure fluff but with a Happy End (on at least one side)

A branch broke under his foot, the sound echoing through the huge forest and making it sound as if all of the trees were laughing at him.

And Yukimura couldn’t even be mad at them for laughing about such an idiot as he was.

It had begun so beautiful! The sun was shining, the day was about to start great and he was on the market, looking for some fresh vegetables for a snack… until this…. This…

He sighed and sat on a fallen tree, looking at his hands and thinking about this young woman that had stolen his heart. How should he approach her? Should he approach her at all? Should he blankly tell her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her?! Or was it too much after having seen her just this one time?

“Are you lost?”

He stood up, ready to battle, when he recognized the unruly hair and its master.

“Lord Date!”

“Shut up!” The other placed his hand on Yukimura’s mouth and looked around frantically.

“Are you running away from responsibility again?” Sanada asked mumbled through the hand.

The Lord snorted.

“I am NEVER running away, got that?!”

Yukimura laughed and nodded, breathing in after the other took his hand away.

“Kojuro never understands a joke,” the one-eyed dragon complained and settled on the same tree as Yukimura had sat on just a minute ago.

“Poor Katakura has enough on his plate without your practical jokes. What did you do this time?” Without a seat left, he sat down on the ground, facing Masamune.

“Hah! He needed to cool his head a bit. I just helped!!”

Yukimura stifled a laugh, imagining the poor man having water poured on him.

“See? It’s funny!”

“I guess.”

“And you? Who did you piss off?”

“No one!”

Masamune laughed and patted Yukimura’s head.

“Sure thing. But you look distressed. Better get back in shape so I can beat your ass!”

“I want to marry a woman!”

Silence followed this bold statement. Moments passed and Yukimura began to wonder if he had defeated the always on-guard Masamune.

“Is it that bad?” he finally asked.

Date shook his head and cocked a dirty grin.

“So, will we be settling it before or after the wedding?”

This time Yukimura was silent, wondering if he ever would have the courage to talk to that woman.

“Aaaah, that’s a bad vibe there, Sanada! What’s with it? She already got another man?”

“I never talked to her!” he could feel the heat rushing through his face, leaving him blushing in front of his biggest rival.

Who stared at him.

“You-…. What?!”

Yukimura shook his head in defeat. Of course he had to reveal his misery to Date!

“But how can you marry her??”

“I don’t! I can’t!! I… I saw her this morning on the market and she smiled and I would give up any fight for this smile! My heart belongs to this woman and her beautiful smile and she…” Again a hand was placed on his mouth to stop his rambling.

“Got it. But do you at least know her name?”

Again a shake of the head, making Masamune sigh.

“You saw a woman. And you know nothing but you want to marry her. How about you talk to her first??”

“But how?!”

“How? Go to her and say hi?”

“I could never!”

“Why?”

“Because she is too pretty! You can’t just go to a goddess and say hi!”

“Why not?”

A small thought found a place in Yukimura’s mind.

“Did you ever talk to a woman you like?”

Masamune bristled by this direct question.

“Sure!”

Yukimura grinned, knowing it was a lie.

“And did you just say hi?”

“Yes!”

“And then she told her that she loved you and you married her and everything is alright?”

The Lord grumbled and crossed his arms.

“Fine, you win. But I have other things to do than to concern myself with women!”

“Men?”

“Want to die?”

Sanada raised his hands defensively and laughed while shaking his head.

“So, how about a gift then?” Date finally said.

“A gift?”

“For your lady! Give her something.”

“What should I give her?”

“Something pretty??”

“But nothing is pretty enough for her!”

“Listen up! Just get something and give it to her. Women love gifts!”

“But how will she know who I am?”

“Are you stupid?! I think everyone in Kai knows you. And now get going before…”

A splash of icy cold water was dumped on the Lord of Oshu, leaving him a shrieking and shivering mess while Katakura stepped forward, grinning like a madman.

“You need to ‘cool down’, Lord Masamune!” he told his protégé, imitating his speech pattern.

Laughing, his lord nodded and wiped the water out of his face, only to point at Yukimura.

“He’s got a problem.”

Kojuro nodded.

“It’s easy to hear you two throughout the whole forest and I think she knows by now. Lord Masamune, let us go back. Your men are already waiting.”

Behind his back, something moved and both younger men were ready to strike when a young woman appeared, wildly blushing, holding a basket of mushrooms and flowers.

Yukimura gasped, leaving Masamune grinning and patting his shoulder.

“That’s a cute one! You have my leave to marry that one!”

The Takeda man nodded furiously and blushed as he heard the woman laugh.

“I met her on the way looking for the source of this noise,” Kojuro explained, gently shoving Masamune in the other direction to give the other two some privacy. On his way he shoved something in Yukimura’s hand, winking.

“So you really are the great general that’s protecting us?” the woman asked, looking and talking to her basket.

Yukimura watched the hairpin in his hand and tried to remember that he had to thank Katakura someday.

“For you!” He held it out to her with closed eyes, not daring to look at her.

“What a beautiful hairpin! General, you are the most chivalrous man I ever met!”

“You’re really beautiful.”

She shied away from his words, hiding her red face behind her hands, smiling from behind them.

“AH! What is your name??” he asked, remembering that he didn’t even knew that.

“Yuki.”

He laughed at her name and finally something snapped and released him from his anxiousness.

“What a beautiful name for someone as beautiful as you!” he told her as he held out his hand to her as an offer to carry the basket for her.

With a shy smile she obliged and gave it to him.

“I am sorry but I overheard your words,” she admitted in a small voice, blushing heavily again. But Yukimura grinned at her.

“Then you know how I feel already! I am relieved!”

“I would like to meet you more often before marriage, though.”

He laughed and almost ran into the next tree, embarrassed about his boldness.

“I think that would be a great idea.”

“Oi, Kojuro.”

“Hm?”

“Do you always carry around gifts for women?”

“It’s my sister’s birthday today.”

The young Lord paled as he had forgotten about it and suddenly remembered why his most loyal servant had been so stressed.

“A feast, hm?” he asked cautiously.

“Before I and all the plans were soaked. Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Apologize to her and not to me.”

“I can’t!”

“Why? Can’t you talk to women now?”

“You know why!! She will kill me!”

“Why don’t you just try and give her a gift? A wise man once said ‘Women love gifts’.”

Kojuro laughed and spurred on his horse to leave Masamune behind him to think about his careless words.

#sengoku basara #sanada yukimura #date masamune

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brbaabs · 5 years

Text

The Dornish Bird - Chapter 5

Hello, dear readers! I’m finally back with this update, I’m sorry a took so long.

As I said in our last update, the story is getting darker with each passing chapter. As you already know, lady reader is going to King’s Landing, and we all know how angsty the journey will be, especially for the Stark girls. That being said, this will be the last part of the “calm before storm” mood we’ve been seeing so far. Prepare yourselves to say goodbye to the Stark Household for a loooong time.

So, you guys shared your thoughts and I made my decision: The Smut is coming! I’ll let my imagination go wild (in a good way, of course) very soon, so you’ll have a taste of our reader’s intimate life. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do, hahaha!

Today’s song is chill, but the lyrics are deep. Here you go!

Word count: 2.105

After her last dinner with the Stark family, (Y/n) felt numb.

She was happy to be with them, to dine with her friends and Lords one last time before her whole life changed for good. That last feast was a parting gift from her Lady, a token to be cherished in darker times. It was a memory (Y/n) would hold close from her heart and treasure for the rest of her life. She was thankful.

And yet, her heart yearned for one last thing before her departure.

She needed to see Jon.

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

Her knuckles hit the wooden door three times. It was their signal. Every time the girl had a problem, she would knock on Jon’s door in the middle of the night. That way, no one would see them together, and rumors would not be falsely spread around the Stark’s home. (Y/n) needed her friend, not a dirty gossip to worry about.

However, it took longer to that friend to open the door for her this time. She cursed lightly, looking around nervously. She could not be caught at Jon’s chambers at night, now more than ever.

When the lad finally opened his door, (Y/n) rushed inside and closed the door behind her. Jon was quite used to that behavior after two years of friendship, but her actions bothered him this time. His head was pounding like a heart, and all he wanted was to lay down on his bed and sleep for a hundred years.

"I need to talk to you." The girl said. "It could not wait until tomorrow, I would perish if I had to wait that long."

Jon remained silent, watching the girl move around his chambers like she owned the place. (Y/n) took off her hood and sit on Jon's bed, breathing deeply to calm herself down. She looked about to explode, the boy knew that side of her too well. 'If I just listen, perhaps she'll be out soon.' He thought.

"I will go to King's Landing to be Sansa's handmaiden." She said. "When I come back... I think I'll marry your brother."

Jon nodded. He had heard the news from Theon earlier. Apparently, the Greyjoy wasn't too pleased with (Y/n)'s new status. Jon took the news like a punch in his guts.

"It's such a great honor, my father wouldn't believe it." The girl spoke again. "My mother always told me I would meet a good man, fall in love and live with him in a small cabin somewhere around Westeros. I never dreamed of becoming a lady. I admired House Stark for so long, and now I'm Robb's bride."

She took a deep breath and bit her lower lip. Her sigh was glued on the ground, but her mind was far away. Many thoughts crossed her mind, bringing old and new fears to the light as she wondered. Her delicate hand pressed her chest gently. Her teeth sank deep in her soft lip.

"It's such an honor." She mumbled. "Such an honor, and yet..."

She sighed, closing her eyes.

"I don't know if I can do it, Jon."

The lad's heart trembled. He stared at (Y/n)'s figure, carefully studying her form. Her shoulders were tense. She breathed slowly, moving her chest slightly. Her legs were shaking discreetly, but Jon could see it's movements. Her (E/c) eyes were shut tightly, and she was subtly retracting her form like a scared dog.

She was terrified.

"I should not be such a baby." She mumbled. "I should not hide like a coward, or complain like a spoiled brat. I'm so fortunate to be allowed to walk among these noble people, to sit at their table and speak to them as I was equally noble. The Gods blessed me with the biggest honor I could ever win. I shouldn't be scared."

She gulped hard.

"But I know I'm not worthy." (Y/n) spoke softly. "I can not do this, I should not do this."

Jon's heart ached with her words.

(Y/n) was the most fabulous girl in Winterfell in his eyes. He could not think of a single flaw in her. From her appearance to her character, she was extraordinary. Now his core ached with her hard words about herself. If he could just reveal what he truly felt about her... Everything would be different.

But, inside his weary heart, he knew it was impossible.

He could not love (Y/n).

She would never be his.

The young man sighed heavily. He closed his eyes for a second, thinking about his future. He did not tell her about his decision to go to The Wall. It would be easier to keep that from her and go without saying goodbye. She would return to Winterfell to marry Robb at some point, but Jon would not be there. They would never see each other again. She would be furious and hurt, but there would be nothing she could do. Her husband would be another man. It would be a sharp cut, but her heart would heal on Robb's hold.

But Jon couldn't do it. He couldn't reap her out of his heart like that. He needed to see her reaction. He needed to know what she felt about him. It wouldn't change anything, but it would make him feel slightly better.

"I need to tell you something." He muttered.

His voice sounded harsh, but (Y/n) heard his words. Immediately, she dried her eyes before any tear could fall, and smiled warmly to her friend.

"So you're finally going to tell me what's happening?" She asked.

Even with her playful speech, Jon could tell she was distressed. Hurting her as the last thing he wanted, but he was out of choice. Ending their relationship now would be easier.

"I'm going to The Wall with uncle Benjen." He stated. "I'll join the Night’s Watch."

The air left (Y/n)'s lungs.

She gasped, shocked. Her (E/c) eyes looked at Jon's face, searching for his brown ones. He avoided her gaze and turned around to face the wall.

"What?" She whined. "You can't be serious, this is madness, Jon! Why would you leave your family?"

He gulped hard but didn't turn around. He knew it would be impossible to hide his true feeling from her if he looked into her eyes.

"I know it." He said. "It was my decision."

Now staring at his back, (Y/n) felt her shock turning into rage. Jon could not do this, he could not abandon his siblings and his father simply as that. She knew he had always thought about visiting The Wall with Bran in the future, but it should be just a distant dream. Now Bran's life was at risk, and Jon wanted to leave him? That wasn't like him.

"Why?" She asked. "When did you made that decision?"

Jon sensed her body getting closer to him. He took a step forward to get away from her because he could not let her see his sad face, but (Y/n) took it as an act of refusal. In her troubled mind, Jon wanted to stay away from her.

"Jon, listen to me." She tried. "This isn't like you at all! Why are you avoiding me? Why are you leaving your home? Is this what you want? To never come back?"

"Don't do that." He mumbled.

Jon stepped away from her again, going to the other side of the room this time. He inhaled deeply, biting his lower lip for a second. What could he say to make her leave? He could not see suffer because of him any longer. The sooner he left, the better. She would be free from him.

"I know what it will cost me. I know exactly what I'll have to do." He said. "This was never my home, (Y/n). I don't belong here. They are not my family, they are my lords and ladies. And soon you'll be my lady too. You know I cannot stay here. The Wall is where I should be."

He sighed, shutting his eyes.

"I cannot be any woman's husband or any child's father." He said. "It is for the best, at least my life won't be a nuisance anymore. I can be useful to the Watch, but I have no meaning here."

His words crushed the girl's heart.

"This is not true, Jon! Are you saying this because of Lady Catelyn?" She mumbled. "Of course you have meaning, you're not a nuisance. How can you say these things about yourself? By The Seven, you're so important. Lady Catelyn may not like you, but your siblings do. And your father too!"

She stood up to go in his direction. Jon could hear her muffled footsteps but did nothing to avoid her approaching. He knew she was a stubborn girl. If she wanted to reach him, he was not capable of escaping her advances.

"I love my Lady with all my heart, but she is wrong about you. She has always been." Her voice reached him before her touch. She put her palm on his back in a light caress. Jon's body shivered with the contact. He could almost feel her hand's warmth through his clothes. He was familiar with the touch of her skin, but he never would be prepared to be touched by her.

"You're loved here, Jon. More than you can see." She muttered to him.

Jon's heart was beating so hard that the boy was sure (Y/n) was able to hear it. His eyes burned with tears he couldn't release. The only thing he wanted was to turn around and take that wonderful girl in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to take her face in his hands, look deep into her eyes and profess all the words he knew he should never dare to say. He could burn in hell for this, but he would never regret it.

But it would ruin (Y/n)'s life forever. He didn't deserve her.

"I really want to go, (Y/n)." He mumbled hoarsely. "Don't make it sound like a bad thing. It is what I wish, please respect my decision as I respect yours."

(Y/n) was broken by his words. She wasn't angry anymore. At that moment, all she could feel was her heart shattering inside her chest. The girl breathed deeply, feeling her eyes ache. Burning tears wet her cheeks as she silently absorbed her best friend's last words. Even with his insistence, she would never be able to understand. She knew the truth.

They would never see each other again.

Gulping hard, the girl stepped back. With the distance regained, Jon could breathe again. He could feel her gaze upon his back, burning through his flesh and bones to reach his very soul.

"I guess this is a farewell then." She said.

Jon wanted to answer, but words got lost in their way. Seeing his silence as a reply, (Y/n) nodded to herself before turning around an heading to the exit. Each movement of her body hurt like a stab in her chest, but she did not stop until her hand grabbed the door handle.

She hesitated, though. His last phrase spun in her mind, digging their way inside her brain. His wrong assumptions disturbed her more than his decision. If he believed she had anything to do with her Lady's command, he certainly didn't know her very well.

"I did not choose this." She said, her voice cold as ice. "I wish you good fortune on your future, Snow. I hope you find a real family there."

She opened the door and left. Hearing her moving away, Jon felt her last words falling upon shoulders. He let himself cry as his body collapsed in the cold ground. He could not feel his knees hurt. Nothing could possibly injure more than his heart.

(Y/n) was right as always. It hadn't been her choice or his. They could not choose their own destiny. Both of them would have to live over someone else's decision. He would be an invisible man, just another bastard supplying the Watch. And she would marry a man she didn't love, birt his children and live far from her homeland for the rest of her life. She was right, they would never meet again. In a couple of months, the Dornish girl would be only a distant memory. The future Jon wanted to build with her would be nothing more than a dream.

An unreachable fantasy.

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

That’s it for today, thanks for reading! Reblog to help me, leave a comment if you liked this chapter.

Tag List: @evilunicorns4minions, @black-widow-fangirl, @aristocracy-y, @aspiring-fangirls-world, @thedeacywaltz, @riddlersriddlet, @nialeesato, @peachyblinderss, @psychosupernatural

I hope I’m not forgetting anyone. If you wish to be tagged as well, please tell me. Thank you all!

~ See ya!

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winter-soldier-101 · 5 years

Text

Long Living Stark

I hope you all enjoy this imagine

ENJOY !!!

(Y/N) Stark is the daughter of Lord Benjen Stark her mother is Lysa Locke, (Y/N) had two brothers named Bennard and Rickon Stark.

The day it all happened

(Y/N) was walking in the Godswood alone when a man attacked her and gave her some weird liquid, Bennard went looking for (Y/N) and was surprised to find his sister asleep against a tree but then he saw blood and picked her up and took her back home.

“Who did this, find the man that did this to my daughter” Benjen said to his men

“Father we found him” Rickon says

Benjen looks at the man and asked him,”What have you done to my daughter,” the man looks at Benjen and says”I’ve given the gift of a long life,” the man says.

That was one of many memories (Y/N) had of her family but that was hundreds of years ago, Now (Y/N) stands with her family waiting for King Robert to show up.

(Y/N) had the biggest secret ever she and Lyanna were both loved and loved very much by Rhaegar Targaryen but no one knew this but (Y/N) and Ned (Y/N) gave birth to their son a few days later Lyanna gave birth to another son but Raegar would never know this he had told both women he loved them and that’s all (Y/N) has left of her dead lover but there son looks so much like his father, his name is Benjen after (Y/N)’s father.

Time Skip

(Y/N) stood right by Bran and Benjen was next to (Y/N) today was the day the King and Queen where coming to Winterfell.

Robert got off his horse and went straight to Ned and hugged him Robert made his way down the line of Stark children he stopped when he got to (Y/N) and Benjen.

“(Y/N) How have you been it’s been so long” Robert says

“Yes it has been a long time Robert” (Y/N) says

“Your son has grown” Robert says looking at Benjen

“Yes he has grown why do care about my son Robert” (Y/N) says with anger in her voice

“Mother it’s fine”Benjen says holding (Y/N)’s hand

“Ned take me to your crypt” Robert says out loud

The Feast

(Y/N) sat with Arya and Sansa but (Y/N) had to get some air as she made her way outside Jamie Lannister came up to her.

“Well if it isn’t (Y/N) Stark or would you prefer being called Martell,Targaryen,Tyrell,or Greyjoy”Jamie says to (Y/N)

“You forgot I was once a Lannister, and don’t remind me that I married a Greyjoy”(Y/N) says to him while laughing

“Tell me how is it that you have lived this long”Jamie asked (Y/N)

“This man gave me this drink after that happened I didn’t age,I was dead for three days but then I woke up I was faster and stronger and harder to kill” (Y/N) said and Jamie nodded to her and left her there.

Everyone knew the story’s about (Y/N) and how the Gods gave her this gift but it’s not a gift (Y/N) hated that she would never die she had to see everyone she ever loved die she had to see seven of her eight children die she was happy when she found out that Benjen would never die because he was just like his mother.

(Y/N) had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen to her family so she had to do what’s best to keep her family safe.

(Y/N) made the choice to send Benjen to Pentos with his aunt and uncle,Benjen did not want to leave his mother but he knew she was right if something were to happen they would come for Benjen first to make (Y/N) do anything they wanted.

(Y/N) was now heading to Kingslanding with her family to keep them safe,but keeping her family was going to be harder then (Y/N) thought it was going to be.

Benjen’s POV

I walked up to the steps and that’s when I saw my aunt and uncle.

“Who are you? And how did you find us?” Viserys asked sounding angry.

“My name is Benjen Targaryen my mother is (Y/N) Stark my father was Rhaegar Targaryen, my mother knew where to find you”Benjen says to both Daenerys and Viserys.

Viserys looked angry,but he knew it was true Benjen has silver hair and the Targaryen violet eyes that would make Benjen the rightful heir to the Iron Throne not Viserys.

Daenerys grabbed Viserys sword and gave it to Benjen “This was Rhaegar’s you should have it he was your father” Daenerys says giving Benjen the sword.

Time Skip

(Y/N) stood there right beside Ned as Jamie Lannister and his men attacked us, (Y/N) lost control when Jamie killed Jory.

Jory was (Y/N)’s lover and the father of their unborn child, (Y/N) almost killed Jamie but he ran off before she could finish him off,(Y/N) ran to Jory’s lifeless body and screamed.

(Y/N) was angry “You need to calm down women” Robert said to her.

“Calm down,the next time I see Jamie I’ll kill him and that I promise you I’ll even send you his fucking head as proof I promise you this Cersei and Robert” (Y/N) said.

For the first time is her life Cersei was scared of (Y/N)

“You will do nothing,that is a command from your King” Robert said to (Y/N).

“You are not my King, and you do not give me orders”(Y/N) says in Roberts face which angers him.

I hope you all enjoy this first part of Long Living Stark ~~~Aaliyah~~~🖤🖤🖤🖤

@psychosupernatural

@kokomaesadie

#game of thrones imagine #game of thrones imagines #got imagine

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you-andthebottlemen · 5 years

Text

55 - AU request: Peasant Van part 2

Hi everyone!! New day, new post and it’s a fun one! My first AU in a while. Now today I am frantic as I am flying back home (yaaay love 24hr long haul flights rip) and will be crazy over the next little while with Life Things and getting used to normality after so long away (is this what Van feels like?) so I hope you enjoy this one and that it will tide you over until my next post. For anyone who has sent a request recently: I promise I have gotten them and started working on them. Love you all, hope you’re doing okay xxx

Based off this request:

i’ve got no clue if this has been asked before but... is peasant van/princess reader part 2 a possibility? where she gets out of that tower and gets her cottage and her kids and her love-filled marriage and everything she’s dreamed of? because to be honest, that’s exactly the kind of story i need right now (your writing is class by the way, and your harry potter au’s might just be the greatest thing aside from this) xx

It is a part two of my medieval ‘peasant Van’ AU I wrote ages ago so definitely read that first if you haven’t, I will link it below. I am so happy someone requested this. The fic is weird and cute and I love it, glad to return to these characters! (Disclaimer: it is also not historically accurate or anything like that, it’s not very logical either or realistic. But it is CUTE so enjoy).

Part 1 can be found here: https://you-andthebottlemen.tumblr.com/post/163965383698/43-au

***********************************************************************

Month’s had rolled by since the night that Van, the scruffy but sweet boy who lived outside the wall, had climbed up the tower and found himself in your bedroom. You weren’t able to see each other much in fear he would get caught. But you found a way to exchange letters; one of the servant boys in the kitchen, Johnny, knew him and would pass them between you for a small reward in return. Van’s letters were poorly written, and you could tell that he probably had trouble reading. It didn’t matter though; the letters became your prized possessions.

You spent your time as always, doing your duties sitting in court by your parents, attending feasts and whatever else. Your ‘spare’ time was filled with embroidery and endless day dreaming. The same routine, day in and day out. Sometimes you were able to visit the town but never alone, always with your silver clad entourage. This made things tedious anyway and even more difficult with Van in the picture now. You’d usually only have stolen glances, maybe the odd conversation where you pretended not to know each other. Regardless, you found ways to make it fun with your secret language made of riddles that only you and he understood.

“Will you be attending the opening of the gardens this week?” you asked him, your tone formal as to not alert the knights to anything suspicious.

“My lady, ‘course I will be. Love them roses,” he smiled, his eyes glinting with mischief.

Your heart felt warm and fuzzy, making you bite your lip to hide a smile. “They’re my favourite,” you replied.

“Specially them peach coloured ones,” Van commented and winked. You blushed wildly and he smirked triumphantly.

“Move along Princess,” one of the knights grunted, staring down at Van menacingly, perhaps remembering him from The Incident a while back.

Van reached out and delicately took your hand in his, bowing and giving it a quick kiss. You hated being treated this way by people, as if you weren’t just the same as them on the inside. But with Van it was sweet and filled you with excitement knowing that it meant something more than anyone realised, and you were doing it right under their noses. You smiled and held eye contact with him as you were guided away, knowing you’d be seeing each other again soon.

……….

Finally, the day had come for another garden opening. It had always been your favourite event at the castle, you loved being able to give some joy to the townsfolk, a distraction from their day to day lives. But now, it was even more special because it was a time you could slip off and be with Van undisturbed, where you could be yourself.

You were sat down in the soft green grass, shoes off and your face pointing up towards the sky so the sun could soak into your skin. You could feel Van just watching you. He’d been telling you that the roses he’d planted at home were in fact, flourishing. He reckoned he had a green thumb. Though from what he’d told you about his father, you could bet that Bernie had been tending to them without Van’s knowledge. They sounded like the sweetest family and you wished you had a relationship like that with yours. Instead, you did whatever you were told without question and it never felt all that loving.

You fluttered your eyelids open and turned to Van. He was laying back on the ground, propped up on his elbows. He quickly averted his gaze when he saw you catching him in his stare. You giggled and he cracked a sheepish grin.

“Whatcha’ thinking about Peaches?”

Him. Always him.

“What’s the story of that gold necklace?” you asked, your eyes landing on the small pendent that peeked out of his tattered shirt.

Van sat up and shuffled towards you; you now sat cross-legged opposite each other, your knees touching.

“Well, it’s been in my family for a while. Dad gave it to mum when she had me, then when I turned 18, they gave it to me. Then I’ll give it to my wife when she has our first-born son and yeah.”

He finished his clunky story with a shrug and placed a hesitant hand on your knee. You looked up and met his eyes; both of you suddenly nervous. Van probably because he knew that he was overstepping a line, and you because you wanted more than just a hand on the knee.

“I love that,” you said, referring to the story of his necklace. “Your wife will be a lucky woman.”

“Will you be my wife?” Van asked, innocently but with conviction.

The soft smile on your lips fell and your jaw dropped in bewilderment.

“What?!”

“I meant it when I said I’d get you out! That we’d run away. Run away with me?”

Van shuffled closer and moved the hand on your knee to your cheek. You were reminded of the conversation on your bed that night, when Van pleaded with you and proposed ideas of escaping to the life you wanted but couldn’t have. You’d not said no to his idea then and you had clung onto it in your daydreams ever since.

“Van…“

Van leant forward close to your face and you could feel his breath, his nose grazing against yours. Your heart rate spiked and you sat stunned and frozen. Taking your stillness as a sign, Van leant in even closer and pressed his lips to yours.

It was a soft and undemanding kiss. Van was testing the waters; he didn’t want to scare you. You pulled away slightly and looked at him in both shock and wonder. You loved that he was brave and bold enough to just kiss a princess.

“Oh, Peaches, I’m sorry, I- “

“Shhh,” you smiled. You grabbed his face in your hands and pulled him into you again. You felt him smile against your lips as you kissed the second time. You had more confidence now and your heart fluttered. It was messy but that was okay.

When you pulled away, Van was wearing the biggest grin you’d ever seen, and that was saying something. You couldn’t help but mirror his expression; you were feeling giddy and dazed and incredibly happy. Your first kiss. It was perfect and with the perfect person.

After a moment, you both burst into laughter. Neither of you could believe what just happened. Van fell back into the grass and covered his face with his hands, still grinning.

“I kissed a princess!” he exclaimed to himself, his voice turning high pitched. You giggled at him and smiled in awe.

When he moved his hands from his face, you lay down on the grass beside him, resting your head on his chest. Van wrapped an arm around your shoulder and held you close. You’d never felt safer and you’d never felt happier, than right there in his arms.

………………

That evening, you floated about the castle without a care in the world. You were so happy; completely on cloud nine. Your kiss with Van and the afternoon as a whole replayed over and over in your mind, filling you with more excitement each time. You felt as though nothing could wipe the smile from your face or the joy from your heart.

However, you were wrong.

“What do you mean I’m getting married?!” you exclaimed, in both rage and shock.

“We’ve found you a suiter y/n!” you mother squeaked excitedly, clasping her hands to her cheeks.

You glared at both your parents who sat in their thrones before you.

“No. I don’t accept. I don’t want to marry someone I don’t know and don’t love.”

“What do you mean ‘no?” your father scoffed. “Marry for love? This isn’t a fantasy!”

“I will not marry him!” you cried with tears streaming down your cheeks.

“You will. It’s decided. The Lord arrives in a week for your first meeting. And you will be wed y/n, it will be of great benefit to our land.”

You tore away from the throne room in a run and escaped back to your tower. Once inside the walls of your bedroom, you collapsed down onto your bed and sobbed until your eyes were bloodshot and sore. You didn’t want to marry whoever this lord was, you didn’t want to move away. You didn’t want any of this. You only wanted Van and the babies and life far away from all of this royalty crap.

Once you’d calmed down and could breathe properly again, you went to look out your window. The sun was going down now and the land around you glowed. You looked out into the distance in the direction Van had told you he lived and wondered what he was doing right now. Was he thinking of you too?

You mulled over his words and promises about running away together. You wanted to drop everything and run so, so badly. To leave it all behind and escape this life that wasn’t meant for you.

Without a second thought, you packed a rucksack with some clothes and your most important possessions, the pile of Van’s letters included. Once the sun had set and the sky was black, you devised a plan on how to escape the castle under the cover of darkness while everyone was asleep. Not an easy task but if Van could break in, you could break out. And you’d never been more determined to do anything in your life.

…………

Wearing the plainest clothing you owned, you followed Johnny through the tunnel under the moat. You felt scared and cold but also couldn’t shake the excitement. Turns out that Van had told Johnny everything; so, he wasn’t too hesitant on helping you escape out the servant’s route to the town. He said he’d take you to Van’s house and you promised that you’d make sure no harm would come to him and also gave him a small pouch of coins for the risk.

“You alright?” he asked.

You nodded but clung to his arm as he led you through the dark. You didn’t dare light a torch in case you were spotted.

Once you reached the end and you could finally see the stars again, Johnny gave you his coat to cover your dress in case anyone was out and about who could recognise you. You were beyond grateful for his help and you wished you could do something proper for him in return. You thought it said a lot about Van that he had such wonderful friends.

Soon, Johnny had led you past the market and through rows of small houses, which were more like huts or cottages. Animals made noises as you passed them by and you winced every time in fear the owners would come out and find you. You dreaded the thought of what would happen if you were to be dragged back to your parents at the castle, caught in the act of running away.

“Okay Princess, it’s that one,” Johnny whispered, pointing out a small mud brick place with a wonky looking rose bush at the side. You couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you, I can never repay you Johnny, truly I am in debt to you.”

“Not at all Princess,” Jonny said sincerely shook his head. “And call me Bondy.”

“Bondy,” you repeated with a smile and small nod. “Call me y/n.”

He stuck his hand out for a shake but instead you pulled him in for a hug and kiss on the cheek. You could almost feel the shock radiating off him. You gave him back his coat and waved one last time before he descended back off into the dark the way you’d came.

You took a final deep breath; it was now or never and you’d already come this far. There was a soft orange glow from one of the windows, probably a candle, so hopefully you wouldn’t be waking anyone up with your shock arrival. You felt bad turning up like this and hoped that Van had truly meant what he said.

After softly knocking at the door, you heard a shuffle of feet. Your heart was racing. When the door opened you were met by an older man with kind eyes. They were like Van’s but aged, though no less bright. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a word out, you heard another echo of footsteps and a familiar voice.

“Who is it?”

Suddenly Van peaked out from behind his father’s shoulder trying to get a look at whoever was there. If you weren’t so nervous, you would have laughed at how nosey he was.

“Peaches?!”

Van eagerly pushed poor Bernie out of the way and bundled you into a hug. You felt instantly relieved and melted right into him. When you pulled away, Van ushered you inside without question, his father close behind. The place was small, smaller than any home you’d ever been in. The whole place was probably the size of your bedroom if a little larger. There was a basic stove in one corner with a stone bench to cook on, a shabby looking table and chairs then two small doorways which you assumed led to bedrooms. It was so basic but somehow felt more homely than the castle despite its size and grandeur.

“Dad this is Peach-… the Princess,” Van said to his dad, stumbling over his words.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Princess,” he smiled warmly.

“You can call me y/n, I’m nothing special,” you replied timidly. “Sorry, for uh, being here Mr McCann,” you said, looking down. Your usual confidence and eloquence escaped you.

You didn’t want to offend the man and you felt really terrible for showing up on his doorstep like this and putting the family in such a position. Hiding you would be considered treason. Treason was punishable by imprisonment or even death.

Bernie’s face softened and he placed a hand on your shoulder. “Van’s told us everything, you’re so welcome here my dear.”

“Thank you. So, so much.”

You looked between Van and Bernie gratefully, some worry lifting off your chest. After a short while Bernie went back to bed where Van’s mother Mary was still sleeping. Van and Bernie both had an inkling she wouldn’t be as happy about this unexpected visit as they were so best to let her have a full night’s sleep. You and Van stayed up longer and talked. You told him everything, about the marriage and the lord arriving in a week. You had to fight off tears just speaking out it.

“I knew things were too good to be true,” you whispered into his chest as he held you tight.

You were upset that this had all happened after the most perfect day together. Your head swam with worries and you didn’t know what on earth you were doing.

“You’re here now and we’ll work it out, yeah?” Van soothed.

He set you up in his bed, insisting on taking the floor. You put up a fight but he was relentless and wouldn’t stop making a fuss until you were laid down and tucked up. The bed was hard and dug into your back, but you didn’t care.

Van kissed you goodnight and then fell asleep quickly despite laying on the cold dirt floor. Everything was uncertain and this was terrifying. But you stared down at the boy with the freckles, bad haircut and blue eyes who would do anything for you and felt a little more at ease. You fell asleep that night calmed with the knowledge that Van McCann, the peasant boy who had taken a bite out of your peach, had also stolen your heart.

…………….

“Van! Close the gate! The goat will get out!” you yelled desperately as you heard him come home.

“Sorry Peaches can’t hear you, the goat got out!” he shouted back.

You sighed and rolled your eyes. You couldn’t help but laugh a little too. Years had passed but Van hadn’t changed at all; you loved it.

Ignoring the ruckus caused by Van trying to herd the goat back into the yard outside, you looked down at the little rosy cheeked baby girl sitting up and smiling at you from her wooden crib. She had Van’s blue eyes and long lashes. Just looking at her made your heart want to burst with love.

“What are we going to do with Daddy?” you asked her, smiling and bending down to her level.

You’d named her Mary after Van’s mother. Little Mary made gurgling sounds at you and stuck her fingers in her mouth. She was the first of what you suspected were many babies to come. You caressed her cheek before getting up to clear the kitchen from breakfast.

You and Van had escaped and eloped. Van’s cousins lived in another village that was in another Kingdom; your parents couldn’t touch you and it was unlikely anyone would recognise you there either. His uncle set him up with a job and he’d worked day in and day out saving up to buy you a wedding ring. As soon as he could afford it, he proposed. After a while, you were able to move from the spare room in one of his cousin’s houses into a tiny cottage of your own. Then before you knew it, Little Mary was on her way. Van’s family had been so kind and supportive; giving you second-hand baby clothes or toys and anything else they could. Life was perfect. You had friends, real friends for the first time in your life. You felt free. No one knew you had escaped the life of royalty and it felt good to be seen for who you were, not the title that hung over your head.

Van was the perfect husband and perfect father. You couldn’t believe that your reality now looked the same as all the things you daydreamed about up in your tower for years. And it was all because of Van. The love of your life. You’d grown up together, his hair cut improved a bit and now you shared a tiny perfect child who so far seemed to be an even combination of the two of you. You wondered what her personality would be like as she grew up. Would she be sweet and mischievous like Van or a level headed dreamer like you?

Van came through the door breathing heavily and his face and clothes smudged in dirt.

“Bloody goat,” he breathed, wiping his forehead.

“Well, I did say not to leave the gate open,” you smirked. “Besides, I like the goat, best not let it escape yeah?”

You walked over and gave Van a kiss, ignoring how bad he smelt. You’d started selling goats milk cheese in the local market, earning your little family some extra money. You’d also started experimenting on making goat milk soaps. That was still a work in progress, though you enjoyed having something of your own to do. Van loved it, thought you were ‘dead smart’.

“Go get washed up,” you instructed as you tried to rub the smudge off his cheek.

Van stopped to give Mary a kiss on top of her head as he walked through to the back where the tub was. She giggled and reached her arms up to him.

“Can’t pick you up love, mum says I need to wash. I smell,” he said to her as if she understood.

Your hand moved unconsciously to the gold chain that now hung on your neck and you fiddled with it as you stared at the two of them, totally besotted.

When Van had finished, he came out to find you and Mary sat out in the garden. You had her sat on your lap and you were showing her the different flowers that had bloomed. Van sat down beside you and reached his arms out for his baby girl. She shrieked when she saw him and was passed over happily. Mary stretched out and touched his face, he just made silly expressions back at her. Van was dirt free and in a clean fabric shirt, his wet hair clung to his forehead and stuck up funnily. He’d lost the baby fat off his cheeks but otherwise looked the same as when you’d first met him really. Though he’d definitely gotten more handsome with age.

“Look how beautiful your mummy is,” he whispered to Mary as he held your gaze, turning her to face you.

You felt a blush rise to your cheeks.

“I got something for you at the market this mornin’,” he said.

He sat Mary down on the grass and raced off. She began to curiously pull blades of grass out of the ground and squish them up between her fingers. When Van came back, he had his hands hidden behind his back.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed. You did what he said.

Van placed something in your hands, it was soft and kind of…furry? When you opened your eyes, you couldn’t contain the grin.

“A peach!” he boasted proudly.

Peaches were ridiculously hard to come by where you lived now. In that moment you were thrown back to your first meeting with Van. The old lady and her granddaughter, Van being chased by knights, you keeping the peach on your windowsill for weeks. Who would have thought that you end up running away to start a family with that very peasant boy? Certainly not you. You felt sad for a minute, thinking about your parents who had no idea where you were. You tried not to think about those things too much. You had everything you’d ever dreamed of.

As if sensing your sudden mood change, Van crouched down closer to you and stroked your cheek.

“Thank you, Van,” you smiled and leant in to kiss him. You handed the peach to Little Mary. She looked at it curiously and rubbed the soft peach fuzz against her cheek.

“Do you think she’d like it?” Van asked you.

You shrugged and he reached out to take the peach. Little Mary’s face screwed up and her lip trembled like she was going to cry because daddy had taken her new toy. Van pulled the skin off the peach to make it easier for her toothless little mouth.

“Careful, don’t let daddy take a bite!” you said to her, giving Van a wink. He just smirked back at you, knowing exactly what memory you were referring to.

Van’s hair had started to dry in soft waves under the sunshine and he looked faultless. He handed the fruit back to Mary and her tiny smile returned. She began to suck on the peach, clearly liking the sweet taste.

Van sat and pulled you into his lap. He held you from behind and buried his face in your neck, giving your skin soft kisses. You squeezed his hands tight, wanting to live in this moment forever.

“I love you, Peaches,” he whispered.

“I love you too Van,” you replied, staring at your blue-eyed baby girl who was now covered in peach juice and loving it.

#catfish #catb #Catfish and the Bottlemen #van mccann #johnny bond #larry lau #van mccann fanfiction #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #catfish and the bottlemen fanfiction #van mccann au #catfish au

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one-piece-dumpster-fire · 5 years

Note

Scenario where young Brulee dies from her infected scar and Broyé taking over in her place, getting the mirror fruit, turning into the witch of the Seducing Woods. Basically a what if Scenario.

This was… really interesting to write :D I decided to take a somewhat different narrative approach, hope it still turned out right xD

Broyé taking Brûlée’s place after she died as a child scenario

….

„How are the trees today~?“

„Thirsting for blood, madame!“

„Ah, and the precious flowers~?“

„Longing to nag on someone’s bones,mistress!“

„Mhh… And our little intruders~?“

„About to face their worst fears,dearest Lady!“

„Oh, how splendid~! Call all yourfriends, for today we shall have a feast~!“

…One of the many legends circlingaround in Tottoland tell the story of a dark witch, who lives deepinside the forest of seduction. Not many have seen her face, butthose unfortunate enough to venture into her territory (and luckyenough to escape with their lives) always compare her to a demon withthe face of an angel. It is said that only the Queen and her familyknow the true identity of the witch- and some people evenspeculate that she used to be a child of the Yonko herself. But noone was ever able to find out the truth, since trying to take a peekinto her life will surely cost you your life.

„Hahaha, mamamama! Who would haveever thought that little Brûlée’s death would cause you to turn intosuch an useful and obedient child, my lovely —–?“

A tall woman, wearing a pure-white dressadorned with many beautiful flower, danced around in an abandoned little cottage located inthe middle of the dark woods. Her singing and the whispers of manydifferent voices filled the room with an unsettling atmosphere, one thatcould even frighten the most fearless of all men, the witch howevermarveled in it.

„I… I couldn’t protect her… I’mso sorry… It’s my fault that she died, —–!“

Long, pink hair framed the face of an elegant and youthful looking lady. Despite her beautiful features,no one could deny the sinister aura emitting from her sheerpresence, and the fear that would immediately spread through one’sveins upon facing her.

„Oh, these poor, poor creatures. Didthey not know that just stepping inside this forest is the biggestsin anyone can commit~? And do you remember why that is, mydearies~?“

she asked her underlings with a wicked undertone in hervoice,

„Because this earth was blessed~!Blessed, by the ashy remains of our wonderful late Lady Brûlée~!“

they answered in unison while singing.

„Correct~! That is exactly right~! And anyone who sets foot inside this forest or opposes this kingdom shallperish by the hands of…?“

„… by the hands of our one and onlyMistress Broyé!“

….Yes, for this wasn’t some crazy witch who originated from a fairytale told to scare children- but actually the 9thdaughter of the Charlotte Family, and reigning Queen of these Woods- LadyCharlotte Broyé.

And the whispering voices belonged tonone other than her ‘beloved’ homie underlings, who would assist herin keeping the Forest of Seduction save from intruders and enemies ofall sorts.

The various flowers and other beingshaunting her woods were extra restless today, since for the firsttime in a while a bunch of rookies decided to challenge the Captain of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Linlin. Theirscreaming and singing increased and echoed through the room, until Broyé snappedher fingers to silence them- with an angelic smile placed on herface. In moments like these, no one would be able to suspect thewicked soul hiding inside the body of this beautiful woman.

„Now, now my dearies~! Let’s not getahead of ourselves, shall we~? What good does killing them quicklydo, when we can torture and haunt those little creatures to theirgraves instead~?“

A cheer of agreement roared throughthe small cottage once more and Broyé smiled triumphantly beforeturning towards a large mirror hanging from the wall to her right. She quickly cleared her throat before looking at her reflection, who was smiling back at her.

„Mirror, mirror on the wall~ Show methese pitiful worms who dare to soil this holy ground, which my beloved bigsister keeps watching over from beyond her grave~!“

Within seconds, the reflection of Broyéfaded away and instead, three people wandering through the woods appeared.One of them seemed to be the famous rookie Monkey D. Luffy, and- much to Broyé’s horror- hewas accompanied by two beautiful girls and what seemed to be araccoon.

„Ah! Look at these pretty faces, mydarlings! No, could it be? Is that you, dearest Brûlée~? Have youcome back to haunt my dreams once more, taking on the appearance of ayouthful young girl? Will your soul never find rest?!“

Broyé dramatically took a stepbackward and clutched her chest as if she was suffering from a heartattack. The homies around her started to retreat a bit, knowing verywell about the mood swings their mistress was suffering from eversince she once encountered a young girl who looked similar to her deceasedsister.

„These beautiful eyes! That perfectskin! There is no mistake! These girls, they mock me! Pretend to bemy sister in order to have me spare them! Ahhh, I will slice them upand use their guts as cake filling!“

It was truly astonishing how quicklyBroyé’s mood could change from mourning little sister to deadly andbloodthirsty monster. …But, could anyone really blame her? After allthe hardship she had to endure ever since that fateful day overthirty years ago? When her older sister died in agony, due to thewound caused by a vengeful outsider? Yes, from that day on, Broyéhas sworn to torment anyone who dares to oppose her family ever again,especially girls with pretty faces that would remind her of Brûlée.

“Oh, I see that our beloved homies have already started playing their wicked games with them~ I wonder, how long will it take until they finally lose their sanity?”

She watched over the three people and raccoon like a predator stalked its prey, and everytime the forest homies moved and blocked their paths- forcing them to go around in circles- a giggle escaped from Broyé’s mouth. Hah, how she enjoyed watching these little worms squirm in her grip!

But suddenly, a bunch of forest homies bust through the door with fear reflected in their eyes.

„Oh dearest mistress Broyé, we are so sorry for interrupting you like this, …but we just gotword from some of the other homies guarding the outskirts of theforest- Lord Cracker is appearantly on his way to deal with theintruders as well!“

„What?!“ the witch hissed angrily,„Big brother Cracker is coming?! Here? That fool should know betterthan to enter my home uninvited like this!“, she ranted on and thehomies started to step back, fearing that their mistress might lash out onthem as well.

„Get King Baum here immediately! We’re moving!“Broyé bellowed at the homies while grabbing her sword and one of hersmall handmirrors. „Let’s take care of these puny little nuisancesbefore my dearest brother even gets to see their faces~! We’ll showhim not to underestimate the power of the Mirror Witch and her forestof death!“

Without waiting for a response, Broyé marched outside of the house and angrily whistled to summon some of her most trusted underlings. A few seconds later, loud chugging could be heard as well as the cry of a crane.

“Diesel! Randolph! Crane!” she screamed as three figures stepped out of the shadows the forest was casting.

“Yes, Miss Broyé?”, all three of them anwered in union,

“Go and mess up these rookies good before anyone can interfere! …But keep the girls alive, they are mine to cut open.” Broyé ordered and all three nodded in response before quickly disappearing inside the dark forest again. It was no secret that most of her underlings feared Broyé almost as much as they feared the Queen herself.

The witch smiled after them, but there was no kindness or warmth on her face. It was the cold and wicked smile of a hunter who was about to devourer his unsuspecting prey.

…

“Mamama, what is it now, Broyé?! I thought you were off to settle into your new home within the Seducing Woods?”

“I was going to, Mama. But… There is one thing I need to take care of before I can truly call that place my home.”

“So?! What is it???”

“… You… you keep Brûlée’s ashes in an urn inside the Treasure Chamber, right?”

“…”

A loud noise broke the silence around the cottage as the Master of the forest homies, King Baum himself, came running towards Broyé.

“You called-ju?” he asked her, but instead of responding, Broyé simply jumped up to sit on his shoulder.

“It’s time to get our hands dirty once more~! We will go out and slaughter these maggots, who spit on my sister’s remains~! Let’s have some fun before making them join dear Brûlée in the ground~!” she sang happily before pointing in the direction where the intruders were. King Baum simply grinned before following his queen’s orders and ran towards the spot she was pointing to.

“It will be a bloodbath~! Watch me, dearest sister, as I fulfill your grudge and hunt down anyone who wishes to harm our precious family~!”

…

“Here you go, miss Broyé. If Mama allowed you to take the urn, then I’m sure you know what to do with it. Perhaps give your beloved twin sister a proper burial? Even though that is something the Queen could have done years ago alre-”

“Thank you, you are now dismissed. Hurry up and get out of my sight.”

“…”

“…Brûlée? Can you hear me?”

“…”

“I’m taking you with me.”

“…”

“If I spread your ashes across the woods where I’ll be living from now on…”

“…”

“…then that means you’ll always be by my side, right?”

“…”

“Please don’t worry. We’ll never be apart again.”

“…”

“I swear, from this day on- I will dispose of anyone who wishes to harm our precious family. Your death will not have been for naught, no one will ever hurt one of my siblings ever again!”

“…”

“I love you, big sis.”

#one piece #charlotte brulee #charlotte broye #charlotte family #op scenario #one piece scenario

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dgtully · 3 years

Text

Labor Day Weekend Worship Guide

Instructions: Together with your family and others gathered with you or by yourself, join our online worship gathering on the Fall Branch United Methodist Church Facebook page for a Facebook Live event. We will be consecrating and together sharing in Holy Communion. To do so, gather the following:

Bread

A cup of grape juice or wine

Should you not have access to the internet, you may still use this guide to participate in worship. Offer the following prayers, readings, and engage the discussion/reflections as an act of worship today, knowing there are others who do so as well.

{The Facebook Live event begins Sunday, 9/5/21 at 11:00 AM, EDT.}

Order of Worship

(If you have a candle available, light it as a sign of this time being set apart as sacred and as a confession that God, who is our light, is present with us.)

Greeting/Welcome

Call to Worship & Opening Prayer:

Read aloud the text in bold:

As you have received Christ, continue to live in him.

In gratitude, may we be rooted and grow in trust of Jesus.

Do not allow yourselves to be taken captive by empty ways of understanding.

May we seek and serve Christ above all!

In him the fullness of deity dwells bodily,

And we are made complete in him, who is above all and over all.

He, with the Father, and the Spirit, are worthy of our worship and praise!

Opening Prayer:

Lord of mercy and abundant love, we have gathered together this day to express our devotion to you, to hear your healing words of compassion, and to be transformed by your love. Help us to become more faithful servants in our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is in Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 111

Confession of Faith:

Recite aloud our proclamation of faith today, from The Apostles’ Creed:

(“In remembrance of our/my baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we/I now make proclamation of you, who in your nature and ways are the foundation of the life we seek . . .”)

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

*meaning the universal Christian church—all believers in Jesus Christ

The Devotion of Giving

We who have been richly blessed are called to share that blessing with the world. Give freely in the joy of serving your neighbor and your God.

Consider making this time your opportunity to give a financial offering to God through his church. There are two ways you can do this through financially supporting the ongoing ministry of Fall Branch UMC:

Mail a check to:

Fall Branch United Methodist Church

P. O. Box 86

Fall Branch, TN 37656

Online Giving:

Go to holston.org/churchoffering and fill in your contact information.

Select Appalachian District in the first pull-down menu. Select Fall Branch United Methodist Church—Fall Branch, TN in the second pull-down menu.

Click the blue bar at the bottom to be taken to a secure site to put in your credit / debit card information and the amount of your offering and submit. That’s it!—100% of your offering will go to the ministry of Fall Branch UMC.

Prayer of Thanks & Gratitude:

As a way to show gratitude in our giving, offer the following prayer as a part of your act of worship:

All that we do is in your holy name, O God. Even as we share the riches of our labors, may we continue to honor your name in all that we do. Bless these gifts given freely, that your justice, peace, and mercy may prevail in a weak and weary world. Amen.

Feasting on God’s Word/Sermon: (Special Guest: Frank Shirvinski)

Read Matthew 6:1-15

{If you are NOT making use of today’s online service, reflect on the following in light of the reading . . .}

Where do you go most often to pray—do you have a regular spot and times?

What do you find yourself praying about/for most often? How does that connect with what Jesus encourages us to pray?

In praying, what do your find is your biggest challenge?

What do you make of the idea that prayer is “communal?” How would seeing yourself as “never praying alone” change how you pray?

What parts or aspects of the way of prayer Jesus teaches could use more of your attention?

Holy Communion:

With bread and Cup (juice or wine) before you, join in The Great Thanksgiving in preparation of receiving God’s grace through this sacrament (for which our resident Bishop has allowed clergy to consecrate online during this time, for participation at home) speaking what is in bold, or all should you desire:

Invitation

Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another. Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Confession and Pardon

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will, we have broken your law, we have rebelled against your love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Glory to God. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving

May the Lord be with us. We lift up our hearts to the Lord. Let us give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ is with us; Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on we who are gathered in your name, in this and all places your people gather in the union of worship this day, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in you holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

(Share in the bread before you with the words, “The body of Christ, given for us.” Share in the cup before you with the words, “The blood of Christ, given for us.”)

Preparation for Prayer:

As we pray this expanded version of The Lord’s Prayer, allow the words in bold we say together to lead you to offer specific prayers for your community, along those lines.

Prayers of the People

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Mystery beyond our knowing, as close to us as our breathing, in humble awe we pray.

Your Kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven

We pray for your vision of justice and mercy to be made real in our world even now.

Give us today our daily bread.

We pray for your vision of enough; enough provision, enough love, enough healing for all of your children—and all made possible through Christ.

Forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

We pray for the grace to let go of that which is death dealing as we embrace your vision for life,

that we might follow you safely through every obstacle.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are

yours. Now and for ever.

We give thanks for your presence that defies definition, in this life and beyond.

And all God’s people say,

Amen.

Concluding Prayer of Worship/Devotion:

What part of our worship together did you find most engaging?

Was there something you experienced that pointed you toward greater closeness with God? with other people?

When were you most encouraged? most challenged?

What do you sense God is calling you to be and/or do that helps you better reflect his life and ways?

For what are you most grateful in this time?

Pray yourself, or along with those gathered with you, the following benediction prayer aloud:

Go forth to love one another. Be rich in faith and serve one another in all joy and humility. And may the power of God our Creator, Christ our Salvation, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forever. Amen.

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dvsvsgrr · 3 years

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It's now just a question of 5 0, 4 0 or 4 1.. Boy was part of it. Rick Scott stops in Boca

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Bran wept like a little girl when the bright blood came rushing out..

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awesomefairytailfan · 3 years

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Okay so this is the fanfics in after I have somebody who helps out me cuz of my disability proof read that and made a lot of editing and punctuation Corrections. we did have to go over a few things for it but it should be a lot easier to read now.

Modern Musou warrior in ancient China

Chapter one am I just in a dream?The last few weeks I just keep asking myself the same question over and over is this all a dream, is this just one big dream now? Being in ancient China don't let me know when on the calendar I supposed to use don't even know if this world has an equivalent of it. no it's not my world I'm not some sort of super badass in my own world but in this world I am strong I take damaged easily when I woke up in this world or made me fell asleep in my own. I found myself walking for I don't know I have no watch on me but I found a number of people being attacked by wolves was completely convinced at that point I was in a dream so I figured let's go wake myself up by grabbing a big stick in it packing them but then something funny happened I found myself running faster than I ever had outside of video games. I attacked the walls and I actually sent them major damage one of them jumped me from behind I barely even noticed it, then I'm headed to the ground and killed it the people said to me you must be a musou Warrior, what Lord do you serve, have you gone to fight someone named Don Zhuo? do you know who that was? I'll talk about what I know about him in a bit; I noticed a small irritation in my back I asked them to look at it and they said I got a small Scar from where the wolf attempted to bite me to death. I said Tiny bite me to death I need a doctor but they say no it's only a minor scrape especially to a Musou Warrior. I asked him to speak English but they responded what's English? I said it was the language we was speak. they said no we speak Mandarin I decided yep I'm definitely in the dream at that point sorry running myself into a tree it hurt a bit but I actually broke the tree in half some people showed up who I did not say from the walls and they'll ask me what was going on and they was saying the Musou Warrior saved us. stick just flying off the ground and then done to me I have noticed a big annoyance I was hungry, luckily they wanted to have a feast for me. shall we walk back to the village and order for us to get some food and number of them said some things I'd rather not talk about. with the Wolves sad don't let stuff like this go to waste I asked him where we are I think they were pretty Pacific and I'm like okay no idea what that means. I asked them what country we are in they said China I started finger to myself find it this really wasn't the dream. if I'm somehow stuck in China and I don't know what time they asked me a bunch of questions where I'm from Canada over a great ocean and I also said my ancestors are technically from the same land mass as here but I think that continent is actually farther than where my home line is from China. don't let me know for sure I'm not an expert in distance of countries and all that have I got that today prepared a small feast. they did tell me it was a small village and I had to agree smaller than my hometown and no technology anywhere I was thinking if this is my life now. I am going to be I'm going to be so bored but I got offered a lot of free food, took some adjustment for me to actually eat things was never no I'm already ten but never was normal to begin with I've always had Asperger's. I'm supposed to take medication not going to be able to in ancient China. so I guess nobody knew about the calendar I kept calling the Christian calendar I think that's what they mean by the years we use never did find out if it was after or before Jesus Christ and then I found the weirdest ability of all I'm super strong now a bunch of heavy wooden blocks was about to smash a kid I pushed the young child out the way thinking suicide maybe I'll wake up but those heavy things did not even hurt me. they say see you must be a Musou Warrior can you protect our small village from the evil Don Zhuo I told them it's probably the best kind of job I can do for now. I'm and told them I never really add something you could call an actual job told them I was on disability a lot of what I say they constantly laughing, did not believe they saw me at 2 Mighty and

magnificent to be considered disabled in my own world.they did not believe that I wasn't actually Chinese. I was clearly not from this world but I'm constantly moved on I managed to do a number of odd jobs around the town with superhuman strength, and with all my time watch and consuming recreational entertainment I managed to entertain them when they had down time which allowed them had more; I could make jobs a lot quicker and easier. the kids found me hilarious and adult sometimes. Tom and i not to talk about certain things on topics the way I did say good yeah don't want to upset them too. much this lasted for about a month I think and tell the town faced its biggest danger of all I was actually the first one to notice that because I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I noticed the fire off in the distance and decided to wake the town mayor, of not knowing how dangerous it was noticeably closer the mayor said evacuate everyone we can he started shouting knowing immediately. Dan got it was super dangerous I'm like danger fire luckily with my always completely loud voice and my ability to one very fast it was less than like 4 minutes before everyone. what's going out of bed quickly the mayor told me top send some trees flying out an amount I think I managed to save the town Catching Fire for like 15 minutes then luckily. Got every one to evacuate and get them money and things they could carry but eventually the whole town went up in Flames. nobody died, everyone had close to travel in but the town was found dead. I might have just went into fire, except at this point there was so much time passing. I believe mostly I wasn't dreaming anymore and that just would have killed me. mosou man in the village was talking with the mayor of the town a bunch of the kids were asking can't you make everything better can't you make all the fire damage go away? I had to say I don't I can't do anything like that and I don't even know what we were going to do next his not my decision. I don't know the knowledge to make that decision and the News came from the mayor. he decided we're going to one of the Cities some of the people protested we were just beep on ourselves in the danger of the Warlords and on Zhuo fighting but the mayor said only a city trying to accommodate so many people at once, our hometown is destroyed. we do not have the resources to build another before the winter. we started going towards the city, I figured if I can get everybody to the city maybe I could earn some extra money and use some future knowledge to benefit Chinese Society in general, not like I can make them ocracy happen but maybe I couldn't please how much stuff they're about to plant or how quickly they can do harvesting. I know a bit about that stuff we travelled as fast as we can and I often had to find myself killing animals with whatever I could it wasn't really that dangerous. I beat the crap out of them they could barely do anything to me. we had to sleep in pants and a like but I usually got a good night sleep despite being on main source of Defense because while they decided the high people on Sentry Duty and to have somebody wife buy me to wake me up they had to wake me up a few times. like that but no one got killed and one day I bet after we started going for that day we were on a big we went up a big hill and then we saw the city. I was thinking nice city, maybe get to look around but Polly should spend at least a few days after we get there with the townspeople who take good care of me. some of them said I'm might be needed to get a job or Join one of the military armies, when I asked about It, I wasn't thinking I'd probably do that I like saving people but never really been much for military outside of playing video games. it was going to be a few hours on our way down that's when the biggest action happened that I wanted to wake up phlegm when I kill somebody.

#awesomefairytailfan #dynasty warriors #fanfiction #Modern Musou warrior in ancient China

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lady-of-starlight · 7 years

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Let The Star Lead The Way - Chapter 9 - Autumn season

Thranduil was pacing inside his study, ignoring the elves standing around his table, as they were discussing the latest shipments from Dale and what they needed for the next delivery: it was going to be the biggest one for the whole year - the harvest festival was practically around the corner, and the festivities needed to be fully arranged in time. Usually the King enjoyed his feasts, but this time he seemed to have little patience to focus on such things, as he had more burning matters that demanded his attention. His son being one of them.

“I hope he has arrived safely... It’s been several weeks, it’s excruciating to not know how his journey has proceeded...”, he thought and turned his eyes towards the great map that was spread across one of the walls in the study. He knew the way to Imladris by heart, and so did Legolas. Yet the recent events and the uneasiness that was growing inside him left him feeling worried.

And then there was the matter of that girl...

By the Valar, he still couldn’t understand how things had proceeded that way, and so fast. She had an amazing ability to make him to lose his temper and his control, both at once. But at the same time, her fierceness fascinated him. He hadn’t faced such an infuriating yet intriguing creature for a long time, not since...

Thranduil stopped on his tracks, as he felt a sudden burst of pain flashing through him. No. He would not think of her. The pain was still there, after all this time, nagging at him whenever he dared to think about the past. He always wondered if it would ever disappear completely.

Yet, as much as he had hated admitting it, the pain had grown weaker ever since the girl had appeared. Which, by default, made him feel more uneasy. He wasn’t even supposed to feel anything towards her, but it was easier to be said than done. He had learned it already long ago: One’s heart rarely answered to the mind’s will.

Thranduil let out a frustrated sound, then took off to the doors to his personal armory and swung them open, shouting over his shoulder to the elves still left inside the room:

“Enough. I need some fresh air.”

✽ ✽ ✽ So many weeks had passed since your arrival. Inside the realm nothing really changed, but you could see the passing of time in the woods around the realm: Slowly but surely, leaves in the massive trees had turned from shades of green towards the more golden and fiery colors of autumn. The winds that played amongst the trees suddenly felt more chilly, and the nights became longer, with the sun rising later every morning. It also affected the daily rhythm of the elves: Only the night patrol was allowed outside the gates after sundown, which meant that the hunters and those who gathered herbs, plants, berries and other things the forest had to offer, had fewer hours to complete their daily tasks. You had volunteered to help the gatherers and received a permission to go outside, but only when accompanied with at least one of your guardians. Tharon and Edraith had agreed on taking turns, one staying with you while the other was hunting prey with another group. Everyone had been working hard, as winter wasn’t far away and they needed to fill their storages. Now, you were assigned to gather some berries from a nearby field.

“Next time, I’m going with the herb group”, Edraith mutters under his breath, as he tries to get his hands on some berries growing inside a bush so thick and full of prickles it seems almost impossible to get to the berries.

You laugh. “You’re just too hasty. Patience,” you tease as you thread your fingers past the thorns, grabbing a cluster of plump, juicy-looking berries. “These are delicious, want some?” You ask as you bring a few to your own lips.

“No, thank you. I’m quite busy at the moment”, Edraith hisses through his teeth while reaching for another cluster of berries deep inside the bush.

“Too bad”, you shrug with a smile and eye at the other elves around you. There’s a couple of them working with another bush next to you, and a few more on the other end of the field. Guards stand on their posts, looking around as if waiting for something to show up. The lockdown procedures were reversed some time ago, allowing people outside the realm, but no one was still allowed to leave on their own and you always had to stay relatively close to the gates. Only the hunters and those who collected some rare herb species that growed further away were allowed to do longer journeys. They still had to carry more weapons with them in case there would be another ambush.

Suddenly, the guards tense. Something is coming, and they raise their bows. You reach for the small knife you have hidden inside your boot, when a shout comes from behind the trees. Other elves. No danger. Then, a huge elk and a few horses ride to the field, each carrying an elf, and your heart drops somewhere around your stomach.

Thranduil is here.

All the embarrassment you’ve nested in some far corner of your mind comes flooding back. You two haven’t even spoken with each other since that little incident during the last training session. And it appears it truly was the last one. You had spent days wondering whether he would still continue with the training or not, and for the next mornings you had made sure you were up early, rushing to the High chambers, hoping for... what? You still don’t know. But soon it became evident that there wasn’t going to be any continuation for your sessions. After the third lonely morning that you had spent sitting alone in the High chambers, you had finally accepted the fact that he wasn’t coming and left the room. Just to forget about the ache that was making its way through your heart, you had turned to your guardians in hopes that they could continue your training, since Legolas had left already weeks ago and most likely wasn’t going to return anytime soon. You were also deeply grateful for Emlineth and her capability to sense your dejection. She had led you to the library of the Woodland realm, which was massive: Rows and rows of shelves filled with books and scrolls and, judging by the look of the oldest ones, some of the writings probably dated all the way back to the First Age. You had spent many evenings there with your nose buried in a book, drinking in all the stories and historical writings accompanied with beautiful, hand-drawn maps and illustrations. It had effectively kept you busy and entertained most of the time, so there hadn’t been any need for you to face your emotions... Until now.

You see him sitting on his elk, looking regal and assertive as always, with his silken hair cascading over his shiny, silver-coloured armor. You notice he is carrying a bow and a set of arrows, which is unusual for him, so you guess they are out here to go for a hunt. Thranduil is changing words with the guards that came with your group, and you see them pointing towards the western path, where the hunting party had been earlier in the morning. You try to strain your ears to pick up their words, when Edraith jumps and yelps next to you, almost causing you to drop your basket full of berries.

“This damned bush will be the death of me!” He curses under his breath while investigating a cut in his arm, caused by one of the biggest thorns.

“I told you to be careful”, you lecture him, trying to bite back a grin as you lower your basket to the ground and pull a small piece of cloth from your pocket. “Hold still.”

“Funny, usually it’s our job to tell that to you”, he says with irony in his voice, accompanied with an eye roll, when you gently tap away the blood dripping from the cut.

“Shut up and stay still, or I’ll have to press harder and make this more painful”

“It’s not like I couldn’t tolerate a bit of pain for your sake, my lady”, he chuckles a bit and then, as if just realizing what he replied with, turns away with an abashed look on his face. You look at him, puzzled, when you suddenly feel like you’re being watched. You turn your head and freeze - Thranduil is staring at you two from the other side of the field, his look dark and so intense you can feel it piercing through your very soul, making you shiver.

You stare at each other for a time that feels like minutes, until you tear your eyes away from him and turn to look at Edraith’s arm, while trying to deal with the sudden feeling of heat bursting through your chest. You refuse to raise your head even when you hear the sound of hoofs galloping away from the field.

Your thoughts turn back to the past weeks that have gone by, with next to no sign of Thranduil, not before today. Part of the reason for not seeing him has been by your own doing, though - you had taken it as a habit to eat in the kitchens with Emlineth instead of spending the time in the dining hall. One time of trying to eat and sit quietly in the same room with the elf male that tormented your thoughts had been quite enough.

You know it’s useless to have any feelings towards him anyway. He had had a wife in the past, and although you didn’t know any of the details, their parting had been painful. It is painful for you as well to think about, and it only adds to the confusion swirling inside of you. You had searched the library a few weeks ago, in hopes of finding some description of his wife in the scrolls and papers, but with no luck. The only book you had found that had even a slight mention of her was a copy that included information about the family’s ancestry - and even then it was only one sentence at the top of one page: “--and so the Lord and Lady of the Woodland Realm were blessed with a beautiful son, who was to be known as Legolas”, with the rest of the text on the said page focusing only on Legolas and his position as the crown prince of the realm.

Weirdly enough, almost a quarter of the pages before and after this one had been ripped off, the last pages before the missing parts vaguely discussing Thranduil’s life in Doriath before its fall and his early times in the Woodland Realm, where he had ultimately ascended to the throne after his father Oropher had been slain in the war of Dagorlad. You couldn’t understand why someone would have wanted to erase every trace of someone with such a manner (although you had a quite heavy sense that it had been Thranduil himself who had torn off the missing pages), but you felt that pain and sorrow did weird things to everyone - making them to react in different ways, too.

Snapping back from your thoughts to the present moment, you notice that Edraith is staring at you curiously.

“Ah, she finally recovers. Lost in thought, huh?”

You blush slightly. “Apologies. I got carried away...”

“Not literally, I presume”, he teases as you put your napkin away - the cut in his arm has stopped bleeding and will heal just fine on its own - and he helps you to stand up. You give him an eye roll now, but secretly ponder on that idea, as your imagination starts flying. Indeed, what would it be like to get carried away by, say, Thranduil, sitting on that elk of his? Could it carry two? Most likely, although it would require you to sit very close to each other--

“Stop it! You’re just making this worse for yourself!” Your thoughts scream, but you can’t help but smirk a bit. One can always dream, though?

✽ ✽ ✽

Later, back in your chambers, you’re surprised with a pile of vibrant-colored fabrics, delivered by Emlineth, as she rushes to the room and drops the whole lot onto your bed.

“My lady, have you thought about your costume for the harvest feast? We don’t have that much time left, it would be good to start working with it right away.”

“Well, in fact I do”, you answer shyly, rushing to your desk, and pull out one of the books you brought from the library the day before. “I saw a wonderful illustration in one of the stories in this book, perhaps we could use it as a base for my gown? Not exactly a copy, but using some of the elements in it?”

Emlineth rushes to your side and takes a look at the page you’re showing her. “Oh yes, now this is something indeed. Perhaps a different neckline to suit you better, and the sleeves need to be longer... Mark my words, we will make sure that every male elf in this realm is going to fall on his knees when looking at you in this.”

You giggle but can only think about one particular elf whose attention you desire. Sighing, you pick up a piece of paper and start to sketch the gown.

Well, I’ll make sure to give him something to remember me of.

- End of chapter 9 -

Author’s notes: I just noticed I had gained new followers during my absence - thank you, from the bottom of my heart! It feels great to know that there are people who like my lil’ writings *takes a bow*

Oh, and just FYI - In case if someone’s wondering whether this story goes with the lines of the written stories or the films, the answer is both. Mostly I’m just mixing Tolkien’s writings (from other books and essays too, not just The Hobbit or LOTR) and PJ’s film canons by the parts that fit together and, naturally, add some of my own imagination into the game.

#thranduil x reader #Thranduil #lee pace #legolas #lotr fanfic #LOTR #mirkwood #mirkwood elves #tolkien fan fiction #tolkien #the hobbit #fanfic

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 4 years

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17th March >> Fr, Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on

Matthew 13:24-32 for The Solemnity of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary

and on

Matthew 18:21-35 for Tuesday, Third Week of Lent.

Solemnity of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary

Gospel (Europe)

Matthew 13:24-32

Let them both grow till the harvest

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

Reflections (5)

(i) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

Coming up to the feast of Saint Patrick, I always find myself re-reading the two documents that have come down to us from him, his Confession and his letter to the soldiers of Coroticus. His Confession in particular is a very personal document. He says he writes it because he wants people ‘to know what kind of man I am so that they may perceive the aspiration of my life’. He says that he is writing this Confession in his ‘old age’. Not long before he wrote his Confession, the people in Britain who had been sponsoring his mission in Ireland had made serious accusations against him, which proved to be false. They were taking away his good name. This crisis brought on a personal crisis of faith which nearly destroyed him. His Confession was a response to this very hurtful attack on himself and his mission. He needed to show that the way he was being portrayed was not the kind of man he actually was. He says that because of the accusation made against him, he felt shame and disgrace and ‘the impulse was overpowering to fall way not only here and now but forever’. In that dark moment, he turned to the Lord on whom he had always relied and the Lord did not let him down. He says, ‘the Lord graciously spared his exile and wanderer for his own name’s sake and helped me greatly when I was being walked on in this way’. Patrick had a strong sense of the Lord speaking personally to him through images, dreams, visions. He mentions how the night after this accusation by his seniors in Britain, he had a vision of the night. He saw before his face a writing that dishonoured him, and simultaneously, he says, ‘I heard God’s voice saying to me: “We have seen with disapproval the face of the chosen one deprived of his good name”’. In the Confessions, there is a strong note of thanksgiving to God i for standing by him during this difficult time, ‘I give thanks to my God tirelessly who kept me faithful in the day of trial’.

As he looks back on his life journey, he tells us that he is the freeborn son of a Roman nobleman, a town Councillor, who was also a deacon of the church. He had a privileged upbringing, but he acknowledges that in his younger years, his faith was at best dormant, ‘we had turned away from God’. Then at the age of sixteen he tells us that everything changed. As he puts it, ‘I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people’. Without warning, he lost everything, his family and friends, his community, his freedom of movement, his schooling. In his utter misery as a slave, he found himself becoming aware of God’s presence. He had a spiritual awakening. He speaks of ‘the great benefits and grace that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. Even though this was a traumatic time of suffering and loneliness, he repeatedly speaks of the ‘wonderful gifts’ that the Lord gave him, which he identifies as ‘the great and beneficial gift of knowing and loving God’. He says, ‘the Lord indeed gave much to me, his little servant, more than as a young man I ever hoped for or even considered’. Among the gifts the Lord gave him at this time, he says, was the gift of prayer, ‘the spirit was stirred up so that in the course of a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night. This I did even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain’. As the years of captivity passed, his prayer grew in intensity. He learned to listen carefully to the promptings of the Spirit within, giving him the guidance he needed to make important decisions. For example, he learned to discern when the time of his captivity was coming to an end and that his ship was ready. He eventually escaped his captivity and made his way home to his family in Britain. When he arrived home, he tells us that his relatives ‘welcomed me as a son and earnestly begged me that I should never leave them, especially in view of all the hardships I had endured’.

Yet, such was his openness to God’s presence and his attentiveness to the Spirit’s promptings he became convinced that he was being called back to Ireland to proclaim the faith which was now central to his life. One night he had a vision of a man called Victor who appeared to have come from Ireland with an unlimited number of letters. As he read one of them, he heard the voice, ‘We ask you, holy boy, come and walk once more among us’. Probably against his family’s wishes, he went abroad to study for the priesthood, most likely to Gaul, in preparation for his mission to the Irish. It is clear from his Confession that his subsequent mission in Ireland bore rich fruit. He wasn’t the first missionary to bring the gospel to Ireland. Earlier in the fifth century, the Bishop Palladius had founded communities of faith. However, he brought the gospel to parts of the island that had never heard it, ‘in places’, he says, ‘beyond which nobody lives’. The impact of his mission was hugely significant. He speaks in his Confession of the many thousands whom he baptized in the Lord. He expresses his indebtedness to God who ‘gave me so much grace that through me people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed, and that clergy should be ordained for them everywhere’.

We share the faith that Patrick preached on our island fifteen centuries ago. We might be tempted to think that our faith is weak at times. We may be aware of what Jesus’ parable in the gospel reading calls ‘darnel’ in our own personal lives and in the life of the church as a whole. Yet, Patrick’s story reminds us that the Lord never abandons us or his church. No matter where we are in our faith journey, the Lord can break through to us in a wonderfully new way at any time in our lives, if we give him the space to do so. Sometimes, as Patrick’s life shows us, it is often in times of great adversity that the space is created in our lives for the Lord to work powerfully within us and through us. We could all make our own Patrick’s prayer wish towards the end of his Confession, ‘I ask God for perseverance, to grant that I remain a faithful witness to him for his own sake until my passing from this life’.

And/Or

(ii) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

Today on the feast of St. Patrick, we celebrate the beginnings of the Christian story on this island. We remember Patrick as the one who lit a flame that has remained lighting for nearly sixteen hundred years. Like Paul and Barnabas in today’s second reading, he was a light to the nations, to this nation. When children are baptized, as the baptismal candle is lit from the Easter candle, the celebrant says to their parents and godparents, ‘This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. These children of yours have been enlightened by Christ… May they keep the flame of faith alive in their hearts’. Today we give thanks that the flame of faith Patrick first lit has been kept alive among us.

Two of Patrick’s own writings have been preserved for us. They are his Confessions and a letter he wrote to the soldiers of a chieftain by the name of Coroticus. Through these writings the voice of Patrick continues to be heard among us. It is above all from his Confessions that we get the fascinating story of his life.

He was born a citizen of Roman Britain. His father was a town councillor, part of the Roman administration in southern Britain, who owned a country residence with male and female servants. Patrick came from a Christian family. He tells us that his father was a priest and that his grandfather was a deacon. Yet, as a youth, Patrick’s faith was lukewarm. Looking back on his youth many years later, he writes in his Confessions: ‘We had turned away from God; we did not keep his commandments’. We can imagine that this must have been a disappointment to his parents.

Then at the tender age of sixteen, his rather comfortable world came crashing down around him. Writing in his Confessions, he says: ‘I was taken captive as a youth, a mere child… I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people… this is where I now am, among strangers’. At a vulnerable and impressionable age, he was wrenched from the family that loved him, taken from his home, his friends, his culture, and thrown into a foreign land as a slave. An experience like that could destroy a young man. Yet, Patrick tells us that in this harsh exile, he had a powerful experience of God’s presence. When everything had been taken from him, he found God, or, rather, God found him. He writes in his Confessions about ‘the great benefits that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in my captivity’. He uses a powerful image to describe his spiritual reawakening: ‘Before I was humbled, I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’. In the wilderness of exile, his faith came alive.

He goes on to tell us in his Confessions that six years after first coming to Ireland as a slave, at the age of twenty two, he managed to escape from his captivity and to make his way back to Roman Britain. What a home coming that must have been for his parents, who probably thought they would never see him again. They considered him dead, and here he was alive, lost, and now he was found. Patrick states that ‘they earnestly begged me that I should never leave them’. Some years later, Patrick tells us, he had a vision of a man coming from Ireland with a large number of letters. In his vision, Patrick took one of these letters in his hands, and as he began to read it he heard a crowd shout with one voice: ‘We ask you, boy, come and walk once more among us’.

That vision touched him deeply. He did not come back to Ireland immediately. He first pursued higher studies in preparation for the priesthood, probably in Roman Gaul. After several years he made the journey back to the land of his captivity, initially as a priest. Having established himself as a missionary, he was appointed bishop. He writes in his Confessions: ‘I came to the Irish heathen to preach the good news’. He goes on to write: ‘I am very much in dept to God who gave me so much grace that through me many people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed’. It is extraordinary that Patrick was prepared to endure voluntary exile to bring the gospel to a people among whom he had experienced captivity. He brought the precious gift of the Christian faith to those who had taken away his freedom many years earlier. I am reminded of a line in one of Paul’s letters: ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’. It could only have been Patrick’s relationship with the Lord that enabled him to overcome evil with good, as the Lord himself had done.

Patrick’s story can still speak to us over the centuries. The darkest moment in his life proved to be life-giving both for himself and for the people in the land of his captivity. We have all know our own dark moments. At times we can feel that we are in a kind of exile ourselves, cut off from the supports that we had come to value so much. In ways we might never suspect at the time, such experiences can turn out to be life-giving for ourselves and others. God can be preparing us in those dark times to be labourers in his harvest, like the seventy two in today’s gospel reading. Patrick’s feast day invites us to trust that God can turn even our darkest experiences to good and can bring unexpected new life out of our losses.

And/Or

(iii) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

About four years ago I climbed Croagh Patrick for the first time in the company of my sister and brother-in-law. They both live in Southern California. Patrick, who is from the United States, was determined to climb Croagh Patrick. He was recovering from cancer at the time, and, in spite of a very bad back, he wanted to make this climb in thanksgiving for having come through his surgery and treatment so well, and, also, as a form of prayer of petition for God’s ongoing help. We managed to get to the top, just about.

The Croagh Patrick climb is one expression of the cult of St. Patrick that has continued down to our time. We venerate Patrick today because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says in his Confessions, ‘I am very much in debt to God who gave me so much grace that through me many people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed, and that clergy should be ordained for them everywhere’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’

On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. His first journey to Ireland was not of his own choosing. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland. This must have been a hugely traumatic experience for a young adolescent. He says in his confessions: ‘I was taken captive… before I knew what to seek or what to avoid’. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. In the land of his exile he had a religious awakening. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day. More and more the love of God and reverence for him came to me. My faith increased… As I now realize, the spirit was burning within me’. That spiritual awakening had enormous consequences, not only for himself but for the people of the land where he was held captive.

The Lord somehow got through to Patrick during the rigours of captivity in a way he had not got through to Patrick during his reasonably privileged upbringing at home. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’.

Patrick’s own story brings home to us that the Lord can work powerfully in dark and troubling times. In the course of our lives we can be brought places that we would rather not go. We might be separated from someone or some place that has been very significant for us. We find ourselves isolated and adrift, in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, the Lord does not abandon us. Rather when we seem to be losing so much, he can grace us all the more. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, for whatever reason, the Lord will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick. If we remain open to the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will also grace many others through us.

Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence even in difficult times. Patrick’s story reminds us that the Lord continues to work powerfully in what appears to be unpromising situations. In this morning’s gospel reading the prospects for a great catch of fish seemed very slim to Peter and his companions. After all, they had worked hard all night and had caught nothing. Yet, Jesus saw great prospects where Peter and the others saw little of promise. When Peter and the others set out in response to the word of Jesus they saw for themselves what Jesus could see all along. The Lord is always creatively at work even in the most unpromising of situations. However, if his work is to bear fruit, he needs us to set out in faith and hope in response to his word, as Peter and his companions did in this morning’s gospel reading, as Patrick did when he left his home for a second time to come to the island of his former captivity. We pray this morning for something of Patrick’s courageous and expectant faith.

And/Or

(iv) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

We venerate Patrick on this his feast day because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says of himself in his Confessions, ‘The love of Christ gave me to these people to serve them humbly and sincerely for my entire lifetime’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’ He was amazed at how much God had done through him, all the more so because he was very aware of his failings and weaknesses. At the beginning of his Confessions he says, ‘although I am imperfect in many ways I want my brothers and sisters and my relatives to know what kind of man I am so that they may understand the aspiration of my life’. Later on in his Confessions he says, ‘I realize that I did not altogether lead a life as perfect as other believers’. Patrick knew that he was a mixture of wheat and weed, like the field in the parable of today’s gospel reading. In that parable the owner of the field does not despise the field because darnel was to be found among the wheat. He was happy to allow both to grow together knowing that they would be separated at harvest time. When the Lord looks upon us, he looks beyond our failings to the good that is within us. Patrick did not allow his awareness of his imperfections to hold him back from doing what he knew God was calling him to do. There is a lesson there for us all, especially in these days when we have become more aware of the church’s imperfections and failings.

On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland. This must have been a hugely traumatic experience for a young adolescent. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day... My faith increased… the spirit was burning within me’. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’. That spiritual awakening had enormous consequences, not only for himself but for the people of the land where he was held captive.

In the course of our lives we can find ourselves in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, the Lord is with us. Our brokenness can provide the openings for the Lord to enter our lives. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, for whatever reason, the Lord will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick, and if we seek the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will grace many others through us.

After six years Patrick said that he was given the opportunity to escape from his captivity. He was directed to a boat some distance from where he was minding sheep. The captain reluctantly took him on board. Three days sailing was followed by twenty eight days journeying through deserted country. At the end of that journey Patrick describes a very dark spiritual experience that he had, ‘when I was asleep Satan tempted me with a violence which I will remember as long as I am in this body. There fell on me as it were a great rock and I could not stir a limb’. However, he goes on to say that when he cried out in prayer he saw the sun rising in the sky and ‘the brilliance of that sun fell suddenly on me and lifted my depression at once’. Reflecting on that experience, he declares, ‘I believe that I was sustained by Christ my Lord and that his Spirit was even then calling out on my behalf’. Patrick was a great missionary but he also struggled with the darker experiences of life. Yet, he knew the Lord’s presence in his darkness of spirit as much as in the success of his mission. Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence in difficult times as well as in good times, in those times when we are more aware of the darnel in our lives than of the wheat.

And/Or

(v) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

Today on the feast of St. Patrick, we remember Patrick as the one who lit a flame that has remained lighting for nearly sixteen hundred years. He was one of the first to preach the gospel in our land; he broke new ground. The Lord could have said of Patrick’s mission what he says in today’s first reading, ‘See, I am doing a new deed, even now it comes to light; can you not see it?’

Two of Patrick’s own writings have been preserved for us. It is above all from his Confession that we get the fascinating story of his life. He was probably born a citizen of Roman Britain and came from a Christian family. Yet, as a youth, his faith was lukewarm. He writes in his Confessions: ‘We had turned away from God; we did not keep his commandments’. At the tender age of sixteen, his rather comfortable world came crashing down around him. Writing in his Confessions, he says: ‘I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people’. Patrick became an emigrant, against his wishes. Many of our young people today find themselves in a similar situation. We probably all know family and friends who have recently emigrated without it being their first choice. Patrick’s forced emigration was of a rougher kind. He was wrenched from the family that loved him by captives, and thrown into a foreign land as a slave. An experience like that could destroy a young man. Yet, Patrick tells us that in this harsh exile, he had a powerful experience of God’s presence. He writes in his Confessions about ‘the great benefits that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in my captivity’. In the wilderness of exile, when everything was taken from him, his faith started to fan into a living flame. In this moment of spiritual re-awaking he could easily have made his own the words of Paul in today’s second reading, ‘I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him... All I want is to know Christ’. Whenever we experience some devastating loss, the suffering can be bitter indeed; we find ourselves at the foot of the cross. Yet, like Patrick, we can also find, perhaps to our surprise, that the risen Lord comes to us in that dark place and touches us deeply.

Patrick goes on to tell us in his Confessions that six years after first coming to Ireland as a slave, at the age of twenty two, he escaped from his captivity and made his way home. What a home coming that must have been for his parents. Patrick states that ‘they earnestly begged me that I should never leave them’. Yet, some years later, he had a vision of a man coming from Ireland with a large number of letters and in that vision he heard a crowd shout with one voice: ‘We ask you, boy, come and walk once more among us’. There and then he decided to answer the call. He first pursued studies for the priesthood, probably in Roman Gaul. After several years he made the journey back to the land of his captivity, initially as a priest. Having established himself as a missionary, he was appointed bishop. He writes in his Confessions: ‘I came to the Irish heathen to preach the good news’. This time Patrick voluntarily went into exile to bring the gospel to the very people who had formerly held him captive. He brought the precious gift of the Christian faith to those who had taken away his freedom many years earlier.

At the heart of the gospel that Patrick preached was the message of the Lord’s love of us in all our frailty and weakness. That is the message of this morning’s gospel reading. The religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus for his judgement. They thought of themselves as good religious people in contrast to the sinful woman. Jesus’ comment, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her’, showed them that they were just as much sinners as she was. The reality is that we are all sinners; we just sin in different ways. The good news of Jesus is that God loves us unconditionally in spite of our sin. To receive that love and allow ourselves to be transformed by it, we simply need the humility to acknowledge our sin and to come before the Lord in our poverty. This was the humility Paul shows in our second reading, ‘Not that I have become perfect yet... but I am still running’. This humility characterized the life of Patrick too and as is clear from the opening words of his Confession, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner, the most unlearned of men, utterly worthless in the eyes of many’. He knew his past was far from perfect. Yet, he came to understand that the Lord is more interested in our present and our future than in our past. That was the message of Jesus to the woman in the gospel reading. It is his message to all of us.

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Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Matthew 18:21-35

To be forgiven, you must forgive

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 18:21-35

Unless each of you forgives your brother and sister, the Father will not forgive you.

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Reflections (8)

(i) Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

In the parable that Jesus speaks in today’s gospel reading, the servant who owed the king a huge amount of money pleaded, ‘Give me time and I will pay you’. Another servant who owed this first servant a relatively small some of money pleaded with him in the same words, ‘Give me time and I will pay you’. Both of them asked for time to pay a debt that they owed. Neither of the two servants was given the time that they asked for. The king simply cancelled the huge debt of the first servant, with the result that the servant did not need time to repay his debt. The first servant had the second servant thrown into prison, with the result that he was deprived of the time that he needed to repay the debt. In this parable, Jesus appears to be drawing a sharp contrast between how God relates to us and how we often relate to each other. When both servants asked for time, they were thinking in terms of work. They needed time to work off what they owed. However, the king gave the servant what he was looking for before he had time to work for it. The parable suggests that God does not ask us to work for the mercy that we need. The forgiveness that God extends to us when we sin is not a response to our efforts. Jesus reveals a God who gives generously to those who have nothing to offer. Having graced us in this extraordinarily generous way, God expects us to grace others in similar ways.

And/Or

(ii) Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

The question that Peter put to Jesus in this morning’s gospel reading suggested that there was a limit to forgiveness. ‘How often must I forgive? As often as seven times?’ When Jesus replied, ‘Not seven, but seventy seven times’, he was suggesting that there was no limit to forgiveness. Peter’s round figure of seven seemed very reasonable. However, it was not reasonable to Jesus. He pushed Peter beyond where Peter was inclined to stop. The exchange between Peter and Jesus reminds us just how demanding the message of Jesus in the gospels is. In a sense, Jesus calls on us to be God-like, in the matter of forgiveness as in other matters. Jesus implies that God’s readiness to forgive those who ask his forgiveness is limitless and our readiness to forgive should also be limitless. Our reading this morning is taken from Matthew’s gospel, and earlier in that gospel, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had called on his disciples to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. In reality, he calls on us to be as merciful as God is merciful, as forgiving as God is forgiving. We certainly need the help of the Holy Spirit, of God’s Spirit, if we are to respond to that call, if we are to be God-like as Jesus was.

And/Or

(iii) Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

Peter has a very significant profile in Matthew’s gospel. It is only in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus addresses him as the rock on which he will build his church. It is only in this gospel that we find Peter asking the question that he asks in this morning’s gospel reading, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ In the Scriptures, seven is a symbol of fullness and completion. To forgive someone seven times would seem to be as far as one could possibly go. However, in reply to Peter’s question Jesus states that we should forgive seventy seven times. In other words, there is to be no limit to our willingness to forgive. However, Jesus was aware that the human tendency was to put a limit on forgiveness; the parable he went on to speak bears that out. In that story, even someone who had been generously forgiven a huge debt could not find it in his heart to forgive another to a much lesser extent. Jesus was aware of how forgiving God was. In the gospel reading he is calling on Peter and on all of us to be God-like in our readiness to forgive. This is one aspect of what Jesus meant when he said earlier in Matthew’s gospel, ‘Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect’.

And/Or

(iv) Tuesday, Third week of Lent

When Peter asked Jesus the question, ‘How many times must I forgive my brother or sister if he wrongs me?’ and then suggests an answer to his own question, ‘as often as seven times?’ Peter’s answer would have sounded very reasonable to most people. Seven was considered the perfect number; to forgive seven times was perfect forgiveness. However, Jesus goes further that Peter’s suggested answer, ‘seventy seven times’. In other words, forgiveness must be limitless. The parable he goes on to speak explains why this must be so. The first servant owed the king ten thousand talents, which was an astronomical sum at the time. In cancelling the debt the king shows extraordinary generosity; mercy certainly triumphs over justice. The parable is reminding us that God’s readiness to forgive is limitless. There is nothing calculating about God’s mercy. It goes beyond what is normally found in the world of human experience. All that is required to release such mercy is to ask for it. When the first servant was approached by a fellow servant who owed him a very small sum, this first servant who had been so greatly graced acted without mercy towards his fellow servant. The parable is suggesting that when people are in debt to us, it is nothing compared to how much we are in debt to God, and if God is endless in his mercy towards us, we must be limitless in our mercy towards others. Such a willingness and ability to forgive those who have wronged us won’t always come easy to us. It will often be a lifetime’s work. It is our growing awareness of how great God’s mercy is towards us that will free us to show mercy to others eventually.

And/Or

(v) Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

You often hear the saying, ‘time is money’. That understanding of time seems to be present in this morning’s gospel reading. When the servant who owed the king a staggering amount of money discovered that he and all his family and possessions were to be sold into slavery to pay the debt, he asked the king for time to pay the debt, ‘Give me time and I will pay the whole sum’. The king agreed to his servant’s request. When the servant subsequently met a fellow servant who owed him a very small amount of money, his fellow servant made the same request of him that he had made of the king, ‘Give me time and I will pay you’. However the servant was not prepared to grant his fellow servant the precious gift of time, the time he needed to pay off the debt. Time can symbolize money but it can symbolize so much else as well. It can also symbolize forgiveness. Giving time to someone can be saying, ‘I withhold judgement for now’. One of the greatest gifts we can give to another is the gift of time. One of the messages of this morning’s parable may be that the Lord is much more generous with the gift of time that we are. The Lord gives us time to put things right, to return to him with all our heart, to give him the place in our lives that he deserves. As one of the letters of the New Testament puts it, ‘with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years’. The parable calls on us to give this gift of time to others with the same generosity that the Lord gives this gift to us.

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(vi) Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

Today’s first reading from the Book of Daniel is one of the great acts of sorrow for sin in the Jewish Scriptures. It is a communal act of sorrow. Although prayed by an individual, it is prayed on behalf of all the people. ‘Now we are despised throughout the world today because of our sins’. That confession of sin is followed by a firm promise to take a new path, ‘Now we put our whole heart into following you, into fearing you and seeking your face once more’. The prayer expresses confidence in God’s mercy, ‘Treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful’. The people can make this prayer for mercy, in the confidence that the God of mercy will hear it. Although it is a Jewish prayer, it could be prayed by any Christian, as is the case with so many Jewish prayers. This prayer is reflected in the request of the servant in the gospel reading who threw himself at his master’s feet, imploring him, ‘Give me time and I will pay the whole sum’. He owed a very large sum of money to his master and needed time to pay it off. The master in the parable gave him more than he asked for. He simply cancelled the vast debt so that the time asked for was superfluous. There is an image here of God whose response to our prayer for mercy is always more generous than we could imagine. Having been graced so abundantly, the servant refused to grant a much smaller grace to a fellow servant who also asked for time to pay off a much smaller debt. As a result, the first servant lost the forgiveness he had been granted. Jesus is reminding us in this parable, that we are to give as we have received. The abundant mercy we have received from God obliges us to pass some of it on to others. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’.

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(vii) Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

The first reading today is one of the great prayers for forgiveness in the Jewish Scriptures. The prayer reflects the experience of exile, after the overthrow of the king and the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. ‘We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince, no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense, no place where we can offer you the first fruits’. The Temple, where people traditionally looked for and received God’s forgiveness is gone. Yet, the person praying is not despondent. They may not be able to offer sacrifices in the Temple, but they can offer another, more significant sacrifice, which doesn’t require a Temple, namely, ‘the contrite soul, the humbled spirit’ This sacrifice of a contrite soul and humble spirit gives the person praying confidence that God’s forgiveness will be forthcoming, ‘those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed’. The mood of this prayer is very close to the message of Jesus. He came to reassure people, as God’s Son, that those who put their trust in God’s mercy, those who look to God for forgiveness with a contrite spirit and heart, will receive God’s mercy in abundance. God does not withhold his mercy from those who seek it. That message finds expression in story form in the parable Jesus speaks in today’s gospel reading. The servant who owed an unpayable debt to his master has that debt cancelled because the servant pleaded with the master with a contrite soul and heart. If the first part of the parable has that consoling message, the second part has a more challenging message. We are to give to others, as we have received from God. We are to forgive others, when forgiveness is asked of us, just as God forgives us when we ask to be forgiven.

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(viii) Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

It has been said that everyone is in favour of forgiveness until they have someone to forgive. It is easy to talk about the value of forgiveness but not so easy to give expression to that value in our lives when the need arises. It is only when we see forgiveness in action that we realize what a powerful reality it is. I was very struck by an expression of forgiveness in recent weeks. In the aftermath of the killings in Christchurch, a Muslim man in a wheelchair was in one of the Mosques at the time of the shooting. His wife was killed trying to protect him. The following day, he was asked by a member of the media what he would say to the mass murderer, if he were to meet him. He said, ‘I will tell him that inside him he has great potential to be a generous person, to be a kind person, to be a person who would save people, save humanity, rather than destroy them’. He went on to say, ‘I hope and I pray for him he would be a great civilian one day. I don’t have any grudge’. Such willingness to forgive in the face of evil leaves us all feeling very humbled. Here was a man who had so much to forgive and he freely forgave. In such moments, we catch a glimpse of God’s forgiveness. In the parable Jesus told, the master had much to forgive his servant but he forgave him freely. This same servant, having been forgiven so generously, subsequently had very little to forgive someone else but refused to do so. The parable suggests that God’s willingness to forgive generously is not in doubt. What can be in doubt is our willingness to pass on the forgiveness we have received to those who sin against us.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

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