#’so the royal family tries its best to escape the siege of their home and one young child manages to escape’

[goldensunset]

Guess who wasn’t awake when they read their notif about the Anastasia Xehanort theory and bluescreened for a minute. xD

lollll

[xenia-cenia]

Bennett x Fem!Reader - Aster

A/N: The last post kinda blew up so of COURSE I’m doing more in this style. Also he’s totally the son of the pyro archon I don’t take criticism 

Fun fact: at the end I legit started to blush a little bit. 

Trigger/Content Warnings: Regicide/murder, violence, PTSD/nightmares, kidnapping, light swearing

Word Count: 3,560

Request: No

Summary: Everything that has been Lost will eventually be found; be it Princesses or swords. 

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Very few places in Teyvat still bowed to royalty and Mondstadt was no different. 

The people of Mondstadt bowed to alcohol and freedom; the people of Liyue bowed to commerce and wealth.

But you did not hail from Mondstadt or Liyue - you were born into a country far away from Archons and Visions. A country that was set under siege 10 years ago, a country that lost its rulers with a swift slash of a sword.

Rumors spiraled of the young princess escaping with a woman who burned with embers in her eyes and infernos in her hands. Some say the women took the princess only to end the royal line herself, others say she raised the child as her own. As more and more time passed on, people agreed that the woman never existed and the princess died during the attacks.

“Bennett!” You shouted from the balcony overlooking the entryway of Mondstadt. The white-haired boy's head snapped up, a smile growing on his face. You jumped over the balcony and ran to him, “How was your adventure?”

“I found so much treasure!” He began sorting through his pockets and eventually brought out a small bag, he opened it and brought out a golden ring with a raven insignia pressed onto the blue jewel attached to it. He extended his hand and smiled shyly, you slowly set your right hand down on his extended hand. The ring slipped onto your finger perfectly.

“Woah,” you gaped at the ring, admiring the way the jewel seemed to absorb every bit of light, “Where did you find this?”

Bennett chuckled nervously, not wanting to tell you the truth of how many traps he fell into while receiving the ring, “J-just found it... y’know... lying around.” 

You looked up at him and narrowed your eyes, “Benny...”

He scratched the back of his head and mumbled under his breath, “I only almost died like... twice.”

“Bennett!” You yelled and lightly smacked his arm, “Don’t risk your life for this stuff! We’ve talked about this.” 

“But you looked so happy when you saw the ring...” 

“And I’m happier each time you come home to me! Promise you won’t do this anymore!”

“But...”

“Promise!”

“Fine! Fine. I promise I won’t risk my life for gifts anymore.” He sighed but couldn’t contain the soft blush on his cheeks.

“Thank you.” You grabbed his hand and squeezed them, “Really, thank you. I... just please don’t get hurt for me.”

He smiled brightly and kneeled slightly to match your height, “You’re the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me, (Y/N).”

You laughed and began to jog away, “Where did THAT come from? Barbatos save me, you’re so cute.” 

“Cute?!” Bennett half-laughed half-yelled in shock, “(Y/N)!” He started running after you, “(Y/N)! You can’t just say that and run away!”

“Come and catch me then!” You giggled as he chased after you. It didn’t take long for him to catch up to you, grab you by the waist, pick you up and spin you around. You laughed and looked at him, “How come I’m nearly as tall as you, yet you can still effortlessly pick me up?”

He smiled and nuzzled his chin into your hair, “I spend all day fighting hilichulrs and climbing mountains, did you think I couldn’t pick you up?”

“I guess I knew you could, I just didn’t think you would.” You spun out of his grasp and grabbed his hands, “Ooh, that reminds me! You have to hear about this story I just found!”

“Yeah?”

“It’s so cool! It’s about Vanessa...” as the two of you walked back to your small house, you regaled him with stories you had read that day, gushing over the vast history that Mondstadt had.

When you had finished talking, the moon had taken its rightful spot in the sky and called you and Bennett to sleep. You lied on the bed and waited to feel Bennett's warm body press against your chest, his heavy arms draped over your sides. Within moments of him getting into bed, he fell fast asleep. You smiled and buried your head under his chin, letting sleep overtake you.

Screams echoing in your ears, you bit your lip as tears fell down your cheeks. The dress you had treasured was torn and burnt, you could hear pounding footsteps outside your door, looking for your head to hang on a wall.

You didn’t know when this started, all you knew is that you needed to hide. You tried your best to block out the noise, but you could still hear their death thralls and see your parents extend their bloodied hands towards you. 

“Run.” They had whispered. And run you did.

You ran down the twisting corridors, you hid under your Father's desk and prayed to something - anything - that you would survive this and see your family again. But even as a 6-year-old, you knew that your chances of survival were slim to none.

Soft footsteps slowly made their way across the room, you felt heat begin to boil your skin. A woman kneeled down and set her blade on the ground.

“P... please don’t hurt me.” You shook.

She smiled; a warm and comforting smile, “Are you (Y/N) (L/N)?” 

You stared at her with wide eyes, your heart sinking into your stomach. This was the end. You were going to die here. Your family's legacy would crash and tumble, the last thing you’d see was this woman's bright green eyes and smile.

She outstretched her hand, “Come, Princess, I can save you.”

You woke up with a deep gasp, sweat and tears mixing on your face. You looked at Bennett who was still sound asleep, you slowly slid out of the bed and took deep breaths. 

How long was it since you’ve last this nightmare? What was it about sleeping next to Bennett that caused you to see the woman clearer? You shook the thoughts out of your head and decided to take a walk to clear your head.

Flower picking always seemed to calm you down. You crept outside your house and into the Mondstadt fields to reminisce in the familiar scents of flowers. You sat on the ground and quietly hummed to yourself, completely lost in thought, not noticing the figure watching you from a distance.

Slowly, he crept up to you until he grabbed your wrist. You jumped in shock and smiled nervously. “Hello?”

“What are you doing... out so late at night?”

“I... um, just picking flowers.” You used your left hand to gesture around, “It’s so pretty out, I just couldn’t sleep until I brought a few home for my boyfriend...”

“Oh?” The man kneeled down, “Boyfriend, eh? What’s he like?”

“He’s... well, he’s really unlucky.” You looked around to see if he had any allies with him - but even if he did you knew you couldn’t take him in a fight. You were more of a kind soul than a violent one. “He’s probably expecting me home any minute now, so I should really go...” you began to pull out of the man's grasp when he tightened his grip on your wrist.

“What a pretty ring.” He held your hand up to his eyes, “Not as pretty as you, of course.”

“T-Thank you?”

“Would you mind if we took a walk? I get a bit lonely walking through these fields all by myself.” He cheerily laughed.

“I... my b-boyfriend...”

He smiled brightly but his grip began to become painful, “I’m sure he won’t mind, will he? Oh, speaking of! I never got your name, how rude of me.”

“I really need to go.” You tried to pull out of his grasp again.

“Now, now. I know those eyes. Right, Princess?”

“Pri-” you began, but before you could finish your sentence he swung at your chin and you crumpled onto the ground.

“What a great find!” He chuckled to himself as he lifted your unconscious body over his shoulder, “The amount of money we’ll get for her...”

Bennett woke up the same way he does every day: with a sore neck and on the floor. He sighed and sat up, happy that he remembered to put pillows on the floor last night. He looked at the empty bed and smiled to himself, you were probably out picking flowers or meeting with some of your friends. It always made him happy that you had things to do while he was out adventuring, but it always made him happier when you stayed near the city.

It’s not that he didn’t trust you. You weren’t naive or sheltered just... not someone cut out for battle. He had tried countless times to teach you how to fight, even got his Dads involved, but you always seemed hopeless. 

Your stance was wrong, you’d drop the sword or you’d nearly poke someone's eye out. Eventually, you decided to just stay near. Stay safe. Fighting simply wasn’t your thing - and that’s fine! He’d be okay with it either way. 

He changed into his clothes, headed out of his house, and walked around Mondstadt. Katheryne smiled and waved hello, he walked over to her and asked about new commissions. She gave him 4 more and bid him good luck, before he set out he asked if she’d seen you today.

“(Y/N)?” She rocked back and forth on her heels, “No... I don’t think so.”

Bennett felt concern but quickly shook it away, “Tell me if you see her!” 

As he set out on his commissions, he found himself being distracted. Not seeing you when he woke up was normal enough, but Katheryne not seeing you? That was weird. He only even asked as a formality - Katheryne always saw you. She always chatted with you before you met up for midday tea. 

He palmed the hilt of his sword as he began walking to his second commission of the day, completely lost in thought and not noticing the small hole in the ground. One misstep was all it took for Bennett to trip and roll his ankle.

Bennett winced in pain and slowly brought himself out of the hole, “Just my luck, huh...” He reached into his backpack, pulled out medical supplies, and set to work on mending his wounds. On the ground, he spotted a few picked windwheel asters scattered around. He pulled himself over to them and smiled to himself, imagining the smile on your face when he brought your favorite Mondstadt specialty home to you. 

As he twirled the windwheel aster between his fingers, he recalled his earlier unease. With a quick shake of his head, he replaced it with happier thoughts. He pulled himself up, tucked the windwheel aster into his belt, and headed home.

The unlucky boy more stumbled than walked home, beating the pain with fantasies of your smile.

As he arrived back in Mondstadt, he walked over to Katheryne who perked up when she saw him.

“Bennett!” She called, “You’ve been gone a while. Did you complete your commissions?”

“Not really,” he laughed quietly, “ended up rolling my ankle.”

“Oooh,” her eyebrows knit together, “I think Barbara is still working tonight.”

“No, no, I’ll be fine. I can just sleep it off.” He began to step away when he remembered something, he knocked onto the counter with his gloved hand and shot a big smile, “Oh, that reminds me. Have you seen (Y/N) at all?”

Katherynes concern fell into nervousness, “I... I was going to ask you that.”

“I gotta go.” He broke out into a sprint towards your house, the pain from his ankle seemed insignificant compared to his pounding heart. As if some lucky break, he didn’t trip or run into anyone on his way home. 

He threw the door open and yelled, “(Y/N)?!” No response. He searched each room in the house, tearing apart every spot that you could even possibly be hiding in before ran to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. He practically barreled through the door to the library and with heavy breaths looked a startled Lisa in the eyes.

“Bennett?” She took a second to regain her composure, “Oh, actually, have you seen (Y/N) lately? We just got a new book I think she’d-”

Before she could finish, Bennett left the library and ran into the Acting Grand Masters office.

“Master Jean!” He panted, his arms shaking as he held the edges of the doorframe.

Jean looked up at him, piles of paperwork covering her desk, “Can I help you?”

“Yes! Yes, you can!” He walked into the room, tripped over his feet, got up, and sat down in the chair, “You’ve heard of (Y/N), right?”

“(Y/N)...” she repeated, “Oh, yes. I have. She helps me out every now and then.”

“Have you seen her at all today?”

Jean leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against her lips, “No, I can’t say I have. Why?”

Bennett groaned and leaned forward, “I don’t know where she is! I woke up today and she was gone, which, yeah, is pretty normal for her but still! Not you, Katheryne, or Lisa have seen her! I’m really scared - she can’t fight and she keeps going out to pick flowers really far away! Please, please help me find her.”

She folded her hands, “What’s your name?”

“B-Bennett!”

“Bennett. Take Lisa with you and look around Mondstadt. If you still can’t find her, come back to me and we’ll discuss this again. Understood?”

“I’ve looked around Mondstadt!”

“Okay,” she exhaled, “I’ll organize a search party.” Jean stood, grabbed her vision, and walked with purpose.

Bennett sat in the chair, shaking. “(Y/N)... where are you...”

You woke up with a pounding headache and with something wet pressed against the side of your face. There was a tight rope binding your hands behind your back and chains connecting your feet to a small metal cage you were trapped in. You sat up and took deep breaths, trying to recall what happened.

“1 million mora? For a princess? We can do better than that.” A voice sneered.

“How do we know she’s really the princess?”

“Wait until you see her eyes! The Lost (L/N) Princess and she fell right into our hands! Hah! How lucky!”

You looked around your surroundings, other than the cage you were in, it seemed like a normal campsite. You didn’t quite recognize the area you were in and that worried you.

“H... hey!” You called out. The two voices fell quiet and eventually, two men came into your view.

“You’re awake.” A young man with orange eyes and dusty brown hair spoke, a purple face mask concealing his mouth and nose.

You narrowed your eyes at him, recognizing him as the man who took you hostage, “Where am I?”

The second man who had a hat covering his face kneeled in front of you, happiness beaming in his light blue eyes, “Well, I’ll be damned. It really is her.” 

He grabbed the chains on your feet and pulled you towards him, “I’ve been looking for you for so long.”

“Let me go.” You growled, “I swear to god when Benny finds you-”

“Benny?” The man wearing the hat turned towards the masked man, “Whose Benny?”

“Her boyfriend, probably.” 

“Hmm...” he leaned back and thought for a moment, “Well, you know what they say about loose ends...”

“W...wait.” Panic began to tear through your body, “Wait, please don’t. Oh, god, no. Please don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you ask just... please.”

“Anything?” 

“Anything.”

“Well, stay put.” He opened the door on the cage and motioned for you to open your mouth, you complied. He ripped a piece of cloth off your clothes and tied it around your mouth, “Can’t have you screaming for help now, can we?” He chuckled and shut the cage again.

“What do we do now?” The masked man stood, anxiously bouncing on his heels.

“Find the boy.”

“And?”

“Well,” the man sat in front of your cage, pulling down his mask and showing you a bright grin, “See how much he wants his beloved back.”

You glared at him with tears in your eyes, trying to push the gag out of your mouth but to no avail. 

Bennett sat on your bed, trying to keep himself from crying. 3 days. 3 days you’ve been missing. He wrapped himself in your clothes, taking deep breaths and trying to smell you on whatever remnant he had left.

The smell was fading.

He choked back tears and focused on you. Your smile, your voice, your favorite story, anything. Anything at all.

A loud knock at his door made him jump. Excitement and nervousness built into his feet as he ran to the door, maybe the Knights found you, maybe it was you. He threw the door open and saw a small slip of paper on the ground. With shaking hands, he picked it up, and when he finished reading its contents he couldn’t stop himself from crying or collapsing onto the ground.

Benny -

You probably want to know where (Y/N) is. She’s safe. For now, at least.

You have 24 hours to either get 30 million mora or something of equal value to 

get her back safely. If you miss the deadline, we will sell her to the highest bidder. Deliver the money to the great tree in Windrise.

Come alone.

Proof that we have her is attached.

On the other side was a lock of your hair. He clutched it to his chest before carefully tucking it into his satchel, and just like that he took off searching for each mora or item in your house that could even possibly have value. 

He would have sold the clothes off his back if it meant he’d see you again. But in the end, he fell short. 

Not even 1 million mora.

He walked to the great tree, hoping he could strike some sort of deal. With his sword at his hip, he knew what he had to do.

The unlucky boy shook as he set the sword against the tree, his eyes filled with tears as a single man came from the shadows.

“You didn’t bring anything?” He scoffed, “She really loves you more than you love her.”

“She... she’s alive? Thank... thank the Archons.” His head drooped in relief, “M-my sword. It’s worth at least 30 million mora. Take it.” 

The man stepped forward and inspected the sword, “Hm.” He practiced a few slashes with it, “Yes, this seems like it’ll catch a fair price.” 

“Where is she?” He pulled himself to his feet, “I gave you what you wanted... where is she?”

He laughed under his mask, “Long gone. As we speak, she’s being pawned off.” 

“Wh... what?” Bennett stepped forward, “I did what you asked.”

“Yes, you did. A 30 million mora sword and whatever she sells for... now my buddies and I will have the life we’ve always wanted.” 

“That’s not fair.” He began to feel his blood boil under his skin, “You... you can’t do that.” 

Bennett saw red, and the next thing he knew his sword was back in his hands and he was marching directly to you.

Wrath and fear forced his body on and it only increased tenfold as he saw a group of people standing around a cage, one of the men counting mora as he loudly spoke about your name to the onlookers.

Fire roared inside of him, their arrows and swords burned the moment he got near. Everything was burned to ash, except for you. He turned to the cage and felt his chest constrict as he saw tears pooling down your face and a gag keeping you silent.

He dropped his sword and ran over to the cage, it didn’t take him long to open the lock and remove the gag.

“Benny!” You gasped when you could speak, “Oh, god, Benny, I was so scared. T-They... they said they were going to kill you.” 

“I’m here, it’s okay.” He broke the chains off your feet and untied the rope around your hands, “Can you walk?”

“I... I think?” He helped you out of the cage, but you immediately stumbled when you touched the ground. He wrapped his arms around your waist and caught you.

“I’ll carry you. Are you tired?” He sat you on the ground for a moment as he sheathed his sword, before picking you up bridal style and making sure to tighten his hands around so he wouldn’t drop you.

“A... a little.”

“I bet,” he beamed, “Bennys Adventure Team is here to help you!”

Your laughter dissolved into coughing.

Bennett frowned and held you close, “When we get home, I’ll read you a story.”

“About Vanessa?”

“About anything you want.”

You leaned into his chest and wrapped your arms around his neck, “As long as it’s you... I don’t care what it is.”

He was going to respond, but he noticed your eyes fall shut. He leaned down to make sure you were still breathing, smiled to himself, and began the long trek home.

Whenever you wanted to pick flowers or do anything outside of the city, he’d always offer to come with you. He doesn’t want you to go missing again. At night, he draws you close against his chest as he sleeps.  

[guiltydumpling]

The Guard: Chapter 5

[KUVIRA X READER ROYAL AU]

Summary: “I called you all here to announce that we have a guest arriving sometime later today. Princess Y/N of the Kingdom of Elysian” The people in the throne room looked at one another confusingly. “Their palace was under sieged and the king had to send the princess away to keep her safe from any assassination attempts. Their kingdom has done a lot for us and has proven to be great allies for generations. She’s come a long way and has been traveling for a week, I expect nothing less than for all of you to treat her as you do a member of the royal family and to attend to everything and anything, she might ask for… This poor child has already been through too much.” There was silence in the throne room for a while, as they let the information sink in. “Dismissed.”

A/N: Hi beautiful beings <3 Holy crap i’m back and I know it took me like a thousand years to update and I really have no excuse for that but I’ve been receiving messages and question about whether or not I will continue this story and guess what... YES I WILL! there’s only about 2 chapters left after this and an epilogue so watch out for that and thank you so much for the support! This is my first ever fic so I never expected to get this much love from the readers! anyway... Enjoy ;)

Word Count: 4.7k

~ ~ ~

He’s dead… your father is dead. They told you he was poisoned by the wine that was served during the peace negotiation meeting, that the poison didn’t take effect until he was brought into his chambers for the night and his mouth started to foam, blood coming out of his nose and ears, before he collapsed on the floor and that his body wasn’t discovered until the next morning when his servants would usually get him ready for the day. You were saddened by your father’s death but mostly angered.

You were sat on the training grounds on the bench where you first opened up to Kuvira about your kingdom’s situation. You felt your eyes burn from all the tears you have shed for not only your father but your home. You stared at the stars that lit up the dark sky and all you could think about in this moment was your sister. How different things would be if she were still here you thought.

A few moments later and you did not move from your position when you hear someone walking towards you. You didn’t have to turn around to see who it was because you already knew who would be stupid enough or brave enough or both, to follow you when you clearly wanted to be alone.

“I’m sorry about your father” Kuvira spoke a few feet from where you were sitting.

“Why are you sorry? You weren’t the one that killed him” you said coldly. All manners and sensitivity abandoned.

She didn’t speak for a while and you turned your head to finally meet her eyes. They were sad and full of worry for you and somehow you felt a pang of guilt, she just wanted to be there for you. “Sit with me?” you ask her in a softer tone, and she does. You grab her hand to intertwine your fingers with her and you place it on your lap turning your attention back to the stars as you both sat there quietly.

Kuvira loved to banter and tease, it was basically her form of endearment not only towards you but to everyone around her that she cared about. Despite that, she knows exactly when you just needed silence and her presence alone. This was one of those times and you were so thankful for that.

“I guess I’m a queen now” you say as a matter of fact and she hums in response.

“I would be lying if I said that I never wanted to be queen. I’ve thought about it once or twice when I was a stupid child, but I would always push the thought back when I would come to the realization of what exactly being queen would cost me.” And you were right. It cost you everything. Your sister, your father, your home, your happiness, your freedom, everything.

“Have I ever told you about my sister?” you asked her, not tearing your eyes away from the sky.

“No. But I know you two were close” She says

“We were.” You gently smiled at the memory of you and your sister running around court, hiding from your guards because all you wanted to do was play in the garden all day. You two were inseparable.

“My father would often joke about how we were practically joint at the hip.” You continue and you see Kuvira smile gently from your peripheral.

“We were both opposites in everything. From our duties, to our skills, even to our aspirations. You see, my sister loved being a firebender. You should have seen her when she first discovered her gift, she nearly burned down the garden.” You say with a slight laugh.

“Our father had her trained by the best masters in our kingdom and she became a master herself. She was stubborn as well, that’s what made her a great fighter. She was outspoken and rowdy and very much like my father when he was in his youth. Or at least that’s what our servants would tell me. I on the other hand took from my mother, I was quiet and timid, I devoured book after book, practiced the discipline of art and music, and I wanted pretty much nothing but to be able to see the world and its beauty and culture. That was my destiny. To share my gift of knowledge to the people around me, and hopefully contribute to it. However, my sister, was destined to stay in Elysian and be responsible for our family’s line and heritage. But she had other plans in mind. She wanted to become a soldier, she wanted to fight, and that meant having to renounce the family name and her title in order to do so, and you can only imagine how furious father was when she told him. They got into a huge fight after that conversation and they barely talked afterwards. That’s when their relationship started to wither. She would often escape at night to go to town and observe civilians living their life according to their will, she told me it was fascinating, and she was jealous of them all, then she met this man. He was just a farmer’s son and he didn’t know the real identity of my sister, so he pursued her, and they fell in love. But one of the roaming soldiers caught them half undressed in one of the stables behind the man’s home and they dragged the man away for violating her highness.” You paused for a while, remember the poor man’s face, he was so terrified and clueless at the time. Dragged in chains, when all he was doing was spending the night with the woman he loved and thought he knew.

“They sentenced him to be exiled and had his family’s land stripped from them as payment for dishonoring royal blood with peasant hands. I heard his father was killed in an alley by angry citizens because of the deeds of his own son, and that his mother died from a disease that could not be treated because they no longer had the means to pay for medication, leaving his little sister to sell herself to desperate low-life men just to be able to fill her stomach. My sister had every right to be furious. She was put under supervision the entire day and had the guards stationed in her chambers doubled at night. Chantou ordered the exile sentence of the man and told my father that he should find my sister a husband soon so that this kind of thing does not happen again. And that’s what my father did. He wrote a proposal to one of our allies and they agreed that marrying their offspring would make a better knot than any treaty would.” You shake your head in disapproval of the memories and let out a sigh of pity for your sister.

“Months passed and her marriage was nearing. She barely left her room so I only saw her once a week at best, and whenever she would have conversations with my father it would end in a screaming match or at least one of them storming out of the room. My father believed that what he was doing was for the best, or at least that’s what he told himself when Chantou was basically gaslighting my father into forcing my sister into submission… The night before her wedding, she didn’t leave her room the entire day. It was late at night when I heard a crash in her room since I was only across the hall from her. When I tried to check on her myself, she was being held down by two of the guards and she was thrashing around, blood on her feet and knuckles while her handmaiden tried to calm her down. She was having a meltdown basically. When she saw me enter the room, she settled down quite bit and just started crying hysterically while her handmaiden looked at me with pleading eyes not knowing what to do anymore. The room was a mess, there were shards of glass on the floor and flipped furniture but all I could think about was how I barely recognized her. She was much thinner, her eyes were circled dark, and her hair was all over her face. I felt so bad for her.” You say feeling your chest tighten.

“I told the guards to let her go and that I would take care of her which immediately got her to finally settle down and I had her handmaiden and guards leave us alone so I could personally attend to her. Which I did. None of us spoke as I cleaned her up and put her in bed before I attempted to clean up the mess, she made in her room. I didn’t want to leave her just in case she woke up and had an episode again, so I decided to sleep on the couch of her room. A few moments later I was woken up by a cold breeze and when I opened my eyes, I saw the balcony window wide open and I immediately searched for my sister on her bed, but she wasn’t there anymore.” You feel the tears start to brim in your eyes, but you held it down not wanting to cry anymore.

“I immediately got up and went straight to the balcony and that was when I saw her… just standing still on the railings, wind blowing her nightgown and unkempt hair. I didn’t know what to do and I… I was frozen in place. But I called her, and she looked back at me with tears in her emotionless eyes as she told me she loved me. I told her I loved her back and that I would always be there for her… I was begging her to come down from the railing, but she just stared at me…then she asked me if I really loved her, which of course I said yes to, and then she smiled, for the first time since the day of her lover’s exile she smiled… the only reply she gave me was “good. Then take care of everything for me okay?” those were her last words and she just… jumped. And I don’t remember much but I think I was screaming? Or maybe I was trying to, but nothing seemed to come out. But I passed out on the balcony and woke up in my room with my father sitting on the foot of my bed only to tell me that my sister committed suicide.” You finish, and you swallow the lump in your throat as you held Kuvira’s hand tighter.

“Is that why your sister’s death took such a big toll on your father? Perhaps he felt like it was his fault?” She asked carefully and you nod your head to confirm.

As much as Kuvira felt bad for your sister she couldn’t help but feel her blood boil. How could your sister do that to you? Leave all the mess she created to you? Even the audacity to take her life in front of you while you were begging her not to. Why did everything have to fall on your shoulders?

And now your father is gone, your home is in a civil war, and you were blaming yourself for everything when none of this was ever in your control. You had such big dreams, and you had such a big heart. Why is that all being wasted on a mistake you didn’t make?

Call Kuvira biased, but you absolutely did not deserve any of this.

After a while you chuckled lightly at the stars before you, causing Kuvira to raise an eyebrow at you. “What’s so funny?” she asks, and you simply shrug

“When my sister died, I was so angry… I wanted to lash out on everyone and everything but my father… He was silent. I would often catch him sitting on my sister’s balcony at night staring at the sky and when I asked him why, he told me that he used to do that too when my mother passed away. He said that our ancestors used to say that when somebody we love crosses the afterlife, they become our guardians… and the stars we see are actually their eyes looking down on us from the heavens.” You explain

“That’s beautiful” She comments

“It’s bullshit” you state abruptly. “I always thought it was stupid, something old people would say to comfort the young when they would lose someone” you paused, eyes still searching the stars. “But why is it that all I’m trying to do right now is look for their eyes?” you wonder out loud. Desperation perhaps? You wanted a sign, anything, that will indicate what to do next. If the stars were really your loved ones watching over you, then why has nothing in your life worked out for you?

You felt alone. Then you turn to the person beside you. The person who was still holding your trembling hands and sat beside you in your darkest moment and will continue to do so as long you allow her to. You weren’t alone. You had her. She was the only one you had.

You turn to her, taking your free hand, you bring it to her face and slowly caress her cheek. She looks at you with a slight confusion at the sudden affection but places hand above yours anyway.

“Promise me something.” You whisper to her “Promise me that your different. That you’ll stay… Promise me you won’t leave me?” you whisper in a desperate tone, tears threatening to fall from your eyes and Kuvir smiles gently at you. “I love you. Spirits know how much I do… I promise I’ll never leave you.” Kuvira whispered back, lump forming in her throat.

She promised you that she will never leave you and she knew in her heart and her soul that she never could even if she tried. But everything’s different now. You had duties; you were queen. No amount of love in this stupid world could ever provide you a legitimate heir with her. It was you who had to leave her.

She pulled you into a hug and you pressed your cheeks against her chest, letting your tears flow freely once more. “I love you so much” you sniffled.

~ ~ ~

You were now seated on the edge of your bed with Kuvira sprawled on the sheets beside you.

“I think the Avatar may be paying us a visit tomorrow” She stated

“Yeah?” You asked unconsciously eyes glued to your lap. You feel Kuvira shift from her initial position to crawl over to your side on the bed before snaking her arms round your waist, resting her chin on your shoulder. “hey…” she whispered gently, and you hummed in response, still not moving a muscle.

“You need to rest” she said her tone laced with concern for you.

You did need rest. Your eyes were sore from crying and you simply don’t have enough energy to even hug Kuvira back. You were so tired.

You nodded you head and turn your face towards her and kissed her cheek as you smile gently at the woman. “Scoot over” you say, and she does exactly that.

You laid under the covers in the dark, your legs tangled with Kuvira’s arms wrapped around you as you rest your head on her chest feeling her calming breath.

“What are you thinking about?” you asked after a few moments of silence.

“Honestly? Your guard.” She said with a slight chuckle

“What about him?” you asked in curiosity

“He must be wondering why I still have not left your room” she responded, and you gave a light laugh

“Don’t worry… He’s a great secret keeper” you assured her, and she simply nodded, trusting your judgement.

“Stay with me ‘til I wake up?” you asked her, and she lets out a sigh causing you to look up and meet her emerald eyes. “Please?” you pleaded, and she looks at you sadly, already giving you the answer to your question. “It’s fine.” You simply say turning away from her once more and you feel her hand gently caress you.

“You know I would if I could… please don’t be upset.” She explained and you simply shook your head

“No, I’m not upset… I understand you have your duties, it’s just… sad.” You explain

“Damn… love sucks.” Kuvira mutters and you couldn’t help but give light chuckle nodding your head in agreement.

“Yeah… it does.” You responded.

After a few moments you started to feel your eyes go droopy and you felt Kuvira’s breathing slow down as well. “Stay beside me in the meeting tomorrow, okay?” you muttered half asleep earning a hum of acknowledgment from Kuvira as you both gave in to the comfort of sleep.

~ ~ ~

You woke up the next morning from the sunlight peeking through your curtains and you slowly open your eyes. Instinctively, the first thing your body does is stretch your arm across your bed to Kuvira’s side only to feel a pang of disappointment when she was no longer there. You knew she wouldn’t be. But you couldn’t help but hope.

As per usual, Zhu Li helped you get ready for the day, dressing you in all black as a sign of grief and the next thing you know you were seated in the war room across the Avatar. Your guard and Empress Suyin were in the room as well, with Kuvira seated beside you.

“We received a message from Elysian, it’s addressed to you, your majesty.” Your guard starts, retrieving an envelope and handing it over to you.

The room was quiet while they patiently waited for you to finish the letter. It was from Chantou. And he was asking your hand in marriage. Why were you not surprised?

Chantou was not a nice man. He was greedy and always wanted what he could not have, but even though, he was smart about everything. All his moves calculated from the very beginning or you wouldn’t have been in this mess otherwise.

You knew exactly why he was asking your hand in marriage. Your marriage would make him legitimate because as of now, to the eyes of your people, he was a usurper, which was exactly what he was. But with you as rightful heir, Elysians will accept him. Your people loved the royal family and for a traitor like Chantou who did not have any claim to the throne, it was no question if the Elysian people might kill him themselves. He needed you. And as much is made your stomach churn, you needed him too. At least for now, as you try to claim your birth right. You needed the nobles on your side again, and right now, they were loyal to him.

You look up from the letter to meet 4 pair of eyes on you, eagerly waiting for you to tell them what was on it.

“Chantou’s asking my hand in marriage” you finally say, and their reaction were exactly what you expected. Confusion, anger, disgust, and for the woman beside you, fear.

“Like hell you would!” The avatar exclaimed but you simply kept quiet.

“He must be crazier than I thought if he thinks you are ever going to agree to that!” Kuvira commented but still, you remained silent. “Right?” she pressed, her eyes trying to meet yours, but you refuse. Instead, your eyes meet Suyin’s. She knew exactly what you were thinking, and she knew exactly why he was asking your hand in marriage. In her time as an empress, she has probably seen all kinds of tactics people use just to gain the power they didn’t deserve. This was one of them.

“Your majesty.” Kuvira speaks once more, this time in a lower more demanding tone and you finally meet her eyes.

“I’ve decided to accept it.” You finally say and together with the avatar and your guard, Kuvira give you a look of disbelief.

You decided to explain yourself and your decision to them. Talking to them about why he asked your hand in marriage and why you were willing to accept such terms. The Avatar, being her usual brash self, told you to just take Elysian back by force. But you rebutted by arguing that you did not have enough men or resources to do such thing. Meanwhile, Kuvira was kept silent.  Her jaws were clenched and was breathing heavily but you tried your best not pay much attention to it as you stood by your decision.

After a few moments of discussion Suyin finally speaks up. “Maybe we should give this a little more thought and process… Of course, I’m not suggesting that you have not your majesty” She said, careful to not offend you. “But perhaps its best if we let ourselves clear our heads and we can come back maybe later in the day to discuss your final decision. If you still wish to accept his proposal… then I personally will support, you.” She finishes and you give her a gentle smile.

You doubt you were going to change your mind but for everyone’s sake, you agreed and had dispersed.

~ ~ ~

You were near the training grounds shooting arrows to a target with your guard a few feet behind you. Shooting arrows used to be an activity that got your mind off of things, but now it just achingly reminds you of your father. A few shots later you heard steps coming towards you. You didn’t bother looking when you knew exactly who those footsteps belong to.

The footsteps came to a halt and you saw Kuvira’s figure in your peripheral. You already knew her purpose for finding you and you just honestly did not have the energy or the heart right now to tell her that you were going to push through your decision. Choosing to ignore her, you continue shooting arrows.

“Leave us.” Kuvira states, tone filled with authority. No wonder why the other guards around here are terrified of her. You thought.

The look at your guard to give a nod for approval and he distances himself from the two of you, far enough for conversation privacy but close enough that he can still keep his eyes on you.

“What do you want Kuvira?” you ask in the most neutral tone you could muster as you shot another arrow.

“Don’t act like you don’t know why I’m here Y/N” she answers, tone still laced with authority.

You took a deep breath before shooting another arrow. Bullseye. You put the bow down and turned to finally look at her. She was fuming. You couldn’t quite put your finger on the exact emotion she was expressing just yet, but you knew it was anything good.

You took a deep breath before answering her, “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going through with my decision. If you don’t like that, then leave.” You say, trying your hardest to not show any emotion. You couldn’t.

“How could you say that? To me, of all people! Do you honestly believe that marrying that son of a bitch is the only way out of this?!” She raises her voice taking a few steps towards you and you almost stepped back, but you held your ground.

“No! It’s not the only way! I can just easily declare a civil war right now and hold on to my pride and title as I let nameless soldiers die on the field while I sit in my chambers drinking tea waiting for a victory, I didn’t take part in! Or I can stop it. Right here. Right now. Without anybody else getting hurt!” You challenged her. It was true. You thought about the options you could take and it all just ended up either more people dying or simply losing. This wasn’t the only way to win back your kingdom, but it was the best way to do it.

“Then don’t.” Kuvira states and you raise a brow in confusion. “That’s what I just said… I don’t underst--what? Haven’t you been listening to what I’ve been saying since the meeting?!” you groan in frustration. Kuvira takes a step towards you not turning her eyes away from your evidently confused features.

“Don’t declare a civil war. Let us do it.” She explains and you feel your breath hitch. You shake your head and take a step back trying to process what she’s saying. “This is madness Kuvira… even for you…”

Having Zaofu declare war on behalf of your family was a huge risk to their empire. You can’t say the thought never crossed your mind when you arrived in Zaofu and you saw the thousands upon thousands of elite soldiers, bender and non-benders alike, not to mention the resources they have remaining stagnant. You knew that you had nothing to lose and that’s what makes declaring a war yourself moot, you had nothing to bargain with but your claim to the throne. How selfish do you have to be just to claim back your kingdom? Your home?

“You’ve seen Zaofu yourself your majesty, we have more strength and power than the wealthiest kingdoms combined. Declaring war on your behalf won’t even cost us half of our excess” She explains, basically confirming your theory. “And what of the empress? What will she have to say about this rash decision you are proposing to me?” you ask as a matter of fact. Your heart was racing, and your palms were getting clammy from this conversation. Why? You’ve yet to figure that out yourself.

“Su just lost one of her most loyal and strongest allies and her best friend. She’s not about to let the remaining daughter of the two people she cared about the most, to sell herself to a usurper when she gave her word that she will protect you at any cost.” Kuvira states and she takes your hand into hers eager to see your face to give her a hint of what you’re thinking right now. Your hands were trembling, and you were feeling guilt eat your heart and soul. Is this the cost for salvation? Selfish drive and wishful thinking? What would your father do? What would your mother say? What would your sister tell you?

You lightly shake your head, still not fully accepting this decision “no… I don- ugh! Spirits, I don’t know what to do!” you let out in frustration. And Kuvira put her index below your chin to gently tilt your head up to meet her gaze. “You are the smartest woman I know. You always know what to do…” She whispers and you feel tears forming when you let out a sigh.

You knew what to do. You just didn’t want to admit it. Your first plan had a lot of flaws in it to start with. Chantou could just easily poison you like he did with your father and declare you died of illness to your people after he gains their favor. You would’ve never ceased the throne back, not to mention you had to have eyes at the back of your head 24/7 knowing that nobody was loyal to you in the palace anymore.

Kuvira’s proposal was exactly what you needed. A display of external power and allies. A reminder to Chantou that his claim to Elysia threatened our close powerful allies, and that they would not sit idly by as they watch their sister kingdom perish. It was the right thing to do.

It’s the right thing to do.

Kuvira cups your face into her hands, and you are forced to look at her once more. “Su loves you. Your people love you. I love you. And I know that your father would never want you to go through your original plan because he died to save you and Elysia. Please… Let Zaofu fight for you… Let me fight for you”

You feel the tears forming in your eyes cascade down your face and you give her a gentle smile. The first time you did anything for yourself was when you confessed your love to Kuvira. And now… you’re letting yourself be selfish once more.

“Okay.” You finally answer.

[cxptain-capsicle]

Heavy Lies the Head

Pairings: Prince!Steve x Princess!Reader

Warnings: mentions of death, fighting, age gap, creepy dudes and me getting carried away

Masterlist Taglist

You were a prisoner, yet the King kept you comfortable, but for what? It was no surprise when your guards informed you that your rival Kingdom was preparing to siege your castle, the two Kingdoms had been at war since before you were born. Your father believed it to be a good idea to send out the entire arsenal to meet the men who were approaching your castle. You begged him not to, knowing it would quickly end in the slaughter of the armies. Your father was a proud man, who had no blood right to the throne but ruled as if he would never be met with consequences. For years he ruled this way and those consequences never came, but as you watched your rival King strive your father through the stomach with his sword, you knew that his shortcomings as King had finally caught up with him. Guards came bursting through your door, there was a plan to have you, your mother and your two sisters escape the castle. You and your party barely made it past the line of trees when a line of soldiers came forth. You ran with your mother and your sisters until you realized one was missing. Your youngest sister, Agnes, only 8 years old, was yards behind you, tripping over her skirts. You ran back and scooped her up in your arms, but then you felt an arm grab hold around your waist. You screamed as loudly as your body could allow you, which alerted one of the guard’s helping your family back into the castle. He ran to help you and your sister, but he was no match for the several men now running towards you.

“Take the princess.” You placed your youngest sister in his arms as you fought the man who was trying to pull you back into the trees. “Protect the Queen at all costs!” You shouted to him before two more men grabbed you and pulled you away from your home and your family.

_______

“I have told you before I have no quarrel with the King nor his Prince’s.” You groaned as one of the many guards sent to talk with you continued to ask you the same questions. “The war between our Kingdoms was my fathers doing, in sight of his demise I see no reason for there not to be peace after all these years.”

You were not unfamiliar with imprisonment, you’d seen it in your castle dozens of times but never like this. You were placed in a tower, given a maid who brought you all the food and water you could ask for, kept the fireplace burning and the only bondage you faced was the locked door. The King even sent you a new gown to replace the one that was dirtied in the forest, purple, the color of royalty.

“What makes you so certain the Queen would agree with you.” A new voice said behind you, which was accompanied by the closing of your door. When you turned you saw a man, you’d seen several times before but never out of armor or without at least a dozen armed guards.

“Your highness,” You curtsied before him.

“Even after I have sieged your castle, killed your father, your king, and taken you, prisoner, you still treat me with such pleasantries?” The King was much taller than you and made the room become colder.

“The King was no father to me nor my sisters, no husband to my mother, and no King to our people. I am sure that his death will be the cause of revels throughout the Kingdom.” The King chuckled and sat down in a chair by the fireplace. “Though if any harm were to come to the Queen or the Princesses, I doubt they would revel in your rule.”

“The siege ended once you were captured.” The King looked straight into your eyes, waiting impatiently for your reaction.

“Your armies do not control our castle?” You questioned.

“No, you are right, I see no reason for this war to continue now that your father is dead.” The King stood up and looked down at you with an expression more serious than before. “But we will not take any chances of betrayal if we do come to a treaty, so you will remain here until the official treaty is signed. You shall only be allowed to leave this room when accompanied by a guard or one of my sons.”

“Your sons?”

“Yes, they wish to extend this treaty into an alliance between the people they believe befriending the princess should help.” You nodded, not understanding why the King or his sons were being so welcoming of you and the treaty, but you were in no place to question it. After the King left, you asked the guards to escort you to a courtyard where you could get some air. The guards took you to a large courtyard with flower bushes and benches all around its perimeter.

“My Lady.” A male voice said from behind you. A young man was approaching you, he was much older than you probably by at least 8 years, but his smile made him seem like a boy. He was tall and had blond hair neatly combed back, he also shared the same crystal blue eyes that you had seen in the King.”

“You must be one of the Prince's.” You curtsied to him politely.

“Yes I am, Lady (Y/n), I am my father’s second son, Steven.” He smiled at you all too genuinely.

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, your highness-”

“Please,” He interrupted. “I wish for you to call me Steven, or Steve whichever you prefer.” He then picked a small purple flower, bowing his head and holding it out for you.

“Well, Steven, it is my pleasure.”

______

“Are you the oldest of your sisters, Lady (Y/n)?” You had been a “prisoner” for a few weeks now, and it seemed you were unable to escape the young prince’s sight.

“I am trying to read, my lord.” You looked over your book to Prince, who sat across from you.

“Just talk to me for a little while and then I shall leave you to your leisurely activities.”

You sighed and placed your book upon your lap. “If you mean to ask whether I should obtain the throne after my mother’s death, then yes, I shall.” Steven cocked his head at the aggressiveness in your voice.

“My pestering riles you or you do not wish for the crown.” He questioned your tone.

“I was not always the daughter destined for the throne.” You pressed your hands flatly against your skirts as you remembered your eldest sister who died not even three years ago after she received a fever while on a trip to Italy.

“Your sister,” The Prince nodded. “I’m sorry if I have upset you,”

“It’s quite alright.” You looked up to see him watching you carefully. “You know what it is like to grow up as the spare.” He nodded.

“My brother Grant is to be the heir to the throne after my father’s death,” Steven whispered as if he was speaking treasonous words. “My father is not younger any longer and yet my brother remains out on the battlefield and we have heard no word of whether or not he remains alive. I have come to terms with the thought that I may be King if my brother does not return.”

“And if he does?” You questioned him.

“Then he shall be King and will be my father’s problem to deal with.” He spits out, trying to hide the resentment in his voice.

“You bear ill will towards your brother?” You recognized the resentment in his voice, it was not the resentment of a man who’s had the crown stolen from him but of a man who has had all glory stolen from him.

“My brother is the heir to the throne and sees himself above his family and his people, he may be a good King someday but he has never been a good man or brother.” His eyes faded back to the casual happiness that you recognized all too well. “What about your father?”

“What about him?” You were taken aback at the mention of your father, which he had been tiptoeing around for weeks since his death.

“Your animosity for your father is all but unknown.” He slumped back casually in his chair. “Why?”

“My father does not support the notion of a female heir to the throne, yet he was blessed with four daughters.” The young Prince nodded understandably.

“What does the Queen believe?” He continued to press.

“My mother believes that a Queen needs a King and that a King needs a Queen, she will arrange my betrothal once it is time for me to take the crown I am sure.” You dreaded your inevitable betrothal, your father had put you off of men who will leech onto the royal family to take the throne for themselves.

“And you believe that will come soon?” You didn’t need to say this aloud, he always seemed to know what you were thinking, which made him easy to speak to.

“My mother has spoken of stepping down from the throne for years, now that the King is dead I see no reason that is holding her back. The only thing that stops her is…” You cut yourself off quickly.

“What holds the Queen back?” You saw Prince Steven’s blue eyes dilated with interest.

“My mother does not believe me fit for the crown, I believe she is waiting for my middle sister, Mary to come of age so that she may bestow the crown upon her head.” He did not need to ask for you to elaborate, for the look in his eyes was enough. “My sister is serious and confident for her age, she leads with her head rather than her heart.”

“I believe that leading with one’s heart is a virtue.” You could not tell if he said this out of honesty or to please you, which he so often tried to do.

“Maybe for a Princess but not a Queen,” You corrected him. “Yes... it would not surprise me if my mother has me betrothed to a Prince in the East and have me sent away to take the crown of a country which is not my own.”

“You don’t truly believe she would do such a thing?” He was shocked at the thought of the Queen ripping you from the throne in such a way.

“My mother loves her daughters dearly, but she is a Queen first and as long as she remains as such she will do what she believes is best for her country.” It made you angry not that your sister would obtain the crown but that you may be taken from your country. You did not wish for the throne, but you would rule it with dignity whence the time came.

“Steven!” A shouting voice called from the corridor. “Have you any idea where the Princess has gone-” The King stopped in his tracks when he saw you and Steven across from each other. “Ah, my lady don’t you think it indecent for the two of you to be together without a chaperone.”

“Don’t worry father, we were simply looking for a quiet place to read,” Steven saved you from having to respond to such a question.

“Well, Lady (Y/n) I am here to inform you that your mother and sisters will be joining us this time next week for a banquet where we shall officially announce the treaty between our Kingdoms.”

“Oh, that is wonderful,” You smiled brightly at the King, excited to see your family again.

“Yes well, please return to your leisures.” The King said finally before exiting the library.

“Oh, this is wonderful!” You shot up from your chair and pulled the Prince up to stand with you.

“Ah yes, we have not had a banquet in quite some time. I think you should enjoy yourself,” Steven took your hands and began to light-heartedly dance with you. “I shall need a dance partner you know,”

“I don’t believe you shall find a problem finding one.” You giggled and teasingly pulled away from him, but he pulled you from your waist and brought you close to him. You brought your eyes to meet his blue ones, ones that you had never seen so close before, and you realized that you had been robbed of his beauty from a distance. From up close his eyes were so mesmerizing it mattered not to you that you continued to dance in small squares with his hand on your waist. His eyes shone so brightly even in this dim library that you barely believed that they were real. Now your eyes traveled past his eyes to his neat blonde hair and sharp jaw. It was no secret that the young Prince was handsome, women seemed to fall at his feet, but you never considered yourself such a girl who could so easily do so. The Prince did pester you so often, but you enjoyed his company more than you did with any other man even back in your own Kingdom.

“Maybe but I have a particular Princess in mind.” His voice was barely above a whisper, his warm breath fanned your face, making your breath catch in your throat. “Promise that thou shall not dance with another and I shall do the same.” His hand that was not on your waist rose to the side of your face as his face got closer to yours.

“I promise,” You spoke so softly that you could barely hear yourself but he clearly could because once you said it he firmly grasped your chin and clashed his lips against yours. You had kissed no one before, as a Princess, you could not do such things for the fact you were expected to save such virtues for your husband. In shock you pulled away from the Prince, his eyes were wide with shock and fear that you would be angered with him.

“I am sorry Princess if I have acted out of turn-” He took a step away from you and his voice was smaller than you’d heard it before. Before he could finish, you threw your arms around his neck and pressed your body against him. He lost his balance and slightly tumbled back but wrapped his arm tightly around your waist to balance himself. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t imagined kissing the Prince, you imagined that it would be slow and heartfelt. This kiss was heartfelt, but it was not slow and soft, it was fast and your lips were constantly crashing with his fearing that if they ever split for too long, then they would never come together again.

______

You continued seeing the Prince every day, sneaking off to far corners of the castle, sneaking kisses and lingering glances that you could never do in front of the King. Now you were being chased by the Prince through a garden that was seldom used by anyone other than him. Due to your uncomfortable shoes and heavy skirts he caught up to you in no time wrapping his arms around your waist and spinning you in a circle.

“Steven!” A harsh voice called it was none other than the King who had become notorious for interrupting your activities with the Prince. Steve placed you back onto the ground and took a shy step away. You tucked a hair that had become loose from your running behind your ear and stared at the ground.

“I’m sorry father we were just messing about.” Steve stumbled slightly over his words.

“Nevermind that now boy,” The King sighed heavily at his son’s behavior. “Your brother has returned from the battlefield, and Lady (Y/n) you must go prepare yourself for your family’s arrival and the banquet tonight.” You looked up to meet the King’s gaze that lasted a little longer than you would have liked, “Be off,” He elaborated.

“Oh,” You jumped realizing his intent, “Of course, thank you, your majesty.” You hurried off, catching one more glance of Steve’s red face before you went to your quarters.

A team came to bathe you, have you dressed and do your hair before the banquet, you continuously asked them if they’d heard the news of if your family had arrived but none of them had. You were told to stay in your room until an escort came to get you. You anxiously sat on your bed waiting for your door to open and once it did a small girl came plundering in.

“Y/n!” Your little sister Agnes screeched, and she jumped into your arms. Your mother and sister Mary calmly followed after her.

“I missed the three of you so much,” You hugged the other two girls.

“Well, it seems you’ve had good company,” Mary smirked slightly which confused you until you saw Prince Steven walk in behind them.

“I-I have found companionship, yes,” You chuckled slightly along with Steve.

“I believe that we are ready for you,” Steve broke in and brought you down to the banquet hall, there was already music and dancing which Agnes was eager to join. Mary took Agnes to dance, which left you, Steven, and your mother.

“I believed I was promised a dance,” Steve whispered in your ear causing shivers to run down your spine, you looked over to see your mother was already engaged with the King and so you took Steven’s hand and let him bring you to the dance floor. The song was slow but had a beat that still kept everyone on their feet. Steve wrapped his arm around your waist, and his other clasped your hand. It felt so familiar to be this close to him, yet you felt strange being so close in front of so many people.

“It’s fine,” He leaned down and whispered in your ear. “It’s just a dance.” He pulled away and let you see the wide grin on his face, and you must have had the same one. Such a thing out of this context would have you each in trouble, so you each felt as though you were sneaking your romance past the rest of the dancers.

The song quickly ended, and the King called everyone to gather for an announcement. As a part of a royal family, you and Steve were expected to come to the King’s side. Steve went to one side of the King to stand with his mother, a woman who looked a little like him but must have been where he got his kindness because her smile was so radiant it nearly took you off your feet. On the other side of the Queen was another boy a few years older than Steven which meant he was most likely double your age, having the same hardness as the King and slightly larger than Steve, which you didn’t believe was possible. This other man had dark hair similar to the color of the Queen, but eyes just as blue as Steve and his father’s. You immediately knew that this was Grant, the heir to the throne. He looked exactly like Steve had described him, cold, stern and serious.

You stood with your mother and sisters in order of age with your mother standing next to the King.

“As each of you knows, our two Kingdoms have been at wars for nearly two decades after the last siege our rival King was killed. Our two Kingdom’s have decided that we do not wish to wage war any longer.” A cheer erupted through the crowd, but the King silenced this. “As a form of peace, we have come to the idea that Princess (Y/n) and my son Prince Grant are to be betrothed and they will serve as my Queen and I’s successors.”

Your breath caught in your throat and you brought one arm to instinctively clutch your sister’s wrist to keep you from tumbling to the floor. The crowd cheered, and the band began to play once again, causing everyone to disperse to their dance partners. Your eyes fixated onto the ground, realizing that your mother had married you out of your throne and to a man you had never met.

“Y/n!�� You felt a hard jab in your side and looked over to see it was your mother, you looked to your other side seeing Mary just as shocked as you were, knowing that now she would be the heir to the throne.

“Excuse me, your highness,” A deep voice said from in front of you, your head shot forward to see Prince Grant standing in front of you with his hand out signaling that he wished to dance. Something about the fact that he believed an extended hand was a way to ask a lady to dance made you upset. Your shaking hand took his, and he brought you to the center of the floor. He wrapped his arm around you and you had to fight every instinct not to pull away.

“You seem to be in quite a shock my lady,” His voice was smooth but not smooth like his brothers but in a cool and calm way that made his sound arrogant.

“Aren’t you?” You looked up at his eyes to see if they matched the rest of his demeanor. Yes, his eyes were blue and nearly identical to Prince Steven’s but they were not Steve’s. Steve’s eyes were blue like the ocean your mother took you to as a child, cool and refreshing, calm waters that allowed you to swim in for hours. Prince Grant's Eyes were like the stories your father would tell you before bed, unforgiving dark seas that could sink a ship before you could even call out to lower the sails.

“Of course not,” Grant smiled at the fact that he knew something that you did not. “My father sent me a letter upon your arrival saying that he wished to have us betrothed.”

This was nearly too much to process. Throughout the time that you had known Steven, you were already one foot into the chapel ready to marry his brother. In your shock you caught a glimpse of Steven leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed, looking at you. Steve never had to tell you what he was thinking, he wore his heart and his mind upon his shoulder and you knew he was thinking: you promised to only dance with me. Once he met your gaze more a moment, he quickly turned and exited the hall out of the nearest corridor. Your eyes followed Steve until you felt the arm around your waist tighten and pull you in closer than even Steve and you had danced.

“My father did also tell me you and my brother had become acquitted.” You looked up at him and swore you saw anger. “I do hope that my brother recognizes that you are to be my Queen.” The surrounding grip became painful, and you pulled yourself away from the Prince.

“Excuse me,” You blurted before rapidly making your way over to the corridor that Steve had gone down. You had been down this corridor countless times in your stay. It was filled with dozens of doors and branches.

“Steve,” You whispered, hoping to bring him out of whatever hidden place he was in.

“(Y/n) (L/n)!” A hiss came from behind you. You turned to see your mother barreling towards you with a fuming expression on her face.

“Mother!” You practically screeched. “ Why would you do that?” You referred to your marriage to the future King.

“That was the King's proposal, do you wish for another war?” She matched your angry tone.

“I wish that my mother would not ship me off to such a vile man.” You began to walk away from her, finding Steve was all that was important at the moment.

“How could you say such things? You’ve never even met him.” Your mother continued after him.

“And yet I feel as though I’ve had my fill,” You scoffed. “I’ve heard what I need to make my own decision.”

“Who have you heard such things from? His brother, that reckless prince who you’ve spent so much time with. That boy is no match for a princess, he’s never going to be King.”

“Why should the throne make any difference when deciding whom I will love.” You turned around to yell at her. Tears filled your eyes, your mother would always be Queen before she would be your mother.

“You love him?” She gasped, clutching her hand over her heart with a shriek.

“Why does it matter?” You were disgusted with her reaction. “ I am not even twenty years of age, I should not be getting married, especially not to a prince in his thirties.”

“You know that age is not a factor when it comes to royal betrothal. I thought I taught you better than this.”

“I’m sorry that I’m not like you, mother! I don’t want to be a princess nor a queen, I want to be me.” You confidently stood your ground knowing that this is the worst thing you could say to your mother.

“I should hope that by the time you become Queen you will regret that.” She turned around violently and began back down the hall but she stopped and turned around. “And return to your fiance promptly.”

You waited until she was out of sight and then stomped along continuing your search for Steve. You continued whispering his name through every doorway until an idea hit you, the garden where you first met. You lifted your skirts and ran as fast as you could in your heals to the courtyard. When we finally got close enough to see you saw Steve sitting on a bench slumped over with a small purple flower in his hand.

“Steven!” You yelled as you ran towards him. You fell at his feet and looked up at him. He seemed unfazed at your attendance. You softly said his name and brought your hand up to his cheek but he pulled away, pushing himself up from the bench.

“Steve, please.” You begged as tears filled your eyes. Steve turned around and you saw his eyes, red and puffy, you couldn’t tell if his nose was red from tears or the cold air. He saw your tears beginning to fall down your cheeks as you sit on the ground, your large dress seeming to swallow you.

“Did you know?” He looked down at you with a hint of something you could not read. Anger? Sadness? Betrayal? You could always tell how he felt, it was unnerving that he could shut you out so easily.

“No!” You cried, begging him to believe you. “I swear to you I had no idea.” He nodded his head slowly as he put his hands in his pockets. “Steven please, I need you to believe me.” You placed your hands on both sides of his face, this time he did not shy away.

“Leave with me.” He said so quietly you believed you heard him wrong.

“What?” You said in shock as he wrapped his hands around your wrist and held you tight, trying to keep you with him.

“Runaway with me, tomorrow at sunrise, we can leave on one of the horses, they won’t realize that we’re gone until dinner.” You’d never heard anything so preposterous but he was serious.

“What about your mother, what about my sisters?” You shook your head at him.

“What about them? If they really cared about us then they would support this.” Steve let go of your wrists and put his large hand on the side of your face, you involuntarily leaned into his touch. “I love you Y/n.”

You looked up at his blue eyes searching them for any trace of a li but you found none. “I love you too Steve,” He slowly leaned down, his lips catching you in an agonizingly slow kiss before he took a large step away from you.

“I’m leaving tomorrow and dawn, I couldn’t stand seeing you marry another man. If you wish to come with me, meet me at the southwest stables.” With that he left in the direction of his quarters, leaving you with a decision to make

Part two is out now.

Tags:

@futuremrspeterparkerholland @zabdisamor​ @ouchiemyfinger​ @peterpandco​ @delicately-important-trash  @whatdafricklefrackle​ @saturn-aka-six  @teellmeyourwish​ @fearlessprncss​ @jillanaholland​ @camiidesandoval​ @raekenliar​

[fly-pow-bye]

What’s Airing On Cartoon Network? (July 2019)

The Futon Critic has updated, and has what Cartoon Network will air in July. This include Ben 10 2016, Craig of the Creek, LEGO Ninjago, OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes, Summer Camp Island, Teen Titans Go, Victor and Valentino, and the new series Mao Mao Heroes of Pure Heart. It’s a long post, so see you after the break!

Ben 10 2016:

Ben 10 continues his world tour. Saturdays at 12 PM, we get two Ben 10 2016 episodes in a row.

July 6th:

Big in Japan - During a tour of a robotics museum, Ben finds hero-gone-wrong Tim Buktu "trying to save" Tokyo from a Dragon. Has Tim finally turned over a new leaf, or is this just another one of his half-baked plans to play the part of hero?

Cyber Slammers - At Biggie Box Japan, Ben waits in line for the release of the latest Sumo Slammers video game, but he must soon save the store from Steam Smythe, who wants to retro-fit a massive mech with steam punk powers!

July 13th:

Big Ben 10 - When Ben and family go to London to visit the legendary Big Ben, the Bugg Brothers are there to greet them, with yet another outrageously over the top plan of course: to shrink the Big Ben bell in order to steal it!

LaGrange Muraille - Ben, Gwen, and Grandpa Max take a trek to the Great Wall, but their adventure is nearly ruined by daredevils LaGrange and Vin Ethanol trying to jump the international monument, and Ben must hop into the Rustbuggy to chase away the foes.

July 20th:

Lickety Split - When a mysterious electrical storm downs the Omni-Copter at the Equator, Team Tennyson soon discovers Solar & Polar are behind it.

The Claws of the Cat - While taking in the sights and sounds of a Rio de Janeiro music festival, Ben bristles at Gwen's suggestion that she be his new sidekick, as the festival is threaten by the supersonic sound waves of Lord Decibel.

Craig of the Creek:

Saturdays at 9:00 AM.

July 6th:

Turning the Tables - Craig dines at the restaurant where his older brother works and orders up a plate of REVENGE... and lots of breadsticks.

July 13th:

Kelsey the Author - Craig and Stacks help Kelsey become a real author turning her story into a book!

July 20th:

Council of the Creek - The circle game wreaks havoc on the Creek, so Craig forms a council to restore order.

July 27th:

Sparkle Cadet - Craig, Kelsey and JP team up with an intergalactic hero named Sparkle Cadet, hoping to save the Creek from negativity.

LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu:

Ninjago’s surprise return continues. Saturdays at 12:30 PM.

July 6th:

Booby-Traps, and How To Survive Them - The ninja team up with a reluctant Clutch Powers to enter a mysterious pyramid where they inadvertently unleash an ancient evil.

The News Never Sleeps! - Lil' Nelson takes a job as a paperboy, which is more difficult than it sounds in a city overrun by scorching Pyro Vipers and an evil Serpentine sorceress.

July 13th:

Ninja vs. Lava - The ninja find themselves trapped in a pyramid and must escape encroaching lava to warn NINJAGO City of a new Serpentine invasion.

Snaketastrophy - The Serpentine attack on NINJAGO City is seen from an unexpected perspective - entirely in the style of a live newscast delivered by Gayle Gossip and her cameraman.

July 20th:

Powerless - The ninja rush to the NINJAGO Museum of History to recover a dangerous scroll before it falls into the hands of the Serpentine Sorceress Aspheera.

Ancient History - While Aspheera pursues revenge on the "Treacherous Deceiver" who betrayed her, the ninja make a startling discovery.

July 27th:

Never Trust a Human - A flashback episode tells the story of Young Wu and Young Garmadon meeting Aspheera and teaching her the secrets of Spinjitzu.

Under Siege - Having learned Master Wu is the "Treacherous One," the ninja find themselves under siege at the Monastery, trying to protect Wu from the wrath of Aspheera.

Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart:

Mao Mao makes his debut in July. Coming right after Teen Titans Go, these episodes will air on Mondays at 6:10 PM, with another episode coming at 6:20 PM. No commercials?

July 1st:

I Love You Mao Mao - An explosive loner and his slacker best friend are waylaid from their journey into legend, only to find that their story is just beginning.

The Perfect Adventure - When Mao Mao gets hungry for the perfect adventure, Adorabat tells a white lie.

July 8th:

No Shortcuts - After struggling to keep up, Adorabat gets a cybernetic "Mega-Mech." But can fancy new powers make up for experience?

Ultraclops - Badgerclops gets huge to destroy a towering monster, but when he refuses to shrink down, the kingdom faces a new terror.

July 15th:

Mao Mao's Bike Adventure - When Mao Mao underestimates enemy and friend alike, it almost costs him the entire kingdom.

Breakup - Feeling left out, Adorabat wishes Mao Mao and Badgerclops would spend less time with each other and more time with her. When she gets what she wishes for and accidentally breaks up their friendship.

July 22nd:

Not Impressed - When a Sweetypie isn't impressed with the sheriff department's antics, our three heroes try everything to win him over.

Enemy Mime - When the sheriff's department fights a monster that copies their every move, they'll have to find a way to fight without fighting.

July 29th:

Outfoxed - When Rufus and Reg come to swindle the town, Sheriff Mao Mao teaches them a lesson in justice.

Bao Bao's Revenge - When Mao Mao's old partner threatens the kingdom, his friends will need to learn about his past in order to protect the present.

OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes:

OK K.O. moves to Saturdays stays on Sundays despite Futon Critic reporting otherwise at 4:30 PM this month, with two episodes in a row for each week.

July 7th:

We Are Heroes - K.O. struggles with his upgraded role as a member of the hero team.

KO, Rad, and Enid! - When confronted with their lack of a team gimmick, K.O., Rad, and Enid wonder what their group identity should be.

July 14th:

TKO Rules! - K.O. and T.K.O decide to swap places for the day.

Chip's Damage - Elodie enlists K.O. to help figure out what to do about Chip Damage.

July 21st:

K.O. vs. Fink - When Fink taunts K.O. for being a momma's boy, he grapples with newfound insecurity about it.

The K.O. Trap - K.O., Rad, and Enid are caught in an especially devious trap.

July 28th:

Whatever Happened to... Rippy Roo? - Rippy Roo visits the plaza.

Planet X - When Rad returns to his home planet, he learns a shocking truth about alien society.

Summer Camp Island:

This season of Summer Camp Island ends this month. Every Sunday at 12:00 PM, we get four episodes in a row.

July 7th:

Susie's Fantastical Scavenger Hunt - Oscar and Hedgehog must learn to exist without each other when they are put on different teams during a scavenger hunt.

Mop Forever - At Alice's dress-up party the campers are magically turned into their costumes.

Pajamas Party - When Pajamas starts to panic that Oscar will outgrow her, Oscar tries to help but things go awry.

The Soundhouse - Oscar and Hedgehog discover a new structure on the island and become friends with its caretaker.

July 14th:

Puff Paint - Oscar's painting is unpopular so he goes on a journey of self-discovery.

Susie Appreciation Day - Hedgehog and Oscar find themselves trapped in Susie's cabin and must escape undetected.

Campers Above the Bed -Hedgehog finds a city underneath her bed as she looks for her missing diary.

Midnight Quittance - Ramona invites Hedgehog and Oscar to participate in a special holiday ritual.

July 20th:

The Great Elf Invention Convention - Oscar, Max, and Hedgehog do a favor for Barb the elf in exchange for some chips.

Twelve Angry Hedgehogs - Hedgehog wants to win the Golden Science Badge but runs into some unexpected competition.

Spell Crushers - Hedgehog tries to get over a crush so she can regain her focus on magic.

The Library - The campers spend a rainy day at the library.

Teen Titans Go!:

Teen Titans Go managed to get a sixth member to join the team, and didn’t manage to send her to space. Amazing. Mondays at 6 PM.

July 1st:

Communicate Openly - Bumblebee becomes the sixth Titan and moves into the Tower but has a hard time adjusting.

July 8th:

Royal Jelly - Bumblebee offers to help Robin with his leadership skills by teaching him how to act like a queen bee.

July 15th:

Strength of a Grown Man - Needing a hero with shrinking powers, but forgetting about Bumblebee, Robin invites The Atom to join their fight against the Brain.

July 22nd:

Had to Be There - So she isn't left out of inside jokes, the Titans time travel to past adventures and insert Bumblebee into their memories.

July 29th:

Girls Night In Part 1 - The Girls Night Out Crew decide to stay in and have a slumber party but an unknown alien threat descends on Jump City.

Victor and Valentino:

Saturdays at 9:30 AM.

July 6th:

Churro Kings - When Victor and Valentino start making good money from selling churros at the taco stand, their lust for stuff makes them do dirty tricks to take out their competition.

July 13th:

Know It All - When Victor accidentally unleashes evil bats from a cave, it's up to the boys and Don to protect the town, but Victor's know-it-all attitude keeps getting in the way.

July 20th:

Fistfull of Balloons - When Victor gets double-crossed during a water balloon fight, he goes on a revenge mission to find out who was responsible.

July 27th:

Love at First Bite - Valentino crushes on a girl named Matty, who Victor is suspicious of but Valentino ignores his warnings. When Valentino goes to dinner at her house she turns into a Matlazihua and he discovers he's what's for dinner!

[punkpoemprose]

Siege of Arendelle- Chapter Eight

I really didn’t want to write this chapter, but it needed to be done. Probably no update next week because my boyfriend is coming home for the first time in a long time and I’m not going to leave him alone for even .5 seconds until he leaves again on Wednesday.

I would like to point, once more, to the blanket apology I created for this series.

Universe: Canon- Post Film Rating: T (Teen and Up)- Soon to change <3 Words: 3578

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven

         Anna drank in the sunshine as she and Kristoff lay together on the line where the forest met their own personal Eden. The smell of the flowers she had tucked into her hair was far superior to any perfume she had back at the castle. And she felt far richer with his arms around her than she ever had as a crown Princess. She was his and he was hers and it was more than she had ever had. A love like the one they shared was all she'd ever wanted, and if it weren't for how badly she missed her sister, she wouldn't miss the city at all. She had done her duty to her people by keeping them free, and her reward for it was a simple life at the side of the kindest man she had ever known.

           This is what it is to be loved.

           His hands toyed with her hair as they talked about everything and nothing, letting the sun remove the dampness from their clothes, both what they still wore and what was draped over nearby branches. The heat was still excruciating, but a slight breeze coming from the rocks above and the water that still clung to them made it more manageable. Anna was almost certain, however, that despite the tan she had earned through hard outdoor work, her nose was well on its way to burning.

           "There's a grotto up higher that I'll bring you to next time we're free. It's a longer walk, but I think you'll like it."

           Anna smiled up at the sky, "You make it sound like we ever have free time," she teased, "with the way you like to keep up things at home I doubt we'll be free again until snowfall. You're practically a slave driver."

           He laughed, the sound merry and full. She loved it when he laughed that way, like he was putting all of himself into it. Sometimes he chuckled and smirked, but when he laughed it wasn't just a sound, it was a state of being. His eyes twinkled and his smile was wide. She wished that she had the energy to push herself up off the ground so that she could witness it, but settled for feeling his joy through the way his arms pulled her a little closer until her head was resting on his chest.

           "Didn't I warn you once that there'd come a day that you'd regret offering to help me? I won't deny that I'm a cruel and overworking boss to have when it comes to keeping up the house. If you want to quit the job I'll try not to be too disappointed."

           "Oh, I don't plan on quitting," She said softly, mentally weighing the pros and cons of using her energy to roll over and kiss him again.

           "Good! I wouldn't want to lose my best worker."

           That was enough to help her make her decision as she rolled and squirmed until his lips were accessible to hers. He was all smiles and laughs when she kissed him, but he was quick to give in to the kiss, closing her eyes as she closed hers and relaxing into her expression of affection. She kissed him slow and languid as his arms wrapped around her tighter, pulling her up onto his chest completely.

           They kiss deepened and Anna felt a heat unrelated to the sun rise to her cheeks as his hand made its way into her hair again, the other resting against the small of her back. He was never one to press his advantage when it came to their relationship, even if she desperately wanted him to. She could think about a million things she wanted to do in the position they currently found themselves. She was hardly wearing anything at all, only in a slightly damp white chemise, and while his shirt was on, it was unbuttoned. It would hardly take her any time or effort whatsoever to do the same to his trousers.

           The thought was tempting, and she wondered how he might react to it. Their bodies were pressed close and she was sure that he could feel the way in which their kiss was shifting from innocent to intimate with each breath they took.

           He broke the kiss and sat up so abruptly that she went tumbling off him and into a less than dignified pile at his side.

           "Sorry," he said looking over at her quickly, "I heard something."

           Anna sighed and tried to compose herself and keep down the urge to punch his shoulder for the unceremonious way in which he had deposited her on the ground, but she didn't. She heard it too, and at his side she scrambled with him to stand up properly.

           She thought that the sound might be a horse, and Kristoff was already pulling her behind him by the time she realized that she was right. A rider burst through the forests edge and nearly didn't stop the horse in time to keep from running them both over.

           The horse whinnied loudly as it was reigned to a stop, and Anna breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the rider.

           "Kari!" Anna called to the woman before her, pressing her hand to Kristoff's back to try to send him the message that they weren't in any danger.

           Kari took a step forward, away from her horse and fell to one knee before the pair. "I have urgent news from Arendelle my lady," she said as she stared at the ground before Kristoff's feet. Their disheveled appearance not striking her as odd, or at least if she did, Anna couldn't see it on her face. She didn't have time to feel embarassed about being caught scantily clad and alone with a man, because her brain was already trying to make sense of what on Earth could have been so urgent that Elsa would send a rider.

           "Is everything alright?" Anna asked, a knot in her gut told her that she already knew the answer to the question. She pushed past Kristoff who was still, whether it be due to a lack of conviction in her safety or simple shock, standing between her and the young guardswoman before them.

           "My lady I hope you'll excuse me for not following protocol, but I'm afraid the situation is dire," Kari said as she stood, "There was an assasination attempt on the Queen last night, and by our intel in was planned long before the announcement of your engagement. It seems that the royal family of the Southern Isles intended to stage a coup for control of Arendelle. War ships are approaching the harbor as we speak. The Queen sent me to make you both aware that you should stay away from the city."

           Anna felt something in her heart break, but she didn't allow the shock to affect her quite yet. She compartmentalized her anxiety and looked into the eyes of the other woman, her face a mask of control. She was doing her best to go back into Princess mode after months of being able to just be Anna, and she wasn't sure what scared her more, the events that Kari had just explained to her, or how calm she felt in the face of them.

           She felt Kristoff's hand go to the small of her back, a reassuring gesture that barely registered to her as her brain hummed with questions. Before she was able to ask any of them, Kristoff was already speaking.

           "Do they know she's alive?"

           "Our information says that they believed that she drowned," she said simply, "however it doesn't mean that they won't come for you. The people like you and they know how close you are to the royal family. If we fail to hold them back at the city they'll likely come for you. You'd be the most likely to lead the people in a rebellion."

           "My sister," Anna said, her face straight, but her voice crackling with the emotion that was desperately attempting to escape her. She didn't give Kristoff time to speak again as the most burning question on her mind needed to be answered, "What of the Queen?"

           Kari's mask fell for a moment, the strong young woman unable to maintain her detachment when faced with a question with such emotional ties to it. She looked as if she understood the question, the need to know first about a loved one, even above one’s country.

           "The Queen lives," she said simply, "She was attacked last night in her sleep by the Prince, who remained under the guise of grieving. He managed to cut her neck, but he did not expect," she paused, a blush rising to her cheeks as she decided better of how many details she shared with the couple before her, "He did not succeed. He is currently in the castle dungeon."

           Kristoff looked at the woman with confusion though Anna already understood. Of course, Kari had been nearby. Elsa had spent the day pretending to put her sister to rest, it would have been stressful for anyone. Anna could hardly blame her for seeking comfort.

           "She'll be needing me," Anna said, proud of the way she kept her voice level once again, "I'll return with you to the city. I assume efforts are being made to evacuate civilians? I may be of assistance in those plans."

           Kari gave Anna a sad smile. Anna could tell that the woman, only a  bit older than herself, had a respect for her willingness to leave the happiness that she had wandered into the assist her people in the fight.

           "With all respect my lady," she said, bowing again, "The Queen was very firm in her wishes."

           Kari turned from Anna and looked to Kristoff, leaving Anna with a strange feeling that they both knew something that she didn't.

           "The Queen informed me to make you both aware of what has transpired, and to remind the Ice master of his duty."

           She turned away from them both and took her horse's reigns in her hand, "If there is nothing more that you require of me my lady I must be off to report back to the Queen."

           Anna watched the woman mount her horse, and as she attempted to step forward, to demand that she take her with her, she felt strong hands catch her shoulders and pull her back.

           "There's a black horse back at my home," Kristoff said to the woman, "I won't be needing him, and he's just another mouth to feed. Bring him back to the city and offer him for the evacuation efforts. Inform the Queen that I'm a man of my word."

           Anna pulled against his grip, but he held her tighter each time she struggled, and while mere minutes before she had enjoyed the feeling of being pulled tight to his chest, she was furious to be restrained against it now.

           Kari nodded and spurred on her horse, as Anna called after her, her voice breaking as she shouted after her, at Kristoff, and purely to drown out the cacophony of fear and emotion that filled her mind and overran the momentary control that shock had given her.

           When Kristoff finally let go of her, she sunk to her knees and tears rolled thick down her cheeks. Her gut twisted as she threw off the hand he offered her. He hadn't let her go. He had promised she could go where she liked. He had promised her freedom, and he had held her back. She wanted to puke, her stomach flipping over what was soon to come, what could already be happening in her kingdom below. Every moment she hid away in the forests was a moment that she could be spending helping to save her people. Blood spilled was blood on her hands. She retched, but nothing came out.

           He was saying something behind her, but she wouldn't listen. The ringing in her ears was too loud to even bother. She felt her hands shaking, she felt him touching her, but the only thing she was cognizant of fully was fear and a sense of betrayal.

                                                                       ***

           Elsa stretched her hands out before her and took a deep breath. She tried to think of the water, from where the waves lapped at her feet to all the way to the entrance to the Fjord. Energy burned beneath her skin, and while she still hadn't mastered her talents, she had some confidence that what she was about to do would at least slow the advance of the ships that were on their way.

           She had faith in the intel that she had been given, after all her spymaster was her most trusted ally in the fight that her people were getting into. Her spymaster had saved her life.

           She pushed out hearing the water around her freeze as she focused on extending it as far as possible. They wouldn't expect her to be able to stop them. They were counting on her to be dead already. She hoped that it surprised them. She hoped it terrified them enough to send them straight back to the little rock in the ocean that they called a kingdom.

           "I have too much to lose," she said under her breath as if the King and Queen of the Southern Isles themselves could hear her. No one was near her, she had demanded peace to do her work. "I will not let you ruin the happiness I've made. I will not let you destroy these lives for political gain."

           She thought of Anna and Kristoff, of their happiness and safety. They were the only family that she had left, and she was going to be damned if she let them get hurt. She thought about her people. The way they had accepted her so instantly despite the damage that she had caused still amazed her, and each person she met was kinder than the last. She didn't deserve to be their Queen if she could not keep them safe. She thought about Kari, her spymaster, personal guard, and sometimes her everything.

           She felt her power grow stronger as she thought of her. Emotion was always the root of her power, and the thought of what they had done the night before, warm as it was, was enough to make her feel absolutely certain that she was icing over the entirety of the fjord.

           She focused on the memories, her cheeks going hot and making her grateful that her guards and the volunteer fighters from the city itself were far off. She tried to remember it all, the way Kari's lips had felt against her neck as her wandering hands had memorized every curve of her body. Elsa almost laughed with how shy she had been herself. If she had known what would have happened just hours later she might have been a little more proactive in their intimacy, but she had never been the type of woman to initiate much of anything, and she counted herself as blessed that Kari had been bold enough to be the one to kiss first and ask questions later.

           It had felt so good to have her body intertwined with another, and despite the sweat and heat between them, Elsa had felt more comfortable in her skin with Kari above her than she had in a very long time. That was what she pulled from to damn the Southern Isles ships. She pulled from Kari's love.

           She promised herself that the next time she was able to be with her she would be the one to give as much as she had. She wanted to kiss her like she had kissed her. She wanted to touch her like she had touched her. With one last push, she was pulled away from her thoughts by the snowflakes that fell upon her own face.

           She turned around. The city itself was still fully in summer. Flowers bloomed mere feet away, and she could feel the heat on her skin. The fjord, however, was a sheet of ice with a flurry of snow hanging above it.

           Pride welled up in her chest, and she nearly fell upon her knees in relief. If she could freeze the whole fjord and have enough control to keep the city warm and dry she knew that she could save her people. She knew that she could keep everything and everyone she loved safe.

                                                                       ***

           "You lied to me."

           "I know," he said. He hadn't pushed her to speak on the walk home. He hadn't expected any more from her than she was willing to give. At first, she had thought that he was just as shocked and afraid as she was, but there was more to it than just that. He was allowing himself to be her punching bag. He was holding back all his feelings so that she could express her own.

           He hadn't denied anything that she had said, even the things that she knew weren't completely true. That was what hurt her the worst, because she knew that her words were what were making him feel guilty rather than his own actions. She knew that she was being harsh, but she didn't know what else to do with herself.

           "Stop agreeing with me!"

           She hadn't realized that she was screaming until she said it. She felt simultaneously hyperactive and dead tired, and all she wanted to do was lay down and cry. She had long since admitted to herself that she wasn't actually angry with him. She didn't even have to hear his explanation to know that whatever he had promised her sister, he had only done so because it made him believe that he was keeping her safe. That was just how he was.

           "Why?" He asked, his eyes genuinely confused as he looked at her. He was giving her plenty of room, but the way he kept slightly moving his arms before stilling them at his sides clued in Anna that he wanted her close. He wasn't angry at her for yelling, and he wanted to hold her.

           She wanted to be held.

           Hot angry tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was sick of being angry. Being held felt too much like giving in, but she wasn't sure of what else she could do when she had already yelled, he had already agreed with her, and she knew that he was actually guilty of very little of what had her so keyed up in the first place.

           "Because you didn't actually do anything, you just didn't tell me that Elsa made you agree to something and you held me back. I keep yelling at you like everything is your fault, and you're just taking it. Stop."

           She knew how defeated and small she must look because her voice sounded exhausted and weak, and she felt worse than she sounded.

           "You need to get it out and it's okay," he said with a sigh, "and I feel like this is my fault."

           Anna laughed beside herself and looked at him, "Why, did you make plans to invade the city and try to kill my sister?"

           He sighed and finally lost the battle he was having with himself, holding his arms up for her in the middle of the cabin. It was insufferably hot still, and even warmer with all the yelling she had been doing, but despite this and her rage, she gave in in return and stepped forward into his embrace.

           "No," he said softly, tension leaving both of their bodies once they were close again, "But I didn't tell you about what Elsa and I agreed on, and that wasn't right. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry I couldn't stop all of this before it started."

           She looked up at him, the anger draining from her body, "What do you mean by that?"

           He sighed wearily, "It's a long story."

           "Well my sister banned me from the city, so I've got all the time in the world."

           Anna hated the flat acceptance her tone had taken on. It had meant to have been an annoyed sounding phrase, but it came out without inflection. She was dead tired, and she wanted nothing more, angry and upset or not, to go upstairs with him and collapse into their shared bed together.

           "You might want to sit down for it," he said, releasing her from the embrace. "There's a lot that I need to tell you."

[180abroad]

Days 184-185: Haarlem and the Hague

After our heavy-hitting history tour the day before, it was high time for us to take a couple of fun, low-key day trips. The first was to the beautiful city of Haarlem just west of Amsterdam, and the second was to The Hague, known for being the capital of the Netherlands, the seat of the International Court of Justice, and for having the word "The" in its name.

After enjoying some stroopwafels in the traditional manner, we headed out for our day trip to Haarlem. Since we were staying in the suburbs north of Amsterdam, we had to catch a commuter train into the city and transfer to a regional train from Sloterdijk Station on the city's western edge. Even so, it was a very easy trip. The ride from Sloterdijk to Haarlem is only a bit longer than the ride into the city from our Airbnb, and the whole affair took around 45 minutes. If you're staying in Amsterdam itself, you could easily make a side trip to Haarlem even if you only had a few hours to spare.

We knew we would love Haarlem from the very first minutes we arrived. A bit like Bruges, it's the type of Goldilocks town that was large and wealthy enough to create some beautifully picturesque architecture in its heyday, which was recent enough for the city to still feel fresh and alive but not so recent for it to have been paved over and filled with modern skyscrapers. As Rick Steves puts it, Haarlem is the quintessential Dutch Golden Age market town.

As we wound our way through the gently winding brick roads leading to the city's church-dominated main square, Jessica and I were reminded of our time in Seville, all the way back in the first weeks of the trip.

Haarlem's main square is lined with beautiful Golden Age buildings, including the city hall, a former guild hall, and the towering Church of St. Bavo (also known simply as "the big church"). Near the church stands a statue of local hero Laurens Coster, whom Haarlemers claim invented the printing press a few years before Gutenberg. His statue is holding up a carved letter "A" with the serene solemnity of a saint holding their respective emblem.

The Church of St. Bavo is suitably grand for having served such a wealthy merchant city. Of all the churches and cathedrals we've visited on the trip, it reminded Jessica and me most of Bayeux Cathedral---big and airy, with a lot of white light streaming in from barely tinted windows.

As with many other grand old churches, we had to enter through a gift shop on the side. Interestingly, though, the designers chose to emphasize the fact that it is not an original entrance by leaving the edges of the entrance partially unfinished and making it clear that the gift shop is not actually part of the same building.

Like so many old ex-Catholic churches, the walls have been plastered over to create a smooth, light ambience. But there are a few spots where the plaster has been removed to show the original carved embellishments beneath.

The church's biggest claim to fame is its 18th-century pipe organ. It was the biggest in the world when it was finished, and it's still considered one of the world's best. It was played by Mozart at the age of 10, three years into the musical prodigy's debut tour across Europe.

Nearby, a cannonball protrudes out of the wall with no explanation apart from the date 1573 scrawled below it. Apparently, it was fired by the Spanish and lodged itself into the wall while the city was under siege during the 80 Years’ War of Dutch independence.

Another curiosity is the church's medieval brass lectern. It is supposed to represent a pelican, but the artisan who made it had clearly never seen an actual pelican in his life. As we'd learned in Oxford, the pelican became a popular symbol of Christ due to a basic misunderstanding of its biology. I can imagine someone in medieval Haarlem hearing about this new fad and rushing to create an image of what he must have imagined to be a fierce and noble creature.

A more down-to-earth exhibit stands in the so-called Brewer's Chapel in the south transept. It commemorates the lives of Daniel Cajanus and Simon Paap, Haarlem's tallest and shortest citizens, respectively. Though they did not live at quite the same time, they both lived during the period of early Modern Europe when people like them could have a lucrative---albeit horribly demeaning---career as a traveling oddity, getting paid to be put on display in royal palaces across the continent.

While it probably wouldn't make our top ten list of European churches, St. Bavo is more than worth a visit on any day trip to Haarlem.

After wandering around the square a bit more, it was time for our big appointment of the day. I know I said this was going to be a low-key, but it did have a sobering capstone all the same.

The most famous Dutch holocaust story is obviously that of Anne Frank, but another of the most well-known stories---at least among people who grew up in the church---is that of Corrie ten Boom, recounted in her memoir The Hiding Place. All three of us had read it in school, but that was a long time ago and the details had gotten pretty hazy.

The story starts with Corrie's grandfather, who moved into this home and set up shop as a watchmaker. (As we'd seen, there is still a ten Boom jeweler's operating the old storefront, but apparently it's not affiliated with the museum or the ten Boom estate.) Corrie's grandfather also established a family legacy of looking out for the local Jewish population, whom he respected as God’s chosen people and pitied for their lack of a homeland.

Corrie's father was a watchmaker, too, and Corrie carried on the family business and became the Netherlands' first female licensed watchmaker. Neither Corrie nor her sister Betsie ever married, and they both stayed at home to take care of the family and the business.

When the Netherlands was occupied by the Nazis in 1940, Corrie was already 48 years old. From the very beginning, the ten Booms were dedicated to helping the Resistance however they could. They offered their home as a safe house for wanted Resistance members and ordinary Dutch citizens running from the Nazi labor drafts.

Later, as the Holocaust intensified, they opened their home to Jews fleeing capture by the Nazis---a selfless decision that would have grave consequences.

After gathering with the rest of our small tour group in the downstairs dining room, we headed up to the living room, just above the watchmaking shop. Here in this room, three generations of ten Booms told stories, played music, and enjoyed the wholesome pleasures of family life. We’ve seen plenty of Holocaust-related sights that still reverberated with evil, but this place was the opposite. It felt like the warmth of love still emanated from every wall and surface.

Corrie's sister Betsie chose not to marry because she had always been sickly and was afraid of dying in childbirth. Corrie had deeply wanted a family of her own, but it never worked out that way. She fell in love with a man once, but he ended up marrying a wealthier girl at his family's insistence. Crushed, Corrie took some advice from her father and dedicated herself to sharing her love with the entire world, not just one family.

During the war, their plan to help smuggle Jews out of Nazi reach worked for years. They had some Resistance members rig up a false wall in one of the bedrooms, with a small hiding place behind it. But in early 1944, things finally went wrong. An informant tipped off the secret police, who raided the house. That was okay; the six Jews they were currently protecting made it safely to the hiding place, and the Germans weren't able to find it.

The problem was that the secret "all safe" signal--a triangular clock sign---was still up in the dining room window. At any moment, a Resistance member might walk in and spoil the ruse.

Corrie tried to take down the sign as inconspicuously as possible, but a clever German officer noticed her and instantly suspected what she had done. He had her put the sign back where it was, then they sat down and waited. By the end of the day, they had captured dozens of Jews and Resistance members who had entered the house thinking it was still safe. Corrie, Betsie, and their now-elderly father were all arrested and sent east to the concentration camps.

Still, there was a silver lining to the storm cloud: the Nazis never found the hiding place. They knew there were Jews hiding somewhere in the house, so they decided to starve them out. They had the Haarlem police assign officers to occupy the house and wait for the Jews to come out.  After two days, however, a pair of Resistance-sympathetic police officers were assigned to the house, and they let the six escape.

Upstairs, we got to see the hiding place itself. A hole had been opened in the wall to show just how cramped the space really was---for anyone, let alone six people at once. The actual entrance was cleverly hidden behind the bottom shelf of a cupboard.

Corrie’s father died within days of arrest. Corrie and Betsie were separated, but they both ended up at Ravensbruck, an all-women concentration camp outside of Berlin. Inside the camp, they lead illicit church services with a smuggled bible, and they never lost faith. Sickly as she was, Betsie eventually died in the camp, but not before she had shared a dream with Corrie. She'd dreamed of a huge mansion where they could minister and care for all the people who had been harmed by the Holocaust. 15 days after Betsie died, Corrie was released---probably because of a clerical error. A week after that, everyone left in the camp was sent their death in the gas chambers.

After the war, Corrie found Betsie's dream house. Its wealthy owner had had a dream of her own. Her six sons had all been captured by the Nazis. If they all made it home safely after the war, she promised God that she would donate her house to his service. For the next five years, Corrie ran the house as a refuge for Holocaust survivors. And in an act of extraordinary grace, she also opened the home to Dutch collaborators who couldn't find work or housing anywhere else in the post-Nazi world.

The rest of Corrie's life was spent traveling the world and telling her story of faith, perseverance, and forgiveness.

For a story that involved so much suffering and death, visiting the ten Boom house proved to be a remarkably heartwarming experience. I didn't have any specific expectations going into it, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it.

After leaving the ten Boom house, we walked around the town center some more, seeing some beautiful back alleys and some odd retail stores. Apparently, there's a Dutch clothing chain called Sandwich, which had proved an unexpected twist in our smartphone search for possible lunch stops earlier in the day.

There was plenty more we could have seen in Haarlem, including some very famous museums, but we wanted to keep the day as light as possible. So we eventually headed home to do some grocery shopping and enjoy an early evening…with perhaps a bit too much wine.

---

The next day, we set out for a visit to The Hague---the Netherlands' unofficial capital. Amsterdam is technically the capital because the Dutch constitution says so, but all of the nation's most important government institutions, including its parliament, are in The Hague. It is also home to a fantastic little art museum.

The Hague is in South Holland, a little over an hour's ride down from our Airbnb. It's actually the same train route that we took to get to Haarlem; we just rode it for an extra half hour or so this time. It was overcast and drizzly, but the sight of the flower farms passing by was still spectacular.

The Hague isn't a major tourist destination like Amsterdam or Haarlem. There are still plenty of tourists wandering about, but like Madrid or even Edinburgh, you get the sense that the city still belongs to itself, not the visitors. Some people may see this as a downside, including Rick Steves, but I find it refreshing.

The city feels clean and restrained, with a tasteful balance of modern and Golden Age architecture. Even some of the major government buildings are surprisingly restrained. A nice-looking row house on one of the main streets turned out to actually be the Dutch Ministry of Defense headquarters.

The centerpiece of The Hague is the Binnenhof---a palatial medieval castle that has been the seat of the Dutch government since 1584. It houses the parliament, the prime minister's offices, and the Ministry of General Affairs. In US terms, that's like having the Capitol, White House, and all the cabinet departments together in one giant building.

In the center of the Binnenhof's main courtyard is a golden fountain dedicated to Beatrix, the previous Queen of the Netherlands. She’s still alive---and going by the title Princess Beatrix---but she followed in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother by stepping down once her son Willem-Alexander was experienced enough to be an effective king. It's a nice tradition that allows each Dutch monarch to enjoy a reasonably long reign at the peak of their prowess, followed by a nice retirement.

We wondered what Prince Charles in the UK thinks of it.

A few blocks away, we saw the Noordeinde Palace, one of the Netherlands' three royal palaces (the main palace being in Amsterdam on Dam Square). Like everything else in The Hague, Noordeinde is refreshingly restrained---like a miniature Versailles.

Just in front of the palace is an equestrian statue of Prince William I of Orange. William founded the House of Orange-Nassau and was one of the main leaders of the Dutch war of independence from Spain in the 16th century. He's like the Netherlands' George Washington, if Washington's descendants had gone on to rule the US after him. Around the base of the statue are plaques dedicated to the various regions of the Netherlands, and facing the palace is the royal motto Je Maintiendrai ("I Shall Defend").

But unlike Versailles, where the statue of Louis XIV faces out toward the world, Prince William is facing inward toward the palace---as if to remind the monarchy that it's their job to take care of the people, not the other way around.

Continuing on in a rough loop around the Binnenhof, we stumbled upon the embassy of Morocco, then found ourselves on the Lange Voorhout---a broad tree-lined avenue that's home to a medieval church, the Dutch Supreme Court, and the embassies of the UK, Spain, and Switzerland. As we walked along the impressive street, a royal-looking carriage procession passed us by.

We got a great view of the Binnenhof from across the Hofvijver pond, then completed our circuit as we came to the Mauritshuis royal art gallery, just outside the gates through which we'd first entered the Binnenhof that morning.

We'd penciled in the Mauritshuis as an "if we felt up to it" part of our itinerary, but it turned out to be the highlight of the day. Described by Rick Steves as a bite-sized version of the Rijksmusem in Amsterdam, it was a perfect one-hour journey through some highlights of Dutch Golden Age art.

(Peter Paul Rubens, Old Woman and Boy with Candles, c. 1616 - 1617)

(Rembrandt van Rijn, The Laughing Man, c. 1629 - 1630)

(Jacob van Ruisdael, View of Bentheim Castle, c. 1652 - 1654)

(Cornelis Vroom, River Landscape seen through the Trees, c. 1638)

(Jan van de Cappelle, Seascape with Ships, c. 1660)

(Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Vase of Flowers in a Window, c. 1618)

(Willem van Haecht, Apelles Painting Campaspe, c. 1630)

(Paulus Potter, The Bull, 1647)

The museum has a fantastic collection including a ton of Rembrandts, but its biggest draw is its collection of Vermeers, including the iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Johannes Vermeer is possibly the most revered Dutch Golden Age painter after Rembrandt, but he only made a handful of paintings and was relatively unknown in his lifetime. The Mauritshuis has three paintings by Vermeer, which actually makes it the second-biggest collection in the world. (The biggest is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which has four.)

Vermeer was a master at playing with light and color. His paintings look incredibly lifelike at a distance, but up close you can see that they are actually very simple, with most of the details implied rather than drawn. In that way, they remind me a bit of the Impressionists who would come two centuries later.

As we left, we saw some panels explaining the history of the museum. The art was once the personal collection of the Princes of Orange, who became the Dutch Royal family. The name Mauritshuis comes from the building’s original owner, Johan Maurits. Long before it was an art gallery, it was Maurits’s house. Maurits was the nephew of Prince William I (the Dutch George Washington whose statue we’d just seen outside the royal palace), and he also served as the governor of Brazil for 24 years.

How did a Dutchman become the governor of Brazil, a country that is famously Portuguese and not Dutch? Like the rest of Dutch history around this era, the story involves the Habsburgs, and like any story involving the Habsburgs, it is mind-numbingly complicated. But it ultimately boils down to three main facts: 1) Brazil had some very valuable sugar plantations, 2) the Netherlands wanted those sugar plantations, and 3) Portugal and the Portuguese Brazilians couldn’t stop the Dutch from taking them.

All in all, Maurits was an extraordinarily wealthy and well-connected man, so it was only natural for him to build a mansion in a place of honor, right next door to the capitol.

The Mauritshuis is far from the largest art museum we saw on the trip---the Prado probably has more paintings in some of its rooms than the Mauritshuis has in its entire collection---and it only has a handful of true masterpieces. But it was still one of our favorite museum experiences.

Visiting a giant art museum like the Prado, Louvre, or Rijksmuseum is an overwhelming experience. You either plan your visit out in advance, stringing together a shortlist of masterpieces separated by rooms full of impressive paintings you'll barely glance at, or you wing it and end up spending an hour in the first room you happen to enter, missing the greatest masterpieces altogether.

The Mauritshuis, on the other hand, is a perfectly tailored experience. Every painting is worth looking at, and it only takes an hour or so to look at them all. There's no pressure to pick and choose which paintings to see, so you can indulge in taking the time to truly appreciate the details of a still life without worrying that you're going to lose out on seeing something better down the line.

I said that the Mauritshuis was the highlight of our visit to The Hague, and that's true. But I also had a second highlight. After a quick lunch and an escape from the rain at a nearby café, I struck out ahead of Nic and Jessica to hunt down a store that I'd dreamed of visiting since before we even thought of this trip.

We'd visited the P.W. Akkerman stationery store in Amsterdam a few days earlier, but the one in The Hague is the one I really wanted to see. Why? Well, it's kind of a niche thing, even among pen enthusiasts.

Akkerman has a great collection of mid-range to ultra-high-end pens, but nothing you can't find elsewhere. What they do have that’s utterly unique is a range of their own-brand bottled fountain pen inks that they started selling in 2010. The inks themselves are great, though most of them are believed to be rebranded versions of other inks you can get anywhere else, too. But what you can't get anywhere else are the bottles, which have an amazing design like a cross between an hourglass and a genie bottle. The design is also very convenient, for reasons that are of no interest to someone who isn't into fountain pens (and probably most who are).

There are a couple online pen stores in the US where you can sometimes buy Akkerman inks now, but for a long time you could only get them by special ordering them from The Hague. People on online pen forums would organize massive group buys to cut down on shipping. Between the desirableness of the inks and the difficulty in getting them, they became something of a cult obsession.

Now that the inks have been out longer and are easier to get, I think the Akkerman madness has mostly died down, but I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to buy some in person.

After drooling over their pen collection for the better part of an hour, decided to settle for buying two bottles of ink. As I checked out, the woman at the counter showed me a brand new ink color they had just released, inspired by the color of Delft Blue ceramics.

Nic and Jessica, meanwhile, had caught up with me and were amusing themselves outside.

As I paid for the inks, I mentioned to the lady behind the counter that I worked for a pen store in the US that specializes in Japanese pens. She asked if I'd seen their collection of Nakaya pens, which of course I had. (Nakayas are $500-1000+ fountain pens that are handmade in Japan and famously exquisite.) I said that we didn’t carry anything quite that nice where I work, and that this was the first time I’d ever actually seen one in person.

She asked if I wanted to try one. Not to buy, she assured me, just to experience it. Because, "why not?"

Nic and Jessica had joined me by this point, and after seeing my reaction, they had both pulled out their phones before I even finished enthusiastically agreeing.

It was fantastic. With virtually all fountain pens, you have to balance smoothness with fineness. The thinner a line the pen writes, the scratchier it tends to be. But the Nakaya was incredibly fine and incredibly smoothly at the same time.

Anyway, I picked up my inks and checked off several items from my mental bucket list, and we headed back to Amsterdam.

There was still some time left before the afternoon was over, so we decided to head into the city center to take care of some small things we wanted to do.

Our first stop back in Amsterdam was the Copa Amsterdam soccer store. Nic had discovered it while he was waiting for Jessica and me to arrive from Bruges, and he'd been excited to take Jessica ever since. They sold shirts and jerseys for teams from across Europe, including some vintage and special edition designs. I can’t say Nic and Jessica were quite as much in heaven as I had been at Akkerman, but it seemed pretty close.

We also stopped to pick up some fries at a nearby stall---something we'd been excited to share with Nic since our experience in Bruges. Jessica and I got Andalouse sauce like we had before, and it was just as good. Nic asked for the vendor’s favorite, which was tasty sauce with a sweet onion flavor.

We also went back to Dam Square. We’d passed through it a couple times before, but this time we stopped to linger and appreciate it. Besides the magnificent royal palace (which we somehow neglected to take any pictures of), the biggest site on the square is a towering  monument to the Dutch soldiers and resistance fighters who died in WWII. The crests of the various regions of the Netherlands are carved across the back of the monument. Interred behind each of these crest is an urn filled with dirt from that region, taken from a spot where a Dutch soldier was killed in action.

Finally, we took a stroll over to the Jordaan, a picturesque residential neighborhood on the western edge of the city center. From what we gathered, it's a bit like the Brooklyn of Amsterdam---a once-working-class neighborhood that now caters primarily to wealthy hipsters. We didn't actually go into the Jordaan to see for ourselves, however, since our destination was on the near side of the dividing canal.

This is the Anne Frank House. If you want to visit inside, you either need to book a timed-entry ticket two months in advance or queue up for hours in the hope that you might be able to get a same-day ticket. We didn't want to do either of those things, but thought we should at least see it from the outside.

Sitting by the canal, we took it all in for a few minutes: the architecture, the slightly less-crowded ambience, and the variety of tour boats passing by every couple minutes. Amsterdam may not be at the top of my list of favorite cities of the trip, but it definitely has a fun and charming spirit to it. Sort of like Paris, I think it's easy to be overwhelmed by the thronging tourists and the rush to see as much as possible, whereas the real joy is in stepping back, going for a walk, and just letting the atmosphere of the place wash over you.