#(or it not even being a nightgown; them having an agreement that jane would be in another bedroom/the couch

[lisbonsteresa]

oh ok 😵‍💫

[thetokenmuggle]

From First To Last

The Prologue Included : M, Jane, Sungjae,Minah, Daniel, Tyler, Emily, Lucas

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ The Beginnings ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

“And these are your quarters.” Prince Endymion, more commonly referred to as M by his inner circle lead the Moon Princess and her royal party to the left-wing of the castle. “All the rooms are fully furnished and the staff we will be more than happy to help with any of your needs,” he said. One of the maids scoffed glaring at the interstellar royals, M shook his head not understanding why his people were suddenly so against the treaty between Elysion and the Moon Kingdom. It was a step towards the future, a golden age for their people. “Ah,” he scratched the back of his neck. “I should let you all rest, you have all had a long trip,” he said. “There is a lot planned for tomorrow,” he said nodding awkwardly. “Goodnight,” he said bowing to the Moon Princess, “Ah should i -” he said looking at her royal guard who are also the Princes and Princesses of their respective planets. “No, I’ll just go,” he said with an awkward wave before turning on his heels and speeding away, hoping to get that tragic interaction out of his head.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

“.... Not that i think you aren’t pretty, because you are, not that you are just pretty - i mean … ” Daehyung mocked as Eunha fell into a fit of giggles beside him. The two of them were putting acting training to good use and doing a dramatized version of M’s rather tragic interaction with Princess Serenity.

“So the Prince, is he, you know, an idiot,” Mars commented with a snigger. “Do earthlings not know how to form a sentence?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think he was just nervous,” Jupiter responded. “It’s the first time Elysian has interacted with the Moon Kingdom in a century, he has a lot riding on this,” he pointed out.

“Your majesty,” Enzo said, cutting off Eunha and Daehyung. “Do you perhaps need some tips on how to talk to a girl?” he said. M looked up, eyes narrowed, Enzo was known around the kingdom as a bit of a ladies men. “I am sure Eunha can pretend to be a lady for five minutes for you to practice,” he teased as Eunha growled at Enzo.

“Daehyung should play the princess, his blonde and we all know how much he loves the attention,” Eunha said as Daehyung ran a hand through his blonde locks.

“Oh Prince Endymion.” Daehyung teased fluttering his eyelashes before puckering his lips and blowing a kiss to M. “I better stop, I don’t want our dear prince to fall in love with little old me, it would just make things too awkward,” Daehyung grinned.

“That and he was blown away by Serenity’s beauty,” Mercury said. “I think it’s sweet,” she said with a soft smile. “Someone is just being mean because his longest relationship is the one he has with his own right hand,” she teased her brother who threw one of the many, many cushions that littered Serenity's bed, at her head.

“I am not being mean,” Mars huffed. “I am just pointing out that this Endymion is hardly princely, if acted like that Father would have Phobos and Deimos on my back like that,” he said with a click of his fingers. “And please we all know i have the most suitors apart from Venus,” he boasted, Venus looked up from brushing Serenity’s hair rolling her eyes at Mars and his antics.

“But you reject them all because you know your true love is out there, you’ve seen it in one of your premonitions,” Jupiter teased. “Could you imagine if people knew the Prince of Mars was a romantic,” he said with a whistle.

“Sungjae you are on my side right?” M said looking at his most trusted knight and oldest friend. “I wasn’t that obvious right?” he asked hopefully. Sungjae looked at him, a small smile on his face before shaking his head.

“Honestly M it was pretty bad,” he said with a frown. “But perhaps it's better this way, this is already a fragile treaty, we don’t want things to get more complicated,” he said seriously. Eunha and Daehyung booed from their spots.

“Don’t listen to Mr Moody pants over there,” Daehyung said. “Treaty Smchetty you should give the princess your meaty,” he giggled. His innuendo caused several reactions from the other shitennou, Enzo chuckled with a shake of his head, Sungjae looked disgusted and Eunha swiftly smacked across the back of the head.

“You are so lucky you prefer the company of other knights,” she said shaking her head. “M please for the love of Gaia do not take relationship advice from him,” she said rolling her eyes at her cousin. “If you really did like this Princess i suggest you be yourself, even if that does lead to some awkwardness - honestly is the best policy,” she said sincerely. Sungjae nodded in agreement but didn’t comment, not wanting to make anyone think he approved of this potential pursuit of the Moon Kingdom.

“Didn’t being yourself get you dumped by Lord Gideon,” Enzo questioned as both Eunha and Daehyung glared at him. “Okay shutting up now,”

“Min- I mean Venus,” Serenity said softly while the rest of her royal guard bickered amongst themselves. “What do you think of Prince Endymion?” she asked. When it came to opinions there was no one Serenity valued more than Venus, well apart from her mother ofcourse.

“I think he is a good man who wants what is best for his planet,” Venus said, placing the brush down on Serenity’s bed. “He is a little awkward but he has the whole planet's fate in his hands, its alot of responsibility to handle on your own,” she said. Serenity hummed, the death of the former King and his wife was a tragedy to say the least, she could only imagine what Endymion was going through.

“It must be hard,” Serenity said softly. “He seems so sweet,” she commented, a warm welcoming dimpled smile coming to mind as she spoke, her cheeks heating up as she smiled softly.

“ I am sure he is but did you forget about the rumours that Lord Jaehyun is going to start courting you when we arrive back on the moon,” Minah said softly but the warning was in her tone, don’t get too fond. “Let’s just focus on improving relations between our Kingdoms,” she said.

‘Do my ears deceive me or is the Princess of Venus telling someone to think with their brains and not with their hearts?” Mars commented in a sing-song voice. “The same Princess who was caught canoodling with several misters at her Debutante ball,” he asked, teasing.

“Your just jealous you weren’t one of them,” Jupiter laughed. “And shush you know Venus takes her position as leader of the Sailor Senshi very seriously,” he said.

“And she wishes you two would start taking it more seriously,” Venus commented. “Now off to bed you three, I will take tonight’s guard shift,” she commented getting up off Serenity's bed.

“What? Why? Venus you should rest as well,” Serenity said with a frown.

“Your highness, as much as Prince Endymion is trying not everyone else on Elysion shares the same good will,” Venus said softly, not wanting to upset her friend.

“As fun as teasing M is we have a big day tomorrow,” Sungjae commented, “We should let his highness get some rest,” he said seriously. The other Shitennou knew when he used that tone that the fun was over. “I’ll do a quick round on the Lunarian parties wing the rest of you should all go to bed, who knows who these talks will play out,” he said with a frown.

The other three stood up gathering their things and heading towards their respective rooms, not without a few quick jabs at M, Daniel telling him to dream off him before sending him another flying kiss. “M everything will be fine,” Sungjae said softly once they were alone. “You are a good ruler and everyone will see that,” he said with a quick nod before leaving to do his rounds.

M flopped back onto his bed, eyes closing as soon as his head hit the pillow, one single thought on his mind.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

“Good morning your majesty,” Prince Endymion greeted Princess Serenity with bow as they walked into the dinning room“I hope you found the room to your satisfaction,” he said politely. Venus heard Mars snigger beside her muttering about how the prince learned to speak over night. Venus rolled her eyes knowing this wouldn’t last, as soon as the Earth Prince looked up and saw what Serenity was wearing or not wearing for that matter it would be back to mumbled words if they were lucky.

“Give her your jacket,” Venus said through gritted teeth as Mars rolled his eyes handing Serenity his jacket.

“Your highness.” Venus said carefully. “Forgive me if i am wrong but i believe Princess Serenity did not have anything planned for this morning so her attire isn’t exactly proper,” she commented stopping herself from snapping at him. Yes he was a Prince but he still had to follow protocol.

“Huh?” Prince Endymion looked up before quickly looking down, face bright red. “Oh uhm, I was just going to offer you all join us for breakfast,” he muttered.

“Why is there something wrong with the one your staff -” Mars started to speak before Princess Serenity spoke.

  “We’d love to,” Serenity said quickly, “Just give me a moment to get changed into something more appropriate,” she said looking down at her nightgown, sheer and shimmering in the Earth’s sunlight.

“Right of course, Sungjae,” he said, turning to one of his Knight’s. “Would you stay here and show them to the formal dining area,” he asked. The Knight looked between the Prince and their royal party, nodding with a frown. “Okay i’ll see you then,” Prince Endymion said with a huge smile, a huge smile that Serenity seemed to bloom under. Well this was tooth rottingly sweet, Venus knew this was going to be trouble.

“Your majesty shall we?” Venus commented as Serenity nodded turning away from Prince Endymion, a soft smile on her face. Venus and Mars moved to her sides as they made their way back to their quarters, the Prince’s Knight stood a few steps away from that all times but he was a looming figure, the sniggering staff all backed away at the sight. Something Venus appreciated because threatening to kill them in her native tongue just didn’t have the same effect.

“I’ll be right back,” Princess Serenity said to the three mostly to Endymion’s guard. “Mars, would you be able to wake Mercury and Jupiter up,” she said sweetly as Mars nodded stepping past the Elysion guard with a scowl. Venus rolled her eyes, Mars had a tough time believing that Elysian and it’s people truly wanted peace, especially after his father had filled his head with stories of the Solar wars.

Silence had fallen over the hallway, Venus standing inside of a slightly ajar door frame as to keep an on Princess Serenity. “I don’t doubt your Prince wants people but from how the staff is reacting to us i don’t your people do,” Venus said to the Guard who looked up brow cocked.

“It has admittedly been harder to convince some people that this is the best step for our future as a nation,” The guard spoke, his tone steady conveying no hint of emotion. “It has seemed to get worse of late,” he admitted. “The Prince is trying so hard to quell the situation,” he said, Venus noted their was a crack in his armor, one that mirrored her own, her Princess was always number one and she had a feeling that it was the same for this guard and Prince Endymion. With a nod silence fell over the two as they waited for the rest of the royal party to come back out. The other guards returned, Mars resuming his one sided glare off with the guard while Mercury and Jupiter looked over at him curiously.

“Mi-Venus,” The Princess shrieked, causing the four of them to rush towards the door.Only to find the Princess standing there holding up two pieces of jewellery.

“Sorry guys,” Princess Serenity said sheepishly, “I’ll be out in a minute,” she said shutting the door once Venus was in the room.

15 minutes later Princess Serenity walked back out fully dressed. “Uhm, Sungjae was it?” she asked as she stood in the hallway, her guards flanking her side. “Is this … I tried to replicate Elysian’s style,” she said smoothing down her gown. Sungjae looked her over, her outfit while a perfect replicate of an Elysian gown but the fabrics and intricate patterns was far more over the top then what an Earth girl would wear, especially not a breakfast, Sungjae knew better than to point that out.

“It’s a lovely gown your majesty, your dressmakers are very skilled,” he said softly as the younger girl smiled widely, “But please don’t feel obligated change your style to match ours, you are an esteemed guest you should be able to dress however you please,” he said politely. “Now if we are all ready,” Sungjae said ready to lead the party to breakfast. “Prince Endymion has planned a busy day for you, he is quite excited to show you all our humble palace,” he said looking at the Lunarians curiously. Today was going to be interesting.

➤ proceed to the library

➤ proceed to the gym

➤ proceed to the astronomy tower

➤proceed to the kitchen

➤proceed to the garden

[profitinaecho]

so You Wanna Spin Ch4

Max chews on his bottom lip looking at the board of victims in his office. He was looking forward to the day when the victims were all identified and he could replace the photos of their autopsy with a living photo of the victim before closing the cases when they caught the perpetrator. “Ok. So what do we know about the victims?”

Liz comes up beside him to see what he is looking at. “All of the victims died of strangulation with a ligature and were minority women between the ages of 18 and 25ish. But what do they have in common? Why were they chosen?”

“I guess we have to start DNA testing relatives of missing people that match the descriptions of the victims to identify them. Then we can see what they have in common by interviewing the families to try to catch this bastard.”

Liz nods in agreement. “I’ll get a box of swabs and labels then we can start organizing the missing persons reports so it is easier to locate their families.” Liz goes to get her box of samples while Max grabs the first binder. It has several reports flagged in it so it will take them a few days to track down the people that filed the report and go to them to get DNA samples to compare with the unidentified victims DNA.

“Here. Let me sort these by where in Roswell the family members live and whether any are from out of state.” Max starts shuffling the reports and putting them into piles based on which neighborhood and state they live in.

When Liz returns, Max is sorting the second to last binder so Liz picks up the remaining one to pull and sort the reports they flagged as being similar to their victims. They have a couple dozen families to visit to try to find a DNA match all live in New Mexico. Luckily, the three victims with out of state family members all live near El Paso, Tx and can be met with on one trip after Liz and Max interview and collect DNA from the local families.

“Ok. So we have 18 missing reports from families in Roswell, 5 from Sante Fe, 8 from Albuquerque, 4 from Las Cruces and 3 from El Paso. Let’s start with the ones in Roswell and work our way out. You call the first people and see if they're home, I’ll drive.” Max picks up his keys off his desk with the whimsical alien cowboy keychain.

“What if I want to drive?” Liz pouts, following him in her black slacks and southwestern coral colored blouse. As always at work, her hair is up in a tight no nonsense bun. Max hates those buns. He much prefers her hair  loose and wavy, but that is for off duty Liz and not something he gets to see any more. But that one time he saw her like that on their night in Colorado was everything.

Max smirks down at her. “You don’t have a badge so you can’t drive a cop car. You know that. Don’t give me that look.”

Liz grumbles, then goes around to the passenger side of his squad car. She hops a couple times trying to get up into the tall SUV and Max wills himself not to laugh. He asks if she needs help and with a grunt, she hoists herself up. “Nope! I’m picking the music.”

Liz puts on her seatbelt and reaches for the preset station buttons. Max is completely prepared to let her always pick the music, but he loves seeing her feisty side so he can’t help but argue. “No chick stuff.”

“What do you even think chick music is?” Liz puts it on the 90s station and bounces a little as an Nsync song comes on.

“Definitely whatever this is, but I’ll allow it.” Max looks over his shoulder, backing out of his parking spot and heading for the road.

“Ohhh. You’ll allow it. You’re not as tough as you think you are, Max Evans.” Liz looks to the side up at him through her long, black lashes.

“Don’t tell anybody.” He smiles back at her.

—————————-

Just down the street from the precinct, Max pulls into the driveway of the first family who reported a missing person on their list. Liz pulls out her swabs, tubes, gloves and glances over at Max. “You talk, I’ll get the samples. I haven’t ever had to talk to the families before.” Liz worriedly nibbles on her lower lip and Max reaches over and frees it from her teeth without thinking until she sucks in a breath at his fingers on her lips.

“You’re gonna chew those right off.” Max smiles lopsidedly at her, plopping his cream cowboy hat on his head and opening the door. Liz follows behind him as he goes to the door of the small adobe house to talk to the family. Knocking twice authoritatively, Max and Liz wait for the family member who filed the report to answer the door.

When the door swings open, Max takes off his hat politely. “Mrs. Powell?”

A short, round, pleasant looking blonde woman answers the door and when she realizes it is an officer, she begins to cry. “Did you find my girl?” She looks around behind them as if her daughter will appear.

“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about. We have found some remains that have similar characteristics to your daughter, but to confirm it, we need to collect DNA from a family member for comparison.” Max tells the woman somberly.

“Whatever you  need to find my Erin. How do I give you my DNA?” Mrs. Powell gestures for them to follow her into the living room of her home. It is cluttered but homely, with photos of her family lining the mantle.

“That is why my partner, Ms. Ortecho, is here. She will collect your DNA. Even if one of the bodies we have discovered is not your daughter, we will have your DNA on file to cross check any other victims we find.” Max assures her.

“Alright, Mrs. Powell. Open wide and I’ll take a swab of your saliva.” Liz pops on her blue vinyl gloves, smiling brightly at the middle aged woman and twisting the top of the tube to remove the  swab connected to the lid. After Mrs. Powell opens her mouth, Liz swabs her saliva then puts it in the tube so that it is sterile and can be tested. She sticks a label with Mrs. Lavonna Powell on it onto the tube. “Thank you so much. I’ll run this as soon as possible and I should have results back to you in a few weeks.”

Max shakes the woman’s hand after asking a few questions about the last time Mrs. Powell saw her daughter and Liz follows suit after him. “We will be in touch soon.” Max reassures her, popping his cowboy hat back onto his head and heading for his cruiser closely followed by Liz. “Alright, what address is next on the list?”

“A Mr. Facey down the street.” Liz reads off their list.

Max pulls out of the driveway, waiting on Liz to give him directions  since she is his copilot. —————————-

After collecting DNA from the Facey family, Max pulls in front of a large stucco house overlooking the mountains.

“Who lives here?” Liz sorts through her notes looking for which house they are at so she knows which label to grab.

“Me. I forgot my lunch this morning.” Max smiles sheepishly at her. “You want to come in or stay here?”

“And miss seeing where the illustrious Detective Evans lives? No way.” Liz unsnaps her seatbelt and swings open the door to the cruiser following Max into his home. “You don’t lock your doors?”

“No. I know everyone in town and no one would be stupid enough to steal from me.” Max tells her over his shoulder, heading to the kitchen to grab his lunch.

Liz bounces on her heels a couple times, trying to decide if she is just supposed to stand there and wait for him before being drawn to his large wall to wall bookshelves. “I had no idea you were so into Russian moralistic literature, Max.” She teases him, running her finger along the spines of his large first edition book collection. “And Jane Austin too. How feminist of you.”

“You want a drink or anything? Sorry it’s such a mess. I didn't expect to have company today.” Max leans across his kitchen island, smiling at her in a way that makes her heart skip.

“Just some water. Then we have to call the families we plan on visiting tomorrow to make sure they will be home.” Liz twirls her hair as she looks around his home. Max’s house is done in bachelor colors but clean and so much nicer than she expected. He had clearly put a lot of work and effort into it. She wonders what his bedroom looks like but doesn’t trust herself to go anywhere near Max and a bed.

—————————-

A little over a week later, after collecting DNA from all the families related to missing people in the Roswell area, they drove to Albuquerque to collect DNA from the families that live there related to their cases. The last week had involved tons of driving time together and they had settled into a rhythm. Every day, they show up to work, fight over the radio station, visit one family to collect DNA, have lunch, then visit another family. After work, they either went home or to the Wild Pony for a beer together. Due to the amount of families they had to meet with, Max had rented two adjoining rooms for the two days they would be in town.

Wheeling Liz’s suitcase and carrying his own after coming back from dinner together, Max follows Liz into her adjoining room to drop off her luggage. “If you need anything, my room is connected to yours and I’m right there. Ok?”

“I’m not afraid to sleep alone” Liz rolls her eyes at his concern. She’s not crawling into his bed with them working so  closely together and she can figure out how to work the tv by herself.

“Regardless, if you need something, I’m there.” Max smiles warmly at her then leaves to get settled in his own room. He wasn’t insinuating that she should come sleep with him, but last time they had been in a hotel together she had and that would haunt him while he was trying to fall asleep that night.

Liz doesn’t bother unpacking her suitcase because they will only be there one night. Instead, she showers, changes into her pink satin nightgown and falls asleep watching a cooking show. Sometime in the middle of the night, she bolts awake with a gasp as thunder shakes her room. Initially, she is unable to place where she is and is confused- and terrified. Liz has never been a fan of thunderstorms and this is a loud one.

When the wind picks up and starts moving the patio furniture on the balcony, Liz starts trembling. Without thinking too much about it, she pads to the adjoining door and opens it. “Max?” She whispers into the dark.

She is answered with a loud snore. He is sleeping straight through the storm. She crawls into the other side of his bed and her shivers finally subside. She feels safer with him here and will just hang out in his room until the storm passes. She knows he won’t mind. At some point, she drifts to sleep facing Max as the storm rolls on outside.

Max wakes up in the morning with long wavy hair covering his face and what distinctly feels like a woman on his chest. Opening one eye, he is confused to see Liz sprawled out across his chest. He knows they didn’t sleep together because there is no way he would have forgotten about that. So why is she in his room?

Sliding his hand gently along her back, Max whispers her name. Popping her head up from his chest in confusion, Liz stares straight into his wide eyed. “How did you end up here? Not that I’m complaining to waking up to a beautiful woman on my chest but…” Max smiles lopsidedly at her.

“There was a storm. The walls were shaking and I came to hide from it with you. I didn’t fall asleep on you, I swear.” Liz sits up quickly and the pink satin straps of her nightgown slide down at her movement and she pulls them back into place. Max watches her smooth tan skin appear and disappear entranced. He enjoys waking up with her but doesn’t let his mind explore that much further or he’d never be able to focus with her in the car with him all day again.

“What storm? I didn’t wake up once last night.” Max wipes the sleep from his eyes. He needs coffee and to brush his teeth.

“I know. You were snoring almost as loud as the thunder while the wind was slamming the patio furniture against the sliding doors.” Liz teases him.

Max swings his feet out of bed and walks over to the sliding glass door. Pulling back the curtains, he hmms seeing that sure enough, all of the patio furniture has been swung around and it is wet outside. “Huh. How did I miss that? Let’s get dressed and track down some breakfast.”

[timelordthirteen]

In All Things 1/?

Mr. Gold/BelleFrench, Explicit (eventually)

Summary: When Lord Maurice is unable to pay the King’s taxes, his debts begin to pile up, and the only recourse is to accept an arranged marriage for his daughter, the Lady Belle. After a failed betrothal to Sir Gaston, broken by the reveal of a personal secret of Belle’s, the enigmatic and powerful Lord Gold swoops in to solve all their problems. He will marry Lady Belle and pay off Maurice’s debts. The only catch is that Gold doesn’t seem to want a wife at all.

Notes: YES I KNOW I NEED ANOTHER WIP LIKE I NEED SEVENTEEN MORE HOLES IN MY HEAD I’M FUCKING HORRIBLE. So this is an idea I had literally years ago. This is a weird quasi-period romance fantasy. Like imagine Jane Austen but in the Enchanted Forest. IDK. I’m tagging some things I know are coming, and just going right ahead and putting the rating where it’s going to be so that everyone is informed up front. I’m sorry I’m like this. For the Writer’s Month prompt #26: wedding.

[AO3]

Belle winced and pulled the comb through the ends of her hair.

She worked out the last few tangles before twisting it into a thick braid that ran from the base of her skull to the small of her back. Tomorrow it would fall in fat, loose curls, perfect for being woven with some of the delicate white flowers that grew along the south side of the house. Angel’s Lace they were called, supposedly good luck for a bride to wear on her wedding day. Her dress hung on a form by her armoire, creamy white silk and light blue ribbons, ready for her to don in the morning.

She sighed and pushed away from the vanity, casting a longing look at her bed. This would be her last night in it, and her last night in her father’s home, the only one she’d ever known, forever. She wandered to the window and leaned out into the cool evening air. The sky was a swirl of purple and pink as the sun sank behind the treeline. The next time she saw the sunset, it would have a different view, and she would belong to someone else.

The thought made her stomach turn and she moved to the small table across the room to pour some water. After two gulps of cool water and a few deep breaths, she felt only marginally better. The last thing she wanted was to be married, but the state of her father’s affairs necessitated such extremes.

Belle had often dreamed of what her future might be like, her wedding and her husband. She pictured something like in her books or in the stories told by her old governess. Reality was nothing like that. In her fantasies she had a choice, she wasn’t bid out like cattle to pay debts that weren’t her family’s fault.

King George taxed his lord’s highly. Years of war had worn the people down, and as her father’s lands began to fail, the fields sallow from overuse, there just wasn’t enough to cover the King’s demands. Only a marriage to a wealthy lord could save them. Her father’s debts would become her debts, and her debts her new husband’s.

Lord Gold, she was told, could easily afford them. He was also a favorite of the King, sitting on the Council of Lord’s and helping to organize and run the kingdom. She hoped this would go better than the first time.

A shiver ran down her spine at the memory of her first betrothal. Sir Gaston was noble, but demanding, conventionally handsome, but ugly on the inside. He’d found out her secret and immediately broke off the engagement. It was just as well, a marriage to such a man would have been more of a punishment than losing everything her family owned.

Strangely, upon hearing of the disillusion of her betrothal, Lord Gold had sent a letter to her father, asking for her hand. They had never met, but of course her father agreed. He was only worried for himself and their family name, and the possibility of losing their standing. The fate of his daughter was secondary.

Belle startled at the knock on her door, and hurried to cover her nightgown with her robe.

“Enter,” she called out, still tying the belt around her waist.

The maid, Astrid, poked her head around the door and smiled. “Sorry to disturb, my Lady.”

Belle shook her head and waved the woman in. “It’s no matter, Astrid.”

“I - I brought you a letter,” she said, holding out a silver tray containing a folded parchment, sealed with red wax. “It’s - it’s from Lord Gold, my Lady.”

Belle’s eyes went wide and pulled back the hand that had been reaching for the letter. “Oh…”

Astrid raised her eyebrows. “Should I put it on the desk, my Lady?”

Belle nodded, and watched with trepidation as Astrid cross to the small writing desk by the window and set the tray down. A moment later, Astrid was giving her a curtsy from the doorway and bidding her a goodnight.

She stared at the tray and the paper for a long moment before tracing the wax seal pressed to the front. The symbol in the middle was odd, a spinning wheel surrounded on the outside by the usual laurel wreath of the merchant lords. She wondered what the significance of it was.

Sitting down at the desk, she took a steadying breath and broke the seal, brushing the bits of wax aside as she opened the folded paper. It wasn’t uncommon for those with longer betrothals to write each other letters, but she hardly expected a man she’d never met and who was at least ten years her senior, to be sending her affectionate missives the next before their very arranged wedding.

Lady Belle,

I will dispatch with the usual, odious pleasantries of hoping this letter finds you well, and asking after your father’s health, though I do hope you are not too distressed over the upcoming ceremony. I know that this arrangement is not what you might have desired -

She let out a light snort at his understatement, and continued.

- but I wish to alleviate some of your fears, that we may enter into our partnership without misunderstandings.

Partnership. The word made her frown. She had never known anyone to refer to a marriage as such. Arrangement, agreement, joining. Those were common among those who had their futures decided on the basis of beneficial political or social alignments, but partnership seemed like something more, like they were forming a business or some such. She thought perhaps he was more used to that word given his background as a merchant.

Beyond the covenant we will enter into in the eyes of church and family, I will make a promise to you that I shall never ask for more than you are willing to give, in all things.

Belle sat back in her chair, her lips parting as she read the line again. She hoped that it meant what she wanted it to, but she was very aware that men, especially Lords and knights, where capable of eschewing all honor to get what they wanted.

Allow me to be clear, in a manner which I pray you do not find offensive. I will make no demands upon you for your time, your companionship, or your presence in my bed. I have no need for more friends, though I hope, in time, we may come to appreciate each other’s company, and you may approve of spending time together. I also require no heirs, as I already have been blessed with a son from my marriage to my late wife. (Incidentally, his name is Baeden - Bae - and he will be eleven just before the solstice.)

She gasped out loud, and her heart began to pound in her chest. She read the paragraph again, as she had the sentence before it, in utter disbelief. Lord Gold was marrying her, and apparently had no intention of requiring her to do any of the things that everyone expected wives to do. And he’d been married before. That was not something her father had mentioned, nor that Gold had a son. The way he added the sliver of knowledge, both about the boy’s name and his birthday, felt oddly intimate, like he was allowing her a peek into his life ahead of her joining it.

Giving her head a shake, she continued reading to the end.

I’m sure you are curious as to my reasons for agreeing to this arrangement, and in time I may be willing to explain, but please trust that they are my own, and that I do not bear you, your father, or your family any ill will. I will make one small request of you, if I may, and that is simply to be yourself. I find there are enough airs put on at court, and I do not wish there to be any illusions or deceptions in my home.

Yours,

Cameron Gold

She let out the breath she’d been holding and her hands dropped to her lap. The letter was nothing she’d expected, but then, apparently, neither was Lord Gold.

Cameron.

Knowing her future husband’s first name made her smile. She hadn’t known anything about him before today, other than that he was older, and rich enough to afford her father’s debts. Now she felt like they had spent an afternoon together, talking over tea. It was strange, yet comforting.

Though he might change his mind in the future, for now it seemed her terrible secret would remain as such. It was possible than if it were revealed to him that they might have come to understand each other enough that he wouldn’t be as angry as Gaston had been.

A shudder washed over her and she reached for her shawl, pulling it tight around her shoulders. Then she folded the letter and placed inside her favorite book, right in the middle to keep it pressed flat by the heavy sides. She poured herself another cup of water and carried it to her bedside table before laying her robe and shawl over the end of the bed. She took her time smoothing her hands over the soft knitting, remembering how her mother used to sit by the fire in the evenings with a basket of yarn and an idle plan of what she might create.

Her chest tightened and she pushed the memory away as she climbed onto the mattress, kicking off her slippers before wiggling beneath the covers. She looked over at her wedding gown, relieved that her earlier terror had calmed to more of a light apprehension. Perhaps, she thought, an arranged marriage to a man who didn’t seem to want a wife at all, was the best she could have hoped for.

[the-quiet-winds]

Take Out Every Wasted Honor (part 2)

we have returned with part two, kiddos. and she’s fun, and @ichlugebulletsandcornnuts and i worked really hard to nuance this one correctly so... i’m excited.

[part one]

[Part 2: Just Keep Me Where the Light Is]

jane gives a quiet gasp of shock as katherine throws the ring. katherine manages to stay standing for almost four more seconds and then she drops to her knees, staring down at the dark grass.

“please, just leave me alone.” it’s a broken plea, quiet and empty. jane doesn’t move.

“kitty-kat,” she whispers. “i can’t leave you like this.”

“i said,” katherine repeats quietly. “leave me alone.”

still, jane doesn’t budge.

“kat,” jane begs, “i don’t know what’s caused this, but please just talk to me.”

katherine shakes her head, hunching her shoulders.

jane lowers herself to eye level with katherine, leaving a buffer of space between them. “please, love, talk to me. i’m your mum.”

katherine can’t take anymore and she leaps to her feet, looking down at the queen through tears of anger and betrayal. “you’re not!” she cries out. “you just say that to make yourself feel good!” she pitches up her voice mockingly. “for taking in the little girl with a tragic past and no family!”

jane looks shocked. “that’s not true at all-“

“please.” katherine tries to sound as fired as she was, but her voice cracks on the word. “no more lies.”

all jane can do is pour every ounce of honesty into her voice and hope that she gets through to katherine, that her daughter understands just how much she loves her.

“kat,” she says, voice gentle yet firm in its convictions. “nothing i’ve said has been a lie. i love you so, so much, and would never use you to make myself feel better, i promise you, love. please, please tell me where you got that idea from.”

katherine can’t bring herself to look at jane, not when she’s using that tone, so gentle and loving even after katherine got so angry at her.

she turns away.

jane regards her sadly and stands up. “i’ll figure it out, love,” she continues quietly, “and when i do, i promise you that you’ll never have to hear those words again, okay?”

katherine makes no movement.

jane sighs and slowly retreats into the ballroom. she quickly asks both lady eleanor and sir percival to keep an eye on katherine and make sure she doesn’t go anywhere, and they both give their reassurances that they would.

jane takes a moment to think. katherine had been fine before the party, so logically something must have happened while at the party to bring forward this outburst. she leans against the wall to consider what it might have been, when the answer presents itself to her in the form of three courtiers having a quiet discussion, apparently not realising they were in earshot of the Queen.

“it’s all just very odd, you know?” the female of the group says. “this whole thing.”

jane’s childlike curiosity is piqued, wondering what the odd thing was, then the woman continues.

“the queen must know about the girl’s past. she’s not exactly innocent.”

jane fights to keep her face innocent as the woman’s two male companions nod in agreement. one takes a sip of his drink and jumps in.

“i don’t blame her, though,” he says. jane sighs a little; at least someone understands katherine isn’t at fault. “if i were the queen, having a little pet project to keep me busy after all the chaos of the prince’s birth doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”

“she sure went through a lot to secure it all, even gave the girl the ring of the seymours,” the third man says.

“really?” the woman challenges, then shakes her head. “i would never give something so precious to something like that,” she laughs. “imagine, giving something so important to a half-breed that isn’t even really mine.”

anger slowly starts to fill jane’s mind at the courtiers’ words. if this was how her courtiers spoke about katherine then no wonder her daughter had such a bad reaction to everything. she can’t believe how cruel and cold they were being, and it strikes her that it might not just be them who was gossiping about katherine. before jane knows it, she’s striding to the front of the room, intent on making a speech to her courtiers.

jane stands in front of her and henry's thrones, realizing she has absolutely no idea what to say. she clears her throat and the band falls off their tune. the party's patrons look at her questioningly.

"esteemed guests," she begins kindly. "i would like to take a moment to thank you all for coming to celebrate this very joyous occasion in my life," she continues. "i have always wanted a daughter, and now i have found one." her gaze hardens slightly. "however, i have overheard some less than kind things being said about her this evening, and i would just like to remind you that such hateful speech against any member of the royal family can be considered treason." her stare finds the trio from earlier for just a moment. "and i do not care what you've heard or what you think she is worth, because katherine seymour is the queen's ward, and therefore comes before any member of my court, save my husband and my son. if anyone takes issue with that," she pauses for effect, "they can come to me directly and pray that the Lord will save their soul."

the three jane had overheard look incredibly uncomfortable, as do a few others within the crowd. jane is satisfied that they got the message, and she takes a glass of wine from a nearby table and raises it.

“i would like to finish with a toast. to my daughter, katherine seymour.”

most of the crowd join with the toast happily, although those who jane suspected had been saying some less than pleasant things about katherine were still looking uncomfortable.

out of the corner of her eye jane can spot katherine, just outside the doorway to the pavilion, holding onto the doorframe and looking in. looking at jane.

jane looks back to her and raises the glass subtly, then takes a sip. she crosses the room and offers the glass to katherine with a soft and fond smile.

"you should drink to yourself, love," she says quietly.

katherine, with tears in her eyes and that same melancholy look on her face, accepts the wine and takes a tiny sip, grimacing at the taste.

jane looks at her lovingly. "i hope you heard all of that, love, and know that it is all true." she puts her hands on her girl's neck, lightly maintaining eye contact. "i wouldn't lie to you, kitty-kat."

katherine is silent for a long while, looking up at jane with wide, tear-filled eyes. then, in a voice so tiny and broken jane can barely hear her, she speaks.

“i’m sorry about the ring.”

that catches jane by surprise; it wasn’t what she expected her to say at all, but she smiles at her daughter.

“it’s okay, love. i’m sure we’ll be able to find it again when it gets light.”

katherine is silent again, looking awkwardly down at her shoes. there are a hundred things she wants to say, but she can’t find the words to apologize for how she acted or say that yes she believes jane or beg jane to never, ever let her go.

instead, she slips the glass of wine on a nearby table and throws her arms around jane.

jane is taken aback by the sudden hug but after a moment or two she wraps her arms around katherine, holding her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead. katherine tries to stutter out some kind of apology or anything at all, but the words get stuck in her throat. jane soothes her with a quiet hushing sound.

“it’s okay, love.”

jane runs her fingers through katherine’s hair. she gives a kiss to her cheek, then whispers, “maybe it’s time to get you to bed.”

“but the party,” katherine protests half heartedly. “you organized it all for me.”

jane hushes her again gently. “don’t you worry, love.” without removing an arm from around katherine, she subtly escorts her from the ballroom. “i think you could use some sleep after the night you’ve had.”

katherine lets jane lead her to their chambers. she doesn’t say anything but she clings to jane still, seeking as much comfort as she possibly can. when they reach the rooms jane smiles at katherine softly.

“would you like to sleep in my bed tonight, love?” katherine had her own room and her own bed now, but jane thinks her daughter might like the comfort and security of sharing with her mum, as juvenile as it might seem.

katherine gives a silent nod, not letting go of jane.

jane gives another gentle smile and steers katherine towards her room after just long enough for katherine to grab her nightgown. jane doesn't leave to get herself ready for bed until katherine already tucked warmly under the covers. the girl props herself up on a pillow and waits no-so-patiently for her mum.

jane barely has the opportunity to open up an inviting arm before katherine is clinging to her, holding back tears again.

"i'm sorry," she says in a very quiet and unsure voice.

“shh, it’s okay, kitty-kat,” jane soothes, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “you don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“but,” katherine sniffles, “i said all those horrible things...”

“it wasn’t your fault, love,” jane murmurs. “those courtiers are to blame for gossiping and spreading nasty rumours, and i promise that i will never let anyone say such things about you. if you hear anyone talking like that then you come and tell me, okay?”

katherine gives a stiff nod. "okay," she mumbles.

jane smiles gently and kisses the top of her head. "get some sleep, kitty-kat." she forces herself to stay awake until she's sure that katherine is asleep, and only then she lets herself also get some much needed rest.

---

the next morning, katherine isn't awoken by eleanor making her normal morning call. when she blinks the sleep out of her eyes, she sees jane sitting on the foot of the bed, reading a book.

"mum?" she asks groggily.

jane closes the book, sets it down, then kisses katherine's forehead.

"did you sleep well, love?" she asks. katherine nods, and jane's grin brightens. "well i have something for you. i woke up very early to find it, but..." she opens her hand and shows katherine the silver ring.

katherine stares at the ring for several seconds, and jane briefly wonders if she’d done something wrong, but then katherine speaks.

“you found it,” she says, her voice soft. jane smiles.

“i did. and i believe it belongs to you, katherine seymour.”

“yeah, it does,” katherine gives a slightly shy smile. jane’s grin grows at the acknowledgement and she takes katherine’s hand, sliding the ring back into place on katherine’s finger.

they both smile at the sight of the ring back where it belongs on katherine's finger.

"i'm never taking it off again," kat says firmly yet quietly. "i promise."

jane feels tears in her eyes at the declaration. she leans forward and kisses katherine's forehead. "i would certainly hope not, kitty-kat." she takes katherine's hand, looking down at the ring. "it means that i love you, that you're my daughter, always." she catches katherine's eyes. "don't forget that," she finishes gently.

katherine gives a quiet nervous laugh. "i don't think i can." she turns more serious. "not that i want to."

jane gives her a soft smile. “that’s my girl.”

katherine fidgets slightly and jane becomes concerned. “is something the matter, love?”

katherine shifts awkwardly. “i’m sorry about the party,” she mumbles. “i know how much work you put into it, and we didn’t even get to stay the whole time.”

"oh, love," jane tuts. "i wish i could make you see."

katherine looks at her, confused and a bit scared. "see what?"

jane cups her cheek. "i'd choose your happiness and security over a party...over most things, in fact, every time." she she strokes her cheek with her thumb lightly, slowly. "i wish you could see that."

katherine blinks and her cheeks tinge pink.

“really?” she asks, voice small and childlike, and jane nods.

“of course, love. you’re my daughter and your well-being comes first.” she tucks a strand of hair behind katherine’s ear and smiles gently. “and don’t you forget that, my darling girl.”

katherine blushes deeper, and jane can’t help but bite back a soft laugh at the red burning through katherine’s cheeks and ears.

then katherine looks up at her, eyes so wide and innocent and hopeful that jane’s heart warms in just a second. she leans forward and places a light, quick kiss on katherine’s nose. the girl giggles and recoils, before looking back to jane again.

“i love you, mum,” she mumbles, fiddling with the ring.

“and i love you too, kitty-kat.” there’s a beat, then jane stands and extends a hand. “now come, love,” she tells katherine, “there are some people who stuck around to be able to see you this morning.”

katherine laughs, a little bit hopeful and a little bit nervous, and takes jane’s hand without much more hesitation, allowing herself to be led towards the people who were waiting to see her.

[no-confidence-to-write]

The Wild Hunt Chapter (1/6?) This is Why you Never Play with Oujia Boards

October 31st, 1987 Aethelswith Atheling (17),  Ainsley Burke (16),  Joan Hanson (17),  Sarah Harlow (17), and Heluna Umbria (16), went missing at  Mrs. Jane Harlow’s home at 147 Cherry Lane.  If anyone has information in regards to their whereabouts, please immediately inform your local police department or contact the Wessex County Police Department at 749-XXX-XXXX.

Saturday,10:30 pm Halloween night,  Sarah Harlow’s 17th birthday party.

Aethelswith had never been a fan of Halloween night. It wasn’t because her family was Catholic, nor was it the fact the Sarah always partied a little too hard on her birthday. Rather it was the strange occurrences that had started after her thirteenth birthday, specifically on Halloween night. The 31st seems to hold the worst omens for her. It was as if the things stalking her would grow evermore powerful starting on this day.  Birds would start watching her throughout the winter with beady little eyes, another time she swore something or someone tried to drown in her family’s pool, and now the ever increasing empty stares that seemed to followed her had begun to target her friends.

Joan with her vibrant red hair and ‘too cool to care’ attitude had started complaining about always being cold. Even in the middle of July, she dressed as if it was the middle of November. She felt like a walking corpse that was unable to retain heat. Shy Ainsley who rocked a bitchin brunette perm had the opposite problem. She was always hot, to the point when others touched her, it felt that her skin was oozing the very fires of Hell. Blonde Sarah had always said nothing was going on, but recently an alarming amount of bodily injuries had been piling up on her past boyfriends. Some had little nicks or cuts that they would wake up to find on their body, but the longer the boy had dated her the worst the injury. Just last week, her boyfriend Johnny broke his leg by falling down a flight of stairs. He swore that someone pushed him. But out all of these strange events, the craziest occurrence was Heluna was in love.

Heluna, who was technically Aethelswith’s aunt,  grew up in a rather strict household.  This pure angel, goody-two-shoes,  teacher’s pet, perfection incarnate had broken parents' cardinal rule: if you’re dating we must meet the boy first.

Not only had Heluna failed to mention him to her parents, but gave as little as possible information to her friends. The only information her friends had gotten her was that his name was Sigurd, and according to Heluna, he was a dreamboat with blonde hair and snake-like eyes. They had met at the reptile exhibit at the zoo in June. He sends her poems and love songs coined ‘ to my love Blaeja’.  Apparently, it was a compliment to Heluna's black eyes. It might be the first time in Heluna’s life that she had any true freedom to make her own choice.  It was like she was planning their wedding already and the following escape from her father’s control. Interrupting Aethelswith thoughts Sarah pulled out something out of the living room closet.

“ Girls, let's play a game” Sarah called out. Out of the corner of her blue eyes, she saw the infamous Ouija Board.

“No, way I am doing that!” Ainsley whispered. Her brown doe eyes widened in fear as if she knew who was on the other side.

“Come on! As the birthday girl for the next hour and a half, I get to decide what we get to do. Besides, don’t you guys want to take a little risk.” Sarah scanned the room directly looking at Heluna, Ainsley and her knowing they would be the most reluctant.

“ Whose in?” Sarah asked while setting the board down on the coffee table.

“ I’ll join” Joan called from the kitchen after getting another slice of pizza.

“So will I” Heluna called triumphantly, moving towards the coffee table.

“Heluna, you can’t be serious. Your dad is going to kill you when he finds out.” Aethelswith warned.  She could feel it in her gut. A cold, sickening feeling squirmed in her stomach.  It was if the room was growing darker, heavier as if more people had joined the room as if they were waiting for them to play or, worst, pushing them to play. Perhaps she was the only one that could tell. Rationally, she told herself it’s just Halloween jitters, nothing is out there or in here.

“ I totally agree, with Ash. Can’t, we like, just paint our nails or play Twister. Anything…  I don’t care… just not this.” Ainsley lithe body seemed the fall into herself as if she could feel the same things as Aethelswith.

“ Don’t worry about this Ainsley. I got it from Stacy. We’ll each ask a question and be done with it ok. I promise” Sarah gave a radiant reassuring smile ”Besides, you, I, and Stace are on the cheer team together. Would she really do anything bad to us? Plus, she left me some notes on this thing”

Sarah lifted the note from Stacey. Stacey was on the cheerleading team at their high school with Sarah and Ainsley. They were stereotypical popular girls at their school. Honestly, if Sarah hadn’t met her other friends at their Catholic school, Stacey probably would have led her into hot water, but Sarah was loyal to a fault.

She started to read the bright pink note.

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great 17th.

Sorry, I couldn’t make it.  Love Stace.

Remember to keep these rules in mind while playing!

Rules From Stacy

Be Serious This is not a game

ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE

Ask one question at a time

DO NOT ask about God, when you will die, or where gold is buried.

NEVER play alone 

“See it's totally fine, don’t worry about it. Ainsley, Aethelswith come on please join.” Sarah whined until the remaining girls finally joined in. An unnatural chill came over the girls as their hands touched the planchette. Aethelswith could feel another hand on her wrist lightly tracing the skin as gently as a lover. But, of course, there was nothing there, nothing tangible, clearly, Aethelswith thought that she must be losing a little bit of her sanity. Shakingly, Sarah started speaking.

“Um, Hi, I’m Sarah, In the Star Wars shirt is Joan. In the rainbow nightgown is Ainsley, in the blue PJs is Aethelswith, and to my left is Heluna. We would like to ask some questions”. After a short pause, Sarah continued.

“ Did someone push my boyfriend Johnny down a flight of stairs?”.

It felt as if the majority of the silent presence were slightly laughing at the expense of another person there. Slowly, the disk moved towards yes. The girls looked at each other with a silent agreement that none of them had truly moved it.

“Who did it?” Ainsley whispered barely loud enough for Aethelswith to hear despite being right next to her. The disk moved again but it was not the done by the same spirit as before. The disk started spelling. H-V-I-T-S-E-R-K.  

“Who the fuck is Hvitserk?” Joan uttered. The disk moved again slowly spelling more letters. A-M-O-N-S-T-E-R. The air gets colder as the light slowly dims above them. Flickering on and off. Ainsley visibility shuddered and whipped her hands off the disk.

“ I’m done! I’m not doing this anymore! I can’t take it touching me with those burning hands anymore!!” Ainsley yelled, fear contorting her face As she ran to the bathroom. Joan went after her, trying to calm the crying girl down.

“I think we should stop- ” Aethelswith replied but the hand tracing her wrist suddenly became a solid bruising grip preventing her from taking her hand off the disk.  A dark seductive voice whispered in her ear: You didn’t ask your question my beauty…. As a calloused hand ran through her curled locks.

“ Did you guys hear that?” she asked.

“What do you mean, I didn’t hear anything’ Sarah quipped as if trying to deny the ever growing gloom pressing down on them.  She continued. “Heluna ask your question, I’m going to go check on Ainsley and Joan. They’re taking a while.” Taking her hands off the disk as she went towards the hallway bathroom where it had become oddly silent.  Heluna took a shuddering breath before gathering her courage.

“Is Sigurd like Hvitserk- I mean is he an actual monster or are you using the term ‘monster’ as a description of Hvitserk’s personality?” Heluna asked but was replied with no movement from the board.

“ I think you need to ask something simpler or maybe you need to ask one question at a time,” Aethelswith responded quietly.

“ Ok. Where is Sigurd?” Heluna continued jokingly not thinking the board would know the answer. To their surprise, the disk began to move again. H-E-R-E.

“Sigurd, can’t be here. He doesn’t even live in this county-” She turned to Aethelswith

He told me he’s from-” a sharp knock came from the door interrupting her. They look away from the board and stared at the doorway.

“Heluna, don’t answer the door!” Aethelswith hissed, but a strange trance seemed to overtake Heluna. Black eyes almost glittering with want.

“But what if it's him... I’ll just answer the door and prove it's not.” She whispered back.

“Heluna, please! I can’t play alone, remember.” Aethelswith pleaded with wide blue eyes. Another harsher knock came from door impatiently waiting for them to answer. Heluna regained focus and looked back at Aethelswith nodding to finish the game. Taking a deep breath Aethelswith asked her question

“What do you want from us?” she questioned as the invisible hand holding her wrist began silently trail from wrist to her fingers. The hand settled on top off hers as it guided the disk. A-Q-U-E-E-N. It had taken a slight pause and began to move again. A W-I-F-E. It moved for a final time painfully gripping her hand. A-M-A-T-E ”  Ugh gag me with a spoon. What does this psycho think he’s talking about? Were, like, 17.” She thought to herself with disbelief.

“Hey, Heluna will you get the other girls? We need to say goodbye to board” Aethelswith stated growing tired of the hand on top of hers.

“Yeah let me go answer the door first,” Heluna said as she quickly moved from the living room.

“ I really don’t think that’s a good idea-” she was cut off by the hand crushing hers, keeping her hand on the disk. She could feel the sharp sting of claws digging into her skin. Suddenly, the room seemed to warp into another landscape entirely. The cream-colored living room faded into a stone covered walls. Taperaries were hung against the walls and furs covered the floor. She was bathed in firelight coming from the roaring fireplace. She could now see a discolored hand on top of hers. Claws protruded from where a normal person’s nails would be.

“Do not worry my princess. Soon we'll be together again” a dark gravelly voice spoke to her. She willed herself to look up at where the voice was coming from. The darkness obscured his face but from the shadows, she could make out curved horns, sharp teeth, leathery wings, and haunting ice blue eyes. She quickly tore her hand away from his, as she tore her body away.  shuffling from him as quickly as possible.

“Get away from me!” Aethelswith whispered frantically backing up towards the wall. He remained in the darkness but she could see the hurt in his eyes.

“You don’t remember do you?” he sighed, “ I suppose it has been so long since we were last together, my beauty. But after tonight, our long wait will be over and it will be as things once were. Before you were taken from me.”

Turning from the creature she ran out of the room her heart hammering in her chest. She wasn’t crazy, all this time she had been right. There had been something following her and her friends. She crashed through the wooden door in front of her leading back to the living room.

This can’t be right. Why am I back here? She thought to herself. She had to get her friends and say goodbye to that stupid board. Running to the hallway bathroom she swung open the door to discover Ainsley, Sarah, and Joan had disappeared.

Inside the bathroom, lava oozed from the bathroom mirror and burn marks covered the room. On the other side of the room, frost covered the shower tiles while snowy handprints showed an apparent struggle. The most disturbing part of the room was the floor. What had once been a pastel pink tiled floor now had a gaping hole in the center that only showed an earthen black abyss. Whatever had taken the girls was not of their world.

Rushing from the scene, she realized Heluna wasn’t with her. Please God, tell me she didn’t answer that damn door! In another sprint, she raced to the front door. Opening it to find it empty but crawling with snakes, from constrictors to vipers. Slamming and locking the door back behind her, she couldn’t help the fear rising back up.

This isn’t happening! I’m dreaming! Right of course. I’ve fallen asleep first like I always do. She thought to herself. Ignoring the ever present darkness closing in around her, she made the move to pinch herself. If it doesn’t hurt that must mean I’m dreaming. Quickly her right hand pinched her left arm but was only felt pain.

Oh God, why are doing this to us? Is it my fault? She thought. but was interrupted by the bang at the front door.

“Princess, unlock the door.” he chastised gently, “ We don’t want to keep the others waiting, do we?”. He was real, this was real. She gripped her crucifix as tears filled her eyes, and recited a prayer knowing it was the only thing that could help her now. She started speaking loudly,

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He causes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff-they comfort-”

“Princess, you know I hate when you call on your precious Jesus Christ. You know he can’t help you now.” The voice was no longer sweetly chastising her, but replaced with a gravely demonic voice that dripped with acidity. As if he sensed her fear he returned to a sweet purring tone,

“I didn’t want to scare you too much, but we’re going to be late for the hunt princess…” he sighed.

“I guess we're going to have to play a little rough… but you always enjoyed that didn’t you? ” he chuckled darkly. Without a second to spare the figure kicked down the door showing the monster behind the door. Her breath caught in her throat, staring at the creature before her. He was strangely attractive with long braided hair, dark beard, and Armani suit. Like a predator on the prowl, he began to slowly advance towards her.

Shit Sarah, this is why we don’t play with Ouija boards! Aethelswith thought to herself as she slowly back stepped from him.  Stalling for time to get to the back kitchen door she faked bravery and began talking to the creature.

“Look, I’ve never met you in my life buddy. You’ve clearly got the wrong girl.” She boasted but remained unfazed by the announcement.

“Princess, it won’t be long until you remember. Now don’t make this difficult for me. I don’t like causing you pain, well, unless you ask for it. That’s a different story.” He chuckled.  

“Great, I’m dealing with some pervy demon intent on getting into my pants” she mused. But then inspiration struck her, perhaps I could entice him with her body. Sure she never had any real experience with that type of thing unless you count Edmund at eighth-grade bible camp, but then again she was pretty sure he was in the closet.  Subtly shifting her nightshirt  to show off some of her skin, she gave him her best fearful face pleading mercy with him

“Sir, please, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. Please, won’t you just let me go? I promise I’ll behave” she pleaded, seeing the lust in his eyes. Only of few more steps lay between her and the back door.

“Oh, but Princess, I want play with you” He growled taking a swift lunge at his target, but she had already reached the door. Running into the dark forest not bothering to look back or think about what might in the woods she ran. Heart hammering in her chest, she ran further into the maze of forbidding trees. Taking a look behind her, she saw glowing blue eyes in the distant.“

You just made this so much more fun for me, Princess!” He laughed. It sounded like he was right behind her breathing down her neck.

 “Leave me alone!” Her shrill voice cried out, tears visibly coming down her face. With a loud crack another creature came from the woods. It was… It was a dog? Thinking of the sheer  absurdity of the situation, she could laugh to herself. But soon the body of the fluffy white dog began to grow adding another head, limbs, tails, until there were six eyes look back at her. These were no fluffy white dogs anymore, molted decaying skin clang to their skulls while they possess the same icy glowing blue eyes as their master. Another figure came up behind the hounds with the same glowing blue eyes.

“I see you’ve met my very own Cerberus.” He paused to look back at his princess running further to the starting line,”

When playing this game, it’s important not to make any noise” He shouted to her. Ignoring his words she continued running but the scratches and marks were blooding her skin and she knew she couldn’t keep up this pace. Suddenly she saw candlelight  in a window of a abandoned Victorian house. Not believing her luck she renewed her effort. Just a little farther and they’ll be someone there to help you she prayed. Crashing through the door  she found it entirely empty, but safe enough for her taste. Taking a turn back  she saw the demonic creature and his dogs  jogging at a leisurely pace. Flipping the bird  to them, she slammed the door, locked it and began pushing the nearest piece a furniture  against the door when the house changed around her. Changing from a decaying house, the candles began glow in force all around her, faded wallpaper return to it’s colorful hues, and broken and missing furniture filled the foyer. Turning to face a sweet girly voice Aethelswith faced a small blonde girl with purple bruises around her neck, staring at her with green eyes,

“ Are you ready to play the game?”