#trespasser defector
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Joey stayed on the Island after everything went down, and now considers Trespasser Defector family. She's happy that he found companionship in Order Remnant, GHOST Enforcer, SHADOW Enforcer, and Svenja.
Fortnite Headcanon #107
Joey stayed on the Island after everything went down, and now considers Trespasser Defector family. She's happy that he found companionship in Order Remnant, GHOST Enforcer, SHADOW Enforcer, and Svenja.
#fortnite headcanons#headcanon#hc: relationships#joey#trespasser defector#ghost enforcer#shadow enforcer#Svenja#order remnant
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The SG/DJD from your sentient sg/ll universe did what?👀
OK SO
My interpretation of the Shattered Glass DJD is that they’re a humanitarian group who search for missing or captured Decepticons to rescue. They would’ve started out as a team who brought defectors and Autobots to justice (morally), hence their name, but they eventually expanded their operation into becoming a rescue squad. I also like to think they do Girl Scout things like hand out cookies but that’s besides the point 😆
Personalitywise I imagine Tarn is a bold, noble, sometimes excitable leader not unlike Thunderclash, Kaon is sweet but incredibly shy, Vos is a little clumsy but means well, Helex is a skittish gentle giant, and Tesarus is the joke cracker. The Pet exists too, but they call him Dominus; he had originally been an Autobot sleeper agent before attempting to defect to the Decepticons, getting caught, and being domesticated as punishment. The DJD would take him in and begin finding a way to fix him. The DJD are less business associates and more of a found family. (Also their alt modes aren't torture devices anymore: Helex is a heavy vehicle, Tesarus is a cannon, and Kaon is an electrical generator.)
Like in the normal comic, the business they have with the LL isn’t with the one that we follow, but its quantum duplicate caused by the initial engine explosion. Overlord (peachlord but he wouldn’t have been peach yet), who had gone missing since the Elba incursion, would be their highest priority for search and rescue, being the most powerful Decepticon warrior and a close friend of Tarn’s. After their business on Clemency, Kaon would have picked up a distress signal coming from somewhere in deep space. As they approach that sector, they also pick up on Overlord’s life signal in the same region the first one came from.
Long story short, tracking the two signals leads them to the duplicate Lost Light. The distress signal and Overlord’s signal both originated here, which worries them; but nevertheless they enter the ship, and are greeted with a horrifying sight. Dead bodies are strewn about, some tangled up in cords while others have torn limbs. The vast majority, however, look as if they simply dropped dead, with no visible wounds on them. Vos would run an analysis on the bodies and deduce that they had ingested some kind of lethal substance—gas, most likely—that forced their systems into a permanent shutdown. From what he can tell, these bodies are recently deceased; shortly before, during, or after the time period in which the distress signal was received.
Little do they know that they’re already being watched. The Lost Light is well aware of who they are, and they are also aware of why they’re here. They don’t take kindly to intruders disturbing the peace of their crew, so they intend to trap the DJD in the same place Overlord is in: the slow cell, which they find after what seems like ages of searching and carefully stepping past the unsettlingly peaceful-looking bodies.
When they free Overlord from the cell, they find that the teal Decepticon has been heavily sedated and can barely walk. Helex and Tesarus hoist their arms around him to carry him out with the others, but before they can do that, the slow cell door shuts and the Lost Light finally reveals themself.
“I am not fond of trespassers,” they boom with barely hidden ire. “If wish to defile this place to retrieve your charge, then you will stay with him until you rot.”
The DJD are taken aback by the omnipresent voice, and while some (Helex) begin to panic that they don’t have any way out, Tarn takes the lead and blasts a hole through the door with his fusion cannon. The group with Overlord pile out and begin to make their break for the ship (not called the peaceful tyranny here… Peaceful Truth? Prosperous Truth?). The LL attempts to trap them and grab them with their intricate systems but they’re able to blast through everything and fight everything back, and they eventually reach their ship and they pull away from the LL. They believe they’re safe as they steer the PT away, but then they transform, revealing that they’re a massive Cybertronian who now dwarfs them. A battle ensues, the PT shooting at the duplicate LL as they attempt to swat/crush it. The PT lands a perfect shot into LL’s optics, rendering them blind as they scream, and one final barrage through their chassis deals the killing blow. The DJD, shaken by the close call, watch as the duplicate LL keels over and falls silent. Soon after the PT flies away, the titan succumbs to rigormorphis and transforms back into their alternate mode, cold and dead just like the hundreds of bodies inside them.
Some of the DJD, particularly Helex, are slightly traumatized by the ordeal. They'd been surrounded by corpses before, but not in a way like this. And to realize that the walls around them could see them and speak to them, and urge to kill them... well, if a seemingly lifeless ship could be alive, then what else is there? Who else is there?
#sentient lost light au#shattered glass#djd#tarn#helex#tesarus#kaon#vos#cjj arts#lost light#maccadam#transformers#mtmte#overlord#cjj askbox#soundcrusher
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Defectors AU bits:
-it's a hc of mine that in Canon, Tseebo had always been the one taking pictures of his friends and family. The photo of the Bridger Family? Taken by Tseebo. So in the Defectors AU, Tseebo still takes photos. Kallus isn't really aware of most of them. He knows that Tseebo takes them, but Kallus never saw any of them. Before Tseebo left for the imperial experiment, he gave Sumar every holochip he had to be kept safe. Sumar didn't want to leave them on the farm, so he hid them somewhere else. After awhile, it is assumed that the photos were lost.
-Zeb and Kallus interact the most when Kallus is acting as Fulcrum, and after Bahryn, they're on much friendlier terms with each other (for the most part). And this does not go unnoticed by Ezra.at first he teases them both relentlessly (at separate times, of course) about them having a super secret friendship. Kallus is not able to hide shit from Ezra, and at this point neither is Zeb. Ezra is the second one to figure out that they're developing feelings for each other by some time s3 ish. And he immediately starts telling Kallus that he IS going to be Kal's Made of Honor at his wedding. And Kallus just rolls his eyes, happily annoyed over Ezra making jokes at his expense because he honestly thought the day would never return. (Kallus is not the first one to figure out his growing feelings. He isn't the third. Or fourth. In fact, he's the last.)
-once Kallus is reveled as Fulcrum, Sabine ropes him into helping her graffiti and deface imperial property. Meaning he stumbles across her trespassing on her free time and nearly panics over trying to make sure she finishes whatever she's doing and LEAVES- "Stars, kid, one of these days you are going to get CAUGHT-" most of the time, though, it's Sabine using it as an excuse to spend time with him, crack away at his defenses bit by bit so she can convince him that he can allow himself to break away from the empire and join the rebellion. (This ends up being a Kanan-Sabine team effort.)
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Friends in the torn sky
by Arty_Girl
"Ira raised an eyebrow at Stellan, not that the Warden could see it.
'Stellan, buddy, do you need a hug?'
Stellan sniffled. The group thought they had imagined it until he sniffled again."
-
With the Rift Gate having problems, Stellan isn't having a very good day. His... friends want to comfort him.
Words: 1060, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Series: Part 2 of Hench Quintet (Fortnite)
Fandoms: Fortnite (Video Game)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: Gen
Characters: Rift Warden Stellan (Fortnite), Order Remnant (Fortnite), Ghost Enforcer (Fortnite), Shadow Enforcer (Fortnite), Trespasser Defector (Fortnite), Svenja (Fortnite)
Relationships: Rift Warden Stellan & Hench Quintet (Fortnite), Hench Quintet (Fortnite), Ghost Enforcer/Shadow Enforcer (Fortnite), Order Remnant/Trespasser Defector (Fortnite)
Additional Tags: Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, stellan is not having a good day, the quintet care about him actually, semi-related note i'm working on getting all five of the skins, i only need trespasser defector now, played as order remnant while doing the last oathbound quests so now this happened, He/Him and She/Her and They/Them Pronouns for Trespasser Defector (Fortnite), He/Him and Fae/Faer and They/Them Pronouns for Shadow Enforcer (Fortnite), She/Her and He/Him Pronouns for Svenja (Fortnite), It/Its and He/Him and No Pronouns for Order Remnant (Fortnite), Order Remnant is named Ira, Trespasser Defector is named Tav, Ghost Enforcer is named Gavin, Shadow Enforcer is named Shale, i know nothing about the shapeless man but i'm going to beat his ass, i passed that desire onto the quintet lmao
source https://archiveofourown.org/works/45593599
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Be With You
seonghwa x reader
basically king's-right-hand!seonghwa x spy-thought-traitor!reader idk what to call it im sorry
genre and warnings: fluff, angst, suggestive, violence warning, traumatic flashbacks warning
word count: 23k
synopsis: you encounter seonghwa on the road in your homeland eden when you finally escape imprisonment in utopia, sent as a defector when in reality your king betrayed you, his most loyal intelligence agent, and tainted your name in order to wage war on utopia. you save seonghwa's life and learn that he works in the castle and plan to use him to get to the castle and save your sister who is imprisoned there as leverage over you. however, you and seonghwa fall for each other despite the truth you so clearly hide. would he stay loyal to the king once he learns the truth and kill you? would he truly think you used and betrayed him? or would he join sides with you and clear your name?
Your legs and lungs were burning from running for miles now.
You had no time to catch your breath, and how could you, when you had trespassed into your own homeland and your own people who once looked at you as a beacon of hope now thought of you as the reason for their misfortunes?
Finding a good cover under a fallen tree, you slid under the branches, not minding the sharp edges digging into your skin. You wrapped the bandages around your hands tighter, ready for a fistfight if the situation called for it, but you were going to rely on your daggers for the most part of it. You heard the faint sound of careful footsteps- you were sure it was the guards from the border- they must have followed you. That meant that your identity was exposed. Taking a few deep breaths, you gripped daggers in both your hands, and as soon as one of the men jumped in front of you- unaware of your presence, you sliced his calves, earning a yelp of pain and you made your way to the next cover of trees, narrowly dodging arrows. You ran almost a mile before you noticed something strange-
There were two sets of bows being used- they were different in built and colour. That meant…
There was someone else being chased as well.
Before you could think of creating confusion and leading both the parties in the possible suspect's direction, you felt strong hands grip your arm and cover your mouth, a low whisper in your ear telling you to shut up and freeze if you wanted to live.
You didn't protest- you were at a disadvantage. You could feel the man's hard built against your back, the hilts of his daggers digging into your back. You waited till the passage was clear.
"Follow me- we're both being chased so I think it's better if we stick together for now."
A subtle nod from you gave you your freedom and you gasped for air before running along silently with him, his hood drawn over most of his face. His hands guided you along his path and you followed- you'd follow for now but you would attack at the slightest suspicious move from him.
"There!" Someone yelled and you both cursed before he took your hand and started running, surprised to find you matching his pace. You were out of your own arrows so you borrowed one from his quiver, successfully targeting the man closest to you. He was just going to comment on it when you spotted an arrow aiming for him and a reflexive push from you saved his heart but not his shoulder. He winced in pain, tripping on his feet and you took the chance to take more arrows out of his quiver and shoot them on anyone nearby.
"Hey, get up, we don't have time for this," you shot another arrow, glancing at him.
"Give me a second," he groaned, getting up and the hood fell from his face, revealing dark tendrils of hair matted to his forehead.
"How many are after you?"
"Just a few," he loaded his own bow with some effort and covered your back, shooting. "You?"
"Just a few," you grinned, "Think we have enough arrows?"
Which was how the two of you ended up shooting everyone, mostly just injured while some may have died. You finally turned, looking up at the tall and very-
Very handsome man in front of you, his sharp features highlighted in the dim rays of sun that fell on your faces. You whistled, "Who are you?"
"Who are you?" He countered, scanning you, "And why are there so many guards after you? Aren't they from the border?"
You made a quick decision to lie, "They caught me trying to cross the border," you said, when in reality, the opposite had happened- you entered here. "You?"
"Just a guard at the castle," he ran his eyes across the field for any signs of more men after you, "You must have had good training if you can fight assassins."
Ah. He must have an important post at the castle if there were assassins after him. Or… "You killed someone?"
He looked at you, "Didn't we both?"
You shrugged, wincing at the sight of the arrow sticking out from his shoulder. "You might want to get that out."
"Do I now?" He sighed, slumping on the ground and resting his back on a tree trunk, "It's poisoned. As soon as you take it out, it is going to spread."
You scoffed, "And you'll die?"
He raised a brow and you shook your head, throwing your bag with his and sitting across him. "I can help with that. I am a, you could say… expert. Poison expert. I just need to see it first."
He narrowed his eyes at you, "That's gonna earn my trust real quick."
"Would you rather walk around with an arrow sticking out of you? If so, be my guest-"
"Okay. Okay, I'll trust you this once. Since the worst that could happen is death, which is gonna happen either way…" he made a pained face, "I suppose you could have a look."
"What do I get in return?"
He scoffed loud enough to wake the dead, shaking his head, "I should have seen this coming. What do you want?"
"I'll call the favour when I need it," you decided, gesturing to him to unhook his cloak. He did so with a grunt, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal-
"Ah…" you shook your head at the already purplish tint his skin was beginning to take. "We might wanna find cover first before I gather some ingredients, let me just-" you leaned forward, sniffing the wound twice and nodding, ignoring his surprised face, "Someone really meant to kill you, Mr…"
"Park Seonghwa," he muttered, getting up with a huff, "Might as well know since it looks like I'm living my last moments-"
"Easy, easy," you caught him before he fell, "Dizziness is the first symptom of Rose."
"Rose?"
You tsk-ed at his frown, "It's what I named the poison. The deadliest of the poisons but the loveliest smell, like a rose."
"And what's the real name?"
"That I do not care to remember," you helped him walk, taking cover in the thickness of the trees. It was getting dark and you needed to make a tent, and then there was this problem.
You should have run away in the first place.
"I'm sorry to bother you, I could have taken care of this, but…"
"Don't speak right now," you warned, helping him lie down. You scrambled through your pouch and took out a few different vials, mixing the right amounts of chemicals and then adding a herb you found on your way for extra measure. Seonghwa watched you with interest, noticing how quick you worked. In a matter of minutes you had everything ready.
"This is gonna hurt, so take this," you gave him a piece of leather to chew on.
"I'm used to the pain," he shrugged.
"I'm sure you are," you challenged, "but if you haven't been hit by this poison before? You're not ready. Trust me."
Sighing, he put the leather in his mouth and you, without hesitation, took the arrow out swiftly, earning a very loud moan of pain. You put one hand on his mouth to shut him up and used the other hand to put the bandage soaked with the antidote on his wound. You waited till he stopped screaming to take off your hand and then you made him drink three drops of the same antidote, which he swallowed with immense struggle due to its extremely bitter taste.
"What were you thinking when you named this poison rose?" He groaned, shaking his head.
You ignored him, "It's going to take you a while to heal. Do you have a companion with you or were you on this journey alone?"
"Alone," he confirmed.
You nodded, telling him to stay upright and you searched your bag for food. The fruits in his bag were enough for dinner. You were far too exhausted to go hunt for meat.
And he noticed. As you lit a fire, fixing your tent, his gaze followed you, taking note of your movements. He wondered who you were, and curiosity took the better of him when you sat down in front of the fire, eating apples.
"What's your name?"
You glanced at him- you'd never tell anyone your name.
"You're not going to tell me your real name, are you?" He laughed a little, "So what do I call you?"
"Let's see…" you glanced at the sky, "How about… Chaewol? Similar to your name, isn't it?"
"Bright moon… fair enough," he nodded, "So. Who are you? What led you to try and cross the border into the enemy nation?"
You smirked, "Come on, you think I'll tell you when you're one of the king's dogs?" He looked thoroughly offended at that and you continued, "I mean that with no disrespect to you, by the way. Just that you serve that man so I'll be at a disadvantage to tell you."
Seonghwa nodded, “I understand.”
Something about the way he said that made you wonder if he was actually just ‘one of the guards’ as well. Had he lied to you too? You watched him wipe his hands with a kerchief, noticing how he was well mannered.
There was no way he was ‘just’ a guard. You smiled to yourself and he caught that, asking you what was so funny.
“Nothing,” you stifled your grin, “You’re quite well mannered.”
“Am I?” He shifted, “You’re quite educated- and quick..”
“Hmm, poisons? Survival skills are necessary for anyone, don’t you think?”
“I haven’t really seen many women in that department, which is why I pointed it out,” he scanned your face. "You're from here, right?"
"Of course I am," you nodded.
"Why were you trying to trespass to Utopia?"
You sighed, poking the burning woods with a stick, "Eden hasn't been so kind to me."
"Are you one of the rebels?"
You scoffed at that. "If I was, Mr. Park Seonghwa Who Works For The King, I would have made sure the poison did its work."
Seonghwa chuckled deeply, shaking his head. "I just thought you might be, since you seem to have a problem with the King. My apologies."
"You don't have to be a rebel to have a problem with your king," you smiled knowingly at him, "You might have a problem with your king too, as little or insignificant as it may seem. Isn't that so?"
Seonghwa thought for a second before nodding, "You're right. I was quick to make assumptions. I'm usually not like this," he shifted in his position again to make himself more comfortable.
"Must be the poison," you muttered, the amusement in your voice making him smile to himself.
When he finally fell asleep, you cursed yourself deeply. You cursed the king he served and you cursed yourself again for getting comfortable with the man who served the person you hated most in this world.
To be fair, Seonghwa wasn't to blame. But you…
You were on a mission. And you'd do anything to make sure everything happens smoothly. You'd use Seonghwa as long as you could. Now that you were finally in your homeland Eden after two years of imprisonment in Utopia, you needed to find your sister. But first…
You'd make the King face his judgement.
You looked at Seonghwa… he could be the means to get to the castle undetected. No one would recognise you anymore. Everyone had forgotten you.
Once known as Eden's Hope… you were just a defector now.
The bitter taste on your tongue at the old memories made it hard to sleep that night.
—----------------
The smell of something burning woke Seonghwa up, blinking several times to adjust to the bright light now that his arm was away from his face. He glanced around and finally found the source which was you, roasting what looked like some sort of a vegetable on the fire.
Seonghwa took a few moments to recall the events of the previous evening. He had been travelling back from his parent’s home back to the castle- it was both a relief and a pain that the castle and his parent’s home were at the opposite ends of Eden. For some reason, his parents always liked the fact that they lived so far away from the castle, even though it meant they would not get to see their son more often. For their privacy and relief, Seonghwa travelled unnoticed whenever he visited them.
“There are just some things you’ll never understand, son,” his father used to say, “The castle and those who dwell keep rotting in their soul with every passing day.”
Seonghwa really did not understand. The people who lived in the castle weren’t all that bad. The King… majority of the public had a problem with him but since Seonghwa was the King’s Right Hand, he could understand that every action, every step that the king took had to do with the eventual greater good- something the public couldn’t understand well.
And perhaps you were one of them too. Seonghwa wondered why you hated the King- it was painfully obvious on your otherwise emotionless face- and he got that from just one meeting.
He also wondered how he had missed how frail you looked- as if you had been starving for a while now. There was no way you were that quick both mentally and physically while you looked like a sick kid. Perhaps it hadn’t always been like that for you-
Seonghwa didn’t realise he had been staring until you clicked your fingers when you spotted his eyes on you. “Done staring?”
“Sorry,” he groaned as he tried to move, finding his arm very numb and sudden panic overtook him as he got up abruptly and tried to shake it-
“Don’t worry, the numbness will fade with time,” you took a bite of the potato you had been roasting.
Seonghwa visibly relaxed and you shook your head. You roasted the rest of the potatoes while he went to clean himself up first. He settled down in front of you after that, changed and looking paler than before. You offered him some and he glanced at you before he took a bite, making a face. “I wish we had some seasoning.”
“Be grateful you have something to eat other than what you have in your bag.”
“I lost most of my food it seems,” he shook his head.
“Why were you being chased in the first place?” You asked. He hadn’t really given an answer earlier.
“Let’s just say they found out who I was. We’re not on good terms.”
So he was staying tight-lipped. You whistled, “Do you think you’ll encounter more of them on our way? Because we need to be prepared if we do-”
“What about you?” He scanned you again- it looked like a habit of his, “Do you think those ‘guards from the border’ will come after you again?”
You scoffed, “Sarcasm noted. I think they won’t, because they don’t know who I am. They don’t recognise me. On the other hand, you…” You purposely let your eyes travel all over him rather slowly, “look very recognisable, Mr. Park Seonghwa.”
Seonghwa tried stifling his smile, “I guess we’ll just have to be careful then.”
“Ah, so you’re used to it,” you nodded, blowing on the fire and taking Seonghwa by surprise- you were quick. You knew more than you were letting on. “Where are we headed?”
“We?”
“In case you forgot,” you raised a brow, “you owe me your life.”
“So you want to accompany me back to the castle?”
“I guess I can tag along,” you put your hands over your hips as you looked into the distance, “You see, I was… away for a while. I need to catch up on Eden’s politics, and you seem like you’ll know more than the average person since you know, you’re… just a guard at the castle.”
Seonghwa’s smirk changed into a smile of disbelief. “So you’ve been ‘away’? Where, if I might ask?”
“Ah, you don’t need to know,” you waved a hand in dismissal. “You’re making me recall the incredibly boring time I spent in Mist Island.”
Seonghwa narrowed his eyes, “I’m sure you must know much about Eden’s politics then. Mist Island loves to gossip about us.”
“Gossip is not reliable though, is it?” You pointed out and Seonghwa nodded- that was true.
Packing your stuff, you and Seonghwa started walking along the stream. You let him guide the way, getting lost in how real the sounds of nature sounded- unlike anything you tried imagining when you were hanging between life and death in the prison in Utopia not long ago. You shook your head and Seonghwa turned, scanning your face.
“Did Mist Island starve you? Now that you don’t have so many clothes on…”
“Let’s say I had trouble eating,” you muttered.
“So why are you trying to enter Utopia illegally?” He asked after a moment, “Why not travel properly?”
“I can’t bother with all the paperwork, and the purpose for which I’m going to Utopia…” you sighed, wondering if you were making the right call twisting the story for him- perhaps you could play with the pity element now, “Utopia has my sister. They took her without a reason, back when things weren’t so good between Eden and Utopia. You know they can be barbarians at times.”
Seonghwa paused for a moment before resuming his walk, trying to find the words- he couldn’t imagine the desperation you must have been feeling if you risked trespassing into Utopia for your sister, even after so long- it meant this wasn’t the first time you tried. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I have to say that it’s risky enough to trespass to save her as well.”
“I know, but it’s the only option I have left,” you put emphasis on ‘left’, making him wonder just how much you must have tried, “I went to Mist Island to catch up on my training and learn how I could save her.” Lies. You’d been in prison, stretching your limbs to the extremes and using the chains to work out when no one was looking. You’d been absorbing every ounce of information you could hear.
But Seonghwa did not need to know that.
“It’s definitely not the only option, and seeing how you almost got caught, I’d say you’ll have to think of other ways. Perhaps a more legal one, or perhaps…”
“Go on.”
Seonghwa gave you the side-eye, “I’m not spilling. Figure it out yourself.”
“How useless,” you muttered, “I saved your life, Seonghwa. I think I should call this favour instead-”
“It’s easy enough, perhaps you’ve thought of it but dismissed it as too much paperwork,” Seonghwa was smiling, glancing at you once before turning back to the road, “Come on. Haven’t you thought about wearing a disguise?”
You smirked, “What makes you think I’m not wearing one right now?”
Seonghwa stopped altogether as he looked at you and you rolled your eyes- he was too gullible- but you hadn’t been lying. “Come on. You’re wearing a disguise too.”
“Oh. Right,” he shook his head as he resumed walking, “You know, you have a way with words. You make me more confused than any one has in my life, and it hasn’t even been a day.”
“That means I’m doing a good job,” you smiled to yourself.
“See?” He scoffed, “You did it again.”
“Anyways,” you waved a hand in dismissal, “Disguise. I suppose it could work. And once I enter Utopia… What do you suggest I do? I heard from an acquaintance that she’s being held in the castle dungeons.”
“Your ‘acquaintance’ should have done something about it, shouldn’t he?”
You narrowed your eyes- it looked like Seonghwa wasn’t completely buying your story. “That acquaintance is dead now because he tried so.”
Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek, “I’m sorry to hear that. Well… I suppose to get into the castle, you should either have an army or you should be able to walk in broad daylight without being suspected.”
“How do you suppose I could do that?”
“Let’s see…” he kicked a stone in his way as he thought about it, “You could befriend someone and earn their trust. You could use someone, threaten them, whatever works better. Or…”
“I know what you’re thinking,” you commented on the way he was looking at you, “You think I can make it with a little help- you think I can survive going in and out of the castle.”
“You’re well trained, that’s all I’m saying,” he sighed, “I can’t believe I’m giving ideas about trespassing when I’m a freaking guard.”
“How ironic,” you laughed a little, “Are we going to march to the castle too or are you getting us a horse?”
He told you he was going to the stables without you telling him to, though you suspected he would have walked all the way to the castle if he could- he was very determined to walk and not grab on to you for support or slow down when a wave of dizziness would hit him. After lunch at an inn, you stood in front of the single horse he had left here earlier.
“I’m not buying or renting another horse, I don’t have enough money,” Seonghwa got up on the horse, resting his head down for a few moments before straightening- he was going to catch a fever at this rate and that would be bad for the both of you.
“That’s not why I’m sulking,” you muttered, “You have to take me to the castle.”
“I am taking you to the castle- not inside, of course, let’s be clear on that. I’ll just be dropping you off in the town.”
“Whatever. The problem is that you are gonna catch a fever by tonight and I’m done playing nurse. So why don’t you rest tonight and not catch a fever so we can move early tomorrow?”
“It’s too risky staying here. There are a lot of rebels here, and I’m sure they’ve spotted me by now, so hop on.”
You bit your lip- your goal was to keep Seonghwa alive so he could take you to the castle. You needed to get inside, and with the way things were going, you were sure he’d be calling you a ‘friend’ in no time and would actually let you inside the castle.
And then you’d have to get rid of him.
But the way he was extending his hand, his cheeks flush… he was a good soul. It was a pity things had to be this way.
—------------------
“Do not fall down, I cannot pick you up, you weigh a ton!” You scolded Seonghwa, grabbing his hands and locking them around your waist, his head resting against your back and you sighed, taking control of the horse.
Seonghwa had been stubborn enough that he insisted on travelling throughout the night, but he ended up catching a fever earlier than you thought. You noticed when you felt his breaths getting uneven and you touched his hand that was on your side, holding the reins, to find it burning hot.
You immediately took the reins from him which was when he gave up and rested his head on your back, sighing. “I think we should stop.”
“You think?” You scoffed, “When’s the nearest town? I need supplies for your medicine- normal medicines won’t work on you anymore.”
“Half an hour,” his grip around your waist tightened as if he was afraid of falling down, “Wake me up when we get there.”
“No, you cannot sleep. You might not wake up,” you stopped the horse, turning to face him, holding his face in your hands and pushing his hair away, slapping his cheeks lightly to make him open his eyes. “You need to keep talking, Seonghwa. You cannot sleep.”
“Okay, I understand,” he nodded, “Let’s go.”
You resumed the horse ride and Seonghwa went back to his position. You squeezed his hand once, “Tell me about something- your childhood, your dreams, anything.”
“Well,” his voice was weak but he cleared his throat- he would try, “I never thought I’d end up in the castle- at my post, of all things.”
“What exactly about your post was so unimaginable?”
You could feel him smile against your back, “I’m still fully conscious, Chaewol, I’m not spilling.”
You scoffed but couldn’t help but smile at that. “Well, go on then. Keep talking. Maybe I’ll actually learn a thing or two.”
Seonghwa sighed, “I miss my home. I miss the farm. I miss being carefree- but then again, that was 20 some years ago. I think I just miss being… free.”
“You are a free man, Seonghwa,” your voice was hard as memories made way, “Remember that as long as you are not chained in the dungeons for a crime you didn’t do, you are free.”
Seonghwa was silent for a moment. “And if I actually did a crime?”
“Then you brought it upon yourself. Then you deserve every part of it.”
“Makes sense,” he nodded, “I am free… that’s true. But sometimes, you’re captive to the responsibilities and the burden on your shoulders.”
“The poison’s making you poetic, Seonghwa.”
“And what makes you think I’m not poetic otherwise?”
“Ah,” you smirked, “Is that so?”
Seonghwa adjusted himself, straightening and putting his chin on your shoulder. You were caught by surprise and a sudden fear-
“Is it okay if I sit like this? Because I think I’m gonna fall anytime soon.”
His voice was so cautious and hesitant that it made your heart melt a little. You shut your eyes for a second, getting rid of the thoughts and looked down at his hands hovering in the air. You took them and wrapped them around your waist. “Thank you for asking.”
Seonghwa was silent for a few moments and you almost thought he’d fallen asleep until you felt his fingers caress your waist a little, “You’re all bones, Chaewol.” You didn’t reply and he took that as an answer, “I’m going to make sure you look like a pig by the time we reach the Capital.”
It was the first time in more than two years that you burst out with laughter, utterly surprised at your own outburst which made you laugh harder. You could feel Seonghwa shaking his head slightly. "You have a cute laugh."
"Shut up, Seonghwa," your cheeks were flushed.
"I thought I needed to keep talking."
"I think I changed my mind," you announced and he shook with laughter.
"Well…" Seonghwa began, "Can you tell me about your life then?"
"That's a big no," you sighed, "you should be doing the talking."
"Okay, I'll ask you something," he decided.
"Don't ask something weird," you muttered.
"What do you want to do after you get your sister back?"
For a moment you were back to being 16, chasing after your sister in the field of flowers that your grandparents owned, her laugh filling your head before Seonghwa's uneven breath against your neck brought you back to the present.
"I… I never thought about it," you admitted. It was probably the first truth you were revealing to Seonghwa about yourself. "I think a more pressing concern is whether she's… alive."
"She must be," Seonghwa mumbled, "I mean… you would have known in your heart if something happened, wouldn't you?"
You let out a short laugh, "I don't think my heart was in the state to "know" in the past two years."
As soon as you said that, you knew Seonghwa had a way with himself and his words… he was unintentionally going to make you reveal things you didn't want to tell anyone. "What happened, Chaewol?"
The sight of the faint lights of the town approaching made you sigh with relief. "We're here. I think I should take us to buy the supplies first."
On your order, Seonghwa told you about the town and gave you directions to the supplies shop, where you bought what you needed. You tied your horse and helped Seonghwa down, having to drag him all the way to the room, where you dumped him on the bed. His face was red and covered in sweat. You immediately ran a bucket of cold water and started cleaning the wound, ordering him to clean his face with a towel- something to keep him busy and working. You blended the mix of supplies into a thick paste and applied it on the very angry wound, earning a shriek from him.
"The more it hurts, the better it is," you smiled.
"You love seeing me in pain, don't you?" Seonghwa sighed, finishing cleaning his face and running his hand through his hair repeatedly until it was swept back.
"I'm going to bring us dinner," you got up, "I'll give you a riddle to solve while I'm away."
"Oh please," he grimaced, "I won't fall asleep."
"Imagine that you are… a spy," you grinned at him and he shook his head in amusement.
"You have a wild imagination."
"It gets wilder," you looked at him. "You're a spy for your nation. Suppose you have to do something for your nation that… let's say, might prevent war."
"Sounds like a novel I once read."
"Maybe it is," you smiled knowingly, "Suppose your king wants war but you have the information that could bring peace. What should your king do, in that case?"
"Obviously prefer peace?"
You walked to the door, "But your king wants war. And you… you decide to take matters into your own hands. You succeed. But now… the king must decide whether your act was heroic or not- admitting that it was would make him seem small. Complete the story while I'm away."
With that, you left, taking a few moments for yourself, reminding yourself that whatever his answer was, you could not judge him on that- because it was always different when you were the one actually making the decision.
Not that it justified anything that your own King had done to you, his most devoted spy.
When you returned with soap, stew and loaves of bread for dinner, you almost panicked when you saw Seonghwa's eyes shut. But he opened one eye to look at you when you placed the tray on the table.
"I almost didn't hear you."
"I almost thought you died or something," you muttered, putting a hand on your heart in relief, "Come on now. Get up."
Seonghwa was staring at you as if waiting for something and you raised your brows. "Aren't you going to help me up?"
"No," you sat down on the chair, "I'd love to see you struggle."
Seonghwa grimaced, "I don't think I can get up."
"You can," you told him, taking a bite of the bread, "Come on. I'm not spoon feeding you."
Seonghwa laughed a little before getting up with enormous effort, "I would have liked that."
"I'm sure you would have," you were amused. "Eat your fill and go to sleep."
The two of you ate in silence- partly because Seonghwa was still busy thinking about an answer and mostly because you two were starving, to put it simply. You haven't had a proper meal in years now and the taste of the buttery bread, the rich flavours of the stew overflowing in your mouth… you had to wipe your eyes a few times in the middle of eating and Seonghwa noticed but you couldn’t care less.
You licked your fingers clean, “I’m never taking food for granted again. Ever.”
Seonghwa nodded- he could understand, though not quite to that degree that you felt. He, too, felt overwhelmed when he’d go back to the castle after days on the road, the flavourful food of the castle tasting like something out of heaven sometimes.
You were just gathering the dishes when Seonghwa cleared his throat, “The king wants war… obviously the people never want war. The king is supposed to please his people, but the spy ended up going against the king to do that. That’s quite the predicament.”
“It is,” your mouth was set in a straight line, “What do you think?”
“I think personal ego and such feelings should be put aside when it comes to the bigger picture. War should never be the answer- it should be the last of the last resorts. Wanting war just to satisfy your own thirst… that’s unfair to the people, isn’t it?”
You tsk-ed. “That’s the problem with people like you, Seonghwa.”
“People like me?”
“People who are too kind at heart,” you shook your head, “The spy ended up acting of his or her own accord, treading on such fragile lines. A simple spy shouldn’t have the audacity to think they have any right to go against their ruler.”
“I beg to differ,” he smiled, “Such a person who puts the greater good above all, who sees the fault in their ruler… deserves to be a ruler themself. Deserves more than they can imagine.”
You paused, looking at Seonghwa, wondering why you had never thought of yourself that way.
If you were honest with yourself, you blamed yourself for what happened two years ago- at least partly. You shouldn't have taken such great steps without the consent of your king- even if it could save hundreds and thousands of lives. You had no right, you used to chant to yourself when your king got you shipped to the enemy nation and you were chained in the royal dungeons.
"Are you okay?" Seonghwa frowned and it was only then that you realised your hand had been trembling.
"Just tired," you said dismissively. "Interesting answer, by the way. You… have a kind and interesting mind, Mr. Park Seonghwa."
"I… thank you."
You raised a brow in amusement and he shook his head, "I've heard a lot of compliments, but this one hit differently for some reason."
You grinned, "Don't let it get inside that pretty little head."
Seonghwa gaped at you, "It's as if you knew I got that the most."
"I can clearly see why," you poked his shoulder until he got up and made him lie in bed as you took the seat next to the window.
"Are you not gonna sleep?"
"Night watch,” you muttered, “It’s okay. I can’t let you die in your sleep now, can I?”
“When do you even sleep? I don’t think you’ve had a wink of sleep since a day ago.”
“I’m used to it,” you waved a hand in dismissal, “If things seem good, I might get some sleep.”
Seonghwa shook his head, drawing the covers upon himself, too tired to argue and immediately falling asleep. You waited until he was fully asleep before you went to check his bag. You needed to get a clue about his identity because with every passing moment, it felt like he worked inside the castle rather than outside, which meant that you would get access to the castle too.
There was nothing in his bag except his personal belongings and you placed it back exactly as he’d put it, sighing as you looked out at the full moon. You needed to make sure that Seonghwa would make it tomorrow, that he would wake up, not because you didn’t want someone dying because you couldn’t take proper care of them (not that he was your responsibility, of course) but because if things went well, he’d wake up saying that he owed you his life. You two would become friends. He’d welcome you as a guest inside the castle.
And then you’ll only need to find where they kept your sister- in the castle dungeons or somewhere else entirely.
Seonghwa did exactly that, waking up the next morning to find you sleeping on the chair, smiling to himself before he cleared his throat and you opened one eye, which scared him a little. “Were you asleep?”
“Sadly, yes,” you rubbed your eyes.
“That’s quite a light sleeper you are,” he raised a brow in question, wondering just who you were- everything about you screamed something professional and dangerous, but then… “I think I owe you my life.”
“You think?” You smiled.
There it was. That hesitant smile of yours, your bony stature from lack of food and sleep… and your kind heart, because you could have left him to die. You could have killed him the very second he’d put a hand on your mouth when you were being chased- but you didn’t. It made Seonghwa reconsider everything.
Seonghwa stopped staring at you and cleared his throat again, flexing his hurt arm a little, “I think I’m good now.”
“Let me see,” you walked towards him and drew his shirt back a little- the wound was no longer a sickly colour. You nodded, “You were very lucky.”
“Are you a doctor?” Seonghwa frowned, “Is that why you know so much about poisons? But then… doctors usually aren’t such excellent fighters.”
You locked eyes with him, scoffing at the unhidden curiosity in his eyes, “How about assassin?”
“No, you couldn’t be,” Seonghwa laughed as he shook his head, and then paused abruptly, looking at you wide-eyed, “Unless…”
“I’m not,” you laughed, “Not as good as your average assassin, but good enough to look after myself.”
“Ah… you must belong to a well-known family if you have such education and training.”
“Let’s see… My parents ran a bakery. They died in an accident some years ago. So… not really.” It was the truth. Seonghwa frowned, wondering what else could you be and you came back after washing your face, “Let’s stop asking each other about our lives, Seonghwa. I really don’t have much to tell except a rather tragic tale.”
“I’ll make you spill everything one day yourself, just you wait,” he said in a friendly tone and you raised a brow.
“Does that mean we’re sticking together after all?”
“Didn’t you want to go to the Capital?” He asked and you smiled slowly, nodding.
“Maybe you can take me to the castle too. As your guest. I’d love to see the castle.”
“Don’t you have a problem with the king though?”
You scoffed, “It’s not like I’m gonna kill him in his sleep.”
He laughed, “Okay, I’ll think about it. Maybe if I trust you enough, I might actually take you to the castle with me.”
With that, he went to wash up, leaving you wondering just how this ‘trust’ thing would work with him. “I saved his goddamn life and he doesn’t even trust me,” you muttered to yourself, sulking in the chair until he came back with breakfast, urging you to join him. Seonghwa told you about the route he was taking and you mentioned the detours you’d have to make, planning the journey as you ate your fill.
“Why do you have to make so many stops?” Seonghwa finally asked as you finished eating.
“I need to meet some people and let them know I’m alive,” you looked grim. “I haven’t really shown my face around here in more than 2 years.”
Seonghwa frowned in confusion, “When did you come back from… Mist Island?”
“A few days ago,” you said, casually packing your stuff, “I don’t have a home here, in case you’re wondering. Not anymore.”
“And why is that?”
“You have a lot of questions,” you smiled at him, “I guess you could call my parent’s house my home- though it belongs to my sister, who’s been missing for two years too. I don’t know what’s become of the place.”
“Is it near? Are you making a stop there too? Because I think you should. Maybe your sister is back and waiting for you there.”
Now that was a possibility that had been nagging at you all those years in imprisonment in Utopia- if your sister was truly living a normal life. The last you’d seen of her was her being dragged half unconscious into the prison which finally made you surrender- that was how you ended up in Utopia. You couldn’t risk your sister’s life. If you rebelled, they would kill her.
Had Eden’s king done that only to get you imprisoned?
“Hello? Are you still here?”
You shook your head at Seonghwa, “That’s a possibility I’ve thought of and the one I’m most afraid of.”
Another truth. Seonghwa nodded, understanding where you were coming from. “Well, no harm in checking. Let’s move.”
—------------------
The first stop you made on your way to the Capital was in a village north-west from where you started- the village where the one person you despised the most (after the King, of course) resided.
“So you’re telling me,” Seonghwa caught up with you as he looked at you in disbelief, “that we climbed this hill only to meet your enemy?”
“That’s right,” you nodded, “And wrong. We’re not enemies, per se. We’re… rivals,” you grinned. “We go a long way back, and if there’s one person I can trust with obtaining information… it’s him.”
Seonghwa laughed at the grimace on your face as you said that, “It looks like it physically hurt you to say that.”
“Do not tell him I said that- it’ll only boost his ego,” you shook your head, “Also… try not to talk to him much. He’s kind of loud and… can be a bit too much. Also, do not compliment him in any way- it’ll only boost his already large ego.”
Seonghwa thought that it was because you were rivals that you had all of this to say, but he found out you were right.
He was loud.
And a bit too much as well.
“Well, well, well,” the man- a rather sassy looking person, clapped. “If it isn’t the one person I’ve been dying to see. Did they not feed you in the prison-”
“I am compromised,” you interrupted, hoping he would get what you meant, “Can we talk in private?”
Seonghwa frowned at the two of you- for rivals, it seemed like you two had a lot of understanding. The man looked at him, smiling, “Greetings. I’m Wooyoung. How are you acquainted with…” he looked at you, raising a brow at you- he couldn’t call you by your name-
“Chaewol and I met at the road,” Seonghwa began, “I’m Seonghwa. She saved my life- also… from the look on your face, it looks like Chaewol really isn’t her name. I knew that already, by the way.”
You let out a short laugh and Wooyoung shrugged, “Wooyoung might not be my real name.E He winked. “Let me arrange for your lunch- you must be tired from all the walking,” Wooyoung urged you two to follow him.
“I have to say, you look awfully familiar,” Seonghwa looked at Wooyoung, which made Wooyoung look at you as understanding passed between the two of you.
Seonghwa did work inside the castle- he gave himself away with that one comment. Wooyoung only ever showed his face inside the castle, around the king, which meant Seonghwa must have seen him around there… which meant that he worked around the king too.
“I’m sure you would have remembered such a pretty face if you saw it around,” Wooyoung flipped his hair dramatically.
“And that’s exactly what I meant when I said he can be a bit too much,” you muttered, making Seonghwa and Wooyoung grin.
The three of you made way to the dining table, food arriving shortly after as Seonghwa and Wooyoung talked about this and that while you zoned out, planning out everything from scratch again because Seonghwa actually working around the king changed everything.
You needed to get him to loosen up and take you to the castle.
“So… what name is she going by again?” Wooyoung looked at Seonghwa who gave a pained smile as he told him your ‘name’. “Chaewol. When did you arrive here?”
“A few days ago,” you said casually, nibbling on a lemon tart, “Have you been working recently?”
“I left a few months ago, actually,” he smiled and the tart dropped from your hand.
“You did not!”
“I’m resigning from my profession,” Wooyoung sighed, “This life suits me much better.”
“I thought you ‘lived for the thrill’.”
“There’s enough thrill here.”
The two of you were bickering back and forth when Seonghwa said, “You know, Chaewol mentioned you were ‘rivals’. The way you two quarrel makes me think otherwise.”
“Please, she’s the last person I’d call a friend, much less something more,” Wooyoung sounded disgusted.
“Likewise,” you muttered, “I don’t have all day. I need to talk to you.”
“Fine,” Wooyoung got up. “Seonghwa… the library there might be of interest to you. We’ll be in the gardens.”
Seonghwa nodded and the two of you left first. You glared at him. “Did you have to mention ‘prison’ in front of him?”
Wooyoung looked at you, “Call it concern.”
You sighed, “I need news on the Master.”
The Master being the King- it was necessary that you two talked in code in case you were heard.
“The Master rules over his little playhouse,” Wooyoung sighed, “I have reasons to believe that he is not sane in the head anymore, which is why I politely resigned before I could meet the same fate as yours- and while we’re talking about that… I truly am sorry for the circumstances that came to be.”
You nodded, grim. “I spent two years in imprisonment in our sister land,” you were referring to Utopia, “I need to know the whereabouts of Chaewon.”
“You know, I almost called you Chaewon earlier,” Wooyoung scoffed, “You couldn’t come up with a more similar name as your sister?”
“It’s the only name that comes to my mind anymore,” you sighed, “Now, tell me what you know.”
“Chaewon resides where the Master does…” he ran his hands across the daisies lining the wall, “You’ll need access back. Seems like you have it planned out already.”
“You mean Seonghwa?” You scoffed, “I asked him to take me with him- to the castle.”
“You do know that once you get in, you’ll be in great trouble?”
“I’ll go undetected- nobody’s ever seen me save for the King-”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Wooyoung shook his head, laughing in disbelief, “You don’t know who you’ve ended up with, do you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Seonghwa… Ask him what he does.”
“I did, but he won’t tell,” you frowned, “I figured something in the castle, but it looks like he works around the King-”
“He’s the King’s Right Hand, dear.”
You were sure all the colour left your face. “What about Yunho?”
“Yunho’s the only one who had the guts to call out the King on his decision regarding you,” Wooyoung was whispering now, “It almost cost him his life. He left.”
“Oh no,” you sighed, “Why haven’t I seen Seonghwa before?”
“He was the Queen’s advisor and you know how little we see her- she was rarely in the Capital as well,” Wooyoung huffed. “What are you going to do? He’ll kill you if he learns who you are.”
“What do I do?” You looked at Wooyoung, “I need him to get inside the castle. He’ll kill me immediately when he learns who I am.”
“Seonghwa’s not like that,” Wooyoung assured you, “He’s… different. He might kill you, yes, but not without hearing you out first. So I guess you might have a shot. Maybe you just need to warm up to him.”
You raised a brow, “What, exactly, are you suggesting?”
“The oldest trick in the book, dear friend,” Wooyoung plucked a daisy and put it in your hair.
Seonghwa watched the rather casual conversation taking place between you two from the huge windows in the library, noticing how for once you weren’t on your guard- and neither was Wooyoung. He scoffed to himself- nothing about the two of you seemed like a rivalry. You two looked like you had history together.
He told you that when the two of you were making way down.
“We go back a long way,” you finally smiled, “We were raised together, you could say. Our relationship is… closer to siblings who are annoyed with each other than anything else.”
“Ah… sounds good,” Seonghwa nodded, “Also… is it a good time to ask about the prison?”
"About time, I suppose," you sighed, "Let's say I got in trouble and ended up in prison for a while."
"I hope it was not a serious crime," Seonghwa looked at you.
You paused. “I was punished for a crime I did not commit."
Seonghwa paused as well, frowning, "You've been wronged?"
"Greatly," you sighed, urging him to continue walking, "And I… I'm tainted, Seonghwa, in the eyes of everyone who knew me and everyone who did not. But I don't care about that. I don't care what the world thinks about me. I only care about making sure my sister is alive because she was a victim of this too. They took her so I would surrender. So now… I have to make sure they only took her for the sake of making me surrender and putting me in prison."
"She could be anywhere, Chaewol," Seonghwa's voice was soft.
"No. I… have her location now. She's where I thought she'd be, but I still need to check our house," you told him.
"So how do you plan on getting to Utopia?" Seonghwa asked, "Your sister's there, right?"
You nodded, feeling guilty for lying so much. Your sister was in Eden, in the castle, and Seonghwa was leading you right to her, but he could never know. "I have a friend in the castle, actually. It's why I asked you to lead me there. He'll know what to do."
"Oh? Who? I might know him."
You took a second wondering if you should tell him. "Hongjoong- he's the Head Healer."
"He's my oldest friend," Seonghwa smiled.
You looked at Seonghwa, the warm smile on his face making his features soften. You smiled back, "He's… an old friend of mine too."
"Ah, now I wonder just who you are."
"Keep wondering, you'll never find out," you teased. Seonghwa passed you a look and you rolled your eyes. "I'm nobody special, Seonghwa. Nobody worthy of knowing. Just a speck of dust in this world."
"I'm also a speck of dust," Seonghwa began, "but that doesn't mean I'm not special to someone. Not worthy of knowing. You must be special to someone. Someone must be special to you. Like your sister?"
"I'm pretty sure she hates me," your tone was bitter, "I'm the reason she hasn't seen daylight in two years."
"She might hate you at times, but you might be the only reason she's hanging on to life too."
You paused.
You fell on your knees as you heard the rattle of chains.
You could hear nothing and see nothing, you only knew pain and-
"Chaewol!"
Seonghwa had to call your name thrice for you to finally look at him, but your lips and hands were trembling uncontrollably and your legs were still weak. Seonghwa was beside you, rubbing your back and you subconsciously hugged yourself, folding in.
“Give me… a moment,” you managed to whisper.
Seonghwa did but he never left your side, caressing your back. It took you a few breaths and pinching your skin to remind yourself that this was not a dream, that this was real. That you were not in the dungeons anymore. Seonghwa noticed the scars on your wrist then.
“You’re right,” you laughed a little as you brought your knees to your chest, “She is the only reason I’m hanging on to life.”
Seonghwa raised a brow at that- he hadn’t thought about this the other way. That you, in prison, had held on to the hope that your sister was okay the entire time.
“If anything has happened to her… if she is no more, I won’t have a reason to be alive anymore.”
“Don’t say that,” Seonghwa was almost scolding you, “There’s more to this world-”
“Not for me,” you laughed as you finally got up, “Not for me, Seonghwa. I have no home anymore. You don’t understand because you don’t know my circumstances, but believe me when I say that I have no home anymore.”
The ride that night was silent as you two sorted your thoughts out. As you camped for the night, Seonghwa insisted that you get some sleep while he take watch. And though you lay in darkness and quiet, you stayed wide awake for the most part of the night.
—--------------
Two uneventful days had passed travelling on his horse and speeding your journey up, trailing a bit to the west so you could lead to your house, when you finally encountered another set of rebels.
“Why is it always you,” you muttered harshly as you pushed Seonghwa against a tree, your eyes scanning around, “who gets me in unnecessary trouble?”
“I mean,” Seonghwa was grinning as he looked down at you, “you could have left. You seem to know your way around well.”
“Let’s just say the lack of human company the past years is making me crave even yours,” you sent a dagger flying and it landed straight in the middle, ridding you of another man. “Cover. Now.”
Seonghwa understood and loaded his bow as he covered your back while you sent daggers, each dagger striking and ending the men. Seonghwa, however, was aiming not for the vital points, unlike you. And he scolded you for killing the men.
“I’m protecting you,” you looked at him in disbelief.
Seonghwa sighed, his heart swelling at the way you said that and looked at him. He told himself that you were only protecting him because he was going to take you to the castle but he couldn’t help but wonder if you really were starting to consider him… a friend.
Or more.
“Cleanse your brain while you’re at it,” you muttered and he laughed out loud at that.
“How did you know what I was thinking?”
You didn’t answer that, instead smiling to yourself and turning your back to him, making sure he wouldn’t see it. You took a deep breath, back to your normal mode and turned to face him. “Why are they still coming after you? Just what have you done? I think it’s about time you tell me.”
“Not unless you tell me why you were in prison and everything else.”
“Ah,” you nodded, “You know, sometimes I really do think we’re warming up to each other. Maybe friends, maybe something else, but starting to mean something to each other. And then you… pull this shit.”
Seonghwa scoffed, “I could say the same. I thought last night might have changed things.”
Last night.
The two of you had been sitting in front of the fire when he told you about how he thought the King really was going on the wrong path. He opened up to you about his concerns about the king, and though he did not tell you what exactly his post was (which you knew already) you could tell that as the King’s Right Hand, he really did care about the King. And that reminded you of yourself because there was once a time when you cared about the King too. When nothing else mattered to you except his approval, his compliments, his complaints.
You told Seonghwa that you understood. That you, too, had a ‘master’ like he had. That you also cared about him deeply until he betrayed you, got you sent to prison using your sister to save his hide. That he had done that only because you had dared to tell him that the decision he made regarding his rivals was wrong and would lead to bloodshed.
“That sounds like the King too,” Seonghwa sighed. “He hasn’t been making the best decisions lately.”
“Now, now,” you elbowed him, “What would the King say if he could hear you now?”
Seonghwa looked at you, grinning, “Off with his head?”
It was the second time he heard you laugh and it sent him in a daze as he brought his hand to your face, about to caress it, pausing when he saw the hesitancy and what looked like fear in your eyes, changing his mind and slapping you lightly instead.
“You laugh like you’re choking to death.”
And that had ended with him clutching his wrist and half laughing, half crying in pain.
“Why would last night change anything?” You frowned at him, but the teasing glint in your eyes left him all smiles. You smacked his shoulder, urging him to help you clean up the mess you both had created.
“Make sure there’s no one following us,” you said, “the house is only a few miles away.”
Seonghwa and you started scanning the area and met up back where you had tied the horse, letting each other know that the perimeter was clear. It took you half an hour on the horse when you slowed it down, the farm around it in your vision.
“This is a beautiful place you have,” Seonghwa, who was sitting behind you, said. “Looks an awful lot like my parent’s home.”
“It is…” you took a few deep breaths, unable to move and Seonghwa slid his hands on yours as he held the reins, looking at you. You nodded and he sped the horse up, stopping when you reached the front door.
Seonghwa helped you get down and you took a shaky breath as memories made way. “I… I’m going to tie the horse in the stables. Can you… check the house?”
Seonghwa understood and you went to the back of the house first, picking a pot and digging with your bare hands, sighing in relief when you found the key. You handed it to Seonghwa and went to the stables, where you tied the horse and gave it something to eat, slumping outside next to the wall.
You were home.
After two years in prison, you were home.
It was the first time since you escaped prison that you felt truly alive as tears made their way down your face. You sat there silently crying, not even hearing Seonghwa until he sat down next to you and brought you in for a hug, your face against his chest as your silent crying turned into sobs and even though every nerve in your body screamed at you to not cry in front of him and not give in to his affection, you couldn’t help it- it was the only thing you had. So you cried into his chest while he caressed your back and told you to let it all out.
“Alright, that’s enough now,” he patted your head, “You’re going to run out of tears pretty soon.”
“I did,” you sobbed and he laughed a little as you wiped your face. “I… thank you.”
Seonghwa smiled at you, getting up and offering you his hand and you took it as you got up. He didn’t leave it as he led you inside, squeezing it assuringly.
The damp smell of an unopened house hit you but you noticed Seonghwa had already opened the windows to let in air. You took a look around, sighing half in relief and half in dread. “Everything is exactly how we left it, Seonghwa. Me and… Chaewon.”
“Chaewon…” Seonghwa nodded and couldn’t help but let out a giggle as he shook his head at you, “Now I know how you came up with your name.”
You passed him a guilty smile and let go of his hand to take a look around. The book that Chaewon had last been reading was still open and you sighed as you shut it. You looked at the chair, “This is where Chaewon was last sitting, reading this book when they came- the very people we trusted came so we’d accompany them to the place where we were finally parted.”
Seonghwa frowned as he recalled what you’d told him before- apparently Utopians had taken your sister, but he had a feeling that wasn’t the whole story. He was in no place to pry and the fact that you were opening up to him, even while being cryptic… he put a hand on your shoulder. “We’ll get her back.”
“I’ll get her back,” the smile you gave Seonghwa broke his heart. “You’re going to want to do nothing with me when you learn who I am. Thank you for bringing me home, Seonghwa. I am… in your debt.”
“I thought we were even,” Seonghwa’s smile didn’t meet his eyes.
“I suppose we might be, but you have to admit I have been a pain,” you smiled and he shrugged jokingly. You took a deep breath. “We can stay the night, and… I’m giving you a choice. You can go back to the castle on your own. I’ll find my way there.”
“But we’re both going to the castle, so why not go together?”
“I told you,” you looked out at the sun about to set, the sky a pastel orange. “You don’t want to associate yourself with me, Seonghwa.”
“Why?” Seonghwa took a step towards you, “Why do you think so?”
“Because I’m going to be really heartbroken if we part on bad terms.”
Seonghwa sighed at how it came barely as a whisper. He took your hand, caressing your knuckles before planting a kiss and you sucked your breath at the sensation. He locked eyes with you, “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what happened, but what I believe is that you really did not commit the crime you were punished for. You are a good person and a good friend.”
You laughed in disbelief, “How?”
He took your other hand too, smiling at your locked hands, “You saved me, took care of me, saved me so many times again, were as honest as you could allow yourself to be… do you think anyone could do that? Not everyone has a heart as good as you. So stop going on about how things could go badly or whatever, because I’m taking you to the castle with me, as your friend.”
It was never your intention to actually befriend Seonghwa. Your heart was never meant to hurt or pull at his words. Like Wooyoung had said, Seonghwa was meant to be a means to get to the castle. But now…
You took your hands away, going to the window and looking out as you calmed your wild heart. “I regret meeting you, Seonghwa. I regret that day. I don’t mean that because you haven’t been good to me. I mean that because…” you looked at him and your eyes were steel, “You are going to regret this moment too. Mark my words.”
Seonghwa frowned in confusion. “Why do you believe yourself to not be worthy of anything good after two years in hell- and I know it’s been hell for you because I’ve seen your face when you think about it. Why do you want to push me away?”
“It’s for your own good!” You almost shouted, fisting your hands to hold yourself back, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t…” Seonghwa walked to you, pushing your hair back as he held your face. “And even if you do…” he smiled as he caressed your cheekbones, “I think it would be worth everything. Because you… you have a heart that I think I’m going to fall in love with.”
It was the first time you truly looked at Seonghwa, not as the King’s Right Hand, not as a ‘tool’ but just… him. Him and his gorgeous black hair that fell on his forehead despite being swept back, him and his sharp eyes that couldn’t be warmer, him and his absolutely beautiful face and heart because he…
“You’re hopeless,” you finally smiled in defeat as your ears turned an embarrassing shade of red, “And you’re too good… for this world.”
“I’m hopeless, yes,” his eyes were dazed and the way he looked at you was so intense that you put a hand on his chest to push him away but he wasn’t having it. Not before he passed you a sultry smile and gave you a long, lingering kiss on your forehead. And then he drew back and went to the kitchen to look for something to cook, leaving you absolutely breathless.
“There’s nothing to eat there, dumbass,” you called when you gained your senses back, “You’re a bad actor.”
He pursed his lips as he turned back to look at you, revealing his flushed cheeks and you scoffed, urging him to come here. “Follow me.”
You took him to the farm at the back of your house, “I think we can cook something decent with what we find here. Some vegetables… I think someone must have been taking care of the farm. Probably… Wooyoung. Or one of the others.”
“Times like these when I really, really wonder just who you are,” Seonghwa muttered, rolling the sleeves of his brown shirt and going inside. You went the other way, and a few minutes later you two were back with what became a decent dinner of potatoes, carrots and a few herbs. You two talked about childhood and farming while you ate, since Seonghwa had also once been living in a farmhouse.
It was about three hours after you parted for sleep that you came downstairs from your room, unable to fall asleep, finding a candle lit in the room that Seonghwa was staying in. You peeked inside and saw him reading the book that Chaewon had been reading last. You whistled and he looked at you, surprised.
“You give me more reasons to believe that you are an assassin everyday,” he said, putting a hand over his heart, “I didn’t even hear you.”
“I told you I’m not an assassin,” you rolled your eyes but felt guilty inside because being a spy was pretty close. “Can I… join you?”
He almost smirked but nodded and you gave him a side-eye as you sat on the chair near him. He waved the book, “It has notes in it, the whole book. I’m assuming you?”
“You’re right.”
“Well,” Seonghwa shrugged, “One more reason to believe you’re an assassin.”
You laughed, poking his leg with your toes, “I’m not. I promise. And Chaewon loved writing, which is why she was always reading my… informative books such as this one. Poisons and antidotes.”
“I have to say, the names you gave must have helped her. Even I, a common man, can now differentiate between a Rose and a Jasmine.”
He was referring to the names you gave to different poisons. You smiled. “What’s the difference in the antidotes?”
“Milk, in Jasmine’s antidote. Because Jasmines are white. That’s a good way to remember, isn’t it?”
“It is,” you grinned, “Even a ‘common man’ like you might remember.”
Seonghwa narrowed his eyes at you, “Why do I feel like you know something that you’re not telling me?”
“And I always say, trust your gut. You’re probably right,” you were thoroughly amused by Seonghwa’s confusion and he shook his head.
“You’re up late. I thought you’d be sleeping.”
“I couldn’t,” you rubbed your arms, “I can’t help but think of Chaewon. We used to sleep in the same room. She’d always come crawling in my bed whenever I came home, saying she couldn’t sleep without me. I guess now I know what she meant.”
Seonghwa smiled at that, squeezing your hand and pulling at it. “Come here.”
“That’s not what I meant when I told you-”
“I know,” he laughed, pulling you again and scooting a bit so you sat with him on the bed, “And I also know this is exactly what you need to be able to sleep here. We have a long day tomorrow, after all.”
“Seonghwa,” you sighed, “Please-”
“We shared the same tent for days now, this is no different,” he told you as he ruffled the pillows and spread the blanket over you both.
Of course it was different. Sleeping in the tent, staying on your toes even when you were sleeping… it was not the same as being relaxed and sharing a goddamn bed.
“Cleanse your brain,” Seonghwa told you and you threw the book at him, making him laugh out loud. “Come on. I won’t bite.”
“Saying things like that is certainly not helping,” you muttered, lying down and turning your back to him.
“Should I then?” He whispered in your ear and you squealed, swatting him away and opening the drawer, finding a dagger and placing it on the table.
“Try anything else and I slit your throat.”
“Tsk,” Seonghwa scoffed loudly as he blew the candle, the moonlight illuminating the room so you could still see much of everything, “You try anything and I’ll be doing the same. I have my dagger too.”
You turned to look if he was lying- he wasn’t. The shit-eating grin on his face made you roll your eyes but you were smiling when you turned back.
Half an hour later, you were still awake. You finally turned, noticing Seonghwa’s breathing seemed more regular now. You sighed, scooting closer to him so that your face was almost touching his arm. It must have tickled him because he wasn’t fully asleep too, and he opened one eye, turning to you. “You okay?”
“Shh..” you whispered, burying your face in his chest and clutching at his shirt, making his breath hitch, “Don’t say a word. Pretend that you are asleep.”
Seonghwa understood. Perhaps it was the lack of body warmth or touch that made you miss Chaewon so incredibly much tonight. So he put an arm over you as he, too, got comfortable, not saying a word, only kissing your head once and the rhythm of his chest finally put you to sleep.
—---------------
“God must have slipped or something while making you because this is the dumbest thing I’ve seen anyone do in my life. And I’ve met very, very dumb people, Seonghwa.”
“Shh,” Seonghwa ignored you, continuing to collect pebbles from the ground, “It’s to keep you hidden.”
“I told you no one would bat an eye if we go inside-”
“And how would you know that?” Seonghwa looked at you, “You’ve never been in the castle.”
You nodded slowly, figuring you brought this upon yourself. “I just hope this friend of yours has the sense to notice.”
“He will,” Seonghwa assured you and handed you some pebbles, making you follow him to one of the windows that were accessible from outside the castle too. “Now, we throw the pebbles.”
You were tempted to throw him along with the pebbles, but you held yourself back. “Aren’t you ‘just a guard’? What would they say if they saw you throwing pebbles at the library window?”
Seonghwa looked at you, “I guess it’s about time I tell you who I really am. You’re going to find out anyway.”
“Don’t expect me to tell you who I am in return,” you teased.
Seonghwa aimed the first pebble at the window, missing it by an inch. He rubbed his hands, then threw a second one, which hit the window lightly but perhaps not loud enough for his friend to notice. The third one went flying elsewhere.
“Even Chaewon’s got a better aim and she’s nearsighted,” you muttered, taking his hand and shoving the pebbles in them save for two, which you threw together, right in the middle of the window, waiting for a few seconds and you finally saw blonde hair on a pretty face-
Of course it had to be Yeosang.
He perhaps didn’t recognise you because he only waved at Seonghwa and motioned for him to wait, peeking down at the guards, and then urging him to come inside. Seonghwa told you he usually enters from the back door by this method when he goes to visit his parents. You followed him inside, not encountering anyone and waiting by a fountain for Yeosang, during which you became thoroughly anxious because Yeosang knew who you were-
“Seonghwa!” He called and Seonghwa greeted him with a hug, which is when Yeosang scanned you and his eyes widened in recognition. You immediately put a finger to your mouth, shaking your head, urging him to stay quiet. He drew back and Seonghwa looked at you.
“It’s nice to meet you, I’m… Chaewol. You are…?”
“I’m… Yeosang,” he looked at Seonghwa and he told him you’d saved his life in the woods.
“Her story is a long one, but she wanted to visit the castle, so I brought her with me as my guest,” he passed you a smile, “Let’s not tell anyone else about her yet.”
“Okay,” Yeosang nodded and you sighed in relief, grateful he wasn’t exposing you right there, “Follow me… Chaewol.”
The two of you followed him to the guest chambers- you were too anxious about Yeosang to really take in the fact that you were finally inside the castle, so close to the man who had destroyed your life. Yeosang led you to one of the rooms. “I hope this is sufficient for you- if you need anything, you can tell me or ask the guards anytime.”
“This is enough, thank you,” you passed him a smile, throwing your bag on the chair.
“Seonghwa,” Yeosang turned, “You’re one day late. The King isn’t the happiest about it.”
You raised a brow at that- you had to pretend you weren’t aware of his position. Seonghwa nodded at you, an indication that he would tell you later. “I should get going. Yeosang, can you arrange for her lunch?”
“Of course, no worries,” Yeosang smiled sweetly and the two of you waited before Seonghwa shut the door and the sounds of his footsteps disappeared, tense and anxious for one of you to make a move-
Yeosang turned and sent a dagger for your heart which you narrowly avoided and aimed one for his head, which he dodged too, but then you pushed him against the door, arm choking him and his hand at your neck, a sharp object digging in your skin.
“I have been betrayed,” you seethed, “Believe me, Yeosang. I never betrayed Eden. I never sided with Utopia.”
“You sold us out!” He nearly yelled, “You sold us out to the enemy nation, do you know how many lives that cost?”
“It wasn’t me,” you cried, “the King- he blamed it on me. Eden’s secrets were never sold out to Utopia. The King came up with this ruse to cover for the bloodshed he is responsible for- the information I had could have prevented this. And then he used my little sister Chaewon to send me to Utopia’s prison as a present, all wrapped up for them,” you nearly spat, “Chaewon’s in here, Yeosang. In the dungeons, rotting away for a crime she didn’t commit.”
Yeosang stared at you in disbelief. “You’re… lying. Didn’t you run away? He’s been sending men after you ever since you disappeared.”
You scoffed, baring your wrists to him and showing him the marks of the chain. “I’ve only come here for my sister. You can go check right now. If your King didn’t lie, why would she be in here, Yeosang?”
Yeosang scanned you once before removing the knife from your neck. “I’m not fully convinced.”
“What do you know about what happened two years ago?”
“Everything I could have known,” he nodded. As an advisor, he always knew more than the rest.
“The King insisted on firing Utopia’s troops at the border because of the rumour that they were going to occupy the land,” you began, sitting down defenceless, “And perhaps, they were. I went to Utopia and retrieved their political secrets- the one about the internal rivalry in Utopia. If that became public in Utopia, the nation would fall. I used that to negotiate with the Utopians- no more war. But our King… he wanted to use that information for the downfall of Utopia so he could take over there as well.”
“I know the King intended and suggested that at one point,” Yeosang looked grim.
“And he would have told you that I used that information for personal gain and that cost us some lives for which he sent people to hunt me?” Yeosang nodded and you continued, “But he used that information, and I called him out on it. Ask Yunho- he was the King’s Right Hand at that time. Do you know why he left?”
“He never clearly mentioned it,” Yeosang shook his head.
“Because he was the only one who knew that I was innocent. Him and Wooyoung,” tears threatened to fall from your eyes, “They are the only ones who really knew me and believed in me, and Yeosang… I would have expected you would have believed them too.”
“But if you are innocent, why did they never tell me?” Yeosang was curious now.
“To protect you,” you wiped a tear from your eye, “Killing Yunho would be too suspicious so the King lets him live. Wooyoung… resigned from here, you must know. He never really took my side, but I know he left because of me. He was wise to do so.”
Yeosang felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on him. “I… I don’t know what to say. I guess I need to check if Chaewon is here to believe it. Maybe I’ll write to Yunho too…”
“Don’t,” you said softly, “It’s too risky. For you.”
Yeosang took a few minutes to run everything in his head again, and he had to admit, what you said made perfect sense. There had been quite a few holes and vagueness in the story the King had told everyone, and of course, no one had been brave enough to question his integrity. And he couldn’t forget what Yunho had told his friends, including Yeosang, before he left. “What you hear isn’t always the truth- even if it is from the King.”
“So they took Chaewon to make sure you keep your mouth shut… I’m truly sorry for that.” You remained silent and he shook his head, continuing, “How did you meet Seonghwa?”
You told him of the events of the past few weeks- escaping from Utopia’s prison, trespassing here only to encounter Seonghwa who was being chased as well, saving his life and ending up here. You were smiling by the end of it. “He’s… a good man.”
“He is,” Yeosang smiled, “but does he know who you are?”
“He thinks I’m an assassin,” you laughed a bit, “I mean… he’s close. But no. I told him that my name is Chaewol and I suggest you call me that too.”
“You know he is going to kill you once he learns who you are,” Yeosang stood up, “Like I was going to.”
“I know,” you pursed your lips, “And I’m prepared. But I hope I can get Chaewon out before it comes to that. I’ll… disappear after that. I don’t plan to return or expose the King, Yeosang, unless I know my sister is safe.”
“And if she is,” Yeosang’s eyes had a curious glint, “If she is out of harm’s way?”
You stood up too, “If she really is, I’m going to make sure the King regrets the day he decided to turn his back on his most loyal warrior.” Your eyes burned.
“And clear your name?”
“Who knows me anyway, Yeosang?” You sighed, “It only matters that the people I’m close to know that I did not betray them. I don’t care about the public.”
“Fair enough,” Yeosang nodded, “It’s… good to have you back.”
You finally smiled at your old friend- you weren’t very close to him but you could call him your friend, “Miss me?”
Yeosang made a choking noise, “I’m going to arrange for your lunch. It looks like Utopia didn’t even give you one meal a day.”
“Only you, Yeosang,” you shook your head, “would make a joke out of my misery. You and Wooyoung.”
“You met him?”
“He’s become old!” You scoffed, “He’s actually living like a retired old man. Seonghwa almost recognised him.”
Yeosang whistled, “Wait till Hongjoong sees you. You’re going to get exposed soon. Prepare to be killed by Seonghwa because I am not talking sense to him.”
You dismissed him, going to take a proper, luxurious bath for the first time in a while. As you sat near the window, letting your hair dry, having eaten the familiar castle food, it started to settle in.
Seonghwa was the King’s Right Hand. It was only a matter of time before he found out who you were and-
Your thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Seonghwa peeked in. “Can I come in?”
“You’re already in,” you commented as he looked around. You hadn’t unpacked. “You’ve been… very busy for ‘just a guard’.”
“You know already, don’t you?” Seonghwa shook his head. You scanned him- he was looking… extremely handsome in the dark outfit he now wore, looking neat. “Yeosang told you?”
“Maybe,” you smiled, “I want to hear it from you.”
“Is this a test?” Seonghwa narrowed his eyes at you.
“Is it?” You pretended to think and he scoffed, sitting in front of you.
“I… am the King’s Right Hand,” he looked at you cautiously.
“I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or feel sorry for the King,” you finally said after a moment and he threw his head back, laughing. You let him have his moment- you couldn’t tell him that the man he served was the one you hated the most. “I do have to ask… for the King’s Right Hand, you have quite a few complaints that could really cost your head.”
“The King is young, and he’ll learn,” Seonghwa sighed, “I am just his concerned servant. It’s okay to have concerns, isn’t it?”
“Not always,” you muttered, looking out of the window. You had concerns with the King too, and look how you ended up.
“He won’t know unless you tell,” Seonghwa smirked. “How do you like the castle?”
“It’s very… typical?” You tried thinking of the right word, “I mean… just like how I heard. It’s nice, but in a familiar way.”
“I get that,” Seonghwa nodded, “I used to be the Queen’s advisor and messnger, which is why I wasn’t at the castle often, before I got promoted two years ago.”
“How did you go from that to being the Right Hand? That must have been quite the jump for you.” You were testing the waters now.
“I carried important messages, which meant the King trusted me enough. And when Yunho… the previous one left, the King thought I was the most suitable person.”
“I believe you when you said the King might not be sane in his head,” you whispered and he laughed, shaking his head. “Why did… Yunho leave? He must have left suddenly if the King had to choose you.”
Seonghwa passed you a side-eye, “This position is… burdensome. Something happened two years ago, something about one of the intelligence agents turning sides. Apparently Yunho was familiar with that person and believed them to be innocent- I don’t quite remember, but it caused quite a fuss. Almost cost him his life. He resigned then, on the condition he stayed quiet.”
“Quite a story,” you shrugged, “Who do you believe?”
“The King,” Seonghwa said, and your heart sank to your feet, “But… Yunho is my friend, and he would have no reason to lie. I don’t know the whole situation, but I think Yunho isn’t wrong on his behalf. The King might not be wrong on his behalf too. Perhaps, a conflict of perspectives? I’m in no position to assume, really.”
You nodded slowly. His automatic response told you that he truly was loyal to the King. Which was… bad for you. “I don’t intend to stay here long. I must find my sister. Can you ask Hongjoong to meet me tomorrow? Tell him Chaewon’s sister is here. And don’t use that to ask my name- he won’t tell you anyway.”
“You got me,” Seonghwa grinned, “But first… we need to get you presentable clothes.”
“Oh, just get me something from one of the maids,” you waved a hand.
“No,” he shook his head, “You’re going shopping tomorrow. With me.”
“Aren’t you a busy person?”
“Never for you,” he said and you deadpan stared at him.
“When are you going to stop saying things like that?”
“Things like what?” Seonghwa leaned in front of you, your faces mere inches apart.
“Things that make me hope for something that is not possible.”
You truly felt sorry for pushing Seonghwa away because every time you did, you saw his heart break through his eyes. You wondered if he saw your heart break too. “I really don’t get why you keep insisting on this. How do you know I won’t love you even if you are who you really are?”
You tried to ignore the word ‘love’, shaking your head. “You can’t be in love with who I am presenting myself to be. That’s not me.”
“This is still you,” he took your hand, squeezing it, “When you talk to me about how beautiful the sky is, how much you miss your sister, how much you regret what happened… that is you. And when you care for me…” he caressed your hands, “When you kept watch at night for someone you didn’t know, and continued to do so even later- because I know only I was being chased… that was you too. And when you look at me like this…” he brought his other hand to your face, caressing your cheek, “I can see you’re holding back. I see the emotions in your eyes that you insist on not having. That is you too. That is who I think I like. Sure, love is a strong word, but I’m getting there.”
“Seonghwa, please, don’t make it harder for me,” you took both his hands, “I can’t stay here. I have to get my sister and I have to live quietly, because I never know when they will come for me. I can’t be with you, so it’s better if you don’t think about me in the first place-”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” he squeezed your hands, “And I’ll protect you.”
You scoffed at that. He really had no idea he would be the one you’d need protecting from. You shook your head. “You’re a hopeless romantic. I’m not doing anything, Seonghwa. It’s all you, remember that. One day, you’re going to hate yourself for loving me, and it will be all you, because I’m holding myself back.”
“Are you from… Utopia?” Seonghwa frowned and you burst out laughing.
“God, no. Eden’s blood runs through my veins. You’re stupid, Seonghwa.”
He sighed in relief, “Because I really can’t think of a reason I would hate you-”
He paused and the smile from your face fell. Could he have made the connection? But he shook his head as if he was wrong to even think that. “Not an assassin, not a Utopian… you’re strange, Chaewol.”
“I am,” you nodded. “So where are we going tomorrow?”
Early in the morning, Seonghwa accompanied you to the shops. He didn’t ask you why you kept your face hidden, nor did he ask you why you kept pausing and spacing out as if you were recalling something, which was a relief. You got yourself one dress and a few shirts and pants.
“In my field, dresses are a hassle,” you told him.
“Must be,” Seonghwa sounded amused, pausing suddenly when he spotted a hairpin with pearls and flowers on it. “Can I get you a gift?”
“That’s a dangerous gift,” you grinned, “You know I could easily kill you with that.”
“You’ve had so many opportunities to kill me,” Seonghwa paid for the pin, looking at you, “Yet, here we are.”
You took the pin from the shopkeeper, urging Seonghwa to go on, trailing a bit behind him, hearing Seonghwa gloat about how you didn’t kill him despite the several chances. When you finally had enough and you reached an alley, you poked him with the pin on his back.
“Ow,” Seonghwa rubbed the spot, glaring at you, “What was that for?”
“You asked for it.”
“I didn’t ask for a poke,” he raised his brow and you scoffed in disbelief.
“You really want to die by my hands, don’t you?”
“As someone once said, a lovers choke could-”
You grabbed his arm and slammed his back on the wall of the empty alley, standing on your tiptoes, one hand grabbing his collar while the other hand poked the pin at the dangerous spot in the neck. “What was that?”
Seonghwa was surprised but then he smirked, nodding slowly, “Getting feisty, are we?”
“I dare you to complete that sentence, Seonghwa,” your eyes unintentionally fell to his plump parted lips. He licked them which only made you sigh internally, your eyes widening when you felt his hands trail up your thighs to rest on your hips, his thumb caressing your waist as he whispered.
“A lover’s choke could kill me and then bring me back to life.”
You didn’t move- you really couldn’t deny the pull, the hold Seonghwa had on you. His hands travelled up slowly, snaking behind your neck and making you shudder. “Look at you…” He got closer to whisper in your ear. “Let me do it, Chaewol. Let me kiss you until you’re unable to breathe.”
You subconsciously tilted your neck and he wasted no time drawing your scarf away and trailing his lips down the curve of your neck, earning a quiet moan because god, you hadn’t been touched in so long now. He kissed your neck, sucking at it a bit, then trailed kisses up your jaw, lingering there and he would have gone further but he heard a group of men enter the alley and he looked at you.
He wanted nothing more than to take you there.
But he stopped himself, taking your hand and nudging you along, kissing your hand and walking the rest of the way in silence. You could tell he was holding himself back throughout the carriage ride because of the guard present with you. Once you reached the castle, he was spotted by someone and called for an urgent meeting, leaving you alone in your room and cursing yourself internally but also-
Also reliving the moment again and again and hoping you wouldn’t regret surrendering to him.
—---------------
You wore the deep purple dress that Seonghwa had chosen for you, sliding the hairpin in your hair, looking at yourself in the mirror willingly for the first time in a while. You looked better than the messy state you had been in for days and that was a relief.
You waited for Seonghwa to come, and he finally knocked, a surprised gasp leaving you when you saw Hongjoong because you thought Seonghwa was going to take you to him. Hongjoong, who had been confused when Seonghwa said Chaewon’s sister was here, kept his mouth shut about you the entire time.
“That’s… Chaewol. Can you tell me her name, Hongjoong?” Seonghwa looked at him but he looked like he didn’t hear him as he scanned you and walked to you in a daze.
“Is that really you-”
“Don’t say my name,” you told him, “It’s me… Tell me you believe me, Hongjoong.”
“Of course I do,” he smiled, spreading his arms and you rushed to him, hugging him and crying into it, Seonghwa watching you two with surprise. Hongjoong had never mentioned being close to a female friend, and you… You clearly meant something to him because his body shook too. You locked eyes with Seonghwa, whispering a thank you and he nodded.
“You’re so weak now… what do I call you?”
“Chaewol,” you said and he nodded, sitting with you. Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa.
“Can you leave us to talk in private?”
Seonghwa looked hurt but he nodded, understanding that Hongjoong must know who you really were and you clearly weren’t ready to reveal it to him yet. You left Seonghwa wondering just why he was the one who didn’t know anything.
“I know Chaewon’s here,” Hongjoong looked grim, “I’ve been secretly making sure they treat her well than the… rest of the prisoners.”
You looked at him proudly, “I owe you my life then.”
“You owe me nothing,” Hongjoong squeezed your hands, “I had to pretend to be on the King’s side when I learned they got Chaewon, so I could make sure someone looked after her. I’m sorry… for everything.”
“Not your fault,” you shook your head, “How is she?”
Hongjoong looked down, his red hair falling, “She could be better.”
“She must hate me.”
“I don’t know, Eunyoung,” Hongjoong called you by the name you used as a spy and you asked him to keep calling you Chaewol because anyone could overhear. “I couldn’t reveal myself to her. I know seeing a familiar face would have helped, but I really couldn’t. Wooyoung does, though.”
“He does?” You frowned. “Are you sure?”
“He goes unnoticed even in daylight, you know how skilled he is,” he smiled, “He keeps an eye on her. He comes by every month to check up on her.”
“Gosh, I hate him,” you laughed, “I met him and he never told me!”
“You know that’s how he is,” he smiled, “Anyways… I have a plan.”
—-----------------
Hongjoong had taken you to the Healer's Department and you were coming back when you encountered Seonghwa.
"Oh. You're still awake."
"And you're up late," Seonghwa raised a brow, "Were you with Hongjoong?"
"Yeah, just coming back from there," you walked with him, "Busy day today?"
"Quite so, but I managed to get a lot of work done today."
"Oh?" You looked at him, "Feeling in your element?"
"Or rather… pent up emotions converted into the boost of energy I needed."
You laughed along with Seonghwa at that, reaching your room. "Are you sure you weren't jealous earlier?"
"Oh, I was," Seonghwa admitted shamelessly, making you raise your brows at the sudden confession. "You and Hongjoong… look pretty close."
"Close friends, Seonghwa," you rolled your eyes, still standing in the doorway, wondering if he wanted to come inside or continue here. "He knows me from the… very beginning of my career, you could say."
"Nothing more?" Seonghwa's eyes gleamed as he took a step, "Because when you hugged him like that… I don't know. You never hugged me like that."
"Aw," you teased, "Do you want a hug now? Come here," you motioned for him to come and he scoffed.
"Not like this," he laughed, shaking his hand, "I'm only teasing."
"Does that mean you don't want a hug?" You wiggled your brows, "Because I feel quite generous right now-"
Seonghwa grabbed you by the waist and pushed you back, shutting the door and pinning you against it. "I think I'd rather finish what I started earlier. And since you're feeling so generous…" he trailed a finger down your face, satisfied at your surprised expressions, "Why don't you return this favour?"
"Hey," you tried pushing him back but he wouldn't budge, "I told you you'll regret this."
"I don't care," he joined foreheads with you and your breath hitched, "You're the one that I want."
The brush of your noses nearly made your knees weak. You stayed like that for a few moments, his hands tracing your body, your curves and coming to cup your face while your hands fisted his white shirt as if that was the only thing holding you up. Seonghwa locked eyes with you. "If you really don't want this, tell me right now, because I don't think I can stop if I start-"
You pecked his lips, the sane part in your brain cursing you for initiating this but you were anything but sane right now, especially when he groaned and practically slammed into you as he finally kissed you, lips parting and locking fervently, a slide of his tongue turning the kiss into heated, open mouthed kisses and you couldn't get enough of him. You couldn't get enough of being pinned between him and the wall, couldn't actually breathe as he kissed you like there was no tomorrow. When he broke apart, he was smiling widely.
"I've waited so long," he gave you another kiss as if he couldn't quite believe what happened.
"Well," you licked your lips, "What's holding you back now?"
Seonghwa shook his head at you, smirking as he tilted your chin up and started kissing you ever so slowly and softly, his plump lips patient with you and you couldn't believe how intense you felt at the moment. It made your knees weak and you couldn't stand anymore so he picked you up, making you wrap your legs around him, and then he dropped on the chair, letting you straddle him and take control and you returned the favour. You kissed him slowly at first, relishing every peck, and all it took was the touch of his fingers on your bare thighs that travelled up your waist to turn the kisses into a passionate make-out.
His fingers held your waist tightly- he knew you wouldn't break so easily. He ran them up and down your thighs in a sultry manner as you moaned into the kisses, which only fueled him. You subconsciously grinded on him, earning a groan that you swallowed, leaving him smiling into the kiss and he broke apart.
"Let me breathe," he laughed lightly, looking at you with love and adoration in his eyes. "Do that again."
"What? This?" You rolled your hips over his lap again and he threw his head back and you took that chance to start trailing your lips down his neck, making him squirm and the hold on your thighs got tighter.
"Revenge is a sweet thing, Seonghwa," you whispered in your ears, leaving a trail of kisses down his jaw and neck as you kept rolling your hips on him. "How does this feel?"
"I…" he let out a moan and you thought it was the most beautiful sound, "I've had enough of this."
He picked you up and you squealed, laughing as he threw you on the bed and took off his jacket, throwing it on the floor and getting on top of you, continuing to kiss you as your hands worked to unbutton his shirt and feel his bare skin. Your dress was already gathered around your hips from the legs and Seonghwa slid his leg between your thighs, pressing it against you and providing you with the friction you'd been needing, earning a moan and making you stop.
"What's wrong?"
"I…" you sighed, bringing him down so you were hugging him, "I'm all yours, tonight. Do whatever you please."
Seonghwa adjusted the both of you so he could hug you better, kissing your head. "I'm all yours too. Do what you please with me."
You got on top of him, kissing him softly. "Are you sure? Despite all my warnings?"
Seonghwa caressed your face. "I'm sure."
—------------------
You regretted the events of last night as soon as you woke up.
Hongjoong had an excellent plan- Seonghwa was going to the nearby town for one night in two days, which was when you could have the chance to free your sister with a little help from Hongjoong’s guard friends who had been making sure Chaewon was well as per his instructions. Wooyoung would come and pair with you as an extra set of hands (and to talk some sense into you in case you dare try to hurt the King, as Hongjoong told you he knew you would). Yunho would be present outside the castle to accompany you to somewhere far away from here. Yeosang would make sure the chaos that was to ensue didn’t reach the other guards until you got out.
It was dangerous- Hongjoong and Yeosang were not only risking their positions but also their lives for you. You told Hongjoong that and he said that it was the least they could do for you both after the years of service and friendship from your side.
You also suggested telling Seonghwa. You asked Hongjoong if Seonghwa could ever truly believe you. Hongjoong told you that he had thought about it and he really wasn’t sure- if he wasn’t the King’s Right Hand, perhaps he would have believed you. It really was a risk because if he learned about this but didn’t believe you, your sister would be stuck here for the rest of your life. The King would never let your sister go even if you surrendered yourself to him.
And after the events of last night… Seonghwa would think you betrayed him. He’d hunt you himself. It was the very reason why you had been avoiding any romantic interaction with him. He’d be very hurt. You regretted last night.
But that did not mean you didn’t wish you weren’t a spy who was now thought to be a traitor. You wished you were like most of the women in this kingdom.
But would he have even looked at you then? Would you two have ever met?
“If I were just another woman who knew only stitching or baking, who dressed up everyday to impress and took care of herself,” you wondered out loud when Seonghwa later came in your room with some paperwork, saying he was getting used to working around you, “Would you have even looked at me, Seonghwa?”
He looked up from his pages and rested his chin on his hands, smiling, “Maybe. Maybe we would have met differently then. Maybe you would have been in the markets and grabbed my arm and hidden me if I was being chased by someone.”
“Maybe we wouldn’t have met at all?”
“I believe that two souls that meet… they are meant to meet each other,” he got up, walking to you. “Even if our circumstances were different, we lived different lives than the ones we live now… at some point, we would have met.”
“That’s… quite a belief you have,” you laughed, letting him hold you by the waist.
“I also believe that two souls who are in love were meant to love each other.”
“Are you sure you didn’t make all of this up now?” You narrowed your eyes at him and he shook his head firmly but then gave in, laughing.
“I may have. But you have to admit that it makes sense.”
“It doesn’t, but I guess that’s the fun part about it,” you swayed along with him. “What do you have to say about a soul who yearns to tell the truth to the person they love but cannot because they fear they’ll leave?”
Seonghwa paused, staring at you. “Just tell me, Chaewol.”
You bit your lips, looking sideways. You wanted to- every nerve in your body ached to tell him the truth and prayed he would believe you. But…
You had to save your sister first- you could not risk her life over this.
“I want to, Seonghwa,” it came out as a shaky whisper, “I really, really want to. But you are never going to believe me.”
“I will. You’ve never once lied to me this entire time, Chaewol. Only hidden what you could not tell. Lying and hiding are different things.”
“Seonghwa,” you almost cried, “Can we pretend that I’m hiding nothing as long as I’m here? Once I leave to save my sister, once I’m sure she is safe, I’ll come back to you- I promise. I’ll tell you the whole truth- I swear it on my life and hers. Just… can we not pretend to be lovers bound by the truth?”
It was your way of telling Seonghwa that you would come back for him. Once you were gone tomorrow night, he would be angry. He’d recall your conversations and you hoped that when he recalled this conversation, he would understand that you would come back for him, even if it meant you’d die at his hands.
Seonghwa wiped the tears that streamed down your face, kissing your forehead. “If that’s what you want… I’ll wait for you, Chaewol. I’ll wait for you to tell me the truth, and I’ll trust that you will come back to me.”
“Thank you,” you sighed in relief, putting your head against his chest as you told yourself to stop crying. He held you, caressing your hair and when you stopped crying, he cupped your face in his hands.
“I hope that when you leave… you remember that I love you. That there is a reason I fell in love with you and that won’t change, no matter who you are, where you come from, and what you’ve done. That won’t change the fact that you own my heart.”
“And I hope you’ll remember that I love you too, Seonghwa,” you laughed as tears spilled again, “Even when I told myself not to. You own my heart and you’ll own it forever. I may have saved your life, but you saved me in more ways than I could ever imagine.”
Seonghwa smiled at that and planted a kiss on your forehead, leaving kisses all over your face and making you tingle with excitement until he kissed your lips. You loved the way he held your face, the way his fingers clenched at your hair, the way his hands craned your neck up so he could kiss you ever so softly, and you felt like you could crumble right there.
You were not ready for tomorrow.
—-----------------
“Wooyoung, I swear to god, I will kill you as soon as we get out of here.”
“I’m just… surprised, is all,” he had a shit-eating smirk plastered on his face, “Well, you can imagine my surprise, right, Hongjoong? When I saw her kiss Seonghwa like it was the last time-”
You threw a book at him and he dodged it expertly, not even batting an eye. Hongjoong shook his head, passing you a sad smile. “I have to say, I never imagined you and Seonghwa could be a thing. I used to think you and Wooyoung had something going on-”
“How could you even suggest that-” “What in the fiery pits of hell!”
You and Wooyoung looked at each other after the simultaneous outburst, shaking your heads. The three of you bickered for a while until you heard footsteps in the otherwise empty Healer Department.
“All clear,” a figure came into the light, revealing a familiar face, “It’s time.”
“San,” you got up and he smiled at you, taking your hands in his as you walked to him, “I can never repay you for the favour you’ve done me. Thank you for making sure my sister had company, San.”
“I’m glad to see you’re alive, Eunyoung,” San smiled, “You look so much like Chaewon.”
“Thank you,” you smiled, turning to see Hongjoong motioning something to San. You raised a brow.
“San has something to tell you,” Hongjoong grinned.
“Actually, don’t kill me please,” San laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck, “I… Chaewon and I…”
You gasped, smacking his chest playfully, “No wonder she didn’t die of boredom.”
“It just happened,” he gave you a sad smile, “Whenever I was on duty, we talked. We’d sit in front of each other in the otherwise empty dungeon, separated by bars. She told me about her life, about you, how she loved you and was sorry to hate you for even a second when everything went wrong.” You sighed, nodding, and he continued, “I told her about my life. I’d tell her about my work, about how you were here- very different from the sister you are. Somehow… we got used to each other until we could call it love.”
“That’s… beautiful,” you wiped a tear, “Will you find Chaewon once we’re out?”
“I will. I will come for her, if you’d allow me too-”
“Who am I to stop my sister from meeting the man she loves?” You smiled at him, “I’ll wait for you. Let’s go.”
Following a secret passage built throughout the entirety of the castle that San told you led to the King’s room as well and only a few trusted people knew, you all made a stop at the library where Yeosang was already waiting, tagging along to drop of at the level above the dungeons to chat with the guards and render them unconscious if need be. Yeosang squeezed your hand, “Are you sure Seonghwa comes tomorrow?”
“That’s what he told me,” you nodded, “Some work thing. Right, Hongjoong?”
“Yeah. He shouldn’t be back before afternoon.”
“I’m just nervous because this could go wrong in so many ways,” Yeosang sighed.
You felt guilty, “I’m sorry for making you do this.”
“You didn’t make me do anything, stupid,” Yeosang smacked your arm, “I’m doing this myself.”
You passed him a look and he rolled his eyes, “Come on. Even Wooyoung’s here. What more do you need? Do I have to say it out loud? That’s what friends do-”
“Ew, don’t say that word, we’re not friends, Eunyoung and I,” Wooyoung put his fingers in his ears and you kicked his leg. San told you all to shut up if you didn’t want to be caught before the actual plan even started and you all did, snickering to yourselves. Yeosang dropped off and down you all went until you were standing on the roof of the passage that led to the dungeons.
“Wait here for the signal,” San said, taking his sword out and sliding it along the ground, producing a relatively loud sound that could be mistaken as a random noise by any passerby but the guards who were on duty tonight caught the signal and created that sound in reply, which was the indication he needed to slide the tile off the floor and jump down, signalling you to come down as well.
You jumped and San caught you, and you had to blink a few times to let your eyes adjust to the dim lights. Jongho and Mingi brought you in for a group hug, silent but full of emotions. You laughed in disbelief, “No one told me you two were still here! I thought you both left with Wooyoung or something- why are you guarding the dungeons of all the jobs in this castle?”
“We missed working with you,” Jongho said, “So we thought we’d work for your sister.”
“It was like you were still here,” Mingi sighed. “I’m glad to see you’re still in one piece.”
You shook your head at the duo- they had escorted you many times on dangerous missions. You suspected the left or worked for another spy but this was a surprise and the way everyone around you was smiling, you knew it was like a little gift for you. “Thank you, you both. Now take me to my sister.”
San pursed his lips, motioning you to follow him and you weren’t surprised when you passed all the cells only to stop at the one at the end- the least daylight. Your hands trembled as you saw the frail back and long hair of your sister.
“Chaewon?”
“You’re here again tonight, dear sister,” Chaewon said, not moving, “I guess you must be as sad as me.”
You looked at San in confusion and he took a deep breath. “Chaewon. Your sister really is here for you.”
“Don’t lie, Sannie,” she shook her head, “You and I both know I only conjure her up to save myself from falling somewhere I cannot come out from.”
You let out a sob- you were reminded of when Seonghwa said that you might be the only thing keeping your sister from insanity like she had, for you. You fell on your knees, clutching the bars in your hands. “Chaewon, my dear Chaewon. Look at me and tell me I’m real.”
She froze for a few moments. “You never cry when you are here, then why-”
She turned and you sobbed when you saw her once healthy and flushed cheeks now sunken and pale. The light had left her eyes too. She crawled to you, looking at San in confusion. “Tell me you see her too.”
San put a hand on your shoulder and she let out a sob as she desperately crawled the rest of the way and slid her hands through the bars to hold your face. “You came for me- what happened to you, love? You’re so weak now, oh god.”
“Chaewon,” you cried happy tears, “Of course I came for you, as soon as I escaped prison. They kept me in Utopia. I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier, I’m so, so incredibly sorry-”
“Shh,” she caressed your face, “You’re here now. Let’s go home.”
You nodded, squeezing her hands and you looked at Wooyoung who had been trying to unlock the door with his tools. A few moments later, he did, and you rushed inside, hugging each other and crying into each other’s shoulders, murmuring apologies.
“We don’t have much time,” Wooyoung rubbed your back, “Let’s go.”
“Can you walk?” You asked Chaewon and she nodded. You looked at the three guards. “Make sure you hide inside the castle- they won’t search here when they find you missing. Leave when Hongjoong tells you- not before.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mingi and Jongho saluted and San shook his head. Chaewon left you and stood in front of San, caressing his face and your heart melted at the way San looked at her- the same way Seonghwa looked at you.
“I’ll come for you,” San kissed her hand, “Go. Now.”
Chaewon pecked his cheek and hugged him briefly before following you and Hongjoong extended a rope which you took, climbing up and the boys helped Chaewon climb up before they climbed as well.
“We part ways here,” Hongjoong looked at the guards, “You three- to the secret room. Do not leave unless I personally come and ask you to. You two-” Hongjoong pointed at you and Chaewon, “With me.”
“Wait-” you looked at Wooyoung, “Can you provide me with cover? I need to see his Majesty.”
“No,” Chaewon took your hands, “You cannot risk this.”
“No,” Wooyoung shook his head, “I’m done here.”
“Fine. I’ll go by myself,” your eyes were steel and you put Chaewon’s hands in Hongjoong’s. “Ask Yunho to hide at the first stop- if I don’t come by tonight, that means he needs to move.”
“No,” Chaewon sobbed, “Don’t leave me now, please.”
“Chaewon,” you patted her cheek, “I cannot live with the label of traitor on my head. I cannot live with shame. I need to do this, for me, for the people I love. Hongjoong, please take her.”
You kissed her forehead and let her go, Hongjoong locking his arm with her and practically dragging her as he assured her you would come. You looked at Wooyoung.
“Fine,” he rolled his eyes, “Make it short.”
“I didn’t even ask you to come again,” you scoffed, “You really can’t leave me alone.”
“Shut up,” he scoffed back, motioning you to follow him. He led you up and you checked your weapons in case the King called guards on you because all you wanted was to have a conversation.
“Does the King know about this passage? Because I expect he would have guards roaming around if he does-”
“The previous King died a sudden death, perhaps before he could tell his young son about this passage,” Wooyoung smirked as he looked at you, “He’s lucky that only his trusted men know this passage.”
“Who exactly? Because I don’t think he told you.”
“Hongjoong- Head Healer, in case he needs to save the King. Yunho knew, as the King’s Right Hand, but I’m not sure whether he told Seonghwa. He told me when I wanted to check up on Chaewon.”
“Thanks for that,” you said, and for the first time Wooyoung gave you a genuine smile.
“I always liked her more than you. She was fun to have around when we worked here.”
You nodded- he was talking about the time you both resided in the castle and Chaewon would come visit. She was always so friendly with everyone and you were glad that she was- perhaps that had been her saving grace.
He motioned to the door in front of you. “This opens to the King’s bedroom. You need to tell me what you plan to do.”
You took a deep breath. “A friendly talk.”
“Friendly? I doubt that, Eunyoung, after everything’s that happened-”
“I’m using our language,” you looked at him, and he saw the fire behind your eyes, “You know what we mean when we say a friendly talk.”
“This is a bad idea and it could get you killed.”
“I don’t care. I still have proof that the King betrayed me and used me as a scapegoat. If anything happens tonight, Wooyoung… ask Seonghwa to find the book he read with me in the castle’s library. He’ll know once he sees it, but you… You can decipher the code I put there.”
“You are insane,” he shook his head in disbelief, “Just how long have you been planning this?”
“I had a lot of time in prison,” you mumbled, “Now… open the door, Wooyoung. I won’t kill the King, I promise. I’d rather he kill me- if he does, let Seonghwa know that I am innocent.”
“Alright,” Wooyoung nodded, opening the door a little silently and checking around- the chamber was empty and the bedroom was lit. “I’m gonna stay hidden here. If anyone comes, I’ll call you. Go.”
You took a deep breath, taking Wooyoung’s hand and squeezing it, to his surprise. “Thank you for everything.”
“Go on now,” he patted your back and you stepped in the King’s chamber.
It still smelled like what you remembered- a faint scent of musk. It was the scent that was once comforting to you- when the King was a prince and his father was alive a few years ago. You had been in service since then and missed them incredibly- more because the King and Queen were great people and cared for you so much. You did not understand why their son was insane when he had everything one could ask for- good, attentive parents and all the wealth and luxury he could ever need. Perhaps he was simply rotten at core.
You recalled the time when the King and Queen passed away and the Prince became the King. It was the time when the new King was sane. He was even tolerable enough to be called a friend, though now you wanted to spit at the idea. He treated you all well, made use of your service and rewarded you properly, but as the years passed in his service you noticed him listening more to the rotten members of the court than the people he used to call his ‘friends’ which included you.
Everything changed then.
You peeked through the slightly open door- the King was still the same except for the frown now permanently etched on his still young face. He was looking through some paperwork. You felt the urge to send a dagger for his heart and end everything, but you couldn’t. It would only mark you a traitor forever when you were anything but. So you stepped inside silently and shut the door, which was when he finally looked up and his mouth opened in surprise, the papers falling to the floor.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Eunyoung,” he stopped breathing when you shut the door and reflexively, he went to pull the string on his bed to ring the bell that would alert the guards but you sent a dagger in that direction, cutting the string and frightening him.
“I am not here to hurt you,” you told him and he froze, “I’m here to have a conversation. Look,” you put your hands in the air, sitting on the chair in front of him. “Only here to talk.”
“How can I believe you?” He basically spat those words.
“I should be the one saying that,” you laughed sarcastically, “I mean… you are the one who betrayed me after all- sent one of your most loyal servants to the enemies. Used my family to make me shut up and willingly leave my home and rot in the prison. Yet still… you pretend to send men to hunt me down. I have to say, quite clever of you to do so.”
“I had no choice-”
“You had so many choices,” you seethed, “You could have stopped and made a peace treaty with Utopia. You could have ended this foolish war that your parents spent all their life trying to resolve without shedding blood. They must be turning in their graves after what you did.”
“Do not talk about my parents with that filthy tongue of yours-”
“Filthy?” You stood up after he did, “I can’t believe I called you my friend. Is this what a friend does? Sell their friend off to the enemy nation and mark them a traitor when they spent all their life in service of their homeland? And for what, huh? Some stupid hierarchy thing that’s all in your head?”
He said nothing, his hand resting on the dagger belted to his side. You shook your head. “Kill me. Go on. But remember when you end me, the secrets of Utopia will be made public. Your name will be tarnished forever- I made sure of that.”
He clenched his jaw, eyes full of rage. “How dare you threaten me?”
You’d had enough. You took out your dagger and held him by his collar, the dagger resting in the middle of his throat, “How dare you threaten me with the life of my sister? How dare you throw me away like nothing to the hands of our enemies? Don’t even get me started on what they did to me in the prison, oh no. How dare you call yourself a king when you can’t even protect the people in your service-”
“That is enough.”
You froze as you heard the voice that you’d recognize anywhere.
Seonghwa.
“Step back,” his sword poked the middle of your back, threatening to lodge in your heart dare you try anything.
“I thought you weren’t here for the night.”
“I wasn’t,” his voice grew cold, “but something came up. What are you doing, Chaewol? Explain yourself.”
“Chaewol?” The King scoffed, “Is that the name she told you, Seonghwa? She is the spy we’ve been hunting for- Eunyoung-”
“You shut your mouth-” you pressed the dagger to the King’s throat and Seonghwa pressed the sword further in your skin, stopping you from going further.
“What is he saying?”
“Yes. I am Eunyoung. Listen to me, Seonghwa,” you began, meeting eyes with him for a second before turning to the King. “I served this man and his parents my entire life as an intelligence agent. His parents treasured me because I was one of a kind. I called this filth my friend, Seonghwa. He tainted my name- I had the information to prevent the war between Utopia and Eden. I risked my life in Utopia for that- but he… he wanted to use this to threaten Utopia into submission instead of negotiating for peace. Do you know how much bloodshed we could have prevented? I dared to call him out and he used my sister to make me submit to him and sent me to prison in Utopia. My sister was here this entire time, rotting in the dungeons, because of his selfishness. So give me a reason to spare his life, Seonghwa.”
“Lies,” the King shouted shamelessly, “You threatened to use the information against us. I sent you to Utopia as a peace offering and prevented an actual war-”
“Bullshit,” you scoffed, “Tell me, Seonghwa. Do you believe him or me?”
Seonghwa was silent- he couldn’t make sense of what was happening. “You… you should have told me who you were. You knew who I was- did you use me to get here?”
“Don’t forget I offered you to go alone,” you seethed, looking at him finally, your heart breaking inside at the look in his eyes. “You insisted on taking me here.”
“How much you must have enjoyed making a fool out of me,” Seonghwa shook his head in disappointment. “Even if you are right, you cannot kill the King. I serve him, and my duty is to protect him.”
“Well, here’s a newsflash for you, Seonghwa,” your eyes turned cold as you snatched the dagger out of the King’s hand and threw it away, cutting your hand in the process and pointing the dagger at the King’s heart. “I am still a servant of this kingdom. This fool forgot to strip me of my title before calling me a traitor. That means I serve the kingdom, and the kingdom demands I make sure that the person who rules the nation isn’t a tyrant. So technically…” you slid the dagger down the King’s chest, “I am in a position to kill both him and you.”
“Chaewol… Eunyoung,” Seonghwa’s eyes etched into a pained expression, “Stop this madness. Don’t do this- Don’t make me kill you.”
“I’d rather you kill me than him,” you shook your head, “I-”
You were interrupted when the King produced another dagger from his back and attempted to stab you but you dodged it, Seonghwa’s sword accidentally cutting into your skin a bit, and then you twisted the hand that held the dagger, earning a yell of pain from him and a warning shout from Seonghwa.
“I’m gonna make sure you clear my name with your own mouth, Your Majesty,” you glared at him, about to fist his collar to make your point clear but Seonghwa grabbed your arm and pulled you away, making you face him and you finally took out your sword, pointing at him as he pointed it at you.
“What a turn of events,” you scoffed, “Isn’t there a saying for this? Two lovers at each other’s swords’ ends-”
“That’s enough,” he said softly, “Surrender, Eunyoung. You are wanted as a traitor to this nation.”
“Do you seriously believe this?”
“I believe what the King says. It is my duty as the Right Hand.”
“No wonder Yunho left,” you scoffed, Seonghwa’s eyes widening after hearing that, “Do you remember what he said to you before he left? Do you know why Hongjoong doesn’t trust you enough to tell you about me? Because you’re too blinded by being devoted to that filthy piece of trash you call King-”
“Drop your weapons, Seonghwa.”
Seonghwa’s eyes went wide in surprise and he turned to look at Wooyoung pointing his sword at him. The King scrambled to grab the daggers that he had dropped because of everyone’s attention and he sent one dagger flying in your direction-
You blocked it with your sword but the other dagger that he sent swayed in Seonghwa’s direction and you, out of reflex, blocked the dagger with your body, the sharp object landing near the shoulder-
You almost dropped your sword because of the pain, but Seonghwa dropped his out of surprise because you-
The dagger would have landed in his heart if not for you.
“Go to your King, Seonghwa,” Wooyoung’s voice could have dropped him dead, “And tell him that if he dares call me a traitor like he called Eunyoung without a reason, I will make sure the world sings about his treachery. And don’t you dare touch Eunyoung. You don’t deserve her.”
Seonghwa went to the King in a daze and you looked at him. “Remember what I said last night?” You cried, “I won’t come back to you now. If you learn the entire truth and believe me… come and find me. Don’t show your face otherwise.”
With that, Wooyoung grabbed you by the arm and dragged you out, shutting the door before you two slid into the secret chamber. Wooyoung allowed you to cry until he thought you two were safe and then he rubbed your arm reassuringly. “I can’t take that dagger out now- you’ll lose blood. Can you walk with it?”
“I’ll be fine,” you nodded, wiping your tears. “Let’s go.”
Wooyoung accompanied you all the way to the spot where Yunho and Chaewon would be waiting. When you got inside, Yunho immediately went to get the first aid kit and Chaewon, silently crying at your pale face, made you lie down. Wooyoung and Yunho dressed your wound as you cried silently, Chaewon’s hands in yours assuring you that even if you lost Seonghwa, you had your family back now.
But Seonghwa… you shut your eyes at the thought. He must think of you as a traitor too, and that hurt you the most.
“Stop crying already,” Yunho put a hand on your head, “I missed you.”
You laughed a little, “Thank you for believing in me, Yunho. I’m sorry you had to go through all that you went through.”
“I did that for me, not for you,” he gave you a look and you smiled. “I heard about… Seonghwa.”
“Don’t say his name,” you shut your eyes. “He doesn’t believe me, Yunho. After all that we went through.”
“He’ll come around,” Yunho assured you, “I know he will.”
“He won’t,” you sighed, “And even if he does… I don’t think I’ll find it easy to forgive him.”
“You must understand that he only knew the King’s story this entire time,” Yunho was almost scolding you, “Put yourself in his shoes.”
“Not tonight. Let me hate him tonight,” you muttered and he sighed, nodding.
You’d hate him for tonight. You’d grieve the love you lost from tomorrow.
—-------------
“How many days are you going to waste being unable to think for yourself and actually listen to your friends?” Hongjoong slapped Seonghwa in the back and brought him out of his daze. “How many days do you need to be ready to hear the whole truth?”
“You could be lying,” Seonghwa simply said, “You lied to me all this time too. You could be lying now too.”
“Sure,” Hongjoong rolled his eyes, “All your friends are liars- the ones who never lie to you. The King is oh so truthful. You must know that very well, Seonghwa. Can you think of even one lie the King told you or the public?”
He could think of a hundred, but that was different. “You all fooled me. You all must have enjoyed this.”
“Get out of my sight, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong glared at him. “Don’t call me a friend anymore if you think so.”
Seonghwa sighed, slumping further down in his chair. “I just… need time to digest everything. Apparently I’ve been serving a tyrant with a blindfold on my eyes. You have to admit it makes it harder to believe anything now.”
“I understand. But you must believe Eunyoung didn’t lie, don’t you?”
“If she didn’t lie,” Seonghwa began, “Why was she going to kill him?”
“She wasn’t, and I can say that being entirely sure,” Hongjoong said, “She only wanted him to apologise and clear her name. She has served this kingdom longer than you, Seonghwa. She has shed blood for this kingdom and shed her own blood too. She has risked her life numerous times- she was the previous King and Queen’s pride. There’s no proof of that, however, because she is supposed to be invisible to the public, which makes it easier for the King now to twist the truth however he wants.”
“That makes sense,” Seonghwa nodded, “But why would the King send her to Utopia for imprisonment?”
“Because she wouldn’t have friends who’d risk their life to save her there,” Hongjoong let out a sad sigh, “He played us all with that move. And Chaewon… poor soul rotted in the dungeons here for two years, Seonghwa. What crime did she commit other than being a spy’s family?”
“I have to admit that this was cruel,” he nodded, “I can’t imagine what the Utopians must have done to Eunyoung… Hongjoong, I don’t know what to do now. Where’s the proof to clear her name? How can I make the King do that without being sent to Utopia myself?”
Hongjoong eyes glinted and Seonghwa recognised the look in his eyes- he had a plan. “I think the King has shamed our kingdom way too much. I think it’s time he paid for his sins. I can’t let you know of the proof until I’m sure you’re at my side.”
“How do I prove that?”
Hongjoong smiled, “Tell the King you don’t believe a word that came out of his mouth about Eunyoung.”
Seonghwa fell silent. “Give me a night to think it over.”
“Don’t make me regret calling you a friend,” Hongjoong teased but Seonghwa knew he meant it.
He wouldn’t do that. He also wouldn’t make the person he loved regret loving him back.
—----------------
“The King fell,” you looked at Yunho as you threw the chess piece down with your finger, “Who’s the King now?”
“Theoretically,” Yunho was grinning, “The King’s family.”
“And who’s the King’s family? Who shares blood with the King and refuses to admit it?”
“Yours truly,” Yunho took your king piece and put it in the middle, “Regrettably enough.”
“There’s none other who’s fit for the position other than you, Yunho,” Chaewon placed freshly baked scones in front of you two. “Should I start calling you Your Majesty?”
“Oh, shut up,” Yunho ran a hand through his dark hair, “I don’t think I’m up for it. Too much paperwork and a constant headache.”
“I’ll, of course, be in your service then. I hope you don’t pull the shit that trash of a human pulled on me.”
“Send you to the enemy nation as a prisoner? How tempting, don’t you agree, Chaewon dear?”
“Oh, you’re going to have to throw me in your prison then,” Chaewon put a hand on her hips, “And you’d do that? After all the baking I did for you?”
Yunho threw his head back as he laughed. “I’ll appoint you as my personal baker.”
“So you have considered this possibility after all,” you grinned, satisfied and he shook his head.
“Sometimes I forget how good you are at making people answer questions they would never answer out loud,” Yunho sighed, “The King still sits in his chair, doesn’t he?”
“Not for long,” Wooyoung called, reading the paper and sipping on his tea, “I guess Seonghwa does have some good in him after all.”
“Why is he here again?” You looked around, your eyes falling on San, “And why are you always with him?”
“We get along well,” San grinned at Wooyoung and he grinned back, making you roll your eyes.
“We’re back,” Jongho announced, Mingi following behind “With some fruitful harvest, literally.”
“Not the dad jokes again!” Mingi wailed.
You facepalmed as you looked at Yunho and he shook his head. “I love how my house became a free lodging for all of you. You included, y/n.”
“Oh please,” you scoffed, “You love us.”
He didn’t deny, smiling back at you. “I have a favour to ask you. Can you come with me? Outside?”
“Be back before dinner,” Chaewon called as you two left. Yunho and you walked lazily in the garden. He took a deep breath before looking at you.
“Hongjoong tells me the King is stepping down after all. Seonghwa cleared your name after all. He’ll make it public soon.”
That was news to you. You put a hand over your mouth, looking around in disbelief. Seonghwa really had done it for you. Yunho put a hand over your shoulder, patting you reassuringly. “The court is in favour of my reign. I suppose they missed me a little too much while I was gone.”
“That’s… wonderful,” you breathed, “Tell me you’re accepting.”
“On one condition,” he looked nervous. “Come back with me to the castle, Eunyoung,” he used your official name instead of your real, and you understood, “Not as an agent anymore. As my personal advisor. Seonghwa can continue to be my Right Hand. Hongjoong is the court advisor so it can’t be him.”
“Yunho… that’s a very generous offer,” you looked at him with disbelief, laughing when he smiled widely as you considered and you smacked his chest. “You tall giant- you really can’t spend one minute in the castle without me, can you?”
“I miss us- when the King and Queen were alive. Good old times,” Yunho sighed and you nodded- you and Yunho were always leading back then. “I really can’t do this without you.”
“Chaewon… I can’t leave her alone.”
“My personal baker- I wasn’t joking,” Yunho raised a brow as if he dared you to challenge that post and you laughed, nodding, “Everyone’s coming back with me or else I’m handing this nation to a random stranger-”
“Okay, okay,” you laughed. “Let me have a night to think about it. Gosh, you’re such a softie, you’ll make a perfect King.”
Yunho ruffled your hair, “I expect a yes tomorrow. Everyone else has agreed already, by the way. It’s just you and Chaewon now.”
“Don’t pressurise me!” You poked his stomach, urging him to go back inside. You almost reached the door when you heard a carriage. “Were you expecting guests?”
“No,” Yunho frowned. The carriage stopped not far from you and Hongjoong came out, waving. “Should I start calling my humble abode a playground now? Gosh, there comes Yeosang.”
You scoffed, greeting Hongjoong and Yeosang with hugs. “It’s been a while,” Hongjoong said, “Have you been well?”
“You can tell she has,” Yeosang grinned, “Look at her face!”
“Chaewon doesn’t come out of the kitchen,” you grinned, “Everyone’s gotten fat thanks to her.”
“You needed this, you both,” Hongjoong nodded, “Thank god I can’t see your bones now.”
“Come on inside, she’ll have enough for you two too. What brings you here anyway?”
Yeosang and Hongjoong met eyes, looking back at the carriage and waving. The door opened and someone stepped out-
Seonghwa.
“Uh, let’s just go inside, I think I’ll puke if I see the reunion,” Yunho muttered, ushering the two inside. You looked back at them for help, suddenly anxious, glaring at Wooyoung who popped his head out of the window and said, “I’m going to watch the whole thing and tease her for the rest of her life.”
You looked back, almost unable to breathe as Seonghwa stopped a good distance away from you, testing the waters as he smiled. “It’s been a while.”
“What took you so long?” Your voice came out as a whisper.
“I had to make sure everything was perfect back there before I came to take you back,” he said, eyes hopeful. “Come back to the castle, y/n. You belong there.”
You bit your lips. “What about… the King?”
“I made sure he got what he deserved- see for yourself tomorrow. And I… I’m truly so sorry for doubting you even for a second.”
“I’m sorry for putting you in the dark for so long,” you took a step towards him and he took two.
“I’m sorry for doubting your intentions.”
“I’m sorry for doubting your feelings,” you stopped in front of him. “Tell me you believe me, Seonghwa. Tell me you know everything.”
“I do,” Seonghwa nodded, bringing his hand up and stopping for permission which he got in your eyes, finally touching your face and you immediately leaned in to the touch, “And I want to tell you that I still love you for who you are.”
You finally hugged him, crying silently in his arms and he kissed your head repeatedly, holding you tighter than ever, glaring at Wooyoung who was pretending to puke, San covering Wooyoung’s eyes and his own as well. Seonghwa held your face when you broke apart, pushing your hair aside and kissing your forehead.
“I’m sorry that it took so long, my love,” he joined your foreheads, “I did it for you only.”
“Thank you,” you whispered, “I’m sorry for that night. I love you, I hope I didn’t break your heart-”
“You can break my heart a million times, love,” he pecked your lips, “It’s yours to break as you like.”
You shut your eyes and let him kiss you properly, and he held you as if you were fragile for the first time. You wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him back as if you had all the time in the world. You finally felt complete for the first time in your life.
Friends. Family. Love. You had all that you’d ever need.
And as you joined foreheads and your breaths mingled, you told him exactly that.
#it took them 14k words to kiss im sorry#seonghwa x reader#seonghwa angst#seonghwa fluff#seonghwa imagines#ateez x reader#ateez fluff#ateez angst#ateez au#ateez scenarios#ateez imagines#seonghwa smut#seonghwa scenarios#ateez smut#park seonghwa x reader#park seonghwa imagines#park seonghwa#park seonghwa fluff#park seonghwa smut
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I LOVE your meta on how essek was the perfect asset and want to ask the follow-up question in your tags: how do you think it went down? The agreement between Essek and the Assembly? And I think the fandom was convinced Essek would be disposed of after the peace talks — how do you see his future if there was no intervention by the Mighty Nein in 97?
ruvi-muffin asked:
What are your specific thoughts abt how ludinus recruited essek??👀👀 oh Person who knows a surprising amount of spy stuff 🙏🙏🙏👀👀👀
Anonymous asked:
PLEASE share your specific thoughts about how Essek was recruited, I'm so intrigued!
Anonymous asked:
Hello yes i am very interested in these very specific thoughts about how Essek got recruited? All these things about how actual intelligence works/uses their assets/how that ties to Essek and the M9 is really interesting :D
Thank you all so much for asking me the specific question I wanted someone to ask. I had to write and rewrite this post a half-dozen times because I kept going off on tangents about other Cold War spy stories so trust me there’s plenty more where this came from.
For reference, my original post on what made Essek an ideal recruitment target and why the M9 were the ideal counter to it.
First off, this is all based on real-world intelligence ops and is only as relevant to the campaign as Matt Mercer cares to make it. Having said that *slams notebook on table* BUCKLE UP, KIDDOS.
There are two ways Essek may have been recruited: he approached the Assembly or the Assembly approached him. I think the Assembly approached him. Not to be too hard on the guy, but Essek said it himself: he’s kind of a coward. I can’t see him mustering up the nerve to take that first step. Plus his espionage seems to have focused specifically on the beacons rather than dunamancy as a whole; that sounds like the Assembly to me. The beacons specifically offer the prospect of immortality and the Cerberus mages are arrogant enough to assume they can figure out dunamancy themselves if they have a beacon in hand. There’s no way the Assembly haven’t been trying to beg, borrow, or steal those beacons for centuries. Essek may not have even been their first try - just the first that worked.
Chronologically, Essek would have popped up on either the Assembly or the Augen Trust’s radar quite early as I assume they keep tabs on all powerful Dynasty mages. As they followed his career, the Assembly would have ID’d Essek as a perfect target for recruitment as a spy, and then further for ego-based recruitment. Recruitment for espionage is a slow process - even slower in a fantasy world where some races reasonably expect to live 500+ years. Many intelligence agencies will do a sort of light meet-and-greet just to start a file on various people who might years later be of interest. The Assembly would have cultivated Essek as an intelligence asset with the same degree of time and care - and using some of the same methods - that Trent used to turn the Blumenthal trio into assassins.
If they followed a modern playbook, they would have made contact with Essek anywhere from 2 to 10 years before the theft - nothing underhanded. A Cerberus mage approaches him at a negotiation or conference and strikes up a conversation. Then it’s increasing “chance” encounters to get Essek familiar with the handler, play the “we’re both mages, really we’re on the same side” angle to earn enough sympathy & trust to start talking regularly. Once the channel’s open, the handler and asset meet and/or talk routinely while the handler assesses the target’s motives, weaknesses, and the possibility that they’re a double agent.
Espionage proper then starts with small favors, acts Essek can rationalize as victimless or even helpful to the Dynasty. In this stage the handler is getting the asset comfortable with engaging in espionage. They reward the asset for what feels like minimal moral trespass. For Essek that would have been praising his research, encouraging avenues of investigation they knew the Dynasty had shut down. Having meetings with Ludinus plays right into the ego trip - the Head of the Assembly himself is taking the time to meet with him! The Assembly gets how important this work is! That keeps Essek isolated from Dynasty members who might convince him to take a step back and builds loyalty to the Assembly over the Dynasty.
Once an asset settles in, espionage becomes easier. Routines get established. Moral hurdles have been overcome. Now the asks get bigger and the rewards get sparser. The handler will suggest larger acts just to get the asset thinking about them, since the more they consider “just hypothetically” how to pull it off, the more likely it is they’ll do it. This is where the idea of stealing the beacons would get introduced (though of course it’s been the goal all along.) I’ll bet the Assembly hinted at all the study that could be done if they could just get to the beacons in person, constantly bemoaning the lack of access. By now Essek sees the Assembly as colleagues in arcane pursuits, kindred minds, unlike the boring, stuffy old mages of the Dynasty. Of course he could outwit the Dynasty’s security and get the beacons to the Assembly - he’s a prodigy, a genius, everyone says so. And it’s not like he was stealing all of them. The consecuted would be fine. Everyone would be fine.
None of this is intended to absolve Essek of personal responsibility. But it provides a context for his actions, and for why he might regret them so much even though he apparently did them willingly. Asset handlers are very, very good at drawing someone willing to commit minor transgressions into far greater crimes. Look at how Trent shaped Caleb, Astrid, and Eadwulf. He didn’t order them to execute their own parents on day one. He spent years coaxing, tempting, and coercing them into darker and darker crimes, letting them rationalize their own actions at each step, preying on the same vulnerabilities as Essek: isolation (separating the three from other students, telling them their work was secret), ambition (the promise of great arcane power, of shaping the Empire’s destiny), and ego (”we were going to keep the empire safe,” telling them they were gifted, they were chosen).
So how do IRL spies rationalize their actions? Those who spy for reasons of conscience or ideology have done the rationalizing ahead of time, but everyone else has to get there somehow. Some who spy for revenge tell themselves it’s what their superiors deserve, while others tell themselves everyone’s doing it. Some just need a lie to get started (most commonly about who they’re spying for), while others have to keep up the charade all along. Let’s look at a few cases similar to Essek’s that demonstrate just how slippery the slope can be.
Aldrich Ames, a long-term CIA officer slash double agent for the KGB, got suckered in by thinking he could control the situation and wasn’t really hurting anyone. Ames had chronic financial trouble related to excessive drinking & his wife’s lavish lifestyle and in 1985 came up with a plan: he would essentially con the KGB by selling them a minor amount of classified info that he deemed “virtually worthless.” In April he set up the exchange and the KGB paid him $50,000, enough to satisfy his immediate debts. But after actually doing it Ames said he felt he’d now crossed a line he couldn’t step back from, and continued to sell information to the Soviets. By the time he was caught he had, by his own admission, compromised “virtually all Soviet agents of the CIA.”
While some assets just need a lie to get started, others require a delicate dance of self-delusion. Col. George Trofimoff was an Army officer who ran the center where would-be Soviet defectors were assessed & questioned. Trofimoff, a Russian émigré at a young age, was chronically in debt. In 1969 he renewed his acquaintance with his stepbrother back in Russia, now a bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church, and began to pass secrets in return for money - but he and his stepbrother never framed the transactions as such. Trofimoff described their meetings as, “very informal. ... First, it was just a conversation between the two of us. He would ask my opinion on this and that--then, he would maybe ask me, 'Well, what does your unit think about it?' Or, 'What does the American government think about it?’” His compensation was similarly informal: “I said I needed money. ... And he says, 'I tell you what, I'll loan it to you.' So he gave me, I think, 5,000 marks and then, it wasn't enough, because I needed more. ... Then he says, 'Well, you know, I'll tell you what. You don't owe me any money. And if you need some more, I can give you some more. Don't worry about it. You're going to have to have a few things, this and that.' And this is how it started.” Trofimoff could pretend to himself that he wasn’t really spying - just having a chat with his stepbrother - and wasn’t really getting paid for it - just borrowing a little money.
This got longer than I intended it to be and there’s still plenty to talk about, so I’ll save the rest for a second post. Next time: what happens long-term to espionage assets? And what happens if an asset regrets their actions and/or attempts to cut off contact with their handlers?
(This accidentally turned into a series on Essek & IRL espionage: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4)
#Critical Role#Essek Thelyss#tradecraft#mostly Cold-War-related tradecraft TBH#hot boi got ROLLED by the Assembly though#sounds like he didn't even get paid!#I do wonder at stealing TWO beacons though#why two? what was wrong with one?#maybe Essek was just showing off at that point#it's been a long pandemic
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THE HUNTER’S LAIR
CONSTRUCTION: Began end of 2023 - Completed August 2024
PURPOSE: To give the opportunity to Hunters to meet, mingle, drop the goods, train among other hunters and also rest in between excursions, before or after said excursions.
STAFF: Waitress (4) rotation shifts, Receptionist (2) rotation shifts, Blacksmith (2) they handle their own hours, Employees in charge of receiving and registering the hunters’ drops (2) they handle their own hours, Employees in charge of sorting drops, placing them in appropriate package/bags/pouches & in charge of handling their dispatching (6) they handle their own hours, Bartenders (3) rotation shifts, Entertainers (any customers who wishes to get on stage, free of charge, but may get some tips or their own admirer to take home), Manager (1) responsible of visting the site once in a week to ensure things are going well, conduct surveys and relay the information to Mallick by the end of the week, Security (7) one on the stairs that are found on Level 1, one at the reception desk, the rest are scattered around the place as needed. (if there are some forgotten, they’ll be added later on. these are positions filled by any members of clubs of any and all ranks.)
LEVELS: The establishments consists of 4 MAIN LEVELS, each of them serving a different purpose. There’s a basement and a small backyard that is only accessible to Hunters.
ACCESS: Denied to any non clubs, defectors to Clubs are allowed, Hunters have access to all levels, non Hunters only have access to Level 1. The establishment is opened to any and all ranks. Guests of other factions are not allowed in even if accompanied by a Club’s member, no exceptions given, even to Hunters. Penalty for trespassing will be handled by The Council and The Ace of Clubs.
LEVEL 1; You can find on this level
Reception desk, located on the right side of the entrance door, all guests have to check in with the receptionist and receive a stamp on the back of their hands corresponding to what type of guest they are. Different symbols will be assigned for this purpose (More on the symbols to come. aka WIP.).
Bar & Restaurant; located right after the reception desk, tables can be found all around the room, plus a stair facing the bar’s counter that is blocked and kept as such by security guard standing there to make sure those who enter have the required clearance.
LEVEL 2; You can find on this level
Training rooms, a total of four of them can be found. The backyard can be accessed through a set of stairs in one of the training room that leads there. The backyard has a wooden fence around it, trespassing will result in consequences that no one but the culprit will be held responsible for. The backyard can be used as a shooting range for bows only, no AXE/SPEARS throwing. Sparring and other things that might be needed. Sparring has to be done without ANY weapons.
LEVEL 3; You can find on this level
The rooms on this level are only filled with one thing: The food brought forth by the hunters, other hunting goods, anything that needs to be stored for the kitchen and for the dispatching to the places where it will then be distributed accordingly to the rest of the citizens in need. There are two rooms with a desk and two lead employees to register the good, security stays there to transport the goods to the appropriate room, where other employees will then sort them out and get them ready for distribution.
LEVEL 4; You can find on this level
Restrooms, sleeping rooms, cleaning rooms. Hunting teams tend to rest together, they are dispatched together and they return together. Hunting teams are also divided per seasons, then biweekly, it is very possible that the restrooms will only be accessible to the team that’s just returned from hutning and the team that’s about to head out for their huntings.
BASEMENT; You can find on this level
The blacksmith and all the weapons that are being made, repaired, etc. This a bit like an armory that only belongs to the establishment itself.
*That is it for the establishment itself, more to come on how The Hunters are picked, who can become a hunter, how they can be distinguished, how teams are formed, each teams’ symbol/tattoo, etc.
*The establishment will not tolerate discrimination of any kind towards anyone because of their rank, or anything else for that matter. This is a tolerance zero zone for fighting of any kind that is not about sparring in the training zone. Patrons who break this rule will be banned from entering the premises again, no matter their ranks and status.
#the hunter's ( lair )#equalizing ( ace )#well this took its sweet time to come together#just the hunters thing and the graphics for the symbols now#that's going to take its sweet time too
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Multiversal Fusion headcanons
Back when the rebellion just started, someone had to stay awake at night to make sure no one was invading, trespassing, or stealing from them.
Hooty was their main source of transportation back then when the rebellion was still small.
Lilith is always the last person to fall asleep no matter what.
The Defectors are more violent due to them once working for the cruel Gray Horde.
Luz was incredibly curious about the multiverse when she first met the others and The Defectors.
Jackrow is fairly older than the other kids but not as much as Luz.
#multiversal fusion#chaos verse#The Gray Horde#The Survivor's Rebellion#Jackrow#jackrow joyce#The Defectors#the owl house#toh hooty#hooty#lilith clawthorne#luz noceda#Chaos-verse
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Countering Solas
This is a subject I think about a lot, and not just post-Tevinter Nights. Whether you chose ‘try to redeem’ or ‘resolve to stop’, whether the Inquisitor returns as PC or there’s a new guy on the block, whether Solas is the Actual Big Bad in this game or the ‘Dragon’ to something else or just another key player on the ‘field’ over which some other encroaching threat is looming down on, the reality is we’re likely to be spending a lot of the main plot in DA4 trying to counter Solas and his steps. I say “counter” not “defeating” because most of this post deals with that, although at the end it does inevitably dip into the hypothetical defeat scenario (so I guess don’t read to the last point at the end if you don’t like to think about that scenario). I also say “counter” because there is no guarantee that we can straight up stop him. (To be clear, I’m not against the idea of the main plot having him always succeeding from a top-level meta/enjoying the universe and developments within it perspective, nor asserting that he will not. There are seeds in the lore that allude to him succeeding. A post-Veil world would be a fascinating thing to explore and really change things up/refresh the universe. A post-Veil world setting for DA5 has a lot of cool potential. It’s just that even if he does always succeed, we’re still likely to be spending most of the game trying to counter him, kind of like Hawke trying to put out various Kirkwall ‘fires’ until eventually it reaches the Act 3 crescendo and you can’t stop Anders no matter what. I’m specifically wondering about how the writers will have our PCs go about the attempt, trying to explore what that could entail on a practical level, and that’s okay. It’s trying to think about what the story beats and even some game mechanics could involve, given his power. The PC isn’t going to spend the game sitting on their hands and doing nothing re: the Dread Wolf, since Thedas seems aware of this new threat, unlike how Kirkwall was unaware of Anders’ goal. This post also doesn’t mean I don’t like Solas, that I haven’t played out his dialogues or romance, that I don't realize how Powerful he is, or that I think that there’s no other big threat to Thedas that is a serious danger to the world and that Solas is concerned about - the Solas romance is my favorite one and my canon. I shouldn’t really have to make so many qualifications of this kind on a post like this) Anyway I wonder a lot about the specifics of how they’re going to write the PC doing this in terms of the PC’s in-universe efforts and maneuvers on this quest, and about how they can portray this in a satisfying way. I also think a lot about what my Inquisitor would be doing in her own specific efforts to try and stop him.
Here’s some wandering thoughts on the subject of how it might be possible to counter him. It’s a mix of things to keep and mind and literal suggestions of possible measures. This list is by no means intended as prescriptive or exhaustive, and I don’t claim that it’s realistic or ground-breaking or that these ideas would be super effective. There are also bound to be a bunch of things they have in store that we don’t know about, both in terms of what he can do and what they’ll have us do. The rest is under a cut for length and Tevinter Nights spoilers.
Let’s face it, from what we know of Solas, added to how he is at the end of Trespasser, now in combination with the new additions to his repertoire in Tevinter Nights, he’s clearly very powerful, even seeming in some lights a bit OP. He’s a powerful ancient mage from a different time with ancient knowledge, a Dreamer, a Rift Mage, a Fade expert, capable, shrewd, very intelligent and already experienced in this kind of covert stuff/guerrilla warfare. He can kill people in their sleep, freeze people from a distance with a flash of his eyes, he has a powerfully explosive mind-blast move, probably can take the form of the massive draconic Dread Wolf to fight, and it seems like some spirits are helping him. He also has an extensive network of spies and agents, some of whom are fanatically loyal to the cause to the point of being willing to giving their lives up for it; he has eyes everywhere, even in the Qun, Tevinter and the Inquisition. He and these agents are also able to easily move quickly and secretly around much of Thedas thanks to his control of the eluvian network. They seem to have a lot of info, resources and money at their disposal. He is a very substantial power and is of course also a god figure.
Recruit. This is fairly self-explanatory. We already know that since he knows who the Inquisition are, we’re in need of help from people he doesn’t know. This can be people he’s aware of but not super experienced with i.e. that he doesn’t have a complete psychological profile of thanks to having not spent a year working closely with them, like Irian and Vadis. Naturally, an even better idea would be recruiting people he doesn’t know of at all, that have never attracted his attention. It’s also important to remember that there are entire factions we’ve never encountered before in Thedas, like the Fex and the Par Ladians. Very little is known about these groups. We have no idea what they’re capable of, and the dearth of information means it’s totally possible for the writers to write whatever they want about their capabilities and powers.
Some recruitment specifics: Since we know now that he can kill dwarves in their sleep the same as anyone else, even though they supposedly don’t dream, focusing on recruiting mostly dwarves because they wouldn’t be vulnerable to that doesn’t really hold as a viable strategy. A degree of caution towards both existing and new faces is required also, as he has spies/agents placed everywhere - in the Inquisition, the Qun, Tevinter, across Thedas even (which I took to mean across most of its nations and factions). New people need to be highly vetted. Where did they come from? What’s their personal history? How long do the records say they’ve been around for? If there’s anything odd, questionable or unknown/unsure, they can’t be trusted. (Frustratingly, my Inquisitor genuinely mistrusted Solas from the very outset, but you have no option of telling him to go away or not recruiting him). I also hate saying it but an extra layer of caution is unfortunately needed with elves. His agents so far are all elves, including some City, some Dalish, and some ancients, and we can’t know at the outset who is working for him and who is not.
And possibly… even someone he does know. Seemingly clashes with the points above, but there’s merit in the idea. Solas makes a big deal of how he has spies everywhere and how all organizations inevitably have problems with betrayal and corruption. Even with the fanatical-ness of some of them, what makes his follower group any different? I know he keeps them in separate cells so that it’s need-to-know and such, but it’s actually rather boring to me if as a whole they’re completely immune to being infiltrated, having double agents present or outright defections. We already have one example of an ancient elf who turned from the cause and began to think of modern elves as people - Felassan. I bring him up less as a ‘Felassan as a companion pls’ thing (although, pls pls) and more of an example that it’s possible such a character exists/could turn. Felassan didn’t know everything, but if we managed to get someone like that on our side… he knew parts of Solas’ plans and what he intends, and he knew the guy himself quite well and so knew a thing or two about how he operates. Advice from someone like that would be invaluable. You could either have someone acting as an agent of Fen’Harel but in reality they’re a double-agent for us, or a straight up defector who joins our party, turning their powers and what they know about him against him. Additional note: There is now even official indication that the writers have left the door open on Felassan’s “death” in case they decide they want to bring him back.
Not all elves will support him. Ties into the point above. Elves are not a monolith. We have examples of this already - see Charter and her love for Tessa, Irian’s refusal to join them when approached for recruitment (and her relationship with Vadis and general opinion on the whole Fen’Harel cult thing). We even have an example of an ancient not supporting him (Felassan). I would appreciate it if there is an option in-game at some point to try to have a dialogue with some of the elves who follow Solas (but mostly only if race-selection returns and the PC is an elf themselves, otherwise it could take on a not-right tone). Their decision to support Solas is understandable and not stupid, and their concerns are valid. Gaining better understanding of their perspective would be a good thing.
Adapt / change things up. Also fairly self-explanatory. We already know that he knows how the Inquisition works, about its strengths and weaknesses. They are naturally going to need to radically alter their modus operandi. This includes their structure, approaches to things and the specifics of their secrecy measures. They need to try and be unpredictable to him and do things he wouldn’t expect, and double down on being clandestine, need-to-know basis, etc. Real black ops shit. This battle is a chess-board, not open warfare.
Talk-no-Justu. Some amount of this are inevitable I think, especially in ‘try to redeem’ universes. This isn’t a criticism. If it’s well-written and executed well, I have no problem with it. Part of this involves trying to appeal to his better nature and sense of reason, and part of this involves trying to convey the value in and the pockets of good in the modern world, which TN gives us examples of. We have examples of some modern elves who occupy or occupied different positions of relative power or prestige - Charter, Irian, Teia, Cyrros, Guili, Bolivar. There are examples of good deeds; Teia’s ‘don’t kill the help’ policy, Irian and Vadis avoiding killing Tevinter elven servants and Qunari elves who were just doing their jobs, Dorian no longer keeping slaves and only now having paid servants, Lucanis endangering his job and current contract to free a group of elven slaves from their cruel Magister master, the development of an anti-slavery movement in Tevinter. Much of Thedas is still a widely problematic crapsack, and these things don’t in the slightest make up for it for its oppressed groups, but I can see BW putting us in a position where we have the choice of trying to advocate for the modern world and creating change within it as it exists now.
Solas hasn’t been as mysterious and opaque as he thinks. We too spent a long time with him and know his character traits decently well. Sometimes he even could not resist dropping a hint here or there (whether out of pride, moments of weakness or the unconscious desire to be stopped is up to your reading of him). We too know something of how he organizes his forces, how he operates, his tactics and way of thinking. We are not the only ones in this compromised position. He inadvertently revealed some of this stuff in instances like his guerrilla warfare banters with Sera and even in his vocal chess match with Iron Bull. Please note that this is not me suggesting that he is stupid or that he does not carefully consider what to say and what not to say.
He is not all-knowing and all-seeing. He doesn’t have complete oversight of his agents. Sometimes they do things he would not approve of or even that are in accidental complete opposition to what he wants. The best example of his is when Gaius in the comics traded away the idol for information, the very idol Solas has been keenly-seeking all along and is key to his post-foci plans. To add, some of his people are fanatical, and fanaticism is not traditionally a notorious hotbed of critical thinking or making the best decisions.
He is also not infallible. I don’t doubt that he is eminently capable, or that he’s logical and considered, or that he’s keenly aware of what his flaws are. But in his own way, he’s human. He has made mistakes. By his own admission he’s prideful and hotheaded. Pride is his fatal flaw and the crux of his character. He will continue to make mistakes, as anybody would.
There is a bit of a front going on. In a way, the booming ordering wolf and the “I’ll destroy anyone who gets in my way without hesitation, you cannot stop me” persona isn’t quite true. I mean, it is, and he will, he’s dedicated to his goal and feels he has no choice. He’s also quite pragmatic and ends-over-means. But he’s also simultaneously deeply regretful, and very sad and tired. This duality can be capitalized on. Also tying to the above, when we’re sad and tired, we’re more inclined to slip up and make mistakes. In some universes he straight-up seems like the wants to be proven wrong or wants to be stopped or die in the attempt but be thwarted.
He himself acknowledges the threat modern Thedosians pose to him and his plans. He is on record saying that many people oppose him and that he knows they’re not fools. He’s worried enough to personally attend a meeting of the top spies in all of Thedas in order to try and find out what they know about him and attempt to throw people off his scent. That’s a big deal. He is worried for a reason
He underestimates modern Thedosians. Related to the point above. Not by much, but still a bit. Felassan straight-up tells him that they are stronger than he thinks. This goes for their intelligence and resourcefulness also.
How many followers can he even have? A few dozen at least, a few hundred at most imo. That’s considerable but not actually a lot in the scheme of things.
Length of time. Self-explanatory. It’s going to take a few years for the ritual to complete. HoF stopped the Fifth Blight in a year. Inky stopped Cory in a year. A lot can be done in a year or two.
Forge alliances. There are seeds of this happening already and it’s a standard part of a BW narrative, ‘oh we must unite against our common enemy guys’. He clearly has knowledge of many intelligence-related groups in Thedas, including but not limited to the dwarven Carta, Inquisition remains, Nevarran Mortalitasi, Tevinter Siccari, Qunari Ben-Hassrath, the Executors and probably Orlesian bards. But, could he really stand against all of them, were they to work together? They in turn have been keeping tabs on him and have various intelligence on his movements, goals etc. What if we pool and share all that knowledge? We’d get a much clearer picture of what he’s doing. Some are already actively working against him and reaching out to one another. What if we add in other groups he doesn’t have a signposted-eye on to the mix, like the Antivan Crows, the Grey Wardens and the Rivaini Lords of Fortune? I think all or most of these groups working together are a formidable adversary for anyone to face. A potentially very potent ‘let’s counter him’ alliance between the Inquisition and the Qunari Ben-Hassrath is already alluded to. What if the Ben-Hassrath then re-direct the Antaam’s attentions to the real magical threat (and boy do they hate magic)? They have canons, explosives, dreadnoughts, advanced technologies, many well-trained soldiers.
Information-gathering. If there’s one fallen piece of Arlathan with bits of libraries with ancient elven texts in them that can be located by the Inquisition and ransacked for clues on the Evanuris and their potential undoing, there are others. The Inquisition and Qunari are both clearly researching this subject and pursuing this line of thinking, and they clearly both had this idea independent of one another. If one expedition can be mounted, others can. Laudine can’t be the only person for a gift for ancient elven language. Among the Dalish there are probably others who are good with it. Who knows what useful information we might find in these places/ventures, or already found in the TN expedition?
Smash the eluvianarchy. His agents would still be able to get around a lot and easily, because there are bound to be many more and many that we don’t know about. It’s also a waste of priceless ancient artifacts. But every barricaded door is one they can’t get through, one more tool denied them. Briala and her people probably know where a portion of them at least still are. So do the Qunari. Doing this to every one that’s known of and every one that’s found along the way partially hampers their ability to travel through them and therefore partially impacts their movements
[and/or] Construct our own eluvians. Having our own means of instant travel and our own network of eluvians would be helpful. Two can play at that game, sort of thing. Modern inventors like Dagna are brilliant. The Glassworks in Serault are renowned across Thedas for their skill and knowledge, and Morrigan even went there to conduct research on eluvians. What they have there, and what she researched, was enough that it enabled her to be able to repair an eluvian. The Inquisition has done some research into eluvians and has contact, either direct as in the case of Morrigan, or indirect as in the case of Merrill (via Varric) with its own eluvian experts. And in Trespasser, Dorian comments that they have many eluvian samples and discusses the possibility of them building eluvians of their own (Varric even pipes up about Merrill if he’s there). Dorian indicates a desire to do this and take it on as a project, so this isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Seize the means of lyrium production. Okay not literally, and not all of it. But there’s something to be said for the idea, both at the point of extraction and the point of sale/trade. If his ritual truly does require lyrium as the characters in the final story in TN speculate, if his ritual is anything like what the Magisters Sidereal did, it’s likely that he needs looots of the substance. The Magisters Sidereal needed an unimaginable, inordinate amount, actually over two thirds of the lyrium in the entire Tevinter empire at the time. The Magisters had to set 100 acolytes just to the task of gathering it. This amount of such a valuable substance would surely take some time to acquire, even with his many agents and all his money. If you remember, all those coffin-like boxes in Trespasser may have contained lyrium. The companions remark that this was enough lyrium for whole armies of mages. So much lyrium that the Imperium would be jealous and it outstrips the amount Orzammar keeps on hand. That sounds like a Magisters Sidereal Ritual 2.0 amount, if not more. Fortunately we flooded that room and put everything that had been mined underwater. Is there more elsewhere, or was that The store, was that a setback for Solas and he had to begin acquiring it all over again? It does sound like his ritual has already begun, to be fair, which would perhaps imply he had all he needed in order to have begun it in the first place. But I enjoy the thought. Maybe it requires more like a constant stream fed into it, like how we must routinely add wood to a fire in order to keep it burning? Track missing lyrium shipments, find out who is buying up an oddly-much amount. Follow these lines of thinking back to route agents of Fen’Harel and prolong this labor of his. However, a note: if Solas’ ritual requires red lyrium to fuel it and not blue lyrium, this is unlikely to be possible and would not be wise to attempt.
Tap the templars and the Seekers. I don’t like the templars either, but. Tevinter templars have access to enchanted anti-mage weapons that shoot beams of light. Even better, the southern templars and the Seekers are trained specifically to counter and deny magic. They can reinforce reality and the immutability of the world, close off a mage’s access to the Fade, disrupt mana and dissipate magical effects. This is in stark contrast to the magical/Fade-y themes of imagination defining reality and using magic to direct the river of the Fade and therefore influence the world, and I think this contrast is highlighted for a reason. Templars are also somewhat immune to the effects of magic, and even without their powers are among the best warriors in Thedas. They would be capable allies in this specific battle, against a powerful mage with some strong mage followers. And more specifically, a few dozen elite/veteran templars were all that was needed to seal the Breach that first time in DAI if you sided with the templars. Okay yes, via the Herald and through their tool - the Anchor - but that was to seal an already-open tear. What would happen if a few dozen elite templars directed their wills and nullifying abilities at the ritual-in-progress? What about a few hundred? Would Solas be able to cast, for example, his mega mind blast if a few hundred templars were focusing their “nope” on him?
Disrupt the ritual. Ties to the above. Find the ritual site and interrupt the casting or proceedings. It’s going to take several years to complete and sounds intricate. Until it is completed, it is vulnerable. It might be fairly possible to locate as well - the site is likely imo to be somewhere where the Veil is thin. Some such places are already known to modern Thedosians, due to what happened there in the past being a matter of historical record (blood and death) and the weird nature of these places in the present e.g. Brecilian Forest, Arlathan Forest. Others can feasibly be located via research. Solas is the premiere Fade/Veil expert, and he led the work on this at the time, but the Inquisition helped him get readings of the Veil and measure its strength. The results were then overlaid on Thedas maps to predict which areas had a higher chance of tears developing. Are they still in possession of some of this work/some of the notes? Maybe this could be used or developed further.
Nullifying the effects of the idol. This is something that’s clearly possible. The Carta had a special thick double-shielded chest that effectively rendered the idol inert enough that its song and weird effects could no longer be heard/felt. It was marked with protective dwarven runes. Later the idol is kept on a pedestral wrought with - presumably similar - protective runework. I’m super interested in these runes and how they might be adapted to help our cause. (What implications in a general sense btw, do these nullifying runes have for combatting/negating red lyrium and Blight? There’s something going on here) The dwarves are great at this kind of thing, experienced in it and have some really cutting edge technology/creations. In addition, there are some really smart cookies and inventors among modern Thedosians. Dagna for example. She’s brilliant. One step further, destroy the idol. If his MacGuffin is destroyed, what’s his Plan C?
The effects of red lyrium. LOTR-y, but how long can he use or wield the red lyrium idol safely, without becoming corrupted/losing his mind? We know what its effects and the effects of red lyrium in general are. Maybe this is a complete non-issue for him, but it’s possible. In the teaser, red lyrium crawls up the spine of the Solas-esque figure on the idol. I don’t know that he can be immune to its effects indefinitely.
Approach existing modern Dreamers. The talent seemed to reappear in Feynriel, but he’s not the only one. There are still Dreamers in the Imperium, like Aurelian Titus before his death. I doubt he had no counterparts. There is also a belief that a few Dreamers might still exist among the Dalish. Maybe they can help us and our people find a way to defend against or ward off being killed in our sleep.
On the killing in sleep thing in general: It’s not the same as defending against being killed in sleep, but even some strong non-Dreamer mages like the Mortalitasi woman in the final TN story have the ability to create some kind of wards that keep the spirits that whisper in their dreams at bay. She could still hear/sense them whispering but they can’t get to her for vengeance. Similarly and in addition, Felassan had herbs that could keep him from dreaming most of the time, and wards that would do a good job of blocking him from the Fade when the herbs failed. It wouldn’t have been pleasant and it would still have been plenty risky, but it seemed like he could have feasibly used these measures to live a life, albeit constantly looking over his shoulder, at least for a time (this reminds me of keeping Will drugged up in Sens8 so Whispers couldn’t get to him). Modern Dalish have alluded to at least knowing of these herbs’ past existence (Mihris). I’m not sure what the exact connection is, because the dwarves were killed, and they supposedly don’t dream, so it seems like sleeping itself not specifically dreaming is the thing that makes one vulnerable to this thing, but maybe there’s something there that can be utilized or adapted. Even ‘partial cover’ would be super helpful. In emergency situations in the short-term, coffee and other mundane ways of preventing sleep are handy temporary measures, as the Carta dwarf was doing (I’m thinking about situations where an agent’s wards have dwindled and need like refreshing but they still have some distance to travel or time to wait until a mage arrives to refresh them - for example. Don’t mistake this for “we’ll stop him by drinking coffee”… writing that sentence made me laugh). Key to the defense here btw however for me is the fact that Adralla of Vyrtantium, you know, as in who made the Litany of Adralla, discovered or formulated a defense against dream-walkers. Get Adralla’s research, stat.
Along with the sleep-killing, the other major obstacle imo is his freezing ability. The Inquisition are implied to have discovered some kind of knowledge-y MacGuffin. As above with Talk-no-Justu, some amount of MacGuffin-ness is inevitable I think. Again this isn’t a criticism, if it’s well-written and executed well, I have no problem with it. In an ideal universe for me the MacGuffin includes some kind of defense against or way of negating the effect of his freezing powers. Notably, there is a precedent for something of this sort in the lore. In the MotA DLC, we gather jewels and reconstruct the Dagger of the Four Winds. With this dagger, the pirates who are petrified stone statues can be unpetrified. Interestingly, the Fog Dancers (who live in the north, where we’re going..!) have a story called the March of the Four Winds. Perhaps it’s connected, and the Fog Dancers know how to counter petrification. Even if they don’t, example MacGuffins like the Dagger clearly exist in Thedas, so it’s not much of a stretch to suggest that we could engineer a means of protection against this power. Or if not protection, perhaps a way of reversing? It’s debated if the Fog Warriors’ fog is magic or alchemy - if they also have the means to counteract petrification, it could also be either one. I like the scene in Narnia when Aslan breathes life and motion back into the frozen victims of the White Witch.
His true name. Not sure what exactly all that was about, but in that one story the Qunari allude to the fact that his names that we know aren’t true or aren’t quite true. They seem to be looking for information on his supposed-”true name”. Not sure if it’s just Qunari philosophy or Rasaan being Rasaan, but they believe that with this true name they can track a person back through the best and the worst of themselves, find flaws, exploit weaknesses, know what they had failed to be. A common fictional trope is I Know Your True Name. It’s like functional magic whereby knowing the secret true name of someone grants you control over them or some similar great advantage. I’m very intrigued by this idea, what it could mean and the potential here. “Find the Dread Wolf’s true name” quest arc?
Bring the full might of nations and their armies to bear. The idea of entire nations standing against him is already hinted at. This is a purely hypothetical situation, as the devs might not even have us fighting him, or the final battle could easily be against a possible true or bigger antagonist. Consider though a final assault launched on the located ritual site, with our main squad as the tip of the spear and being the ones who facilitate/convey the means to disrupt it to the center, or the entrance to the center (they would also inevitably be the ones who fight the final battle against him personally at the ritual-site-proper, where I imagine he’d be, trying to complete the cast or ready to do his thing when it’s done). Even with hundreds of followers and some mages, can he really defend the site against entire armies of multiple Thedosian nations, especially when he himself is mostly-occupied at the site-proper? Especially when said armies are peppered or reinforced/led by ‘special forces’ like the organizations I’ve named above?
A final battle against the literal Dread Wolf: I’m actually not worried about this. His form is mighty and dangerous, and I know that in-universe it would post a massive threat. I’m also aware of gameplay/story segregation and how our MCs in these games are invariably special or especially heroic compared to normies. But the fact is we and other people defeat giant beasts in this setting - Archdemons, high dragons, Blighted dragons, hyped up power-goons like ancient Magisters, ancient powerful demons like the Forbidden ones - on the regular. I am not worried about a squad of 4 wailing on a giant wolf. In addition, if there is a true or bigger antagonist, we might never even have to fight the DW.
On a meta level there’s going to be a combat-based game with bosses and a Player Vs Antagonist arc, and it has to be fun to play, have an engaging plot, be of a certain length. However it works out in the end in terms of him succeeding/not succeeding (btw us not succeeding, the ‘you failed despite how hard you tried to keep a cap on this thing’-style narrative, has value as a different kind of story which is cool - see DA2), the characters are still going to try. If he just freezes the PC on first meeting or at any subsequent meeting, how is there going to be a game/plot..? Is the PC never going to sleep for the in-universe duration of their campaign, or are we just supposed to buy that he had the ability to kill them in their sleep for the whole game all along and not once decided to use it to stop them? Solas isn’t stupid! I love a ‘desperate odds, how are we gonna do this, the villain is so incredibly powerful, this feels hopeless’-narrative, and don’t doubt that it’s gonna be in there, but it also has to be sensible - believable. We need to feel both threatened and also that if we try, we might be able to do something. It’s a balance to be struck. There’s going to be something, some kind of creative writing around his power gains or limit on it, some series of steps the PC will be investigating and attempting to take, or else the premise is nonsensical - even if the story has him always succeeding and even in the case of a true or larger threat.
The need to ensure permadeath/permadefeat: In the case of redeem universes, this is only a possible potential scenario that I’m posing to explore. I am not asserting nor wishing that this will happen. If even in those universes we fail in the attempt to convince him, or outright cannot convince him to stop, and in a general sense if there’s no other way (and disregarding for this one point/scenario here the possibility that for plot reasons his plans actually railroad to success - which I acknowledge is entirely possible - and he then dies or something as a result) - the first of his people do not die so easily. He’s not so far from the first of his people. He is an ancient and they were immortal. Flemythal’s various survivals over the years is an example of what might be possible. Plus if he was originally a spirit, or given the ancients’ spirity-ness, consider how when spirits ‘die’ they return to the Fade, and if the idea that gave it form is strong or other spirits have memories of it, something similar might reform one day. In this specific scenario, we need to be sure that killing him is a true permadeath, or that else that the means of disabling/depowering him is permanent. I don’t like the idea and don’t like the Rite of Tranquility and what it does to mages, it’s abhorrent, but this is a specific hypothetical scenario and I’m thinking about all options. If he can’t be swayed and can’t be truly killed, maybe making him Tranquil is an effective means of neutralizing the threat. Even it can be reversed however, so in this specific hypothetical scenario I’m curious what they’ll do here/how it would go down. Maybe he can’t even be made Tranquil, or would need to be killed in the Fade and then made Tranquil ‘twice-over’ kinda by doing it irl too? Interesting thought.
#dragon age 4#the dread wolf rises#dragon age#tevinter nights#solas#bioware#tevinter nights spoilers#tevinter nights spoiler#video games#mj meta#felassan#Best Elf#Gryff Lavellan
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Some possible Imposters:
Possible Imposters (TBC):
Ashfur:
- Why:
* Very possessive of Squirrelflight
* Named Squirrelflight, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather as codebreakers (and Ashfur tried to kill/harm them when he was alive)
* “You used to stand up to me in the old days” to Squirrelflight
* Lured the dogs to Jayfeather’s garden in the same way that Brindleface (Ashfur’s mother) was killed
* Set a trap kill Sparkpelt (Squirrelflight’s daughter). The trap was set at Jayfeather’s garden, so it might have been meant for him or Alderheart (also Squirrelflight’s children)
* Sent Bumblestripe to spy on Squirrelflight rather than trusting her
* “I gave you one last chance to tell the truth and you didn’t!” to Squirrelflight, implying that she’s lied to him before
* Violent with Squirrelflight when angry
* Threatened to harm Tree’s family to hurt him, as Ashfur tried to kill Squirrelflight’s children to hurt her
* Imposter has a vendetta against Bramblestar, whom Ashfur blames for “stealing” Squirrelflight
* The erins mentioned the return of a controversial character, and Ashfur is one of the most controversial characters in the series (for some reason)
* Shadowsight’s fire vision and ash falling on his pelt
* Why not:
* Ashfur is a confirmed StarClan cat who has been seen multiple times in StarClan, and StarClan has been cut off from the living
* Imposter is unfamiliar with ThunderClan camp, and Ashfur lived in the lake territory
* Ashfur never showed any interest in the Code and actually broke it when he conspired with Hawkfrost to kill Firestar
* Imposter seems much smarter than Ashfur was in life
* AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Ashfur actually appeared in Squirrelflight’s Hope and was utterly uninterested in her
Thistleclaw:
* Why:
* The Imposter is intent on punishing codebreakers and making them suffer, just as Thistleclaw was violent in life
* Thistleclaw would be unfamiliar with ThunderClan camp at the lake territory
* Imposter manipulated Bristlefrost and seemed like he was creeping on her, despite actually saying that she was too young to be deputy. We all know what Thistleclaw did in Spottedleaf’s Heart.
* Thistleclaw is a Dark Forest cat who wasn’t killed in the Great Battle (that we know of), and Squirrelflight’s Hope stated that most Dark Forest cats had “moved on”, but that StarClan doesn’t know where they went
* The erins talked about the return of a controversial character, and for some reason, Thistleclaw seems to be pretty controversial
* Why not:
* The only part of the Code that Thistleclaw ever seemed interested in was no trespassing
* Thistleclaw has no connection to any named codebreakers
* Thistleclaw was never shown as particularly cunning outside of his disgusting child grooming in Spottedleaf’s Heart. The imposter is clearly a master manipulator.
* I don’t think Thistleclaw would have let Rootpaw trespass on ThunderClan territory and get away with it, regardless of his supposed reason
* No connection to Squirrelflight
* Meta: I’m hoping to god that the Erins learned their lesson and won’t touch Thistleclaw with a ten foot pole
* No motive
Clear Sky (Skystar):
* Why:
* Controversial character
* Shown to be very manipulative and good at getting cats to join him
* Warmonger who uses fear tactics to scare cats into believing that they will starve if they don’t join him, much like the Imposter uses fear tactics to convince cats that StarClan will never return if they don’t punish codebreakers
* Clear Sky was the first leader to enforce rules about borders and trespassing, which served as a prototype for the Code
* Clear Sky would be unfamiliar with the lake territory
* The Imposter is noted to have seemed surprised by the scent of herbs from the medicine den. Medicine cats were a very new concept when Clear Sky was leader.
* No SkyClan cats were named as codebreakers (Tree doesn’t count)
* Squirrelflight is very similar in personality to Storm (Clear Sky’s second mate). Storm left Clear Sky and died, so it would make sense why Clear Sky would try to keep Squirrelflight with him at all times
* Clear Sky only just rejoined main StarClan, so he might not be fully connected enough to be blocked off with the rest of them
* The Imposter shares Clear Sky’s social Darwinist perspective (i.e. the strong cats — warriors, deputy, leader —should take priority over the weak, like the elders)
* Squirrelflight is similar in appearance to Star Flower (Clear Sky’s third mate)
* Clear Sky was very controlling of Storm and insisted she always stayed in camp. Much like the Imposter does with Squirrelflight.
* The Imposter would need to have knowledge of how losing a life works to know that there is a time when he could slip in and steal Bramblestar’s body
* Why not:
* Clear Sky showed genuine character growth and had a redemption arc
* I don’t think many people read DOTC, so Clear Sky might not be a recognizable villain for most readers
* StarClan is blocked off from the Clans, and Clear Sky is a StarClan cat
* I think the only cat Clear Sky ever exiled was Jagged Peak, and that was because he broke his leg (not because of any codebreaking)
* I don’t remember Clear Sky ever using spies
Cloudstar:
* Why:
* No SkyClan cats were named
* Cloudstar’s entire life and Clan were destroyed by codebreaking (i.e. the other Clans turning on them in their hour of need)
* Everything I said about Clear Sky and StarClan
* The Imposter seems intent on making ThunderClan suffer, and Redstar (the leader of ThunderClan) was the main antagonist in Cloudstar’s novella and the main reason why SkyClan was forced to leave
* Cloudstar would be unfamiliar with the lake territory
* Why not:
* Cloudstar was never a bad dude
* He is a confirmed StarClan cat
* Cloudstar was never shown to be manipulative or violent
* It just doesn’t seem likely that Cloudstar would do something like this
* I seriously doubt Cloudstar would ever threaten another cat’s family like the Imposter threatened Tree’s
* No connection to Squirrelflight
Darkstripe:
* Why:
* Dark Forest cat who survived the Great Battle
* What I said about the Dark Forest in Thistleclaw’s section
* Luring dogs to kill Sparkpelt (probably intended for Jayfeather) was a very Tigerstar-esque plot, and Darkstripe was his most loyal supporter
* Darkstripe would be unfamiliar with the lake territory
* Darkstripe is known for eating prey that he caught before feeding the elders
* Why not:
* Darkstripe wasn’t all that smart in life or death
* Darkstripe had little to no regard for the Code
* No connection to Squirrelflight
Tigerstar I:
* Why:
* Bramblestar is his son
* The dog plot mentioned above
* Tigerstar was a master manipulator who convinced entire cats to join his crusade against half-clan and non-forestborn cats
* Tigerstar was known for hating half-Clan cats, and Jayfeather and Lionblaze are named codebreakers for seemingly no other reason than being half-Clan
* The imposter seems to have something against Lionblaze specifically, and Lionblaze turned against Tigerstar in his Dark Forest training
* Tigerstar would be unfamiliar with the lake territory
* Known to use spies
* Why not:
* Tigerstar is double dead and his arc is complete
* It would just be such lazy writing for it to be him
Hawkfrost:
* Why:
* He’s Bramblestar’s half brother
* Squirrelflight hated him when he was alive
* Would want revenge against Bramblestar for killing him TWICE
* Bristlefrost’s name
* Mothwing is a named codebreaker
* Why not:
* Hawkfrost is double dead and should not be able to come back
* Never cared about the Code
* No motive
* The Imposter hasn’t once interacted with Ivypool, and Hawkfrost had an important relationship with her and would probably try to make her life hell
Brokenstar:
* Why:
* Social Darwinist who kicked out ShadowClan’s elders
* Why not:
* He’s double dead and shouldn’t be able to come back
* No motive or connection to ThunderClan, Bramblestar, or the Code
Sol:
* Why:
* Known for hating the Clans
* Convinced ShadowClan to reject StarClan once, so it would make sense for him to try to block off StarClan again
* Known master manipulator who was able to convince first SkyClan, then ShadowClan, and then a group of WindClan cats of his worth as a cat and a leader
* Controversial character in-universe
* Why not:
* Sol has a vendetta against SkyClan and Leafstar specifically, and not a single SkyClan cat is named
* Sol doesn’t give a shit about the Code
* I don’t remember Sol having any connection to Squirrelflight, but I might be wrong
Rowanclaw:
* Why:
* Had his life and leadership ruined by codebreakers
* The Imposter named Dovewing but not Tigerheartstar. Tigerheartstar is Rowanclaw’s son and was his deputy, and Rowanclaw might blame Dovewing for making Tigerheartstar abandon ShadowClan in their time of need, thus forcing Rowanclaw to step down as leader and merge ShadowClan with SkyClan.
* Rowanclaw has a biological connection to Shadowsight (his grandson), which might make it easier to talk to him
* Owed Leafstar a debt for taking in his Clan, and not a single SkyClan cat is named
* Why not:
* None of the initial defectors to the Kin (Yarrowleaf, Berryheart, Strikestone, etc.) are named codebreakers
* Rowanclaw had a decent relationship with Bramblestar and would have no reason to bring suffering to him or his Clan
* The Clans all helped drive Darktail out, so why would Rowanclaw want to drive them apart?
* Rowanclaw is a known StarClan cat
* Rowanclaw was given a good death and a great send off in Tawnypelt’s Clan
* Rowanclaw knew his way around ThunderClan camp
Flametail:
* Why:
* Shadowsight’s fire vision
* If the Imposter was using mint to cover up Shadowsight’s assassination, then he would have to have good knowledge of herbs to know that mint is used to mask corpses
* Flametail was mentioned several times in Lost Stars
* Why not:
* Why the fuck would Flametail do this
Ravenwing:
* Why:
* Read what I said about the Imposter having knowledge of herbs under Flametail
* No knowledge of the lake territory
* Ravenwing was killed for defending the Code (albeit a warped version of the Code) and reporting Mapleshade’s half-Clan relationship
* Lionblaze and Jayfeather are condemned just for being half-Clan, much like Mapleshade’s kits
* The Imposter would need to have knowledge of how losing a life works to know that there is a time when he could slip in and steal Bramblestar’s body
* Why not:
* I think the Erins forgot he exists
* Ravenwing never seemed violent or malicious
Darktail:
* Why:
* Known for being a tyrannical leader
* Known for using spies
* The Imposter is compared multiple times throughout The Silent Thaw to Darktail in terms of cruelty and cunning
* Darktail is mentioned several times in The Silent Thaw
* We all know that Darktail hates the Clans
* Why Not:
* Because Darktail had a satisfying defeat and it would cheapen his death for the Erins to bring him back
* Violetshine isn’t targeted
* Erins please
* I’m literally begging you
* Don’t make it Darktail
Multiple different cats:
* Why:
* Personality shifts for days
* No one knows where the hell the Dark Forest cats went
* Why not:
* Shadowsight only heard one voice
I think it’s either Clear Sky, Ravenwing, or multiple different cats, but I’m leaning Clear Sky
#warrior cats#warriors#the broken code#the broken code spoilers#lost stars#lost stars spoilers#the silent thaw spoilers#the silent thaw#tbc#bramblefake#fakestar#clear sky#skystar#ravenwing#ashfur#thistleclaw#tigerstar#hawkfrost#brokenstar#sol#wc sol#darktail#not mentioned but also possibilities: mudclaw and onestar#cloudstar#flametail
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Love Yourself Challenge- Show Your 5 Favorite Things
I’ve been tagged by the ever lovely @fasterpuddytat and now I have to think of 5 things I made that I really like!
Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc. ) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!
Alright, here we go kids:
1. The Girl with the Arrow Tattoo
While finishing off my (mostly canon compliant) retelling of Trespasser featuring Inquisitor Cadash, I had a dream of a modern!Maria Cadash getting into an argument with Varric Tethras in a fancy hotel lobby while she was playing a grand piano. (Seriously). An idea I quickly became obsessed with and which took a couple different forms before it began to morph into what it became. My love-child: The Girl with the Arrow Tattoo.
This story features a Modern!Thedas with magic, witches, templars, and at least one dragon that didn’t get the “should be extinct” memo. Maria Cadash is the daughter of a cop from a working class neighborhood who through tragic circumstances ends up brutally tied to the Ostwick Carta and unable to escape on her own. When the world goes to shit - she’s the woman at the center of the explosion. She brings to the Inquisition the weird refugee kid she rescued in Ostwick who’s actually a witch’s familar in human form (Sweet baby Cole), former decorated Par Vollen military defector, prize fighter, and her lawyer the Iron Bull, and her sister Beatrix Cadash who takes her clothes off while dancing for both fun and money.
Varric Tethras, in the custody of the Seekers, is forced to navigate a rather more nuanced path than he originally intended. His original goal, keep Hawke out of the Seeker’s hands, is quickly supplanted by rapt fascination with the cagey, sexy, and quick-witted Carta member spinning the Inquisition around her fingers. Long used to dealing with weird shit, Varric relies on the tech-genius of his former flame combined with the magical skill of Champion Hawke to navigate a world on fire. His favorite little device is an AI named Bianca that is consistently whispering in his ear through an earpiece and consistently states, convincing nobody, that she’s incapable of feeling jealousy.
My favorite part of this story is the modern!magic, by far. No staffs to be found here, Hawke uses a zippo as a focus, Dorian’s’ got a pen and a familiar that likes shiny things (mostly Varric’s earring). The nightmare that was Redcliffe took place in a hotel, the next chapter features them heading to an abandoned hospital. Guns! Hexes! Motorcycles! Cell phones! It’s good shit. I enjoy it utterly.
TW for this fic: Strongly implied dubious consent to sexual activities, domestic violence, graphic violence, suicide, blood and gore.
2. The Viscount’s Mistress
The working title of this fic before it was posted was “The Death of Inquisitor Cadash” which probably adequately captures the amount of angst in this fic. Set in the same universe as “Of Miracles & Heroes” which goes over the initial formation of Maria Cadash’s canon Inquisition. (Please don’t read of Miracles and Heroes I’m so embarrassed of it, it needs redone. It was my first foray back into fanfiction.)
This fic, I think, can be mostly read alone. There’s some callbacks to the plot of Miracles and Heroes, but it mostly focuses on the relationship between Varric Tethras and Maria Cadash and events immediately preceding, during, and immediately after Trespasser. How does Varric balance the Viscount’s crown and his impetuous, reckless lover? How does Maria cope when everything she worked for begins to peel away?
If she’s not the Inquisitor anymore, what is she?
Added to this fic is a pregnancy, a deep dive into Merchant’s Guild nonsense, and some interesting sibling dynamics as Bea Cadash rolls back into town at the closing act after vanishing for two years, trailing trouble in her wake. I bawled like a baby writing some of this. The middle of this fic is so angsty it’s crazy, but it’s capped off by fluff before ending on a cliff hanger that leads into the stalled “The Herald’s Gambit” which I will pick back up when I have energy, promise.
This fic is complete though! TWs: Implied miscarriage, sexually charged violence/threats of violence, suicidal ideation, and just angst. So much angst.
3. Mood Boards
I like to make Mood Boards when I should be writing sometimes cause I find them inspiring and great for procrastinating. Here is one of my recent favorites featuring two characters from the uncompleted/stalled Herald’s Gambit: Marguerite Cadash-Tethras, heiress to Kirkwall, and Petra of Clan Kuhn, Orzammar’s Proving Champion.
4. Poetry
I recently got back into poetry, which is fun. Here’s something I wrote and published on my Instagram that people really seemed to like. The title is “Settling”.
5. My Wedding Flowers
Hubby and I have been together for something like five years, but we just got married last May so these still count. I made approximately 500 flowers out of book pages for my wedding bouquet and decorations. BY HAND. It took me FOREVER and I still have hot glue gun scars. The books were from thrift stores/used book stores but they also were books that were favorites of my husband, my father, and myself. I’ve been told I should start to sell these on Etsy and I absolutely will not - they were too much work, but I can certainly teach other people how to make them.
Also - my wedding anniversary is May 4th because that’s awesome and we’re that nerdy.
Alright - so who wants to play? @imakemywings, @eranehn, @lostinfantasies38, @silvanils, @kita-lavellan, and anyone else?
#tagged thing#i'm proud of this shit#particularly those damn flowers#i hated them by the end#but they're pretty again now
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A while ago I started writing this fic and who knows when I’ll get the chance to finish it, because it’s one of those fics that I only write when I’m feelin some sorta way and all the emotions are bubbling up and need somewhere to go. U know how it is.
It’s an alternate universe where technology is almost modern but Britain is divided into two clans - the northern clan and the southern clan. The border that separates the two is heavily patrolled as the clans are, although not actively at war, very hostile towards one another.
Louis is an officer of the border in the southern clan - he’s known for his ruthless tactics as it’s his job to interrogate everyone who tries to trespass from the North to the South. Generally it’s one of two reasons; defectors who desire a better life in the South and know someone there who is willing to come collect them, or agents of war trained to either become spies or pass along information to plants already in the South. Louis’s job is to determine what their motive is. If they’re defectors they have to name someone from the South who can vouch for them, and, if they’re agents, Louis’s job is to gain as much information from them as possible by any means necessary. He’s known and feared among the rebel groups in the North and he knows it.
Then one day, Louis is called into an interrogation room to find a young man with wild curls tied to the chair. He’s been gagged, as everyone who is brought in is because agents tend to carry pills to take for in case they’re captured and tortured.
This young man though, he looks... sallow. Sickly. He doesn’t seem to be entirely conscious and he’s slouched at an awkward angle, dry heaving into the gag. Louis hurries to untie it and the stranger immediately vomits all over him before passing out.
This isn’t an effect that the pills agents carry normally exhibits; for them, death is much faster and quieter. While Louis does worry about catching whatever disease this man might be carrying, he’s quick to undo his restraints and catch him as he slumps off the chair.
Louis has no way of figuring out who he is, but he can’t just leave him in this state so he creates a makeshift bed on the floor of the small interrogation room, out of emergency blankets and the clothes from the Lost and Found.
He doesn’t know what’s gotten into him, tending to a man who could be a fugitive or agent from the north for all he knows. But the man looks so... young, helpless. Louis ends up checking in on him ever half hour or so for the rest of the night. When he leaves, he goes home for the night, he leaves a bottle of water next to the man and a note at the door that says the person inside is his own business to attend to.
The next day when he’s back, the man looks much better. He’s awake and he’s drunk the water, but he doesn’t talk. He looks scared out of his mind, eyes big as saucers, and he shakes whenever Louis comes near him. He won’t talk for anything, but the second Louis even hints at torture he breaks down, tears and snot and cowering in the corner.
Louis should send him back over the border, let the North deal with him, that’s procedure - but the man seems even more scared of that. and Louis’s heart hurts for him.
It’s a week of indecision like this, where the other officers are beginning to question if Louis is going soft (maybe he is, he doesn’t even know anymore!) when a decree from the North arrives. The younger crown prince has gone missing.
Louis’s never paid particular attention to the lives of royals, wouldn’t be able to spot even the king of the South in a lineup, so when he pulls out the picture attached he stares at the young man with the curly hair in the photograph.
Prince Harry doesn’t seem to want to be found, and Louis needs to know why.
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Round of 8192 - Batch 92
You can now vote in Batch 92!
Currently open batches:
Batch 92
Batch 91
Batch 90
Batch 89
Batch 88
Batch 87
Batch 86
Batch 85 results will be up shortly.
Feature match: Fringe Modern combo card Restore Balance takes on Imperial Seal’s big brother, Vampiric Tutor.
Full list of matchups:
Tidal Bore vs Cradle of Vitality
Slayers' Stronghold vs Harvest Gwyllion
Pulse of the Forge vs Firestorm
Hero of Bladehold vs Seeker of the Way
Darigaaz's Charm vs Fight to the Death
Vanquish the Foul vs Atogatog
Basalt Golem vs Fevered Visions
Urge to Feed vs Aeon Chronicler
Sigiled Starfish vs Humble Defector
Testament of Faith vs Rakdos's Return
Whirlpool Drake vs Citadel Castellan
Patchwork Gnomes vs Archetype of Courage
Demonic Collusion vs Lava Dart
Spell Shrivel vs Ghost Hounds
Parting Thoughts vs Clone Shell
Valor vs Ash Zealot
Shauku's Minion vs Eater of the Dead
Trespassing Souleater vs Mnemonic Wall
Nightguard Patrol vs Freewind Falcon
Sanguinary Mage vs Vapor Snare
Pearl Medallion vs Maga, Traitor to Mortals
Mutavault vs Szadek, Lord of Secrets
Pyrewild Shaman vs Soulless One
Silvos, Rogue Elemental vs Tenza, Godo's Maul
Invoke the Firemind vs Luminarch Ascension
Hideous Laughter vs Soul Snuffers
Restore Balance vs Vampiric Tutor
Acid-Spewer Dragon vs Arcbound Overseer
Roiling Horror vs Maggot Therapy
Magus of the Will vs Gild
Mindless Automaton vs Deathcoil Wurm
Oblivion Strike vs Chandra Ablaze
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Lord, thank you for your greatness. Thank you that when I am weak, you are strong. Lord, the Devil is scheming and I know he desires to keep me from spending time with you. Don’t let him win! Give me a measure of your strength so that I might not give into discouragement, deception and doubt! Help me honor you in all my ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Psa 40:12-17 NKJV] 12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; Therefore my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me! 14 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Who seek to destroy my life; Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor Who wish me evil. 15 Let them be confounded because of their shame, Who say to me, "Aha, aha!" 16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!" 17 But I [am] poor and needy; [Yet] the LORD thinks upon me. You [are] my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.
[2Ki 25:8-12, 22-26 NKJV] 8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh [day] of the month (which [was] the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of the LORD and the king's house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who [were with] the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around. 11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people [who] remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. 12 But the captain of the guard left [some] of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. ... 22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. 23 Now when all the captains of the armies, they and [their] men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah--Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, "Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you." 25 But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
[Jas 5:7-12 NKJV] 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end [intended by] the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and [your] "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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Kim Jong-un adopts 'maximum emergency system' after defector returns with COVID-19 symptoms
dailymotion
김정은, 특급경보 발령..."코로나의심 탈북민 분계선 통해 월북"
North Korea has imposed a 'maximum emergency system' over a suspected COVID-19 case which, if confirmed, would be the first officially recognized case in North Korea.
Hong Yoo reports.
North Korea shifted its state emergency anti-epidemic system to the "maximum emergency sytem" and issued a top-class alert over the weekend.
The decision was reached at an emergency politburo meeting of the Workers' Party on Saturday that was convened by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in response to a defector returning to North Korea from South Korea with COVID-19 symptoms.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday that the defector had illegally trespassed the Military Demarcation Line to Gaeseong on July 19th,…three years after defecting to South Korea.
The 24-year-old is believed to have swum back to the North after being investigated for rape allegations in the South, according to multiple media reports in South Korea.
It added that multiple medical check-ups of the man's upper respiratory organ and blood were conducted, which showed an uncertain result that can be described as a suspected case of coronavirus,...the first in North Korea.
The man has been quarantined along with people that came into contact with him for five days in Gaeseong.
The city has been on a complete lockdown since Friday, when Kim Jong-un was first notified about the matter.
At the politburo meeting, Kim launched an investigation into how the man managed to cross the border and said those responsible would be severely punished.
North Korea closed its border in late January to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 and had so far claimed to have zero cases.
The regime has been emphasizing the need to always wear face masks and strictly practice virus prevention measures.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.
via Dailymotion https://ift.tt/32S9buy
from Blogger https://ift.tt/30NnQ7D
via IFTTT Kim Jong-un adopts 'maximum emergency system' after defector returns with COVID-19 symptoms
dailymotion
김정은, 특급경보 발령..."코로나의심 탈북민 분계선 통해 월북"
North Korea has imposed a 'maximum emergency system' over a suspected COVID-19 case which, if confirmed, would be the first officially recognized case in North Korea.
Hong Yoo reports.
North Korea shifted its state emergency anti-epidemic system to the "maximum emergency sytem" and issued a top-class alert over the weekend.
The decision was reached at an emergency politburo meeting of the Workers' Party on Saturday that was convened by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in response to a defector returning to North Korea from South Korea with COVID-19 symptoms.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday that the defector had illegally trespassed the Military Demarcation Line to Gaeseong on July 19th,…three years after defecting to South Korea.
The 24-year-old is believed to have swum back to the North after being investigated for rape allegations in the South, according to multiple media reports in South Korea.
It added that multiple medical check-ups of the man's upper respiratory organ and blood were conducted, which showed an uncertain result that can be described as a suspected case of coronavirus,...the first in North Korea.
The man has been quarantined along with people that came into contact with him for five days in Gaeseong.
The city has been on a complete lockdown since Friday, when Kim Jong-un was first notified about the matter.
At the politburo meeting, Kim launched an investigation into how the man managed to cross the border and said those responsible would be severely punished.
North Korea closed its border in late January to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 and had so far claimed to have zero cases.
The regime has been emphasizing the need to always wear face masks and strictly practice virus prevention measures.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.
via Dailymotion https://ift.tt/32S9buy affair, crime, Kim Jong-un adopts 'maximum emergency system' after defector returns with COVID-19 symptoms, murder, rape, robbery, sex
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Bjorkman’s Empire 6 - Waterfall
It was time for the Georgians to put the constant threat of nuclear war to the back of their mind. Today was the day of their Eurovision song presentation. Many countries had been seriously considering withdrawing, but only a few had the courage to do it. The European leaders knew that withdrawals angered Björkman, and that to get into the despotic leader's good books you had to be a confirmed participant at the upcoming 2013 contest in Malmö. The countries that had been brave enough to withdraw had been enduring constant threats from Björkman. Countries that upset Björkman enough end up like Iceland. Attacked and nuked by the despotic Empire. It was easier to just send a singer to the contest and enjoy much friendlier relations with the dictatorship state of Sweden.
---
Sophie and Nodi stood backstage. They had been internally selected by the Georgian broadcasters to represent them at the Eurovision Song Contest.
The crowd cheered and waved their flags as the two of them walked out onto the stage. Their song was called Waterfall. The reception was generally positive, well, it had to be. The song itself had been written by G:Son, who Björkman had flown into Georgia specially to write them a Eurovision song. The Georgians were too worried about upsetting Björkman to say anything negative about the song, in case it upset the Swedish dictator. It was clear Björkman was trying to create his own perfect Eurovision, regardless of what anyone else thought. The events at the German national final had shown everyone that. Björkman had been upset with the German public's decision of Cascada, and teleported into Germany with his robots, threatening to shoot the dance trio. It was only intervention by Stefan Raab that saved the day, offering Björkman large amounts of German weaponry for his robots, as long as he left the country alone, which Björkman agreed too. Germany could barely afford it considering they had wasted a lot of their money trying to stop the violent civil war in Belgium. It also altered the alliance system, Björkman's Empire, once alone and without allies, now found itself with a new friend, Germany. The German government criticized Raab, saying that he should have let Cascada get shot rather than intervene, but Raab stood by his decision. Georgia was trying its hardest to stay neutral, but it was easy for a country to fall under Björkman's influence. Especially for a small country such as Georgia.
---
Sophie and Nodi walked out of the stadium, very pleased with themselves. The song presentation had gone well, and even though it was quite early in the morning, the turnout had been great. People from all over Georgia had flocked to see the presentation.
"So, I hope you don't mind," Nodiko began, "But I booked us in to perform at Armenia's national final. It'll help us promote our song and all that, y'know?"
"Oh, of course!" Sophie smiled, "Why would I mind? That's great news!"
"Brilliant, hopefully with more people seeing our song we'll get a good placing at the contest."
They saw Anri Jokhadze outside the stadium. Of course, the 2012 Eurovision entrants had all had prior experience with Björkman, having been present when he took over the contest and forced Sweden's victory at gunpoint.
"Hey guys," he said, running over to the pair, "Congratulations! Your song is great, I know you'll do us proud in Malmö!"
"Thanks," Nodi smiled, "We'll try our best!"
"Well, it won't be easy," Anri said suddenly, "Considering where the contest will be held this year."
Björkman's Empire. He didn't even need to say it. Now barely even called by it's real name, Sweden, anymore.
"I don't want to talk about Björkman's Empire, Anri," Sophie said, "It's not what we want to be thinking about right now."
"I don't want to either," Anri replied, "But I was there last year when Björkman stormed the contest. You guys gotta promise me you'll be careful when you go to Malmö, ok?"
"We promise," Nodi said.
"Everyone's talking about that Swedish loser all the time," Sophie said, "He's a nutcase, we get it, we know already, let's move on."
"And don't say stuff like that in Malmö either!!!" Anri yelled, "Unless you really want to get in deep trouble!"
"Fine," Sophie said, rolling her eyes.
"Well," Anri changed the subject, "Another Sophie for us in the Eurovision."
For many years Georgia had sent a row of girls called Sophie to the contest, either by themselves or with a band. It was only Anri himself that had broken the Sophie spell.
"Well," Nodi said, "It's hardly surprising, is it? Most girls around here are called Sophie, of some form or another."
And it was true. Sophie was the most popular girls' name in Georgia by a long shot. Some people might wonder why most women in Georgia are called Sophie, Sopho, Sofia, or some variation thereof. It was actually a law passed by a Georgian president many years ago. People were giving their children all sorts of flowery and strange names, especially girls. The new law decreed that all first born baby girls had to be named Sophie.
It was at that moment that the three of them saw something falling from the sky incredibly quickly, crash landing into a forest in the distance.
"What on Earth was that?" Anri said, "Another meteor, like the one that nearly hit Montenegro?!"
"I sure hope not," Nodi said, "We don't need to be involved in any of Björkman's schemes."
The Montenegrin meteor was a large meteor that nearly wiped out the city of Herceg Novi on the day of the Suncane Skale competition. Björkman's robots went up and stopped the meteor, with the world praising Björkman as a hero. It was only later on that it was discovered it was Björkman who had ordered his robots to fly up and send the meteor hurtling towards Earth in the first place. Even worse, Björkman wasn't sure himself at the time if he could stop the meteor. He was prepared to have Montenegro be a sacrificial lamb to further his despotic empire. It was that day that the world realised that there was no level Björkman wouldn't stoop to.
"Björkman this, Björkman that," Sophie said, "I'm sick of Björkman. Come on guys, let's go see what it is! I want to see! I'm sure it's harmless."
"If you're so sure about that go and look yourself," Anri quipped.
"Chicken!" Nodi said, as he and Sophie made chicken noises at Anri.
"I don't care, I'm staying here," Anri said, but the chicken noises continued, "Oh ok fine, I'll come, but don't say I didn't warn you."
And soon they came across the object that had fell from the sky. It was one of Björkman's robots, part of it shattered, thick smoke rising from it.
"No," Anri said, suddenly worried, "Let's get out of here."
"Aw come on Anri," Sophie laughed, "Don't be a chicken again!"
"Yeah, what's wrong Anri, you too chicken to go have a look? It might not even be all that bad," Nodi said, "It might be one of those, what do you call them, 'defective' robots from Iceland."
"It's defector, Nodi, not defective," Sophie reminded him.
"Chances are it's not. Not many of them defect from the Empire. I'd watch it if I were you," Anri said, "Don't go near that thing. I've seen what they're like first-hand, I know. Come on you two, let's go back inside."
"Come on Anri," Sophie laughed, "Live a little! It's all smashed up, it's totally harmless!"
"Sophie's right, Anri! We could be the first Georgians to discover what is really inside Björkman's robots! Just think about that!"
"What's wrong Anri!?" Nodi said, "You still chicken? Cluck cluck cluck."
"You keep calling me that," Anri said, "Better to be a chicken than shot by one of those things. Come on guys, please, let's go back to the stadium."
"Well, looks like Anri's too chicken, but we're going to go look, aren't we?" Nodi asked.
"Of course we are," Sophie smiled, "We've gotta go take a look!"
Anri stayed put as Nodi and Sophie walked off to see the robot. The two of them approached cautiously.
"No! What are you doing!" Anri shouted after them, "Stop! Come back!"
But they didn't stop, and soon the two of them were peering down at the robot.
"Weird little thing, isn't it," Sophie said, looking down at the burnt out machine, "I've never seen one of them up close."
"Don't be rude Sophie, you might upset it. Come on, let's try and get it to talk to us. Hello little robot!" Nodi said, "My name is Nodiko Tatishvili, this is my friend Sophie Gelovani. We're from Georgia! You are in Tbilisi! Welcome!"
"Idiots!" Anri yelled, "Get the hell back here, what do you think you're doing?! You're going to get yourselves killed! Get back! Now!!!"
"You are... trespassing... against... Björkman's... Empire," the robot stuttered as it slowly stood up, smoke still rising from it.
"Wha, trespassing?" Nodi was taken by surprise, "We're... we're not!"
"Trespassing..." the robot repeated.
"No no no!" Sophie yelled, "Listen to him, we're not trespassing! You are not in Sweden anymore! This is Georgia, you are in Georgia."
"I said come back!" Anri shouted, running over to them, "Come on, we have to go!"
"Come on Anri," Sophie said, "It's probably one of those defector robots."
The word 'defector' enraged the robot.
"Defectors are traitors; and they go to Iceland, not Georgia," the robot said, eyes glowing with rage. And with that, the robot raised it's arm, holding it's inbuilt gun towards them. The three Georgians froze in place.
"Wha... what?!" Anri said, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation, "Remember, Björkman is very happy with Georgia's Eurovision choice this year..."
"Björkman... hasn't seen you... for what you really are..." the robotic voice replied.
"Now now," Nodi said, stepping back a bit, "Look, we didn't mean to call you a defector, we're really sor-"
A laser beam shot out of the robot's gun and hit Nodi.
"Nodiko!!!" Sophie screamed as Nodi fell to the ground and blacked out. The robot too, then fell to the ground, thick black smoke pouring out from it.
"It's gonna explode, it's gonna explode!!!" Anri screamed, "Quick, get Nodiko!"
And with that Sophie and Anri dragged Nodi away from the robot. Just in time, as soon after, the robot exploded into a huge fireball, burning the surrounding trees and sending thick smoke flooding into the forest. They had to carry him all the way out of the forest.
---
Anri and Sophie stood in the hospital room, Nodi lying in the bed. He hadn't woken up since the attack. A doctor stood nearby, looking down at his clipboard.
"How is he?" Anri said, concerned, "He's going to be alright, isn't he?"
"It isn't looking good. You guys have got to prepare for the worst," the doctor said bluntly. Honesty may not have been the best policy in this situation.
"No!" Sophie yelled, "You can't mean that! You're lying!"
"I mean," the doctor replied, "The robot was of course damaged when he was shot. If he makes it, it's because of that. I'm sorry, I can't do any more. The robots' laser beams are typically fatal. Now excuse me, I'm a very busy man. I have others to attend to."
And with that the doctor walked out of the room, leaving Sophie and Anri alone with Nodi.
"He doesn't even care!" Sophie wailed, "He's not doing anything!"
"He does care, he does," Anri said, "We all do. But the doctor's gotta go and cure other people too. It's not all about us. Apparently that robot had been flying around Georgia for quite some time and has also shot other people."
"But it's not fair Anri! What did Nodi ever do? He doesn't deserve this! Oh god, it's all my fault, if I hadn't suggested going to see what the thing was then-"
"Now Sophie," Anri interrupted, "You mustn't think like that. Don't let yourself think like that. Whatever happens, if it's anyone's fault, it's Björkman's. Anyway, Nodiko's going to be fine, we've just got to hope. The doctors aren't always right."
And with that, Nodi's eyes fluttered open. They had been incredibly lucky.
"Huh... what?" he said, "What's happening? Sophie? Anri?"
"Nodiko!" Sophie yelled, flinging her arms around him, "You're alright!"
"Of course I'm alright," Nodi smiled, "Hey, what's wrong with you two? You guys been worrying about little old me?"
"We have," Anri admitted.
"Oh thank goodness," Sophie said, "The doctor's said you weren't going to make it!"
"They... said that?" Nodi said, shocked.
"Well, actually, the robot was damaged, they say that's why you made it," Anri continued.
"Oh, I see," Nodi said.
"In any case," Anri smiled, "If I were you I'd put on some lottery tickets. You are one very lucky man."
"Ah, I think I've used up all my good luck today," Nodi replied, "Probably won't be lucky again for a very long time."
And, while Björkman offered an apology to the Georgian government and to Nodiko and Sophie themselves, it seemed a little insincere. Rumours had it that the robot had been sent to Georgia to spy on the song presentation; or perhaps even to spy on what Georgia was doing. Björkman tried to blame the attack on Iceland, but everyone knew that wasn't the truth. No one could figure out why Björkman would have a robot over Georgia, there was only one thing they knew, it couldn't be good.
---
The three of them stood on the grassy hill outside the hospital. Nodi knew he had had a lucky escape. Most people who get attacked by a robot aren't so lucky.
"Are we still... you know, doing Eurovision?" Nodi asked. It was the question the whole country had been wondering ever since Nodi got shot by the robot.
"I guess we have no choice," Sophie answered, "We'll have to do it. At least to make sure we don't get attacked by Björkman's Empire. We'll have to go."
"I wouldn't if I were you," Anri warned them.
"You're only saying that because we'll get a better placing than you, anyhow," Sophie muttered under her breath.
"Well, probably," Anri smiled, "You can't do much worse."
That was true. He hadn't qualified from his semi final. However, the results of the semi finals were the only results that could be taken as fact. The results of the final of the 2012 contest, which had come out many months after the event, were rumoured to have been manipulated by Björkman himself.
"Hey," Anri said, "Make sure you guys qualify this year, ok?"
"Ok," Sophie said, "We'll try our best!"
"We'll make Georgia proud!" Nodi smiled, "We'll bring back a good result, we promise you that!"
And with that, they all looked off into the sunset, wondering what the 2013 Eurovision could possibly bring.
The End.
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