#waking up on a farm with a bucket of water to the face was much nicer
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PEEEEEASE!!! Some Song and zuko shenanigans!!! I just love how you write them <3<3<3
The ostrich-horse comes back weeks after she was stolen. She raises one big foot and scratches at her harness, which clearly hasn’t been tightened properly, because the saddle finishes slipping sideways and dumps the thief himself into the dirt outside her stable. Song is just coming off from a shift at the clinic, so her first thought isn’t That bastard, it’s Dehydration, probable sunstroke, has he had a single meal since he left us, that bastard.
His eyes are closed. His breathing is shallow. She nudges him with a foot, then pats him down. Two swords and a knife get hidden in the shed at the bottom of a grain bin. She draws up two buckets of cool water from the well. One of them goes in the ostrich-horse’s trough. The good girl coos, and drinks greedily. The other one goes over the thief’s head.
He sits up, sputtering.
“Hello, Junior,” she says, and drops the bucket on him, too.
“What? Where? …Song?”
He doesn’t have the grace to look sheepish. But she’ll take the flash of fear in his eyes, the way his shoulders twitch under the lacking weight of his swords, the way his hands convulse around the bucket. It feels good. Probably not in a way she should like, but it’s not like she’s planning to do whatever it is he’s afraid of.
(He was afraid the last time he was here, too. But not of her.)
“The well’s in back,” she says. “Get a drink. Don’t make yourself puke. And don’t steal my bucket.”
She’s moved on to brushing the ostrich-horse’s feathers when he comes back. The ostrich-horse has moved on to pecking grain. Li is holding the bucket, and wobbling a little. His skin is still sun-flushed.
“Sit down,” she orders, pointing to the porch, with its shady overhang.
“What…?”
“Sit.”
She finishes rubbing down the ostrich-horse’s feathers. Checks her feet for scuffs and stones, and her legs for strains. Then she walks past a sitting, wide-eyed Li, goes into the house, and comes back with a basket of carrot-potatoes and a scrub brush.
“Clean these,” she orders. “You know where the water is.”
And he’s already got a bucket to do the washing in. He’s been clutching it since she handed it to him. She’s getting a little sick, of that cornered pygmy puma look of his.
“You got a meal and an ostrich-horse rental from us, last time,” she says. “This time, it’s payment up front. With interest.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“Work for it,” Song says.
Li has no idea how to clean a tuber. He’s very diligently overdoing it when her mother comes home.
“Hmm,” she says quietly, stopping next to Song. “Do I need to get someone?”
Li’s shoulders stiffen, because he’s got better hearing than either of them thought, and because he has to know that ostrich-horse theft isn’t treated lightly. Their town isn’t big enough to warrant guardsmen, but a few neighbors and a rope would get things done.
“He’s starving,” Song says, after moving this conversation farther away.
“Hmm,” says her mother.
“Our ostrich-horse isn’t.”
They both stare across the yard. At a refugee with golden eyes, who doesn’t know how to even start preparing his own meal. But whatever money he had, however he’d gotten it, he’d let their bird—his bird—eat first.
They don’t let him sleep in the stable, for obvious reasons. He doesn’t run off in the night, for less obvious ones.
#Zuko has re-named the ostrich-horse Strawberry Jamboree#it didn't fit into the ficlet but it is very important to me that you know this#Meanwhile Uncle: searching for his lost nephew#follows bison hair trail#assumes if he sticks with the Avatar he’ll eventually run across Zuko#Meanwhile Zuko: is a confused second player in Song’s Stardew Valley game#he literally doesn’t know how he got here#which is not the first time in his life that has happened#waking up on a farm with a bucket of water to the face was much nicer#than waking up on a ship with his face still feeling fire#Avatar The Last Airbender#atla#Zuko#Song#ficlet
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Silly Royal Yandere Idea-
Imagine being a worker for a royal family, you're a farmer who brings the goods to the kitchen every day and make sure all vegetables and fruits are fresh, not bruised, cleaned and ready to be prepared for their meals.
You usually make the trek alone, no big deal right? Just some heavy baskets and such but the job itself isn't really that bad. It's made even better actually when the young prince finds he fancies the way you work and how you farm, loves to walk with you on your way out of the kingdom and listen to you and your stories.
He's cute, you'll give him that. Curious and finally able to explore without much of an issue now that he's finished his training, his father boasting proudly today even that they shall share a feast in celebration.
The walks are nice, you aren't alone and are even safer as the highwaymen shrink away and know to stay back when they see such fierce eyes. Those calloused hands from fighting and training lay on your hips, pulling you closer to his side as you share yet another walk to your farm and get the baskets ready for another delivery.
These sweet meetings grow in size as time goes on. He's been given permission by the king and queen to bring you to the main rooms of the castle, though they aren't too happy that he disregards their rules about what you can and can't touch.
He's so puppy-like, grabbing your hand and pulling you everywhere he can, showing his favorite art, his instruments he's been playing while he waits for you to return, the things he requested be made to remind him of you, and some other odd but - at the time- well meaning items.
The prince however gets more and more demanding of your presence. So much so, that one morning you wake up to begin to water the crops and fetch some in your buckets but you opened the door to the man standing there, royal suit and all, a wide smile on his face as he greets you.
You insist you'll be at the castle soon, that you have work to be done, but he just pushes you forward as he walks with you, -not harsh, but definitely firm, making sure you couldn't turn away from him as he leads you.
"Just one day can't hurt right?" he says, "I just wish to spend the day with you, only you. It's why I took my own horse! He loves your carrots, you know? Only yours...He's very much like me in that regard".
You decide that, on one hand, denying the prince anything could be dire, the royal family having all say in what is done and you're lucky they have been so benevolent. Risking your business because you didn't want to indulge the odd prince...It isn't worth the reward of just keeping up with the crops and farm work.
But this one day out by the river and having the man buy you whatever you laid your eyes on, while sweet and very enjoyable, wasn’t enough. He shows up every morning now, you hear how exhausted his parents are when you reach the castle every time, they demand he act right, that he stop leaving without notifying any of the guards, but he just laughs it off and says “Why should they embark with me on my and my lovers adventures? Private matters are private father, remember?”
They know what's going on but it's so much darker and more twisted than anyone could have imagined. Boundaries get pushed more and more, you keep trying to keep your farm alive for not just the royal family, but yourself and the others who need you too, but the prince insists that your time is to be spent with him, only him.
It reaches its boiling point when you deny him a walk. No runs to the river, no waltz in the woods, not even a chat over tea. Your farm is sick, it needs tending, and you yourself are weary and exhausted from trying to balance it all out.
He goes silent, hands clenching at his side for a moment before he just smiles, wide and friendly as usual, and he kisses your hand before apologizing. You assure him you aren’t exactly mad, you just have things to finish, and he at least seems to understand that.
Or, so you thought. You crack open your eyes after waking up in a bed that wasn’t yours, hearing the horses outside neigh and chuff in terror as if something was very very wrong. You recognize the royal emblem on the wall, and you shoot straight up, knowing this was a carriage.
You shove and knock on the doors, the smell of smoke filling your senses as you can only imagine the worst, but the heavy wood doesn’t budge and you can only make out garbled words as a man screams demands.
You manage to break open the boarded window of the carriage and watch as your farm is engulfed in flames, horses neighing in terror, ashes falling all around, your cabin falling in on itself from the blaze. And you gaze upon what you can only assume is the incarnation of death and war itself, a sign of the end times, as the Prince rides up on his own horse and tosses a lantern, the blaze only erupting hotter as he cackles in triumph.
You feel horrified tears well up in your eyes, so many emotions coming together at once. Everything you worked for, everything you had built from the ground up, all your memories and all of your belongings- gone.
Ash and embers fill the sky as the knights who came begin marching back to the carriage, staffs in hand as they finally open the doors. You lunge, wanting to tear your teeth into the heart of that evil, sick, twisted man, but he just laughs. It’s a soft amused laugh like when you told him your stories in the market or on your many many walks.
“Ah, I hadn’t expected that mixture to wear off so soon!” he boasts, stepping down from his own horse. His stride is slow, like he’s taking in the view of a beautiful field or admiring someones art. You want to spit at him, claw at him, break him in any way you could fathom.
His feet stop, the crumbling building behind him still a blazing orange and red, opposite of the cold features the prince wore on his face. His hand comes to gently cup your cheek, his thumb stroking across where tears are falling down your heated cheek. “Why so upset? I took care of what was keeping you away from me! I know, I know, you’re sad, but I made sure nothing of importance was hurt! Which wasn’t much. A picture or two should still be safe-” he says with an expression of after thought. “ Anyway, dearest, I fixed the issue! And you can now come where you’re meant to be! “
“I’ll kill you-”
“Ah, even when murderous and livid you strike my heart with your beauty. Do tell me every wicked way you wish to end me! It thrills me, makes my skin crawl so pleasantly imagining you touching me in any manner” he taunts, squeezing your face a bit tighter. “Be it anger and resentment or true love, I’ll relish any touch you bring to me”
“My lord, the sun will rise soon” a deep voice says from the side, your own eyes too stunned to look, uncaring as everything else sets in. Your home is gone, your fields are ruined, your possessions all roasted and incinerated. Nothing left but the haunting image of burned rubble and some charred remains of any item you owned.
You’re trapped. Imprisoned in a golden cage as this wild man declares that he and you are meant to be, whether you want it or not.
“Get some rest darling. I’ll lead us back to the castle” He says with a kiss to your forehead, allowing the knights to force you back inside. “Don’t be so angered! I promise to treat you like royalty! Since you will be, once the marriage is announced and all”
(Hope you liked this! Feel free to comment and tell me your thoughts! Especially spicy ones :3c -Mommabean)
#yandere imagines#yandere scenarios#mommabean#yandere prince#yandere royalty#yandere male#yandere prompts#sorry for typos#ok to interact#ok to reblog#ok to say stuff#ok to comment
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Not Allowed — Lorsan (AFK Journey/Arena) x gn! reader
summary: you met a strange wilder and found yourself falling for your fantasy. What seemed like a dream had become a distant memory, but Lorsan thought of it as anything but.
tw: uhhhh lovesick fools making stupid decisions
a/n: I kinda went off on this one. Ending kinda sucks, sorry.
wc: 2.7k
Master List
It has been a fairly normal day for you. You woke up before the crack of dawn, barely taking care of yourself before you made your way outside. It was a crisp autumn morning just like any other which helped you wake up slightly. You dragged yourself over to the chicken coop after picking up your basket. The hens were barely awake, all the easier to grab their eggs. After refilling their water and food, you put the eggs safely away in your kitchen. Then you made your way over to your dairy cows. The nice thing about cows was that you didn’t have to feed them, the bad part was giving them water. You started the horrendous trek of taking your metal bucket, going over to the water pump, filling the bucket, carrying it over to the water trough, and repeating the cycle.
After all the animals were taken care of, you made your way back to your house to fully take care of yourself. I mean your animals were fed, time to feed yourself. The sun was shining brightly now, the sound of your animals filling the silence. It was a comforting atmosphere, something you wouldn’t trade for the world. You decided to cook a few of the eggs, after all, it's best to have them fresh and you had the freshest. It was when you made your way back to milk your cows had your day changed.
“Oh boy!” You heard an energetic voice call out. “I wonder if there’s any food.” Fully opening your front door, you watched as a man with bunny ears looked around your farm. At first glance you did find him cute, but that doesn’t mean he can just go stealing your hard work.
“Excuse me!” You called out, walking over to him. “Do you need food?” The man paused, quickly turning around, he looked as if you had caught him taking a cookie from the cookie jar.
“Oh, uhm, you see I’ve been traveling a great distance and I haven’t had much to eat,” He explained, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I didn’t mean any harm.”
The sheepish look on his face had quickly calmed you down, and you felt yourself sympathizing with him, “I can make you something if you’d like.”
“Really?” He asked, perking up.
“Yeah,” You smiled back. “As long as I can get your name first.” You both introduced yourselves to each other, and you made him a salad at his request (thankfully you still had some lettuce and vegetables). As he ate, Lorsan, as you learned, had talked of his adventures and all he had learned. You, a mere farmer, were quite intrigued by his tales. You rarely left the farm as you sold your products to Rowan who would come to you. The only time you left was to go to the local village to buy items you were running low on once a week. So Lorsan’s tales were quite fascinating.
“I have to finish my chores now,” You spoke up after Lorsan finished his food.
“I can help,” He replied, ears twitching slightly. “To thank you for your kindness.”
“Do you know how to milk a cow?” You asked, head tilting to the side.
“Well…no,” Lorsan responded sheepishly, then a bright smile took over his face. “But I’m a quick learner!”
“I don’t see why not,” You smiled back. His enthusiasm was contagious. You were quickly proven that you should not have trusted him so easily.
“Ah! Careful!” You exclaimed, quickly grasping Lorsan’s wrists to stop him from squeezing too hard. “You’re gonna hurt her if you squeeze like that. You gotta be firm but gentle. Like this.” You moved your hands to cover his and showed him the right amount of pressure.
“I-I see,” Lorsan stuttered slightly, you missed the way his cheeks turned a light pink. He proceeded to follow your directions after you stepped back and you smiled proudly at how well he was doing now. You had to teach Lorsan how to do some basic chores, but with him by your side, you found yourself enjoying the daily routine that started to feel boring. By the time you both finished, the sun was starting to set.
Feeling a bit of concern (and a bit of selfishness), you asked Lorsan if he wanted to stay for the night. Once again, he was a bit astounded at how kind you had been to him so far. Not to say that people from other villages were unkind, it’s just they were more hesitant to help, and none of them had gone as far as you had. Yes, he had helped you with your chores, but it didn’t feel like much of a chore as you did it together, making jokes together. In fact, Lorsan found himself dreading the day coming to an end. He couldn’t waste any time in just one spot, as the longer he took to find someone to help his people, the more danger they may find themselves in.
Normally, Lorsan would fool around, he was notorious for his mischievousness back in the dark forest (much to his dismay), but he couldn’t make light of his people’s situation. He had no idea how bad the corruption had gotten, and he feared that by the time he got help it would be too late. It had already been two years since he left after all. But his naive personality still poked through.
He agreed to your invitation to stay the night as it wouldn’t hurt to get rest in a proper bed. He messed with the salad you made him, green eyes continuing to glance up at you every so often. The conversation had come to a lull as you started to consume your stew. Lorsan felt conflicted, he greatly enjoyed your presence, even if you both had only known each other for a short period of time. He didn’t want to leave so soon, he enjoyed how easily he was able to make you laugh, the look of awe in your eyes as he mentioned his abilities as a Windwhisperers, and your gentle touch as you corrected him.
His heart beat faster at the memory. Lorsan thought he was coming down with something. It was weird, he hadn’t felt this strongly towards someone before, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. It kept gnawing at him, a part of him wanted to stay, even if it was for just a bit longer, but his guilty conscience weighed more heavily.
“I wish you could join me,” Lorsan spoke, eyes falling onto a tomato amidst the leafy greens.
You paused, but didn’t think too much of what he said, “That would be nice. Your travels sound quite fun when you’re not being chased off.” You laughed lightly at the teasing remark, but quickly stopped when Lorsan didn’t laugh with you.
Your eyes scanned his face. His emerald eyes were down cast, his lips tugged slightly downwards. He used his fork to push around his food, ears slightly droopy. You then realized he was being 100% serious and you felt your heart jump. The scenario reminded you of a cheesy scene in a romantic novel you managed to read in your sparse free time.
“You would love the dark forest,” Lorsan continued, now twirling his fork. “I think you would get along well with Lyca.”
You fiddled with your napkin, suddenly feeling a heavy weight on your shoulders. He does understand your position, right? You are the sole owner of this farm, you have a life, you have animals and people that depend on you. There was no way you could just drop everything on a whim because you met a cute wilder who wanted you to become his companion on his journey. But you were also young, and the thought of being tied down to one spot, never truly seeing the world, also weighed down on you. It was easier to forget about your wish to explore as you lose yourself in your chores, lose yourself in books and lose yourself in your trade. Lorsan had brought that longing back to the forefront, the want to explore, the need to see sites that laid only in your wildest dreams.
It was all too conflicting for you.
“...you know I can’t leave,” You muttered, eyes downcast. “This is my home.”
“I know,” Lorsan responded despondently. A pregnant pause followed, and you found yourself wanting to mend whatever had just broken.
“Come back,” You stated, leaving no room for debate. Lorsan finally lifted his gaze to meet yours. “When you find whoever you need to, when you fix your land, come back.”
Lorsan felt his mind race. He hadn’t thought of coming back, he didn’t need to…not before at least. Would he even be able to come back? His position was high ranking, and he would be needed a lot more once he returned…but he also wanted to see you again. His eyes soaked in the determination in your gaze, how could he deny someone he found so breathtaking?
“Okay,” He agreed, a small bittersweet smile overtaking him. “But only if you consider one of us going with the other.”
You felt your face warm, that was such a drastic decision, but you supposed you had time to think it over. Yet you still wanted to tease him slightly.
“Are you asking me to run away with you?” You teased, hiding your smile behind your hand. “We’ve only known each other for a day.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” Lorsan stubbornly replied back, trying to hide how warm his face felt. You were right, after all. What business did he have asking you to leave everything behind for him? Because he felt strangely for you? He hardly counted that as a reason, but he still held hope, heart fluttering at the thought of you by his side.
“Too bad there wasn’t a way we could stay in contact,” You sighed, standing up to clean the table.
Lorsan’s ear twitched, eyes widening at his brilliant plan, of course it would take a bit of a toll on him, but for you, it was worth it, “I could contact you through the wind! You’ll just have to keep an ear out for my messages.”
Your eyes also widened, not having expected such a response, “I would be able to hear it?”
“You should,” Lorsan nodded excitedly, ears bouncing with the movements. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve been pretty good at all this Windwhisperer business from a young age.”
“Then I’ll look forward to the wind.”
That had been over a year ago. The time between Lorsan updating you had grown far and few in between. Your naiveness has dissipated. It was a wonderful fantasy while it lasted, but there were too many flaws in the plan. No matter what way you thought, a problem arose. There was no way you could sell your farm or animals, there was no way you could drop everything just for him. It was too extravagant an ask. And Lorsan couldn’t drop everything for you either. Yes, he may have always dreamed of the world beyond the dark forest, but he had a duty that held him back. That didn’t stop his chest from aching every time he was reminded of you. Farm animals were common on his journey, and he remembered how sweetly you smiled at him as you showed him your chickens. How he longed to stay with you. He didn’t want to be tied down, but was it really being tied down if you were by his side?
While you had given up, Lorsan was still pursuing his dream. He had finally managed to find someone that could dispel the corruption. Not to mention it was thee Merlin. He didn’t waste any time getting them on the first ship to the dark forest. It took more time than he’d like to clear everything. He had met his sister and old friends, but a part of him still felt like he was missing. He loved his people, he really did, but he would constantly strain his ears, listening to your soothing humming that the wind mercifully sent his way.
When everything was said and done, his Master Arden had noticed the gray haired man’s despondency. Lorsan had been given many tasks, not allowing him a moment’s respite. Not even being able to think of coming back to you like he had promised. That familiar feeling of the trees closing in on him returned. The comfort of the forest had become a prison once more.
“What’s troubling you,” Arden asked his pupil, wanting to alleviate his worries.
Lorsan snapped out of his stupor, he had found himself trying to listen for you once more. “I met someone,” Lorsan explained, knowing better than trying to hide from his mentor. “But my duty lies here, in the dark forest.”
“A good whisperer should listen to not only the wind, but also to his own heart,” Arden responded wisely. “Need not worry about us, as our problems have been resolved.” Lorsan felt his breath hitch, hope overtaking him once more.
…
It has been a normal day for you. Waking up before the crack of dawn, barely taking care of yourself before going to the chicken coop. You put the eggs in your basket, the movements being nearly autonomous. Your days blended together, repeating the same motions over and over. The wind had become a low whistle like it had before, no longer carrying the words you once searched for. Your days have dulled once more. You were just a mere farmer after all.
“I wonder if there’s any food.”
You paused, not sure if you were just hearing things. If your monotonous days had finally broken you and you were hallucinating a reality that had once been real. Your head turned, albeit hesitantly, and your eyes widened at the familiar head of gray hair, green eyes, and bunny ears. You could never forget such a pretty face, nor the sheepish look that rested across it.
“You’re back,” You stated, slight awe in your tone. You hadn’t really thought he’d ever come back.
“Of course I’m back,” Lorsan scoffed, crossing his arms. “I did promise you, didn’t I?” Your eyes soaked in his figure, noting the backpack that he carried and the slight grin on his lips.
“It’s just been awhile,” You replied, rubbing your arm nervously. “I thought you forgot.”
Lorsan’s jaw fell slack (somewhat comically might I add), “How could I ever forget someone like you!” You felt your heart jump. That feeling you thought you’d gotten over returned like nothing had ever happened, like you both hadn’t been separated for years.
Feeling a bit insecure, you couldn’t help but bring up what weighed on you, “You stopped sending messages.”
His ears drooped slightly in response, “I’m sorry about that. It takes a lot of energy for me to do that, and when I found someone that could help, I wanted them to help as quickly as possible so I could come back.” You truly felt silly. Of course he was busy, he was a hero after all.
“It’s alright,” You smiled, the ache wasn’t fully gone, but you understand. “You’re here now, aren’t you?”
Lorsan perked up at that, a bright smile overtaking his features, “Yes! Do you remember the second half of our promise?” That was the part you were dreading. Telling him you couldn't move to the dark forest. You nodded, shifted back and forth on your feet.
“If it would be okay with you, I would like to move in.”
For the second time that day you felt yourself freeze. He…wanted to live with you? Didn’t he want to be with his friends? Didn’t he want to live where he grew up? Was he being serious?
“I-I mean it’s okay if you say no,” Lorsan fumbled, feeling his nerves consume him. “I understand, b-but I really enjoyed that day, and I wouldn’t mind helping you with your chores.”
You really shouldn’t say yes. Yes, you got to know him better through his messages, but he still didn’t know you all that well. Even though it had been years since that day, it felt like a rushed move, but his pretty green eyes had your resolve melting.
“Okay,” You agreed, a sheepish smile crawling over your lips.
“Really?” Lorsan gasped, bouncing on his feet.
“Yeah,” Your grin widened. “Just don’t cause too much trouble.”
#afk journey x reader#afk arena x reader#afk lorsan x reader#afk journey#afk arena#afk lorsan#afk journey lorsan#afk arena lorsan#afk journey lorsan x reader#x reader#afk arena lorsan x reader#lorsan x reader
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101 Cute dates & bucket list
Little fire pit on the beach (middle of the night, private)
Toasting marshmallows & making cute smores
Observing the night sky through a telescope together / watch the stars on a clear sky in the middle of no where
A midnight dip in water (lake, ocean, etc. As long as it's safe)
Skinny dip under a full moon & to kiss passionately on a platform on the lake
To go on a small camping trip just the two of us
To visit the candy shop and pick each other's candy bags for only us to share them between us anyway
Getting crepes with you and eating them side by side
Taking you lingerie shopping so you can see the outfit as I buy it and the level of excite I know you have knowing you'll get to tear it off later
Sharing a bath with you (where we both fit comfortably or just tucked in a little where we can laugh about it)
Baking cookies so we can have them with our coffee in the morning
Taking you to a coffee roaster hut so you can experience amazing coffee
Going to a little tea house & plantation so we can support local business and enjoy the joys of freshly brewed tea
Picking what the other person must eat off the menu at a new venue / a place we've never been to before
Throwing a dart on a map and going to where ever it lands for a small holiday / trip (could be a city map, regional, state, national or global)
Decorating and making a floating lantern to release into the night sky (a la tangle)
Icing biscuits to look like things we like (e.g. ourselves, frogs or whatever your heart desires)
Smooshing whipped cream onto your nose and kissing/licking it off ♡
Making something together in a pottery class for ourselves n one another
Volunteering at a farm to help around (muster, harvest, etc.)
Go fruit picking together recreationally
Go to as many different distilleries and breweries as we can
Try to make bread together
Have our own Minecraft world together
Complete stardew valley & cattails ♡
Take a cooking/pastry lesson
Take Polaroid photos of our time together (on a trip or small adventure)
Go for a little hike together
Go swim in a little unknown ish water hole and push boundaries of comfort
Go to a cinema late at night (last screening of the evening, maybe wear matching pajamas) and buy popcorn / sneak snacks in. Cuddle in the cinema and watch a cute film together (be one of the only people in the cinema)
Have s/o read my favourite book to me aloud before bed time
Make jam & preserve food items & dry ingredients to make tea, etc.
Make chocolates for you (home made)
Grow my own flowers for us to admire
Start a small veggie patch & harvest our own produce to have a "self sufficient" dinner night
Volunteer at an animal shelter
Go to a farmer's market together / local fruit market and buy ingredients we will make into a meal together that evening
Become animal foster parents & successfully get our lil foster a fur-ever home
Do a hot food challenge or some sort of food challenge together
Go to a day spa for a "couple's retreat"
Make your favourite food (lasagne) on your birthday 🥰 / a random day
Steal a shopping trolly and race around an abandon area of the car park thinking we are in go karts & take photos
Dress up as the cool ghosts in the "blanket ghost" trend and take cute photos in odd locations
Explore an abandoned building together and theorize about the past / research about it
Have a little picnic in a field / park
Take a dance lesson together (ballroom) and be clumsily cute on trying something "new"
Sleep next to you & wake up beside you 🥺
Make your lunch for work & wake up early to make an awesome meal!
Make a random meal really late in the evening spontaneously to satisfy a craving
Have a new years kiss
Look at Christmas lights on houses together
Watch all the Harry Potter movies one after another together
Finish a series that either person is interested more initially in but both like towards the end
Do a cute skincare date! (Face masks)
Go to a food festival and try as much food as we can, get creative - pick the other's meals out to switch it up a little
Go paint balling together and try it out (even if I may not be as good as you. :< I'll try!!)
Try laser tag if paint ball doesn't go so well, feel free to invite friends to both events for more fun :) or go karting (something I've never done before)
Go horse riding together sometime
Cook with a campfire / burring our food in the ground for it to cook (Like damper)
Volunteer to plant trees
Become regulars at a small bar
Play pool/billards together
Check out a timezone arcade and play as much as we can :3 see how many prizes we can win and be merry
Have a board game night (catan, uno, monopoly, dnd etc.) Together with friends or strangers
Visit movie world (theme park) and dress up a little! / usj / Disneyland
Play pinball and we swap between balls to see how far we can go together!!!
Have a little date with the power off (candles, moon lit dinner, board games and no electronics! Be cute and creative)
Donate blood, with moral support or together :3
Go foraging for edible fruits, vegetables, etc. And make a meal out of it :3 research and have fun
Make a little stone tower together and take a photo of the creation (balancing stones)
Plant sunflowers and look after them for a whole season ♡ alternatively pick said flowers when ripe and give them as a gift to love ones
Do a Lego / puzzle set together ♡♡
Capture a little froggy and set him free (clean him up and take him to somewhere safe)
Watch horror films or movies we haven't seen before even if it's silly (.e.g the room )
Visit an aquarium and stare at the little jellies in the jelly room
Go to see a musical, play or ballet together 🥰
Dress up and go on a spontaneous date around town, over dressed for the occasion but having fun
Sunset and nibbles planned date 🥺
Go on a theme crawl, e.g. coffee, tea, wine, pub, cocktail, ramen, etc.
rent bikes to travel around on whilst doing a theme crawl
Dinner theatre or dinner murder mystery event together! Something a little less tame and wacky but still just as fun (something I've never done before)
escape room (challenge ourselves to do it within the time set!)
Ice skate together, trip & fall and catch one another on the ice being cute (maybe rent the kiddy pusher to help you out and be dorks)
Mosh and go to A small band performing concert together / go to A concert for an artist one or both like
Hot air balloon ride ^-^ (waking up early and having our own "Up" moment)
Ride in a helicopter one day to see the world like the birds that fly in the sky
Buy a plant or two at a nursery and take them home to look after
Go roller skating, reliving our teenage years with a limited budget, eat old skool candy and slushies.
Surprise birthday party
Outdoor cinema, watch a film on a projector and have fun on some outdoor cushions
Have a little boho tent and lunch date set up as a surprise
Dance under the moonlight and shining stars together just swaying and holding one another
Overnight at a bed & breakfast together, sleep in and enjoy breakfast in bed whilst away from phones
Have a little bonfire moment at home, write down your deepest desire, secrets, fears and burn them
Take a personality test together just to see the results
Read books in a little book cafe & drink our favourite drinks whilst snuggled up in a book nook
Do a little tarot reading & see a psychic or medium
Raise a pet together
Buy some helium balloons & change our voices whilst doing something (e.g. a speak type board game)
Wake up with you kissing me / wake you up with kisses
Plan a vacation together
#date ideas#dating#relationships#relationship#date night#date nights#ideas#anniversary#gift ideas#bucketlist#love#i love you#first date#anniversary dates#relationship goals#cottage core#light academic aesthetic#cottage academia#dark academia
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Same Time Thursday - part 9
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Masterlist
CW: discussions of abuse, cursing
A bit of a filler chapter, but we get to some action next part...
------------------------------------------
“3...2...1… okay, drop your pencil.” Rowan stopped the timer, looking over at her as she dramatically lifted her hand, dropping her pencil so it clattered onto her practice exam. It earned her a half smile.
“How did you feel about this one?” He asked, grabbing her paper before leaning back in his chair, running a hand through his hair idly. Aelin felt her cheeks heat. He was wearing a simple gray t-shirt, and just like that day at the gym, she was struck with the thought of how unfairly attractive he was. Just another thing to add to the list of what she now knew about him.
He’d stayed up on the phone with her for hours that night a few days ago, until she’d managed to fall asleep, waking up to a text from him reading Get some good sleep, I’ll see you tomorrow.
True to his word, he’d talked about himself the whole time, just the simple stuff like who his parents were and what he liked and disliked, a few memories from his childhood, messing around with his cousins on the farm they owned. She didn’t know what his “dark secret” was, but that felt like something too personal to pry into. She’d figure it out eventually.
This was a turning point for her, not just learning more about him, but just the simple fact that he would stay up with her, would chat with her for that long just because she’d asked him to. Rowan was just good; good to her, good to Elia, just good. She wasn’t used to that.
“Pretty decent,” she replied, chewing on her lip as her gaze flicked up to the windows lining the study room they were in. Being at the campus library had its benefits, such as the quiet space to work, and the proximity to classes, but it had its hazards too, such as the double takes they got from people walking by.
She and Elia were a novelty everytime they were here, even if her daughter was sound asleep, curled on her lap like always.
“Definitely not a hundred percent,” she elaborated, “but I think it went fairly well.” She grabbed the pencil, idly tapping it on the table.
“Well,” Rowan said, all businesslike and professional as he flipped through the packet, his green eyes scanning her work. “It looks pretty good from what I can tell, no clear errors, but I’ll let you know when I grade it.” He sighed, dropping it on the table and sending her a charming half smile.
“Cause you have nothing better to do on a Tuesday night then grade my stats work, huh.” Aelin teased, tilting her head. “Joining me in the no social life club?”
He shrugged. “Why not? It’s not a bad place to be.” She smiled softly, meeting his eyes as an unconscious blush rose to her cheeks. He held her gaze, a charged moment passing between them. They were sitting close to each other, it wouldn’t take much to just lean over there, to press her lips lightly against his. Or even just be closer to each other, to feel his delicious heat on her skin. It was the first time she’d thought about anything like that in ages, but there was just something about him that made her feel safe. She wanted him, she realized. She wasn’t sure if that scared her or not.
His gaze dropped to her lips, and she unconsciously wet them, her heart pounding.
She leaned in to do - something, when her phone buzzed. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured on her head, and she jerked back, looking away from Rowan as she pulled it out. She didn’t even bother to open it once she saw that familiar unfamiliar number.
“For fucks sake,” she muttered under her breath, dropping the device on the table, the mood utterly ruined.
“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked, ruffling his hair and looking away too, like he was trying to act cool after that little moment. She even caught a faint flush on his face.
“Nothing.” She cleared her throat, sitting up in her chair. It’s not like she wanted to lie to him, but how exactly did she tell her kind of crush that her unfortunately still legal husband was harassing her? He’d been there at the beginning of this mess, but she was pretty sure he thought it’d been a mistake and that nothing was wrong, and she didn’t really want to shatter that little bubble.
Why would she? He wouldn’t be able to help, and she’d just be putting him into even more of a difficult position. Even if she longed to be able to have someone to confide in.
The cash was burning a heavy hole in her pocket, a glaring reminder of why she couldn’t have anyone to confide in. That first step away from independence was fine, but it was all too easy to slip and fall and slide to the other side of the line.
“I think I need to head out actually,” Aelin said, feeling the strange urge to get rid of the evidence. Rowan looked surprised at the sudden change.
“Oh, okay.” He straightened in his chair, starting to collect her things as she did too. “Leaving me alone in the no social life club?” He asked jokingly, but with a hint of vulnerability underneath it.
She couldn’t lie when he sounded like that. “If the bank counts as a social life,” she replied, shrugging and smiling as she stood up, shifting Elia carefully so she didn’t wake her up.
Rowan let out a breath that was half a chuckle, half a sigh of relief, and she bristled slightly at the way he was relieved at the idea of her not having a social life. It hit a familiar chord, even if she knew it wasn’t exactly the same. Just in the very nature of it itself, relief was different than a sense of success.
“Do you need a ride?” He asked as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, picking up hers too before she could grab it. All she had to carry then was Elia, and the girl was dead weight right now so Aelin appreciated it. She wasn’t sure how physically fit she could consider herself right now.
She smiled placidly at him as she accepted, walking ahead as he gestured for her to go in front of him.
She ignored the stares as she walked out of the library, well used to them by now. And his car was parked in the attached parking garage, which kept them at least semi-warm until she could crank up the heat.
But when she opened the passenger side door, she froze, her eyes caught on the backseat. If she could cry, she knew her eyes would be filled with tears right now. Instead, she just stood there, glancing back and forth between the car and Rowan, who was standing there sheepishly, like he’d forgotten what he’d done.
“Rowan…”
He rushed to explain himself. “I was out shopping,” he said, fiddling with both backpacks and not looking at her. “And it was on sale, it was such a good deal I thought why not you know? Just in case you ever needed to borrow my car for something.” He opened the backseat door, and she watched him through the car, not moving from her spot. “But it’s not bad quality,” he seemingly felt the need to amend, “I researched the safety rating and everything and -”
She raised a hand to stop him, and he fell quiet, looking like a schoolboy about to get chewed out by the principal.
“You’ve gone soft, Rowan Whitethorn,” was all Aelin said, staring at the carseat now taking up the back seat on the driver’s side, lined in a nice pale blue. The perfect size for the child currently in her arms.
When he saw that she wasn’t about to yell at him, Rowan relaxed, smiling slightly. “What can I say, I have to balance out the rest of my personality,” he said drily, and she let out a breathy laugh, walking over to the other side to join him by the door. The carseat was perfectly placed, facing the back for a safe position, a clear line of sight set up for her in the passenger seat.
“So does this mean you’re my official chauffeur now?” Aelin asked, only half joking as she leaned into the car, examining the seat. Deeming it safe, she shifted Elia to place her gently into it, not even waking her.
“When I’m free, of course,” Rowan replied, “but you can always borrow it if you need to also. I trust you.” His words sent a burst of warmth through her veins, surely spreading onto her face yet again. She just couldn’t stop being flustered around him, much to her chagrin.
“I don’t have my driver’s license, but I appreciate it,” she answered honestly, messing around with all the fancy buckles on the car seat to make sure Elia was hooked in properly.
Rowan didn’t say anything after that, and when she turned back around, she caught a glimpse of his face coated in anger, which he quickly wiped away when he saw her looking. She had a feeling the anger wasn’t directed at her.
“So yes then,” he said after a moment, swinging her backpack off his arm to hand to her. The slight contact with his skin made her shiver. “I suppose I’m your chauffeur.”
If only he was just that.
-------
The bank was crowded for a Tuesday afternoon, but Aelin didn’t let the chaos dissuade her, charging forward to get her place in the line. She’d left Elia with Rowan, wanting to let her nap, and while she was a bit hesitant about it, she trusted him. And it was only for twenty minutes max; she wasn’t letting this stop take any longer than it needed to.
By the time it was her turn, Aelin was fidgeting where she stood, frustrated with the lack of urgency. When a worker freed up, she walked quickly up to them, plastering a quick smile on her face as she set the envelope of cash down.
“Can I deposit this, please?” She asked, using manners but conveying her urgency. The lady behind the glass smacked her gum as she took it, typing something on her computer before looking back up, her glasses falling down her nose.
“Your name?” She drawled.
“Aelin Galathynius,” she answered, tapping her fingers on the counter. “I have a checking account opened with this bank.”
“Fill this out,” the lady said, sliding her a deposit slip. “And maybe next time consider an ATM, okay sweetie?” She added, condescendingly, and Aelin bristled.
“That’s not all I’m here for,” she replied tersely, filling out the slip with a tense flourish.
“Oh?” The lady asked sarcastically, boredom clear across all of her features. She wasn’t even looking at Aelin anymore, clicking at something idly on her computer.
“Yes.” Aelin tapped the counter again, louder this time to get her attention. She wasn’t putting up with anyone’s bullshit. “I wanted to see if there’s been any suspicious activity on my account.”
“Has there been any indication?” The lady sighed, fixing her glasses.
“No, but I have reason to believe my account’s been hacked.”
“Oh really?” The lady huffed under her breath. “Can I get your account number?” Aelin said it, waiting semi patiently as the bank worker pulled up her account on her computer. She hummed a bit as she scrolled through, and Aelin was indignant at the nonchalance. “Everything looks normal. Did you get the second card you requested?”
Aelin’s brows immediately furrowed. “Second card?”
“Yeah, it says here you requested a second card be linked to your checking account. It got sent out the other day.” The lady scoffed derisively. “And it seems like you just want to waste my time. You used an ATM this morning.”
“No I didn’t,” Aelin replied, “I didn’t do either of those things.” Fuck.
“You didn’t deposit five thousand dollars at the atm on the corner of Oak and Walker this morning at 9:35?” Aelin choked, at the amount and the location. It was the atm nearest to Mistward.
“I did not,” she managed to say, shaking her head in disbelief. She hadn’t checked her account today but gods.
The lady just hummed derisively. “Well I wouldn’t complain. You look like you could use it.”
Aelin didn’t know what to say to that, so she just cleared her throat, trying to get a handle on what she needed to do. “Can I close that second card?” She didn’t know how Arobynn had managed that, but she wasn’t too surprised to be honest.
But the money… that wasn’t a gift. It was a message with plenty of strings attached.
Look at what you’re missing, darling. Look what I can do. Don’t you want more? All you have to do is come back to me.
------
By the time Aelin got done with the bank and got back outside, Elia was awake. And she wasn’t in the car anymore. Instead, Rowan was holding her, standing in the afternoon air. It was cold, having finally crossed into November, but the day was unseasonably warm, and it was decently nice out.
Aelin had seen trick or treaters Halloween night, but nobody came to her crappy apartment complex to get candy, and she wasn’t really in the mood anyway. Besides, Elia didn’t even know what Halloween was yet, so she’d worry about that later.
She blinked at the sight in front of her, smiling as Rowan tossed Elia into the air, hearing her precious giggle. It was only a tiny toss, but it probably felt like she was flying. Rowan laughed too, before swinging her around and pressing a smacking kiss to her forehead. Aelin was going to combust.
And then he pretended to drop her, making the little girl shriek with delight. His radiant smile softened when his eyes landed on her. “Hey,” he said, “I hope you don’t mind. She woke up and was fussing, so I took her out for a little stroll.”
Aelin walked over to them, boots crunching on the icy sidewalk. “You managed to calm this hellion? How could I be mad?” She teased.
“Mama!” Elia said, waving her arms, and Aelin took her from Rowan, hugging her daughter close. Elia snuggled into her jacket, blinking her matching turquoise eyes.
“Got everything you needed?” Rowan asked her as they headed back toward the car, and she nodded.
“Just a few things for my rent payment I needed to sort out,” she replied, omitting a few details. At Aelin’s behest, they’d canceled the other card, and placed her account on high alert, tracking any sudden changes more carefully. Though she was sure Arobynn could easily find a way around it; she just wanted to make it as hard as she could. “It needed to be done.”
“Good to get it out of the way now,” Rowan said, shrugging with his hands in his pockets. “That means you’re free for dinner.”
“Dinner, hm?” Aelin asked nonchalantly, shifting Elia to open the car door. “And what makes you think I want to go to dinner with you?”
Rowan chuckled lightly, smirking as he opened his own door, letting her pass as she walked to her side after buckling in her daughter. “Well, you get my lovely company,” his deep voice rumbled sarcastically and she raised her brows as she slid into her own seat.
“I’m not convinced,” she said mockingly, “what else do you have to offer?”
Rowan lifted his arm to put behind her headrest, looking over his shoulder to back out of the space, and she clenched her legs together. Damn, what was it about that made men look so sexy?
When he straightened, none the wiser to her lecherous thoughts, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “You drive a hard bargain,” he said, shaking his head, “but I suppose I can offer you food.”
“Food at dinner?” She widened her eyes. “Wow, well I have to accept now.” They exchanged a smile and she relaxed back into her seat. It was just so easy, being with him. She wanted to stay like this forever.
-----
It required some digging through stuff Aelin didn’t even remember having, but eventually she found the journal. It was a soft cover notebook with beautiful falling autumn leaves, looking like little streaks of fire.
It was unused.
Well, practically. A few pages in the front were filled from when she was still at the shelter, but she hadn’t kept up with it.
Grabbing a pen, she opened the journal, hearing the long since touched pages crinkle as she flipped to a new page, smoothing it out. Elia was asleep, so there was nothing else for her to do but stare at the white paper until she thought of something to say. There was no desk in her room, so she was just curled up on the carpet, one low light on with her hair pulled up into a loose bun. She was ready for sleep, she just - needed to do this first.
Yrene used to encourage just writing the flow of what her thoughts were telling her, not necessarily holding herself to a specific prompt, but there was a prompt if she needed one. Journaling was supposed to help her process what happened, to help her sort through her thoughts, but Aelin had had a block ever since she’d been out on her own.
She’d shoved it all down apparently, instead of sifting through it, but Aelin didn’t know how to sift through it without having a complete breakdown. Which she couldn’t afford.
But she could do this; she was just letting everything through on a very tight leash, like a dam with a small leak instead of bursting altogether. So, she put her pen to the page.
3 specific controlling behaviors he exhibited
2 reasons why she left
1 thing better about her life now
A breath escaped her. She could do this.
3. Dictating what I wear, calling me trashy or a slut or whorish if he didn’t like what I picked
2. Gaslighting me into thinking everything was my fault, that him hurting me was my fault
1.Coercing me to sign over my parents’ company to him
2. Elia
1. I wanted to be a good mom
And, the last one.
1. Rowan
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#rowaelin#rowaelin au#rowaelin fanfiction#throne of glass#throne of glass au#throne of glass fanfiction#stt#same time thursday
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About Legend having insane leg strenght: what if the reason he never brags about that is because he's embarassed about it? He thinks that pulverizing a boulder with a kick is either something everyone can do or too similar to a bunny. One day he and Four get dumped into a monster camp without their items or weapons and Legend takes desperate measures to ensure they don't die: anihilating the entire camp with only his legs. He is unironically and literally capable of killing someone with his /1
This ask references this post btw, so, check it out if you need context!
Honestly, I loved this so much! THANK YOU!!! But I am half asleep, so the cool stuff I saw in my head is being stinky and not comng out. I'm sorry, hope you like my half-asleep drabbl of Legend being weak as shit while simultaneously having the strongest kick out of the whole Chain XD
Legend hates being at Ordon.
It’s not that he hates the people; he’s used to country folk, he was raised around them, heck, his grandparents have the same strong twang in their voices that everyone in Twi’s village does! He loves the fresh air and the sounds of animals and the sight of growing things everywhere he looks.
But he hates looking around and seeing Twilight’s entire village (even the freaking kids!) wander around lifting things that probably equal his entire body weight!
Seriously, Malo (that was the terrifying toddler’s name, right? That’s what Twilight said when he introduced them all, right?) could lift up a small goat with ease, and he was an actual toddler!
What was Uli feeding her children that they turned out this strong? Were all the village women using it? How on earth was every person in all of Ordon fully capable of throwing Legend over their shoulder?
It hadn’t happened yet, but Legend was on guard because it was only so much time before someone figured out it was possible, and it wasn’t as if he could fight them off.
He wasn’t jealous, definitely not. Not even when he saw Twilight carrying a mother goat across the village with an easy stride as he brought the nanny back to her pen. When he buried his face in his arms and sighed it wasn’t because he was remembering how much he had to tug and pull to move a basket of apples, no, it was just because the mere thought of carrying goats for the foreseeable future made him tired. Definitely.
But this strength was just an Ordon thing, right? It was totally just something that was common in Ordon, and Legend took comfort in that as he sat on the front porch of Uli and Rusl’s house and helped with the mending.
Even their blankets were heavy, what the heck?
But then Sky walked past.
And Sky was carrying a barrel, an entire barrel. One that swished and clunked with the sounds of grain filling it, and if the small trail of spilled seed that followed after the hero meant anything, then that thing was full.
Okay, so Skyloftians were strong too, no big deal.
Big deal.
Their entire visit to Ordon, helping to hide away animals and supplies before a local monster band stole them, was spent with Legend trying desperately to not be jealous as he watched everyone from Wind to Time lift and carry things that he couldn’t even knock over if he pushed against them.
It wasn’t even that most of thing things were heavy, it was just... he was weak.
Uli’s gaze when she’d figured out the truth had been surprised, eyes blown wide with shock as she watched as Legend, who’d opted to help indoors since he knew working outside would lead to him being more a burden than an aid, struggled to lift buckets of water to fill the wash basin. Dark brown eyes had followed him as he’s left the bucket outdoors and stomped inside, hissing and wheezing under his breath as he moved his attention to his bag and grabbed one of his power bracelets.
“Hun,” Uli’s soft country twang caught his attention as the woman drew close, concern filling her warm gaze. “Are ya’ feelin’ alright?”
And reputation or no, Legend’s Gran would have his hide on a hitching-post if he even so much as dropped his manners. There was something about country folk that was so inherently polite and welcoming, that even the salty vet couldn’t help but return with the same manners that his Gran had pounded into his head since childhood.
“Yes, ma’am.” Crimson trailed up his neck to blossom across his cheeks and shoot up his ears. He tried to ignore that Uli had a baby on one hip and a bushel of food on the other, breath contained and relaxes as she stood there, no hint of strain in her face or body language. His fingers trailed along the clasp of his power bracelet, shame building inside as he shuffled his feet.
You just can’t walk away when lady’s talking to you, especially if she’s being all polite like and just makin’ sure you’re okay.
“Are you injured?” The farm-wife pressed. “You were huffy something huge with that there bucket.”
And Legend would like nothing more than to sink into the earth as he glances over the full bucket of water that no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t lift. “I’m just not much of a farm-hand is all, ma’am. I’ll be right as rain in a tick, just needed to grab something I forgot.”
And while the look Uli gives him is a bright smile, he knows worry when he sees it peeking out of someone’s gaze. He tries to ignore that, instead turning back to the chores he’d been assigned and trying his hardest to ignore ethe fact that no one else was wearing power bracelets when they all came back for dinner that evening.
He’s not strong. So what? He can lift his sword well enough, and he can do most other things too when he wears the power bracelets.
Yes, he knows that Ravio warned him about not developing muscles if he relied on objects so much, but he’s never had time to work out or build any muscle mass, so when he needs it it’s a bit more important to just get his work done rather than hope he’ll develop it. He’s paying for that, and he knows it, but he can’t really help that he doesn’t have the time or space to really do anything about it.
Oh well, at least the others haven’t caught on.
Warriors hefts a huge rock over his shoulder and throws it, chuckling deep and loud as he smirks at the rancher. “Beat that!”
They’re clearing a road where an avalanche swept through and blocked off the main entrance to a local town. They’ve been at it for hours, and while Legend tries his hardest to be discreet by sticking to things he can actually lift, even if it does require his bracelets, the others have devolved into a contest to see who can throw stuff the furthest.
There’s nothing on the other side of the road except for the edge of a swamp, and even Legend has to admit that it’s ridiculously satisfying to hear each of the heavy stones go ‘plop’ as they land in the marsh.
Twilight smirks at the captain, all his sharp teeth on display as he hefts a rock that’s the size of Wild and easily bigger than half of the rest of the heroes. “Watch and learn, city boy.” Twilight grunts (well at least it took some effort) before throwing the boulder and watching with the rest of them as it soars through the air and lands with a dramatic ‘splosh’ in the middle of the swamp. Cheers erupt from the younger heroes, and a few even drop their own burdens to give a brief round of applause.
Warriors humphs shrewdly, gaze thin as he looks over at Twi, who only cocks a brow in challenge. “Anyone think they can beat that?”
Legend finds his gaze meeting Four’s swirling hazel, and they both quickly look away from the captain, both well aware that the biggest rocks they’ve lifted are maybe the sizes of their heads, and no where near the horrific loads that the taller heroes are tossing left and right.
“I’ll try!” Wild’s eyes are flashing as the kid clambers over the rock slide, eyes darting to and fro until they land on what has to be the biggest, most horrifically sized piece of rubble Legend has ever seen. The Champion beams, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles briefly before taking the stone in both hands and lifting it over his head and throwing it.
The swam erupts in goop and several of their group yelp and have to dark back as smelly water sprinkles the edge of the path. Wild beams down from his perch on top of the pile, hands on his hips as he looks down at them. “Who dares challenge my strength?”
“How about you, Vet?” Warriors nudges him lightly, chuckling with a cocked brow. The man is just teasing, and he doesn’t mean any harm, but Legend finds himself irritated anyways. He doesn’t know what it is about Warriors, but the man gets under his skin entirely too easily.
“No thanks.” He grunts, hefting his own stone (so small in comparison) a bit higher and adjusting his grip as he walks over to the swamp.
Wild scrabbles around above, knocking stones aside and sending them rolling down towards the vet. Legend rolls his eyes, dodging quickly around a few and kicking some of the larger ones in the direction of the swamp.
He smiles to himself at the satisfying ‘plonk’ as each one hits the surface.
Four’s head aches and the next time they see Warriors they’re going to kick him in the shins.
The captain is good at planning, usually, but if his planning means that Four is waking up to stare around a vast room where people in red and black PJ suits are eating bananas because said plan went wrong, then they think they’re a bit justified in wanting to kick the captain.
They’d reach to rub their head, to adjust the headband that’s riding too low and letting their hair all hang in their eyes, but their hands are bound behind them, and they’re left huffing their breath and scrunching their nose in an effort to relive their irritation. Their mind is too wild to shake their head, but they let their eyes wander.
Legend’s violet gaze meets theirs, sharp fury bubbling below the surface as Legend sits across from them, hands bound behind him, a rope leading from his wrists to a hook in the wall that is definitely higher than either of the two of them can reach.
As unkind as it is, they breathe a sigh of relief to know they aren’t alone (even if being four people in one body technically means that they’re never alone as is). It’s...nice, having Legend around. They don’t know what it is, but the taller boy feels safe and that’s something that they, especially Red, fond comfort in.
But the fact that two of them are here means that Wars is getting both his shins kicked, fair is fair.
Legend squeaks in that harsh way he does when he’s angry, a poor and rather adorable attempt at a growl, but apparently, he’s unable to make any sort of guttural noise, so the squeak is the best he can do. “I am going to strangle Wars when we get back. Yiga? Seriously?”
They raise a brow. “Weren’t we fighting moblins?”
“And a Talus. Unless these guys have transformative rings, then someone messed up.” The vet grates out, but before he can try and unravel their situation any more, a masked face is shoved into the vets own, one of the pajama clad banana eater’s apparently trying to leer over the vet, breath strong and rank even behind his mask.
“So! The friends of the hero awake! You will call me Astorah! Leader of the Yiga and supreme priestess to Lord Ganon!”
“I’ll call you annoying and maybe alive if you let us go.” legend drawls, unimpressed. “Seriously lady, get your face of mine or I’ll knock it in.”
They smirk. Legend is as polite and well-mannered as can be around the country villages, but the minute he’s away from thick mountain drawls and country twang, the Vet becomes a sour and salty speaker who’s as likely to threaten you as o smile at you. It would almost be funny if they weren’t being held captive.
Astorah makes an indignant sound, hand shooting out to smack Legend across the face. The vet can’t do anything to stop it, and the blow sends his head swinging to the side, a faint grunt escaping as the self-declared priestess stands to her full height (she’s taller than either of them at any rate) and promptly orders her subordinates to see to it that the prisoners be brought to ‘the mountain’.
“The hero will be looking for his friends,” The pajama clad leader declares excitedly, hands rubbing together like a villain in a bad stage play. “So, let's help him out, shall we?”
The vet and smithy exchange a glance, each somewhat surprised at how... pathetic their opponent seems to be.
“Their screams should do the trick; all heroes listen to cries of help after all.” There’s a mad waver in her voice and the pitching is all wrong.
She’s delusional. Vio whispers, and the rest of them are inclined to agree.
Across from them, legend scowls as another red and black clad weirdo comes to grasp his binds, unhooking them from above as yet another does the same to Four.
Ideally, they would try and escape now, but legend only follows along slowly as Astorah leads them through the endless halls and up step after step, murmuring, laughing and shrieking loudly as she goes, hands fluttering and gestures erratic as Legend’s scowl grows more and more each minute.
It all seems rather pathetic, all thing considered, until another, larger, more intimidating individual stops them, voice harsh as it grates out something in a language neither hero can understand. Astorah protests and shrieks at the figure, but they disregard her and instead turn to the heroes.
“Put them back, screams echo within a cave far better than on a mountain top.”
Four’s stomach sinks. Being outside means being closer to escape, means finding the others easier and kicking Wars for landing the in a battle where two of their own had been captured by the enemy.
Legend seems to be of the same idea, his eyes flashing as he pulls at his bonds, tugging away from the guard holding onto him.
The oddly garbed enemy slaps him again, but Legend doesn’t seem to be affected, only pushing harder and biting towards the next hand that swings his way. Astorah pulls away with a light sob, shrieking when Legend’s teeth keep hold of her hand while the enemies around them erupt into action.
Fours unsure of what happens next, their head is still spinning, and quite honestly, they’re sure Hyrule will declare him concussed when they get back, but he does see blows being thrown Legend's way, blades being drawn as shouts echo around them.
There’s a dark of movement, and one of the enemies falls. Four stares in shock for half of a moment before turning their gaze to Legend, who, for all intents and purposes, looks half feral.
Blood stains the Vet’s bucked teeth and his hair swirls as he spins and ducks beneath blows. His hands are still bound tightly behind him, a rope trailing on the ground as Legend evades contact, yet somehow still manages to down another enemy.
Four would try and help, but their mind is spinning, their brain not yet up to date with what their eyes are seeing, that and they’re still bound themself, their arms are fastened behind them and they’re not even sure how Legend is managing to get blows in.
And the he sees.
The vet’s boot swings up to make contact with one of the jaws of the enemy.
Yiga. Wild had told them about them, the Yiga clan, people out for the hero’s blood. The word only comes to mind now, but they’d had to tune out of the battle for a brief moment to remember it. They’re brought back to it as the sound of an agonized scream breaks through the air, accompanied by the harsh snapping sound that Four knows too well from having broken their own bones.
Legend fights with his hands behind his back, kicking out like an angered horse and injuring any who step near. It’s impressive honestly, watching how blood spurts and bones crumple from the force of the vet’s blows, and all that without having use of his hands.
The Yiga back away, eventually leaving the room entirely as Legend squeaks out an angry Legend sound after them, before turning his attention to Four. Four says nothing, and it appear Legend thinks that that’s okay, because he darts towards the door they had been headed too, leading Four with nervous glances being thrown back over his shoulder every few minutes.
The mountain top they emerge onto is higher than Four expected, and they want nothing more than to snuggle down in the cozy parka Legend once leant him, but they have none of their items, and they’re lucky to even be out in one piece.
It takes a lot of work to climb down a mountain with their hands tied, but their fingers are too cold to make any good of the knots, and they manage in the end to climb down. They’re in the last legs when Four notices what looks like a small group of travelers below, and they can almost hear the singing of the Four Sword from them.
They’d dropped their blade in their battle, the very reason they were caught in the first blade. They’re not happy someone else touched it, but they are glad they didn’t leave it behind.
“Four,” Legend’s voice breaks them from their thoughts, and as they turn to face him, they find that Legend’s face is flushed, ears twitching nervously as he avoids their gaze. “Could you...not tell the others about all that?”
“About what?” They clamber down another stone, Legend still within sight as he trails down beside them.
“The...kicking.” Legend flushes. “I know you guys- most of them anyway- could have it handled better. I just, Wars is bad enough as is, I don’t need him bring up my lack of strength next time he decides he needs ammo to mess with me.” There’s a scowl on the vets features as he hops down and across and small hold in the mountain side. “I get it, I’m weak in comparison, they could probably have beheaded those guys with their bare hands, but mine fingers are shit o a good day and-”
Four doesn’t know if they actually figure something out or randomly spew words, but Legend’s eyes turn to them in surprise when the smithy stares down at him. “You do know most Hylia’s can’t do anything by kicking each other, right? I’m planning on kicking Wars when we get back, and the most it’ll do is bruise him.” Their voice is flat, but they let Viol take over, he always had the best endurance out of them when it came to rocky places anyways. “You kicked a man’s ribs in, Legend.”
And it’s not funny, it really isn’t, but they giggle, watching as Legend flushes before their eyes, and when the others trail up towards them, gazes curious and concerned, Four is laughing hysterically.
It could be the head wound, it could be Legend’s face, but the thought that Legend was able to kick a man's ribs in and hadn’t done so to any of them yet was both surprising and highly relieving for whatever reason, and it’s hilarious listening to Legend try and explain himself as the vet protests and struggles against the fact that apparently Hylian’s don’t usually have enough leg strength to kill people with.
Yes, people died back there. Yes, Four just watched them die. Maybe it’s Shadow’s influence, but Four can’t find that they're overly bothered. They are tired and injured and cold, and if they can laugh about something as ridiculous as Legend’s strange strength imbalance, then Hylia danggit they’re going to!
They never do kick Wars’ shins in, they giggle to hard at the thought that Legend doing so could actually break them, so they topple over before they can lift their feet.
#fluffics#linked universe#linkeduniverse#linked universe fic requests#lu legend#lu four#yiga clan#why does no one write a female yiga leader who's stupid?#it's fun#as a girl I can say we can be very dumb#and she is
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(Hermit Canyon AU)
Eventually, the Hermit seems to get attached to Puffy. It makes sense- it's been trading gifts with her for months now, and has even shown itself to her a few times, albeit while invisible.
The other SMPers don't think much of it at first. The more curious members ask Puffy questions about The Hermit sometimes, but she knows little, so they quickly give up. Occasionally someone will try to explore the ridiculously trapped town, but they give up once it's obvious they're not getting in.
The trades grow more and more valuable, and one day Puffy opens her barrel to find a beacon, and enough iron to fully power it. She's stunned, naturally. To think the Hermit is so capable it can kill a Wither just to give a beacon away- she can barely believe it.
(In actuality, they cheesed it on the Nether roof, but she doesn't know that)
She does try to hide it, but word gets around, and after another few failed raids on the town (and some rumours that the Hermit can teleport), things settle down again, as much as they can on the SMP.
Then someone steals Puffy's beacon. {You decide who, because I. don't actually watch DSMP, admittedly.}
Puffy, naturally, is devestated- she can't imagine the work the Hermit put into getting it for her in the first place (the most time-consuming thing was getting the Wither skulls, and it wasn't even that bad). But there's not really much she can do, so she carries on.
Except, the next day, the thief wakes up to find their house full of chickens, Puffy's beacon missing, and every single empty space in their chests filled with strategically renamed light grey stained glass panes.
They go outside to find the entire contents of a cave spider spawner on their front lawn. Alongside a ravager. With speed potions. Renamed Pamela's Revenge.
(Cue half the SMP trying to find out who Pamela is)
Puffy, meanwhile, wakes to find her beacon back in its rightful place, and a beautifully terraformed garden outside her house (Scar accidentally detonated a creeper and naturally had to fix the hole...and then went a little overboard. But it's fine.)
op i want you to know that i considered just posting your ask, because it’s already So Good and practically a fic on its own, but i really wanted even more content so i wrote it myself. ANYWAY here’s sapnap’s terrible horrible no good very bad day xD
It’s risky, doing anything on the wide open Nether roof where anyone can see. Hell, using a beacon at all is risky for the Hermits. Still, they’ve got all sorts of farms and copious amounts of materials at their fingertips. They’re past early game, stuck in mid-game while they wait for Etho to scope out more locations, while they build the second Upside Down (which Grian has named the Upside-ier Down), while they build their joint bases miles out from civilization.
Having a beacon would make the process faster, they reason to themselves. They certainly aren’t risking being discovered just because they’re bored and getting a beacon is an excuse to do something. And hell, Tango made that giant, super-efficient wither skeleton skull farm right next to his double blaze spawner farm, so they might as well mass-produce Nether stars by killing multiple Withers. It’s not that difficult.
On another note, it’s after they gift Puffy one of their many beacons, in addition to a kit of iron blocks for powering the beacon that the Hermits realize that while their gifts are increasing in expense, Puffy’s are... not. So, if Puffy’s around average in the Dream SMP economy, they’ve figured out where most players meet their limit. She hasn’t stopped dropping by, though, which is nice. Her gifts become increasingly handmade, in lieu of upping the ante on material wealth. The Hermits suppose that hand-crafted items have a value that extends past money. Each and every one of them has something that she’s made for them, whether it be a shawl, a blanket, a set of earrings, a bracelet, or a pair of socks.
Apparently the beacon is more of a Big Deal than the Hermits thought. After all, the rainbow castle has several. However, the Hermits realize that they’ve been shortsighted. While it is true that the rainbow castle has several beacons, the castle is the only place that they’ve seen any beacons.
Sapnap steals the beacon. He doesn’t particularly need it, but he wants it, and stealing is fun. Maybe if he’s lucky, he’ll even start another minor war over it. He hasn’t fought Puffy very much. He wonders if she can put up a good fight.
Puffy’s-- not distraught, but she’s upset. That was a gift from the Hermit, a friend who she’s been pulling out of its shell. She doesn’t have much use for a beacon, but then again, neither does Sapnap; he’s just a dick. Just in case, Puffy leaves a note with the rest of the items she leaves in her barrel:
Dear Hermit,
I’m very sorry for losing the beacon you gave me. I made the mistake of keeping it in a normal chest instead of an Ender chest, so Sapnap stole it. I should have seen that coming. I’ll try to get it back, but if I don’t, please know that I didn’t throw it away.
Thank you,
Puffy.
Sapnap wakes up in the middle of a lake. His mattress is floating, and when he tries to paddle back to shore (once he’s done screaming), the mattress tips over and he receives an unpleasant fishy wakeup call. He trudges into his house for a shower, and finds that the showerhead, as well as all his faucets, have been stuffed with ramen noodle seasoning.
He looks in his chests for a bucket of water. The first chest he checks is not only full of light gray glass, but also trapped. When he opens it, pufferfish fall out of the ceiling and bounce around. He dies to their poison twice before they finally die. The next chest he opens also has light gray glass, no water buckets, and a trap. This one, though, only releases a metric fuckton of chickens into his house. It’s fine. This is fine.
As he looks through his chests, he realizes something. They’ve got glass in them, sure, and they’ve been raided of water buckets, but... the beacon is gone. None of his other items, like enchanted netherite tools or literal diamond blocks, have been stolen. Just Puffy’s beacon.
Whoever pranked him missed a bucket, so he promptly dumps it over his head in an effort to smell less like pond scum and spicy chicken noodles. It takes the whole day to get his base back in order: he’s got to clean out all the faucets, empty all the glass from his chests, throw out all the dead pufferfish, and slaughter chickens by the dozens.
He can’t sleep. Are you fucking kidding. He can’t sleep. A soft hiss catches his attention, only audible now that the quiet of night has fallen. Is there somehow an unlit cave under his base?
Nope. As he steps outside onto his front lawn, he sees a daylight detector near the door that he missed when he came inside this morning. The daylight detector seems to have released approximately fifteen bajillion cave spiders onto his lawn, and they’re all angry, so he shuts the front door in their faces and goes back inside. That’s a problem for tomorrow’s him.
Horns spear the wall right next to where Sapnap was standing five seconds ago. He yelps. What the fuck is a ravager doing on his front porch? And why the FUCK does it have speed potion particles?!
<Sapnap was slain by Pamela’s Revenge>
<Sapnap was slain by Pamela’s Revenge>
<Sapnap hit the ground too hard whilst trying to escape Pamela’s Revenge>
<Sapnap was slain by Cave Spider>
<Sapnap was slain by Pamela’s Revenge>
<Georgenotfound> who is pamela’s revenge
<Sapnap> ;RVAER
<Sapnap> HELP
<Sapnap> RAVEAGER
<Sapnap was slain by Pamela’s Revenge>
<Georgenotfound> good night sapnap :)
<Sapnap> GEORGE OYU BITCH HLEP ME
<Sapnap was slain by Pamela’s Revenge>
<Georgenotfound> zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
-------
Puffy sees a whole lot of nonsense in the chat when she wakes up in the morning, and promptly decides to ignore it. She goes about her morning as usual, heading out to her front porch to sip a cup of coffee in peace.
She... has a garden now. Hm. That wasn’t there before. And come to think of it, neither was the beacon she lost.
“Thanks, Hermit,” she says with a smile.
-------
Stress sips a cup of tea, having breakfast in Grian’s rustic sitting room with a few of her fellow Hermits.
“D’ya think we went overboard?” she says.
“...Nah,” Cub says.
#mcyt#hc x dsmp#hermit canyon au#captain puffy#goodtimeswithscar#ethoslab#grian#tango tek#sapnap#georgenotfound#stressmonster#stressmonster101#cubfan135 me.cpp#rayveewrites
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sea skin by sarcangel | G | 995
a boat, zouis, selkie!zayn
come down, i'd follow you by coffeewordangel | G | 1699
Prompted anonymously with, "mermaid zayn gets caught in liam's fishermen's net".
I took a slightly different angle with it.
Wish You Were Here by alittlewicked | G | 2492
From time to time, Louis got a peculiar feeling in his chest. Like something was literally tugging at his heartstrings. It was like the urgent need to be somewhere, like a niggling feeling at the back of his brain. That vague notion that something… or even someone was waiting out there for him to finally catch up to them, to come home.
Or: The one were Louis is looking for home and finally finds it in Harry, the selkie.
Songs of the Sea by Anony_Moouse | T | 14626
“Hello.” The man says, his voice low and rumbling. Liam’s town is small. Even he, who speaks only to those he must, knows the faces of each person by sight, if not by name. This man is strange.
“Are you lost?” Liam asks. The man’s smile remains but his forehead creases, eyebrows drawing together as he blinks at Liam.
“I am not sure.” He says slowly, glancing over his shoulder towards the sea.
Liam is a fisherman living on the Irish Coast. He lives a quiet life; happiness a luxury he hasn’t known for years.
But a stranger knocks on his door with nowhere to go. An odd, happy man, Harry brings to Liam’s life a joy he hadn’t known possible.
But his presence couldn’t have anything to do with the seal pelt, tucked away in the far corner of Liam’s home…
Leave Your Damage Behind and Gone by QuickedWeen | T | 15673
It's the spring of 1882 and Sir Louis Tomlinson is a simple man with simple needs. Money. Running an old estate and dairy farm costs money, and he would much rather focus on his science experiments than take a trip to the Exposició Universal de Barcelona to beg for funding especially when everyone there is English anyway.
He's taking a walk one night to clear his head when he comes upon something mysterious on the beach that may or may not change his life forever.
love him (if he wounds you, if he tears your heart to pieces) by sailorharry | M | 17910
Niall has a secret – he’s not exactly normal. He loves the ocean a bit too much, loves the taste of salt in the air and the cold wind whipping at his face. Zayn loves Niall – more than he should, more than he has ever loved anybody – and he loves Niall’s secret just as much, even if it threatens to tear their band apart.
wake the morn and greet the dawn (with hearts entwined and free) by mixedfandomfics | T | 21364
It was a great storm that sent Harry ashore. Grandmothers professed they had not seen its like in a generation, and fathers lost their sons to the sea.
Water shows the hidden heart by noellehenry | M | 30995
The wind turns slowly into a storm, tugging at the roof and the door. Howling and moaning around the house. The dripping has become a stream of water, pouring through the roof. Louis checks on the bucket, he might need his fish bucket too tonight. He sits down again in his armchair near the hearth when there is a desperate knock on his door. Louis quickly gets up. The screens block the windows, so he can’t see who is brave enough to go out in this terrible weather. He unlocks the door and quickly asks: “Who is it ?” No answer, but another insistent knock. He opens the door carefully and nearly faints. In front of him stands a tall, lean, wet and naked young man, shivering in the ice cold wind. Louis steps aside and motions for the stranger to come in.
A selkie AU set in Ireland in the 1930's.
#Selkies#Water shows the hidden heart#noellehenry#wake the morn and greet the dawn (with hearts entwined and free)#mixedfandomfics#love him (if he wounds you if he tears your heart to pieces)#sailorharry#Leave Your Damage Behind and Gone#quickedween#songs of the sea#Anony_Moouse#alittlewicked#wish you were here#come down i’d follow you#coffeewordangel#sarcangel#sea skin
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On Your Lips, Like a Prayer | Sihtric x Reader One Shot
Warning: References to Suicide, Minor Character Death
Words: 4449
Tagged:
@solinarimoon @emilyhufflepufftlk @magravenwrites @obipoelover @thebohemianpenguin @ivarinleatherpants
You remember falling.
Through the sky. Into a river. Drowning. They could’ve been dreams or your imagination or may you’re hell because when you wake up you don’t recognize the place you’ve found yourself in. The first thing you try to do when you wake is reach for your phone... until you remember you didn’t have it. What you had done, you had done with nothing on you. You didn’t want to be found or recognized. The plan was to scrub yourself from the pages of history. Yet from what you are told by the man and his daughter; who found you in the river half dead, it seems you did the far opposite.
Instead of erasing yourself from history, you’ve fallen through it.
And that was six months ago.
They believe you to have amnesia from the accident, but you remember every detail of what happened. It’s the ninth century from what you gathered. From what you remember from taking history in school, King Alfred the Great is the King of Wessex, but you are in Mercia. Who is ruled by Lord Ceowolf? You’re unsure. Everything you’ve known is gone or rather has yet to be. You have no idea how you’ve gotten here and you want out. So in a moment of foolishness, you try to redo what you did to send yourself back but instead you wind up stuck in their beds again for a month with a broken leg. It’s hard to run after you do that, and now you know without a doubt in your mind that you’re stuck. You cry about it for weeks, and the family who found you doesn’t understand why. You can’t tell anyone, because you’re certain they’ll set you on fire if you tell them.
Because you… you are from the future.
————————————<3—————————————
You’ve been here for a year now. Osmund and his daughter, Mildryd, are kind and loving people. They treat you like family, with love and respect. This place becomes your home and they teach you all the skills you’d need to survive these times. You learned about farming, rank etiquette, and all other manners you would need to blend into your surroundings. Soon enough, you embraced this world as your own. Not that you had a choice because every day it became more clear that this was not a dream and you were indeed stuck here.
Also, you had no desire to repeat what you did to get here in the first place… again.
“Lynne? Lynne, where are you?” You can hear Osmund call out to you. Lynne was what they called you here. It meant waterfall, from what you understood.
Which made sense, because that’s where they found you... At the bottom of a waterfall.
You come out from the stables, where you’ve just finished brushing the horses with a smile on your face, “Right here, Osmund. Everything alright?”
“I sent Mildryd into town to get grain but I didn’t realize she didn’t bring water in for the goats,” He tells you as he wipes the sweat from his face with a rag, “I hate to pass on her chores, but you know my daughter-”
“She’ll be flirting with the trader for a while,” You chuckle. Mildryd fancied the boy a lot and hopes he’d ask her father for her hand in marriage soon. She was young and full of life, the opposite of you if you were honest with yourself. You envied her spirit, “I’ll go to the river.”
“Thank you, Lynne,” The older man smiled, “You’re an angel.”
You only smile as a response. They show you so much love and part of you feels like you don't deserve it. Still, you grab your bucks and head down to the river, which is quite a walk away, to fetch some water as requested. It's beautiful here, and perhaps taking a moment to stand there and admire its beauty will be one of the moments you will grow to regret for the rest of your life because by the time you turn back to return to the farm you can see smoke.
You drop both buckets to the ground and run as fast as your post-broken leg body can take you, but you're too late.
A sob breaks from your lips as you walk through the ruins of Osmund's home. His body lays blood and lifeless on the floor, the sword he carries still in its sheath. You take the weapon from him, belt and all, and tie it around your waist. Leaving the house, you head into the rest of the small village you call yours in search of the man's daughter.
The rest of the village is no better than Osmund's home. Everyone is dead, from what you can tell, and your expectations for finding Mildryd are lowering by the second.
When you find her, she's holding on to her final breath, and her body covered by the trader she loved so much.
"Mildryd," You call to her with tears in her eyes, "Mildryd… who did this to you?"
"It… it was the Danes," She coughs and blood comes up, tears flowing down her cheeks, "Is.. my father-"
She dies before she can finish the sentence, and you sob over her dead body.
The time you get to mourn is cut short by a voice calling out from behind you, “Lord! A survivor!”
From the accent in his voice, you can tell he must be a Dane, and you ready yourself to face with your hand on the hilt of your sword. It’s heavy, and you haven’t had much practice but the one thing you have plenty of right now is rage. Rising to your feet, you pull out your sword and swing it without care as you turn around but the Dane behind you is quicker. He bobs and weaves his upper half to avoid your aimless swings and pulls out a blade of his own.
It does not take him long to disarm you, your sword dropping to the ground with a clang.
“Just kill me already,” You tell him as you lower your eyes to the ground, trying not to cry in front of him, “Please! Get on with it-”
“I don’t desire to kill you, Lady,” The Dane tells you, his voice softer than anticipated, and you open your eyes to see him put his sword away. He picks up your sword, and then lends out a hand to help you to your feet, “I am sorry to have startled you.”
You are hesitant to take his hand, but you do so anyway.
It’s his eyes; one blue and the other brown, they are mesmerizing and all but command you to trust him.
“Sihtric?” Another man calls out to him, this one also dressed like a Dane but something about him looks Saxon… like the others you’ve grown to know, “Who is this?”
The one you trust, Sihtric, turns to face you and they stare for a moment as they await your name, “I am-” You almost use your real name, but you stop yourself and continue again. Hoping they don’t notice, “I am Lynne, Lord.”
“This is your village?” He asks you.
“Was,” You replied looking back at Mildryd’s dead body behind you, “They killed my family…”
“Did you see the raiders who attacked this place?” The man asked and you shook your head no.
“My… my sister, she told me it was the Danes,” You glance between the two men, watching for their reactions, “That was all she said before she died.”
“Lord?” Another voice calls out, this one with an Irish accent, and from the side, another man appears followed by one much taller than he is, “There is no one else. If they had survivors, they must have taken them.”
The Lord sighs, and puts away his weapon, “Do you have somewhere to go, Lynne? Family somewhere else in Mercia, perhaps?”
You look between the men who surround you and shake your head no, “This was my only family, Lord. I have no one.”
“We can take her with us to Coccham, Uhtred,” The Irishman starts to say, but you are quick to jump in.
“I am not a slave!” You snap as you reach for your sword, forgetting you no longer have it.
“Nor do we wish you to be, Lady,” The one named Uhtred replies, “You will be safe in Coccham, should you choose to follow us. I am the Ealdorman there, we shall find someone to take you in.”
You nod okay, knowing you don’t have any other choice, “Thank you.”
Uhtred and his men start to walk away, and when you step to follow them your bad leg gives in and you start to fall. Luckily, Sihtric is there to catch you.
“Are you hurt, Lady?” He asks you as you wince.
He helps you straighten yourself upright, and you take a deep breath, “I broke it, six months ago,” You explain to Sihtric as he tries to help you walk, “It still feels weak some days. Just… give me a moment.”
“Should I carry you?” He asks and you blush as you furiously shake your head no.
“No, no,” You chuckle shyly as you attempt to walk again, “I can walk. I just need to go slow.”
Sihtric smiles lightly, and it brings you peace, “We’ll go your speed then.”
You nod okay, and together you walk slowly out of the village that was once your home.
————————————<3—————————————
Lord Uhtred finds you work as a stable hand in Coccham. The owners of the stable is an older couple whose children have moved away with their own families, and they are more than pleased to let you stay with them. After a few months of being in Coccham, you find yourself growing to like the place. It’s a booming town, and the people who live here all seem to be grateful for their half Dane half Saxon Lord for keeping them safe and prospering. About six months into living here, Lord Uhtred puts you personally in charge of his horse, as well as the horses of the rest of his men. The old couple tells you it’s a privilege for the Ealdorman to hold you in such regard.
You wonder why they seem to like you so much.
When you aren’t working you find yourself in the company of Lord Uthred’s men. There is Finan, his cheeky, Irish right-hand man. He’s a flirt and a tease, but you find him harmless and kind. Then their Clapa, the large bear-like Dane. He’s quiet but courteous. Last, but certainly not least, there is Sihtric. You never expected to like him as much as you do, but he makes you laugh and smile and feel like maybe you survived that fall for a reason. He visits you frequently at the stables and he tells you it’s to make sure you aren’t overworking your leg.
Part of you wonders if there is an ulterior motive for his visits.
Not that he needs one to visit you. You enjoy Sihtric’s visits probably much more than he did. So part of you finds it ironic when those around you weren’t fond of you spending so much time with a Dane. Their Lord was a Dane, too, after all.
“That Dane boy,” The stable owner, Cedric, started to say one day, “Does he bother you?”
You glance his way as you brush Lord Uhtred’s horse, readying all his warriors’ horses for their departure, “Not at all,” You tell Cedric, “Sihtric is kind.”
“You are of marriage age, Lynne,” Cedric tells you as he brings over a saddle for the horse, “Perhaps we should help find you a husband. I know some young eligible men. Hard workers,” he starts to say, and you know what’s about to come out of his mouth next before he can even say it, “Good Christians.”
“I’m not looking for a husband,” You tell him with frustration as you take the saddle from his hands and place it on top of Uhtred’s horse.
“My wife and I are only getting older, Lynne,” The old man tells you, and you keep your eyes away to prevent yourself from making a face, “It is not good for a Lady of your age to be unwed. This is your prime. You should be having children, starting a family.”
Part of you is ready to tell the old man off, but before you can say anything a familiar voice interrupts the conversation, “Cedric, Lynne! How are our horses?”
“Lord Uhtred,” Cedric smiles, and you can’t help but hate how hypocritical he is, “They are almost ready, Lynne ready the other saddles please.”
You nod at the two men and make yourself scarce as you go to prep the other horse. Your first stop is to Finan’s horse; because you know the mare can be fickle some days, and as you reach down to pick her saddle, you don’t see Finan and Sihtric sneak up behind you.
“Lynne!” Finan all but shouts, giving you a fright and making you drop the saddle to the floor.
“I swear to God, Finan, one would think you are the heathen and not Sihtric,” You scold with your hand over your heart as the two men laugh.
“We are only teasing, Lynne, I swear,” Finan tells you as he picks up the saddle you’ve dropped.
Sihtric leans up against a post and nudges you with his elbow, “Cedric does not push you too much, does he?”
“No, he does not,” You tell Sihtric as you go to ready his horse, but he stops you, carefully taking the saddle from your hands, “I do not need your help, Sihtric.”
“I want to help,” He tells you with a smile, and you can’t help but smile wider.
“She says she doesn’t need your help, Sihtric,” Finan teases from close by, and you both blush, momentarily forgetting he was there, “Hate to ruin the moment, but we need to get goin’.”
“Where are you riding for?” You ask them as you stand back and let the men finish readying their own horses.
“Mercia,” Sihtric tells you and a small part of you feels anxious, “Dane’s have taken Lundene."
“And King Alfred has decided he does need Uhtred, after all,” Finan chuckles and Sihtric smirks, but both of their calm demeanors don’t make you feel any better, “Don’t you worry, Lynne, we’ll be home before you know it.”
Finan passes by, rubbing your shoulder as he goes, and then leaves you alone with Sihtric. You sigh, folding your arms over your chest, “Be careful out there, okay?”
Sihtric chuckles as he takes a step closer to you, “Will you pray to your God for my return?”
“You know I don’t pray,” You lie with a smirk. You pray every single time Uhtred and his warriors leave, and you do so every night till they return. Reaching into your pocket, you pull out a thin gold cross on a blue, beaded string. It’s the only thing you own, from before, and you hand it to Sihtric with a weak smile on your face, “But just in case.”
He takes it from your hand so slow, the feeling of his fingertips lingering even after they are gone, “I will take good care of it.” Sihtric pulls you closer by the back of your head and kisses your temple as he moves around you.
Your cheeks stay a rosy color even long after he is gone.
————————————<3—————————————
They are back sooner than expected.
Or at least, that is what you hear when the crowd gathers to greet their returning warriors. You overhear the Lady of Coccham, Uhtred’s wife Gisela, make mention of returning too quickly for men holding a city under siege. Lord Uhtred is the first to walk through Coccham’s gates, looking surprisingly clean for a man coming from war, then Finan comes in close behind him… and then-
Wait.
You feel your heart pick up its pace when you realize Sihtric is not with them and for a moment you find it hard to breathe. As the crowd lets its lord through, and Uhtred and his men reach the stables, you rush over as fast as your legs can take you to meet them. You feel your bad leg ready to give up as you reach the stables, but this time Finan is there to catch you.
“Slow down, Lynne, you nearly killed yourself,” Finan tells you as he holds you steady with one hand.
“Where...,” You start speaking but you can't, instead you’re huffing and puffing trying to catch your breath, “Where is Sihtric?”
Finan sighs, wiping at his mouth with his free hand, “You’re not gonna be happy, Lynne.”
You try really hard not to cry as he explains to you what has happened at Lundene and how the King’s daughter has been possibly taken as prisoner. In fact, you do relatively well at holding it all in and keeping yourself together for most of his explanation. That is… until he gets to the part where Lord Uhtred has sent Sihtric and another warrior named Rypere to Beamfleot to spy, and you suddenly forget how to breathe again. You go to reach for your cross in your pocket until you remember you’ve given it to Sihtric for good luck and almost immediately you begin to cry.
“Lynne,” Finan puts his hand on your shoulder as you sob, covering your face with your hands, “Lynne, he’s coming home… okay? Sihtric is good at what he does. The best spy we have, and I know he’s got a good reason to come home in one piece.”
You shake your head okay, and furiously wipe away all your tears away the best you can, “How long do you think he’ll be gone?”
“I cannot say for certain,” Finan shrugs, “But he is coming home, I promise.”
Finan’s words only give you some reassurance and you spend the next few days feeling absolutely miserable. You continue on with your workdays with the best fake smile you can muster, and at night you find yourself at Church. Usually, you pray in your room, partially because you feel like you aren’t really doing it right and you feel too embarrassed to pray in public. You weren’t a very religious person before, but now that you are here in this church, you pray to every God you can think of that Sihtric comes home safely.
“Lady?” A voice from behind you calls, and you jump to your feet in a moment of fear. You weren’t expecting anyone else to come to the Church that night, coming late enough in the night to certainly be alone for as long as you wish, “I am sorry, I did not mean to startle you.”
His words remind you of the first time you met Sihtric, and you can't help but smile.
“It’s okay, I’ve just been… jumpy, lately.” You tell him as you sit back down on the bench, “I haven’t lived in Coccham for long, but I know I don’t recognize your face.”
“Ah, yes,” His smile is kind as he joins you at the bench, “I am Osferth, Lady. May I join you?”
“Of course, Osferth,” You smile back the best you can, but you’re tired and it’s late so it’s hard to put on your usual fake face.
Osferth takes his seat next to you, making sure not to get too close, and keeps his eyes on the altar ahead of you, “What are we praying for?” He asks, glancing your way.
“My-” You paused, not knowing what to call him. Your friend didn’t sound like a good enough way to explain what he meant to you, and you definitely didn’t think of him as a brother. So you go with this, “My family. Someone very important to me has been sent away on a dangerous mission for Lord Uhtred.”
"If he is a warrior for Lord Uhtred, he must be very brave," he tells you, reassuringly
"Only a special kind of warrior is lucky enough to serve a Lord like Uhtred," You agree with him, "And I have been told Sihtric is good at what he does, but I can't help but worry."
"Has prayer helped?" Osferth asks you and you look his way with a chuckle.
"Not at all," You tell him, and you both laugh.
"Sometimes it is hard to have faith in something we don't see," Osferth tells you as he looks forward again, "I try to put my faith in people. Lord Uhtred is a good warrior. So are his men. Having Faith in them… it's much easier."
So that's what you. You put your Faith in Uhtred and all of his men that will do whatever it takes to bring each other home.
————————————<3—————————————
More time has passed.
Rypere eventually returned to Coccham, and with his arrival, Uhtred and his men rode for Winchester to bring his findings to the King. You hear that men are sent to Beamfleot to bargain for the Princesses return. They are gone for a long time, longer than you anticipated. The days that pass make you increasingly more anxious.
You don't want to say your faith in Uhtred and his warriors is wavering but… it hasn't been as strong as you hoped it to be.
Cedric and his wife have been pushing the marriage thing. They aren't your parents so they can't just sell you off, luckily for you, but it's gotten annoying just how many single men they've tried to introduce you to in the last month.
None of them are Sihtric, so you do not care.
You're in the Church again one night, and you've been there longer than you wanted due to your bad leg. It's been aching something fierce in the past few days, and you think maybe you have been overwhelming yourself. You can't help but smile at the idea of Sihtric yelling at you to take it easy, and just as quickly as the memory comes to you so do the tears that start to cloud your eyes.
"You lied to me, Lynne," That familiar voice you've been hearing in your head speaks out loud, and you gasp when you turn around to find Sihtric standing behind you, "You said you do not pray for me."
You chuckle as the tears fall from your face and your lips curl up into a smile, "You're all I pray for." It stings to stand, but you push through the pain anyway and rush to greet him.
Sihtric catches you as you jump into his arms, and the two of you stumble back until he falls to the floor with you in his arms, "You need to be more careful," He smirks as he moves a hand to your cheek, "What would the people say if they see us in the church like this?"
"To hell with people," You laugh as you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss. Sihtrics' free hand pulls your body closer as you sit there on the floor of the church, all but devouring each other with each kiss.
"Let me carry you home," Sihtric tells you when he breaks the kiss, and you nod okay. He moves to stand, taking you in his arms as he rises. Making sure to be careful with your bed leg.
Being like this makes you feel so safe. So loved.
You giggle and kiss his neck as he carries you back to his house, and whispers things in your ear that send shivers down your spine all the way back to his house. Your sure people saw him carry you, and they are more than likely to gossip about you but you don't care.
You've never felt more alive than you do right now.
Sihtric lays you carefully in his bed, his lips reconnecting with yours as he hovers above you. He tastes sweet and your heart is racing in anticipation of what is going to happen next.
That is until you hear him moan out that name.
"Lynne," He starts to say as he breaks the kiss, "Lynne, I-"
"Wait!" You cut Sihtric off with a finger to his lips, "Before you say it, there is something else I've been lying about," Sihtric raises a brow and you take a deep breath, "My name is not Lynne."
You expect a poor reaction, but instead, Sihtric smirks, "That doesn't surprise me."
"Really?"
"Yes," He tells you as he places a kiss on your lips, "The day we met, you stuttered when you told Uhtred your name." You chuckle at the fact that he remembers that, and his smile is soft, "So tell me, what is the real name of the woman who has stolen my heart?"
Your smile is wide when you get to finally speak your real name out loud for the first time in almost two years, "My name is Y/N."
Sihtric smiles, leaning in to kiss you again, "Well, Y/N," another kiss, and then another, "It is nice to truly meet you," one more kiss, and then he leans up a bit and you can see the smirk on his face, "Is it too soon to say that I love you?"
You shake your head no as the tears come back to you, "Not at all."
"Good," Sihtric replies as he leans his forehead against yours, "I love you, Y/N."
Sihtric whispers those words for what feels like a hundred times that night. He whispers it as he strips you out of your clothes and as you remove his. It comes out as a moan when he slips himself inside of you, and it sounds like a prayer on his lips as he chants it in your ear as you reach your climax with your back arched and his lips on your neck. And it's the last thing you hear when Sihtric reminds you one more time before bed.
A few months later on the two year anniversary of you finding yourself here, on this page of history, Sihtric tells you he loves you again when the two of you return to the place where Osmund and Mildryd found you, and you tell him all about what brought you to this world. You can't help but feel this is where you were meant to be when Sihtric tells you he prayed for you, too.
For someone who could love him, more than he could himself.
It seems… you were exactly what the other was looking for.
#sihtric x reader#sihtric#the last kingdom#sihtric kjartansson#fanfiction#fanfic#mcloveproductions#tlk sihtric#tlk
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Kabal × reader
Flowers for broken hearts
It's an angsty one boys
Ok, just for reference, this is gonna be a really weird timeline, and we're gonna pretend that revenent kabal was revived with Jax, but went straight back to the black dragons, ok? Ok.
Like normal, sexual scenes are implied but not explicit.
TW for violence.
----
You had always loved mornings, but honestly it was only because of the man you woke up next to each day.
The birds were tweeting softly from outside the window, and you tried to stretch in the warm, early morning sun, only to find out that you were stuck.
Your fiancé's warm body was curled around you loosely, still asleep. You smiled, he definitely deserved the rest, especially after last night. You snuggled into Kabal's bare chest, breathing in the scented remnants of the awful Axe cologne he still used.
Kabal hummed at the movement, holding onto you a bit tighter and nuzzling into your hair.
"Good 'morning, sunshine." He groggily spoke, rubbing your back up and down as you cuddled close to him. That early morning voice of his never failed to make your heart flutter.
"Good morning, handsome." Kabal smiled, kissing your head. You sighed, content in the warm bed. The fuzzy, happy feeling in your chest blooming as you pressed your face into his neck, lightly kissing his smooth skin. You could feel the rumble in his chest as he faintly chuckled, somehow pulling you even closer to him.
"Tryin' to get me going this early in the morning huh? Such a naughty girl…" You gasped, fake offended as you slapped his chest.
"Kabal!"
"What? You and I both know you find me irresistible-" You laughed, covering his mouth with your hand and pressing your forehead to his.
"Oh, shut up! Stop being such a cocky bastard, or I might just stop kissing you all together!" You could feel his smile from underneath your fingers. Before you knew it he had flipped you over on the bed, your back pressed into the cushion as he leaned over you. His loose, long black hair falling around the two of you like a curtain.
"If that's the case, I guess I'll have to start stealing them from you, Dear~" The bubbling laughter in the room was infectious as Kabal pressed kisses to your forehead, nose, cheeks, eyelids, anywhere where he could get really. The fuzzy feeling bloomed once again, and for a moment you were reminded that this was indeed your happy place. You caught his face in your hands with some effort, and pulled him into a soft kiss.
Kabal eagerly pressed into you, sliding one of his hands up your arm to gently lace with your own hand. What a wonderful way to wake up.
Unfortunately, the soft moment was cut short as His phone started to ring. Kabal broke this kiss for a moment, and heavily sighed. Pressing one last quick kiss to your lips before getting out of bed. You frown at the loss of contact, but didn't refrain from ogling his butt as he stood.
"My eyes are up here, Babe." Kabal jokes, not even turning back to look at you as he picks up his phone, opening his dresser in the process and grabbing some pants.
"Stryker, whatcha got for me?" It felt like your heart sunk into your stomach upon hearing the name. It was supposed to be Kabal's off-day! The whole reason the two of you had moved to the country just outside of New York City was so Stryker would stop calling kabal into duty so randomly.
You knew how important this job was to Kabal, so you never protested when he did leave. You put up with him during the awful, random merc jobs that he had while working with the black dragon. You couldn't be mad at him for working an extra shift for the station every once in a while.
At least you don't have to worry about that Kano asshole and the black dragon showing up unannounced. You thought. At least there's that.
Kabal let out another heavy sigh as he hung up the phone, running around the room to gather his things in a hurry. He looked worried.
"Is everything alright?" Kabal shook his head as he threw a shirt on. Rushing over to press a kiss to your head.
"Something weird is going on in the city. He mentioned something about Outworld fusing with earthrealm… or something like that. Said I needed to get my ass over there right away." Kabal cupped your face in his hand, running his thumb along your cheekbones in a soothing manner as you frowned.
"Just come back in one piece, ok?" You tried not to let your voice waver as you spoke. Kabal chuckled, leaning down to give you a hug.
"I'll do my best, sweetheart." Your chest tightened as he let go of you to rush out the door.
"I love you." He turned around with a bright smile on his face.
"I love you too." And just like that, he was gone.
It kinda felt like he took your heart with him.
It's been a long time since Kabal walked out on you. It's been rough. The tears, the heartbreak. He hadn't contacted you. No voice-mail, no messages, nothing. You had started to wish that Stryker hadn't even told you that he was alive. But he did. And now all that's left to do is get over him.
That wasn't quite as easy as you thought it would be.
"Hey kabal, I'm just...calling to check in on you. Call me back soon, alright?"
"It's me again. I know I've been calling your work phone a lot, but I'm really worried."
"Could you please, just- just pick up the phone? Just once? I miss you."
"Our wedding date is- was supposed to be next week. I...I won't be mad if you come back this late… just please, come home."
"It's… *hic* it's me again um… we um… went out tonight. They told me to give it a rest. Heh, but I know this line's still active! Stryker *hic* told me so. He wouldn't lie right?"
"..."
"I'm going to stop calling this phone soon. If you can hear this...I… *sigh* nevermind. This is useless. I'm sorry."
----
After Kabal left, you saved your money and quit your job. Turning the land around your home into a flower farm, you had already lost so much, why not give back to yourself? Your favorite hobby became your favorite job, and soon enough you had made enough money to build a little shop on the property just a little closer to the road. And my oh my, was business booming.
"Hey Mrs.Cameron! How've you been?" Mrs. Lissy Cameron and her wife were once your wedding planners, and then they became your #1 customers when you opened up shop. She smiled at you, and you carefully took the premade bouquet of flowers from her to ring it up on the register.
"I've been wonderful! Sarah's been asking to come here all week, so I figured we might as well stop by on our way back home." Her wife scoffed, playfully swatting at her.
"Please, we both wanted to drop by. Lissy has been obsessed with your hyacinth bouquets since you did the floral arrangements for Janet's wedding." You giggled sweetly, telling them their total and carefully bagging their flowers. When you looked up to take Lissy's card however, the two of them looked worried.
"Is everything ok?" Sarah sighed at the question, reaching out to take your left hand. Your chest started to squeeze up.
"You're wearing it again." You solemnly looked down at the ring on your finger. Letting out a curt, sad laugh. You hadn't noticed that you had put it on this morning. You were kinda on autopilot when you woke up after sleeping through your alarm, and had to rush to open up shop. It must've been simply out of habit. It had taken a while to stop wearing it, as it partly carried the hope that he would be back. But he wouldn't be, and you knew that. But every once in a while…
"I hadn't even realized. Thanks for letting me know." They gave you a pitiful look as you slipped the ring off your finger and set it next to the register. Lissy gave you a soft smile when you finished ringing them up.
"Hey, Sarah and I were going to get drinks tonight with a few friends. You could tag along if you'd like? I'm sure you'll meet some interesting people." Lissy wiggled her eyebrows at you, and you laughed when Sarah slapped her arm for it. Sarah turned and gave you a soft look.
"You don't have to Honey," She paused. "But it might be good for you to get out of the shop sometime. We barely even see you outside this place." You tried your best to smile at them, but it came out sorta lopsided.
"I'll think about it." Lissy gave your hand a reassuring pat, taking the flowers and waving goodbye as she and Sarah went out the door.
"Take it easy!" You smiled sadly at the words.
"I'll try."
----
Today had been the busiest day you've had in a while, but it felt worth it in the end as you closed up shop. The setting sun casting a warm glow through the many windows. Creating a perfect, calm setting to close everything up. You tidied the flowers that were left over from the day, replaced the water in the vases, even swept.
You had gone out and turned on the sprinklers for the bushes and blooms outside, coming back inside to mop before you had to run back out again to turn it off and finally, finally turn in for the night.
The water sloshed around as you set the bucket down to start mopping near the counter. When you stood, your eyes caught on the ring again.
That stupid, beautiful, ring that never failed to put a damper on you mood. You slowly staggered toward it, gently picking it up in your hands to examine it.
It had always been the most beautiful piece of jewelry you owned, it was a shame that it wasn't used for some other couple. Preferably one that actually worked out in the end. As you traced the outline of it you started to wonder where Kabal was right now. Was he ok? Was he married so soon? Did he have kids? Or maybe he was just dead. You didn't know which one hurt worse.
You sighed. You couldn't keep doing this. You couldn't keep finding it, and thinking about him, and bringing the pain all back to the surface again. You just couldn't. You set the ring back down. Maybe you should take Lissy's offer up. Drink your woes away.
A noise caught your attention, kicking you out of your thoughts. A clay pot rolled across the floor as you looked up.
"Hello?" You called out. No response. You slowly grabbed the bat you kept underneath your counter, and started to creep over to the other end of the shop, walking through the giant, open doorway that separated the sunroom, where the flowers are kept, from the shop.
There didn't appear to be anyone there when you got over that way, and you sighed, relaxing for a second. You leaned down to pick up the pot.
"Gotcha!" Suddenly a pair of arms forcibly wrapped around you. You screamed, and one of the arms suddenly moved from your waist and clutched your throat.
"Keep it down, or I'll fucking kill you." Still panicked, you managed to wrench an arm out of the man's grip and sharply elbow him in the side. He groaned in pain, and the split second he loosened his grip was enough for you to break from his hold and slam the pot down in his head.
He yelped in pain this time. Holding his now bleeding head. You held the bat in both hands now, ready to swing again.
"Get out of my shop! NOW!" You barked at him. He chuckled in a creepy, unhinged way. Smiling up at you with disgusting yellow teeth and spitting on the floor.
"I'll be damned if any of Kano's bitches tell me what to do!" You couldn't even process the words before he lunged at you again, you tried to dodge swiftly. Unfortunately, he was still able to grab one end of the bat. He used it to yank you closer and knock you to the ground. You desperately tried to push him off as he wrapped his cold, dirty hands around your throat, pushing all of his body weight there.
You tried to kick at him, but he wouldn't budge. Your nails clawed deep into the skin of his wrist, and even lashing out at his face had no effect. Your eyes started to get teary as you struggled to breath.
All you could feel was a rush of wind, and the man had been knocked off of you. He was launched into one of your tables of flowers, breaking it in half as he landed. You coughed, gasping for air. Thankful that you could breathe again. You felt so sore, but you still sat up, baffled by the events.
A new man was standing in between you and the attacker. He was clothed head to toe in frightening, thick gear, fists clenched. You wouldn't have known who it was. Especially not with the mask on his face, but when your eyes settled on the hook swords on his back…
It couldn't be…
A scream interrupted your thoughts. The new man holding your attacker up by his neck. He was screaming for forgiveness, for a chance to run. You stood, and the masked man stiffened, dropping the other into the mess once again.
"You've got two minutes to run." The attacker didn't even spare a glance at you before trying to bolt out the front door, slamming into it hard before frantically popping the lock open.
The masked man hadn't looked at you, but you, however, couldn't take your eyes off of him. He started to walk away when you called out for him.
"Kabal?" Your voice broke. He didn't turn back. He kept walking. Fury started to build up in your chest. You stormed over to him, grabbing him by the sheaths on his back.
"Where do you think you're going?! You come back for two fucking seconds and plan to leave just like that? Without an explanation? Fuck you!" Tears were running down your face now. He stops in his tracks, but doesn't turn around. He calls your name.
"That guy's gotta grudge against the black dragons-understandably. 'Managed to hack into some old files. He's been hunting down family and friends and killing them on the spot. Had a few 'mercs quit on us Kano gave me the order to kill him." He pauses. "That's the only reason I came back." You didn't flinch at the info that he was back with the dragons, but It felt like your heart shattered a second time when he spoke the last few words. This fucking asshole. you refused to back down.
"You know that's not the explanation I'm asking for." He didn't respond. But he didn't move either. You stepped in front of him. Looking straight into the eyes of his mask. Tears were still streaming down your face, your hands were shaking, you were so fucking mad, and sad, and destroyed. You almost wished he had been dead.
"Kabal. Where. The. Fuck. have you been." He sighed, and you couldn't tell if he was making eye contact- or even trying to, through his mask.
"Don't worry about it." You were clenching your hands so hard your nails started to bite into the skin of your palm.
"I swear to God, Kabal. You fucking left me without so much as a note. You're going to tell me why!"
"I don't have to tell you anything." He pushed past you forcefully, making his way to the door. For a moment you just stood there in shock. What was wrong with him?!
"Excuse me?!" He sighed, walking over to your counter.
"I'm not doing this with you today." You were bubbling with rage, not able to even swallow your sobs. Kabal had stopped at the register, frozen for a moment, and you took that chance to reach out and grab him by the shoulder, forcibly turning him around.
"In case you fucking forgot, our wedding was supposed to be two months after you disappeared on me. Do you know how much that Fucking hurt?! Do you have any idea how much it hurts now, you piece of shit! God just- at least just TELL me why!" Kabal stiffened, and you knew he was starting to become angry. Or maybe he was sad. You couldn't tell. No one spoke for a long moment as you tried to wait for him to respond. He didn't.
Your watery, angry eyes were glaring at him, and he watched as you walked behind the counter. In a moment of uncontrollable anger, you snatched the ring up and forced it into his hands. His shoulders slumped immediately when he realized what it was.
"Get the fuck out of my shop." Your hands were shaking, your face was still flushed, eyes red from the tears, but you didn't look away from him. He started to call your name, but you interrupted him.
"GET OUT!" Your voice had gone hoarse. Kabal didn't budge. Slowly, very slowly, he reached up to his mask. As he took it off. Your guarded expression immediately faltered.
His face was horribly scarred. You sucked in a breath from pure horror for a second. Burn scars all over his face. You looked at his hands, his neck. He was scarred everywhere. His face twisted in disgust as he analyzed your face.
"You really wanted to know that bad, huh? I left you because I already knew what you would think, what you would say if I came home to you like this." You were almost in shock, tears running down once again as you gently reached over the counter to touch Kabal's face. He flinched for a moment, but let you touch him.
"What happened?" Your voice shook, horror evident on your face. His face fell for a moment as you touched him, so terribly gently. He hard look in his eye softened.
"What does it matter? I'm horrific." You let out a sad, snarky laugh. Cupping his face with both your hands, caressing his cheekbones just as gently as he did yours the morning he left.
"Don't you remember the night you proposed?" He sucked in a breath, and your hands gently pushed his short hair out of his face before you reeled yourself in. You wouldn't touch him like this. It didn't matter why he left you, he still did it. But even then, your heart ached for him. Damn, you needed to see a therapist.
"I had quit the black dragon. I was asking what you thought of me joining the NYPD."
"And?" Your voice broke as you struggled to maintain a strict tone.
"...and?" You nodded tearfully, sniffling from all the crying. Kabal kept going. "We talked about my tendency to join violent fields. I… I had asked you if you'd still love me if I came home with bruises every night, just like I had used to." His face started to shift. You already knew he remembered what you were about to say. That flicker of anger started up in your chest as you spoke bitter words.
"I told you that I'd love you no matter how many scars, or bullet holes, or bruises you came home with, as long as you were coming home." Kabal's realization left a devastated look on his face, and no matter how bitter you felt, you couldn't help but reach for his hand. He held your hand back limply.
"...I kinda fucked that one up. Didn't I?" You laughed, a pitiful, angry noise.
"You did." You stopped for a moment. "You did." You felt numb as the words fell into a whisper.
"-But no matter how fucking angry I am, I don't think that statement ever changed, Kabal." He ran his thumbs over your knuckles, avoiding eye contact with you by looking down at them.
"... You'd really still love me after all this? After all the scars, all the time…" You pressed your lips into a line, sighing before squeezing his hand. His eyes started to water as your own began to dry.
"I..." It was difficult to say this. It really was. But you wanted him back. You really did. You wanted to give him that second chance. You wanted those sleepy mornings and the pillow talk and the awful food he cooks. You missed him so fucking much.
"It's gonna take a while, and certainly some couple's therapy, but Kabal…" You held his cheek again, lifting his head to look at you. You looked into his eyes and bit back what you were originally going to say. Letting out a pitiful laugh at yourself before doing your best to wipe that look from his face. You didn't owe him anything, but you saw an opportunity and took it.
"... I wouldn't mind seeing that ass in the morning again." Kabal was taken off guard for a moment, and you felt triumphant. He erupted in wonderful, happy laughter. Pulling you close from across the counter and kissing your forehead.
"How could I say no to that?"
.
.
.
"Kabal, weren't you supposed to take care of that one guy?"
"Shit."
#mortal kombat imagines#kabal mk11#kabal x reader#mk11 kabal#mk11#mk kabal#mortal kombat x reader#mk imagine#mk x reader
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Seasons Change (d.s.) - TWO
↳ A/N This one’s a little long but will give you a good insight into daily farm life at the Seavey residence!
↳ Summary: Everyone knows everything about everyone in this small rural town in east Connecticut and the handsome single father who owns the farm down the main street seems to always be the talk of the town. Balancing the care of his acreage, raising his school-age son, and coaching the local boys’ hockey team keeps Daniel busy; but his mind never strays far from the expansive and vibrant flower gardens planted outside his farmhouse.
↳ Word Count: 2901
↳ Warnings: This story touches on topics such as loss of loved ones and grief. Nothing too detailed but read at your own discretion x
Every morning at 5:30, Daniel’s alarm rang loudly from his bedside table. It was routine now to pull himself out of his far too empty queen size bed and get dressed by the light of the bathroom sconces alone. The sun was rarely over the horizon this early but he opened the curtains in his bedroom and headed downstairs in jeans and a t-shirt, opening up the rest of the house in preparation for sunup. Lennox was still fast asleep in his bed when Daniel stepped out of the front door and trekked down the front porch steps, along the foot path, and across the gravel drive towards the barn.
The first hour of every morning was spent there; milking the cow as well as tending to the horses and the feed troughs. This used to be his favourite time – sitting on one stool with Marigold on the other, each tending to a cow as she quietly sang them into the morning. No one was more of a morning person than Marigold. She always made waking up early easy. But Daniel now milked the sole cow in silence, sometimes letting a small whistle come to his lips in the process as he worked, a tune that would follow him back down the path to the farmhouse.
On the opposite side of the house from the gravel drive was a small hallway that held the laundry room and mud room and in there was where the two buckets of milk went first thing. Daniel would pour the fresh milk into glass jugs and bring them right into the kitchen, leaving them in the freezer to cool with a timer set for one hour. All his work was precise to the minute.
By then, the sun would be rising and his hands would be scrubbed and it would be just about 6:30 when Daniel would take the stairs back up to the second floor to wake Lennox. This morning was no different and, like usual, the small Jack Russel Terrier greeted him with a wagging tail when he opened the door. Daniel bent down to give him a quick scratch behind the ears before stepping into the blue-painted room and he pulled open the curtains.
“Morning, Spud.” Daniel called to his son who was waking from the light that had suddenly been let into his room.
Lennox rolled sleepily onto his back and rubbed his eye with his fist, the small dog jumping up to join him on his single bed like he hadn’t been by the boy’s side all night. Daniel stopped by the side of his son’s bed and pet a hand over his hair, watching his same blue eyes flutter open to look up at him.
“Morning, Daddy.” Lennox yawned.
Daniel smiled at his sweet son and nudged his cheek with his finger, “Up and at ‘em, buddy. The chickens are waiting for you.”
Lennox giggled lightly and sat himself up, watching as Daniel pulled out an outfit for his son and draped the pants and shirt onto the end of the bed.
“I’m going to shower. Eggs on the kitchen counter, okay?” Daniel reminded the seven-year-old like he did every morning.
Lennox only replied with, “Yes, Daddy.” and watched his father leave.
While Daniel hurried to shower in the masted bedroom ensuite, Lennox got himself dressed and hurried down the stairs to tend to his morning chore. The dog ran at his heels out the front door and around to the side of the house on the edge of the fence just before the barn where the chicken coop was built. He wished the chickens good morning and gathered the eggs from the nesting boxes in the small basket he carried with him.
By the time Lennox had collected the eggs and returned inside, Daniel had just finished his shower and was prepping breakfast in the kitchen with wet hair and fresh clothes to start the day. The two of them had a good routine down between farm work and getting ready for the day, and while Daniel cooked up the eggs, Lennox brushed his hair and washed his face and brushed his teeth for school. They ate together in the breakfast nook just off the kitchen with windows on three sides of them directed right to the rising sun and glasses of perfectly fresh milk to pair with their eggs, bacon, and fruit.
The school bus came for 7:45 and Daniel always walked Lennox down the long driveway of their property to wait with him at the road for the bus to come. When it stopped at the end of their driveway, Daniel hugged and kissed his son goodbye and watched him get on the bus with Jack’s daughter from the next farm over.
Daniel spent his days alone on the farm, tending to the animals and testing to see if the ground was ready to be ploughed. After lunch, he drove down to the general store to pick up a few things, greeting Corbyn behind the counter with a friendly hello.
“What can I get you?” Corbyn asked.
Daniel took off his hat and set it on the counter, “Bag of chicken feed and the order that I put in the other day, please.”
“Of course.” Corbyn disappeared into the back of the store to gather the order and Daniel waited at the counter. He scanned the ice cream freezer near by but stopped himself from ordering a cone.
“Daniel!”
He turned at the sound of his name being called above the ring of the bell above the door to face an older woman rushing down the soup aisle towards him.
“Thank goodness! I was hoping I wouldn’t have to come knocking on your door.” she said, slightly breathless in her rush and he held out a hand for her to hold onto as she calmed herself down. “My front step is broken again. My husband walks far too heavily and it snapped right down the center. Would it be too much trouble for you to come take a look?”
“Not at all, Lydia.” Daniel chuckled politely. “I’ll have Corbyn grab me a piece of plywood with my order and I’ll stop by.”
“Oh, you are an angel, Daniel.” the older woman sighed, clutching onto his hand thankfully. “I don’t want to trip myself up those blasted steps.”
“Of course not.” Daniel agreed.
“I’ll pay you for it this time-”
“Oh, no, that’s-”
“I insist, Daniel.”
“Lydia, you don’t need to pay me.” Daniel said strongly. “Maybe just bring another one of your delicious cherry cobblers to next weeks brunch, alright?”
“Oh,” she flushed bashfully, “I suppose.”
“Alright.” Daniel smiled, giving her hand a pat. “I’ll be over in as soon as I pay for this order.”
Daniel seemed to be known as the handyman of Lincoln as well as the best hockey coach; he had built the chicken coop in his backyard himself and fixed up their farmhouse porch within the first month they had moved to town. Now everyone seemed to appreciate his attention to detail and his generous offers to help fix a broken step or a leaky roof…and he never once accepted payment. Daniel’s days were filled with helping out around the town and tending to his land until Lennox would come home from school around 3:00. Lennox would tell Daniel about his day while Daniel finished up the day’s work and then they would head inside together to start dinner. While dinner was being made, Lennox did his homework with the dog sleeping under his chair, and once they ate – always at the dining room table like Marigold always insisted – it was time to get changed for hockey for 6:00.
Both hockey bags were stored in the laundry room and once they were changed into sweats and t-shirts, the boys each grabbed their own bag on the way out the door. They made sure they had filled water bottles and all their equipment in a hurry as they rushed down the path to Daniel’s old forest green pickup truck. It wasn’t a long drive to the community centre – Lincoln was a very tiny town after all – and once parked, they headed inside together. Daniel always made sure he was early since he was the coach. Lennox led the way down the single hallway of the community centre, hockey bag over his shoulder (and almost the same size has he was) with his good luck t-shirt he always wore tucked proudly over his small body.
‘Love and luck from my Mommy in heaven’ was printed in black font over the back and although it was originally made for him when he was six, Lennox insisted they made a new one for each season as he grew. It truly was his good luck charm and nothing made Daniel prouder than seeing his son still wanting to wear that shirt to every game.
“Hurry up, Dad!” Lennox called from the doorway of the change rooms, his young voice echoing down the near empty hallway.
The team room seemed to always have a lingering smell of sweat and ice that had accumulated over the last few decades but it smelt like home to the boys. Daniel and Lennox got changed into their jerseys and equipment and Daniel helped him lace up his skates and took off the skate guards from the blades before they were ready to go. By the time they were changed, the other junior boys had started to arrive to get changed and Daniel headed out to the rink with his keys to greet the few parents and set up for practice.
Lincoln Lightning uniforms consisted of white pants and jerseys with dark blue stripes and light blue accents and although the boys had to wear full padding and gear for practice, Daniel usually just wore skates and socks, pants, and his jersey. He helped himself to the supply room with his set of keys and grabbed a few extra sticks and the crate of pucks to bring over to the bench. A few parents always stayed back to watch the practice – mostly the mothers honestly – but Daniel never minded. Marigold always liked to watch her boy play too.
Once it hit 6:30, Daniel draped his whistle around his neck and called the boys onto the ice. Living in Lincoln for their whole lives, the boys were already very good on skates so weekly practices were just for game technique. With the whistle balanced between his lips, Daniel let his skates glide him backwards as he greeted his team,
“We’re practicing slapshots today. Or…shots in general. I know a few of you need a bit more practice with this.”
Daniel turned towards the one net set up at the end of the rink, showing off the dark blue print along the back of his jersey that read Seavey 99, and he pushed off towards the few pucks scattered over the ice. He moved gracefully and pulled his stick back to slap a perfect shot right into the goal net, the sharp sound of the stick hitting the ice echoing through the arena. The boys ‘wow’ed.
“We’re going to get you there, okay?” Daniel said as he skated back over to his team. “Do we all have our mouthguards in?”
There was a chorus of, “Yes, coach!”
“Lemmy see.”
The lineup of boys gave him big grins so he could see the thin curves of soft plastic between their teeth.
“Alright, good. Let’s see what you got. Get in two rows.”
Practice lasted an hour and by 7:30 the boys were huddled up for their last little pep talk before they were ushered back into the change rooms. Daniel stayed back on the ice to get a bit of his own practice in that was up to his skill level and by the time the few parents had left and complimented Daniel on his work, it was just Lennox and Daniel and Jonah’s boy left at the rink.
Daniel changed back into his sweats and t-shirt and packed his bag while the two boys waited on the bleachers and ran up and down the aisles together, playing. Daniel locked up the supply room and turned off the arena lights and herded the boys out into the cool spring evening air.
“So sorry I’m late.”
“No problem.” Daniel said honestly as Jocelyn hurried over from the parking lot. “I was just going to drive him home for you.”
“You’re far too kind.” Jocelyn chuckled, taking her son’s bag for him and then his hand. She looked back up to Daniel, “I called my family friend…she’s going to come down by the end of the week and she’ll stay with us for a few days…longer if you want to hire her of course.”
“Oh.” Daniel almost forgot about the offer for a gardener and he hiked his bag higher over his shoulder, “That’s great. Thank you.”
“Of course. I’m sure Jonah will shoot you a text when she’s settled and we can drop by.”
“Yeah, for sure.” Daniel agreed.
They said their good nights and Daniel watched them walk off to their car before looking back down to his son. With messy sweaty post-helmet hair, Lennox looked up at him through the dim light of the parking lot.
“Who’s she talking about?”
Daniel led him back to the truck and tossed their bags in the bed of the truck before helping him into the front seat, “I’m thinking of hiring someone to help around the farm.”
Lennox pondered his father’s statement as he waited for him to get in behind the wheel. When they started off towards home, the young boy answered, “Why?”
“It’s hard to take care of everything just me.” Daniel said.
“You already sold Spot and the sheeps and most of the chickens.” Lennox argued. “And you have me. I can help.”
“But you’re also in school…and you’re seven.”
“Almost eight, Dad.”
“Almost eight.” Daniel corrected himself. “But I need someone to help me take care of Mommy’s flowers.”
There was a silence that fell over the truck as they drove down the dark two laned road out of the main intersection and towards their farm. Lennox turned and looked out the window.
“What do you think?” Daniel asked after a moment.
“I don’t want someone to touch Mommy’s flowers.” Lennox answered softly.
“I know, Spud. I’m not crazy about the idea either…but we’ll lose the garden completely if we don’t have someone tending to it. That’ll be even worse.”
“I guess.” Lennox mumbled.
“I’m just going to meet her later this week and see…she’s a friend of Jocelyn and Jonah’s…she might not be a good fit anyway…I don’t know.”
“How do you know if it’s a good fit?” Lennox asked as they turned into their long driveway and up the dirt drive past the few trees lining the way.
Daniel took a deep breath as their farmhouse came into view, the porch light illuminating a few of the flowers that were starting to bud with the incoming spring, “I don’t know.”
He parked the truck and the boys got out and carried their bags right to the laundry room – a habit Marigold instilled in them to prevent the main house from stinking up. Daniel started the laundry while Lennox went up to bathe, leaving his sweats and his lucky shirt with his father to wash for their next practice. When laundry was started and the cat and dog were fed and Daniel got himself showered free of hockey sweat, the two Seavey boys cuddled up on the living room couch to watch some TV before bed. Lennox had a glass of milk and two cookies like every night and Daniel had his arm around him the whole time, feet kicked up on the coffee table and cat asleep on his lap.
When it was bedtime, Daniel made sure the dog was settled on his bed – with a snap of his fingers and a stern ‘lay down’ – and then he tucked in his boy under his quilt and brushed his damp hair from his face.
“Comfy?” Daniel asked quietly.
Lennox nodded up at him. Daniel leaned down to kiss his forehead and then switched off the bedside lamp.
Through the dark, Lennox spoke softly, “Daddy?”
“Yeah, Spud?”
“I want only Mommy to take care of her flowers.”
Daniel paused a moment, ignoring the pain that clutched his heart as he bent down to kiss his little boy again, “I know. So do I. But we’re going to keep her garden looking nice for her…so when she’s watching down on us, she can see that you and me are very good at keeping a nice house, right?”
“Right.” Lennox sniffled.
“Okay.” Daniel tucked him in snugly. “Sweet dreams. I love you, Spud.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
With his son put to bed, Daniel helped himself to the back porch, lingering by the railing by the light of the outdoor LEDs and overlooked the garden of green that turned into a blossoming overwhelming forest of colour every summer. It had been a little forgotten about the last year with Marigold having just passed so the garden was now in desperate need for some TLC. Daniel sighed and headed back inside to head to bed himself soon, only hoping everything would work out. He hoped Marigold was watching out for him.
Seasons Change Taglist: @stuffofseaveyy @randomlimelightxxx @jonahlovescoffee @hiya-its-amber @hopinglimelight @midnightpsychic @sbrewer21 @bessonsbxtch @viamiasoncrack @the-girl-who-cried-wolf @bessonbae
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#🌼#daniel seavey#why dont we#jack avery#corbyn besson#jonah marais#zach herron#wdw#wdw fanfic#why dont we fanfic#daniel seavey fanfic
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ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 1
Synposis- You were given as a peace offering to the cold hearted cruel king, Iwazumi Hajime. He ruled with an iron fist and the people of the kingdom were tired of it. They offer you, the most beautiful girl in the village as a way to bringing peace to their lives once and for all. Will a simple girl be able to break his stone exterior or will the kingdom crumble?
Masterlist
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Rating: 18+ (because of future contex)
A/N: Characters are above the age of 18! Iwaizumi is set as 21 and, reader is 19 turning 20!!
Warnings; Angst, mean/rude Iwaizumi, betrayal, brief mention of a parent passing (not detailed) reader is taken against her will, (and that’s about it),
Previous Next
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The small hut was quiet as you cleaned up the kitchen. A gentle but cool breeze came in through the window, indicating it my rain. Going to the opening, the skies we in fact grey and full of rain.
Hopefully your father make it back in time before it falls. He had been summoned by the king and your nerves were on end.
Your kingdom didn’t exactly have the..kindest of rulers. Iwaizumi was an infamous king known for his cold rule over the kingdom. None of his enemies dare to make an attack in fear of death.
True he was a master at war strategies, and held his kingdom high, yet he ruled the land with an iron fist. Taking over the kingdom at only 19 after his father passed was unexpected, yet the way he ruled was more so.
You lived your everyday life with your father as best as you could. You helped him with the farm and selling goods. You tidied around the small hut you called home. Since your mother had passed, you took responsibility of chores she had done.
Your father often encourages you to get out and enjoy your life to your hearts content. But you wanted to help him, he raised you to the finest of his abilities, this was the least you could do.
He worked endlessly everyday to provide, but he was getting old and frail. He knew he wouldn’t be around forever and he wanted you be left in good hands. Many young men have had their eyes on you, just as many hearts were broken.
For as beautiful as you were, you were just as stubborn. Wanting to do everything on your own, and fend for yourself, just like your mother.
Sitting down near the window you stare off into the green fields. Your mind sailing away to some foreign land where you could live peacefully. Maybe, a meadow full of flowers with a comfortable little cottage. Like the ones written in stories.
You were pulled from your daydream by the door being opened abruptly. You shoot up from your seat, you hand over your thumping heart. Two men come into the door way, one was a villager you recognized and the other was a royal guard. Your father behind the men shoving his way to you.
“Please she’s just a young girl, surly there must be someone else-“
“There isn’t. The deal has already been done” he comes to your side and holds your shoulders in his hands
“F-father what’s going on? What deal?” You question
“Oh Y/N....they’ve....they...” he looked a you with eyes that plead for forgiveness.
“You are to marry the King, in two days time.” spoke the guard
“..I’m..WHAT?!“ you must be dreaming! This can NOT be real. “no..no,no,no..I can’t marry him, I-“
“You were part of deal made by your people. A bride for the king as a peace offering.“ He then walks over to you and reaches for your arm but you walk backwards. Your back meets with the wall, you had no where to turn
“But why me?!“ you were beyond upset and confused “I...I don’t want this! I never consent to it!”
“Sadly the choice has been made. Come or your father along with the village shall parish”
Throwing an ultimatum into the situation doesn’t make this any better. You keep your breath steady and hold your head high.
“Can i say my goodbyes and grab some things?” You ask
“You have five minutes” the guard sneered as he left to wait outside the hut. You grab small trinkets the you held close to your heart. A necklace that belong to your mother, two books, and a hairpin. Your father was trying to bribe you out of it as you collected the last of your things
“You don’t have to go! We can escape while they’re outside and warn the others-“
“Did you agree to this? You were at the castle today..” you acuse him hoping it wasn’t true.
“No! I would never agree to this! They had already made a deal with him before I was informed. I...I begged for him not to take you...I tried everything I could..” he takes a hold of your hands “....you’re all I have left..I would never image trading you for the finest treasures in world”
At that point you knew it wasn’t his fault. They were already threatening the entire village for one person. You hug your father tightly and he kisses your cheek.
“Please forgive me.” He said sniffling. Walking to the door, you grab an old cloak and wrap it around your frame.
“Done already?” You say nothing to the remake made by the guard.
Two horses were waiting outside as the guard helps you to mount it. Climbing onto his own horse he holds the reins and starts the walk. As you pass by the many faces you once thought of as friends and even family, you now feel the aching your heart grow.
Although the boys who courted you were not happy at all, at least there were few you could count on. You let you gaze stay on your hands as the horse trots along.
You ignore the words of people as you pass
“Thank for understanding”
“You’re saving us all”
“You’ll be fine”
Lies. That’s all their words were, lies. The trip would be a good hour before you got to the castle. You village was at the edge of the kingdom. Away from nobles and rich men. The farmers, crafters and even some healers were from your village. The question was still running in your mind
Why me? Why not a princess or a lonely queen...why a simple peasant girl?
You couldn’t help but let your head fall and rest of the neck of the horse. The steady rhythm of its hooves against the ground bringing you into a trance. Maybe if you fell asleep, you would wake up and things would be back to normal.
Normal...your life was anything but normal now
(short time skip)
The horse comes to stop making you look around. You were now inside the gates that surround the castle. The castle looked much more grim in person, perhaps it was because you know what your fate is.
Getting off the horse you feel a sense of dread take over you completely. You could practically hear your heart in your ears as you walk towards the grand doors.
Maybe every girl dreamed of marrying a prince and becoming a queen...but not like this. The guard knocks on the door with force, you hear the clicks of shoes approach the door.
You had expected something scary awaiting instead you were met with a cheerful, tall, brunette.
“Yes- Oh! She’s here and much more beautiful than she was described! Come in, Come in~” surprised was an understatement, but now you recognized who it was.
Tooru Oikawa, the kings royal adviser, if anything girls swooned over him more than the king himself. You follow him inside the double doors and into the grand hallway.
“Iwa is currently in a meeting but he will be out soon, I’ll show you to your room. There you can bath and I’ll get a you a change of clothes” so far, Oikawa was the only one who was nice, or at least acting that way. He looks behind his shoulder and smiles at you. You give a forced smile his way and continue to the thrown room.
You’ve only heard about it in stories but now being here in person, you can see how grand it was. A single seat sat atop a few short stairs, above it a large tapestry hung. A majestic white owl with prey in it’s talons was presented for all to see.
“It seems big and intimidating but you’ll get used to it. You and he king will use this door to enter and leave the thrown room“ there was a door almost in the far corner of the room.
The simple door leads into another hall with multiple doors holding more rooms. After what felt like traveling through a maze, you finally make it to the top floor, the very hall you stood in looked expensive.
At one end of the hall were another pair of double doors, the handles and bolts made of gold. The other had a much simpler single door in which you stood in front of.
“This is the guest room where you will be staying for the first two nights“ he said holding the door for you “After that you move in with Iwa“
“What? The wedding is in two days?!“ it was just one surprise after the other wasn’t it?
“I’m afraid so,“ he takes the cloak off your shoulders and bows to you
“I will also be here to guide and educate you on royal status. Fresh clothes are on the bed and the bath is over there. His majesty should be out in about an hour to come and see you“ he said finally and left.
Everything was moving way too fast, you had to sit down. The bed was comfortable, better than anything you ever slept on. That’s what royalty gets for you, you thought.
You take a moment and look at your surroundings, the room was small yet elegant. There was a vanity with a beautiful mirror, an armoire, a large rug at the side of the bed, and a window with a balcony.
With a heavy sigh your hands reach to undo the back of your dress, and let it fall to your feet. You warm skin expose to the cool air. You search for a towel in the armoire, grabbing the first one and wrapping it around your frame.
Your feet take you into the separate room, and gaze upon delicate white tiles. Walking to the porcelain white tub you see two buckets full of warm water & cold water. The steam still coming up from the buckets. One by one you fill the tub do your desired temperature and amount.
After testing the water, you step in one foot at a time. The warm water engulfing your cold body, it was comforting. Sinking in further until the water is above your nose. You could almost fall asleep in the tub. You make sure to bathe your body before sitting and letting the water run cold.
Eventually you step out and dry yourself completely. Wrapping your hair in a towel, you dress yourself in the new clothes you were given. Take a look at yourself in the mirror and you were blown away.
Never in all your years have you ever had a piece of clothing so beautiful. It hugged you perfectly in all the right places, it was a beautiful sky blue and white. You may have been enjoying yourself a bit too much, you didn’t hear the door open. He simply heard someone clear their throat and say
“Have you never worn a dress before?” You gasp and whip your head to the door. Only to find the king himself, Hajime Iwaizumi.
His sharp gaze made your heart pound and your breathing stop. He starts to walk towards you his face unchanged. He stops only a foot in front of you, he was so differnt to see in person. His short brown hair, lightly tanned skin and green eyes were all capturing. He scans your body up and down and says
“So you’re my bride, this may be interesting.”
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Taglist; @vanilla-beanzz @hp-hogwartsexpress @sugarysweets-appreciation-blog @sophie-duck @mysteriousmagicx @toutorii @mystic-starlove @leviiiiiiiii @heavenly-warlord @birdiewolf @bakarinnie @torithetori @shoyosun @postsfromthe6 @yatoatyourservice @lola2001
#iwaizumi hajime#iwaizumi x reader#haikyuu royal au#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu x female reader#royal haikyuu!!#Haikyuu x reader royal au#Stone King by mama sweets#Stone king#anime x reader#royal au#arranged marriage au#haikyuu x reader arranged marraige#mama sweets 1k special#1k special#1k celebration#anime#fanfiction#bsd fandom#attack on titan x reader
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Eggpocalypse
Part One: Crimson Morning
A DreamSMP Fic
A/N: Hey guys I’m writing a DSMP fic :D Why? Because I had an idea that I thought was cool. If you find this fic but aren’t familiar with me, hello, welcome *waves* This will be the only DSMP fic I write, but it’s gonna be a long multi-chapter thing like all my other fics in my main community. If you know me for my other stuff, hello to you too. Feel free to read if you want ^-^ Either way, I hope you all enjoy this! It’s been like...months in the making jsafkh
Brief Summary: Everyone wakes up one morning to find the Greater SMP area is overrun with crimson. The vines attack people, and a small group manages to take shelter...for now.
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Tommy woke up to the faint feeling of something tickling his face. What was that? Well, it didn’t matter. He was trying to sleep. Without opening his eyes, he slapped at the tickling object and rolled over. Only a few seconds later, however, the tickling was back. He buried his face in the pillow, but it kept brushing against his ear. Now thoroughly annoyed, he rolled onto his back and blinked open his eyes, ready to snap at whoever was pulling some sort of prank on him.
Except instead of seeing someone’s face—or anything familiar at all—he saw a lot of red. What? No, that made sense, didn’t it? He fell asleep in the hotel, and it was red. Except...there was way too much of it. He rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep away, and—
“Holy shit!” Tommy bolted upright. “Holy fuck!”
The entire room was filled with red vines.
“No no no no no you can’t be in here!” Tommy threw away the blankets and stood up, tripping over something as he got out of bed. He looked down to see he’d nearly fallen over one of the vines. “Oh fuck, they’re everywhere!” They were covering the windows, snaking across the floor, dangling from the ceiling. And worse, they were moving.
One of the smaller vines dangling from the ceiling wriggled closer to him, drifting across his face. Tommy jerks back. “Don’t touch me, bitch!” He hit the vine, knocking it back, but felt something on his ankle. Looking down again, he yelped as the vine he’d nearly tripped over started wrapping around his leg. And there were more coming, moving snakelike across the floor.
He had to get out of here, before they overwhelmed him. He spun around. The balcony entrance was completely blocked by thick vines, as big around as a tree, and the windows were similarly covered, leaving the room dim as they blocked sunlight from outside. So he couldn’t jump out that way. That only left the ladder chute to the suite. And the larger vines were slowly creeping to cover that as well.
No time to waste! Tommy grabbed his items from the chest by the bed and sprinted across the room. The vines on the floor tripped him up, but he made it just in time to duck under the larger vines and make it to the ladders. He grabbed one of the rungs and started to descend...but froze.
Vines were criss-crossing the ladders, blocking his way down. As he stared, shocked, they stopped wriggling aimlessly and started creeping slowly towards him. “Hey! Back off!” He kicked the nearest tendrils off the ladders, but they recovered quickly and continued to inch closer.
Okay, there had to be a way around this. Maybe he could climb down while fighting them off. Or...there was a small spot that was clear of vines. He could see the distant floor of the hotel lobby down below. At least, he hoped that was the red of the hotel lobby and not the red of more vines. He had a water bucket on him. He could—but if he missed, he’d be dead. Like, dead dead. Forever.
Then the thick vines above him trembled. And they heaved from their position, darting forward with surprising speed.
“Oh fuck this,” Tommy gasped, and let go of the ladder.
The ground approached swiftly. Acting fast, he pulled out the water bucket and poured it—landing with a splash in the resulting puddle just in time. He didn’t even have time to celebrate the success. Because the hotel lobby was even more crowded with vines than the rooms above. They blanketed the floor, dripped from the walls, all gradually encroaching further into the building. The windows were covered, and so were the front doors. Tommy froze again, eyes darting around the room. And soon, the vines noticed him as well, and all of them slithered towards him.
“Tommy! Are you in there?!”
A voice?! Coming from outside. It sounded like—“Puffy, is that you?” Tommy called, taking out his sword.
“Okay, you’re in there! Thank fuck. Hang on!”
A few seconds later, part of the vines covering the door fell away, letting sunlight into the darkened room. He could see the form of two people, and a hand reached inside. “C’mon, we’ll get you out!” Puffy called.
“Oh you fucking better!” Tommy swung his sword at the nearest vines, knocking them back but not slicing into them. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be so rude, I’m just under a lot of pressure right now. How’d these even get in here?!” He started walking towards the door, struggling against the vines that were grabbing onto his legs, trying to drag him backwards.
“I don’t know, maybe through the door?” Another chunk of the door-blocking vines fell away, revealing Puffy’s face. “Or it looks like some of the windows are broken.”
“They broke the windows to my hotel?! Dickheads.” Tommy attacked the vines with his sword again, using it more to beat them away than to cut them. Some of the ones from the ceiling were reaching out for him. He punched them away with his free hand.
“I know, right? Just inconsiderate.” Puffy briefly disappeared. The big vines blocking the door were moving, pressing together to try and close the opening. But there was a flash of purple enchantment glow, and they were hacked away again. “You gotta hurry, Tommy, they’re moving fast!”
“I’m coming, alright!” Yanking one foot free of the vine’s grip, he ran the last few steps to the doorway.
Puffy turned to the side to look at something out of sight. “Can you hold the vines back while I pull him out?” A pause. Then she nodded and turned back. “C’mon, Tommy, grab on,” she said, reaching inside.
“Got it.” Tommy snatched her offered hand, squeezing tight.
“I’m gonna pull on three. One...two...three!” Puffy pulled, but the vines struck again, a few suddenly darting forward to wrap around Tommy’s waist.
Tommy yelled. “Holy shit they’re grabbing me! They’re pulling me, it’s just like quick sand!”
“It’s okay, we’re getting you out,” Puffy said determinedly. She leaned forward through the opening in the vines, wrapping her arms around Tommy’s torso. Then she looked back. “Help me on three! One...two...three!”
With a mighty heave, Tommy was pulled from the grasp of the vines, landing on the ground outside the hotel. Immediately, he scrambled to his feet. “What the fuck?!”
“Tommy, Tommy, are you okay?!” Puffy looked him over, patting for injuries. Her red coat was hidden beneath netherite armor, her horns sticking out from under a helmet.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Tommy waved her aside.
<Are you sure you are alright, TommyInnit?>
Tommy looked over to where the familiar sounds had come from. “Yeah, I’m sure, Sam Nook.”
Sam Nook nodded. He was holding an enchanted netherite hoe in one hand. Clearly, he’d been the one helping Puffy to rescue him. <I am glad you are alright, TommyInnit.>
“Yeah, so am I, but what the fuck is going on?!”
“Walk a little bit this way, onto the Prime Path, they tend to avoid that,” Puffy said, shuffling to the left.
“I—okay?” Tommy and Sam Nook followed her lead, and it was only then that Tommy noticed the situation around them.
The vines. They were everywhere, crawling through the grass, climbing up trees and the sides of hills. He’d seen them in spots across the SMP, but they’d never been here before. Now, his house’s entrance was blocked off by vines, the crops in his farm uprooted, his fences hidden beneath crimson tendrils.
“I thought you’d be inside your house,” Puffy said, looking back at the blocked entrance. “I was so freaked out before Sam Nook told me you’d slept in the hotel. What were you doing in there anyway?”
“Well I thought I’d break it in, you know, try it out. It seemed right to do it the night before I visited—” Tommy stopped. “Anyway. How the hell did this happen?!”
“I don’t know, they started to spread overnight!” Puffy defended.
“They’re moving, do you see that?” Tommy pointed into the vines. Every single one was moving, even if only a bit, ranging from tightening around what they were holding to slithering across the ground. “It’s like a bunch of worms, has that happened before?”
“No, it hasn’t! They’re all across the greater SMP area, it’s all covered—well, most of it. They don’t like the Prime Path, I mean they’ll touch it if they have to, but generally—” She let out a huff of air. “They’re all the way out here and beyond.” Glancing down at the sword in Tommy’s hand, she asked, “Do you have a hoe?”
“Well I mean—” Tommy stammered for a moment. “Hrmmm I have quite a lot of hoes, but I don't think this is the time to ask about that, Puffy.”
Under other circumstances, Puffy would’ve laughed. She would have joined in on the joke, or at the very least smiled at it. The fact that her face remained serious showed how grave the situation really was. “Here, take a hoe.” She handed him a diamond hoe. “They do the most damage to these things.”
Tommy took it, then looked back and forth between Puffy and Sam Nook. “Well...what do we do now?”
“For now, you need to get to the Holy Land,” Puffy said. “They don’t go in there.”
“Wait, just me?!” Tommy asked.
“I’m sorry, Tommy, but there are more people out here,” Puffy said regretfully. “Not many, but a few. And I need to find Sam. I think he was at the prison, and I-I don’t know if it’s gotten that far but I need to check—”
“Well why don’t I just stay with the hotel, then?” Tommy suggested, gesturing back to the vine-covered building.
“What? Tommy, look at it! The vines have fucked it!”
“I know that! But it’s—it’s like—” Tommy struggled to find the words for a moment. “It’s my hotel! I did all this to put it together, went on a million fuckton of fetch quests, it’s a—it’s a good place, Puffy, I can’t just leave it behind.”
<Worry not, TommyInnit,> Sam Nook finally spoke again. <I can stay and protect the Big Innit Hotel.>
“Sam—Sam, no, I-I can’t ask you to do that!” Tommy protested. “You’re like—you’re all—what if something happened to you?”
<Nothing will happen to me, TommyInnit,> Sam Nook said with a smile. <I will make sure of it. The crimson will not touch the hotel.>
“But—Sam, you—”
<My job is to help with the hotel. I can stay here. It is important to me that you follow Puffy’s directions and stay safe.>
Tommy took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Okay. Okay. You—you’d better be here when I get back, Sam Nook. I’m counting on you.”
<I will not let you down, TommyInnit,> Sam Nook promised.
“Yeah, you—I’ll—yeah.” Tommy nodded, and looked back at Puffy. “Okay, I’ll head to the Holy Land. I’ll beat the fuck out of any vines that get close to me.” He waved the hoe demonstratively.
“Be careful, Tommy,” Puffy warned. “Don’t let any of them grab you.”
“I won’t. Oh trust me, I have experience in—in beating back bitches with hoes.” He sort of regretted saying that halfway through, but he finished it anyway.
That got a bit of a smile out of Puffy, though. “I’ll be there soon. There should be a whole bunch of people there already.” She took out an enchanted netherite hoe of her own, matching Sam Nook’s, and slowly backed away. “Be careful, okay Tommy?”
“You said that already. And I will be.” Tommy turned to go. “I’ll see you in the Subs!” And he started running down the Path.
=====================
Puffy wasn’t exaggerating when she said the vines were everywhere. As Tommy ran, he saw vines crawling across every surface. The areas that had been covered before were practically solid red with how much they were covered now, and the areas that had been free were gradually disappearing under the crimson sea. The vines usually moved slowly, but every so often they’d dart forward in a burst of speed. He had to stop every so often to fight them back with the diamond hoe Puffy had given him.
He wasn’t the only one out in this chaos, either. He could see people—normal citizens of the SMP—fighting back against tendrils trying to attack them. Very ineffectively, most of the time. People were shouting and screaming as the vines wrapped around them. But not all of them were fighting back. Some of them were just standing there. Staring at the vines. Entranced. And that was even worse.
“Holy shit,” Tommy said to himself. He stopped in his tracks, overwhelmed. Should he do something to help?
Then a few arm-sized vines lunged forward and started grabbing at his ankles.
Crying out, he swung the hoe downwards, chopping off the ends of the vines. He instantly started sprinting again. There were too many people and not enough time! But...he had to do something.
He managed to make it through the shopping centre, the vines getting thicker as he went. It wasn’t that far now. If he could just go a little faster! The vines seemed to know he was here, and were becoming more active as he passed by.
Someone yelled something nearby. It was almost lost in the rest of the cries, but Tommy paused. He recognized that voice. Slowing down, but not stopping, he glanced around for the source of the shout, and saw a pair of familiar faces.
“Sapnap? Big Q?” Now he stopped, hopping in place to make it more difficult for the vines to grab him.
Neither of them noticed him. They were too busy fending off the vines. One of the bigger ones had wrapped around Quackity’s torso, pinning one of his arms. It had knocked him to the ground, where he was struggling to get to his feet again. Sapnap was trying to pull him away from the vine’s grasp, gripping his arm with one hand. There was an axe in his other hand, and he swung weakly at the vine, doing no damage.
Tommy hesitated. Then: “Ah, fuck it.” And he jumped off the Path, running towards the pair and quickly closing the short distance. “Sapnap! Big Q! Hang on!”
“What the—?!” Sapnap looked up as Tommy came running in, absolutely surprised.
“Here, I’ll chop it up, you pull,” Tommy said. Without waiting for confirmation, he raised the hoe over his head and brought it down on the vine, making sure not to aim too close to Quackity. The diamond tool took a large chunk out of the vine, which wriggled like it was in pain. Tommy kept going until he broke the vine, severing it.
Sapnap caught on in time, pulling Quackity away from the remaining part of the vine. He helped him to his feet, and the three of them retreated to the Prime Path.
“Jesus fuck, this is insane!” Tommy said, throwing away the bit of vine he’d accidentally collected upon breaking it. “Are you two alright?”
“Tommy, what are you doing here?” Sapnap asked, a split second before Quackity shouted, “Tommy what the fuck are you doing here?!”
“Oh, well, you know I just saved your lives, you could say thank you,” Tommy commented. “But whatever. Listen, we need to get to the Subs, it’ll be safer there.”
“How much safer are we talking about? ‘Cause I don’t want to deal with this shit ever again.” Quackity pulled his arm free of the vine—unmoving now that it was severed—then unwound it from around him and threw it into the distance.
“It’s—look to be honest, I haven’t seen it, but Puffy told me to go there so that’s where I’m going,” Tommy explained. “She says this shit is avoiding the area so—what are you wearing, by the way?” The last time he’d seen Quackity, he was wearing his usual blue jacket and black pants. Now he had suspenders and a tie on. “Actually, nevermind, that doesn’t matter, are you coming?”
Sapnap and Quackity glanced at each other. “Yeah,” Sapnap said. “I mean, there’s not really anything else we can do now.”
“Exactly! Now come on! If either of you have hoes, now’s the time to get them out, they’re the things to cut through this.”
They set off sprinting down the Path. Soon, they passed by the UFO, now covered in vines that dangled from the edge down to the ground, and came close to the Holy Land. But instead of seeing the buildings in the distance, there was just—
“Is that a wall?” Quackity asked.
Indeed, someone had built a wall around the Holy Land. It was about ten blocks tall, much taller than any of them, and made of a bunch of different materials. Wood, cobblestone, stone bricks, a couple bits of obsidian. It looked like it had been smashed together from whatever someone had on them. The blood-colored vines were squirming around the base of the wall, but not touching it.
“Uh—hello?” Tommy called once they were in earshot. “Anyone in there?”
Someone appeared from behind the top of the wall, leaning down to look at them. Red and blue lenses reflected the light. “Tommy?”
“Jack!” Tommy looked up at him. “Did you build this?!”
“Uh, well it wasn’t just me, it was a bunch of different people.” Jack Manifold turned to glance back down at the ground on his side of the wall. “But yeah.”
“Well can you let us in, then?!” Tommy asked. He kicked away some of the vines on the ground that were trying to grab his feet.
“Uh—no, no I can’t, actually,” Jack said.
“What do you mean you can’t?!” Tommy repeated.
“Well if we take down the wall then the vines could get inside.”
“Yeah, and so could we!”
“Sorry, can’t risk it.” Jack shrugged. “I think you’ll have to stay out there.”
“This is ridiculous,” Sapnap said, pulling out his axe again.
“Yeah, we can just break in,” Quackity agreed, similarly taking out a pickaxe.
“Uh wait—” Jack Manifold started to say.
Too late. Sapnap and Quackity had already knocked holes in the wall and disappeared inside. Tommy quickly darted through as well before they could block the holes back up again.
The Holy Land was crimson-free, but crowded. SMP citizens of all sorts had crammed into the area before the walls went up, and were now standing around, some talking, others just silent. The vines outside inched closer to the new holes in the wall, but stopped just before reaching them, recoiling back. Sapnap quickly filled in the holes with cobblestone.
“What are you doing?!” Jack Manifold dropped down from the wall, wincing a bit at the impact from the fall. “You could have let them in!”
“Well we didn’t, did we?!” Tommy retorted.
“That’s not the point, what if they had got in?!”
“You know, they didn’t really look like they were coming in,” Quackity pointed out. “Tommy, what was it you said earlier? About how they were avoiding the Subs?”
“Oh. Yeah! Puffy said that the vines didn’t want to come into the Holy Land, they must not like it or something.”
“Well they weren’t coming into the place even when there was a way for them to,” Quackity pointed out. “You saw that, right? It’s like there’s a force field or some shit.”
“Well—tha-that’s not—” Jack Manifold spluttered. “What about you three?!”
“Huh? What about us?” Tommy asked.
“The vines are part of the Egg, right? And the Egg’s thing is, like, corrupting people.” Jack folded his arms. “You could be under its control!”
“You think I’m going to listen to something as stupid as an egg?” Tommy asked. “I don’t even—listen, Jack, they tried to get me to like it, they like took me down into the room, and I didn’t feel o-or hear anything at all. It’s just nothing to me.”
“Oh really?” Jack looked doubtful. “Even if that’s true, what about these two?”
“I’m not throwing in with some dumbass Egg!” Quackity protested. “I haven’t even been here recently!”
“Yeah, you really think we’d do something like that?!” Sapnap added angrily. “After seeing what it did to Bad and Ant?”
“I don’t know!” Jack threw his hands in the air. “Maybe! I don’t know anything about this!”
It wasn’t long before the four of them devolved into overlapped shouting. People nearby gave them sideways glances, then as the argument went on, blatantly stared. A few started looking around, unsure what to do. More people came to see what the commotion was. Some pulled out weapons just in case a fight broke out.
“What’s going on here?”
The argument calmed down a bit at the interruption, and Tommy looked out at the crowd, now noticing how many people were nearby. And now he recognized a couple. It looked like Eret and Fundy had managed to get inside the Holy Land before the walls were built. “Oh, it’s nothing, really—”
“Yeah, Jack’s just being a little bitch,” Sapnap added unnecessarily.
“I’m being a-a-a—!” Jack stammered. “I’m being careful! We can’t let the Egg inside, and if any of you are on its side—”
“Wait, hang on a second, Jack,” Eret interrupted. “Doesn’t the Egg cause color changes in whoever it’s controlling?”
“Well, yeah.”
“It’s blue to red and red to white, right? If that was the case, wouldn’t Tommy have red eyes right now?” Eret pointed out.
“Yeah!” Tommy immediately jumped in to agree. “Exactly! Do my eyes look red, Jack?”
Jack paused for a noticeable amount of time, then reluctantly admitted, “No.” Another pause. “But!” he continued. “Quackity’s wearing a red tie! And Sapnap never had any blue or red to begin with!”
“Hey why don’t you leave him alone?!” Sapnap snapped. “Quackity wouldn’t join the Egg! And if we’re going by not having any colors in the first place, why don’t you kick Fundy out?”
“Whoa whoa wait a minute!” Fundy spoke up for the first time. “Why are you bringing me into this? I’m just standing here.”
“Hmm. Standing there suspiciously,” Sapnap commented.
“Wh-wh—you just—I—” Fundy stuttered.
“Nobody is kicking anyone out,” Eret said, raising their voice a bit. “We can’t do this now, with all those vines outside. Unless we have proof that someone is part of the Eggpire, we’re not going to make them leave. Everyone got that?”
The others all muttered their agreements.
“Hey, does anyone know where George is? Or Karl?” Sapnap asked, looking around the crowd that had gathered to watch the argument.
“I...haven’t seen them, but you can always go look,” Eret said carefully.
“Okay. Yeah. Quackity, c’mon, let’s go do that.” Sapnap reached for Quackity’s hand, only for him to pull back. He looked over at him, confused.
“You can go ahead, I’m just...I’ll just chill here,” Quackity said.
“Um...yeah, sure. I’ll...meet you back here.” Unsure what else to do, Sapnap stepped away, then eventually disappeared into the crowd.
“Well, boys, it’s been fun,” Tommy said, swinging his hoe over his head and resting it on his shoulder. “But I’m gonna—I-I’ll—I need to go sit down somewhere. Somewhere else.”
“Yes, go ahead and sit down, Tommy,” Eret said softly. “We’ve been building a basement under the church to fit everyone, it should be mostly empty right now, if you want.” They pointed to their left, indicating an area by the back of the church.
“Right. Thanks. I’ll be seeing you all later.” Tommy walked off, following the direction they gestured to until he found a trapdoor. Opening it, there was a ladder leading downward. He climbed down into a wide stone room, lit by torches but otherwise empty. In a daze, he wandered over to the nearest wall and leaned against it, slowly lowering himself to the floor.
What...had even happened? Why was it happening? Why...now? He had plans for the day. He was going to finally close off this chapter in his life, but this...interruption...it left him feeling aimless. Like he’d been floating in the ocean holding onto a rope, only to find it suddenly severed. What was he supposed to do now?
With similar questions spinning in his head, he slowly fell asleep again.
=====================
Tommy woke up a little bit later, confused until he remembered dozing off. He stood up, wincing. That hadn’t been the most comfortable position to sleep in, and left him feeling stiff. A walk would probably help with that.
The stone basement was still empty, though someone had moved a couple chests into it while he was asleep. They were by the ladder, so he peeked in as he passed by. Nothing much. A bunch of crafting materials like sticks and iron. A few tools and blocks. Dismissing it, he climbed up the ladder and out the trapdoor.
Everyone was still here. In fact, it seemed even more crowded. Most people were gathered inside the church building; a lot of them were hitting the bells. Some others were nearby, setting up chests, furnaces, and crafting tables. The sun was overhead, meaning it was near noon and a few hours had passed since he’d woken up that morning. The walls around the Subs were reinforced with another layer, and now had stairs. Actually, someone was coming down those stairs right now...wait a minute, that was Puffy!
Tommy almost called out to her, but stopped. She looked distracted...and worried. Once she reached the ground, she glanced around, then ran to the side. “Eret!”
“Hmm?” Eret was nearby, crafting something. Tommy saw them turn around. “Puffy! You’re okay!”
“Yeah, barely. My armor’s really damaged.” Puffy let out a long breath. “I came over here as soon as I could but it still took so long—is Tommy here?”
“Tommy’s here. Did you send him?”
“Yeah, because the vines don’t come in.” Puffy paused.
“How bad is it?” Eret asked grimly.
“Well the whole SMP is fucked, basically. They’re from the L’Manberg hole to Hannah’s house on one side, and from the castle to Skeppy and Bad’s house on the other. And I—I can’t find Sam.”
“You can’t?!”
“No, I think he’s in the prison. But the—the nether portal, the one leading in there—it’s broken. All the vines are wrapped around it, I think...I think they shattered it.”
Eret went quiet. “So he’s just...stuck in there?”
“Yeah. But...I guess on the bright side, the vines haven’t spread across the ocean. In any direction, I mean.” Puffy shrugged. “Maybe they don’t like it.” She looked around the area. “So this is everyone.”
“This is everyone,” Eret agreed. “It’s...small. But I’m glad anyone got out of that mess at all.” They paused. “The question is...how we’re going to get out of here.”
“We can think about that in a bit,” Puffy said. “Let’s make sure everyone’s alright first. I grabbed as much food as I could, and some seeds so we can farm if we need to.”
“Oh good idea. We’ve been making a basement, come on, I’ll show you.”
The two of them turned, and Tommy panicked, running around the other side of the church before they could see him. He wasn’t sure why; he just didn’t want them to know he was listening. They might get mad.
It’s funny, really, that the prison was now sealed up. No, wait, that wasn’t the right word. More like...ironic. If he’d actually gone there today like he’d planned to, he’d be trapped in there. And that was the absolute worst thing he could imagine.
Though...this was bad, too. Granted, it was better than being in the prison, with access to the sky and no blackstone and...much better company. But still. The vines were surrounding them on all sides. They couldn’t leave without risking the crimson snatching them up.
They had to come up with something fast. Or else they’d be trapped in here forever.
#dream smp#dreamsmp#mcyt#c!tommy#c!puffy#c!quackity#c!sapnap#c!jack manifold#c!eret#c!fundy#brigid writes fanfiction#thedreamsmpfic
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Atelephobia: The Fear of Never Being Good Enough (Shane/Gender Neutral Farmer) - Chapter 1/3
Just posted 1/3 of my first Stardew Valley fanfic!
Read it below or over @ AO3
Summary:
Shane has got 99 problems but never did he think the entire world losing its colour would be one of them.
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It started off as just any other normal day in Shane’s life.
The chickens clucked noisily outside, the cows joining in their song occasionally with their loud chorus of moo’s. None of these sounds woke Shane up in the slightest - he heard them every day and he’d grown so accustomed to the noise, he figured he’d still be able to continue sleeping even if his bedroom floor caved in beneath his bed.
The slightly battered alarm clock sitting on Shane’s bedside table began its shrill ringing at 6:30am sharp. Shane tended to run by a strict ‘5 more minutes’ rule when it came to waking up in the morning however. Refusing to open his eyes till he absolutely had to, Shane managed to turn off the alarm clock by swatting aimlessly with his hand till it met with cold metal and the ringing stopped.
He tried to fall back asleep for those precious extra 5 minutes of peace before he had to leave for his soul-sucking job at JojaMart. However, memories of the night before began to flood back into his mind. Shane had been up in the mountains late at night, drinking again. He faintly remembered seeing the hermit (Linus, was it?) entering his tent, a plastic bag that was stuffed to the brim with what looked like half-eaten food grasped tightly in his hands.
Shane had drunk a couple cans of beer before he decided to enter the mines nearby. It had been dark and full of strange noises neither human nor animal could make but Shane had managed to make it down several floors with a pickaxe he’d found at the mine entrance in his drunken state. As to why he’d chosen to do this, Shane had no idea whatsoever.
He didn’t remember much else except for the sound of a creature speaking in a garbled ancient language, a warm tingling sensation that filled his entire body, and finally the sharp pain that shot through his head as he finally keeled over from the amount of alcohol in his system, smashing his head against the rocky terrain. Oddly enough, his head didn’t hurt at all this morning. Doctor Harvey must’ve patched him up real good this time. Or maybe Marnie had. Who’d even brought him back to the house?
Just as he was beginning to wonder if he was actually found with trousers on this time, Shane heard the sound of the front door slamming shut. Marnie must have gone out to feed the animals. Shane was just about to roll over onto his side to continue his reminiscing when it began to dawn on him that he’d probably been in bed for more than just 5 minutes.
Shane quickly sat up in bed and grabbed the alarm clock. It was now 7:10am! He couldn’t risk Morris docking his pay again this month - he had to get to JojaMart quick. He jumped out of bed and had just put his leg through a pair of jeans when he noticed that it’d turned from blue to gray. When had that happened? He remembered wearing this exact pair of jeans just two days ago and he certainly hadn’t ever bought gray ones before.
It was then that he realized - everything had turned gray from his walls, to the cushion placed in front of the television set, to the alarm clock, and even his own skin.
I’ve finally done it, haven’t I? I died in those fucking mines last night and now, I’m in some kind of Hell?
The thought ran through Shane’s mind as he spun around, inspecting everything in his room for any sign of colour. This was to no avail. Even his favourite pair of boxers was gray with slightly darker gray hearts dotting it. In a moment of pure desperation, Shane decided to pinch himself as hard as he could on his arm in an attempt to find out if he was in fact still alive. He was.
Rubbing the sore patch of skin on his arm, Shane decided that he didn’t have time to waste standing here and waiting to see if the world around him would get its colour back. If he was still alive, he needed to get to work pronto. He quickly pulled on his ratty, old JojaMart jacket that still did its job and ran out of the house, only just remembering to shut his bedroom door behind him because he just didn’t think he could deal with Marnie yelling at him again about the mess of empty beer cans and pizza boxes in there.
Shane ran through town, almost knocking over Abigail who had just left Pierre’s General Store with a flute in her hands. It worried him to no end that even her usually bright purple of her hair (She must dye it, right?) was now a dull gray, but Shane had no time to be stressing about that now. He’d just have to wait till during his break or after work.
Once he’d arrived at JojaMart, Shane immediately went to the employees office to clock in and change into the uniform. He took a moment to glance at his reflection in the mirror and sighed as he noted that the usually bright blue uniform was just as unflattering as always in a gray shade. He walked out onto the shop floor and began stocking the shelves, determined to just get through the day now.
However, he must’ve done something to offend Yoba because Shane’s shift did not go well at all. He’d first managed to trip over his own feet and crashed straight into the display of limited edition shrimp-flavoured Joja Cola that he’d been hard at work stacking up for over an hour. As Shane was stomping angrily back onto the shop floor with a bucket of soapy water and a mop in his hands, he’d then bumped into Pam who’d screamed in rage when she discovered her brand-new jumpsuit was now soaked. Even though he’d apologized profusely to Pam, Shane still had to sit through an hour and a half of Morris’s lectures as well as had his paycheck docked for the day to reimburse Pam for the damages.
Just as he thought his day couldn’t get any worse however, Shane was just about to clock out for his lunch break when Morris asked him to help Sam unload the delivery trucks that had just arrived with a new shipment of powdered butter, gluten pucks and Carbo Cones. This meant he had to endure almost an hour’s worth of listening to Sam go on and on about how awesome some indie band in Grampleton was - which on some days, was fine. Just not today, for Yoba’s sake. Instead of putting up a fuss however (Morris wouldn’t care anyway), Shane simply gritted his teeth and headed out to the back of JojaMart.
It wasn’t till 2pm that Shane finally managed to clock out for his break. He flopped down onto a seat at a small round metal table in the employee’s break room and stared at the silently humming vending machine in the corner of the room. The vending machine sold only JojaMart products, all of them disgusting and overly sweet - Shane had tried each one. At first, he wondered to himself ‘Wasn’t that vending machine blue before?” before it dawned on him for the second time that day that he hadn’t been able to see colours all day. As crazy as it sounded, he’d just been so distracted with work that he hadn’t had time to notice.
Shane leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, biting his lower lip in concentration. How had this happened? Had something happened to him in the mines? Maybe he should pay Doctor Harvey a visit after work, he would know what to do.
“Knock knock!,” a familiar voice suddenly came from the direction of the door. Shane, who had been staring blankly at a spot on the table, looked up to see who had managed to sneak into the break room in surprise but flinched almost immediately, bringing a hand up to shield his eyes from the sudden burst of colour amongst the gray. Once his eyes had adjusted, Shane saw that the voice belonged to the new farmer that had recently moved into the farm out of the town. They were now standing by the door, their hands clasped behind their back.
He must’ve been staring at the farmer for just a moment too long because they’d then asked “Shane? Are you okay? with an eyebrow raised questioningly. Shane cleared his throat and stood up from his chair, moving to stand in front of the vending machine. It was hard to tell what he was looking at when all the cans were the same gray colour, but he pretended to be deciding which drink he was going to buy to buy himself some time. His heart was beating so fast in his chest, Shane began to wonder if he was about to pass out.
Why’s the farmer the only one who’s in colour? Why of all people has it got to be them?!
Just as he thought of something smart to say, Shane heard the sound of the break room door opening again. He spun around to find the farmer already halfway out the door. However, the farmer noticed at the last moment that Shane had finally turned around and was now looking at them. They hesitated for a moment before saying with a shy smile tracing their lips “I’ve gotta go now but...I’ll be stopping by the Stardrop Saloon tomorrow night, I hope I’ll see you there there?”
“I-I’ll see you there!,” Shane blurted out, feeling his cheeks begin to heat up. The farmer flashed him a warm smile before shutting the door behind them. Shane fell back into his seat and buried his face in his hands, mentally screaming at himself for two main reasons. One, he had sounded way too excited at the prospect of seeing the farmer again. Two, had the farmer just subtly invited him on a date? And did he just...agree to it? What was going on today?!
Not once did he stop to wonder why the farmer hadn’t turned gray like everything else, himself included.
Shane managed to breeze through the second half of his shift at JojaMart without any further mishaps, and had made it all the way back home with his head high up in the clouds. He popped a frozen pizza he’d stolen from JojaMart’s freezers into the oven and entered his bedroom, kicking his shoes off at the door.
He was just wondering if people still brought their date flowers in these modern days when he noticed a small slip of paper that was being held in place beneath a small stone that was smooth to the touch. Written on the paper in a barely legible script were the words ‘Lost your ability to see colour, huh? If you want it back, meet me at the mines tonight at 11pm’.
Shane looked around his room and decided to check the windows. They were locked. Whoever had delivered this note must’ve come in from the front door but Marnie who had been home all day would have said something to him if someone had come looking for him. She hadn’t though, so they must have snuck in without her seeing. Now he knew how they got in, there was still one question left unanswered:
Who sent me this note?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author Notes:
Part 2 will be up sometime later this week so stay tuned for that.
If you'd like my work and would like to support me, please consider donating to my Ko-fi @ https://ko-fi.com/stellawella97 where I am offering custom fanfic commissions for a cup of coffee! It'd really help me out. Thank you <3
#stardew valley#stardew shane#stardew farmer#stardew fanfic#gender neutral fanfic#sdv#sdv shane#sdv farmer#fanfiction#fanfic
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The Chosen
Based on the book The Selection by Kiera Cass
Pairing: Magnus/Alec with a small side of Helen/Aline and Reyhill
Rating: M for Mature
Word Count: ~24,000
Art: @flynnifox
Beta: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myblackeyedboy
Summary: In a land where your place in society was decided long before you are born, Alec Lightwood spends his day as a farm hand for a local family. His family is just above the poorest in the country. The most he can expect in life is to die early from stress like his grandfather before him.
But this year everything will change.
The only son of the King of Edom has come of age. There will soon be a lottery between the counties and twenty-three young women will be picked to try and win over the heart of the beloved prince. However, this year will be different, for the first time ever men are allowed to enter as well. Will Alec risk the shame of coming out for a chance to meet his childhood crush, that is if he is chosen.
AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33675712/chapters/83691226
1
The sun was just rising when Alec awoke. The Lightwood household was still quiet, but not for long. Soon the rooster would caw and the whole house would rise. Alec leaned back in his small bed. Across the tiny room was his brother, Max. The poor little boy had soot still on his nose from helping their dad clean the chimney of the main house.
A bird started cawing outside of their window and Max stirred. Time to get up and get ready for the day. There were three children in the Lightwood household. The Lightwood family were Sevens. They were just above the homeless untouchables and people didn’t hesitate to remind them of this fact.
The Kingdom of Edom had eight class levels. Ones were the royalty and magical mystics. The second level were the models, actors, soldiers, and politicians. The Threes held most of the everyday jobs like teachers, doctors, lawyers, writers, and inventors. Fours were the farmers, chefs, and business owners. Fives were the artists. Singers, musicians, and dancers filled this level. The Fives were on the cusp of poverty for more than half the year. Sixes and Sevens were similar in that they were mostly servants, wait staff, secretaries, housekeepers, factory workers; however Sevens worked outside. They were also similar in pay. While their jobs were needed they were barely paid for their work. Eights were the lowest class, made up of the homeless. Traitors and criminals were among their ranks and they had to beg for food or steal.
Alec’s family lived on the Herondale family farm. It was steady work, but not well paid. The five Lightwoods did most of the upkeep needed on the farm. While the Herondale’s ran the business side of the farm. The Heriondales were only Fours, three levels above the Lightwoods, but they never treated them as anything less than family. However, even the Herondale’s were not that rich.
Max rolled over in his small bed and resumed softly snoring. Shifting out of his bed and pulling on his threadbare socks Alec pushed his feet into the worn out shoes and quietly shuffled out to use the bathroom. Alec splashed water on his face afterwards to wake himself up more. He heard a rooster and knew that everyone else would be getting up soon too. Down the hall from the bathroom was his parents room and his sister’s room. Izzy had a room to herself, but it was not much. It had been a place for storage once upon a time, but when Izzy got older they took her bed and squeezed it in the small room. It was big enough for a small bed, side table, and a chest at the foot of the bed. Still it was her little sanctuary.
His mother was already up, fixing food. He leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek before pulling on his overcoat and heading outside. His first task of the morning was to milk the cows. Once he did that he had to make sure they were fed and comfortable. The chickens would be next.
The wind chilled him to the bone. Fall was not far off and winter would quickly follow. The crops would be harvested soon and the land left barren for the season. It had been a hard summer. The drought had lasted too long and their yield was not going to be as much as previous years. There was a possibility that the Herondales might have to let them go. This was the only home Alec had ever known and he didn’t want Max to grow up in this uncertainty.
The only way out of your level was marriage for women or being drafted into the military for men. At nineteen, men were randomly selected for the draft. For some it was a way out of poverty, but it also brought on more danger. Men that went to the front in the war with Diyu rarely came back. Still if he could get drafted and stay alive for at least a few months then the money he earned could help his family. One more year and he would be old enough for the draft. There was, however, an exception to the marriage rule.
Male pregnancy had always been the stuff of legends, but after the king's mystics found the proper mixture of spells and potions men were able to carry children to term just like women. While only Threes and up had enough money to pay for magical potions and spells, the lower levels didn't. Fours on down were more traditional. Men married women and had families.
"Hey." He turned to see Jace, the oldest Herondale son. Jace was about a year younger than Alec, all blond hair and muscles. The Lightwood and Herondale children had grown up together. There were five Herondale children: Jace, Sebastian, who was two years younger and a year younger than Izzy. Aaron was four years younger and the closest to Max's age. Then Layla and Dylan who were the only girls, twins of about five years old.
"Hey." Alec smiled back as his heart sped up. Alec was not like most men, he was in love with a man. Well two men. His place in society meant he could never have what he truly wanted.
"Need any help?" Jace was still rubbing his eyes.
"You can take that bucket back to my mom." Maryse, Alec's mother, and Izzy worked on the dairy side of the farm while at the same time Robert, Alec, and little Max did the tilling of earth. Jace nodded and walked, grabbing the full bucket and taking it back to the house. Alec sighed as he watched the man leave. He needed to snap out of this. Besides, Jace already had a girlfriend. So Alec being in love with his best friend was completely wrong. There were a handful of Twos and Threes but most of the province of Idris' residents were Fives on down.
The second man Alec was in love with was even more unattainable. Magnus Octavioasn Aemilius Bane was the crown prince of Edom, but Alec felt like he knew him after watching him grow up on the public access channel. He had copper skin, just like his mother, raven hair that was always perfectly coiffed, and honey gold eyes, like his father.
Alec sighed as he finished up with the second bucket. Why was he attracted to men that were so unattainable?
Later after the eggs had been collected and his mother had gotten the milk, he sat down for a simple meal of porridge and day-old bread.
"How is the harvest coming?" His mom asked his dad.
"Better than we had expected but nowhere near enough. Stephen said they will try to make a good profit on what they have but there will not be any left over." Robert sighed. The drought had really hit Idris hard. Fellow farmers didn't have any room for extra workers. The dairy would keep them going through the winter but Alec knew his father was already looking for other work.
“I can go into Alicante and see if anyone needs help.” Alec offered. His father had been looking too tired as of late.
“You are needed here, Alec.” His father sighed.
“After the last of the harvest. Maybe I can get enough work before the snow starts to fall.” His father would not say no to any work and Alec was the same way.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Izzy came into the boys’ room after dinner. Max was taking a bath so Alec was alone with his thoughts for a moment.
“Alec.” His sister walked over and sat beside him. “I just delivered some milk to the main house and I heard Mr. and Mrs. Herondale talking about the Prince. His birthday is soon.” Alec nodded as if trying to follow along but he was lost. Izzy sighed. “When a prince of Edom turns 20 he is deemed marriageable age.”
OH. It was time for the prince to find his spouse. Daughters of the King were usually married off to foreign leaders to secure bonds, but sons always married a daughter of Edom. Soon letters would be going out to every female between the ages of sixteen and twenty to be placed into a lottery and see which would become a part of the chosen few.
“Then you will be able to enter.” Alec said with a small smile. If a girl became a part of the chosen few her status was automatically upped to a Three if she was not a natural born Two or Three. Even if she went home the very next day she would still retain that level. Izzy deserved a better life than the one she lived.
“I was not finished,” She admonished. “They said that rumor has it that the Prince is bisexual and might be looking for women and men.” Alec’s head spun for a moment. The Prince was...how...no. It had to be a rumor. That was it, just a silly rumor.
“Ssso?” He hated how his voice slipped as he tried to sound confident.
“So, I will not be the only one that can fill out the form.” Alec shot up from his bed and stuffed his feet back into his worn out shoes.
“I forgot to check the hen house.” Alec nearly ran out of the door just to get away from her. No, absolutely no one knew of his feelings toward men and yet Izzy had pretty much spelled it out. Alec made his way over to the hen house knowing fully well he had locked the gate and nothing could get in or out.
If the Prince wanted a male spouse...it was not unheard of in the upper levels, however, as long as he could remember Princes married daughters of Edom, not sons of Edom. Tucking that thought away, back where it belonged, Alec walked around for a bit before he was sure Izzy would be in her room so he could sneak back in without encountering her knowing smile.
2
Alec wiped his brow before the sweat could fall into his eyes. It was nearly noon and the harvesting was almost done. His father was right, it was not going to be enough to make a decent profit. Alec had already decided he was going into town the next day to look for work. Neither his father nor little brother were looking particularly well lately. Max had always been a little sickly, but Alec feared it might be stress for his father. Roberts' own father had died around the same age from a heart attack. So had his father before him. Working all day outside in the heat and the cold for very little pay would be stressful for anyone. Alec was not going to let that be the fate of his father, not if he could help it.
Later after a small dinner the family traveled up to the main house to watch the weekly report. No one missed a report, ever. Even the homeless could find a store front to watch the report from. It told the people of Edom everything they needed to know from prices of produce, to the war. Tonight was going to be particularly special. This would be the night they would announce the Prince’s birthday and the Chosen guidelines.
When they got to the Herondales' they found that Dylan and Layla were already in Jace’s lap, each one occupying a leg of their favorite brother. Aaron and Max went to sit in a corner, probably going to play with cards or bottle caps. They didn’t much care for the report. A bunch of boring updates that never had anything to do with two lower class boys. It would be a few years before they started to take notice.
Izzy sat next to Sebastian, who was sitting next to Jace, and Alec took the floor in front of her. For the past year both mothers have been trying to push the kids together. Izzy could marry into a higher level and get out of the hard labor. Lower levels tended to marry early as premarital sex was punishamble by banishment or death. Most people married within their class and it was rare that a boy from a high caste would marry a level beneath him, not to mention three levels.
Jace already had a girlfriend, a little fiery red headed Five. Clary Fairchild lived in the middle of town, above a bookstore. Her past was a sordid one. Her mother used to be a Five, a painter in Alicante. A neighbor boy, who was a Four, had gone to a school far from Idris. One vacation he brought his new friend, a Two, to visit. Jocelyn fell for the charismatic Valentine Morgenstern.
They married and Jocelyn left Alicante for the capital. Unfortunately Valentine was caught in a plot to overthrow the king, along with his son, Jonathan. Jocelyn was innocent in the plot and in exchange for testifying against her husband she was able to go back to her hometown and became a Five once again. Clary was the younger child and only eight when all this happened so she went with her mother. The demotion from Two to Five must have been hard for Clary, who was used to such a grand lifestyle as the daughter of a politician. But she was a natural Five, being as good of an artist as her mom.
But if the weather didn’t get better both unions might have to wait. There might even be a possibility that Jace or Sebatien would be forced to marry a wealthier Four bride. Love was still the primary reason that most lower level couples married for, but in the upper levels connections took precedence over emotions.
“There he is!” Izzy cheered. She didn’t need to be so loud, but nonetheless Alec turned his head to the TV. King Asmodeus and Queen Annisa walked in, hand in hand with Magnus on his father’s other side. Magnus walked with grace and beauty. The raven haired man had his head held high. A streak of blue running through his perfectly quaffed hair. Being from the Bane family the Prince knew magic and knew how to change his appearance and he never missed an opportunity to make a statement.
Izzy squeezed her brother’s shoulder as Jace tried to calm the girls down. The report would start with the Edom national anthem, led by the royals themselves. Then advisers would stand one by one and give a brief update of issues around the kingdom. Only after that would the talk turn to the Chosen.
As the program went on Alec found his heart was beating faster. Why did it matter? Even if he did enter he would never be chosen and then he would bring shame to his family. He was expected to marry within his class, not above it, and to a woman.
Both families listened to the reports with the kids zoning in and out of listening. Max and Aaron were still playing in the corner, Dylan had settled down but her sister was still a ball of energy. Finally after the last governmental report, the one about the farms, the attention was turned to the master of ceremonies, Simon Lewis. His dark curly hair was perfectly styled and he held a microphone to match his magenta suit. Simon bowed before the King.
“Thank you, Sire. It is an honor to be a part of this historic choosing.” Alec felt his breath hitch for a moment. Historic, so it was true. The rumor was true. “Prince Magnus, might you join me down here.” The Prince stood from his chair and gracefully walked down the few steps and over to where Simon and a small table and two chairs waited.
“Thank you very much, Simon.” The Prince and the MC sat down.
“It is I that should be thanking you. Life is never boring around you.” Magnus chuckled.
“That is very true and soon it will be more chaotic.”
“Speaking of, how are you feeling about this year's choosing? Twenty-three young women chosen to come vie for the Prince's attention?” Simon wiggled his brows. “Must be quite a task.”
“It would be, but I have decided to take it a step farther.” Magnus turned to the camera and spoke straight to the people. “I am opening the Chosen to the sons of Edom, not just to the daughters.”
Those words buzzed in his ears loud enough that Alec didn’t hear anything else. <i>Sons of Edom.</i>
3
The news exploded through all twenty-three provinces of Edom. The local province registration offices were flooded with people, both male and female, all trying to get their chance at this lottery. In Alicante most of the men that signed up were Threes or Fours. No men from the lower levels were seen near the office. Even the Fours signing up were risking everything.
Robert had forbidden Izzy from signing up. “If he is that much of a deviant then we don’t need our family dragged into that.” Of course he had only said that within the confines of his small home with his family present. But that didn’t stop Alec from wanting it. He wanted to sign up and even made up his mind to walk the five miles to the office, twice, before he chicken out.
As the days went by Alec filled his time with finding new work to offset the cost of winter. He had found a few construction jobs along with cleaning up a couple abandoned plots of land. The money he brought home was well worth it. He had even started to forget about his own wishes until the night Max came down sick.
Max had never been that healthy, but most of the common remedies for colds kept the sickness at bay. He was not to work in the cold and rain, but being on a farm he often had to help his father and brother. The weather had started to turn cold when Max woke up one morning with a headache and he looked as white as a sheet.
Unfortunately they couldn’t send for a doctor, that was just too expensive. Even the Herondales didn’t have the money. Maryse sat by her son’s bed and tried to make him as comfortable as possible.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Izzy pulled Alec into her room and closed the door. “What do you want?” Izzy had been trying to get Alec alone all day, but there was work to be done. Finally after dinner she was able to corner him.
“Here.” She handed him a small white envelope. Alec looked at it and then back up to his sister. “Open it, you idiot.” She said, exasperated. Alec rolled his eyes and sat on her small bed to open up the envelope. The moment he read the first sentence of the form he knew what it was. It was the Chosen form.
“Izzy, no.”
“Alec, yes. This could be your only chance at real love.” That was if the Prince even chose him, which he probably would not. He would want some handsome Two or Three that knew poetry and how to model rather than when to plant the next crop or how to clean a chimney in under an hour.
“And what if it gets back to mom and dad? They can not afford the shame.”
“Alec.” Izzy took his hand in hers. Both of them worked hard but Izzy still had softer hands. “We are one step above the homeless. We live in this hell of a level because of our ancestors. That does not mean we should not want more. You don’t want to waste your life working outside on a farm, marrying someone you don’t love, and then possibly dying early from all the hard work?”
Alec looked back at the form. If the people of Alicante found out and refused to employ him...he could move to Brooklyn, thirty miles to the east, he reasoned. The city had more opportunities and maybe he could bring back a lot of money, but was this worth all that effort?
“Try, Alec. If you are picked then the family will get a stipend for your absence. That money could be used to heal Max. It could keep us in this house for another winter.” Izzy was right. If he was chosen his parents would get money and Alec would be elevated to a Three. Even if he was shown the door the first night he would have a different level that would allow him to be a teacher or a writer or anything else really.
“Ok, Iz. I will try.”
-=-=-=-=-=-
The next day before anyone had gotten up Alec rose from his temporary bed. Alec had given up his bed so his mother could sleep near Max in case he needed her. Alec took the worn out couch in the living room as his bed.
Going to the bathroom he combed his hair and washed his face. After everyone had gone to bed the night before Alec had looked over the form. It was said that pictures were taken when the person turned their form in. So much for it being a random lottery. Still Alec wanted to look his best. He had borrowed a shirt from Jace, not exactly telling him why he wanted it, but the light blue shirt looked newer than his brown or grey ones. It made his blue eyes pop and that was more than he could hope for.
Back out of the bathroom he stuffed his small satchel with his work shirt, the form, and some food before leaving a note for his parents. He was planning on finding work after he put the form in. It would give him an excuse as to why he had left so early. He would not turn any job down, no matter what it entailed.
It was early morning as he walked across the fields to the road that would lead him into Alicante proper. Alicante was a small town with a main street full of little shops and then homes surrounding it. The registration office opened at eight and he still had over two hours before that. He could take this walk at a leisurely pace. He didn’t want to be muddy or sweaty when he got to the office.
As he walked he tried to think what it would be like if he was chosen. There would never any be a chance with Jace. He didn’t favor men and only had eyes for Clary. Like Izzy said, this could be his only hope at a relationship with a man.
Slowly the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. People started to open their businesses as he passed main street. He would be back soon to see if anyone needed help. The business owners were always so nice to him and his family. Turning off main street he headed for the edge of town. The registration office was right across from the train station on the edge of town. He stopped by the station to see the price of a ticket to Brooklyn. If everything went south he would need a way out.
There was already a small line in front of the office. Two more days and the registration would be closed. It seemed he was not the only one that wanted to get their pictures taken early. There were a handful of girls with their mothers who looked like they were on their way to work. Probably Sixes going to work at local factories or maybe even bookkeepers.
The group looked at him for a moment as he stood behind the last woman in line. Even if he flushed with embarrassment he refused to turn around. He was here and he was going to put his form in.
Within twenty minutes of standing in line and a few more people joining the line the office opened. This gave Alec time to wipe his face of any dirt or sweat he had gathered from the trek. The wait was short before he was allowed in the building. The woman at the front desk looked him over before asking for his form. Most government office workers were Fours so he was pretty sure this woman looked down on him.
Taking out the form from his bag he handed it over. Where girls might have been able to put skills of cooking and sewing down Alec only had one skill, archey. He hadn’t even done it in years since Jace’s bow had broken in their early teens. Still it was better than any other skill he could think of.
“Alright, Alexander Lightwood?”
“Alec.”
“Alec. This way to the photo booth.” She motioned into a small room. Inside was a photographer and his assistant. Alec swallowed his embarrassment and walked inside.
“Come over, my son. Getting your picture taken for the choosing?” The man didn’t bat an eye at him. He must not be from Alicante.
“Yes sir.” Alec put his bag down on the floor near the door and walked over to where the man pointed to. Once he sat down the assistant made a few adjustments to the lighting before going behind the camera with the photographer.
“Alright, son. I want you to think of your happiest memory. Hold it close to your heart and smile. One.” Alec thought of a time when Jace, Izzy, and himself had played near a brook, acting like they were pirates that wanted to take over the world. “Two.” He remembered being chosen to be Jace’s first mate and how much pride he took in that job, mostly “swabbing the decks.” “Three.”
Alec smiled brightly as the flash went off. He hoped he looked as happy as he felt from the memory.
After Alec left the office he hid in an alleyway and changed his shirt. Stuffing the nicer shirt back in his bag he set off back down the street towards main street. That day he was able to scrape enough money together to save some for his train ticket plus a little more to bring home.
4
It had been two weeks since he put his form in. The lottery had closed and soon the Chosen would be picked. Even though he felt like he had changed, no one else seemed to notice. No one turned him away when he asked if there was any work he could do. That made him breathe a little easier.
So far he had brought in enough money that his parents could get medicine from the store to help little Max. He still was not better, but he hadn’t gotten worse. There was no way that in the next few months he could get enough money together so they could visit a doctor. If Max didn’t get better on his own there might only be four Lightwoods left.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Alec sat his pack down at the door and stretched his back and neck. Today had been a hard day. Only a few people needed help in the town. It was still another week until people started to winterize their homes. Both Robert and Alec had clients lined up starting the next Monday.
“Hey, Alec.” Izzy was in the kitchen stirring something over the stove.
“Please tell me you didn’t make that all on your own.” He ducked as a towel sailed towards him.
“It’s one of mom’s stews so no it will not poison you, but I might.” Izzy was not the greatest cook, mainly because their mom never let her help. Maryse wanted to be in control of everything in the kitchen but now with Max sick, she couldn’t.
Their father came in moments later. He looked paler than usual. The partiach had been working twice as hard the past couple weeks. They were both trying to make as much money as they could.
“Food will be ready soon, Papa.” Izzy said as she moved to cut up some bread. Alec went to the bathroom to wash up, followed by his father. They didn’t speak, both so tired, but they had to conserve their energy. The weekly report was coming on tonight. As Alec exited the bathroom it struck him tonight the twenty-three people were being picked. His heart beat a little faster as he walked himself back to the kitchen and sat down at the small table.
“Alec?” He looked up to see his sister placing the food in front of him. “You look spaced out. Please tell me you have not been working too much.” Alec shook his head and opened his mouth to answer but their mother walked in.
“Is the food ready? Max said he wanted to try it.” Their mother seemed to have aged several years in only a few days. Izzy dished out some of the stew, more liquid than solids. Their mother took it and turned back to the hall. Their parents passed each other sharing only a quick glance.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Robert, Izzy, and Alec were the only ones to make the trek up to the main house. Maryse refused to leave her child behind and Max was in no shape to walk up.
The Herondale household was more subdued than it had been a few weeks before when the Choosing announcement was made. Dylan and Layla still sat near their favorite brother but neither were very talkative. Aaron sat against the wall with his legs drawn up to his chest. Sebastian sat beside his brother with Izzy and Alec on his other side. Robert sat in a side chair while Mr. and Mrs. Herondale shared the other side chair.
The report started. The King and Queen walked out with Magnus beside them. His suit was made of deep green velvet with gold buttons. While he did look dashing Alec didn’t have much enthusiasm in him. They would announce the Chosen and Alec would not be one of them. No Seven had ever made it to the Choosing, not once in over two hundred years. They would not start now for a male.
The announcements were made but they barely listened. His father was staring into space either in deep thought or just too tired to focus. There was nothing particularly interesting about the announcement. Nothing they had not heard before. Finally Simon Lewis took the stage with an electric blue suit jacket.
“He has interesting style choices.” Izzy commented to no one in particular.
“And now the moment that I am sure everyone in Edom is waiting for. Prince Magnus, would you join me?” The Prince moved from his throne down to where Simon stood with a handful of cards. “Now, your majesty, I am told you did peek at a few of the pictures of applicants.”
“Yes. I was only allowed a few minutes to look through a few profiles, but everyone I saw looked stunning. I would be lucky to have any of them as my spouse.” Simon chuckled and pulled up his cards.
“Alright, then let’s get this started. In no particular order let’s see who the lucky twenty-three sons and daughters of Edom will be.” The first picture that came up was a blonde woman with a dazzling smile. “Camille Belcourt, Two.” Of course. “Merlion Knight, Two.” The next picture was a dark haired man with a slight smile.
The next few came so quickly. They were all beautiful people. Two more Twos and three Threes.
“Helen Blackthorn, Three.” Another blonde but her face was softer than the first blonde. “Lydia Brandwell, Two.” They had yet to give any below a Three. They might throw a Four or Five in there for good measure but that would probably be it.
“Andrew Underhill, Four.” A picture flashed of a joyous man with blond curls. Two more Threes and then their first Five “Maureen Brown, Five.” She looked more like a child than a woman, if she was sixteen it would be a miracle. More names rolled past but Alec had lost count. They had to be coming to an end soon. Izzy reached out to take his hand and he looked at her out of his peripheral vision. She was not looking at him but she was here for him.
Two more Fives, another Four, another Three, another two Fours, another two Fives. “And last but certainly not least.” Simon said before the last photo flashed up on screen. “Alexander Lightwood, Seven.”
5
Idris was a wash with activity. It had only been two days since the Chosen had been announced and the Lightwood family had had many visitors. They all wanted to congratulate a Chosen son of Edom. At first Alec’s family had been surprised. When his name came up on the television along with his glowing photo, Alec had froze up. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he could ever make it.
Izzy had jumped up from the couch yelling and dancing around. This seemed to lighten the twin’s moods and they got up to dance not knowing why. Alec felt all eyes on him but his eyes were still on the TV as the Prince thanked all the Chosen and wished them safe travels to the capital. Then the national anthem played again before going to snow.
After the TV was switched off there was no sound but the girls asking why they were celebrating.
“Home.” Was the only word their father said before standing up and leaving the room. Alec and Izzy followed close behind knowing an explosion was going to happen as soon as they made the walk down to their house. Maryse was in the kitchen when they came back, pushing her soup around. She was not all that hungry but needed to keep up her strength.
“Sit.” His father’s voice was clipped and both Lightwood siblings sat down at the table.
“What is wrong, dear?” Their mother asked.
“Alec entered the Chosen.”
“And won!” Izzy snuck in before her father glared at her.
“Alexander...” His mother started with sadness in her voice.
“You entered that lottery without a thought of what it could do to your family. We are nearly destitute, Alexander.”
“I know, Father..”
“No you do not! We will lose jobs! Everyone now knows you are a deviant. You will never be able to marry a good girl...” Alec slammed his hands on the table and stood up.
“I never wanted to marry a good girl! Father, I am gay. I have known for some time.” He knew since he was young when he developed his crush on Jace. “And I did think about the family. You will get a stipend for my absence. That will more than pay for the lodging over the winter and get a doctor out here to see Max.” Both of his parents sat stunned at their eldest son. “If I had not won then we would not have had to worry. No one at the Government office has said anything.”
As he ended his speech he felt himself slightly weaken and sat down. Izzy reached across the table to take his hand but he pulled them back into his lap.
“And how long do you think you can stay?” His father asked. “Once you are thrown out you will have nothing and neither will we!”
“I will be a Three.” Alec said. “I will be able to get a better job, one where I don’t break my back and die at 40.” This caused his father to pale. Most Lightwood men only make it to 40 or 50 if they were lucky. Life was just too hard. Finally his father sat down at the table with his family.
“The damage has been done. You have made your bed, Alec, now you must lie in it.”
It was the very next day that a few local workers stopped by to bring some food for the family. The next visitors were a few businessmen from town. They talked with Robert and offered him some work for a good price. They must have told a Doctor because the very next day Dr. Hodge, the local physician, showed up to examine Max. Finally something was getting done.
-=-=-=-=-=-
On the third day a Mr. Victor Aldertree knocked upon their door at two p.m. The dark skinned man looked out of place in the Lightwood home with his beautiful three piece suit and top hat, though the man didn’t exactly look like he wanted to be there to begin with.
“May I speak with Mr. Alexander Lightwood?” The family brought the man into the kitchen and sat around the small table. Izzy was pleased to be a part of all this. Alec felt sick.
“Now, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood, I have a few questions that need to be asked of you and of young Mr. Lightwood. Some of these questions are of a sensitive nature. I feel that it might be best if your daughter were not present.” Izzy gave an indignant sound and stormed off. Alec would fill her in later.
“Alright, Alexander, I need you to answer all these questions as truthfully as you can. If at any time we find out that you have lied you will be reprimanded and thrown out of the Choosing. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Alec nodded.
“First question, when was your last physical exam?” Alec blinked as he couldn’t remember.
“I do not remember.” They didn’t have money to go to the Doctor that often. Aldertree marked something down.
“Would you be willing to get one, paid for by the Crown.” He added.
“Yes.”
“Very good. Now sexual orientation.” Alec flushed bright red. “Would you consider yourself hetreosexual, bisexual, or homosexual?”
“Hhhomosexual.”
“Have you engaged in any sexual activity with a member of the opposite sex or the same sex?” Alec felt like his face was going to burn off from the heat of embarrassment.
“Nnno.”
“To which one?”
“Both.”
“Very good.” The man wrote something else down before moving on to less sensitive questions. By the time Aldertree was packing up Alec could feel a headache coming on.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood, Alexander. Someone will be in touch with you shortly about the trip to the capital and a schedule for a physical examination.” The man exited the house and put his hat back on. “Good day to you all.”
6
It was a Thursday when he would finally leave his family and journey to the capital. Edom City was named after the country for which they resided in and was the main headquarters of the royal family and the military. From what Alec had read about when he was younger there were buildings so high up you couldn’t tell where they stopped and the sky began.
There was not much for him to pack. His family had used most of their money on a new outfit for him. The palace would be taking over his wardrobe once he got there and most of his clothes had more holes than a beehive. He was taking only his small satchel filled with a few trinkets.
Max had given him a wooden horse that Jace had carved for him one year. <i>“It will keep you safe.”</i> Izzy gave him a small book that she had purchased a few years back. Alec loved to read but he had neither the time nor the books to actually read. <i>“When you have time between kissing the Prince and talking to high society you can sit somewhere and read.”</i> His mother had given him a handkerchief that she had embroidered his name on. <i>“I hope you will be happy, dear.”</i> His father, however, didn’t give him any trivial trinket. He was not a man that was sentimental. Instead he gave a few words of advice. <i>“While I do not like this, you are the first Seven to ever be picked. Head up and chin out. Show Edom that a Seven is not as lowly and weak as they think.”</i>
The day before Jace and Alec had sat by the river and briefly talked. Saying goodbye to his best friend was not as hard as he thought it would be, but he knew once he got to the palace he would miss Jace terribly.
“I think it's really cool you went for what you wanted, Alec.” Alec looked over at his blonde friend.
“You don’t mind me being...”
“Nope,” Jace said, shaking his head. “I kind of always knew. I don’t know, like this feeling.” Alec found himself blushing and looking away from the other. “I mean, if I was like you, I wouldn’t mind having you for a partner.” That caused Alec to blush even deeper. They didn’t say much after that, just sitting by the river listening to the water.
When they got up to leave Jace reached in his pocket and pulled out a small bracelet of colored beads.
“I had Clary make this for you. I know it's not much...but I don’t want you to forget about me.” Alec felt tears in his eyes when he pulled Jace into a tight hug.
“I could never forget you.”
The car arrived to take him to the station. Once on the train it was a straight shot to the capital but they would be making a few stops. After Idris they would be traveling through the Undying Lands, the biggest farmland in all of Edom and the richest. First stop would be Winter Vale where they would pick up Helen Blackthorn. Alec had done very little research on most of the other Chosen but since the Undying Lands were so close he looked up the three people coming from there.
Helen’s family were from level Three, being mostly lawyers and educators. She was actually going to become a lawyer when she was chosen. Now that Alec had become part of the Chosen he had ascended to the rank of a Three. Maybe he would become a teacher or librarian. He did like books and to be surrounded by them would be wonderful.
Six and Sevens attended a mediocre public school. They learned only the basics and were done by the time they were sixteen so they could get out and start working. They didn’t need much more than that. If you worked in a factory or out in the sun why would you need to know complex chemical formulas or the history of Edom before it was called that. Alec smiled slightly, he would never have to work out in the sweltering heat ever again.
After Winter Vale would be Spring Dale, where they would pick up Meliorn Knight and Annabelle Powerton, both Twos. Meliorn’s father had been drafted into the military when he was nineteen, he was already a Two so his status wouldn’t change. Apparently Merliorn did not want to follow his father into the military and the man had never held a job in his life. Being at the high end of the age range maybe he was just hoping to become the spouse of the next king of Edom. Annabelle’s father was a politician and very trusted by the people in the Undying Lands. She was a pretty girl, petite with chin length brown hair, and a tiny waist. Any one of the other Chosen from this area would be better suited for life in the royal palace.
Alec had never been on a train so when he was shown where the car the Chosen would be riding he jumped as the train started to pull out. Sitting in one of the oversized chairs he looked out as the land whipped past. Soon he would be out of Idris. The farthest he had ever been from home. After the Undying Lands was the county of Adamant Citadel, where the military trained, then on to the capitol. The trip should take around four hours, at least that was what he had been told.
There had not been any big send off for Alec. Anyone who was anyone had already wished him good luck. He had said goodbye to his family at their home. The Herondales had come to see him off and Alec’s heart ached to hug Jace goodbye. His first crush. It all seemed so long ago. Now he was on a train headed for his future, whatever that would be.
-=-=-=-=-
At their first stop Helen Blackthorn was brought on. She was a tall, thin woman with blonde hair that was pulled back from her face, and blue-green eyes. She wore a black long jacket over a tan pantsuit and tall heels that made her much taller than Alec who stood at 6’1”. She was nice but a little aloof. They spoke for a little while before their second stop.
As they pulled into the Spring Dale station, Alec could see from the train all the fanfare that the next two Chosen were getting. A man with long brown hair, half tied up, was waving and carrying flowers. He had on an all white suit that Alec wondered how he kept clean. By the time the other Chosen had got on and came back to the car Meliorn had ditched the flowers. From what Alec could see now Meliorn was not wearing a shirt, just the suit jacket.
Annabelle was walking behind him looking a slight bit mift. Oh dear, drama and they had not even got to the capital yet. Annabelle came up to Helen’s midriff, she wore a short pink lace dress and black shoes. She had a small bag on her left arm that looked no bigger than an envelope.
Meliron sat across the aisle from Alec and Helen and took out a grey box and started pressing on it. Annabelle sat next to Helen, who was across from Alec. She didn’t even look his way. Helen had been nice, but no doubt Annabelle didn’t want to associate with anyone that used to be a Seven. Sighing he turned back to the window.
After Spring Dale was miles and miles of farmland and forest. Some later they entered the Adamant Citadel countryside. No more farmland, but flat, lush greenery around small bunches of trees. They sailed through only one town. It had been a couple hours and Alec was getting tired of looking at fast moving scenery when a voice came from the ceiling.
“We will be arriving in Edom within the hour.” A jolt of excitement went through the four Chosen. Annabelle was getting out a mirror and some makeup from her tiny purse. Helen also opened her satchel to take out a mirror to make sure her hair was still in place. Meliorn was sitting up and straightening his jacket before taking a cloth and wiping down his shiny white shoes. Alec just pushed some of his hair from his face, behind his ear. Why did he need to look good anyway? Prince Magnus’ eyes would overlook him for someone like Meliorn or Annabelle.
It was not much later when Annabelle squealed and pointed out the window. Turning in his seat Alec saw the great city of Edom. There were many greyish buildings all clustered together. The sun shone brightly on the buildings and windows. It looked beautiful but so different from the county of Idris. It glimmered in the distance like a beacon. They passed the treeline right before they entered the station. From what Alec could see there were no trees or plants of any kind. Just cement and steel.
The train started to slow down as they went through some sort of tunnel. Out of the window all he could see was concrete until the tunnel opened up. Beyond the train was a bustling station with people moving too and fro. Some sat on seats and looked at the same box that Meliorn had taken out. A wall hid his view of the other patrons. When it opened up again he saw that his area was not crowded. There were only a few men in uniform waiting.
The train slowed to a stop. As the Chosen exited the train for long black cars, Alec realised how lonely and far from home he was. <i>“Head up and chin out. Show Edom that a Seven is not as lowly and weak as they think.”</i> Alec took a break and closed his eyes. He might have been a Seven but he had been through more than anyone else in the Chosen. Opening his eyes he stepped into the black car, his blue eyes shining with determination.
7
Alec rode to the palace in the back of a long black car with the rest of the Chosen. Annabelle was going a mile a minute about everything around them. Meliorn was fixing his hair for the third time and Helen was just nodding along to whatever Annabelle was saying. Alec on the other hand was just holding his breath. His last boost of confidence had left him feeling better but he still knew he was out of his element. While Helen had been nice to him, neither Annabelle nor Meliorn had spoken one word to him.
Instead of focusing on that he looked out the window at the large grey building that seemed to be spurting out of the ground below them. What struck him as odd was that there was no greenery around. No plants, trees, or shrubs. This was unlike anything Alec had ever imagined.
“Why are there no plants?” He found himself wondering out loud, then felt utterly embarrassed.
“The soil here is unusable. The country before Edom didn’t care about their land and piled waste anywhere they could.” Helen explained in a soft voice. “Now the ground can not grow as much as one weed. The royal family has been trying to reverse the effects of the toxins, but the mystics have not found a way yet.” Ah, that made sense, although it didn’t sound familiar so that must have not been something they were taught in school. History of the earth would not be high on the list if your only duties were only following the directions of your superiors. Still, it saddened him. He had never lived without greenery in his life. Even with all the work he had to do there was never a day that he didn’t get out in nature.
The palace came into view between a row of buildings. It was like the city parted for them as the road led up to Edom’s royal palace.
As soon as they got out of the car three people, two women and one man stepped up to them.
“Good day, Chosen. My name is Iris, this is Victor and Jane. We are part of the public relations department here at the palace. Each one of you signed a contract to not disclose anything that might make the royal family look bad. We know this was not an easy adjustment for some of you, but now that you reside in the castle you will make the monarchy look good. As such we are here to remind you and wish you a pleasant stay. Just through the doors you will have the chief maid and she will direct you to your rooms.” With that Lanette was done talking to them and moved to the side.
Had he signed a contract? He didn’t remember, but he was pretty sure when he had signed his name back at his home that one day he had pretty much sold his soul.
They trudged up the stairs to the large double doors which were opened for them and a woman with dark brown hair tied up in a nice updo welcomed them.
“Hello, chosen few. My name is Imogen and I am the chief of the attendants. If there is anything you need don’t hesitate to ask. Now let me introduce you to your maids.” Each Chosen got a set of maids or butlers in Meliorn and Alec’s case.
“Miss Blackthorn, these are your maids. Lucy, Aline, and Donna.” Helen curtsied to her maids, which seemed to be flustered with her movements. They must have not been curstiesed to very much. Annebelle was next and then Alec. “Mr. Lightwood, these are your attendants, Will and Jem.” The two men bowed slightly to Alec. No one had ever bowed to him him, a worthless Seven. Well he was no longer a Seven, he was now a Three, but it would take a while to get used to it.
“May we take your things?” Jem asked, his arm already stretched out. All Alec had was the bag on his back.
“I can carry my things.” Alec said nervously. The men looked at each other as if they were trying to communicate with only their eyes. The rest of the Chosen had already started to move farther into the palace. “I only have this bag.” Three sets of eyes looked at the small bag.
“Alright, Mr. Lightwood, please follow us.” Will said, motioning for Alec to follow them. Will had coloring like Alec; dark hair and blue eyes. His face however was full of more color than Alec’s pale skin. Jem had the same type of looks as the prince. Thinner eyes but warm brown irises.
They went up one set of stairs and then another. At the top of the second set of stairs they made a left down a long hallway and then another left only to turn right and then left until they were in a little alcove with a single door. Alec couldn’t help thinking he was being shut away from the rest of the Chosen. He didn’t see Helen, Annabelle, or even Meliorn.
Jem was the first to the door and opened it. Inside was a room roughly four if not five times the size of his own home. It was like a dream. Walking into the room he took in the balcony and the large four poster bed. The canopy was a soft cream color tied back with little silk ties. The bed was decked out in all manor of pillows and lush fabrics.
“Does it suit you, Mr. Lightwood?” Alec blinked and looked back at his three attendants. Suddenly he felt very small. This had been a dream less than a week ago but now being here, inside the palace he felt...wrong. A Seven didn’t belong in a palace, even if he were to work there. He would just soil the place with his filth. “Mr. Lightwood?” Alec could barely hear the name past the panic and rush in his ears.
“I’m fine.” He felt everything but fine. “May I have a moment?” The three attendants looked at each other in that same wordless communication.
“Yes, Mr. Lightwood. We will be just outside the door if you need us.” Quickly the three men disappeared leaving Alec alone in the huge, unfamiliar room. Falling to his knees Alec buried his face in his hands and cried. It was the soft, barely there cry he had felt so many times in his life when he couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t belong here and by the end of the day he would be the first sent home.
8
It was nearly six when his attendants came back to get him. They brought in a beautiful suit of silvery grey. In the time they had left Alec the young man had cried out all his emotions, leaving him feeling numb and drained. He had splashed cool water on his face from the bathroom and at least looked more put together than he felt. He didn’t even mind the men helping him dress in the beautiful garment.
Dinner was served promptly at seven thirty. That was a little later than they ate back at home, but when you worked all day outside with only a meager sandwich for sustenance you tended to be starving after work. Dinner would be the first chance any of the Chosen would meet the Prince. It would be informal, a quick smile and hello. The next day, however, would be the make or break day.
From what he had gleaned from a bit of research was that the Prince would be expected to cut at least five members of the Chosen within the first week. King Asmodeous had cut seven girls the first day. His father, the late King Modomus had cut about the same amount and the Prince's great-grandfather had cut the competition in half by the third day.
Alec expected to be one of the few to be cut early. He was nothing like Meliorn, sleek and graceful or like that Camille woman he had seen on tv. She had the air of a princess even from just the brief smile he had seen.
“Mr. Lightwood?” A Gentle voice broke through his thoughts. In the mirror he could see Jem looking back at him as he fixed his collar.
“Yes?”
“Be yourself. Do not let them scare you.” Alec wondered what he meant but Will was interrupting them to attach silver cufflinks.
“I will be back shortly with your shoes.”
“Do I look alright?” Alec found himself wondering aloud, looking into Will’s blue eyes.
“You look breathtaking, Sir. The Prince will surely notice you first.” Alec didn’t know if the man was just placating him or he really thought a Seven could stand up to a room full of the elite. He had to remember that even his attendants were above him. Working so close to the royal family and inside the palace meant they were Sixes, yet they treated him as if he was so far above them.
Will returned them with immaculately polished shoes so shiny Alec could see his own reflection in them. Once he was completely dressed Jem showed him down to the dining room. The room was already half full of Chosen contestants. Panic gripped at Alec’s heart as he took in the variety of dresses and suits.
“Breathe, Mr. Lightwood.” Jem told him with a smile. Another servant appeared to take him to his seat. Thankfully he was seated between Helen and another woman named Maria. Maria was a talkative girl. Within a few minutes he knew she was a Four, her father owned a leather making business near the capital, she had three younger sisters and no brothers. She liked to sing but that was just a secret between them and the rest of the table. She made Alec feel so much better. A couple more people joined their table as Maria chatted up a storm. A Three from the outer county of the kingdom named Jessica, another Four named Xander, a Two from the glittering capital aptly named Duchess and last was a familiar face from the broadcast, a Four named Andrew.
Andrew was the last to take his seat at their table. He wore a sleek navy suit and tie. He looked a little flustered and apologized for being late.
“My attendants could not decide what suit to put me in.” Maria started asking about his wardrobe up until the point where a servant loudly cleared his throat and announced the royal family. All of the Chosen stood as King Asmodous and Queen Annisa came in, arm in arm followed by the Prince.
The Prince glittered like diamonds in his nearly all white suit. A few girls at another table nearby nearly swooned and even Alec felt himself flush slightly. Once the royal family had made their way to the head table the Chosen were permitted to sit. The Prince was the only one that stayed standing.
“Thank you chosen few for making the long arduous trip to our fair capital.” The Prince started, thanking them for coming. “Tomorrow I will have a chance to thank each of you in person, but for now I wish you would enjoy the selection of foods from around the country. Eat and be happy, without a care in the world. Thank you again.” With that the Prince sat down and the food was brought in.
There was so much that Alec scarcely knew what to eat first. Many of the foods he had seen on TV or for sale in Aleconte’s marketplace, but he had never had the pleasure of tasting. Most of them he didn’t even know the name of. No day old bread, porridge, watery stew to be seen.
“Helen.” He asked in a quiet whisper as Helen put some sort of fluffy white food on a plate. “What is that?” Helen just gently smiled and passed him the serving bowl.
“Potatoes.” Potatoes? He had never seen such white and creamy potatoes in his life. Taking a spoonful then passed it to Maria who was talking to Xander about the many foods from her province. After most of the food was passed around, from which Alec had taken a little bit from each, he started to eat along with the rest of his table guests.
The food seemed to melt upon his tongue. The flavors exploded across his palate and at one point he even moaned aloud at the taste. He had never seen so much food and the variety was amazing. Potatoes so fluffy and white like little clouds. Meat so tender he didn’t have to cut it, it just fell apart.
“Oh yes, you are a Seven, are you not?” Jessica asked from across the table. “I supposed this is the first time you have ever seen such food.” It was a backhanded way of calling him poor, but it was true.
“Yes and I intend to enjoy it.” He was a Seven, but he had done more in his short existence than that woman would ever do in her whole life. She may have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but Alec had had to work for every scrap of food he got.
“Even in my family we try to eat more meagerly.” Helen said, taking a bite of meat from the end of her fork. “My family tries to give as much spare income as we can to charity. Some of these dishes I have never seen, but they are all delicious, wouldn’t you say Maria?” That pulled Maria into the conversation which effectively ended any tirade Jessica might have. The blonde girl smiled at him and Alec felt that amongst this sea of sharks he at least had one friend for now.
After dinner came dessert. Miles and miles of pastries and sweets, things that would make his brother’s mouth water and his sister jump for joy. Sugar was so expensive, so they rarely had anything sweet. Only on the new year would they get a small toffee that Alec was sure his parents saved up for all year. He couldn’t decide on what to eat first. Helen took a slice of some sort of cake. It was red in color with white icing.
“You must try this, Alec.” She said, gesturing to her slice. “Red Velvet is my favorite cake.”
“Does it really have velvet in it?” He asked, taking a small piece with his fork. She laughed.
“No, but it is so smooth and feels like velvet.” Alec took a bite and found it entirely too sweet for his liking. The flavor was good but the amount of sugar was too much.
“Is there something not so sweet?” She smiled back and then turned to look at the selection of food.
“Excuse me.” She said calm and sweetly to one of the servers. “Do any of these have less sugar in them?” The servant looked shocked that he was being addressed but then nodded. He grabbed a plate of three dark balls of something covered in brown powder and surrounded by raspberries.
“Dark chocolate truffles, Miss.” He gave her the plate which Helen then passed to Alec.
“Dark chocolate has less sugar added to it. It makes it a bit bitter, I have never liked it, but maybe you will.” Alec nodded in appreciation. He took his folk and cut one in half. It was soft and as easy to cut as butter. Taking one piece he placed it in his mouth. It was bitter but it still had a smoothness and not too much sugar.
After he swallowed, he nodded. “It’s good.” She smiled back.
“It is also one of Prince Magnus’ favorite dishes, I believe.” Alec found himself looking back at his plate with a blush. Chancing a glaze towards the head table he could see Magnus talking with his father and mother with a truffle on the end of his fork.
After dinner the Chosen were taken back to their rooms. At least one of their attendants was there outside of the dining hall to greet them. Alec and Helen were speaking about the foods they had never had before when they heard a scoff. Turning they both saw an extremely beautiful blonde woman in a red gown, but whatever beauty she held on the outside certainly did not match her inside.
“I thought it was a joke, but they were serious about letting a Seven inside the palace.” Alec found himself looking down, it was what he had been taught. “You aren’t even fit to shine my shoes. But I suppose that is why they put you over in the west wing. No one ever goes there. Come servant.” She swept up the stairs with a maid following swiftly on her tail.
“And that would be Camille.” Helen said. “She may have been the queen bitch back home but I am sure Magnus will see right through her.” Alec hoped she was right.
9
Back in his room Alec had to convince his attendants that he didn’t need their help getting dressed for bed. He could do all that himself.
“We are here to serve you, Mr. Lightwood.” Will said calmly.
“I don’t need servants!” He yelled so fed up with everything. “Look, you are Sixes and I am a Seven. We can do things on our own.”
“You are now a Three, Mr. Lightwood.” Jem spoke up.
“Please call me Alec!” He was just so tired and worn out from everything. “Please, just leave me.” The men nodded at him and left. Looking in the mirror of his vanity he saw the poor level Seven boy that tilled land and feld trees dressed up like something he was not. He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong in this suit. Jessica and Camille were right. He would be gone by tomorrow morning.
The longer he stared the quicker his breathing came. Standing up he took off his jacket, tearing the cufflinks from their spots on the jacket. He pulled at the tie and unbuttoned the shirt. He still couldn’t breathe. Running to the window he tried to open it but found it bolted shut. He needed air, he needed freedom.
Out the window he could see a vast garden. The soil might be toxic around the city but it seemed that the royal family had their very own piece of paradise. Gasping he turned from the window, ripped open the door and ran as fast as his feet could take him. He found the grand staircase and nearly jumped down all of the steps to get to the first floor. Looking around he saw that to the left of him was a large doorway open to the night air and to the garden.
Making a break for it he didn’t even hear the guards telling him he needed to go back to his room. All he saw was air and grass and trees bathed in moonlight. He did feel one of the guards grabbing him none too gently.
“Sir, you need to get back to your room.”
“No, I need….please!” He felt like the world was spinning.
“Sir!”
“Let him be.” Came a voice from beyond the doorway.
“But your Majesty.”
“I said let him be.” The guard let Alec go and he stumbled before running head long outside into the cool night air. There was a distant smell of exhaust that he had first caught at the train station, but for the most part it was clean, fresh air. He fell to the ground putting his hands in the earth, feeling the grass move as he shifted. His toes dug into the cool dirt. By him was a rose bush and farther out were rows of yellow flowers. He had stopped hyperventilating and panicking, breathing in the floral scents all around him.
“Do you feel better?” Alec whipped his head around at the voice. Not two feet away was the Crown Prince. He was no longer in his white suit but some sort of leisurely button up and grey slacks. Maybe to the Prince this would be dressing down but to a Seven it looked just as fancy as the suit had.
Dropping his eyes he nodded. “Yes, your Majesty.” Then the Prince did the most unbelievable thing. He sat in the grass next to Alec. The dark haired man felt his jaw drop. Did the Crown Prince of Edom just sit on grass next to a common Seven?
“You are Alexander, are you not?” Alec must have looked like a fish out of water before he pulled himself together and sat fully on the grass. This would probably stain his suit, crap, he had forgotten about that.
“Yes, your Majesty. Most people call me Alec.”
“I see. Well then, Alec, you may call me Magnus. At least while we are alone.” Alec felt a blush on his face as he looked away. It was dark and there was no other light besides the moon. The light from the door was too far away to illuminate anything.
“I couldn’t. You are the Prince.”
“And you are one of the Chosen. That makes you something special as well.” Alec was flushing again.
“Thank you for talking to the guards. I know I should not be out here.” Magnus waved that off.
“You needed to come out here. I saw your face and heard your voice. You were panicking.” Alec was ashamed that the Prince had seen him like that. He would surely be sent off in the morning. “There is nothing to be ashamed of.” Magnus said as if reading his mind. “It happens to many people. Even I have felt it.” Alec looked back at the prince.
“How...you always look so calm.”
“I am for the most part, but there are times I am overwhelmed and need a break.” That did not sound like the Prince Alec had seen on the television all his life. Magnus had looked like nothing would phaze him, even at seven when he was finally presented to the people.
“Well thank you. I did need this.” Being stuffed inside a building for most of the day and almost, well actually it had been too much.
“Tell me, Alexander, how are you feeling about being here in the capital?” Looking back up at Magnus he studied the man but he gave nothing away. What answer was he looking for?
“It is an honor to be here, your Maj-”
“Magnus.” The Prince cut in.
“You called me Alexander.” The Prince chuckled and nodded.
“I did, but your name is much too special and beautiful to be shortened to some mere nickname.” Again Magnus was making the dark haired younger man blush.
“Well, it is an honor. I never knew Edom was so vast.” He had seen a map of the kingdom at school but that had been years ago.
“And being in the castle?” Now that was a little harder to comment on. He was a minnow in a sea of bigger fish. What was even harder was that he didn’t have his family’s support here. “Is there...anything a miss?” Magnus sounded a little lost.
“No. It is just...so different to my home, that is all.” He remembered what Camille had said.
“Your Highness. It is time to come in.” A guard called from the doorway. It was getting late. Standing up Magnus reached out a hand to help Alec up. The instant their hands touched it was as if a shock went through their bodies that left them both looking down at their hands.
“Thank you for letting me come out here, Magnus.” Finally they pulled their hands apart.
“Please don’t tell anyone about this. I am not supposed to meet with the Chosen, formally, until tomorrow. Besides, I want this just to be between you and I.” Magnus stepped closer to him and Alec felt his heart beating fast.
“Your Highness!” Magnus actually growled at the guard’s insistence.
“Coming!”
Back in his room Alec stripped out of his soiled clothes and folded them neatly. He would have tried to get the stains out but he was not sure the beautiful suit could take the scrubbing needed to take the stains out. But, as he slipped into bed after a short shower the thought about his meeting with the Prince and a smile crossed his face. Even if he was sent home in the morning he would have the memory of meeting the Prince and touching his soft hand.
10
Jem was not happy with the stains but he would help Alec to keep his secret of sneaking out to the garden. However, Alec had not told him about meeting the Prince. That was solely a memory just for him.
After he had been woken up, early the next morning he was dressed in a day suit. It was not as fancy and intricate as the suit from the night before. It was a light grey with a light blue shirt and no tie. Will had explained to him as they dressed the young man that the royal family always dressed up for dinner. That sounded so unpleasant. What if you spilled food on your priceless clothes?
“Today the Prince will be cutting some of the Chosen.” Will said as he stepped back looking at the shirt. “Take off your jacket, please. Jem, get me the medium blue shirt with the subtle diamond print.” Alec quickly took off the jacket and unbuttoned the shirt.
“Does it not look good?” He asked. It was probably just that Alec looked horrible in the color. His mother had said that wearing blue would only draw attention to his eyes. A Seven was not to be seen nor heard from. They were just supposed to do their job.
“It does not make your eyes pop. On second thought, get the violet shirt.” He called out to Jem. “Purple will make your eyes pop. We have to make you stand out.” Stand out, meaning he had to catch the Prince’s attention. After the previous night he was sure that would not happen. Maybe Magnus would let him at least have breakfast before he sent him packing.
Giving the blue shirt to Jem, he took the purple one. It was a beautiful color. Buttoning it up he slipped the jacket back on.
“Yes, that is it.” Will said.
“You are so good at matching.” Jem complimented his friend.
“An artform that I have cultivated over years of working with the royal family.” The three men chuckled for a moment before helping Alec finish up.
The Chosen were gathered in a salon off the great hall. When Alec arrived there were only a couple of people. Two men and one woman. Each one looked beautiful in their day outfits. The woman, who had red hair, was wearing an emerald day dress. The sleeves were short and off the shoulder. Her hair was done in waves and curls that made it looked like a waterfall. Both of the men were in day suits. One was a cream color with a bright red shirt. This man had slightly longer hair. It was gathered loosely at the nape of his neck and curled slightly. The second man had a dark grey suit and blush pink shirt. The front of his dark hair was combed back into a high curl over the rest of his hair.
As the other Chosen started to appear Alec took in all their clothes. Each one was dressed better than the one that came before them. Alec felt very plain in his grey suit. His hair had not even been fixed like other men. It was allowed to go in its tousled state. The only part that was taimed was his darn cowlick.
“Alec!” Helen came walking over to him with a gentle smile on her face. Her blond hair was tied up with a few tendrils framing her face. Her light blue day dress looked wonderful on her slim figure. Annabelle was behind Helen in a long buttercup yellow dress. Her hair was down but curled.
“Helen, Annabelle. It is good to see you.” Not so much Annabelle but Helen was a welcome sight in this sea of strangers. "I like your hair." Helen smiled with a little flush.
"Aline did it. Isn't it pretty?" She turned around so Alec could see the back. Her hair was twisted in braids. There were little gems stuck in parts of her hair.
"Aline?" He didn't remember anyone by that name.
"One of her maids." Annabelle added.
“You look great, Alec. That purple makes your eyes stand out.” Helen said quickly to change the subject. At least Will would be happy.
“Thank you.” He flushed a bit. “I was not sure...everyone else looks so much grander.”
“Nonsense.” Helen brushed off. “You look just as handsome as the rest of the men. Right, Annabelle?” The blonde turned to her companion, who just nodded. Alec gave her a small smile. At least she didn’t tear him down.
“Move!” The three of them looked up to see Camille walking in. Her bright red dress was skin tight and backless. Apparently she didn’t get the memo that this was breakfast and not a ball.
“Ugh, you’re still here.” The woman turned up her nose at the sight of Alec. “At least your outfit is as boring as you. Better for me to stand out.” Helen was the one to step up this time.
“Yeah, because I heard Prince Magnus really loves stuck up bitches.” A hush went over the room. No one spoke or even breathed. But Helen was not backing down. She was not afraid of this spoiled child.
“Why you-”
“Breakfast is ready.” Rang out a servant’s voice, telling them it was time for them to move from the sitting room to the dining hall.
Breakfast was pretty much like the night before. The Chosen were seated around tables in front of the main table. The royal family would then enter, while the Chosen stood, and then bid the rest of them to sit. Next came the food. Even more wondrous than the night before.
There were fruits, tarts, breads, bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, anything anyone could want. Alec again tried a bit of everything. This was a far cry from his usual meal of porridge and maybe stale bread. If only he could pack up some of this food and send it to his family.
“Ladies and gentleman.” Once the meal was over Magnus stood up and spoke to the Chosen. “I have decided to kick off this Choosing with some one on one time. Each one of you will meet with me. I will be able to get a better sense of you. For now I would like Miss Hannah Whitman to stay. The rest of you please adjourn to the sitting room and wait for our meeting.”
A woman to the right of Alec's table, in a light green day dress, was the only one that continued to stay seated while the rest of the Chosen stood up and left the room. They were taken back to the sitting room where they had waited before. Most of the Chosen started to gossip about meeting the Prince, one on one. A few girls even giggled and squealed.
Alec on the other hand was not that excited. He was sure Magnus would tell him that he would be leaving within the hour. A strong man like the Prince didn’t need a spouse that had a panic attack over something as silly as not feeling the earth beneath their feet. Although, the idea of Magnus ending up with someone like Camille irked him. Said wolf in sheep’s clothing was sitting with a couple other girls as Camille told them loudly how she would win the Prince over.
As if.
Slowly the group of twenty-three men and women started to shrink as they were called to talk to the Prince. Annabelle and Helen had already been called when Alec was finally summoned. He had been talking to Andy, a Four from a county far from Idris, about the farming they were missing. Andy’s family might have been Fours but they were poor and could not afford extra help.
“Alexander Lightwood.” Both men turned their heads. By now only a few Chosen were left.
“Good luck.” Andy smiled at him and it felt genuine. Other than Helen, everyone else was out for blood. They wanted to be the spouse to the most powerful man in the land. Yet in the sea of man eating fish Alec had happened to find two good people.
Alec was taken to a side room just down from the sitting room. Inside was a small table and two chairs. Magnus beamed brightly when he saw Alec.
“Please, have a seat, Mr. Lightwood.” He said formally as he stood up. Alec nodded and sat in the seat across from him. When the servant finally left Magnus seemed to relax.
“How was the rest of your evening? No more panic attacks I presume?” Alec shook his head.
“No, your Majesty.”
“Magnus, remember?” Alec flushed and nodded. “I am glad to hear that, Alec. The last thing I would want is for you to feel overwhelmed and I was not there to help.”
“Thank you again...Magnus. It was very kind of you.”
“Any true man would have done it.” But they both knew that was a lie. While Alec might be a Three on paper he still had the stench of Seven on him. Magnus was a good man and he would be a great King. A kind King that loved all his subjects. “We talked about what you like here at the castle, but what of your family? Do you miss them?”
“Yes.” He said at once. Alec missed playing with Max on the rare breaks from work. He missed gossiping with Izzy and imagining a life away from all the hard work. He missed the warmth of his mother’s hugs and the gruff voice of his father as complained about the crops. He also missed Jace… He loved the man with all his heart but being here made that love seem different somehow.
“They must be a wonderful bunch.” Alec blinked as he was pulled from his thoughts.
“What?”
“The emotions that went through your eyes. You miss them very much. Please tell me about them.” It seemed that was all Alec needed as he started to describe his family.
He spent the most time talking about his sister and brother. Just talking about them made him feel home sick. He missed them a lot. While he missed his parents too he missed his partners in crime more.
“I wish I could share the food I have enjoyed with my family. It might even help Max. My little brother is always getting sick. I hope the money being sent to him means that he could go to a Doctor for once.”
“What do you mean ‘for once’?” Magnus looked confused.
“Your- Magnus, I am Seven or I was. I have not been to the Doctor since I was a baby.” The only time he was seen was just after his birth. His parents had to save up the money for their first born. They wanted to know their child was healthy.
“You don’t have money for Doctors?”
“Or medicine.” Magnus looked floored. “You don’t know what Sevens go through, do you?”
“I didn’t know...is it like this everywhere?”
“Most Sixes and Sevens barely have enough money to live. Fives are not much better, but they do get more pay for their art.” The raven haired Prince was leaning back in his chair and looking hard at the table.
“My people can barely live yet I have never wanted for anything.” Silence filled the room. Alec felt bad at being the one that showed Magnus the truth.
“Magnus-” But he was interrupted with a hand held up. Finally Magnus looked back up at him.
“You are amazing, Alexander. I have only known you for less than a day but I am sure I would love to learn more.” Leaning forward the Prince took one of Alec’s hands. “Be my prince, my future husband.” Now it was Alec’s turn to look floored.
No. Magnus did not just say that. He did not just ask a Seven to marry him. No. Alec had used all his luck just getting here. There was no way Prince Magnus Bane wanted lowly Alec Lightwood.
“You must have others to see.” Alec pulled his hand back and stood up so quickly he nearly turned the table over.
“I don’t care about them. I only want to know you.” Magnus also stood up. Thankfully the door was right behind Alec. Turning he rushed to the door before Magnus’ voice stopped him. “I will wait for however long you need.” With that Alec opened the door and closed it behind him before rushing back to his room.
He was dreaming, he had to be.
11
It had been almost a week since Magnus had proposed. For the first couple days Magnus would try to win over the scared younger man, but every time Alec would change to the subject. It was a joke, it had to be. Soon Magnus would get tired and choose someone that would actually be a good spouse. They went from seeing each other everyday to once in a while.
At dinner after their first official meeting Helen had told him that Magnus had cut the group down to only fifteen people. Of course Camille and Meliorn were a part of that group. Either one of them would be a better Queen or Prince Consort than Alec.
The next day the smaller group started etiquette lessons. Thank whatever Gods there were out there that they were split into two groups. Males and females, each one having their own etiquette teacher. The seven men left were given their lessons by one of the King’s royal advisers, Lord Lorenzo Rey. The man was also one of the few mystics employed by the Kingdom.
The man was intolerable. Everytime Alec misstepped or made a faux pas the man was quick to correct him, loudly and somewhat cruelly. It was as if Alec was being singled out. Even Andy did just as bad a job as he did and yet the mystic kindly corrected him. To say the least Alec’s life was turning into a living hell.
Camille took every chance she could to tear Alec down. Most of the words he ignored until the bitch started to talk bad about his family.
“If only the Kingdom had a way to get rid of Sixes and Sevens. The Kingdom would be less polluted with worthless rabble.” Alec immediately stood up and walked out of the room. Later when Jem and Will found him Alec had been crying, his eyes red. They both helped him back to his room and got a cool cloth for his puffy eyes.
Soon things went from bad to worse. While the first couple days Magnus had little mini dates with Alec, usually to the garden or the library, he had been choosing others. Each time he was in the sitting room with the rest of the Chosen and one of the other men or women were Chosen he could feel himself die a little inside.
He tried to tell himself that Magnus was quickly realizing how bad of a choice Alec would be. He tried to hide it from everyone, which worked for the most part, but it seemed that Helen, Will, and Jem could read him too well. Helen tried to pull Alec into little card games she played with Annabelle, Andy, and a few others. She pulled Alec’s mind away from the Choosing and onto something fun. Once Alec went home, aside from Magnus, Helen would be one of the people he would actually miss.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Alec was wandering around the halls of the palace. It was raining outside and Magnus was on a date with one of the Chosen. He couldn’t escape to the one place he felt safe in this foreign land. Turning the corner he found Andy on the floor, knees nearly up to his chest and his hands in his hair. It almost looked like a panic attack but he was not breathing hard.
“Andy?” The curly haired man’s head went up and he was surprised to see someone had found him. “Are you alright?” The man sighs and nodded but then shook his head.
“I don’t know.” He said. Alec walked over and sat on the floor near him. “Do you ever feel...like you don’t belong here?” Andy asked. “I don’t know why I was kept here. I have nothing to give the Prince. Our dates feel...mechanical. Like he is just going through the motions.”
“I am sure it is not that bad.” Alec tried to comfort his friend. He was not as close to Andy as he was with Helen, but he still understood the feeling of not knowing why he was still here.
“Yet I don’t want to go home.” He said under his breath, which Alec could barely hear. “I don’t understand why you haven’t been on more dates with him. All he talks about is you.” Alec felt himself turning red.
“I think you misheard.” Andy chuckled.
“I didn’t, Alec. The Prince holds you in high regard. I don’t mind, like I said, I don’t feel anything between us.” Alec’s head was spinning, Magnus talked about him on his dates with other Chosen?
“What does he...say?”
“He talks about how kind and caring you are. About how much you care for your family. He also talks a great deal about changing...” Andy looked around to make sure no one was near before leaning in. “About changing the level system.” A couple times Magnus had talked to him over the past week he had said something about the levels and how he hated it. Magnus must have done more research on the caste system in Edom. He was a smart man, it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth.
“It would be nice...but I don’t think it would happen. Some people would not be happy.” Mainly the Twos and some of the Threes, the upper class.
“It would be...I always dreamed of working for the people. Being a politician of some kind...” Andy shrugged. “I’m a Three now so I suppose I could teach.” That has been Alec’s plan too.
“To be honest, I never had a dream of what I would be. I knew I would work in the fields like my dad and granddad. Now I have a chance to think about it and I still don’t know.”
“We have all the time in the world, Alec. We can now have further education if we wish. We will find our place in this world. Me as a teacher and you as the future Prince Consort.” Alec flushed and tried to back track and talk his way out of here only for Andy to laugh at him and get up.
“Thank you, Alec. Just for being here and listening to me. There are not many people I can vent to.”
“My pleasure, Andy.” Alec got up with the help of the other man. “Now let’s find something to do before we both die of boredom.” Both men laughed and headed off to the sitting room to see if there was a card game already going on.
12
It was the day before the national broadcast when Magnus finally called upon Alec. They would have a picnic the next afternoon. The rest of the day Alec spent his time with Will trying to pick out the perfect outfit that was not too casual but not something he would regret getting stains on.
“Personally, Mr. Alec, I believe the cream shirt and the tan trousers are the way to go.” It had taken Alec nearly a week to get Jem and Will to call him Alec, although they both still preferred to use “Mr.” along with his given name.
“What about grass stains?” Alec worried about making even one little stain on his new clothes. They were so nice and expensive. It felt wrong to treat them with such disrespect.
“I am sure the Prince will have a blanket for the two of you. You should not worry, besides Jem knows how to get stains out of clothes.” The dark haired servant looked over to his friend.
“I do, but I prefer not to scrub too hard. Though, I agree with Will. The cream shirt and tan trousers are the best.”
That was how Alec found himself the next afternoon. Will had rolled the sleeves up on the shirt and left the first two buttons open. Alec was thankful his chest hair was thin and sparse or it might show with how low the shirt was. Well it was low for Alec.
“Alexander.” Alec turned to see Magnus walking toward him. The man was breathtaking in his simple outfit. He had on light grey trousers, khaki shoes and a muted dark teal shirt. It was all tailored specifically to him, as if painted on his body.
“Your Highness.” Alec bowed slightly.
“Come, I want to show you something.” Magnus held his arm out for Alec. The dark haired man flushed, but took the arm. They walked out into the warm sunny day. “I want to show you the maze. My great grandmother had it installed to honor the gardens of her youth.”
“Maze? As in...we could get lost?” Magnus chuckled.
“I could get to the center and out of the maze blindfolded. I have been playing in this garden since I was a child. Do not worry, you will soon know your way around the garden.” Magnus took them into the maze. After a few twists and turns a bit of backtracking they found themselves in the middle of the maze. There was a water fountain with a marble mermaid atop a marble shell.
“Beautiful.” In front of the fountain was a checkered blanket and a picnic basket. “Magnus...this is too much.” Magnus shook his head.
“This is what you deserve. All this and more.” They sat down on the blanket and took off their shoes. In the basket were several little treats. Mini sandwiches, bite sized tarts, a variety of fruits and cheese, along with two bottles of something dark.
“Magnus, what is this?” Alec asked as he picked one up.
“Soda. It is a fizzy drink from the old Kingdom. My great uncle found a recipe and tinkered with it until he got it to his liking. It's rare because it takes so much effort.” A fizzy drink? What was a fizzy drink? Magnus took the bottle from Alec’s hand and a small metal object and popped off the mental top. It made a sound and bubbles rose to the surface. Giving it back to Alec he warned that the bubbles might feel like they burned the first time he tried it.
They did. The first sip felt hot but it was not painful, just strange.
“Thank you for sharing this with me.” Magnus smiled and picked up a fruit.
“You are welcome.” They continued to eat for a little bit longer before Magnus spoke again.
“I want to share a lot more with you, Alexander. Like my future.” Alec flushed and looked away.
“I am not right for...”
“Me? The Kingdom? No, you are perfect. You care about the people that no one else does. You have been through so much and yet you are not bitter. You do not hate me for what my family has done.”
“Magnus, your family has not done anything.”
“Maybe not this generation but back in time they made your family Sevens based on how much money you had. That was not right, Alec. This system is not right.” Magnus sat back. “I knew it was not right but I also didn’t know how to change it so I tried to block it out and worry about what I could control. Then you come here and open my eyes to people like you, my people. The people that I swore to look after, yet they toil to death with no one to turn to. A family should not have to choose between food and healing their child. It is unacceptable.” Magnus was not wrong. Life as a Seven was hard. Alec knew this. It took such a toll on his father that they might only have a few years left with the man before he joined his own father in the ground. Izzy deserved more, Max and his mother deserved more. They all deserved the right not to worry.
“I am a Seven. You should marry a Two or a Three.”
“The spoiled children of the elite? Then I would only perpetuate the cycle further. I do not want my child to think it is their right to lord their position over the people. The Bane family is here to serve the people, not the other way around.”
“I don’t know how to be royal.”
“Then I will help you. I will be by your side, along with Will and Jem.” Alec looked at him. He knew his servants by name? “They used to be my servants. When they were dolling out servants for the Chosen, I had Will and Jem assigned to you.” Moving closer he took Alec’s hand. “The Choosing is not as random as most think. Only about a third are random. Most are hand picked by their profiles. I was allowed to look at the profiles and choose two. Looking through the profiles I saw your bright smile. You looked so happy. You were my only choice. I wanted to get to know you from the moment I saw you. I had Will and Jem placed as your attendants because I trust them with my life.” Magnus ended his little speech with a kiss.
The press of lips against his made Alec relax into Magnus. It just seemed so impossible that someone like Prince Magnus wanted him just from a single picture. His class had meant nothing. A warm hand cupped the back of his head as Magnus opened his mouth. Alec was not sure what to do so he just followed Magnus’ lead. His first kiss was in the most special of places.
“Prince Magnus! Your Majesty!” The call from the guards caused the two to pull apart. They could not see anyone but that didn’t stop Alec from turning his usual shade of red.
“I never can have a moment's rest.” Magnus said with a sigh. His hand had slid from Alec’s head down to hand. “Yes!?” Magnus yelled back.
“Your father needs you.”
“Can it wait?”
“I am sorry, but it can not.” Magnus sighed again. “I finally get you all to myself and it is cut short.”
“It’s alright.” Alec brushed off.
“No, it is not.”
“Your Majesty?”
“I am coming!” This was the first time Alec had heard the Prince snap at anyone. “Apologies.” Magnus looked sheepish as he stood up. Putting his hand out he helped the other up. Pulling Alec close to him, Magnus kissed Alec once more. “Until tonight, Alexander.” With that Magnus navigated them back out of the maze.
They split at the grand staircase as Magnus traveled down a side hall that led to the King’s office. Alec stayed at the bottom of the stairs for a moment just looking off into the distance. For a moment he could see himself at Magnus’ side. He could see the man that Magnus would become. A smile crossed his face as he started up the stairs. He needed to talk to Will about his outfit for the broadcast that night. He wanted to stand out and shine, for once in his life he wanted to be the center of attention.
Unfortunately Alec had not been looking where he was going, and his mind was still focused on Magnus. His foot landed on the third from the top step when he felt a hand at his shoulder. Starting to look up, Alec noticed he was falling backwards. His arms circled in the air as he tried to right himself but it was too late. He felt his head hit one of the stairs before flipping backwards. When he finally stopped at the bottom of the stairs he looked up only to see something pink move too fast for his disoriented eyes to catch. Pain and sickness washed over him. Rolling to the side he threw up what little he had eaten before passing out.
13
Magnus walked as quickly he could without running. The day had been perfect with Alec. His sweet innocent boy had tasted as sweet as the tarts they had eaten. Magnus had wished they could have kissed for longer. Maybe he could have kissed other places to see what reaction they gave. Unfortunately his father had called for him.
There were problems brewing in one of the southern lands. Ever since her husband had died Lady Lilith had taken more control of Talto. The province might have been small but it was an important one. Not only did it have the biggest depostest of adamas, the metal needed for the Edom Military weapons, it was also the border between Edom and their enemy. If Diyu was able to capture Talto it would be disastrous, but Lilith didn’t seem to care much. The woman was leaving the mines barely guarded.
After the talk with his father they would send down a couple mystics to make sure the mines were protected by magic and if need be, remove Lilith from power. Once back in his room Magnus’ attendants started to dress him. They were not as good as Will and Jem, but he trusted them. The suit they had picked out for tonight was deep royal blue in color. The stark white shirt made his skin pop. He thought about Alec and smiled. After the broadcast he would get Alec alone to propose again.
Reaching into his side table he found the Bane family signet ring. Once this was placed on Alec’s finger he would be known as his intended fiance. By the end of the night, if Alec said yes, Magnus would be sending everyone else home.
There was a tap at the door. A servant peered in and told him it was nearly time. Thanking the man, Magnus straightened his suit coat before leaving.
He should have known something was wrong when he entered with his mother and father and he could not spot Alec with the other Chosen. What had happened? The broadcast had already started and the young man was nowhere to be seen. Magnus tried to keep his panic down as Simon, the master of ceremonies, asked him a few questions.
“You cut down the Chosen to only a chosen few, pardon the pun.” Simon chuckled. “But just between us,” His voice went lower but he still held the microphone close. “Is there anyone that stands out?” Magnus smiled slightly.
“There is, but I do not want to talk too much about them at this moment. I am still trying to win them over.” Simon chuckled again.
“You are the Prince, you could win over anyone in this kingdom.”
“Maybe, but this person is special.” Simon tried to get more out of him, but Magnus gave nothing away. The broadcast soon ended. Once the cameras were turned off the Chosen started to gossip but Magnus couldn’t hear anything as he went to his father.
“Alexander Lightwood was not among the Chosen tonight. What happened?”
His mother looked grim as he took his hand. “The boy fell down the stairs this afternoon. Your father didn’t want you to know until after the broadcast.” Magnus shot his father a seething look. The Kingdom always came first, even at the price of love. Turning from his parents Magnus strode out of the room.
Alec had been taken to the infirmary. He had been found not long after his tumble. He had been out for hours when Magnus finally came to see him. Jem and Will were by his side. The two men looked pale. They cared too much sometimes. That was why he had sent them to be attendants of Alec’s. They would help him in this strange world.
Magnus found the medic on duty and asked about Alec’s condition. “He has a suspected concussion, but we will not be able to make sure until he wakes up. His left wrist is sprained, but thankfully not broken. He must have landed on it as it was under him when he was found. He also has three bruised ribs.” Alec was very lucky. But how did Alec fall down the stairs? Not that it was impossible, it just didn’t sound right.
“When will he wake up?” The medic shrugged.
“We were hoping he would wake up within a couple hours. If he does not wake up even a little within the next 24 hours he might never.” Magnus grabbed onto the doorframe to keep himself up. No. He would not lose Alec so easily. Alec was a fighter.
“Thank you.” He said before slowly walking to Alec’s bed. Jem vacated the seat next to the bed for Magnus. “Thank you for staying with him.” The men nodded. Will looked as if he had been crying not too long ago. His eyes were slightly red.
“I don’t think he fell on his own.” Jem said, his voice low. Magnus looked up at the man. Their mothers had come from the same province so they had similar looks. Jem had sharp, angled eyes. Magnus’ were not as angled because of his father’s rounder eyes. They had met when they were still children. Instantly, Magnus had been drawn to the boy that he had called brother at times. Magnus never had any siblings so Jem was the closest thing he had to one. Unfortunately as they grew up Jem was put to work in the castle just like his parents before him. Yet Magnus never treated him any differently. Jem was still his little brother.
“I was thinking the same.” Magnus voiced. “He was happy when I left him.” Leaning over he took Alec’s hand in his. It was still warm even though it was limp.
“Alec is not well liked by all the Chosen. Some believe he should have never been chosen in the first place.”
“Then there was that altercation with Ms. Belcourt.” Will piped in. “I found him in his room crying once. He didn’t tell me why, but I am sure the woman was the cause.” Magnus nodded. It was all hearsay. They would have to wait until Alec woke up to know for sure. “Tell the medic I will be staying with him tonight.”
“But your majesty...Magnus,” Jem whispered his name. It had been beaten into him at a young age he could not call the man by his name. He was just a servant and Magnus was royalty. The Prince still hated that he could not do anything to have stopped that. “You have so much to do tomorrow.”
“They can all wait. I am not leaving him until he awakes. Let my father be furious, I don’t care.”
-=-=-=-=-
<i>Elsewhere in the castle two other lovers were about to take a forbidden step.</i>
Andy was placing down his journal when he heard a small knock on his door before it opened. The night had been a whirlwind. Alec had never shown up to the broadcast and the young man had seen the Prince’s eyes looking for someone that was not there. It was painfully obvious to Andy that the Prince and Alec were meant to be, if only Alec would just let himself accept it.
It was so late at night that Andy’s attendants had already gone to bed. It had taken a lot to get the men to leave him at night. He didn’t need someone at his every beck and call through the night. He could get a drink or use the bathroom without needing help. It was ridiculous, but he also had another reason for shooing the men away.
In the mirror of his vanity he could clearly see Lorenzo as he closed and locked the door behind him. The blonde’s breath sped up. Lorenzo always had this effect on him, even when they first met. “Lord Rey, what do I owe the pleasure of your company so late at night?” A smile spread out across Lorenzo’s face.
“Must I spell it out for you?” He snapped his fingers and the lights lowered. It hid the blush that crawled over the blonde’s fair skin. The man walked slowly up behind him. Andy turned his head slightly for the mystic to grace his neck with a gentle kiss. A shiver went down his spine.
If they were caught they would both be sentenced to life as eights for treason. For Lorenzo it might even be worse. He might lose his life, but neither of them cared at this moment. In all the craze of Prince Magnus trying to find his mate, two unlikely men had happened upon their own love story.
Gentle hands ran up Andy’s sides and under his sleep shirt after Andy stood up.
“Lorenzo.” He breathed out. They had touched before, it had been brief but the feeling had lingered for hours after the man had left Andy’s room.
“I love when you say my name like that. Like a prayer from the mouth of an angel.” Gentle lips touched his neck again.
“Someone had been spending too much time with his tomes.” The blonde finally turned around in the man’s grasp to plant a deep kiss on the lush lips of the mystic. All he wanted to do was be with Lorenzo, only Lorenzo.
“I speak only the truth.” The older man said with another snap of his fingers. This left them both naked, bodies intertwined. Andy moaned and tried to kiss him again but the other man twisted them around and pushed him back on the bed. “Are you sure, Andrew? After...there is no going back.” Andy nodded. He knew what he meant and he didn’t care.
“I know Magnus loves Alec but Alec does not know if he wants to be Prince Consort. I will not be Chosen. When I go back home after this I want to at least have the memory of this night.” There would be no way that Lorenzo could ask for Andy’s hand. Mystics were not supposed to marry outside of their station, it kept the pool of magic from growing into the general population. Only mystics and the royal family could have magical powers. Even if they never planned to have children it was still forbidden.
“Then you shall have anything you want.” Leaning down they pressed their bodies together again, kissing and touching.
“Please don’t tease.” Andy whispered against his lips. He was already too wound up. He needed Lorenzo to do something. Suddenly slick fingers were gently pressing against his hole. How the man did magic was one of the things Andy liked about him. Magic amazed him, but Lorenzo enraptured him.
He whimpered against the other’s lips as fingers pushed into him. “Lor...enzo...” He whispered.
“Slowly, my love. I will not hurt you in my haste.” Leaning up Lorenzo got on his knees between the other’s legs as his slick fingers kept thrusting gently into him. “In all my years...I have never seen something more beautiful.” Andy slapped his arm with a giggle before it changed into a moan as the mystic pressed something inside him.
“If you don’t...get inside me now...I might come...” With a chuckle Lorenzo leaned down and nibbled at his ear.
“Go ahead, my angel. It will not be the last orgasm you experience tonight.” The press of his finger against the spot was too much for Andy. Lorenzo covered his mouth with his to smother the cries as he felt over the edge. Lorenzo was correct. It was not the last time he came that night.
14
It was the middle of the night when Alec finally woke up. His head ached and his vision was blurred. At first he just laid there and didn’t move. He could not remember what had happened. The bed did not feel familiar. It was soft but nothing like his bed at the palace. Then again it was not the cold hard mattress of his home. Finally as he woke up more he noticed there was something warm near his arm. Slowly turning his head he saw a dark figure slumped over in a chair near his bed. Blinking, he recognized that it was Magnus. The Prince was slumped in a chair, his hand next to Alec’s. His mind was slowly trying to process what was going on. Why was Magnus here when he had a nice bed in his own chambers?
Moving slightly was enough to wake the Prince up. His eyes looked around before they landed on Alec.
“Thank god. You finally woke up.” Reaching forward Magnus cupped Alec’ cheek. “I was so worried.”
“W-why are you here?” Alec’s voice was deep and thick as he tried to speak. How long had he been out?
“Where else would I be?” Magnus asked, confused.
“Your bed.” That made the Prince chuckle.
“A bed would be better, but while you are here, this is where I will be.” Magnus took Alec’s hand and pulled it up to lay a kiss on the knuckles. “I love you, Alexander. I think I have since that night in the garden.”
Alec flushed and looked away. “Why would you want to marry a Seven?”
“Because I would be marrying the one I love. I don’t care about your number or station in this world. I only care about you, about Alec Lightwood.” Alec turned his head back and smiled.
“I think...I think I love you too.”
-=-=-=-=-=-
After Alec had woken up and they had time to talk, Magnus fetched the medic. The medic looked over Alec and confirmed that he had probably had a concussion but he seemed to be doing well. His side and wrist still hurt so the medic suggested Alec stayed for one or two more nights. Medicine and bindings would help. Begrudgingly Alec agreed.
Even though Magnus wanted to stay with him he was called away shortly before breakfast. The Prince still had to make an appearance. He promised to return later and left his love with a kiss. This left Alec alone with his own mind. What had happened the night before? He remembered the wonderful picnic and the kiss they had shared, but the rest was foggy. The only thing he did know was he didn’t fall on his own volition.
Thankfully it was not much longer before Helen came to visit him and brought a treat from breakfast. He was not terribly hungry, but he thanked her nonetheless.
“The Prince told us you fell yesterday and are recuperating, but I don’t think you fell. I think you were pushed.” She said after asking how he was.
“I don’t remember. The medic tells me my memory of that event might never come back.” Alec rubbed his temple. It had been hurting ever since he started trying to remember.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to press you.” She said concerned.
“Don’t worry. My temple has been hurting since I woke up. Must be the leftover concussion.” He placed a hand over the other’s. “Please don’t worry about me. You need to focus on you. Didn’t you have a date with the Prince today?” Helen just looked at him in amazement. The boy was absolutely blind.
“The Prince will not be choosing me, I know this. He is just waiting on you.” Alec flushed a bright red.
“Mag- the Prince deserves...more.” He had to catch himself from not calling Magnus by his name.
“He deserves to be happy and so do you.” She said, squeezing his hand.
“What about you? You deserve happiness.” Sighing, she nodded. “Do you have someone at home?” Most chosen that might have had a romantic partner back home had broken it off with the chance to be crowned king.
“No. There is no one at home that holds my heart.”
-=-=-=-=-=-
~*<i>Earlier that morning</i>*~
Helen sat in her seat at the vanity that seemed to be in every Chosen’s room. Her maid, Aline stood behind her braiding her hair. Breakfast was soon and Helen needed to hurry, but she didn’t want to. It was only in moments like this that she truly felt happy. Helen had grown up in a very forward thinking family, but even they would not approved of their daughter favoring the fairer sex. Thankfully Helen found herself attracted to both genders.
However everything had changed when she came to the palace. She had been given three maids, like the other female Chosen, while the male Chosen were only given two attendants. Among her maids was Aline. She was a pretty and spunky girl of only seventeen. That made her two years younger than Helen and closer to her brother Mark’s age.
“Your hair is so pretty and light.” Aline had commented the first time she brushed Helen’s hair.
“It becomes very frizzy if I don’t put product in it.”
“Better than my thick, dense hair.” Aline had beautiful hair. It was long and jet black, but like all the maids she kept it tied up in a bun under a small hat.
“Is there something wrong, Helen?” The darker haired woman’s voice broke through Helen’s thoughts.
“No...why do you ask?”
“You look a bit sad.” Her time in the Chosen was coming to a close. She knew that. It was only a matter of time before Alec said yes to Magnus. Then Helen would have to leave. She did hope Alec was alright. He had not shown up to the broadcast the night before and that worried her.
“I do not wish to leave you.” Helen said, looking at Aline’s dark eyes in the mirror. They had become friends so fast that when they started to fall for each other they didn’t even notice until that one kiss. The kiss they had shared two days ago. The kiss that changed everything. It might have been easier to leave a friend but to leave a love? But even if magic could help men conceive it would not help two women.
“You will not leave for long. Mr. Lightwood cares for you. I am sure he would have you visit often.” It was a weak excuse but Aline was used to disappointments in her life. Her father had left her and her mother when Aline was just a child to run off with some other woman. Her mother tried to support them as well as she could but in the end it was too much for her. Even as sickness took hold of her, Jia Penhallow was still able to find work for her daughter in the palace before her passing. It was a prestigious job indeed, one that any Six would kill to have. Now Aline had found someone that she cared for as much as she had her beloved mother.
“I wish I was not a part of the Chosen.” Helen said, grief in her voice. Then she would not have to make such a choice to leave. Moving around the chair, Aline knelt beside Helen.
“If you had not I would never have met you. That would have been the greatest tragedy.” She took the other’s hands in hers. “My mother once said that people come into our lives for a reason. We might not know why or for how long, but we are better for having them with us.”
“Aline, you are too wonderful for the life you have.” The dark haired woman shrugged.
“I am content where I am and I intend to enjoy what time we have left together.” Leaning up, Aline pressed a quick kiss to Helen’s lips. “Now let me finish with your hair. You can not go to breakfast with a braid half done.” They both chuckled before hugging each other.
“You mean the world to me, Aline.”
15
Alec was finally allowed to go back to his room two days after his accident. His ribs were doing fine and his wrist barely ached, as long as he didn't move it too fast. All in all he was feeling much better. It didn’t hurt that Magnus had visited him quite a few times. Alec knew he should not be feeling this way, Magnus needed someone that was Prince Consort material, but he could not deny that he had been imagining their life together.
Once back in his room, Jem and Will were very attentive. They had Alec stay in bed and not move, even though it was his wrist that got sprained, not his legs. Still Alec did as was asked of him. He let the two cater to him. It was nice to have been missed. Most people of higher class levels would not have cared if the ‘help’ missed them. But Alec was different. Will and Jem were different. Alec could see why Magnus trusted them so.
Towards the evening there was a knock on the door. It was just after dinner and Alec had eaten in his room. Tomorrow he would go back out and meet the rest of the Chosen again. He was scared of what might happen but he was going to hold his head up high. Whoever had caused this was not going to get the satisfaction of keeping him down. Will opened the door to find Magnus there, a small white box in hand.
"Will, it is good to see you again. You too, Jem." Magnus smiled as he walked in.
"It is nice to see you again, Sire. Under better circumstances this time." Magnus nodded to that. Smiling, he turned to Alec who was laying in his bed with a couple books around him.
"How are you, Alexander? I see Will and Jem have made you stay in bed so they could make sure you didn't get hurt again."
"I let them." Alec said, but they all knew the truth.
"I wonder if I might have a little bit of your time. Would you mind, Will? Jem?" Neither man said anything to the contrary. The attendants knew what might happen but they also knew that in the end Alec would become the Prince Consort. They were made for each other.
Quickly the attendants bid them both good night before leaving.
“What is in that box?” Alec asked, finding himself eager to see.
“Chocolate truffles. A little bird told me you fancied my favorite sweet treat.” Magnus came over to the bed and sat down before handing over the box. There were four dark brown powder covered balls of chocolate.
“I was not used to eating something so sweet. This was the right amount of sweet for me.” Magnus brushed his hand through Alec’s hair.
“Was sugar something else you never had?”
“Not never, but usually baked into something or used in jam.” Alec took one of the small balls and bit into it. The powdered chocolate landed on his bedding and he got scared. “I didn’t mean to.” Uncultured.
“Do not worry, my dear.” Magnus plucked one up and popped it whole into his mouth. “It can be cleaned.” Alec ate the rest of the truffle. Suddenly Magnus’ face changed. He looked...serious? Maybe even a bit...determined? Leaning in Magnus wiped a bit of chocolate from the side of Alec’s mouth. Then his lips descended upon Alec’s.
It was similar but also different from the kiss before. It made his body tingle in all the right ways. Magnus had been his first kiss and he couldn’t imagine anyone else. He tried to chase the man’s lips when the Prince pulled back.
“I do not wish to injure you farther.” He whispered. Alec licked his lips, still tasting the chocolate that could have come from either of their lips.
“I like kissing you.” Alec admitted.
“Oh my dear, sweet Alexander. There is more I want to do to you than just kiss.” Alec found himself blushing down onto his neck. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt that out.” Magnus started to pull back from the other, but Alec grabbed his arm.
“I know we shouldn’t...but...I may never get this chance again.” Then the Prince laughed so hard that it made Alec jump.
“My dear, my love. I do not plan on spending the rest of my life with anyone but you.”
“Magnus-” The Prince placed his finger to Alec’s lips.
“I will be there every step of the way. Jem and Will can also be of help. Alexander, please, make me the happiest man that ever lived and marry me?” The darker haired man was silent for a long while. Could it just be that easy? Magnus deserved more, but even as he thought that he could not stand another person having Magnus. “I will wait for as long as I need to.”
“Jem was telling me earlier that you cut the Chosen down again. There are now just five.”
“Yes. It is unfair to them to get their hopes up. Not when my heart is not mine to give anymore. I know you are fond of Helen and Andy so I kept them around.” Alec smiled. At least he would be able to say goodbye to them.
“Who else?”
“Meliorn Knight and Camille Belcourt. They are the favorites of my father.” <i>Something pink moved too fast for his disoriented eyes to catch</i> Alec rubbed at his temple.
“Alexander, are you alright?”
“I am a horrible choice, but...” He stopped Magnus with his hand. “To be away from you might be a fate worse than death. You must promise me that you will always be with me. I need your strength and guidance.”
“Yes, always. I will be there for you, always.”
“And one more thing. If you choose...later on to take another to your heart-”
“There will never be another, Alexander. You will be the only one I need.” They both smiled before Magnus leaned back in for a kiss. “You didn’t answer me, darling.” Magnus whispered against his lips.
Alec laughed and then nodded. “Yes, Magnus. I will marry you.” Magnus smiled as he pressed a kiss to Alec’s lips.
It was supposed to be slow but neither of them could hold back their pasion. Not now, not after they had declared their love for each other. Magnus helped Alec back on the bed and pulled his covers back before climbing on top of him. Alec flushed and tried to look away, but Magnus cupped Alec’s face.
“I do not wish to go all the way. I do want to save that for your wedding night. However, there is something I have been dying to see.” One hand left Alec’s cheek and traveled down his neck and chest, catching on a nipple that made Alec gasp.
“What?” He finally asked as Magnus’ hand moved closer to the hem of his nightshirt.
“The look of pure pleasure.” Magnus' hand slipped between cloth and skin before wrapping around Alec’s nearly half hard cock. He gasped and arched only to wince. His ribs still hurt.
“I am sorry, my love.” Leaning down he kissed Alec as his hand started to move. This way he could keep Alec from arching up again. Alec was lost in the current of pleasure. He had never really touched himself before. He never had time living with his family. He had attempted once or twice when he bathed, but he felt too guilty to continue. What a fool he was.
“Magnus...” He breathed when Magnus pulled back to give them air. Reaching down he pushed Alec’s pants down slightly, enough to uncover his cock. Alec made the mistake of looking down and only groaned. The head was starting to leak and Magnus’ hand looked so good around him.
“That is the picture that has been playing in my dirty mind since I first met you.” Magnus kissed his cheek. “Even better than I thought.”
“Magnus...” Magnus pressed a thumb to the slit of the head. Alec’s eyes rolled back in his head, briefly.
“Let go, my love.” Magnus kissed along his neck as his hand started to move faster. Any chance Alec had at lasting a while longer flew out the window. The intense pleasure was too much.
"Magnus!" This time the Prince’s name was said like benediction instead of a plea. His vision whited out for a moment as his pleasure cascaded over his whole body. He felt it everywhere, even in his toes.
When Alec came back to himself a moment later he noticed Magnus was rubbing his lower half against Alec’s leg, his head in the crook of his neck, until he suddenly stopped and let out a quiet, strangled noise. At that moment he knew that Magnus had just reached his peak.
Hot, quick breath was the only sound he heard and felt against his neck for a moment. Then Magnus turned his head and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, my love. For sharing in the first of many firsts with me." Alec smiled.
"I can't wait for more."
Magnus stayed for a little while, cleaning them up before Alec finally fell asleep. He kissed Alec and got up out of bed. As much as he wanted to sleep beside the dark haired man, he had something else he needed to do. With a quick trip back to his room to change, Magnus was headed down stairs.
Magnus knocked on the door to his father’s study. While he had asked Alec to marry him, now three times, he still had not told his father. Asmodeus didn’t have the last say in his choice, but that didn’t mean that he would not try to influence it. The man loved his son but he also saw what the politicians wanted.
“Come in.” Magnus opened the door and walked in. It was late at night but his father, the King, was sitting at his desk reading over some royal doctrine. Magnus never understood how his father didn’t get a headache from all the reading. After two hours Magnus needed a break while his father could continue for an hour or so more.
“Father, I have made my choice.” Asmodeus looked up from his papers before sitting them down.
“Have you? That is very quick. You just culled them yesterday.” Magnus came over and sat in the chair directly in front of his father.
“I choose Alexander Lightwood.” He noticed the twitch of his father’s brown. The King did not approve.
“Why him? If you wish to marry a man then why not Mr. Meliorn Knight? His father was once a great general. There is also Ms. Camile Bellcourt.” She had been Asmodeus’ top pick because of her father. A top politician would influence a lot of people. As much as the Morgenstern betrayal still hurt, Asmodeus was practical. They needed more support.
“Why did you pick a mere painter?” Magnus countered. “One with a history of fertility problems?” Magnus’ own mother had been a wonderful painter, which she still did, but being one of only two Fives in the choosing meant she was the odd man out. Yet she survived until the last five girls. With her Choosing she became the next Queen of Edom, but her family history was not what the crown needed.
Asmodeus had been the only son of four children. Each one of his sisters had been married off to secure alliances, however, being the only son Asmodeus was expected to marry well and have an heir and maybe even a spare. Yet he married Annisa Sari who was an only child herself. Her mother had given birth to two stillborns before Annisa and then passed with the birth of her fourth and the child followed not long after.
Asomdeus sat back in his chair and gave a small chuckle. “Because I loved her. I didn’t care about her background, all I wanted was for her to be beside me for all our lives.”
“I only want what you wanted, father. I want the love of my life to be beside me.”
“Has he said yes?”
“Yes. He fears the life of a Prince Consort, but he does want to be with me. I just need to give him the ring”
“Then I give my permission. I always assumed you were more your mother’s child. You show her gentle and thoughtful nature, yet you take decisions head long. You weigh the options and take the one that speaks to you. You will be a great king someday, my son.”
“Thank you father, but there is one last thing I would like to speak with you about.”
16
A special TV broadcast was arranged for the next night. Magnus did not want to wait until the following Friday to put a ring on Alec’s finger. He wanted it now. However, he had to find the person that caused Alec’s fall first.
Who would want to kill a Chosen and in such a public area like the grand staircase. Someone should have seen it. The obvious answer was another Chosen. Now the question was, did they cause it themselves or pay someone? Magnus didn’t even pretend to know all the servants in the palace but he felt like he knew a good lot of them. Rumors flew around quickly among the servants so Magnus enlisted the help of Jem and Will.
It would take some time so Magnus went to see Alec and spend a little time with him.
“Your highness.” Magnus had not even noticed that he was not alone in the hall anymore. Ms. Camille Belcourt had just come out of a side room. She curtsied for him, a little deeper than need be but he was pretty sure the woman was trying to show off the plunge of her neck line. Camille was a beautiful woman, but she was not what Magnus wanted in a spouse.
She cared only for material things. On one of the few dates they had she had spent the entire time talking about the parties that she had at her home. How lavish they were and offering to show him around her city. While Magnus had grown up to be Prince his family was not as posh as it looked. Personal family meals were not taken in full dressed attire, that was only for show.
His father liked her because of her father. Reginald Belcourt was a well known politician in Little Paris, one of the largest cities on the east side of Edom.
“Hello, Ms. Belcourt.”
“Oh, you can call me, Camille.” She said walking closer to him. “We have not had a date in a while. I hope that is not an indication that you are bored with me.” The woman pouted, but it was just too much.
Will had said that Alec had an argument with Camille. Could she be the type of person to try and kill the competition? Maybe. He was about to find out. Putting out his arm for her the woman took it as they started to walk.
“I have called a special broadcast for this evening.” Magnus started as Camille looked startled.
“Why? I will not have enough time to get ready.” She actually looked worried.
“I intend to announce my engagement to one of the Chosen.” This caused Camille to nearly misstep. He wondered what was going through her mind right at that moment. She probably thought it was her.
“Then I need to pick out a dress.” She started to pull away but Magnus stopped her.
“Why?”
“Well if I will be on TV tonight I need to look my best.”
“Only my fiance will be on the stage with me.” She smiled, a sickening sweet smile reserved for a simple child that did not understand.
“Oh course, Prince Magnus, but my dress-”
“I will not be asking for your hand.” She stopped dead in her tracks.
“WHAT?!” The beautiful woman beside him let out a screech like he had never heard before. “Who would be a better queen than I?! We are made for each other!” Magnus finally pulled his arm away.
“No. No we are not.” Then out of nowhere the woman slapped him across the face, her long nails leaving redden marks on his cheek. Reaching up Magnus touched his cheek, but thankfully there was no blood.
“Ms. Belcourt, you hit the Prince. That was not a very bright idea.” His voice was calm and measured.
“I am supposed to be the Queen!” Then she must have thought better of herself. “I do not know what came over me. Apologies, your highness.” But the apology fell on deaf ears. “I just don’t want all my training to go to waste.”
“Training that did nothing but make you an evil jealous creature that would dare to try and kill another Chosen and then strike the Prince of Edom. Guards!” Magnus yelled.
“Did that little stoot brush tell you I pushed him down the stairs? He wouldn’t know class if it came up and slapped him across his dirty face.” Magnus was seeing red. He knew the little terms that higher levels called the lower ones. His mother had talked about them. Fives were painted prints or song stealers, depending on the type of artist they were. Sixes were rags and Sevens were stoot brushes. Thankfully the guards appeared at that moment.
“Take Ms. Belcourt to her room so she can pack.”
“No! Magnus, please. We belong together!”
“My dear, unlike the man I want to marry, you belong in the cold palace you came from. Away with her.” The guards dragged Camille kicking and screaming from the hall. He was positive that she was the one that tried to kill Alec. Even if he couldn't prove it he at least got her out of the palace.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Alec stood behind the curtains. His stomach was in knots from the nerves. Any moment the curtains would be pulled back and he would be presented as the fiance to the future king. It was almost too much. His hands traveled down his blue suit as if trying to straighten any imaginary wrinkles. Something caught the light and he looked down at the ring on his finger. Not an hour ago Magnus had gotten down on one knee and asked Alec to be his Prince Consort.
<i>Magnus looked a bit flustered when he came to Alec’s room. Will and Jem were finishing up on his suit for that night’s special broadcast. Alec turned to look at Magnus and noticed two red marks on his right cheek.
“Magnus, what happened?”
“Just getting rid of a nuisance.” Magnus waved off and then walked over to Alec. He placed a kiss on the man’s lips as the attendants quietly made their way out of the room to give them time. “I love you, Alexander Lightwood.” The Prince said as he pulled back from the kiss. Alec was so dizzy from the kiss that he barely followed. Then Magnus knelt on one knee.
“Oh my god.” Alec found himself breathing as the Prince pulled out a small box with the Bane family seal.
“At the end of each Choosing, the Prince in question would give the family signet ring to his chosen spouse in front of everyone.” Magnus started. “But you are a private person who does not want others to look upon him. So here, in your rooms I want to ask you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, to be my Prince. Be the one that makes me strive to be a better person. Help me teach our future children that levels do not matter, what matters is what is found inside a person. Be the one I grow old with, be my everything.” Alec was crying by this time. He couldn’t even say yes through the tears but he did nod. That was all Magnus needed. He pushed the ring onto Alec’s finger before standing up and pulling him into another slow, passion filled kiss.<i/>
“Welcome honored guests to a special broadcast!” Simon Lewis’s voice broke through his thoughts and brought him back to the present. Just remembering how thoughtful Magnus was to make that moment just about them gave him enough strength to stand still. “Now, a little birdie told me, Prince Magnus, that you have a surprise for us.”
“Yes.” Magnus said, his voice calm and smooth. Alec smiled. “I do have a wonderful surprise. People of Edom, my people, I have come to the decision as to whom I will be marrying. It had been a fast and whirlwind romance, one for the books I am sure. The moment I met this person I fell for them. They were so raw and open with me and I couldn’t see a day without them in my life, but they needed some convincing.”
“You did say that before. Who is this wonderful person that has captured the heart of our marvelous Prince?” Simon asked. He was sure everyone was wanting to know, but as usual Magnus was building up the suspense.
“This person never expected to be picked for the Chosen in the first place. They never thought they could have what they wanted because of their level.” A hush went over the few people in the audience for the broadcast. They were mostly journalists that wanted the first taste of a story. “That is also something that I wish to talk to my people about. These levels, the ones that have kept all of you in place, will soon be ending.” Suddenly the journalists gasped and tried to ask questions before they were hushed. “That plan is in motion, but I am sure you are all wanting to know who I choose.”
The curtain opened and Alec stepped out. He didn’t look like a level Seven boy from a small town. There was no dirt under his nails or bruises from hard work. No, he looked like a Prince Consort and for the first time he felt like something special. Magnus stood from his seat and walked over to Alec as flashes of lights went off. Taking Alec’s hand he pressed a kiss to his hand.
“This is my chosen. Alexander Lightwood. Formerly a Seven and one of the best men I have had the pleasure to meet.” With that, the Prince of Edom leaned in to kiss his Prince.
And they lived happily ever after.
The End.
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Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’ - Song Drabble Request
Request: Here
Summary: You were the only one who saw Levi cry at night. You were the only one who could soothe him back to sleep after a nightmare. You were the only one for him.
Timeline: Season 3
Warnings: death, mentions of attempted suicide
Art Credits: AoT (I think?)
Don’t let the sun catch you cryin’
The night’s the time for all your tears
Levi shot up again in bed, a sweat all over his body and the freshly washed sheets. The body stirred next to him and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was in bed with you, and not out in the field with Isabel’s head rolling towards him. Still, he couldn’t shake the pain the vivid nightmare had brought him. The pain of losing his best friends. The heart wrenching, disgusting pain of when he saw that Isabel’s head had turned into yours.
“Levi,” you spoke up to him, reaching a hand to cradle his face. Fresh tears made trails down to his jawline and you wiped them away, “Did you have a nightmare again, love?”
Your heart may be broken tonight
But tomorrow in the morning light
“It’s alright, love. Come here.” You held your arms out to him and he paused for a bit, looking down at your figure. You were there, in your shared bed, outside Trost, and not inside a titan’s mouth. His heart clenched thinking about what his mind had played before him. The titans were a wall away, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming. Something that would break him. Even when he laid in your arms, his soul felt restless. You noticed, yet you couldn’t do anything but shush his tears before the sun rose and he had to face everyone.
Don’t let the sun catch you cryin’
The night-time shadows disappear
And with them go all your tears
He awoke when you did, the sun shining from the broken window above the bed. The day had come and the tears from last night were dried up. As he walked to the mess hall, he smelled the breakfast that you were probably making for the early risers. Eggs. Before the others woke up, he snuck in the kitchen, behind you, to hug you, his head resting in the crook of your neck. He took in your scent, trying to stick it in his memory. Something didn’t feel right about the day ahead, but he calmed himself with you.
For the morning will bring joy
For every girl and boy
Horseface was the first one in, interrupting his moment with you, but his heart still beat when he saw your smile. Of course it was him. The one who was in love with you from the first training session you led for the new cadets. Levi secretly found Jean’s pining after you very annoying, but at least he had you in his bed every night, reassuring him that it was only Levi for you.
“I made breakfast. Are the other boys up? I’m sure Mikasa will wake the girl’s quarters. We’re running low on food for everyone and the chef’s are out getting some more supplies.”
“I think Connie’s going to need like, twenty more minutes. He went to bed late after he drank with some others.” You tsk-ed to Jean, mirroring the habit you’d gained from Levi, and dished out a plate and cup to Jean before making you and Levi a plate. He didn’t take his eyes off of you as you ate, talking to Jean about the plans for today’s maneuver. Your hair was messy, per usual, and you still spoke with your mouth full, but it was endearing to him, cute even. That was the hair he ran his hand through, trying to ground himself in reality last night. Your hands, the ones using a fork to break the egg’s yolk, rubbed his back, and made sure the tears were all off his face when the sun started to rise over the horizon.
So don’t let the sun catch you cryin’
-
We know that cryin’s not a bad thing
But stop your cryin’ when the birds sing
He couldn’t find you. There was a specific rendezvous point in the meat-packing district, and you hadn’t shown up. Levi felt the tears rise to his throat as he yelled at the others for leaving you. Where had Jean lost you? Was it when him and Armin went to save the cart? Was it before then? Jean tried to explain to Levi that you had told the two to get to the cart while you fought Kenny’s soldiers on their left. You would cover for the two kids who didn’t know how to kill humans. You’d kill for them. They were yours to take care of.
He didn’t know what to do, and he realized this is what his nightmares were warning him about. The panic set in, and you weren’t there to soothe him. He was going to go hysteric if he didn’t have your hands on his face in the next five minutes. He needed to find you before they’d rush to Reeve’s to save Eren and Historia. He couldn’t do this without you at his side. He could face Kenny and his past without the only other person who knew. He swore out loud before jumping out a window to survey Trost. He was thankful someone held back the others, as the tears started leaking out of his eyes.
No. No. No. You can’t cry now. You weren’t there. He can’t cry when you’re not with him. Tonight, he would, when you’d finally found Eren and Historia and you could get some well-deserved rest in a newly reformed government. He’d tell you about the nightmares he had, and you would kiss his forehead, calming him down with your slow heartbeat pressed against his ear.
It seemed that his world transformed into that nightmare when he saw your body thrown in an alley way, dried blood coming from your forehead and splattered on the cobblestone ground. In the shade of the building, he picked your body up, not being able to stop the tears now. The only thing that kept him from breaking was your slow, shallow breaths. They were the same speed as when you would try to calm his panic attacks.
It may be hard to discover
That you’ve been left for another
“I’m sorry, Captain, but I can’t say if or when she will wake up. Her brain was heavily damaged, and she’s lost a lot of blood. While you were off in Orvuld, they did transfusions and mercury purging, but we can’t do anything other than that. We have to just sit and wait.” He wanted to punch the doctor. He wanted to kick the window out. Per Historia’s request, he’d moved you to a hospital in Mitras to gain the best medical attention he could, but they couldn’t do anything for you. You were a few minutes walk away from where she was housing the other Scouts, but soon Levi would be drawn into various meetings with the new queen, and he wouldn’t be able to be by your side. He wouldn’t be able to see you wake up.
During the nights, he cried, but this time no one was there to wipe his tears. In the daytime when the Scouts visited you, he remained in the corner, dark circles growing more and more prominent, and showing no emotion. He talked to Erwin with no fervor when he announced the news that you were carrying his child, and that he’d like to keep it if the Commander allowed. Erwin, seeing how horrible and broken Levi looked, permitted it, yet felt a deep cut in his heart when he heard Levi talk about the future like you would be back in it. The doctor hadn’t given a good prognosis, and if the child was to be born, they would have to cut it out. How would a woman who was unconscious be able to go through that without dying? Levi wouldn’t even entertain the idea, but Erwin and Hange prepared behind the scenes if the worst did, in fact, occur.
He cried every night it seemed, and he didn’t care if those outside heard him. He was losing you. Losing his everything. There was no one to calm him down anymore. He could feel the despair consume him more than any other death he’d witnessed. Had there ever been happiness in his life before this? He wouldn’t know. It was something so far away from him now. You weren’t there to see the thing growing inside of you, and did you even know about the child before sacrificing yourself for the boys? It made him terrified, the idea of raising something without you, but it made him feel even worse if you didn’t know about it before you’d left him. This was something you’d wanted so bad. At night, when you were holding him to your chest, you would talk about the future like you were guaranteed one. You’d claim it. Someday, you and Levi would live in a cabin, children running around on a farm raising chickens and horses, and no titans in sight. Someday, you could wake up together and not have to go off and fight. Levi was slowly losing hope of that someday when he’d wake up from exhaustion-induced sleep to see your cold, unmoving body taking shallower and shallower breaths.
Levi cried the day he had to leave to reclaim Wall Maria, hoping that you would forgive him for leaving your side. He begged for you to wake up, hoping to see you at his side again one day. He begged and begged. He cried and cried. He hoped you’d hear his tears, sit up, call him love, and wipe them off his face like you always did. You never did.
But don’t forget that love’s a game
And it can always come again
“Daddy, Jean-ey says that I look like my-” The little girl ran up to him with a bucket of water. Levi took the bucket from her grasp and glared at the back of horseface’s head. Even if Jean was your favorite Scout, he had no authority to tell his daughter these things. Every day, Jean would slip in something about you which would make his daughter light up. Jean was becoming your daughter’s favorite too, besides Armin, and he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle how you were repeating yourself inside this little girl. His heart still broke whenever you were mentioned, the drawing in his pocket carving a square into his chest.
“-You do, love,” he deadpanned while cutting her off and taking a drink. He set the little girl up on the makeshift train, hoping that someone other than Jean or Armin would come and watch over her as Levi continued his work on the railroad. He turned to work again but caught his daughter out of the corner of his eye, messy hair, talking to Armin with a mouthful of water; it was almost too much for him to deal with. Not today. Not on the day he’d lost you forever. The day he made the choice you would have made. A child over yourself, just like when it was the boys over your life. He’d lost you while holding the newborn in his arms. He cried for a whole day, not caring if the sun illuminated his tears.
He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears to go back down. He would never cry in front of his daughter now, not after the months of lulling her to sleep, his cries louder than her newborn ones. It took two years to get over the fact that he was holding your daughter by himself. Two years until he got more than three hours of sleep a night. Two years to come to the fact that he had to stay alive for his daughter and he couldn’t leave to go chase you past the horizion.
He tired once to end it all, a few days after you’d died from the c-section, but just as he was about to, his daughter’s cries rang louder than they’d ever had. It was you, he knew it was. You were telling him to stop from somewhere beyond this world. He had to listen. He always listened to you.
That night, his daughter came to him, bypassing Armin who usually soothed her nightmares. He didn’t know why she’d come to him in his office, but now she was laying on his lap, drool running down her face as he hummed her to sleep. You liked it when he hummed to you, and your daughter was the same. Perhaps he’d found a way to live because he started to see so much of you in his little black-haired demon. No, she was you. Mannerisms, braveness, kindness, sass; all of it was you. That’s why he found tears falling again as he stroked her little head, remembering when you would fall asleep like this while he was busy with paperwork. During those times, he regretted not looking down to admire you like he was your daughter.
“I wish you were here, (Y/F/N). Then we all could be together.” He let out one quiet sob, not to wake up the sleeping child in his lap. He glanced out the window, seeing the sun slowly rise in the distant horizon. Soon, he’d have to leave his daughter with your mother, going off to fight for her safety in a foreign land. That thought was also overwhelming, but he couldn’t think about things like that right now. The sun was coming up, and it was time to put on the façade again.
Oh don’t let the sun catch you cryin’
Don’t let the sun catch you cryin’, oh no
#levi ackerman x reader#LEVI ACKERMAN#levi ackerman scenario#levi ackerman x you#dadlevi#levi attack on titan#Captain Levi#attack on titan#aot levi#shingeki no kyojin#shingeki no kyoujin levi#snk levi#aot x reader#aot x y/n
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