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xaphrin · 6 months

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Midnight Promises Broken at Dawn

It's Halloween! (just barely) and this is part of the colab I was working on with @inverted-typo. We decided to go with an Eros and Psyche theme.

There's so much more that's set to come out, because (of course) it got way out of control. I am aiming for the next part in two weeks, and I will post it to AO3.

Thank you so much for everything, and for being patient!

---

Damian felt the tug of someone breaking the seal that lined the wilderness of his estate. It was like a spider web thread snapping in the back of his mind, the delicate fiber straining until it broke and hung limp and loose against someone’s skin.

Curious.

The seal was designed to create a barrier along his sacred land so that wandering humans would have the sudden urge to panic and flee in the opposite direction. Anyone who managed to break through was either very powerful or very stupid. Or, maybe even a little desperate. After all, desperation bred fools.

He glanced up from the sketch he’d been working on and stared out the window into the dark gray of a blizzard at twilight, a mild annoyance creasing his brow. Damian may have been the grandson of a god, and have some minor powers of his own, but even he couldn't command the weather when it was like this.

Unfortunately, whoever had broken through his barrier would be allowed to remain close to his land until the storm calmed down.

Damian frowned and let go of a heavy sigh, glaring at nothing in particular. What an annoyance.

Raven could at least say that she had been given some small graces, even tiny ones. She had managed to harvest a few late mushrooms and set up additional traps in the woods farther from her cabin. It would have been better to have the traps be a bit closer to where she was currently taking shelter, but the storm had moved in faster than she anticipated, leaving her food sources scarce, and her choices even moreso.

The wind whipped overhead, shaking snow loose from the trees and scattering it over her shoulders. The noise was somehow both ear-deafening and eerily quiet. It shook her bones, but somehow never made a real sound.

With a curse staining her lips, she picked her way back along the path she created, making her way back to the dilapidated cabin she was taking shelter in. Her feet couldn’t move her fast enough. She felt strange being on this land, as if she wasn’t supposed to be here. It felt like a tug in her chest, a panicked feeling that made her breath short and her body shiver hard. But necessity drove her this far away from the cabin, and her options were growing more and more limited.

"Someday," she muttered to herself, brushing snow-wet hair from her eyes, "I am going to learn to live with others. In a society. With people."

It seemed more like an empty promise than a real one, and it was one she made at least three times a week. It had been well over a year since her bastard of a father had thankfully died, but his heavy shadow remained on her shoulders - oppressive and domineering. Her world should have opened up and grown larger with possibilities and friends, but the fingers of his crazed fear sank too deep into her own mind. And if she was honest with herself, she doubted she would ever be free of them.

For the protection of the world, you must remain alone. You are a stain here, Raven. Nothing better than a whore of Babylon.

Fuck him. Cursing his grave (wherever it was), she kicked at a rotting stump and made her way back to the abandoned forest ranger cabin that had become her temporary home. It didn't have much in the way of modern comforts, but at least it had a hand pump for water outside, and an outhouse. After some of the places she had stayed with her father, four walls around her while she did her business was practically palatial in comparison.

Raven made her way through the snow, following the marks she had left in the trees to show the path. The storm continued to rage around her, growing more and more violent and bitterly cold with each minute. Even the shelter of thick, ancient pines couldn’t shield her forever. She pulled her worn coat tighter around her, and eventually found her way back to the cabin.

When she stepped over the threshold, the pitch black of night had fallen, and the storm eased marginally. Small blessings, even if they were a little late.

Walking carefully over the packed dirt floor, Raven stoked the coals still smoldering in the fireplace, and sank down into the ragged remains of an armchair by the hearth. She looked through her ever thinning supplies until she located her last can of soup. Sighing, she tucked it near the coals of the fire, warming what was left of her food. She wasn't sure when she'd be able to go on a supply run into town, and she didn't feel great about the traps she set today, so she was going to have to make this last as long as she could.

Raven pulled herself close to the fire and tucked her thin blanket around her legs, feeling every muscle in her body ache with exertion. She was weary, and not just from the daily struggle of trying to survive. She was weary of being so utterly alone and isolated. Her father, in spite of all his bullshit, was at least some small amount of company. After he died, she had no one.

Her chest grew tight, and grief filled her until it was so heavy she wasn’t sure if she could bear the weight. A cold tear spilled over her cheek and she wiped it away with her sleeve. She wasn’t sad for his loss, but was sad that she had no one to turn to - no one to help her move forward in the world. She was, for all intents and purposes, alone.

Raven watched the coals' red glow fade, her mind drifting in and out of consciousness as she slipped into a half-sleep, where her dreams seemed far too real.

"A human. How pathetic."

Raven grit her teeth against the insult. She might have been a pathetic human, but she would survive out of spite, and that was a threat.

Her head rocked to the side, staring into the dark shadows of the half-rotted cabin. Hearing phantom voices and seeing unexpected things became a usual occurrence after being alone for so long, but this voice sounded different than it ever had before. "You're not any better…" She paused, trying to think of something to call this new hallucination. “…you ass.”

Very clever.

The was a soft grunt, proving that it was obviously not insulted by her weak name calling. The shadows moved like smoke, staying tight to the deepest part of the darkness. Raven felt something staring at her, as if trying to understand what she was. She turned her head and stared into the rafters, hearing the creak and groan of the roof under the weight of snow.

“What are you doing out here?”

“It’s public land. I am public.” She closed her eyes, trying to let herself fall deeper into sleep, but the shadows kept talking, much to her annoyance. Sometimes she wished her phantoms would just shut up.

“Not all of it is public land. You stepped past those boundaries.”

“Oh, please.” Raven snorted. “Will some absurdly rich recluse really know if I trap a few hares on their thousands of acres of unused land?”

The shadows responded with a strange breathy noise, as if it wasn’t sure whether or not she made a valid point.

“See?” Raven let her point seep into her tone. “Even you agree.”

There was another long pause, and the darkness spoke again. “Perhaps there is a reason to keep you off the land.”

“To make sure that their investment of land holdings is properly protected?”

“Hm.” The shadows moved like ink in water, spreading out against the walls as the coals’ light dimmed even farther. Finally it moved closer to her. “You seem to think you know a lot for someone who lives in a stolen hovel on public land.”

“Circumstances don’t always dictate the totality of a person.”

The shadows didn’t seem to know what to make of that comment, and stayed silent. Raven closed her eyes and let her body sink into the remains of the armchair, wrapping the threadbare blankets tighter around her. She shifted onto her side and faced the fading heat of the coals. The world grew heavy and dark, and Raven felt her body finally succumb to exhaustion, as she slipped into a dark, empty dreamless sleep.

But, she swore she heard one last word from her half-dream of shadows along the wall…

“Curious.”

She haunted his thoughts and that infuriated him more than anything.

This ragged slip of a human, who squatted in abandoned cabins and had the gall to tease him. Him. The grandson of a god, and a demigod in his own right.

And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He wondered if the traps she set remained bare, if she had managed to find food or warmth, and even if her firewood was dry enough. It was unbearable. Every moment he wasn’t completely focused on something else, she entered his thoughts.

Against his better judgment, Damian found himself visiting her again a few nights later, unable to stay away. He thought that if he saw her again, he might be less enamored by her - at least, that was what he kept telling himself.

She was interesting, even if he didn’t admit it out loud. There was something about the way she spoke to him that piqued his curiosity. It was as if she thought he was an echo or a dream, and not real in any sense of the word. He had spent most of his long life being surrounded by those who worshiped his grandfather, and while Damian appreciated the reverence and kowtowing, it felt almost refreshing to have someone treat him… normal.

Almost.

She should still have some verneration for him. He was technically still a god.

When Damian slipped into the shadows of the abandoned cabin, he found her floating in that space between awake and sleep where things seemed almost real. Her eyes lifted to the dark corner where he stood, trying to discern his shape from between the shadows.

“You came back.” Her voice was a slow drawling sound that slid over his skin like a spell. “I thought you’d disappeared. It’s been a few days since you’ve haunted me.”

Part of him wished he hadn’t returned here, and he had forgotten all about the trespasser on his land. But, here he was, watching a strange woman sleep on a rotting armchair. “You’re still here…” He trailed off, leaving the question unspoken in the air.

“Raven,” she muttered with an annoyed sigh. “I would have thought you would have at least known my name since you insist on following me around and invading my inner peace.” There was a long pause and he thought she had fallen asleep. Finally, her words slipped from behind her lips. “I’m here because I have nowhere else to go.”

He blinked and continued to watch her, letting her words settle. There was a story there he wanted to know, but he wasn’t sure if he should pry. Prying meant that there was a part of him that cared about her, and he didn’t. But… perhaps he was a little curious.

“You have no home?”

“Even if I did, it would not be a place I would go back to." Raven sighed, as if this conversation was exhausting her. “And, if I can't find strength in myself, then who else could I possibly find strength in?”

Damian was about to say something brave and gallant, but he stopped himself. He was not the type of person to offer platitudes and words of encouragement, and he certainly wasn't the type of person to offer help in any sense of the word. He liked his solitude and his privacy, and the only reason he was here was because this human was upsetting his perfectly manicured life.

Still…

“Seems to be a lonely life.”

“It is.” She gave a dry laugh, her blunt answer cutting through the weight of the room. There was a sorrow that clung to her, and a longing for something more than she had now. “After all, I'm talking to the shadows on the wall about my lack of home.”

He wondered if she would believe him if he said he was real, but chose to keep silent instead.

“You should go away, you’re keeping me from my well deserved sleep. You’re like an annoying fly buzzing around my head.” She gave a halfhearted wave, as if shooing him away, before she turned her face to the warmth of the fire. Her breath deepened, and Damian stood there for a long while, watching this curious human sleep.

There was an odd, uncomfortable stirring in his chest, as though his heart was waking up after a long, deep sleep.

His lips twitched in annoyance, and he glanced around the small cabin, taking stock of what she owned. It was so little, that it seemed as though she had simply walked out of a place one day with whatever she could carry on her back. A few clothes, a threadbare blanket, a backpack that had certainly seen better days, and…

His eyes rested on several beat up paperback books poking through the holes of her bag. That seemed like an odd choice, having books when she seemed to have such limited resources in the first place. Damian turned that observation around in his head for a moment, unsure of what to make of it.

Ultimately, it didn't matter. Mortals were of little concern to him.

Raven included.

Ignoring that strange flutter in his chest, he slipped back into the shadows and disappeared from the cabin.

#damirae #demonbirds #damian and raven #I WROTE A FIC #HOLY HADES #eros and psyche au

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ewanmitchelll · 4 months

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Imagine Taylor Swift’s songs (IV): Say Don’t Go.

Imagine you are a peasant who rescues Aemond after he fought his uncle Daemon Targaryen—but in this universe he didn’t die drowned, but suffered a wound that you, with your simple knowledge of medicine, actually manage to heal you. What shall happen then?

Warnings: fluff, violence, drama, angst.

***

• A Dance With Dragons

In between fire and ashes, blood has never been thicker. The one-eyed prince, on behalf of his infamous brother, is ready to take leave. Unbeknownst to him, as he mounts Vhagar, destiny sets a worse fate than the assumption of victory for all parties.

Here he goes, a path of blood behind this man—who tasted frustration and rejection all his life, lusting for what was never his by any right, tied in a very suffocating loyalty to his family.

Here he goes, moved by agony and pain, he who is hated by his enemies and despised by those who support the charismatic Aegon.

Here he goes… mounted in an ancient beast, prompted to finally write his name in the pages of history. Aemond, the kinslayer, the embodiment of fire and blood, flies in roaring skies.

And not too long after he meets his mirror, the one he wanted to be in life—a better version, certainly—, the kin who inspired him despicable sentiments—if perhaps in another occasion he would be this man’s favourite nephew.

This is not the moment for words to be spoken out. Warriors like them feel no need to exchange offenses. War is coming in thunderous storms. Higher than men, above divine heavens, uncommon relatives fight one another.

“DRACARYS, VHAGAR!”

His scream dies unheard, as the wind blows away the anger in his throat. Believing to possess such an ancient dragon, warlord like him, he doesn’t foresee that years and size are not by his side.

Daemon Targaryen and his Caraxes are faster and better equipped for this battle. Experience is also an advantaged tool played by the aforementioned prince towards his rascal nephew.

The skies shake and many are misled to think this is a thunder. But this is hardly a thunderstorm. Later the chroniclers would report it as a dance of the dragons, where this deadly combat between two great warlords and their gigantic beasts collided in such a way that as frightening as it was to watch, it seemed so as the involved were…dancing.

But Vhagar’s flesh and blood provide difficulty to Caraxes. Bites here and there, sounds that roared through the air, producing sparks of electrons and fire all the whilst their riders try to dismount the other.

The heights pose an inevitably invitation for prompt death. It’s only a matter of time until one of them falls, if not both of them do.

Skies grow darker and rain eventually drops. Caraxes, fighting better under this environment, twists the scene to his favor, surprising Vhagar. What happpens next is too fast to describe. Later, peasants would recall how a great beast like Vhagar fell upon the sea… without Lord Aemond on her back.

A question would haunt Aegon’s twilight reign: where has Lord Aemond Targaryen gone to?

To worse Aegon III’s rise to the throne, a shadow is casted. No body was found. Therefore… should it be presumed the rogue prince died? If so, not in his former mistress’s arms.

Where is Aemond Targaryen? What happened to the one-eyed lord, famed for his kinslayer epithet?

• Blue skies, fields painted green•

I’ve known it from the very start. We’re a shot in the darkest dark. Oh, no. I’m unarmed…

By the time you rescue him, you think he’s been dead and gone. But for a long while you, a simple curious being who, however, learned to study thanks to your older brother’s connection with literate beings, suspected not all was like appearances led to.

You managed to carry this strange man, aware he was in his worst conditions, to your household. It’s a very simple, typical peasant house. And this was a man you’ve never seen in these surroundings… especially because of his fancy robes, a positive indicator of his nobility.

Unaware of the details of this civil war, you took care of him. Ignoring his handsomeness, you dedicated day and night until he eventually opens his eyes.

And when he does… it’s a scandal. Most of all because he is still hurting in his chest and to breathe requires some energy. Then comes the revolt upon seeing he’s nowhere he’s familiar with.

Before he starts to rage out his frustration, the prince is prevented from doing so at the sight of you. A peasant, certainly a damsel despite being closer to him in age, shows up.

“L-L-Lord, please”, you know you’ve been bold in keeping him with you, in weaving illusions to escape your life, all of which makes you blush and sink into his feet. “I only tried to help you.”

Something about your smooth voice eases him. When looking better at you, Aemond’s chest hurts for being reminded of his sweet sister Helaena. He knows he could never do any harm to you.

“Rise, creature who saved my life”, and when you do, the silver haired man looks enchanted at your y/c soft skin, the mystery behind your y/c eyes… “I demand to know your name.”

“Y/N Y/LN, lord”, you whisper, still avoiding his gaze.

But it’s for no effort you do so as he looks for yours, holding your chin as he lifts it up. You see danger right before you, posing threat as he stands in front of you. Nevertheless, he is so alluring that to resist is just… pointless.

“Don’t call me lord. I’m Aemond”, he softens to you, his hand slipping to your throat gently before letting go of you, leaving behind a sensation of void and cold where there had been warmth. “It appears that if I fell here, my uncle took the best of me.”

You nod your head partly.

“You need to be careful, lo… Aemond. Your wounds are still fresh”, you bring him to outside for the very first time since you rescued him.

The prince, shirtless and dressing an old pair of pants, follows you, reluctant somewhat as what to find. He is, however, surprised when seeing there is nothing but a careful mix of colors. Deep blue that paints these cloudless skies and a shade of green that colors the hills and the grasses nearby.

The air is clean and the prince finds peace. However, when spotting, from that distance, the sea, this peace is replaced by angst.

“Vhagar”, he remembers painfully. “Where is she?”

When seeing a puzzled look on your face, Aemond has to remember himself you are a peasant, who probably judged dragons as mythical creatures. But he underestimates you.

“Ser, I may be poor and obscure, but I am not illiterate”, you speak impatiently. “I know who Vhagar is. I must say, though, that you were already dismounted by the time I found you. If you fell from such a height, this only means you are lucky that you are still alive.”

Aemond’s good eye transmits such a depth of sadness that you feel remorse for speaking like that to him. The prince doesn’t notice it, though, so he decides to walk outdoors and there sit amidst the high grass as a way to cope with his loss.

At first, all you do is watch him. This tall, paled prince with long silver hair, involved in a bandage around his waist with a skin painted in deep scars, is now the embodiment of melancholy.

Your reason tells you to leave him there, the moon is too high to grasp it, but your feet don’t obey your sense. It doesn’t take too long before you sit next to him.

“I’m sorry for your loss”, you break the silence hesitantly. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

He doesn’t respond you ar first, and you wonder whether he heard you or are ignoring you. But he turns his face at you eventually, still plagued by that shade of sadness few can be gladly dissociated from.

“You’ve done all you could, mistress Y/N. Thank you. You shall be rewarded.”

“My reward is your well being, lor… Aemond”, you offer him an understanding small smile.

These words prove to be the balsam he needs.

“I appreciate it, truly. In due time…” Aemond sighs, not willing to admit how lost he feels. “Do you have any news of what’s going on?”

By the looks of your face, the prince understands that what might come from you are not what he wants to hear. Even so, he must hear it. In this silent communication, though, there is little need to further comprehension.

Therefore you tell him about Lord Daemon’s victory. A short victory, however, as the common folk said that due to the gravity of his wounds eventually culminated in the said prince’s death.

What happened next was confused. You didn’t understand politics very well and you were too busy minding your own business to do so. Nevertheless, it’s common knowledge that the Seven Kingdoms have a new king.

“A new king?”, Aemond exclaims frustrated. “But Jaehaerys is just a boy!”

The embarrassment in your face only worsens his disappointment.

What, in seven hells, has happened in this short time I was unconscious?

“This is not his name, Ser. Our king is Aegon, Third of His Name.”

Aemond pales and for a moment you step back, fearful of his fury. But all the silver prince does is clench his jaw and turn his back on you for a moment. And you let him be all the time he needs.

***

• Healing…

I'm standin' on a tightrope alone. I hold my breath a little bit longer. Halfway out the door, but it won't close. I'm holdin' out hope for you…

A strange process it is to watch events unfold from the support ground. Witnessing from darkness the arrival of the Starks and then all the gathering leading to Aegon III’s ascension next to Rhaenyra, who, apparently, had transmitted her claim to the Iron Throne to her eldest son and heir, was too much for him to bear… especially now aware of the passing of every one he’d known and fought for.

But in due time, his silence and mourning become too much a burden for him to carry alone.

“I’m surprised you are still out here”, you tell him in one of these evenings you come home and find the prince there.

“Where else I’d go?”, Aemond shrugs his shoulders.

His eyes are glued in you, finding new expressions in your introspective features. You are different, a thought occurs him. What had happened outside to bring you more serious today? A question he does not dare to pose.

“To your mistress, perhaps”, a response that, albeit reluctant, transmits some grumpiness on your part.

For the first time in many moons, Aemond Targaryen smiles.

“Mistress?”, he repeats and you miss the amusement out of his voice.

“Mistress Rivers. Perhaps this is a name very familiar to you”, you don’t know why rolling the name of his former paramour sounds poisonous to your ears, inspiring a hearty agony and an inner despair.

As Aemond studies you, every piece comes to make sense when glued together. At first he says nothing, finding adorable how a creature so introspective like you, kept innocent and wild at the same time from mundane’s ill intentions, discovers new sentiments, obscured as jealousy and attachment might sound.

He could take the opportunity to write a new story, but even now… Aemond struggles to disassociate from the past.

“She was once attributed to many meanings, some of which had linkings to my personal affections”, Aemond admits, taking the opportunity to sip his ale. “But once we parted ways, I do not believe we are meant to mend it back.”

You cast him a long distrustful look, opting for the silence, even though there is so much being said in your body language. Aemond rises up and moves to where you stand, gently but firmly taking grip of your arm.

“Y/N, look at me”, he demands you gently. “Why have you brought her name out of the blue?”

You hesitate and Aemond can only be led to think there’s some bad news ahead. You take some breath and then look at him, as if struggling for courage.

“I cannot keep you here any longer, lord. I’ve been selfish, I see that now. But looking after my lord has given me purpose. All of this to say that people have been looking for you.”

“Looking for me”, he repeats. “Do not believe in what people say, my darling. My enemies are in power, the best we can do is hide for the moment. This means I must shave my head to keep the identity in secrecy.”

He surprises you, and even himself, with this new sense of resignation. But this is a wise move, considering no one had found his body, therefore the mystery must remain for his sake.

Nonetheless, he likes this life with you. Aemond smiles before holding you against him.

“I got used to you, dear one. Looks like I’m staying longer this time.”

That being said, he admires how wide you smile. No one had ever made him feel this sentiment before. He realizes now that what you two have is too sacred to let it be profaned.

• Pain & Blood

Why'd you have to lead me on? Why'd you have to twist the knife? Walk away and leave me bleedin', bleedin'? Why'd you whisper in the dark? Just to leave me in the night? Now your silence has me screamin', screamin'…

When he kisses you under moonlight in between the shadowy green fields, your mind goes blank and your heart races loud. When his tongue moves the way to your neck, your legs automatically spread to welcome his strong body; his arms now moving upper your back, caressing you slowly, aching in slow burn as you call out his name in sweet whispers.

“Mine lady”, his lips pursuit yours once more.

It’s past twilight. Silenced by the night, nature welcomes you in this wilderness out of the fancy troubles and the troublesome webs woven by the Black party.

You provide him home and security, the sweet taste of genuine love he’s been looking for. With him, likewise.

It’s free, intense and healing.

“We should better head inside”, he grumbles under his breath, struggling not to give free path for his desires.

You giggle softly, giving him a long look. As you straighten yourself, you hear him say:

“My lady, you bring the best of a beast like me.”

You spin around him, looking like a fairy with your simple white gown and y/c hair loose in your back.

“Is this you accusing me of witchcraft, lord? For I shall not tolerate such an accusation”, you put your hands around his neck.

“Nay. You are too pure for it”, and Aemond knows this must not be the result of bewitching, since the purity of your care and love inspires the same of a man like him.

Beneath the mask of a bad prince, there lies a wounded man who’s known neglect all his life. The concept of love Alys brought to him was more lustful, fleshy attachment than sentimental one.

But when the shadow of those three words comes behind your eyes, mirroring his own, Aemond fears to hear them. Kissing your lips once more, he prays to forget what he saw… for a recent, deep wound has come to open in surface.

As you lead him into your household again, precisely to what you call being your quarters—the result of the inheritance of your father—you give in your heart at every touch, every embrace this man provides you.

When you begin to picture the two of you actually living this life together, when you start to think possible that you could marry and be content in being a simple peasant… every dream dies when a knock on the door is heard urgently.

“Who on earth…”, you sigh impatiently, making him chuckle.

Aemond snakes his arms behind your waist, resting his chin over your shoulder.

“We should better see who’d be this unwanted visitor”, he laughs quietly, admiring the blush painting your cheeks.

As you reluctantly part of his arms, you move to open the door. Aemond leans against the wall, partly hidden under the shadows, waiting to see who’s the one behind the bloody door.

But when you open and see a dark-haired lady with a skin smooth as milk, your heart stops.

“Oh. So here’s the witch who captured my Aemond”, she speaks in a soft accusing voice, though in the lady’s eyes there is nothing but arrogance.

Aemond reluctantly comes to the scene.

“Alys?”

“My prince”, her voice and smile are as sweet as poison, inspiring in you nothing but disgust. “Your son and I have been waiting for you, believing to be dead and gone. But you have been kept a prisoner by this…”, and here comes the despise poorly masked.”…woman.”

You turn your head quickly to stare at Aemond. He sees pain in your y/c eyes, and the sound of heartbreaking reaches his ears when you say:

“You have a child with her, Aemond?”

“It’s Lord Aemond to you”, she corrects you, but is promptly ignored by all parts.

“She was… pregnant when I went to war”, Aemond admits, embarrassed. “I… Considering the recent events, I thought them to be gone like the rest of my family.”

“No. Your son waits for you. I’ve been looking for you”, insists Alys, much to your consternation. “Let me break this spell she’s casted on you, my prince. You shall be free and live with us as it’s your right.”

Part of you waits for his denial, hopes for it even. Despite the evident struggle in having yourself composed before such accusations, you expect he’d take your side.

You hope…

And I'm yours, but you're not mine. Oh no, oh no, you're not there. I'm standin' on the sidewalk alone. I wait for you to drive by. I'm tryna see the cards that you won't show. I'm about to fold unless you…

But Aemond knows not where his strength lies. This cannot be judged simply following his heart desires. When remembering everything his mother sacrificed for… and then he has a child.

A child of his own that should be on the throne. The mere idea awakes the flames of old vengeance.

Much to her annoyance, on the other hand, Alys watches as the events unfold in an impasse. She presses again the matter of their child, aware this is how she’ll take him away from your claws—or so she judges.

“Aemond?”, your voice comes out suffocated.

He sees those words in your eyes, but they fade out of his grasp like a star losing the shine, swallowed in a black hole.

Night comes and steals your bright, much to his atonement. Aemond wishes he could say something more, but no speech is enough to bring you back to life.

Your innocence is now agony and all he can say is:

“I must go. For my child.”

“I understand”, you speak cooly, surprising him for your reasonable behavior. “I pray you forgive me for any mistakes. I am but a peasant who knows nothing of life.”

That being said you curtsy and leave the way open. You watch as Alys smirks deviously at you, like a winner who takes it all. Aemond hesitates, but you don’t look at him.

Why'd you have to (why'd you have to) make me want you (make me want you)? Why'd you have to (why'd you have to) give me nothin' back? Why'd you have to (why'd you have to) make me love you (make me love you)? I said, "I love you" (I said, "I love you"). You say nothin' back.

And there your heart lies in open bleeding…

***

You occupy yourself delivering the rest of planting to the lord you owe fealty after spending months in working with the land. It’s easier to forget about the past when one occupies one’s mind with daily tasks.

This doesn’t mean the nights are easier, though. You are haunted by his face, by scenes where he laughs joyfully with Lady Rivers. She tells you that, as a lowborn woman, you could never be with a highborn man as Lord Aemond.

A truth sharp as knife that wakes you up in the breaking dawn, bleeding you again and again… It hurts and though you swallow salt in your mouth, no other sign is there that you have been in suffering.

In the meantime you carry on with your life, or try to, Aemond is rediscovering his life amongst nobility. The boy his former mistress claimed to be his son is not, by all means, a Targaryen. He could tell she painted his hair and by calculating his age, he was far more likely being a Strong boy than else his. Specially because by the time he took Alys Rivers as his mistress, she was already a Strong’s concubine.

With this disappointment ahead and collecting the testimonies of her witchcraft, Aemond is no fool to realize he’s been stuck in a trap and that he could be sent to the new government’s hand anytime.

I shall not have a death by treason.

The only reasonable solution is escaping. He is no coward, in fact the prince was once too prideful to embrace defeat. However, Aemond’s mind recollects your innocence, your simple ways of living and how you taught him so many good things.

The teachings that promised to make him a rightful man despite his wrongs. Is he too late to be redeemed, though?

Why'd you whisper in the dark just to leave me in the night? Now your silence has me screamin', screamin'…

I should have not let you go, Y/N.

In silence, like always, the prince leaves all that has profaned his soul to search after the only sacred path someone put him in.

And this someone is you.

• ‘I would stay forever if you say don’t go…’

You have cleaned your body in the river and now choose to sit right there over a towel, partly fearful of being seen in your nude state, partly pleased to be able to feel some degree of liberty.

Sun is ready to set and it’s last rays are set on your y/c skin, drying the last drops of the cold water you dived in. As you stand, you are ready to dress yourself when a noise scares you.

Quickly you put your white gown with black strips, unable to tie your long y/c hair when you spot him.

Head shaved still, pained eyes, dressed not like a nobleman but like a random, common peasant lad. So would he look like had he not been blessed with such deep purple eyes that are staring into your y/c ones.

“A-Aemond”, you gasp. Your body begins to tremble and you wish you could run away, but you are frozen.

“Y/Nickname”, he comes after you, hesitantly at first, confidently then. “Apologies are not enough for what I did to you, to us. I humble before my lady and come to ask you not to go.”

He is on his knees before you. He, the prideful prince.

“You are the one who left”, your voice betrays you.

“I had to”, Aemond dares to raise his chin as his hands grip tight your thighs. “I had to. I was misled to think the boy she had was my child.”

“And if he was”, you mutter, the echo of pain rolling out through your words, much like a sharpened blade. “Would you be embarrassed of my station to keep me in ignorance?”

“Fuck, Y/N, no!” He realizes no words are enough to make up for his poor doings. Nevertheless, he tries. Aemond is no quitter. “I am not embarrassed of my lady. I learned to love you out of my heart and soul, despising mundane affairs in order to pursuit the divine one. I was raised from the seven hells to taste the sweet flavor of your divine lips. I want you. Only you can redeem me.”

It’s the way his fingers dig into the cloth of the skirt of your gown that makes you feel fragile. The way he breaks before you, how his words are whispered in despair. Remorse is sincere, pain is evident in the two of you.

Why delaying it?

But then you hear a sound so strange to you. To both of you. When your hearts cry out, you slip, losing your strength.

“You are my weakness”, he says, exposing himself to you.

No sapphire. No embellishment. No pride. The prince the way he is, with his scars. And you expose yours.

Darkness rises by the time you are engulfed in his embrace.

“I’m sorry”, Aemond whispers, fearful of losing you. “I won’t leave you ever again. This I vow over my dead family.”

You are still sobbing when he vows this to you. And when his lips are colliding against yours, every angst dies at long last. And what is cold now is warm, and suddenly the weight of the clothes begins to be unbearable.

With only the moon as witness, vows are exchanged, consumed in one kind of fire that burns each part, prompted to spread in a strange kind of fever so unknown to you.

As tongue dances, bodies intertwine and pain is at long last overcome. The consequence of this redemption is to fruit nine moons later.

In the end, in between wars and peacemakings, two different lives found in each other what they needed. The destiny of Aemond Targaryen became a great “what if” in the history, a name so powerful to haunt crowned men but humbled before the kindest lady of the Seven Kingdoms.

Turned into a love song many years later, bards would give Aemond another name, calling you Jenny of the Oldstones.

Perhaps a truth hints behind it, is it not? But only your descendants would know it and smile often at such beautiful song.

#ewan mitchell #aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #aemond targaryen x female reader #aemond targaryen x y/n #house targaryen #taylor swift #say don’t go #1989 (taylor's version)

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breannasfluff · 11 months

Text

Dropped Feathers

The first time Legend meets Wild, the kid nearly takes his head off.

The Chain comes through a portal near a particularly ugly stable and it’s the easiest place to start.

The group draws glances, but Legend wanders around the edge of the building, drinking in the new landscape. It’s here he bumps into a stranger, whose sword is out as he spins and points at Legend’s throat.

“What the hell!” He jumps back, wings puffing up in an unconscious threat display. Is it a bandit? Someone who means harm?

The stranger tilts his head but then puts his sword away. “You startled me.”

“I startled you? I’m not the one waving swords in people’s faces!”

The kid winces, but the wary, calculating look in his eyes doesn’t fade.

By the time they wrangle out that the stranger is Wild, a new hero to join them, Legend’s planted him firmly in the same category as Warriors: a loner.

Wild’s addition changes little of the group’s makeup. Wind and Sky, the two seabirds, stick together on the ground and glide happily alone. Twilight follows Time around like a lost dog, always eager to follow orders. Warriors prefers his alone time.

Four chatters enough to be multiple companions on his own, although Time and Twilight are the only two who indulge him on a regular basis. Legend likes Four’s company; if only it just came with a little more silence.

Despite his prickly attitude, Legend is a fairly social bird. Because of the attitude, it’s a rare indulgence.

Hyrule likes pairs and is perfectly happy to latch into Legend and stay there. Legend, for his part, delights in someone he hasn’t driven away.

Wild goes Warriors route of sticking to himself, but unlike the captain he doesn’t look happy about it. It’s closer to the feeling Legend has when he wants to join in with the others but holds back.

Twilight and Time make an effort to include the newest hero, so he’s not without chances to bond. He just…doesn’t take them.

When they preen in the evenings, even Warriors allows Time to help him with the feathers he can’t reach. Wild turns down help from all of them, including the captain’s offer.

Unable to reach all his feathers, the slightly dingy blue dull further. He can fly just fine but Legend catches Time throwing concerned looks in his direction.

“Aren’t magpies supposed to be social?” Legend stands, hands on his hips, blocking Wild’s path of slinking away to his own corner to eat again.

“Not up for company,” comes the mumble. His wings hunch into his back, making him look even smaller.

Legend isn’t falling for it. “C’mon, even Warriors eats with us and he loves his own company a little too much.”

“I heard that!”

The veteran ignores Warriors jibe.

Wild just shakes his head and edges around him. “Another time.” Then he ducks past and scrambles up into a tree, bowl still balanced in one hand.

“Let him go,” Time calls. He doesn’t look happy about it.

Wild continues to avoid the group, avoid preening, and thrashes through the air like an ungainly chick. Sometimes he’ll slide in behind someone and his flight stabilizes. Then, almost like his attention slipped, he ducks up or down and resumes the constant flapping.

They fight monsters and switch eras. The faint hope on Wild’s face dies as they enter another unfamiliar realm. His wings are getting rattier every day. Time tries both gentle and commanding, but Wild climbs a tree faster than Time can follow. A cloud of dirty feathers falls in his wake.

Time stands and glares are the pine for a long time.

Hyrule, gentle, attentive Hyrule, is taking an interest in the newest hero. Legend can’t help the slight jealousy as attention shifts away from him. Hyrule is a pair bird and Legend is the other half of that pair. While he might like some more social interaction, he won’t give up his closest friend.

Mostly, Hyrule watches Wild and Legend watches Hyrule. Soon, Legend is watching the champion, too, just to see what’s so fascinating.

It’s how he notices what Hyrule already saw; Wild attempting to preen and plucking ruined feathers. The shake of his fingers gets worse each time.

The feathers, poorly cared for, are coming out too fast for a molt. It’ll start affecting his flying soon.

Time stages an intervention when it becomes clear Wild isn’t going to give in on his own. He sits the champion down and explains how they understand worries about trust and safety. There’s no shame in accepting a little help from time to time.

Wild’s glare only grows with each word. “Don’t touch my wings.” Then he stalks off.

The intervention is a failure. Time grits his teeth and snaps for Twilight to come spar with him. The fury of the mock fight takes even the hawk off guard.

Read the rest here!

#lu wing bois #lu wing au #lu legend #lu wild #lu hyrule #lu time #breannasfluff #wb legend #wb hyrule #wb wild #hurt/comfort #linked universe #linkeduniverse #my writing

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seraphimcollections · 11 months

Text

| AND YOU WEREN'T THERE |

| Alejandro x Reader | Ch.1 |

(photo is AI generated and edited by me!)

warnings: heavyyy angst, +18, MDNI, body mutilation, torture, mention of blood and injury, near death, bloodlust, mention of guns, violence

summary: he betrayed you. He left you to shrivel and die. But you didn't, and now he will live to regret it. Yes, you died but you were reborn. Reborn as La Arana, The Spider.

word count: 2k

a/n: the beginning of a new series! This one has been on my mind for a while and I'm so happy to finally work on it. I'm really looking to writing more for this series. Let me know what you think!

The rain pelted against the top of the jeep as it sped through the winding roads. Rudy’s eyes squinted, trying his best to stay within the lane as the chaos unfolded in the back seat. Every few seconds, Rudy's eyes would flicker to the rear view mirror to Alejandro looming over your unconscious body laid out on the seat. Alejandro’s folded one underneath the other, pushing down hard against your chest in rhythm. But each compression, more blood spurted from your mangled lips. For a moment Alejandro believed you were remaining conscious behind your half-lidded eyes, but looking closer he could see them glazing over, exhaustion and blood loss taking you by the second. He couldn’t even give breaths because your face was completely covered in blood, staining your clothes and the seat. Alejandro was in full blown panic.

“Puta madre! Fuck, come on, stay with me,” Alejandro pleaded, desperately trying to find the source of the bleeding. “How much longer, Rudy?!”

“Half a klick, colonel,” Rudy said, trying to keep the tremble from his voice.

“Faster, she’s not responding,” Alejandro grabbed the sides of your head, shaking you.

“Cariño, stay awake, come on, stay awake,” Alejandro pleaded again.

Alejandro’s eyes widened in shock at the sound of a small gurgled sound emitting from your throat. You were trying to speak. You were still hanging on. The weak sound was enough to make his eyes water but he forced them away when he felt you let out a wheeze, the last of the air releasing from your lungs. Your eyelids felt so heavy, finally letting them fall.

“Cariño, baby wake up,” Alejandro said, his voice raw, “Mi vida, wake up, wake up!”

You were so tired. Your body weighed heavier than lead, as if being swallowed by the earth. You couldn’t hear the humming of the jeep, the squelching from the ragged cavity in your abdomen. Your face didn’t burn anymore. You felt like you were floating among the waves, looking up at the twilight sky as the tides began to slowly pull you down. It was so calm, so peaceful. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad way to go. Alejandro’s shouts began to slowly fade away into the darkness. Finally, sleep.

✂

Your eyes snapped open, immediately seeing the ceiling of the old barn. They didn’t stay there long, flickering over to the barn door, seeing it cracked open, letting the morning sun in with only the small figure of Valeria blocking it. She smirked up to you in your bird’s nest, immediately finding you laying in your hammock.

“Despierta dormilon!” She shouted up to you.

You quirked a brow, swinging your legs over to land on the creaky panels. You walked to the edge of the nest, leaning on your elbows over the bannister, looking down at her. The shadows casted over your frame, hiding your frame. Hiding your mutilated face.

“Mañana, hermanita,” Valeria said with a smile.

You grunted, unamused.

“You never were much of an early bird, were you,” said Valeria.

“What do you want?” You said, your tone cold.

Valeria’s expression became serious, dropping the playful demeanor.

“Our friend from the East has come to town, we need to make sure we keep him off the radar,” Valeria said.

You ran a hand through your long inky locks, “and what do you need from me, El Sin Nombre?”

Valeria smirked, hand on her hip, “I need you to work your magic, make sure we don’t have anyone crashing the party. And if we do, well, sabes qué hacer, La Araña…”

Your eyes didn’t reveal any emotion, just the same emptiness present since that day. Your mind began to wonder back to that night, unable to stop the traumatic images flashing from behind your eyes. Valeria could see it, she always knew when your mind would drift off from where you were. You always had a vibrant imagination, ever since you were children, and now it has become your detriment.

“Was it the same dream?” Valeria frowned.

You averted your gaze from her’s before nodding. Valeria sighed before nodding.

“Soon, hermanita,” Valeria growled, “we will bring them all down to their knees, and then, you will have your revenge.”

Your eyes hardened once more and gave a curt nod, leaving the bannister. You lifted the neck of your turtle neck, pulling it over your nose, concealing your face.

“Have your men ready, sister, there will be some sort of resistance, I’m sure of it,” you said bluntly, walking further into your nest.

“We’ll be ready, keep me posted,” Valeria said, walking out the barn door, closing it behind her.

You slid open the door to your den. A bulletin board covered in photos, some of rivaling cartels, some military, some high profile clients, and other pawns. But at the center of the bulletin with several throwing knives stabbed into it, a photo of none other than Alejandro Vargas. You didn’t dwell on it, stepping over the trail of wires scattered all over the room to your wall of screens mounted above your desk. The screens lit up as you plopped on to the seat. You propped your feet up on to the desk, your eyes flickering over the screens.

Valeria chose to hide in plain sight, performing as the ultimate enforcer. It gave her the power she always wanted, and she used that power to make Las Almas a better place. Of course, there were those who believed it to be blood money, but you could care less. You didn’t care about Las Almas, in fact, you wouldn’t have cared if the place was set ablaze. That was for El Sin Nombre to care about -- you had other plans.

Your eyes stopped on one particular screen. It was footage from downtown Las Almas on the main road that took you through the heart of the city. From the footage, you could see a line of blacked out Jeeps following each other down the road in procession. You screenshot the surveillance, zooming into one of the Jeeps with ease. Rage began to bubble in your chest as the pixels began to refine piece by piece, finally revealing him. Rudy was with him, of course, the two were inseparable. But you could see two other men in the back but the shadow was too harsh for you to make them out.

“Who’s your new friends, Mi Vida?” You mumbled bitterly, speed dialing Valeria.

She answered on the first ring, “what you got for me?”

“Old friends, heading to Hassan’s hideout,” you said, never tearing your eyes away from the screen.

“Los Vaqueros!” Valeria grinned over the line, “excellent work, Araña. Should I be expecting you?”

You stood to your feet, a new fire under them, “I’ll be out on recon. Out.”

With that you clicked, tossing the phone back on the desk before stalking to your gun locker. You grabbed your black duffle first, dropping it to your feet before grabbing your sniper rifle, slinging across your back. Examining a few throwing knives, you tucked them into your harness before slamming the locker shut. Your heated gaze became nailed on Alejandro’s sorry picture, unimaginable rage taking over your cool heart.

“No más esperas, hermana.”

✂

The dried sticks and leaves stuck and prodded at you as you laid among the shrubs. You kept your grip steady and gaze trained as your looked through the scope of the rifle. From upon the cliff, maybe a mile from the infiltrated base, you could see everything. Just as you expected, the Mexican Special Forces had swatted the hideout, but Hassan was long gone thanks to your intel. And instead of being greeted by their target, they were welcomed by the Mexican Army who was deep in Valeria’s pockets. Everyone was, it would be stupid if they weren’t.

You watched as the four men who escaped into the woods fought through the waves of soldiers waiting to ambush them. Much to your disdain, they weren’t much of a fight, eventually falling to the men. You were impressed -- these weren’t just Los Vaqueros. There were two other men, obviously not with the Mexican Special Forces. One of them had a funny haircut that stood him out from the rest and the other had an eerie skull mask concealing his face. It must have been a theme because his gloves also were decorated in a bone motif. Either way, both were proficient in the field, taking down Valeria’s paid Mexican Army left and right, and both had United Kingdom flag emblems stitched to their gear, a dead giveaway. It was clear they weren’t here for the cartel, they were here for Hassan.

You scope trained on Alejandro again, watching him as he took cover behind a few rocks among the forest. From your perch, you could see everything -- you could see the Mexican Army moving in as you had ordered, and you could see them fail as these lone four men plowed through them. You could take him, you had more than a couple clear shots, but you didn’t. You didn’t. There was still much to know as why these foreigners were intervening at what backup they could have that hasn’t been made clear. So for now, you were on standby.

You huffed as the men made their ways into a dead end, a cliff.

“You lead them right to a dead end, pendejo.”

You were almost surprised watching Alejandro hurdle himself over the cliff, only to land into the river below. Almost. Alejandro always found away. He was a stubborn man who didn’t stop when he had his mind made up. Perhaps at one time you would have found it charming, but now you just saw him as a menace. The other men followed his lead, diving into white water before making their way up stream. You openned your radio channel, a channel that could access any channel at your disposal, this time being the Mexican Army.

“Están en el agua, mantente alerta.”

The men didn’t respond, but as you could see, they had their hands full with how these men were making a fool of them all. Idiots. Again, the men took out the army men with ease, until finally reaching resistance where the army had their armored trucks aiming their artillery at the men. Your nerves began to flare, almost worried that Alejandro wouldn’t be able to make it through this one. That he wouldn’t meet his death by your hands. But as soon as the thought crossed your mind, the sound of piercing wind coming from the heavens above. In a blink of an eye, the convoy on the bridge became nothing but flames and shrapnel, destroying the bridge entirely.

Confused, your eyes shot to the blue sky, squinting through the sunlight until your eyes landed on a single US fighter plane. Americans? No doubt they were here for Hassan too. All you could do was watch as the plane soared farther away as the four men hopped into an abandoned Jeep, speeding away from their close call. With a frown, you watched as they disappeared down the dirt road until they were hidden by the trees. You grabbed your phone, dialing Valeria.

“Give me some good news,” she sounded grumpy.

“Los Vaqueros have made friends with our friends up North.”

“Americans? Puta madre, what the fuck do they want?”

You began your trek back to your truck, phone tucked against your ear and shoulder as you disassembled your rifle effortlessly.

“They aren’t the only ones, two others, British. Took out our men and went West.”

“Was he there?”

Valeria’s words made you stop in your tracks, listening to the tranquility of the forest around you. You let out a sigh.

“Affirm.”

Valeria knew from your tone that the man still lived, bringing a frown to her lips.

“Pronto, hermanita.”

You frowned but continued your way down the trail.

“Yeah.”

“Bring the general, his mistakes have cost us too much.”

You threw your duffle and rifle into the cabin of the truck, shucking off your gloves in the process.

“With pleasure, hermana.”

Wanna be on the tag list for this series? Leave a comment! Thanks for reading!

#seraphimcollections #seraphimcollections: and you weren't there #alejandro vargas #alejandro x reader #modern warfare 2 #los vaqueros #alejandro #call of duty #rudy #ghost #valeria #angst #mw2 x reader

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trumpkinhotboy · 22 days

Text

Fight, fight, fight!

Pairing: reader x twilight wolfpack

Type: requested (thank youu)

Warnings: mentions of a fight, but nothing graphic

Word count: approx 1k

A/n: loved writing this little scenario, i'm maybe... even tempted to write a part 2 if that's something you guys would be interested in and also pls don't hate me i promise 'I'll keep an eye on you' pt.3 is coming!!! I've just had so many other things to work on, but I PROMISE IT'S COMING BABES anyway, hope you'll enjoy xxx

You were not a violent person. In fact, you hated any kind of physical confrontation and considered yourself a pacifist. You always were one to stay calm and walk away whenever someone tried to get under your skin.

You never thought the drive to protect others would make you go feral, but you discovered it the day someone endangered someone you love.

It was stupid. The classic, popular high school kids gave other students a hard time. When they nagged as you walked by, you did as always: royally ignored them. Honestly, their words didn't even filter through your brain. You knew they didn't have anything important or original to say anyway.

But suddenly, their lousy comments started filtering in. Confused, you turned around to understand they weren't talking to you but to your friend. You could see how she slumped her shoulders and tried to disappear into the ground as they circled her. Your heart started beating faster, your blood boiled in your veins, and unconsciously, you clenched your fists until you felt a slicing pain in your palm.

The comments and nagging continued until you planted yourself in front of them, shielding your friend from their eyes. They sized you up, laughing at your attempt at bravery. While you weren't looking, one of them pushed your friend on you, hopping to make you tumble down pathetically, but something got ahold of your blood, of your every muscle, and very soul. This ever-growing feeling and instinct to protect yourself and the ones you loved took over. That's probably how you ducked so fast, pushed your friend out of harm's way, and swung your fist as hard as you could.

"I can't believe you would ever get in a fight!" said Emily for the third time.

You stared at the ground as she hurried around the kitchen, grabbing supplies to wipe the blood from your nose and split lip. You didn't say anything, and neither did the boys.

You hadn't said anything since they forced you out of the crowd before you injured one of the bullies too seriously.

Emily kept blabbering about violence and how fighting was never the solution while she grabbed a bag of frozen peas. She stomped to you, dropping it in your hands as she asked. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

You leveled your gaze to hers, looked at the group around you, and only said, "They deserved it."

She let out a frustrated sigh, confused and frustrated with your attitude. You were a good kid, had always been. She knew there must have been a good explanation for why you did what you did.

You hoped she would finally give up the lecture and leave you alone, but when Sam entered the room, you knew you were still in for a while. His dark stare communicated much more than his words ever could. Sam was your cousin, but he also was your legal guardian ever since your parents died. You grew up with him, and he had become the most important parental figure in your life. He walked over to you with deadly calm, making all the other boys thankful not to be at the receiving end of his anger.

He grabbed a chair and sat right in front of you. "Why?"

"They deserved it," was all you answered once again. "You will have to do better than that if you don't want to be grounded for the rest of your life." You leveled him a look, and he noticed there was something there, something different. "Y/n, what happened?"

The same light of uncertainty and fear shone in your eyes. "I don't know," you finally whispered. "I don't know what happened. One minute, I was walking away from them, carrying on with my day as I always do. The other, I was in their face, feeling this rage gnawing at me."

Complete silence.

"Do you know what made you feel that way?" softly asked your cousin. The angry look had left his eyes, replaced with the soft and compassionate one he only let a few people see.

"I'm not sure, but I know once I heard them talking shit about my friend and saw how scared she was… I just wanted to protect her. One of them tried pushing us from behind, and I have no idea how, but I managed to duck, push Leila away, and punch him right in the face in the span of a second," you stared at them all, the shock and confusion in their face. "But the worst was that once I started punching, I didn't have to think about my moves… They all came naturally. There was this thing inside of me just repeating I needed to protect, and so I did. I honestly have no idea when I would have stopped if they hadn't stepped in." You finished with a grateful look at your friends.

Sam stayed dead silent, lost in thought. Unsure whether what you were telling him meant what he thought it did. This was all going too fast. He couldn't, wouldn't tell you about this right now. He would need to discuss with the rest of the pack and see what they thought before making any more moves.

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Even Emily, always so joyful, seemed lost in an inner world of only her knowing. You looked around at the people surrounding you, your gaze jumping from one to the other, trying to find answers in their eyes.

Until Jake broke the loaded silence, "Then I guess you were right. They did deserve it."

The smile slowly lightening up your features made them all breathe a little easier. "Now come on, put those frozen peas on your eye before it turns all blue and mushy. We wouldn't want to be deprived of the sight of your beautiful face, uh?" he said while walking to you with his signature grin.

Sam gave him a quick thankful look before looking at the other members of his pack, wondering how on earth they would deal with this.

#ilya writes #twilight wolfpack #twilight wolfpack request #twilight wolfpack fluff #twilight #twilight fluff #twilight werewolves #sam uley #jacob black #emily young #paul lahote #quil ateara #embry call #jared twilight

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thegreenhordes · 2 months

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Twilight's Notes: What is Known

What is known of 'The Glow' infection: - The Glow, Also known as Pustule Pox, Green Horde Disease, or The ████████ Contagion, so far eludes me as to where exactly it emerged. Subject ████████ ███████ has informed me ground zero's location, but has no clue at this time what the true beginnings were. If I could get to Ground Zero without putting everypony at risk, I would. - Through either sheer luck or early treatment with common medicines, an infected pony has anywhere between a 5-40 percent chance of recovering during the early infection stage. The more aggressive the medical treatments, the better the results. There are currently 6 recovered ponies in camp- there were 7, but unfortunately the permanent symptoms of early infection leaves recovered ponies vulnerable. Granny Smith was up in her years, and simply couldn't recover from the cold she caught. It was a miracle on its own that she survived being infected by The Glow. - Samples of infectious material shows that this contagion is in a constant state of mutation. Given that there are already two separate stages as of now, I wouldn't be shocked if more popped up in the future... - Animals infected by The Glow do not progress pass the initial infection stage, though the symptoms persist as a chronic condition just the same as a recovered pony. Poor Spike, I'm just glad he's still with us. - Attempting treatment via magic results in death of the subject, Discord's chaos magic appears to be ignored by the infection, save during a few instances where his abilities accelerated the infection tenfold. Discord seems to be naturally immune, however- if he wasn't such a scaredy-pants about needles I'd be able to study his immunity better.

Current Treatment plan for early infection: - Rest and medication (those used for things like the common cold, the flu, and pneumonia appear to be the most effective.) - Quarantine, This not only prevents them from infecting others, but keeping patients in a sterile environment alongside the previously noted rest and medicine have had the most promising results. So far the simple treatment plan is our best bet, aggressively and frequently administering medication has been the main cause for the camp having any recovered ponies at all. I do hope to find something with a higher success rate however- Preventing progression is one of our best chances to get this under control again- permanently this time.

Subjects (Infected under study as of the past month): - Cheerilee: Dead, died of malnutrition as a stage 3 'Growler' - Sweetie Drops: Alive, Stage 2 Type 2, Mute. Her vitals are fine for now, but she's becoming more and more prone to stalking behavior, and we've had to install a second door to her room for security. - Bow Hothoof: Alive, Stage 1 Growler, Progressing fast towards Stage 2. Rainbow Dash was devastated when her dad arrived with news of her mom's death and a bite on his right front leg. We tried to help him recover but he was too late into the early infection and progressed to stage 1 within days. He said he 'Just wanted to see his daughter again'. Rainbow Dash spends a lot of time talking to him through the glass of his room. - Fluffy Clouds: Dead, entered Stage 4 of Type 2 and had to be put down. Type 2 infected are too dangerous. Type 1 'Growlers' might be strong and powerful hunters, but I Don't feel comfortable having a Stage 4 Type 2 under long-term observation right now. - Nurse Redheart: Alive, Unfortunately infected when Cheerilee unexpectedly entered Stage 2 faster than usual and bit her. Something is off about her, I can never get a good look at her because she says the light hurts her and they're kept off in and around her room as a result. If I do turn the lights on for talk sessions or to try and get samples she hides under her bed. In either instance she just.... stares. Her eyes glow stronger than a Type 2, and she is eerily quiet most of the time, in a way that makes me want to be quiet and hide when I'm near her room. She might be a new infected Type, but until I can safely get an actual sample from her I can't know. She doesn't have pustules on the outside of her body either- They seem to glow from within her, and I see them inside her mouth whenever she speaks.

Number of infected who died under my care since the outbreak started: Fifty. The more that number grows, the worse I feel. I hope the other princesses have good news for me soon, this is all starting to wear me down.

#Twilight's Research notes #not art #the glow #mlp infection au #the mane six will show up in the art on my blog eventually- but until then enjoy getting written peeks into their lives currently

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wayfayrr · 10 months

Note

woooO!!!! congrats on 100 followers!! I've had this idea of the links reacting to the reader who rode a motorcycle, like street racing, or trick riding! like in a modern time, they find a bike under a tarp or smthn and ask them about it, and they offer to show them, and turns out they did trick riding/ street racing/etc. [with a helmet and leather jacket ofc, safety first!!] [idk really, i just like the idea and its been stewing lol]

Thank you anon!!! 💖💖 I can see why this idea was stuck in your head, the idea of reader having a bike is ✨✨ and I hope I've done it justice! I also focused this with two if you don't mind, If you wanted a different member of the chain feel free to ask!!

"[NAME]! [NAME] I THINK I BROKE SOMETHING!"

"TWI!? JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE FOR A MOMENT I'M COMING OVER TO YOU."

Twilight calling out like that? Wild I would expect, Wind or Hyrule I would understand, but Twilight? I just hope he's alright, is it even safe if he'd have to go to the hospital? Would he need a vet instead?

Because I do not want to find out the answer to that if I can help it. It's a very quick decision to drop what I'm doing to go and check on him, from... it sounded like the garage?

"Twi? Are you alright, what's - oh you haven't broken anything, that's good you're okay."

No injuries, good, fine I can work with that and he looks like a kicked puppy for some reason. Why does he look like I'm about to shout at him..? Is that my helmet?

"I'm so sorry darlin' this thing got caught on me and I a part of it fell to the floor and I…"

"It's fine, you haven't broken anything. They're separate things I keep stacked together, there's no issue. If anything with how you were shouting I thought you were injured Link, you had me really worried."

A flustered Twilight isn't something I've gotten to see often, but it's a very addictive sight seeing someone as tough as him crumble like this over something so small. My bike's fine, the tarp's only torn a tiny bit and my helmet, well there's nothing that could scratch that any more than it's already been scratched. I wonder if I could push his fluster any further, maybe if I…

“Hey Twi, you know I promised to take you to a coffee shop at some point? So I can prove to you it’s not broken, want to ride with me?”

That did it, he’s redder than I’ve ever seen him ever and I think I can still push him further. Taking my jacket off of the hook, tossing it on then handing Twi my spare set with a wink.

“Come on pretty boy, let me treat you?”

Oh? That is cute, it seems the wolf’s lost his ability to speak as he follows my lead by putting on the gear I’ve lent to him. I’m just glad I keep some spares at all times, for when things like this come up it can be a lifesaver. Walking the bike outside with him trailing behind me with lovestruck eyes before I gesture to him to come closer. Gently guiding him to sit behind me on the bike then coaxing his arms around my waist with very little complaint from him only to start up the motor.

It’s been a while since I’ve felt the freedom of riding like this, I think Twilight is enjoying it as well which is the main thing. Pushing my bike more from his unspoken joy, it’s like I’m back to racing again and with that thrill-seeking side winning out I push us further still hitting about a hundred now, likely faster than he’s ever moved before.

And then we’ve already arrived. Clearly he doesn’t seem ready to let go of me, the way his arms have tightened again is a good enough show of that.

“You can hold me more later Twi, don’t you want to go in then I can explain more?”

“Alright, darlin’.”

It took a moment for him to find something on the menu that he liked the sound of and was safe for him, while I just ordered my usual but after that, we’re free to just talk for a while, although even after all of that his blush still hasn’t died down the smallest amount.

“So I’m guessing you’re curious about my bike? I used to spend a lot of my spare time racing so it’s a very high-quality one.”

“It’s that important to you but you’re willin to let me ride it?”

“I mean, of course. There’s no fun in riding alone, and I trust you.”

I think that last sentence might have broken him, he’s a blushing mess mumbling about how good I look and how impressed he is. He’s sweet. Although now it might take a while for me to be able to talk to him again.

#links✦react #linked universe x reader #yandere linked universe x reader #yandere linked universe #lu twilight #link x reader #moss✦answers #moss✦writes

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skyloftian-nutcase · 11 months

Text

Elastic Heart Ch 5 (Linked Universe story)

Summary: When Sky goes missing, the Chain scrambles to figure out where he is and what happened before it's too late.

AO3 link

First chapter

<<Previous // Next>>

Chapter 5: Arbiter's Grounds

Link’s patience was at its limit as he stared dully at the two soldiers in front of him. “Let. Me. Through.”

“We were specifically notified that the queen would be sending a Hero with her guards,” one of the soldiers said, though with less hostility than before as Link glared at him. “T-that’s the order.”

“I made my own way here,” Link explained curtly. He was far too exhausted for this nonsense. Just how idiotic were the knights in this land? It was no wonder Twilight held them in such low regard.

Thinking about Twilight made his stomach twist. Thinking about any of them made his stomach twist.

He had to hurry up.

As the soldier came up with some other feeble excuse, there was a screech from the sky, making all three of the men turn to see a monster flying through the air. Link watched it warily, wondering if the Shadow had sent a black blooded beast there or if it was common for the area. The petrified reaction from the guards was of little help or use - he figured they’d squeal over a critter let alone a monster.

It was fairly large, though.

Glancing at his surroundings, Link saw the flying creature, the pathway ahead beyond the sealed gate, and some cliffs. With a quick fortifying breath, he pulled out his clawshots and aimed for some ivy on the cliffside, giving himself a higher vantage point as the beast swept in to dive for the ground. The soldiers squealed, abandoning their post.

That could be his opportunity, honestly. But that would leave them to fend off the beast, which was unlikely to end well in their favor.

Goddesses above, he was growing tired of having to save everyone. Couldn’t they at least handle the small matters so he could focus on Demise?

Link shook his head. Focus. You know they can’t help it.

Well. The knights should be able to help it. The longer he watched them run around the more irritated he became. He shook his head, watching the beast instead. There was a way to handle both matters and get him to his destination faster.

Waiting for the right moment as the beast flew just beneath him, ready to climb and gain altitude, Link leapt off the cliffside, angling his body so he collided right into the monster. The winged creature cried out, dipping down a little and then flailing like an enraged loftwing. Link held on tightly, his stomach somersaulting from the thrill of it.

This wasn’t his first time taming a flying beast, after all. Some loftwings when their partners died would be enraged or go insane for a few days. They were a danger to themselves and others. Link had done this song and dance before.

He wrapped his arms around the beast’s neck, twisting his shoulders so his elbows could guide it at the wing joints. The creature shrieked in protest but obeyed to ease the pressure, climbing over the sealed gate and leaving the knights far behind. The land quickly shifted from greens and blues of the field and lake to the familiar terrain of Lanayru Desert.

Wait. No. Gerudo Desert. Whatever. A desert was a desert, anyway. What mattered more was what and who he would find within it.

The creature became further enraged and began to buck wildly, sending them both careening. It was time to get off.

Releasing his grip, Link felt gravity take hold as he free fell to the ground below. The beast twisted away to reorient itself, and he untied his sailcloth to soften his landing. Turning as he heard the monster scream again, he pulled out his bow and arrow, aiming for its eyes. The beast let out a choked cry before it finally crashed into the sand, sliding to a halt in front of him and kicking up a dust cloud.

Link watched it a moment longer, a strange melancholy pulling at his exhausted heart, and then he sighed, turning to face the desert. The sun was fairly high in the sky, but it was beginning to teeter downward for the afternoon. He shielded his gaze with his hand, looking into the wavy air and seeing structures in the distance.

Monster encampments, possibly. Either way, it was a landmark. He’d take it.

Steeling himself, Link marched forward. One way or another, this should be his final battle. Zelda had indicated as such. It was the last horde in the land, after all.

I’m coming for you, Demise.

XXX

The tranquility of Hyrule Field on an overcast afternoon was shredded with the sound of hooves and snarls as a wolf led a pack of heroes riding on horseback. They were all going at a full gallop, the wolf somehow managing to stay ahead of the rest despite bearing the smallest member of the group.

A few monsters littered the area, and the troupe quickly attracted their attention. Wild grabbed an arrow and let it loose, having pulled it back so taut that he nearly snapped the bowstring. It hit a monster in midair with ease, sending it to the ground. The pronounced thud that echoed across the field gave Wild little satisfaction, but at least it gave him some assurance that the others wouldn’t be bothered.

Wild’s deft movements weren’t the only ones as other members of the group swiftly eliminated targets without batting an eye. Warriors decapitated a bokoblin as he passed, Four shot a few with his bow and arrows before Twilight trampled right over them with a snarl. Nothing was going to slow them down at this point.

After they’d eaten, Twilight had asked his Zelda for some steeds to expedite matters (and had to finagle his way around Zelda’s idea that he’d somehow sent Sky to defeat the monsters). Wild and Wind rode Epona together, Four was with Twilight, and the rest were provided horses from the royal stables. The mood of the group had become serious the instant they’d left the tavern; Twilight had headed for the castle while others had stocked up on what supplies they could get (Legend was still seething that potions weren’t available in the city, which meant they were limited to what they already had - Twilight pointed out that they could restock in Faron Woods or Kakariko, but no one was keen on backtracking at this point).

Thankfully, according to Twilight, Lake Hylia was just to the west of the city, so it wouldn’t take them long to reach it. Wild certainly hoped that was the case; once they began to ride no one had said a word, and though Wild wasn’t the most empathetic of the group even he could sense everyone was on edge just as much as he was. Wind’s death grip on him tightened as he encouraged Epona to move faster, and he could faintly see the glistening lake in the distance.

When they finally arrived, Time tersely divided them into pairs so they could search the perimeter.

“We know he’s heading for the desert; this is a waste of time!” Legend argued.

“We just got here within less than half the time it would take him to go on foot,” Four fired back. “He has to be somewhere close. What if we blow right by him?”

“That’s enough,” Warriors snapped. “Pair up and move out.”

Wind and Wild quietly stayed together on Epona, trotting around the lakeshore with their eyes peeled. The Champion was just as eager to push ahead, but he also didn’t want to risk overtaking Sky. Still… it should be obvious fairly quickly if Sky wasn’t here.

His mind couldn’t help but wander in a million different directions, anxiety sealing his lips and opening his thoughts. None of it made sense, and it was making even less sense now. Wild’s main suspicion had been that Sky had been tracking the enemy and accidentally fallen through the gate. He would have to fight the horde at that point, and then he would probably head for the nearest landmark, namely Castle Town and Hyrule Castle. It would then logically make sense for him to be in the city, for Telma to possibly find him and help him until he could reunite with the group.

Except he didn’t wait.

Wild didn’t understand. He just didn’t understand . It was now obvious more than ever that Sky was actively avoiding them.

The champion shook his head. We don’t know that. He may not even know we’re here. But that Telma lady wrote to Rusl, which means she must have told Sky we were looking for him, right? Right?

Right?

Wild didn’t know what was happening anymore, but a panic was seizing at his throat, goading him to move faster and find him before it was too late.

Pulling out a telescope, Wind squinted through the lens with a sigh. “Where is he? Surely he can’t be moving that fast? There were knights escorting him, weren’t there?”

Wild shook his head, unable to reply. He didn’t know anything anymore, just that he had to find him.

By the time they had even begun their search, the sun was already dipping towards the horizon. Lake Hylia reflected its bright rays, the sky stained golden and rose, a painting that was reflected with the stretches and pulls of the water’s lapping. It prevented anyone from seeing under its depths, and it made Wild shield his eyes from the glare as he paused, staring at a gateway just ahead.

There were guards flanking it.

Furrowing his brow, he tapped lightly on Epona with his heels, goading her forward.

The guards immediately crossed their spears over each other to prevent his entry. “Only those with the Queen’s permission may pass into the Gerudo Desert.”

Wind huffed. “We’re on a mission for her! Have you seen the Hero she sent this way?”

Wild bit his lip as the guards looked at each other uneasily. He wasn’t entirely sure why they hadn’t just asked them in the first place, but as he turned, he saw everyone converging on their location.

He supposed that meant they hadn’t had any luck. His heart raced in his chest, his anxiety spiking.

Twilight, who had turned back to his Hylian form upon reaching the lake since there were people around, came to the front. “My name’s Link. I have something from Her Majesty. She sent me to aid the Hero of Legend on his quest.”

The guards blubbered a second longer, awestruck, and Warriors finally snapped, “Get to it, then! Tell us what you know! What sort of pathetic excuse for soldiers are you?”

Time laid a hand on the captain’s shoulder, and Warriors’ face, already curled in a snarl, immediately tightened and settled into a dull, cold glare.

Wild shriveled further into Epona’s harness as Wind squirmed irritably behind him.

“He didn’t pass through here,” one of the guards finally remarked. “We’ve, uh–we’ve been waiting for him.”

“He—what?” Legend stammered. “That’s—we didn’t actually pass him did we?”

“What if he’s still in Castle Town?” Wind worried.

“That place is huge,” Hyrule added.

Warriors took a step towards the guards. “You’re lying. I can tell.”

The guards immediately took a hesitant step away from the captain.

“Tell us where he is,” Time intoned, crossing his arms. His voice was certainly the most even of the group’s, but his withering glare was more terrifying than any of the yelling had been.

“Or we gut you like a fish!” Wind added, pointing accusingly at them.

“Sailor,” Warriors and Twilight immediately warned together.

“What, I wasn’t actually— ”

“It was a monster!” one of the guards finally burst out. “We–we didn’t know if he had access or not, so at first we–well… we… but a flying monster came and he–he climbed the wall and jumped on it and rode it over the gate!”

“Sky flew on a monster ?” Wind repeated. “That’s freaking amazing!”

“Maybe we should try it!” Hyrule intoned thoughtfully, looking around.

“Let us through,” Warriors ground out instead.

Twilight turned sharply and walked away as the others started frantically speaking over one another. Wild dismounted Epona to follow him.

“They’re going to let us through, right?” Wild asked, wondering why Twilight was giving up on the matter already. “I can get the gate open without their permission, the slate—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight interrupted as he stared at a wooden structure in the center of the lake. “I have a way that can get us in and maybe give us a head start.”

Wild watched him confusedly. “What is it?”

“Get the others,” Twilight said as he ran towards a boardwalk.

Meanwhile, over by the gate, the Hero of Warriors was steadily losing his patience. He and Time both were steadily feeling increasing dread over the situation; they could sense that time was running out to reach their friend and family, and these guards were one more obstacle and insult to everything Warriors stood for.

Despite the captain’s desire to verbally tear the pitiful excuses for knights apart, his rage was interrupted by both the objective and the champion’s frantic waving.

“What is it?” Hyrule asked before anyone else could. Time, who still had a hand on Warriors’ shoulder to keep him from completely losing it, turned to halfway face Wild.

“Rancher wants everyone,” Wild choked out, his eyes glittering with a familiar panic. Warriors had seen it on his face when Twilight had been hurt.

It wasn’t like Wild really knew how to hide it or process it, after all. The captain was waiting for the champion to finally snap and start disobeying orders like on the battlefield a month ago.

They were all beginning to fray at the seams. What had been a bizarre and unsettling search and rescue had turned into something far more involved and worrying. Sky should have been found easily, yet here they were.

At least Warriors knew he was still alive. But the true matter now was, why was he running so desperately? Was he running towards something or from it?

An old paranoia crept up from his gut into his skull, icy and chilling and terrifying, reigniting thoughts he had already dismissed yesterday.

No , he shook his head as he walked with the others to the boardwalk where Twilight awaited them. I know Sky. He wouldn’t. Something else is going on.

Originally the captain had thought Sky was simply being foolish, following his apparently-faulty intuition rather than his head. It would fit for a teenage hero to do so, even though in all their time together Sky had generally demonstrated more maturity than the others.

Well. On and off, at least. Sky’s seeming laziness had gotten Hyrule and Warriors hurt when he couldn’t keep up with them. He dozed off all the time, dragged his feet with chores… it had never particularly bothered the captain, except the one time they ran into a monster camp and could have used his help. He still held the slightest annoyance over that matter. But… none of that coalesced into a logical explanation for what was happening now. Sky was slow and steady, this panicked rush of his was completely against his nature as Warriors understood it.

Maybe you don’t understand him, then, the paranoid voice whispered.

“For Hylia’s sake,” he muttered under his breath. That’s enough. Sky isn’t a traitor, there is a rational explanation for this and I will figure it out.

At this rate he felt like he and Time were the only ones thinking rationally. Well, and perhaps Twilight.

Twilight watched their approach, arms crossed. He jerked his head behind him. “I found us a way in that’ll help us catch up quickly.”

Time raised a questioning eyebrow as he glanced beyond the Ordonian. “I’m assuming you’re going to explain, then?”

“It’s a, uh…” Twilight faltered and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Then he sighed. “It’s a cannon.”

Legend’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You want us to blast our way through the gate?” Warriors asked confusedly. Great Farore, he didn’t hate the guards that much.

“No. Over it.” Twilight explained. “This is how I always got to the Gerudo Desert.”

Wind gasped. “Oh! I’ve done that before! Let’s go!”

Hyrule watched Wind rush ahead, bewildered. “You… were blasted out of…what??”

“Am I the only one worrying about the landing part ?” Legend threw his hands up in the air.

“No, you’re not,” Warriors remarked, raising an eyebrow at Twilight. “How did you land?”

Twilight shrugged. “Fyer knows where to aim so you land in a soft space. I swear the sand there is like a pillow, it’s like the one place where you’ll be fine. Just, uh, be sure you roll.”

Warriors cocked his head to the side as he scrutinized the Ordonian hero. “So you just got launched in the air and prayed you didn’t die.”

“Yeah, basically.”

Mentally, Warriors scratched Twilight off his still a rational member of the group list.

The captain groaned, pinching his nose. “How did anyone ever assume you were the responsible one?”

Four and Wind rushed ahead as if this were a normal occurrence, making the captain debate if Four was still rational as well. Wild was already anxiously waiting by the entrance, where a strangely dressed man was eying the group warily.

“Fyer,” Twilight greeted as he approached the man. “We need a lift to Gerudo Desert.”

“All of you?” the fellow questioned. “That’ll cost you extra, you know.”

Warriors unclasped his wallet and dropped it into the man’s hands. “Hope this suffices. Let us pass.”

Fyer stared at the pouch with surprise, stammering a response and opening the door for them. Wind easily swiped some rupees back as he passed. When Warriors raised an eyebrow in the sailor’s direction, the kid shrugged. “He doesn’t need all of them.”

“How do you keep getting so much money, anyway?” Four asked, squinting at him. “I remember when we were at that inn you couldn’t buy anything because you’d paid for our room and board.”

“The room full of pots, of course,” Warriors answered easily.

Wind gasped. “Yours had rupees?!”

“What did yours have?”

“...More arrows. A lot of them didn’t even have anything! It was so disappointing!”

“Mine had a frog in it.”

“Oh, one of mine—”

“Focus.” Time interrupted.

“Does this hurt?” Legend asked uneasily. “It usually hurts on the receiving end.”

“Protect your neck,” Twilight advised. “The whiplash isn’t fun. Beyond that… as long as you land well, it’s fine.”

“As long as you—”

The doors slammed shut, drowning them in darkness. Warriors instinctively huddled closer to his brothers, bumping shoulders with Time.

“This wasn’t exactly how I was expecting this day to go,” he said quietly.

“At this rate, is there even a point to having an expectation for any given day?” Time countered, his usual gentle mischief absent in his tone.

The captain sighed, and the cannon fired.

XXX

Four really wished he had Ezlo. It would make landings much easier.

At least, he figured that’s why he missed Ezlo. Strangely he didn’t remember landing, but he was lying in the sand nonetheless.

What…?

“Well maybe you should’ve mentioned that!” some voice over him hissed as he was slightly propped up by arms.

“I don’t think he’s ever fired that many people together…”

“That’s enough! Cut it out, all of you!”

“Hey, he’s waking up!”

Four groaned as orange light pierced into his vision when he fluttered his eyelids open. Legend was directly over him, holding him gently, eyes filled with worry. Twilight was across from him, also supporting him, and Wild was peeking over his shoulder. Wind was at his feet, expressive face pinched in concern as Time stood behind him with Hyrule. Warriors was directly over him, seemingly kneeling behind his head.

“Hey, Smithy, you with us?” Twilight asked gently.

“Mm,” Four replied, trying to figure out what in the world happened.

“Here,” Legend offered, holding a bottle to his lips. “It’ll at least make sure nothing’s broken while you get your head on straight.”

Four sipped the potion reluctantly, coughing a little at the bitterness as it went down. His world came into better clarity, aches he hadn’t noticed dissipating entirely.

“What happened?” he asked blearily, sitting up of his own volition as the other heroes hovered over him.

“A few of us crashed into each other before the landing,” Warriors noted, and Four saw that the captain was sporting a small cut by his left temple. “Nothing too terrible, but it threw you off balance and you got knocked out on impact.”

Oh. That was probably why Ezlo had come to mind. Maybe he should have shrunk down for the launch, it might have at least reduced his speed and made him less likely to hit anyone.

“How long was I out?” he continued, slowly standing and testing out his body.

“A few minutes, nothing major,” the captain answered dismissively.

“He could have died!” Legend snapped.

Another argument broke out between Legend and Warriors, with Twilight trying and failing to play mediator, garnering Wind’s ire while Wild and Hyrule watched hesitantly. Four rubbed his temples at the oncoming headache, growing steadily more irritated.

“Boys!” Time finally yelled, silencing everyone. When they all stared at him, he crossed his arms, holding their gaze. “Get yourselves together. Every second we stand here arguing, Sky gets farther away. No more talking for a while unless a pertinent question is being addressed.” Directing his attention to Four, he asked, “Smithy, are you able to walk now?”

Four nodded, grateful for the silence.

“Good. Ranch hand, you lead.”

Twilight, sufficiently schooled and looking very small under his elder’s gaze, slowly got to his feet. Four felt a little bad for his friend, who clearly felt guilty over what had happened. He would reassure him if he wasn’t convinced Time would incinerate him right there with his glare the instant he uttered a sound.

Shifting into his beast form, Twilight led the group carefully, sniffing the ground every few paces. Four could see Legend, Wild, and Hyrule all growing impatient, with Legend stiffening while Wild and Hyrule grew fidgety. Eventually, the traveler pointed ahead. “Look!”

Everyone whirled on him, ready to hiss for his silence before Time could get a hold of him. The traveler was unperturbed, huffing, “I see a trail!”

“A trail?” Four repeated, following Hyrule’s finger. Trail was a strong word for what he saw - there were divots in the sand, like a little stream had carved a path, but its lingering imprint was being quickly overrun by wind pushing sand into the crevices.

“You think Sky’s wind item could make such a trail?” Time asked the group as a whole.

“Probably,” Legend answered. “Which means he had to be here recently - the sand will cover it up soon enough.”

Four perked up. That meant Sky was very close!

The group picked up their pace, Twilight still at the lead to confirm Sky had indeed passed through. The silence gave Four time to think and center himself, which he appreciated since his mind had been whirling since this entire ordeal had started.

After all, none of it made sense. Initially, Four had assumed Sky was captured. It was what made the most sense - everyone knew that if they were on watch they were supposed to awaken the group if there were monsters. There had to be some kind of miscalculation on Sky’s part, and somehow he’d ended up in danger and unable to alert them. He’d probably gone to investigate a noise and only discovered too late that the horde was unnervingly close to camp.

At least, that had been the initial assumption. Four had seemed to be the only one thinking it, which was frustrating, but he’d kept his mouth shut. Hearing in that letter that Sky was safe and resting at that tavern had reassured him greatly, but it had also made him start to question things.

Did Sky get himself out of trouble? Was he never in trouble in the first place? If so, what in the world would compel him to do what he had done? Four still had an inkling that his dear friend was hurt somehow, maybe was addled from his experience and trying to find his way back to the others.

What if the Shadow had managed to corrupt him somehow? What if he’d tortured him during his capture? What if Sky was part of the horde now?

Four shook his head, trying to shove the terrifying thoughts out of his mind. It didn’t quite fit the objective details, at least.

That still didn’t stay the worries in his heart that Sky had been captured, though. That somehow Sky had escaped and was trying to find them as desperately as they were trying to find him. That the longer it took them to get to him the more likely he was going to get captured again.

Though the blacksmith was on the quieter side in the group, he wished they’d taken some time to discuss this issue. Outside of the initial concern when they’d found the gate, the group had been treating this situation like a regular mission when it was, in fact, so much more.

Their brother was missing.

Frustrated tears stung in his eyes, and he balled his fists tight enough to dig his nails into skin and distract himself. He absentmindedly followed his brothers, praying that Sky would be fine when they found him. Because they would find him. They were close, as Legend pointed out.

Four nearly crashed into Wolfie, yelping a little as he stopped abruptly. The shadows that encased the wolf were nearly imperceptible in the oncoming darkness as the sun finally hid its shining face behind the dunes. When Twilight emerged from the darkness, he was stiff and very closed off. Four was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed they had ended up at a structure of some sort.

“What is this place?” Wind asked quietly.

Twilight didn’t speak.

“He’s asking you, wolf brain,” Legend grumbled as he stepped forward to investigate the area. “We don’t know this land, remember?”

“Is it a Gerudo fortress?” Warriors questioned.

“N-no,” Twilight finally answered, his voice barely a whisper in the wind. “He… he’s inside.”

“Sky?” Time confirmed.

“Yeah.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Hyrule piped up, catching everyone off guard. “Let’s go.”

The sailor and the traveler moved ahead quickly with Wild on their heels. Warriors paused for a moment and then followed alongside Four.

Twilight stood still, the long shadows of the building consuming him.

Time approached his pup slowly. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Twilight sighed, shaking his head. “We shouldn’t let them get too far ahead, there’s a dungeon in there.”

“I figured, just based on the appearance. Where are we?”

“This… this place is called Arbiter’s Grounds,” Twilight explained as the pair walked together to catch up. “It was once a… well, I guess a prison for Hyrule. It’s been abandoned for a long time.”

Time glanced back at the building thoughtfully. A Hyrule prison in Gerudo territory? Had they formed some kind of alliance? “I suppose the Gerudo are farther into the desert.”

Twilight glanced at Time from the side of his eyes, saying nothing.

That… didn’t make the eldest Link feel pacified on the matter.

When the two reached the rest of the group at the entrance to the dilapidated building, Time glanced around at the surroundings. The architecture looked… vaguely familiar. And not in a Hylian way.

Wonderful. As if his unease at Sky’s situation wasn’t bad enough at this point.

“Be on your guard,” he advised everyone as a slight breeze blew in their faces. “This place will likely have infected beasts.”

“And Sky’s swimming in them,” Legend added worriedly. “So let’s go.”

The veteran hero was right. The longer they lingered, the more likely they were to lose him again. Time wasn’t repeating that error. Whatever was wrong with the young knight, they had to find him before it got worse.

At this point that was what he was convincing himself. Nothing else really made sense. Sky had interacted with the people of Castle Town, even the queen , and instead of hunkering down to wait for them, or even trying to return to where the dark portal had been (was it still there? Time didn’t recall seeing it when they’d passed through the field again), Sky had continued on to hunt more beasts.

For whatever reason, the seemingly sweet and gentle knight had gone rogue.

Given Time’s understanding of the Skyloftian, it made little sense, but at this point nothing else made any sense. He knew all his boys were capable of being reckless; Sky was simply a late bloomer.

And of all the ways to bloom… Time was going to have grey hair by the time this was over. He was certainly going to demand an explanation out of the boy when he found him.

That was that. Sky was being a reckless teenager. There was no possibility that he’d decided to leave the group, to leave all of them, to leave—

Time shook his head. Projecting his old wounds onto this situation was not going to do him any favors. The longer Sky was missing, the worse it got. He felt angry at himself for even making this about himself in the first place, and it was certainly decreasing his tolerance for the others’ outbursts. They needed to find the boy. Time was growing more concerned by the moment. If his main theory was true, after all, then Sky was likely to get himself killed.

Well, honestly, no matter the theory, Sky was likely to get himself killed. They needed to move.

“Stay together,” he advised the group as he led them into the dungeon.

The instant they walked into the entranceway, Time knew this was going to be an unpleasant dungeon. The stifling air held a stench to it that was pungent and uncomfortably familiar. Time was instantly reminded of the well in Kakariko and the Shadow Temple, the smell of brittle old bones and flesh turned to dust. Back home it had been punctuated with a moldy, earthy scent, moisture and soil trapped in a manner that made him feel like he was going through more graves. The dryness of the air here sped the rotting process, making the actual scent of decay lesser while also making the entire place far more stifling.

He couldn’t imagine any of this was pleasant on Twilight’s heightened senses.

He also could quickly figure out what might have happened here. Warriors’ grim, knowing expression implied the captain knew as well.

Time scanned the room and quickly saw a purchase for his hookshot. Leading the group, he held on to Wind as the pair let the item pull them to nearby sturdy ground, avoiding the quick sand that was consuming flesh and bone alike. Once they passed a whirlpool of sand, they were left with what looked like the remains of a cell to the left and a sealed gate that blocked their progress.

Warriors glared at the door. “There has to be another way in. If Sky came through here it wouldn’t still be locked, unless it’s a facade. Or there’s a way to get overtop it.”

“It probably is locked,” Wind surmised, jiggling the large bars. “Just means it had time to reset. But I swear we were catching up to Sky. We’re sure he’s in here?”

“Reset?” Warriors repeated. “What are you talking about?”

“We need to find the dungeon map,” Legend interrupted. “We’ll waste less time that way.”

Four glanced at Twilight. “Where do we find it?”

The young man shifted awkwardly, rubbing his sweaty palms on his tunic. “I… don’t remember.”

Wind’s eyes widened. “How could you not remember where the map is? You’ve been through this dungeon!”

Wild looked between the pair confusedly. “There are maps?”

Warriors glanced at Time questioningly, equally lost.

The champion then turned to Legend. “Is that why you’re always so insistent on having a map?”

Hyrule shrugged, eyes trained on the floor. “I don’t get the fuss, I get by without them.”

“The point is ,” Time interrupted before this deteriorated further. “We need to find it.”

Hyrule looked at the hero, brow furrowing in frustration. “But—”

“No , we’re not proceeding without a map. It’ll waste too much time,” their leader insisted, agreeing with the veteran.

“Can’t you just follow his scent, though?” Warriors asked, looking at Twilight.

Twilight ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “I wish it was that simple, but these places require a certain order of events to progress. If I just follow Sky’s scent, we’ll end up in front of locked doors with no way through, like this. We have to do this the old-fashioned way.”

“I still can’t believe you don’t remember where the map is ,” Legend grumbled.

“It’s been a while, okay? A lot has happened since then, I can’t possibly remember all the details of every dungeon!” Twilight finally snapped, losing his patience.

“The good news is that the closer we get to Sky, the less likely it’ll be a problem,” Wind thought aloud, staring at the locked door. “Because if we catch up to him, he’ll still be solving things and we’ll get through them before they can reset.”

“How long is that?” the captain questioned.

“Don’t know. Never timed it.”

“Usually if you get knocked out it resets,” Time offered.

“Look, I may not be as experienced as you all,” Hyrule interrupted. “But I can still follow clues. The key to this door is over there.”

Everyone followed the traveler as he pointed towards a chain coming out of the wall with a handle attached.

Twilight blinked. “Ah. Right.”

Legend gestured dramatically towards the chain. “This is literally the only thing in this room and you didn’t even remember that?!”

“I didn’t see you noticing it, Vet!”

Wind rolled his eyes, rolling through the quicksand to get to the chain as another argument started. Just as he hit solid ground, the ground shifted, and two gibdos dragged their bony bodies out of the earth, spears at the ready. Wind yelped briefly before quickly slashing through them.

“Great,” the sailor said with a quivering tone. “This is one of those dungeons.”

Time looked back at the traveler, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off the ground aside from pointing out the pulley. When he traced the teenager’s stare, he saw what had tipped Hyrule off in the first place.

Specks of blood trailed intermittently from the gate to the pulley that Wind was desperately yanking.

There was still a touch of moisture to them, their innermost circle sitting atop the stone rather than having crusted into it.

Sky was close, but they could lose him if they stalled any longer.

Twilight quickly joined Wind and grabbed the handle, pulling the chain with a sharp jerk, and the gate split and opened, granting them access. Time didn’t comment on the blood, but it was evident who had and hadn’t noticed. Hyrule was already filling up empty bottles with lantern oil and shoving them into people’s hands, face set in determination. Twilight was a shade paler than usual, Four looked terrified, eyes frantically scouring the earth for more signs of Sky’s injuries.

Wild immediately went for the solitary treasure chest in the other corner, pulling out a key. No one needed to comment on it as there was only one locked door in the room.

Time glanced at Twilight questioningly. This dungeon was unusually simple.

Then again, it could be because Sky was already clearing it.

Legend froze in mid-step, making Four yelp as he crashed into him. The veteran didn’t seem to notice, crouching down with his lantern in the darkness of the next room. Twilight stiffened, clearly on edge, and Time detected movement in the room.

“Vet, watch it!” Wind chided as he squinted into the darkness.

“There’s blood on the floor ,” Legend said, his voice worriedly rising in pitch. “Sky’s hurt! What if he’s dying, what if–”

Twilight and Time swung their swords in unison as otherworldly shrieks filled the air, their blades chopping through a wave of gibdos that had emerged from the quicksand. The rest of the group jumped as Warriors pulled out his borrowed fire rod, and Time and Twilight hastily ducked out of the way as he dispatched the rest and simultaneously lit the torches on the other side of the room.

The bars over the door on the far side of the room opened, and everyone tore ahead wordlessly. Legend reached the next place first, pausing in the center of the large room. Time took in the sights, seeing four stone stands around a large staircase. There were several entrances, he could tell from a swift glance and from changes in air pressure moving throughout the room. The stairs led to a closed door, and two out of the four posts had blue fires lit on them.

In the center of the room was a large cloak and hood, and a broken lantern.

“A poe,” Time surmised aloud. Larger than one he’d ever seen, but it seemed a fair guess.

“Yeah,” Twilight said slowly, looking ahead. “Of course they took the flames again.”

Time was reminded abruptly of the Forest Temple in the Lost Woods, and he looked at the two flames again.

Two flames. For four posts.

“Sky’s halfway solved it,” he whispered.

Wild, with his sharp hearing, turned to look at him. “Solved what?”

“You need the flames to open the gates,” Twilight explained. “And the poes steal the flames. If there are two lit, then he’s defeated two poes.”

Legend toed the tunic hesitantly, sword at the ready. “Uh, yeah. I can tell. But where are the others? This place just got a lot bigger.”

“I remember where the map is,” Twilight said flatly, catching everyone’s attention.

Time glanced at him, confused by his tone. “Where?”

Twilight pointed to an already open chest. Its contents had already been taken.

“Sky has it!” Wind realized.

“Great,” Legend groaned. “That just gives him the advantage.”

“Are we going to talk about why Sky’s actively going through this dungeon instead of trying to find us?” Four piped up, crossing his arms and looking ready to start another fight.

Wind whirled on him. “You want to do this now ? You think we haven’t been wondering that too? Something obviously has to be wrong!”

“Or maybe he’s on to something,” Hyrule offered. “Could be trying to puzzle something out.”

“Only you would assume it’s reasonable to just abandon the group to solve a puzzle.” Four sighed heavily.

“Look, what matters right now is that Sky’s actively hunting the poes,” Twilight said, waving his arm to get them to pay attention. “Which means all we have to do is track them . We can find him!”

“How do we track the poes?” Warriors questioned as he stared at the tattered remains of the fallen ghost.

Twilight shifted into his wolf form wordlessly, sniffing the large robe.

“Okay, but if they’re ghosts how do they even have a scent?” Wild wondered.

“The cloth should,” Four surmised with a shrug, a little put out over how quickly his discussion had been terminated.

“Do ghosts all wear the same cloth, though?”

“Is there a guide to poe fashion we need to know about?” Warriors muttered absentmindedly.

“Bet it smells like crap, though,” Wind said with a shudder. “Yuck.”

Time watched his pup sniff in circles a moment before charging through a door to the side, and everyone followed hastily.

Legend froze yet again just as he looked up at the platform ahead. Time was about to finally get on the veteran hero’s case when Legend’s entire body went rigid before he drew in a deep breath. “SKY!!”

The entire group whirled , and, sure enough, their brother-in-arms was on the platform, sword drawn and stained in black blood, ready to head to the next room. He barely moved, standing in profile to them as if he’d been in the motion of leaving when Legend had yelled at him.

Time felt the steadily growing suffocating knot in his chest loosen, though it didn’t release entirely. Sky was there, alive and within such close reach, and Time felt like he’d never had so much solace seeing one of his wayward boys.

“Sky! You’re okay!” Twilight exclaimed, relieved.

Sky swallowed thickly, his face pale and worn thin. In the lighting he looked almost gaunt, like one of the beasts crawling through this dungeon. Based on the amount of blood on his blade, it seemed Sky was the reason the others had met such little resistance so far, as Time had unfortunately suspected.

The young knight shook his head at the group, seemingly unable to speak, and just as Warriors was about to ask something, he rushed through the door.

“Wait! Sky, what are you doing?” Four called after him.

Legend was the closest and immediately pulled out his hookshot, looking for a perch since there wasn’t a clear path between the stairwell to the platform and the other side of the fallen chandelier that blocked the walkway to where Sky was. When neither the veteran nor Time could find a place for their respective hookshots to latch on, Wild ran ahead, clambering up the rock itself, though he slid quite a bit in his attempt to climb it. Legend sprang forward, using Wild as a step off to jump up to the platform, and Wild groaned, falling to the ground level just as Twilight reached out to catch him.

“Thanks, Vet!” Wild grumbled as he started to climb again.

Legend’s voice echoed from the next room. “Sky, get your sorry ass back heeeaaaaaAAAAYYYYY GIBDOS GIBDOS SHIT SHIT SHIT—”

“Come on!” Twilight called, already pulling a lever attached to yet another chain. “Let’s go!”

The group waited as Twilight hoisted the chandelier into the air, and the instant there was enough clearance they started to tear through. Wind was first, eyes fierce, and Time brought up the rear alongside Twilight. Despite their haste, the large wooden beams with spikes on them didn’t escape Time’s notice.

This place was like the Shadow Temple, then.

Pushing the thought aside, he focused on getting to Sky, and Legend’s yells were easy enough to follow. By the time they reached the veteran, the gibdos were disintegrating into ash and dust.

Legend didn’t spare them a glance, running ahead when a scream tore through the air, chilling them to their cores and making them freeze .

It wasn’t as if fear had stopped them in place. It was… well, it was fear, but a different kind, one that sank into one’s very soul and shook it with dark magic.

ReDeads.

Wind let out a whimper, stumbling backwards when he could use his legs once more, and Warriors reached out to catch him. Twilight immediately transformed again and tore ahead on all fours, teeth bared as he leapt cleanly into the air and slammed one of the beasts (were they always that short? Or was it just that Time was taller now? They still were easily a head higher than him, but…) into the ground. Its claymore clattered on the stone and Legend sank his tempered sword into the beast’s head.

Time quickly dispatched the other ReDead with fire blessed arrows, leaving an uneasy silence in the air.

“Where the hell did he go?!” Legend snapped. “Damn it!”

“Why is he doing this? He just—did he just run through the monsters and leave them to us?” Four asked the room, eyes filled with hurt.

“I don’t understand,” Wind muttered, huddled near Warriors, who had his hands on the sailor’s shoulders. “He—this doesn’t—did he—?”

Warriors’ grip tightened on the youngest Link, knuckles white. He was looking down at the ground, his eyes dark, face stony.

The entire group felt lost, standing in a haze of confusion and pain, and Twilight looked at Time helplessly.

Time tried to organize his thoughts as best as possible. They would all be looking to him for guidance.

He didn’t have any to give.

But what he did know was that he needed answers . Sky’s behavior had gone from erratic to downright dangerous. Time tried to parse it out as best he could, but the more he examined it the more he recognized that he really didn’t understand that boy. Termina had taught him to recognize that everyone had a story of their own that guided their actions, but he was only just realizing that he truly didn’t know Sky’s story at all.

Did any of them know Sky’s story? Wild was like an open book with his wounds, Warriors’ stories and remarks were always carefully interwoven with key details missing, Twilight and Hyrule’s dismissal of the importance of their adventures often left more questions than answers, Wind’s exuberance was shadowed by his very apt ability with the sword for such a young man, Legend’s knowledge spoke for itself most of the time, Four’s face spoke more than his words yet—

Time knew so little about all his boys, but he still knew something about each of them. He had slowly become the secret keeper of the group, sharp enough to catch little hints and private matters they tried to keep to themselves, understanding enough to keep his mouth shut. Some trusted him with secrets, such as Twilight and Four, others danced around the issue but didn’t deny what he might or might not have seen and heard. A silent understanding lingered between him and his boys, an understanding that he knew more than he let on but wouldn’t approach the subject until they were ready to do so.

Well. That understanding was with almost all his boys. He’d never quite had such an understanding with Sky.

The Skyloftian knight had always been warm and welcoming, kind and empathetic. Everyone went to him with their hurts, and he always seemed to know when he was needed. He was among the first to defend those who were injured, he was the first to speak up to soothe tears and anger alike.

But Time knew next to nothing about him, except that he had made that cursed blade, he was blessed to have never dealt with Ganon, and that he was in love with his Zelda. He had made those aspects of his story known.

But that was it. A person’s story was far more than three facts.

So what was Sky hiding?

A door slammed somewhere in the far distance, echoing with a haunting reverberation around the room.

“We need to keep moving,” Time finally said.

Slowly, the group came alive again, following Time with a somberness that hung heavily in the air. Twilight quietly trotted ahead, sniffing hesitantly, when he froze and started growling.

“What is it?” Wild asked, stepping forward before yelping and ducking as a blade came out of the darkness to try and take his head off his shoulders.

A bokoblin, clearly from Wind’s world based on its attire, came screaming out of the darkness alongside a lizalfos and a wolfos. Warriors quickly went to the lizalfos while the champion began to fight the ‘blin. Twilight went toe to toe with the wolfos, both snarling at each other. Time assisted his pup, helping him corner the beast while others jumped in to assist their brothers. The beasts fell quickly enough, and Time’s trained eyes noticed more signs of battle, as if these were stragglers from another fight.

“Sky’s not in league with them,” Warriors muttered with what seemed to almost be a sigh of relief .

Legend turned slowly, eyes alight with fire and bewilderment, aghast at the implications of such a statement. Twilight barked loudly just as the veteran opened his mouth, and Wind stomped his foot.

“This is stupid!” the sailor pronounced. “This is so stupid ! Why is this happening?! What’s Sky thinking?!”

Hyrule ran ahead without a word, making everyone yell after him and hastily follow. Time felt his own control of the situation quickly slipping, and it was making him extremely agitated. One of his boys was already in danger; he didn’t need the rest of them putting themselves in perilous situations.

This group was slowly falling apart, and Time felt powerless to stop it. The soothing, quiet, constant, and gentle seam that weaved between all of them and bound them together was fraying apart and rushing ahead into danger, making the rest of them unravel.

They reentered the large chamber that held the torches and sealed gate only to find that the gate was now open, with all the torches lit brightly.

“How did he—?!”

Hyrule’s question was interrupted as enemies pulled themselves out of the quicksand flanking the staircase, and before Time knew it, they were surrounded.

Wild stared ahead at the stairs and the open gate, eyes desperate.

“Champion, no!” Time called, but it was too late. The scarred hero rushed ahead, though his progress was halted by a large moblin bringing its weapon down to bear on him. Warriors helped block the attack, knocking him off balance enough that an arrow grazed his leg. He hissed and Legend froze the moblin in place with his ice rod just as Wild shattered a blade against its legs, crippling it. Time was too preoccupied with the two lizalfos in front of him, gritting his teeth as they moved with more speed than should have been possible.

Hyrule sent a sword beam flying towards one of the lizalfos, knocking down the beast when the blow really should have gutted it.

Wind let out a battle cry as he leapt off the stone railing of the stairs, getting an aerial advantage and sinking his blade into one of the lizalfos’ heads with deadly accuracy. The beast fell, and the sailor bashed the other away with his shield. Behind him, Time heard Twilight yelp, and he whirled to see the wolf get cut deeply into his right shoulder by a stalfos. He quickly pulled out his bow and fired an arrow between the creature’s humeral head and elbow joint, temporarily pausing its attack and preventing its arm from moving, giving Twilight time to limp backwards and regroup with his ancestor. Time swept his large blade up diagonally, shattering bones and armor alike, and the stalfos clattered to the ground in pieces, giving him a moment to appraise the situation.

The group was chaotic and uncoordinated, anger evident on some faces while others continued to be distracted by the obvious path Sky had taken. Four rolled between two bokoblins to avoid an attack, slicing one of the ‘blins while doing so. Warriors had managed to get a few more cuts but was fighting well enough, back-to-back with Wild, who now seemed to be fixated on protecting the captain after getting him hurt. Though Wild’s expertise with the blade was more than proficient, archery was his main specialty, and being so close to the captain in the center of the action was wearing him down quickly. Hyrule was halfway up the stairs, watching the situation while holding his blade tightly in his hands, face focused, making Time uneasy. Legend had swapped weapons and was instead fighting with his blade once more, yelling a curse at the lizalfos that was slowly cornering him as keese began to fly over everyone. Wind was—

Wind was about to get hit .

“Sailor!” Time shouted in warning as he rushed to the boy’s aid. Wind was too busy eliminating a flock of keese to notice the bokoblin behind him, ready to strike—

Warriors yelled as Wind turned, but it was too late. The blow made contact, and Wind went flying across the room, out cold.

The room broke into pandemonium now. Hyrule cried out, his blade set ablaze with magic, and he easily felled the swarms of keese, making fire and small burnt bodies shower down on everyone. Time raised his shield to block the grisly precipitation while Legend swatted them away instead, distracted and getting punched clearly in the gut with a bokoblin club. Warriors killed the beast in retaliation, turning to run towards Wind as Wild covered the veteran while he regained his breath. Twilight was also tearing towards their youngest, his limp slowing him considerably, and Time turned to face the last large foe alongside Four, who was patting flames on his tunic and hissing.

Four dove ahead before Time, attracting the enemy moblin’s attention and giving Time an opportunity to dive in. The beast had bent downward to reach its small opponent, exposing its neck to Time’s blade. As the two leapt out of the way of the beast’s crumbling form after the blow, they saw that the others were picking off the remainders of the horde with a fair amount of ease.

Time rushed to where Twilight was guarding Wind, bending over Warriors, who was tending to the sailor. Wind’s hair and half his face were stained with blood, and despite the captain’s gentle nudges, he remained motionless. More blood stained his cheek as Warriors tapped it lightly, and Time saw that their captain had a not only acquired more injuries, some were deep enough to break his armor. He held his shield arm to his chest protectively.

“Captain—”

“He needs a fairy,” Warriors interrupted. “We don’t have time sit around and wait for him to recover.”

“Or you,” Time added as he pulled out the last of his fairies. “Rancher, help me sit him up.”

Twilight shifted back into Hylian form, kneeling beside Wind and propping him up. The Ordonian’s own shoulder wound was far more evident now, staining his tunic red. Time uncorked the bottle with the precious healing gift, and the fairy hovered between Twilight, Warriors, and Wind before the elder heroes motioned towards the sailor. The pink light brightened around the fairy as it worked its magic around Wind’s head, and the sailor stirred.

Legend walked over, his feet shuffling as he downed half a potion and took a deep breath, the first Time had seen him take since the hit to his chest and gut. Then the veteran held out the remainder to Warriors. He gave a sharp command before the captain could even get a word in, and Time’s stern look was enough impetus to push him into compliance.

Wind groaned, rubbing his head wearily as he opened his eyes. “What happened…?”

Warriors quickly went to the boy’s side as Time replaced Twilight in supporting him. “You took a bit of a hit there, kid.”

Wind soured at the nickname, but was apparently too woozy to argue. Time gave him a reassuring smile before glancing at his descendant. “You should—”

“We need to preserve what potions we have left,” Twilight interrupted immediately, having predicted what Time was going to say. “We were already running low on supplies—”

“We just stocked up in Ordon Village,” Time reminded him.

“We stocked up on some supplies in the village,” Twilight fired back. “We don’t have potions in Ordon.”

“There’s milk.”

Twilight bit the inside of his cheek, clearly trying to come up with an argument before sighing in defeat. “Fine. I’ll drink some milk.”

“Does anybody wonder if that stuff ever goes bad…?” Four asked in the background as the Ordonian downed half a bottle.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Time said with a half smile.

“You drink poes. Your opinion is invalid on the matter.”

Wind giggled, still a little addled. “Why couldn’t you drink the big poes here?”

“Maybe next time,” the eldest Link replied, brushing sweaty hair out of the boy's face. “Think you can stand?”

Wind huffed proudly. “Of course I can stand! I’ve had much worse!”

To prove his point, the sailor leapt to his feet with gusto, and then hastily stumbled backwards into the wall.

“We have to go!” Legend called. “Some of us aren’t waiting!”

Time turned and saw Hyrule and Wild already running up the stairs, and he bit back a groan. There was no stopping them at this point. Warriors steadied Wind and the rest of the heroes rushed after their impatient friends.

“I remember this part,” Twilight muttered. “If Sky didn’t get too far ahead, we can—”

“Sky, wait!!” Wild cried up ahead. “Guys, help!”

Everyone doubled their speed only to find themselves caught in a new horde of monsters, with Sky in the center, bathed in black and red blood alike. The room was filled with stalfos, gibdos, keese, bokoblins, skulltullas, and lizalfos. A few were slain on the ground, but most were converging on Sky, while Wild immediately brought out three bomb arrows at once.

Time held out a hand, alarmed. “Champion—!”

Wild aimed straight for a large skulltulla, loosing the arrows. Time immediately dove for Sky, knocking the young knight to the ground just as the arrows made impact. The blast temporarily blew out his hearing, making the world seem vaguely distant while a high pitch ringing drove him insane. Time groaned, coughing and gasping when Hyrule’s boot slammed into his vision as the traveler blocked a monster attack that would have likely crippled him. Sky squirmed under him, clamoring for an escape route. Time pushed himself up, hastily moving aside as Sky shot out from underneath him. He managed to snag the boy by his sailcloth just as his hearing returned, sending him crashing back into reality.

Everyone was in the room now, fighting and pushing monsters away from the center where Time and Sky stood. Worried glances were thrown their way, but now that they had all regrouped and Sky was seemingly alive and okay, everyone was finally on their game once more.

Well, except for Sky himself.

The teenager twirled, turning himself around to face Time, knocking his hand off his sailcloth, but Time grabbed him by the wrists.

“Please,” Sky wheezed a frantic, tear filled plea. “Please, you have to leave.”

Time furrowed his brow. Of all the different scenarios running through his head, the boy begging them to get away was not the first one that had come to mind upon their reunion.

The sharp interrogation that had been brewing inside of him fizzed out like water escaping a dam, and instead his heart filled with worry. Sky’s eyes were wild, his face sweaty, his body trembling with exhaustion. Time had never seen the boy this frantic and unwell. “Sky… what’s wrong ? Let us help you.”

“You can’t help!” Sky replied, twisting his wrist so much he was likely hurting himself to get out of Time’s grip. “Please, I—”

Wind suddenly used his wind waker to blast a flock of keese into the wall, and the force of the air sent Time and Sky flying right into a half crumbled wall. The stones gave way when they slammed their shoulders into it, and Time felt pain shoot from his shoulder blade all the way into his fingertips.

It’s a good thing I wear armor , he thought dully as he groaned. His mind reoriented quickly, a frantic sense of urgency pushing him to look for Sky, who had fallen entirely into the room beyond the wall. It was a large circular area, covered in sand except for a platform in the center.

The monsters slowly seemed to be pushing the others towards the room as well, and Time hastily sprang to his feet to stop a lizalfos strike from tearing into his already injured shoulder. His body was not happy with the overhead maneuver. When he glanced back, Sky was finally pushing himself into a standing position once more.

Something dark materialized between Time and Sky, and the eldest Link felt his blood run cold.

“Sky!” he cried out in warning, garnering everyone’s attention, but the one person who needed to hear him was distracted, and the dark shadow rammed into the teenager, who stumbled right into the center platform.

As soon as Sky fell backwards onto it, the Shadow coalesced into a figure, walking towards him slowly as the platform rose into the air.

“No!” Time yelled alongside Twilight, who tore ahead, pulling out a bizarre looking device and slamming it into some grooves in the wall. He hopped onto it, and the strange spinning top started to ascend the wall alongside a cut out path. There was the remains of a stairway jutting out in the wall, and Twilight seemed to be heading for it so he could leap off and get to the centerpiece, but skulltullas were crawling to that point as well. Time felt his heart in his throat, terrified at both what the Shadow could do to Sky and that Twilight might get injured again. He pulled out his bow and arrows to assist the rancher when a lizalfos from behind drew his attention instead. One of Wild’s bomb arrows blew by him to eliminate the skulltulla, and Twilight yelped, leaping off the spinner just as the arrows killed the skulltulla… and the platform Twilight had been heading for.

Time turned to yell at Wild (mainly for almost blowing Twilight up… a selfish part of Time was thankful his descendant couldn’t reach the Shadow alone now), but the champion was already watching sheepishly in realization. He held up an appeasing hand as he put his bomb arrows away.

“We have to find a way to get up there,” Time said loudly over the din as the champion examined the room. “The Shadow has Sky pinned down.”

“The Shadow?!” Wild repeated.

“Damn it, Champ!” Twilight swore uncharacteristically, face pale with worry. “Sky’s up there!”

“What?! Sky’s up there?” Four yelled as he leapt off a wall to give himself some extra speed and height, driving his blade through a moblin’s heart.

Legend rushed over, an unfamiliar cane in his hands. “Get me up there. I’ll protect him.”

“That’s just it , I can’t get up there with if Champion keeps blowing up the platforms— ”

“Solutions now, blaming later!” Warriors barked from the other side of the room.

The monsters all stopped fighting. Everyone froze in mid parry or attack, confused.

What were they…?

There was a harsh, dark laugh that echoed around the area, making everyone look up at the platform. Sky was barely visible, staring at something they couldn’t see.

“What’s happening?” Wind asked slowly.

Legend groaned. “Oh, no. He’s about to monologue, isn’t he?”

“Let him,” Warriors muttered. “It gives us time to find a way up there.”

“Not so loudly, though!” Wind hissed. “What if he can hear us?”

“There’s no way he can hear us all the way down here,” Wild pointed out.

“I can hear you,” a voice echoed down to them.

“WELL THAT’S GREAT BECAUSE YOU’RE A COWARD!” Wind suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs. “GET YOUR SORRY SHADOWY BUTT DOWN HERE AND FIGHT US LIKE AN ACTUAL WARRIOR!”

Twilight and Warriors were both eying the path that his spinner had climbed. The two slowly crept towards the wall.

Footsteps bounced around the area, building a strange dread in Time’s chest as he looked up and felt his heart stop.

His own face was looking back at him, eyes red and skin grey, as if he had been rotting away in the Water Temple for years.

The Water Temple.

This shadow… was his?!

“You…” he muttered.

His Shadow smiled. “Me? Don’t make too many assumptions yet. Now excuse me. I have someone to talk to, and your noise was far too deafening for a civil conversation.”

“Just get out of here!” Sky suddenly yelled, rushing to the edge of the platform. “I’ve got this!”

“Try anything foolish and my beasts will finish you off,” the Shadow advised before swiping at Sky with his blade, making the knight disappear as he jumped back to dodge it. Time snapped back into focus, stepping forward with alarm, as the Shadow walked away.

“So, uh… should we just kill the monsters while they’re not attacking?” Wild offered.

“That doesn’t seem right…” Hyrule noted uneasily. Lowering his tone, he said, “Besides, if he thinks we’re just stuck down here, then we can sneak up. If we attack them they’ll just start fighting back, and then it’ll take longer to get to Sky.”

“He definitely can’t hear us saying that, right?” Wind whispered.

The group waited. There was silence.

Time glanced upward. At least that meant the pair wasn’t fighting yet. He didn’t know how that shadow version of himself from decades ago had managed to grow so powerful, but…

Goddesses above. It had almost killed Twilight. It was going to kill Sky.

“Whatever we’re figuring out, we need to do so quickly,” he said softly.

Hang in there, Sky. We’re coming.

#wow this chapter is long #Wild hates spiders in case it wasn't apparent #Legend has dealt with too many villain monologues #I was going for a serious tone and the boys kept making it silly #but whatever I just rolled with it #with Sky gone they're all slowly unraveling anyway #Sky is too tired for this nonsense #he has hit apathy levels in the beginning #also he's a speedrunner for dungeons because Shadow wanted to get him to a certain point #and because I didn't want to rewrite the entire freaking dungeon #that was a huge part of the delay in this chapter #so I focused on characters instead #anyway it's almost 8am and I haven't gone to bed so I should probably do that now XD #writing #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu sky #and all the boys #Legend's reaction to gibdos is my reaction to gibdos #elastic heart

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m1d-45 · 1 year

Note

(anotha one.)

To Mr. Alberich,

I can see your smirk permeate through this page, so I'll keep this brief.

I'll take up on your offer on that meeting at Angel's Share. I sure hope your government won't kill me if I step foot in that tavern, haha.

Anyway. Onto more serious matters,

How are you? It's been ages since we met. The paperwork is boring you as usual, I presume?

I'm fine, i guess i can say that much. Still in hiding, but loads better than last time. Thanks for rescuing me.

Ah, one last thought. This letter has some trinkets you remind me of, along with a personal item of mine i'd give to you as a token of my gratitude.

Angel's Share, 19:00. I'm the woman with the dark blue cloak.

See you soon!

[The letter contains a silver ring, finely wrought with silver and entwined with white wood from a certain tree. It also contains a peacock's feather and a small silver brooch, swirling with Cryo energy inside.]

kaeya, as a knight, is a rather busy man. despite his habit of evading paperwork, preferring to spend time on-field, that doesn’t mean he slacks off that much. he just… appreciates break time, and maybe delays his work a bit more than the average knight.

(in his defense, his reports always turn out the most coherent. most of the knights are… lackluster, he’ll say, in their field of work. at least he’s direct and concise)

and it’s because he’s so busy that he spends a large portion of his time in his office. granted, he’d be outside more often if he stopped staring out the window so often, but as of now he can’t find himself regretting the habit as much as he normally would.

not when he knows for certain that the glow of lanterns from the city below would have prevented him from noticing the star outside his window, even as dusk darkened to twilight.

his pen drops from his hand, his exposed eye flicking over the panes of glass as if making sure he’s seeing the right thing. when the star refuses to fade, he finally stands, carefully making his way over. he fumbles for a moment with the latch, but eventually pushes open the window, letting the floating ball slip inside.

after a cautious moment, he reaches for it. it’s closer than he realizes—a con of constantly wearing an eyepatch, he supposes—and his finger makes contact with the surface of it faster than he meant to.

the point that he bumped caves in, the rest of the shell crumbling away, and he hurries to cradle the remains in his hand. he didn’t mean to break it, he swears, he just knows there’s only one place it could have came from and-

oh. there’s a envelope in his hands. it… was meant to crumble.

…his paperwork can wait a few more minutes, can’t it?

he rips open the envelope with a bit less tact than he should probably show to a holy object, but his curiosity washes away any guilt. there’s objects within the letter, and he wonders what they are as even as he reaches for them.

one is a ring, simple silver twisted around a thin beam of stark white wood. the other is a pin of some kind, the icy gem as cold as the vision on his hip. a bright feather is the last item removed, and he sets all three items on a shelf before he can get too excited.

they’re probably not for him. he’s done nothing to deserve such gifts. not when he’d done so little to stall the hunt for you, not when he’d barely done anything to protect you, only managing to lead his patrol in the other direction.

he reads your letter with haste, ignoring the comment about his or the knights’ attitude in favor of what follows.

you’re safe. the hunt in mondstat has mostly died down, as current reports placed you somewhere in sumeru, but he can see that isn’t the case from your final message.

kaeya skims the letter once more to ensure he hasn’t missed anything, then slips the ring on his finger—it fits, he’s not surprised—and fixes the pin to his vest.

he debates, for a moment, on finishing the paper he was working on, as it’s a bit earlier than your meeting time…

kaeya eventually decides against it, shutting the door to his office with a decisive click.

it can wait.

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ninthprime · 1 month

Text

various palisade thoughts through 42 that do not necessitate an entire post (spoilers)

had an actual pog moment when i realized that "moon river" is the description song for this episode because it has a cover by frank ocean, indicating that we're moving from outside to inside the mirage. i see your tricks austin walker

also had another pog moment when i realized that brnine and jesset were the two people who had the "sacrificing yourself is for idiots" argument with SI in partizan and now they're both desperately trying to sacrifice themselves. we talk about valence haunting this season but we were also being haunted by that weird old man (positive)...

brnine/jesset is real and i'd like to see them make out. also i think they might be a little bad for each other right now. jesset i need you on a month of medical leave and also to have a friend who doesn't brush it off when you say you're thinking about how you will be remembered when you die.

i know he's been mostly offscreen this season but i do need us to imagine being kalar rn. your friend phrygian died and before you can even get over to the blue channel to help arrange a funeral your other friend figure dies and his god gets so upset that the planet becomes part of the twilight mirage and now your children that you have been separated from for five years are aging even faster before you can see them. Okay

unfortunately my actual first thought about the outside time jump was "oh no what if leap is making out with somebody new by the time eclectic gets back!!"

i'm actually really thrilled about eclectic traumatized and accidentally famous arc. he's coming together as a character really quickly. i think if he reached out to perennial it would be fun

cori should get the day's eye also

i actually predicted that cor'rina and miseri would get promoted to work with cas'alear but i would like to hear every detail about how cas'alear decided the guy that worked with kalvin brnine, who killed their sibling, should be one of their bodyguards. are you good cas'alear. it doesn't sound like things are good. hey do you think there's less ego death if four people pilot commitment instead of two

that said we have fun here but if i was routine, and i nearly died saving the sun and was deprived of medical treatment for a while, and then got accidentally abandoned while my captain killed the emperor, and then said emperor's younger sibling allowed me to become their bodyguard in some sort of weird joint reward/hostage treatment, i would spend the next couple of years or so losing my mind a little

janine's reaction to "concrete hamburger seatbelt" being something she came up with years ago is maybe the most upset i've heard her on this podcast

he wasn't in this episode but isn't it fucked up that gur is stuffed in the back of the mind of the entity that inhabited his corpse and is now controlling his friend's corpse also. cool. normal

i am holding perennial's hand very gently

#fatt personal tag #palisade spoilers #may add more to this later. there is so much.

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lovesongbracket · 1 year

Text

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Accidentally in Love

Written By: Adam Duritz, Dan Vickrey, David Bryson, David Immergluck & Matthew Malley

Artist: Counting Crows

Released: 2004

“I was really struggling with it. I generally don’t write songs on demand, and I almost got to the point where I thought I wasn’t going to do it. They just told me that the song had to be uplifting. They actually said, ‘Don’t write a song about Shrek. Write a song that’s about you.’ The funny thing is, the song ended up reflecting a lot of what was going on in my life at the time: falling in love with someone you’re not supposed to fall in love with because it’s inconvenient. My songs for Counting Crows are mature and generally don’t get a chance to reach kids. To be part of something like that is pretty cool.” – Adam Duritz via Billboard

[Verse 1] So, she said, "What's the problem, baby?" What's the problem? I don't know Well, maybe I'm in love (Love) Think about it Every time I think about it Can't stop thinking 'bout it How much longer will it take to cure this? Just to cure it, 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love (Love) Makes me wanna turn around and face me But I don't know nothin' 'bout love, uh [Chorus] Come on, come on Turn a little faster Come on, come on The world will follow after Come on, come on Because everybody's after love [Verse 2] So I said, I'm a snowball runnin' Runnin' down into the spring that's comin' All this love meltin' under blue skies Belting out sunlight, shimmering love Well, baby, I surrender To this strawberry ice cream Never-ever-ender All this love Well, I didn't mean to do it But there's no escaping your love, oh [Bridge] These lines of lightnin' mean we're never alone Never alone No, no [Chorus] Come on, come on Move a little closer Come on, come on I wanna hear you whisper Come on, come on Settle down inside my love, ohh Come on, come on Jump a little higher Come on, come on If you feel a little lighter Come on, come on We were once upon a time in love [Post-Chorus] We're accidentally in love, accidentally in love Accidentally in love, accidentally in love Accidentally in love, accidentally in love Accidentally in love, accidentally in love Accidentally, I'm in love, I'm in love [Refrain] I'm in love, I'm in love I'm in love, I'm in love Accidentally, I'm in love, I'm in love I'm in love, I'm in love I'm in love, I'm in love Accidentally [Chorus] Come on, come on (Come on) Spin a little tighter Come on, come on (Come on) And the world's a little brighter Come on, come on (Come on) Just get yourself inside her love I'm in love

youtube

A Thousand Years

Written By: Christina Perri & David Hodges

Artist: Christina Perri

Released: 2011

Alternate version included: A Thousand Years Pt. II feat. Steve Kazee, 2012

“A Thousand Years” is about an eternal love. It was written by Christina Perri, specifically for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 soundtrack. Christina Perri explained her inspiration for writing the song in a 2012 interview. She said “The producers came to me in 2011 and said, ‘can you write a song for Breaking Dawn – Part 1?’ So I went and saw the film six months before it came out, and wrote ‘A Thousand Years’ for Edward and Bella. I’m not a vampire, even though I wish I was, but I tried to step into their love story.”

[Verse 1] Heart beats fast Colors and promises How to be brave? How can I love when I'm Afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone All of my doubt Suddenly goes away somehow [Pre-Chorus] One step closer [Chorus] I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you For a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more [Verse 2] Time stands still Beauty in all she is I will be brave I will not let anything Take away What's standing in front of me Every breath Every hour has come to this [Pre-Chorus] One step closer [Chorus] I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed I would find you Time has brought your heart to me I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more [Bridge] One step closer One step closer [Chorus] I have died every day waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed I would find you Time has brought your heart to me I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more

youtube

#polls #poll tournament #poll bracket #tournament #bracket #lovesongbracket #round4 #accidentally in love #counting crows #shrek #a thousand years #christina perri #twilight

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sixteen-sugars · 26 days

Text

Who Are You (Really?)

a dead plate hannibal au

AUX: misery meat - sodikken

Credit: @lcg-lgc

Rody felt his feet skid on the floor as he pushed the door open with his shoulder. A litany of curses filled his head as he frantically checked his watch. I have to be in Quantico in 15 minutes . Vincent had held him late showing him his latest dish, deer tartare topped with a quail egg, where do you even get deer? The beautifully plated tartare turned into a weird slush in his backpack, and just as he went to hop onto his Vespa, it sputtered and died. To try to revive the motorcycle, he attempted to hit the side with his heel. All the key did was spark in the ignition. So, Rody had to make a run for it home.

The cherry on top was getting a call from Jack just as he was frantically untying his shoes, hands fumbling, he answered the phone,

“We have a new case, we're hoping you could be in the lab in 10,” Jack said tersely, leaving no room for complaint.

“Yeah, yeah of course”

Rody took what might be the fastest shower ever, checking his watch, panicking as every minute seemed to pass by slightly faster than the last. Stumbling, he reached blindly into his questionably clean pile of clothes. The haste resulted in a ratty flannel, with a stain of fish guts on the right cuff, and a pair of washed jeans.

Rody walked through the doors of Quantico with 30 seconds to spare,

“Now, Jack, what do you need me so urgently for…”

His voice trailed off as he saw what, or who was on the evidence table. He drew a breath. She was the sixth victim in the last two months and just the same as the five before her; wind-chafed, plain but pretty with auburn hair, trademark Minnesota Shrike. Jack continued his spiel,

“We need you on the case, you’re the best we have,”

Rody wrought his clammy hands,

“I can do this, but this is the last one, I have a life outside of this,”

Jack nodded,

“This will be the last one,” He put his hand on his heart, “Scout’s Honor”

He said that the last five times, Rody could only sigh as he preemptively mourned the next nights of sleep.

The file felt like it was made of lead in his backpack as he headed towards his shift at Vincent's restaurant. It was like the girls were holding onto his ankles as he scurried around, serving and bussing. The only time he got a moment to think was when he was taking out the trash. The cold air bit his cheeks as he fought to open the dumpster without covering himself in trash juice. He thought about her , the crime scene as it came back hit him like a semi-truck. Her pale limbs seemed to reach for him as he tried to close the dumpster, the slam rung in the twilight like a death knell.

Just as he bussed the last table, Vincent came up to him with another elaborate dish, presented with an almost bow,

“This Antelope is served with stewed collard greens and deglazed carrots,”

“Antelope?”

“Yes, My supplier got some exotic cuts recently,”

“Cool…”

As Rody trailed off he took the dish in his sweaty palms. Being around Vincent was like being around a caged lion. Held back by his instincts and fear, but still scary nonetheless. Vincent was all grace and long limbs as he presented Rody with the Antelope. Rody nervously laughed,

“I feel all this effort for plating is going to waste, when in my backpack it all runs together,” Vincent almost balked,

“No, sometimes the plating isn't just to enjoy, it is to see the result, beauty in the infinitesimal,”

Rody quickly took the dish and scraped it into his stained tupperware and bid Vincent goodbye as he hopped on his Vespa, the Antelope already shaken in his ragged backpack.

That night, the light of the desk lamp was drilling into his already tired eyes, clammy hands pushing back auburn curls as the words inside the file all swam together. His computer was open to College directories to try to track down the Minnesota Shrike’s next victim. In the field, Rody was painfully average. He was an okay shot, and could collect evidence as well as the next, but what he was given acclaim for, was for his focus. When he was given a case, it was all he could think about, he would throw himself wholeheartedly into the investigations.

Rody’s dreams were full of deer with bloody antlers, dark and shifting. He turned over and saw her, next to him, glassy eyed; mouthing words Rody couldn't understand. Rody bolted upright, patting the bed, checking for unwanted companions. Instead, all he found was his ratty comforter and a shirt he accidentally left out on the bed. Rody shivered nonetheless, taking a hot shower to quell the goosebumps.

Poking at his now much more pronounced eyebags, He buttoned his white dress-shirt up. Donning the black slacks and socks required by Vincent. Picking up his backpack on his way out, and hopping on his Vespa, he sped off to work.

Rody wasn't able to look at the case until early afternoon. It was the tail end of the morning rush and not yet lunch, so the only people in the restaurant were an elderly couple who were brunch regulars. He chewed on his already abused ballpoint pen, red ink staining his lips like fresh blood. There was an idea sloshing in his frontal cortex. Maybe the girl in the field wasn't the Shrike’s victim. Even though it followed the previous patterns, something was off. He drummed his fingers on the lacquered table in thought.

He was startled when Vincent put his hand down next to him and looked over Rody’s shoulder like the nosey person he is. Rody tried to cover up the file, it was classified FBI information.

“I think I’ve seen that before, maybe on the news, this one seems different from the others,” noted Vincent.

“That’s why I think this is a Copycat Killer,”

“What evidence showed you that conclusion?”

Rody thought about how to phrase his answer as not to come across like he was insane,

“This one just felt different, the Shrike, he loved those girls but this Copycat, the body was treated like livestock. This Copycat is a killing machine, he sees these girls not as objects of love, but as pigs,”

Vincent looked lost in thought and just as he was going to remark, a party of 8 came through the door. Personable Vincent was gone and now it was Chef Vincent as he went back to his lair in the kitchen. Rody went back to the meek bubbly server.

The dish that night was cold-smoked pork with a side of roasted mexican street corn. Vincent had changed the meals to be better eaten cold, still presented with the same beauty and care. Given the reverence of a in-house shrine to a forgotten god, dusted and maintained but without the original purpose. Even though the god was gone, Rody could still taste the care and reverence in the food. He could even see Vincent painstaking basting the pork and smelling the wood chips. He felt the microwave annihilated the flavor, but cold pork seemed worse.

Rody smiled sheepishly, the Shrike’s file had gotten stained from a wayward piece of corn. Before Jack could yell at him for staining evidence, Rody gave a peace offering of new insight,

“Jack, he loves these girls, the body in the field isn't the Shrike, it’s a Copycat, I just needed to see the Copycat to see what made the Shrike,”

Jack looked at him, nodding,

“Any insight into where the Shrike is from. What he does,” He punctuated with a handwave.

Rody nodded vigorously,

“Yes, yes, the Shrike is a man, he is a father, he loves those girls not in a… sexual way. But, as daughters, as things he could never keep,”

Jack seemed satisfied with Rody’s insights thus far,

“We had forensics look into the wounds and clothes of the victims, they found some pipe-threading metal. We have a lead,”

He seemed happy at that, the cat in the game had zeroed in on the mouse. Rody had neglected to mention Vincent’s insight on the Copycat. Letting himself bask in the warm light of victory and appreciation a little longer.

Now that forensics made a lead, Rody was taking his ‘work’ to work. Worn backpack overstuffed with the resumes from every single pipe-threader in Minnesota. His Vespa skidded as he turned into the restaurant's parking lot with 5 minutes to spare. Unceremoniously shoving his bag into his locker, he clocked in.

Rody felt dead on his feet this shift. Customers were more snappy than usual, it seemed they were sending every other plate back to the kitchen. The dress shoes Vince insisted he wear pinched even more. Rody was over it. The cherry on top was spilling the dozen of resume files all over the sticky breakroom ground. Of course, Vince had to be there to witness Rody’s frantic shoving of the files back into his locker.

“More ‘top secret’ FBI files Rody? You’re getting sloppy…”

“These are just resumes,” Rody shot back defensively.

“Still looking for the Shrike?” Vincent glanced down at the pictures of the workers.

“Yeah, we just got a lead, the Copycat really helped,” Rody admitted.

For a few seconds, Rody deliberated, should I tell him my hunch…Or just keep it to myself .

“So, off the record, you wanna know what I think about the Copycat?”

Vincent looked more invested than usual in Rody’s ‘crime shenanigans’, actually making eye contact, and blase barely-recognition,

“Sure, what has your brain cooked up this time?”

Rody almost vibrated, this was the first time testing his ‘theory’

“So, I think this Copycat is the Chesapeake Ripper. What I felt, when I saw her in the field, was unique to the Ripper murders I saw when I was in training. He holds so much contempt for them, it was almost palpable,”

Vincent’s eyes widened, he cocked his head,

“Really, how intriguing,”

He added nothing else, and spun on a heel, disturbing the piles of paper. Rody sighed and went to cram them back into his locker.

The dinner-rush was a fraction of the hell of the afternoon, it was about as nice as working in customer service, so hell but in like the cold circle. Customers were heavy tippers as they left, dresses sparkling in the fluorescent lights. The dish offered to him tonight was a ‘breakfast’ for dinner with homemade sausage. Into the tupperware it went. The lid snapped as Rody hummed the Bach that was playing earlier.

At home, the scramble was reheated as he poured over the resumes, little progress was being made. Everybody looked the same, nothing was out of the ordinary. Just as he was going to give up, words began to run together in his tired brain. He saw something, a lead. Rody traced the letters and under his breath said,

“Garret Jacob Hobbs, there’s my Minnesota Shrike,” a daughter that was wind-chafed and had brown hair, a carbon-copy of all the other girls. No address was listed, but Rody went up that weekend to do some house to house interviews. Vincent was with him, Rody had to borrow his car, and Vince didn't trust him to drive. Looking at his Vespa, it made sense. They were at the office at the construction site Rody got the papers from, Rody was talking to the lady who worked there about if she knew anything about Hobbs. Turns out he lived only a 5-minute drive away from where they were.

He and Vince pulled into the gravel driveway, tires crunching. The house was dated, with 70s style window panes and faded drapes. A man looked to be on the phone inside with a silhouette of another shorter woman. Rody laid his hand on his holster in preparation, and knocked. Presenting his temporary badge,

“This is agent Rody Lamoree, FBI, come out with your hands up,”

Hearing nothing from inside the house, Rody extended his arms into the weaver stance, looking down the sight of the gun. Then, he and Vincent went into the Kitchen and saw Hobbs with his daughter. He was holding a knife to her neck, as she mouthed words too fast for Rody to read her lips. Hobbs leveled a stare at Rody as he shook, he was always too squeamish to work homicide.

Vincent stood behind him like a shadow, observing as Rody panicked. Then, the silence broke like shattering glass as Rody shot Hobbs in the hand leaving the man reeling. Hobbs’s back hit the cabinet with a thud as the other gunshots echoed. After his ears stopped ringing, Rody heard Abigail choking on the ground, her throat gaping open, blood spilling out onto the linoleum floor, her chest stilled.

Rody heard a low whistle, he startled as he remembered Vincent was standing behind him, Vince spoke,

“10 bullets Rody? You’re getting rusty, what happened to your academy days?”

“ Well , getting stabbed in your shoulder will do that do you,”

“Anyways, let's call the police and get in the car, I have to make the marinade for the pork tomorrow,”

The Police showed up minutes later, lights flashing and sirens blaring. That night Rody couldn't sleep, Abigail showing up behind his eyes, mouthing and pleading as she bled out. All Rody wanted to do that morning was stay in bed, but the bills won’t pay themselves. So, up he went, sipping his drip-coffee and blindly stabbing at his soggy eggs, eyes still bleary. Rody spaced out, just as he was nodding off at the table his chin hit his chest, and he snapped awake, he looked at the clock,

“I’m late, my god , Vincent is gonna kill me,”

#hannibal #dead plate #fusion #ao3 #fanfic

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