#Both Observer and Hollow love each other like a Mother and Daughter would

[roxyfoxgamer150]

Fight?

She remembered how she got it.

She was holding a gun, recently just shot a man who wanted to kidnap multiple children and sell them outside of Encanto. He was not even a traveller, nor a townfolk of Encanto.

He just saw the town, and decided to kidnap children.

Hollow removed her masquerade mask, looking at it, how much blood it has to the point it covered it all.

She remembered the second time she killed someone, they were raiders, three of them. She buried them inside the jungle.

And then came the fourth.

And the fifth.

It kept coming. After the two hundred seventy-six, she was already gone.

She didn't know why it happened, why that every time she killed, she felt satisfied.

Even wanting to kill more.

And then she met a version of Mirabel, two versions. One called herself Observer, and the other Scrap. One wore a plain white poncho, while the other wore bandages.

She was tempted to kill them for some odd reason, but deciding to squash the urge to kill them deep down.

She joined them, seeing how they worked together, how they fought.

Weak. Sloppy. Teach them how to fight will you?

She told them tips on how to fight, how to be stealthy.

How to kill someone leaving no evidence.

And then they fought. Observer didn't know how it also happened. But Scrap told both of them that they were found by an enemy of the AU, making them argue each other, blaming each other.

And then they suddenly threw punches. Hollow kept killing Observer, and Observer kept killing Hollow. Mother vs daughter.

Solaris scratched her head. "I don't get it, how the hell did they just fight?" The Alicorn Goddess asked, confused.

Scrappy Mirabel shrugged, "The Mirabel had random enemies, and because of that, Observer and Hollow kept being found out every time it's night. Turns out Mirabel escapes at night, and both never knew that the enemies knew."

Solaris looked at Hollow Julieta's cabin, which was in Hollow's AU.

They both never noticed that Hollow can be seen having pure red eyes, repeatedly shooting a random target dummy made with human flesh, exactly at the head while she moved around.

They both don't notice that she grabbed the dummy right in the chest, and it pushed right through, whilst having manic eyes.

While in Observer's room, Observer can be seen throwing multiple objects in rage.

"FUCKING DAMN IT! IT'S ALL THAT WOMANS FAULT WE WERE NOTICED!"

"I swear, if I get my pathetic emotions back, I will shoot a piercing bullet in her head. Over. And over. Again."

[libbee]

Projections and astrology

This is something I have observed that who you are as a person and what people perceive you as are two very different things. For eg, in one case a native has south node/ketu in 7th house. This makes their partner emotional disinterested, both partners spend long time away from each other, don't talk to each other much and the marriage is just hollow. Despite this reality, the external world thinks that they have a normal marriage, they communicate daily, they are normal loving couple. I wondered why this is the case until I realized that people are projecting their own unconscious onto the native and their partner.

2. Have you heard a quote "don't care about your reputation but care about your character. Your reputation is who people think you are but character is who you actually are". This applies to astrology so much. Who you actually are -- see from your birth chart. How people see you -- their synastry with you, their unconscious projections on you and especially your energy you emit.

3. Earlier I thought that "synastry" is something that only happens in romantic relationships. But you have a synastry with everyone. The stranger on the bus has synastry with you. Sometimes we see a person behaving rudely to others but nicely to some people. They must have friendly synastry with these people. I am not making it up, I know with astrology we always have to be cautious as to not making superstitious and fanatical statements but this is something you can see for yourself. For eg, I am venus in 8th house and my mom is venus in scorpio in 2nd house. Yes, we are both similar water venusian and we are more like competitors than mother-daughter. Envy, jealousy, control, possession, mind reading, projection and something weirdly sexual is there in the way we perceive each other. I feel ashamed of my sexuality around my mom. It is like we are both outdoing each other in who is more desirable by men.

4. Similarly I have seen people getting bad treatment, bullying and insensitivity from others for no reason. But if probe deeper, they will admit they feel envious, insecure and inferior around this person so they belittle them to feel good about themselves. This happens to 8th house placements. They can be minding their own business and people come out of nowhere, say something insensitive or treat them badly. 8th house natives have to be so guarded, it's really sad. People project their own self loathing on these natives.

5. Similarly I have seen people being praised, held highly, treated with too much respect even if they did not earn it with a lot of hard work. Some people are highly respected by society for no reason while some are highly disrespected for no reason. I have seen people with bad traits being treated positively by others. Somehow people perceive them as good and project their own goodness on bad people.

6. Similarly not everyone is meant for same life theme. This changed my outlook towards life. I would sit sulking why xyz happened to someone else but did not happen to me? Why them not me? Until I realized that I have a unique life theme.

7. Look up the second para in the above attached picture. "If you fulfill the pattern that is peculiar to yourself" -- see, not everyone is meant for everything in life. Not everyone is meant to become a superstar or sportsperson or millionaire or astronaut. What are you meant for? Think, observe, intuit, journal your life, know your emotional patterns, identify your emotions and see how each emotion directs your behaviour. This is how I know to "figure out what I am meant for in my life". For eg, if I always gossip about others, judge others, belittle others, why am i doing this behaviour? How do they make me feel? Do I feel inferior, insecure, little, inadequate, ashamed of myself?

8. It is also important to beware that the media and content you consume does not normalize such behaviour.

Remember these clips? How do you see these people? How do you see their expressions, body language and behaviour? Are they toxic people...? Err, but this is called "queen, sassy, cool" behaviour. Imagine being the target of such people in real life, that's gotta hurt. Especially to water dominant individuals. I must say you have to be very cautious of what you consume in media. Although it feels like entertainment and mindless, but you subconsciously learn what you consume.

9. Similarly, I have seen that there are individuals for whom toxic behaviour is actually normal behaviour. It reminds me of the narcissistic family trees. Fire and air sign placements can be really distanced from their emotions. As a result, they tend to be insensitive, enabler of toxicity and protagonist of toxic behaviour which even becomes family traits. Somewhere down the generation, some kids are born who end up realizing how fucked up their family tree is and they become the "cycle breakers". Having water house or sign placement is very important to trigger "cycle breaker". I once saw an astro observation "Aries sign are the cycle breaker in their family. They can rise from nothing and change the family pattern". If material patterns, yes they might because they tend to be self centered, assertive, self promoter, grandiose in public eye. But in emotional ways, hell no, unless they have significant water placements to trigger self destruction.

10. "Destiny" has definitely something to do with your ancestors. What your ancestors did in their life determines the kind of life you will live too. Good fortune and misfortune are not just your own karma. It has to do with the collective karma of your bloodline, even if you dont know who your ancestors were. So be very mindful of what you do in your life unless you want your descendants to suffer because of what you did to self gratify. But sadly, the kind of audience who will read this post on tumblr is already part of demographic who are not abusive and toxic (I hope) because I have seen a lot of people being very much into spirituality and self improvement on tumblr. The actual audience is the one who dont know tumblr exists and keep abusing others for the sake of power, dominance, ego, material fulfillment.

11. Material fulfillment is not a bad thing by the way. Show me one person who wants to be dirt poor. The purpose of life is to literally create something. Art, music, books, engineering, food, gardening, literally anything and everything. Just try to spend one month doing nothing, living in streets and say goodbye to money, just see what happens to your mental health. You will become so depressed and darkened. Material security is very important part of mental health. So I do not believe in "money cannot buy you happiness" propaganda. They are either very ignorant of their own privilege or very insecure of their scarcity. Money can buy you happiness. It definitely does. Moreover, "happiness" does not even mean anything. For that we have to know what being happy means. "Happiness" is a fleeting emotion.

12. I think that career is the most important thing in a person's life. It determines everything about you. Even a monk is a "monk". That is their career. Even a priest is a "priest". That is their career. Show me one person who has no career and is still content with their life, unless they inherit money, financed by someone else, are housewife (controversial topic), or get lucky with a family business or gambling or illegal ways to make money. Even then it is their 10th house being active, triggering a career, their 11th house triggering income, their 2nd house triggering wealth and savings, their 8th house triggering other people's money come to them. All the famous people we know are known for their careers. Scientist, businessmen, artists, celebrities, kings and queens, everything is a career even if they are not "employed" by a job letter. Think about it. It is the same thing like people living together in live in, cohabit together, doing civil contract marriage call it as real as a traditional marriage with rituals and custom. Are they the similar things? Similar energy under different names?

I would love to have a thoughtful discussion on any of the points I raised in the comment section, if you guys are interested.

[bestruction]

Falling in love with a marleyan pt1

N/a: this request got me thinking a lot 😅 i guess that's why is so long and because of that, i'll be making a pt2 for Eren. I'm sorry for it, anon and thank you for sharing such great ideia with me💞 please let me know if you like it

(I inspired myself a little bit in this hc)

You can read the pt.2 here

- Reiner Braun

Since you were the daughter of an important general of the Marley army, you were always around in the headquarters learning about the military service. It was your dad's wish that you could bring honor to the family and for the country.

You never understood really well the importance of all that. You were just a kid.

So when he got busy, you preferred to walk around looking for something interesting instead of listening to hours of a conversation you didn't even understand.

And that's how you met Reiner.

One day, after picking up some book about the history of Marley and Eldia, you went to the patio to sit under the shade of a tree to read. Not long after, other children appeared, running and tired, and since you were behind the tree, none of them had noticed you until then.

“Take a breath and try to reach us later, Reiner. The commander will not like it if you don't finish the training ” said an older voice.

You heard footsteps drift away, and only the owner of the painting breath stays.

You were curious to know who it was since you had never seen children in the area. You came out from behind the tree with the tissue you carried in your pocket in hand to offer to the sweaty stranger.

He was astonished at first, and you noticed the golden armband on his arm.

He was an eldian warrior candidate.

Reiner stared at you for a few more seconds before accepting the tissue. He was afraid to offend whoever you were. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and bit his lips, not knowing whether to keep the delicate tissue or give it back.

The tissue dirty with the sweat of an eldian, but still the tissue of a Marley citizen.

"You can keep it if you want"

"thank you,"  He said almost in a whisper. "But don't you prefer that I take it to wash and then bring it back to you?"

"You don't need to bring it back, but if you want to, I'll be here waiting for you tomorrow"

Reiner ran again without looking back. He did not know how to act after that and when he returned home, he washed the white tissue hidden from his mother to return it to you the next day. He did not expect to see you, so when you came out smiling from behind the tree like the day before, he was more than surprised.

“You brought it! Thanks"

"Thanks…?"

You told him your name and noticed his eyes widen when he heard your last name. It was hard not to know who your father was in the army. So you didn't find it strange and asked the boy's name.

“Reiner. Rainer Braun ”

You smiled again, which made you wonder what was so funny.

"I'm sorry. It's just that it is a name that suits you so much that it is funny. It means warrior. That's what you are ”

You responded by pointing at his armband.

Reiner blushed more than he wanted to admit. Never had a girl said anything like that to him, let alone a marleyan girl.

"It's a pity that we can't talk for more than a few minutes, Reiner. I was never able to talk to an eldian so closely ”

He nodded with his head, still trying to ignore the blush on his cheeks, but it was unsuccessful since you then proposed the last thing that would go through his head.

Your father was indeed a general, but he did not see the eldians as inferior beings. That had been the reason he had entered the military career, had the slightest chance of being able to change that view, that was the honor he wanted you to bring. So he taught you the same thing.

To talk to someone like Reiner was not repulsive, but something that you longed to be able to learn more about the eldians in a narrative that was not what you saw at school.

That's why you proposed that you exchange letters. Secrets so as not to cause any kind of problem for him. He would leave his letter in the hollow trunk of the tree, and you would do the same when you couldn't meet in those brief seconds of his training.

He accepted more for fear of you than willingly, but as you talked about each other's daily lives, about the details you observed in each other, and the disguised looks when you passed by the quarter,  this fear gave way to a sincere friendship.

And without either of you realizing in something else.

When he was chosen to inherit the armored titan, you cried for hours in your room in secret, hugging the box where you hid all the letters exchanged for knowing what that meant.

And then he realized that you had fallen in love with the eldian of the letters.

It all happened very fast. You didn't have time to go to the quarter to see if he had left something on the tree and then read in the paper about the group of warriors sent to the demon island.

You never forget about him.

The years passed, and when Reiner returned, you had just taken a patent for being useful in strategy in other wars and thanks to your family's name.

He didn't expect you to remember him, and after everything that happened, he couldn't even think about it much.

But that thought changed when you whispered to him as you passed down the hall without anyone noticing:

"Look in the tree"

Like when you were kids, you had left a letter in the tree, and for some reason that he didn't know how to explain, it brought a certain comfort to his heart.

In the letter, you said how much you missed him. You had written for the old days since you two could talk without bringing any problem to him because you were in the army too. You asked him to meet you in the most deserted building in the area to talk better.

Reiner went to the place, and after seeing you up close for a longer time, he was sure that time had made you a beautiful woman. You talked for a few hours, and it was as if the two of you had gone back to being a child without the traumas he suffered in Paradis and the ones you got on the battlefield.

Once again, time passed, with you two talking cautiously as a precaution, exchanging a note here and there, meeting when you could.

You were the one who gave Reiner the strength to continue.

• It didn't take long for the childhood crush to become love, and the more you two tried to ignore it, the more evident it became until one day on impulse, in one of the many meetings in that building you kissed him.

And he reciprocated.

Your relationship was not easy. It would be a scandal if anyone knew. That's why you rented an apartment farther from the city to meet with more privacy without anyone knowing.

It was not easy, but you loved each other.

Reiner was your first love and your first time, and even with all the disadvantages, you would never choose someone else for that.

And now you're pregnant.

You haven't been feeling very well in the past few months, but you didn't worry too much because you thought it was just a war result, thanks to the stress that started after Paradis. Now, as a commander, you had more work than ever.

But after throwing up your favorite food, you decided to go to a doctor.

The doctor wanted to share the good news with your father, but no one knew about you and Reiner, nor should he. So you just made up an excuse like:

“I want to tell myself. Please keep it confidential ”  

And went home.

Part of you is happy, and the other is unable to stop “what if?”

What if someone finds out who the baby's father is?

What if Reiner doesn't react well to the news?

Raising a baby is already a difficult task, creating a baby that should not exist in the eyes of everyone ...

You didn't know what to do.

You needed to speak to Reiner as soon as possible.

With the end of the war and Marley's victory, you met in the apartment you had rented some time ago.

You waited for him to lie down next to you on the bed, and while caressing your face, you said:

"I’m pregnant"

Reiner sat on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. He was serious, he didn't need to ask if you were kidding.

"How long?"

"Two mouths"

He got up and paced the room before looking back at you.

"What are you going to do?"

"So now is just me, hm?"

“That’s not what I mean, baby” He snorts heavily “I just don’t know what to say”

“Maybe a‘ I’m here with you' it'd be enough, Reiner”

"You know I’m"

"Do i?"

Reiner saw you cry a few times, but the image of you sitting on the bed where you shared so many moments with your eyes full of tears will always be the hardest to forget in his mind.

     He comes to you, and without saying anything, he cries with you until both are calmer.

     Leaving the subject for later was not the smartest decision to make, but for now, it was what you both needed. So you decided to talk after Willy Tybur's speech that was going to happen that night.

     That night, you expected to end up in Reiner's arms and not having to run to save yourself, Falco, and Gabi.

     And even less shouting his name in a random window to wake him up.

    It was your voice that woke him up to fight. It was your voice that made him overcome the desire to die. It was your voice that gave him hope to move forward, and for your voice, for you, he would find a way to work things out.

     You stayed by his bedside every day while he was in the infirmary, which generated a lot of rumors about your compassion for the eldian.

     When Reiner woke up plagued by yet another of many nightmares, he thought he started to dream when he saw your warm smile.

    On an impulse, you hugged him tightly, leaving Pieck and Pig shocked across the room.

“I knew it. I knew you’d be fine ”You said without let him go.

“I'm here for you, baby” He answered, hugging you back. "For you two"

"How did you get the commander pregnant ?!" You heard Porco's voice.

“Pock, I thought you already knew how these things work at that age” teased Pieck.

“Don’t act like you’re not thinking the same!”

“Let’s go outside, and I’m going to explain to you how mama and papa Galliard made you” She teased again by pulling him out of the infirmary and winking at you.

She knew. Of course, she knew. Nothing escaped Pieck's perception.

    You told your parents about the pregnancy, afraid to tell you who the baby's father was. They understood the situation and helped you both throughout your pregnancy.

    Reiner always showed up at your house around dawn to make sure no one saw him. He always wanted to know how you were doing and compensate you in some way for not being able to go out and see you as a partner would do.

     Many rumors arose about who your baby's father would be, but you tried not to care since it was all rumors after all.

When you went into labor, it was a mess. The initial plan was that he would not come to your house so as not arouse suspicion. Pieck and Porco tried to convince him not to go, but he ran up to your house and entered the back. He couldn't stop thinking about your face. He couldn't leave you alone in a moment like this.

     And honestly, you were more than relieved when you saw the blonde enter your room, hold your hand, and repeat the same words from the day of the infirmary:

“I’m here for you, for you two”

[jae-canikeepyou]

| kismet | j.jh | part two

pair: jaehyun x fem!reader

word count: 10k+

summary: his parents sends him for a month long vacation to the country side to meet his other half, which so happens to be you. and alternatively, your beloveds asks of you to be in your best behaviour while he’s around. disliking how things turn out, you both come up with a pact with each other before your two families gathers together for christmas eve dinner.

genre: arranged marriage + bad 1st impressions

a/n: this is not proofread and i apologise for any mistakes :p here’s the next one and i hope you look forward to the final soon! enjoy reading! ~j

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| part one | part three (final) |

it was another morning johnny saw you and jaehyun arguing at a distance by the stables. be it inaudible yelling or actions that seemed exaggerated, this time it was a sight that was a little worth seeing. so he walked closer to hear this quarrel.

“you didn’t check the horses’ conditions yet? it’s been a few days and i told you to memorise the schedule!” you flipped through pages roughly that they nearly tore. “it’s your job! you’re the ‘vet’!”

“what? you never gave me any schedule to begin with!” jaehyun groaned then sat back on the hammock to rest and you were trying to get him back up on his toes. “and what if i just want to take a day off today? you can’t force me!”

“check the animals jaehyun. that’s an order.” you sighed, writing down notes to keep updated with the stocks and materials. “i have some things to do—”

“like what? practicing and riding?” he asked and you didn’t answer. “thought so. you rarely do things around here and you still brag about how accomplished you feel.” he scoffed and laid back down on the hammock. “i’m the one doing the work..” he mumbled until it was inaudible for you.

ouch that hit the mark. johnny could see your cheeks bubbling up and eyebrows narrowing at jaehyun’s comment. of course he wouldn’t know that because you usually do not deal with the hard work around the farm. the only job you work hard for was horse riding. you had a reputation to hold as you were the daughter of a renowned family.

jaehyun took a huge inhale as he swung himself like a mother did to lull a child. he sung to annoy you even more and with the ruffles from the papers in your hands, johnny could tell his friend was satisfied making you mad. you bit your hairtie between teeth, tying your hair up into a high ponytail and rolling up your sleeves until the elbows.

he was indeed a huge man, you grabbed the edge of the cloth and pulled him as high as you could. he fell miserably to the hard soil. “ow quit it y/n!” he stood up to dust the impossible dirt from his pants. “you’re just sensitive because what i said is actually true! i’ll get back to work if that’s what you’re worried about.”

he fixed his coat and head straight inside the stables.

you crossed your arms and tried your best to hold your changing expression. “talk about sensitive! you can’t even withstand heavy workload!”

“mentally i can but i’m not physically ready! i didn’t sign up to be your pawn so stop acting like a queen and actually help out!” he grabbed the hay and scattered them in the horses’ place.

the audacity- the fall from three days ago still had an impact on you. “didn’t you hear what i said? i have things to do! now continue that. i have to answer this call..” you sounded irritated and soon your voice sounding further away the more you spoke. jaehyun saw you answering the ringing phone, taking it from you.

before you could, you were draped on his shoulder as if you were a towel. “i won’t take that as an excuse, y/n! you’re coming with me!” he forcibly took the phone off your hands and threw it far.

defeated and exhausted to talk back, you tapped his back because fear was slowly consuming you due to your shoulder pain. “you’re buying me another phone! put me down jaehyun! my back still hurts!” you hit his hips and expected he wouldn’t listen but,

he did as you were told.

“you’re forgetting your condition number one!” jaehyun pointed his temples as anger became visibly seen on his face. “you said ‘you’ll do the work for me and with me’, and they go together!” he threw a small sack of hay to you.

“you’re being an ass because i invaded your day-off!” you stomped to the next horse.

“tsk, i don’t think i can continue this with you! you‘re ruining my well-being every single day!”

“the jeong jaehyun can’t stand arguments?” you tilted your head in frustration and nodded at his silence. “thought so. this is part of the pact you suggested and i’m just simply following it! so if there’s anything, you’re the weak one here!”

from afar, johnny was taken aback behind the fences.

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the kitchen was quiet, the grandfather clock ticking away time and as each second passed, so did your patience. daylight met its end. it was day 14 and your mother asked you to give jaehyun the lesson he wanted to have— bread making. you forgot about it, and jaehyun probably did too because despite staying over for ‘vacation’, every day you either saw him with his friends goofing around the barn or him superglued to his school work.

yet now you were close to smashing his face into the mountain of flour he carefully, and slowly built. mark did a better job despite being clumsy. you can handle clumsy, but you couldn’t handle people with top perfection in their ego, a.k.a., jaehyun.

his dimples were hollowing as he looked intently at the numbers on the scale, waiting for that specific and exact digit to appear with a spoonful of melted butter. “oh my g- you’re wasting time!” you grabbed the spoon and put everything into the bowl. “0.1 or 0.2 grams makes no difference! hurry up and mix the dry to the wet ingredients!”

“i was nearly done with the measurements but you had to dump everything in there!” still he stirred them in a bowl with a whisk anyway. “you’re the impatient one!” he carried the bowl and placed it between his arm and waist, subtly asking johnny to film him.

“uhm what do i do after they’re incorporated?” mark interrupted the heated conversation. so far he was careful and observant with your every move. “do i knead it?”

“after twenty minutes.” you smiled at him. this was great; mark actually made your day at least, a lot better than jaehyun did. “resting it will let the flour hydrate. the milk will be absorbed and the gluten will relax too.”

mark snapped his fingers as he tore a plastic wrap to place on the bowl. “that makes it easier to knead right?”

for a moment you felt like a proud mom. “mhm, you’re learning! you’re originally not my student today but you’re doing a better job than—”

the bowl jaehyun was using fell to the floor. to make it worse it was upside-down, that meant all work done had gone to waste. the dough wasn’t close to incorporated. “..him.”

“crap.” jaehyun swore under his breath. his lashes slowly lifted. “my bad. i don’t mind starting again. i can handle my next batch.”

and though they were pretty, your disappointment came through your sigh. “goodness jaehyun. things are never right with you. i’ll clean this up. we ran out of eggs and milk so you have to go to the farm and get some.” you pulled mark’s arm aside as you began to clean. “mark you can chill for a while.”

jaehyun untied his apron and went out with a bucket, mumbling and complaining to himself at exasperating you were so early in the morning.

johnny then followed him. the pact he heard lingered in his head and thought this would be the right time to ask. “i can do the milking myself john.” he opened the gate to the cattle.

“i know. but that’s not why i came along.” johnny put his camera aside. “you and y/n.. made a pact?” with that question out and jaehyun dropped the bucket, johnny figured that what he heard days ago could be true.

“what?” jaehyun turned on his heel, confused, trying not to sound or look surprised. “why would i make a pact with someone so ill-mannered as her? she’s not worth my time or even interests me.” he affirmed with subtle shaky eyes. “the only pact i know is this marriage our parents put us into.

johnny thought for a while, looking at jaehyun who grew clueless the minute passed. he guessed he was wrong. “n-nothing. i’m probably hearing things. or jumbling scenarios because i’ve been watching too many movies this holiday season. i’m sorry dude.”

deep inside jaehyun let out a sigh of relief, but anger was starting to boil at how careless you were for slipping out. he continued to milk the cows and retrieve a couple of eggs before hearing you call them from the house. “oh my g- she’s screaming again-” he scoffed and tried to walk faster. “i can’t just run i might spill the milk bucket!”

“there’s this thing called speedwalking!” you yelled. “try doing that!”

“you always argue with her. aren’t you both tired?” johnny took huge leaps to escape the cold.

“she isn’t, i am. imagine the amount of stress i get the moment i open my eyes in the morning.” jaehyun vouched and shivered at the thought of it.

johnny opened the door and the warmth met their skin. “sure but when you do bump heads, there’s always a smile on your face after you state your point. i never seen you in a good mood since you and sue broke up. i can take that smile of yours a sign.” johnny noted what he’d been seeing.

“it’s a victor’s smile. it means i win the argument.”

they both entered the house and to find you still teaching mark. jaehyun placed the bucket down and rested on the sofa after being told he could use the kitchen once you were finished. trying to keep warm, jaehyun gave small glimpses of you as he wondered when it would be the right time to tell you about what johnny told him. and because he felt johnny tailing him from behind, he wanted your lesson to be over quick.

“i’m thinking it’s a sign that you have feelings for y/n.”

jaehyun batted his lashes. “no no no. i don’t fall in love that easily. there’s nothing attractive about her and i told you i’m not marrying someone like her, with bad attitude and all—”

“and still you tease her for fun? that’s like a cover-up to hide how you actually feel. you may not see that but in another’s eyes, it means something.” johnny clicked the buttons on his camera, rewatching the videos he took.

“are you throwing the ‘i tease her because i like her’ kind of ego? you know i argue with her because i hate her.” he hissed, flipping his laptop open to double check his reports.

the blonde hair boy shook his head with a growing grin of disbelief. “i’m not. my point is, it wouldn’t hurt to try to know her for who she is.” johnny’s lips flatlined when his eyes trailed to your approaching figure. “who knows maybe she’s trying as well and never really got the chance to- yeah i know y/n he’s all yours now.”

unfolding your arms you playfully hit his back with pressed lips. “shut it johnny. just help the baby lion with the cleaning, he’s not really good at it.”

you sat on the sofa, circling your shoulder to ease the pain before leaning back. “ugh. kneading the bread made it worse.”

with the frequent complaints coming from you, he couldn’t concentrate proof-reading his work. it made jaehyun unzip his coat, fishing something from inside and handed a box to you. bothered with how you hesitated to get it, he grabbed your wrists and placed it on your palms. “take it. it helps me a lot too whenever i cram.” did he just.. smile? it was subtle but you were sure he did.

a swarm of guilt started to form at the pit of your stomach. it wasn’t that you thought he partially blamed himself for the fall at the barn house, but because he actually cared when the fall wasn’t even the ultimate reason why your shoulder suffered in the first place. he had no knowledge and still doesn’t. and it was kind of frustrating to think you couldn’t begin that topic.

your heart now was experiencing somersaults. you asked yourself: why? sure he’s handsome and got built, but at this moment why are you all flimsy and speechless? “so you do have a heart for people.” you opened the box of the patch’s packaging.

“i was expecting a ‘thank you’ but i guess with that you’re taking back your words.” he grinned as he typed on.

you snorted as you put your legs up. “hmpf, aren’t you assumi- ow.” you touched your forehead where the pain stung.

“shut up, i’m reading.” jaehyun stressed in a low voice.

“reading what?” you scooted in closer, and jaehyun surprisingly let you see what it was rather than snapping at you. you squinted at the screen and nodded. “equine studies..” you read out softly, that seemed to be a report he worked on in his early years. “isn’t it mandatory for you to study it?”

jaehyun’s scrutinizing gaze caught you off guard, making you clamp your lips to keep quiet. he sighed and continued to read as if you didn’t exist. “i thought you weren’t interested in my field of study.” his brows drew together at your curiosity despite remembering how you did say it clearly.

quickly you tear the patch’s plastic to break the awkward silence you brought upon and let out a soft chuckle of shame. “i’m asking because it’s equine related and i wanna learn. plus i’m too tired to pick up a fight with you so teach me everything you know.”

“i don’t even know if you’d get it in one night- fine. it’s mandatory but i only learnt the basics. i’m not specialising in it or anything so don’t expect much.” jaehyun stared at the screen yet feeling your presence so close kind of pressured him, and he didn’t know why.

“basics like checking the heart, respiratory rate, temperature and hydration status?” you hugged your legs together after placing the patch behind you. “hm.. that’s kinda simple.”

jaehyun clicked his tongue. “that’s the general checking for an animal’s condition, used for emergency access and such. we were given an understanding of veterinary anatomy—”

“which includes learning principles in developmental anatomy in gross, microscopical and ultrastructural levels. learn all these then you can focus on organs to give a physical and radiological diagnosis with the physiology and anatomy as bases—” you finished his sentence, soon shutting up as you got carried away.

his mouth agaped in shock and in strangeness of your interest. he checked your forehead to see if you were in the right mind. “did you read it out from a book or something? and what’s up with you and scientific terminology? you’re supposed to be hating on big words.”

you wondered why his comment hurt you. did he assume you were uneducated? at this point you thought deeply that secrets were meant to be kept. and they were only to be revealed by two ways; one was heard by others, and two was at your will.

“why are you so quiet now?” he laughed, scrolling down at endless of documented pages. “are you experiencing brain fart after that long sentence of sophisticated vocabulary?”

this was far from assumption. this was plain mockery. and it hurt. you hit him on the arm a little more violent and forceful than the usual, and bite back your lips. “it’s not because i’m dumb. i know these because i’ve been there.” you stood up and grabbed the box he gave you. “thanks for this anyway. good night.”

“hey you don’t have to hit me!” jaehyun paused for a second, he had difficulties processing your sudden outburst. he mumbled to himself, “why is she offended when i’m the one who got hit..”

mark happily came out of the kitchen with a freshly baked bread in his hands. “y/n! i’m done with the bread and it smells soooo good- jaehyun, where is she?” the younger one put down the tray.

he sighed and gestured confusingly. “i don’t know she probably went to sleep.”

“man i wanted her to try it.”

“she can try tomorrow. anyway i’m gonna take a shower.” jaehyun turned off his laptop and headed straight to the bathroom.

but before he could have his relaxation, hendery stood against the opposing wall with arms crossed. “can we talk?” he tilted his head, asking to sit at the veranda with him.

they sat at the table set with hendery pouring cups of hot tea. jaehyun took it in his hands, eyes meeting your childhood friend’s as he brushed his hair up. “i kind of wanna tell you something. it’s not my position but i feel like you deserve to know.” that made jaehyun’s mind questioning more. “i overheard you and y/n talking.”

jaehyun frowned at the very recent event, something he found rude from your action. “yeah? she reacted so much and hit me just because i teased her a little. might’ve taken it too seriously but she should know i was joking about her not knowing-”

hendery looked at the dusk distance. “m’lady loves animals more than anything, and for a long time veterinary science is something close to her heart too.”

jaehyun gulped in full on revelation. that was why you reacted. he realised the reason why you hated him in the first place wasn’t only because he was the one you were to marry, but because he was the person who was currently studying the course you’ve always wanted to take.

“she was supposed to take it in college but due to unfortunate circumstances she couldn’t continue. there’s family issue and she had an accident-”

what accident? jaehyun for the first time in other’s eyes, showed worry and curiosity. and his raise in brows cause hendery to realise he missed out an important detail.

“ah you haven’t met mr. y/l/n yet, right?” hendery asked as he sipped on his tea. “he’s busy right now because he’s always out of town but he’s the one y/n’s having issues with.”

“i’m guessing her father opposed to the idea of her becoming a vet?”

hendery shook his head. “he didn’t oppose. in fact he allowed y/n once we graduated high school. she got enrolled to the first semester and was doing well until she had little time to no practice for her semi-finals at cross country at all. mr. y/l/n is a horse riding coach so he’s especially strict with y/n. let’s say their arguments started from there.”

though he didn’t ask parts of your personal life, hearing all these news stunned jaehyun. there was only one thing he wanted to ask: what caused your accident? “how did she do with vet science?”

“she managed and had no fails.” hendery had a brief proud smile. “sadly mr. y/l/n didn’t find it impressive, because he really thought his daughter would be an equestrian like him. y/n hoped he’d be understanding but yeah anyway, you get the gist from there.”

“if it ever crosses her mind, we’ll see if she does. i’ll head inside for a shower. thanks for letting me know.” jaehyun had his palms on the knob, turning around one last time to confirm something. “was the accident, bad?”

“not as life threatening, but it was enough to traumatise her.” hendery picked up the plates and cups. “she.. still hasn’t recovered.”

he stared back at the young lad’s expression, and he could tell hendery has been looking after you ever since. maybe it was better if he hadn’t asked.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

you still shook your legs after hendery warned you of your decency and image, saying that that action was his pet peeve. but really, it was just an excuse to save himself from you due to the fact he said that shaking legs while thinking wasn’t ladylike at all. you couldn’t keep yourself in one place, pacing back and forth in the barn with marg eyeing you since it already been long you did so. “sis.” she cleared her throat and you stopped being jittery with biting your fingers. “what’s up with you?”

“nothing.” you lied, an uneasy feeling began to build up in your chest as the man you despise gently held the horses’ manes. “i’m fine, just thinking.”

jaehyun did the final checks for your horses’ health conditions and to be brutally honest not only did you find him surprisingly quiet, he was rather kind and collected for four days now. he even taught you some veterinary related topics in which you were surprised he was willing to teach. maybe he took your subtle request when you wanted to learn anything he knew about equine medicine. perhaps he wanted a break from all negativity when it came to you. in fact he did mention he couldn’t continue arguing anymore.

and in those four days it got you thinking about the pact. you had a week left and you weren’t sure if you convinced your family or jaehyun’s friends enough to call off the marriage. yes you’ve been at each other’s nerves for small arguments and there were times you forget about it too because the way you both fought was so natural. however today was just too quiet, like he was stopping the fights on purpose and for what reason exactly?

marg slid next to you when you went out for fresh air, nudging you by the waist with hers. “obvious again.”

“w-what?” you widened your eyes, earning a sly grin from your sister. “obvious about what?”

“your heart is on your sleeves. i can see it. the others might do too. so tell me, do you like jaehyun?” she crossed her arms, her grin widening when you began to be jittery again.

“ha?! no!” you stuttered and lied, and you knew marg’s claims hit the nail.

because not only did the past four days of not talking with jaehyun had a toll on your pact, but it definitely had on your heart. there were a total of four things you discovered about him.

1. jaehyun was a fast learner. he learned to clean horse hooves, saddle them and even did carpentry in one day.

2. he had humour but no one really acknowledged it, and appeared a little dorky to you.

3. his dimples were actually cute and has a vampire smile.

4. he really did have a heart for people too. you saw how he helped out your family whenever you were absent.

sometimes these traits softened you, and sometimes you wanted to at least be his friend. but you weren’t close to being one because the pact clearly prevents you to and in the end, it was better off that way. marg held your shoulder. “i know you fight a lot but that’s when the developing starts.” she paused, looking back at the barn. “jaehyun seems alright but you’re really being too obvious.”

“again, obvious about what? i hate it when you’re so vague stating your point.”

“if you wanna talk with him just do it.” she turned around a little to see the said man removing his gloves. “i noticed you’re both distant. it’s been four days so i’m guessing you’re not used to not fighting him. you tend to miss whatever you both stopped doing.”

you pinched her cheek. “do you even know how mentally draining it is to reason out with him?” you darted a gaze at her before a weight was put upon your head. it wasn’t that long for you to realise it was jaehyun. gosh how irritating. you even recognised the perfume he wore.

“i know exactly how that feels, marg.” jaehyun winked at her. “can’t mess with this one,” he messed your hairdo. “she’s feistier than most animals i’ve encountered.”

his giggle of pride echoed in your ears and you thought you were able to tolerate his reply but no. whether he was doing his part for the pact or not, whether he was enjoying this or not, he became more of a jerk the longer he stayed here.

“i’ll leave you two to talk. the light in y/n’s eyes changed when you arrived- ah!” she held her arm as you pushed her aside, and she was proudly walking away with what she had done.

jaehyun shoved his hands in pockets as he gestured you to follow him into the barn. it was only the two of you now while the rest surveyed other parts of the land with hendery. he held jet’s reins, usually your horse would react whenever strangers would. not to jaehyun, shockingly. you bit your lips in wonders what this man had in his mind.

“i just checked him like you taught me. he’s dehydrated.” he pinched a part of its skin close to the mane. “you practiced this morning right? didn’t give him water?”

“i gave him enough.” you unlocked the gate to jet, soon petting him. you couldn’t help but feel immense awkwardness. “did his skin snap back?”

“not as fast as i expected but he needs a little more fluids to keep the levels normal.” jaehyun wrote down numbers before handing your notebook to you, and you thought today was going to pass again without progress for the pact. “i’m gonna walk around for a bit. later.”

“hey.” you called out perhaps a little too rudely and instead of talking things through. he stopped in his tracks. “setting the vet thing aside, aren’t you being too quiet right when we have a week left? it’s been four days and by now some of them might notice the sudden silence. did you forget about the pact?” you asked, not knowing why you were fuming all of a sudden.

maybe it was because he was only staring at you. or that marg’s obversation was slowly getting to you and convincing that her hunch about you was right. “you’re a jerk when i met you but you’re even more so nowadays.”

jaehyun turned around with pursed lips, he didn’t like how you always assumed, especially giving him nicknames in which his friends also have gotten used to calling him those. “me? a jerk? i’m doing all i can to stop this marriage because we both know how it feels to be controlled.”

his answer only made you laugh. “ha you don’t know anything about me, jaehyun. if you’re actually doing something why haven’t you done anything then? you’re being careless-”

he brushed his hair & wore his cap backwards. “it’s not about if i’ve done something! y/n it’s about what you did!” jaehyun pulled you to a corner in caution if anyone heard him. “you were loud and careless! last week johnny asked me if we made a pact because he heard you mentioning it! i assure you he has a mind i still couldn’t understand and he’s probably trying to connect the dots now-”

“wai- you’re saying he knows about it and you’re only telling me now?!” you slammed jet’s gate, your eyes fixed him. “you could’ve told me right then and we could’ve solved this as soon as possible! how much do you think he knows?”

jaehyun slowly rubbed his face, shook his head and shrugged shoulders. “i don’t know! but you know what happens when he figures out we’re arguing for show? he’ll tell everyone we did that because we’re against this marriage! and in the end? we’ll be stuck with each other for life-”

“ugh don’t even tell me about it i couldn’t even stand the sight of you!” you wrapped yourself more in your coat, stomping straight outside and ignoring his reactions towards you.

“why are you like this when it’s clearly your fault?!” he quickly grabbed your shoulders to forcibly turn you around. “i’m telling you and you’re so reactive about it?”

you pointed at his chest. “no! it’s your fault for not telling me sooner!”

“oh so now it’s my fault? y/n look at yourself! can’t you see that someone impudent like you can cause troubles even for a slightest bit! you’re at fault!”

impudent?.. this was all too familiar and nostalgic.

jaehyun then closed his eyes at the stinging pain in the groin. “ugh what the hel-”

“you deserve that-”

right when that felt good and you wanted to hit him more, you were yanked backwards by a force. you fought back the arms restraining you. “y/n stop!”

“let me go wong kunhang! this jerk needs a lesson!” you growled in his arms, shimmying your body through them.

hendery reminded you of your shoulder and soon you stopped. “i’m sure that kick was enough for a lesson and calm down, will you?”

“jae you alright?” johnny helped him up. “hope it’s not too injured because you still need that for reproduction-”

“seriously? now’s not the time.” jaehyun glared at him then to you, you were now like deer in the headlights with his stare. “this is why i can’t stand you.”

mark, hendery and johnny looked at each other trying to figure what had happened. “what were you two arguing about?” hearing hendery ask, you tugged on your coat once he let go of you. “we heard her yelling that she couldn’t stand the sight of you and then you’re both blaming each other.”

you hesitatingly looked down to your boots, avoiding their curious gazes. fidgety as you knew you were, you tried not to respond. they heard from that far of our conversation.. oh my go-

as if jaehyun could read your mind, he cleared his throat. “it’s nothing. y/n’s just stubborn as usual. she doesn’t want to admit her fault when i told her jet’s dehydrated. guess she didn’t want to look irresponsible.”

“classic y/n.” your cheeks suffered from hendery’s squeezing palms. “how many times do i have to tell you to behave? c’mon you’re better than this.”

jaehyun sighed in relief that they were convinced with his reasoning.

jet’s snout poked your arm and exhaled, you cursed under your breath for not locking the gate. “then you should know why i’m like this.” you reiterated with a flat smile. “i’m gonna go to the bar for a drink. don’t bother me.”

“oh then we’re coming with! mark! you’re driving!” johnny pulled the boys into jaehyun’s car. “this hurt dude needs cheering up after you nearly ended his career for having kids.”

“maybe it’s better off that way?” you grinned with a tattling tone.

“i hate you so-” jaehyun barked before his voice was shut off by the car door. his expression became funnier with how the vehicle muted his voice.

jet and cash trotted slowly to let the car go first, hendery rode ahead of you as you followed him. beside the roadside was fields of green, laying flat with new flowers that have yet to bloom. by now the horses were galloping alongside the car, you could feel jaehyun shooting daggers at you. the joy to horse ride diminished when you took a glimpse of him pointing at you, sliding his clenched fist from left to right and pointing at his chest.

you’re dead to me. he spoke with his eyes. and you could hear his annoying voice in your head.

you flicked the reins to ride faster, passing hendery and cash. reaching the bar first would make you feel better and it would at least let the neighbourhood know you weren’t hanging out with boys like him. you soon unmounted yourself from jet and led him to an area where he could stay.

the bell chimed and you raised your hand for a simple mocktail. funny how you told the boys you’d be here for a drink yet didn’t plan to get drunk. you sat by the bartender’s while you saw them entering and sat at one table by the window. honestly you could’ve went elsewhere instead but this bar was the closest from home. and right now you really needed to clear your mind.

to clear your mind from jaehyun because you knew he’d be the death of you.

—

and how you ended up on the same table with them was too hazy for you to recall.

“i was like, singing my heart out at one karaoke place after i was rejected from the coffee shop i applied to. then the girl of my dreams had appear while i was all sweaty and sloppy and i was shirtless! it was really-” johnny spoke too fast for you to hear and curled his fingers remembering it.

“second hand embarrassment was too much at that point.” jaehyun chuckled and sipped on his glass.

“but john, you got her to say yes even though you’re high and wild.” mark raised his palm for a fistbump.

mark turned to you. “y/n what’s something you couldn’t forget?”

you smiled slyly towards your childhood friend and hendery’s panicked face resurfaced with begging hands. you feel yourself going tipsy but went for storytelling anyway. “this previous halloween i forced hendery to dress as rapunzel because i wanted to dress as pascal.”

mark let out a contagious laugh which had everyone giggling too. you brought out your cracked screen phone which jaehyun broke and showed a picture of you on a piggyback ride with hendery. the said man cowered himself from the compliments and while you continue to keep him in the spotlight. jaehyun found it unbelievable that you were quickly switched from cranky to giggly when drunk.

“here’s the awesome part,” you slurred your words with hiccuped breaths. “around nine guys asked me to ask for his number and i gave it to them! he was that hot! i could never compete!”

jaehyun oddly cackled out loud and you all turned heads to him. “of course you could never! i mean look at you!”

his friends raised brows as jaehyun was enjoying this a little too much. perhaps taking advantage of your drunken self. “you dress weird and your hair’s a mess. you’re always rude and sometimes smelling like a horse. by the way that’s such a turn off to guys like us. like do you even bathe-”

you were definitely tipsy but you understood his words clear enough to feel a wave of emotions blanket over you. forgotten memories began play in your head and began to sulk.

“yeah i know i’m like this and so what if i’m plain and ordinary?” you whined and the boys held their breaths.

“my parents think i couldn’t take care of myself after i dislocated my shoulder at cross-country.” jaehyun heard you.

“because of that they started to pair me with accomplished men they think could give me a better life. so i misbehave every time they bring a suitor over.” you propped elbows on the table and glared at jaehyun. “you’re the fifth and before you arrived i lied to mom and dad that i recovered, hoping they’d stop and leave me alone but nope! they think you’re the one-”

hendery managed to catch your collapsed body from falling. he let out a soft laugh. “mhm, she spills a little too much when she’s drunk-”

you covered his lips and did several clicks of your tongue. “i’m tipsy! not drunk but tipsy! are you spilling tea about my life to that jerk?”

he scoffed lightly. “of course not! i didn’t tell him anything.” he lied.

you pinched his cheek. “i doubt it. you’re a talkative donkey! they should cast you to be part of shrek musical next fall!” you giggled and tried to keep yourself awake from all that drowsiness. your eyes dropping to slumber.

“m’lady.” he fixed you on his side and you were now carried on his back. “jaehyun doesn’t know a thing.” he cooed, giving jaehyun a wink to zip his mouth shut regarding the topic.

small sobs began to bubble out from you, you clung onto hendery. “ah jaehyun? you know that jerk called me impudent? he said i always cause troubles but what choice to i have? i don’t want to be betrothed!” you wailed and mark and johnny raised brows at jaehyun as soon as you said it. “hendery he called me impudent! he’s just like dad and i hate them both!” you leaned on his shoulders.

“but do you really hate jaehyun?” johnny smirked as he enjoyed how open you were compared to being sober. jaehyun noticed where this was going and tried to stop him but the tall lad shushed him when you spoke.

“yes!” you slurred with a lopsided smile and narrow brows, which looked strange as they couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad thing.

“i hate him because he’s so prideful! ‘jeong jaehyun, veterinary medicine student’ my butt. i should’ve been one too but daddy said no.” you pout, soon knocking out. “i hate how.. handsome that jerk looks-”

your friend hopped slightly and quickly got out of the bar so you wouldn’t cause a scene any further. “i’ll bring her to my place, it’s just a block from here. you guys can go ahead.” he told the guys to call it a night. “i’ll take jet and cash to my stables at home. see y’all tomorrow.”

they got on the car and started the engine. jaehyun read the atmosphere among them, he fixed the front mirror and saw mark and johnny with questioning looks. “what?”

“did you really call y/n impudent?” mark played with the buttons of the window.

jaehyun stepped on the pedal to head to your place. his friends bombarded him with what if’s and was too tired to respond. but just to shut them up, he replied.

“i was angry when i said that. i didn’t really mean-”

“do you think she meant it when she said you’re handsome?” johnny asked to cut off the weird vibe lingering while mark propped his fists to rest.

“she’s drunk. not like she can remember it anyway.” jaehyun clenched on the wheel.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

you woke up in hendery’s bed with a tray of breakfast on his desk table. you slid it towards yourself to eat when a folded paper fell from underneath.

i saw jaehyun at the grocery store earlier, he asked me to pass this breakfast to you. also! he said he’ll be at the barn’s loft. now go meet him. ~hendery

great, he pissed you off yesterday and he was the last person you wanted to see today. what was his plan now? he prepared breakfast and yet what was the use of eating the meal when it has gone cold? you tied your hair to a top bun and wore your glasses, quickly grabbing your coat, onto to jet’s back and went to the barn.

the sun’s heat was enough to make you warm on the way there. jaehyun swung his legs while he waited. he stared at the ground when a shadow appeared, you stood at the entrance asking him to come down.

he did that, but there was a different air around him. it was the same air as those four days of silence between the two of you. “at least you’re not late.” he slid his palms into his back pockets.

“did you want to talk to me about something?” you asked with a slice of bread in your mouth. he nodded with intense eyes. “then make it quick. i have to make my rounds-”

“i’ll go with you.” jaehyun suggested and you choked on your bread.

“what?” you gulped on the huge piece stuck in your throat and stopped him from walking. “why not tell me now?”

he pulled you to jet’s stall and pushed your back to mount on the saddle. “‘cause it’s better if they don’t see us talking normally when we’re supposed to be at each other’s throats.”

he’s definitely up to something..

jaehyun rode a bike, leading you and jet through woods and up on a hill where its summit towers part of your family’s lands. from here you could see your house and tiny figures you assumed were his friends. you haven’t gotten a clue why jaehyun was being nice again. and if he was, why today? why bring you all the way here to have this conversation? you couldn’t think of anything at all and maybe you should’ve eaten the meal he prepared for you.

when the winds blew, jaehyun spoke in a soft voice. he was awkward, you could tell that, but what he did was something you didn’t expect. he leaned back with his palms on the grass. “i’m sorry i called you names.”

hm.. you better be.

that apology alone pierced your heart, in a good way. if he was tired from all the negativity and endless banters, so were you. it had been fifteen days after all. maybe this was a cool break before continuing with the pact. “which ones?” you copied his position and counted your fingers one by one. “there’s ugly.. shorty.. lazy ass.. a no brainer-”

“i didn’t call you tha-” he paused, his lips forming an ‘o’ until he pursed them together seeing you mimic him on his laptop. “right. i implied it when you wanted me to teach you equine studies. anyway the bottom point is, i’m sorry for calling you impudent.”

you chuckled, but to him it sounded more of a scoff. “haven’t heard that in ages. never expected i’d hear that again.” you looked at him, he did too, there was a stare down before you spoke again.

“but yeah. i guessed you did that to fulfill your part for the pact. the guys were probably nearby and you thought of that to spark up the conversation. are we done?”

jaehyun rested his arm on his knees. “no that’s not what i meant- i’m being sincere here.”

“okay? then tell me what’s on your mind. you brought me up here. it’s gotta be something worth my time.”

“i feel like the pact just brings the worse out. and whenever it does, i don’t feel myself anymore. like this is not me.”

he picked up a dandelion, letting the wind take its soft pieces. he wished his feelings weren’t easily swayed like the flower’s petals. he knew he was easily hotheaded, stubborn and mr. perfect, but should he always be like these?

“then who is the real you?” you caught some flying pieces of the flower before looking back at him for answers.

“a studious douche who got his heart broken by his ex.” he shrugged and waited for your bicker, but you sat there with shocked eyes and struggled to find what to say. “yeah, in case you’re still surprised, i do have a heart for people.”

“i heard you.” you flicked his temple.

he held back fists from hitting back. “hey why’d you hit me?”

“it’s my way of being affectionate.” you laid on the grass and while he copied, you thought that jaehyun had a point, how the pact seemed a good approach yet with deteriorating results.

“by being violent?” jaehyun moaned as he asked. “ever thought that a pat in the back would be better?”

you glared at him. “let’s continue what we’re doing with another condition.. no personal or evil intentions whatsoever, or maybe a slight hint that we’d start dissing. we’re doing this for ourselves and..” you cleared your throat. “..helping out a friend.”

it made total sense, because he knew how much of an effect it did when the purpose of the pact was done unconsciously and naturally. he let out a tight and breathless sigh between his lips. “i’m your friend? after calling you all that?”

“i just needed something to describe you. would calling you a douche make you feel better after you apologised?” you stood up and headed downhill.

“well you did call me ‘handsome’ last night.” jaehyun singsonged and carefully walked down the stoned steps.

you froze at how stupid and blabbermouth you could be whenever you went to the bar. “i don’t remember, since i’ve been studying the things you taught me.”

“you can ask the others if you think i’m lying.”

“y’know what? i take back the condition i said.” you quickly hopped on jet to head back. “don’t bother me!”

“what do you mean studying? you’re planning to pursue vet sci? hey!”

“yeah.” you made jet walk in circles around the confused man, and your one-word response had jaehyun confirming you already decided to tell your father about it.

and it’d be on christmas eve too.

—

for almost half an hour marg couldn’t contain her feelings after you told her what had happened. marg squealed and you quickly covered her mouth since the door wasn’t entirely closed. she squeezed the pillow and hid herself behind it.

“he apologised?! such a gentleman! i mean mark didn’t really tell me the details but jaehyun really felt guilty?” she put the pillow down and crawled next to you on your bed.

as to why she reacted this way remained unclear to you, you figured it was probably she watched too many rom-coms with johnny in the past few days. “i admit, it was considerate of him to do that. but it doesn’t prove he’s already a good man.” you fixed your files and past researches of veterinary science. “sometimes an apology isn’t enough.”

your sister nudged you in a force causing you to stumble in your stance. “ey you’re too mean. him apologising is already enough of a sign that he’s a good one, and raised well.”

“i don’t know marg.” you slumped on your bed. “my head’s hurting because of him.”

she raised a brow and gave you a teasing look. “by thinking of him or he just couldn’t get out of your head?” she kicked her feet to escape your balling fists.

“why are you reacting if it’s not true?!” her giggles grew in volume as she brought out her phone record your reaction.

“get out of my room!”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

jaehyun walked around the mart in response to yet another order from you. it had to be a day before christmas eve too. he should be feeling the very essence of christmas and because of you, he didn’t. people who happened to pass by him swore they saw a walking corpse, while some sensed a spreading dark cloud hovering above him.

his demeanour quickly shifting and changing as if the clouds blocked his rays of sunshine. he was mumbling to himself and those who stood close by took careful small steps away from jaehyun, for he sounded like he was enchanting a spell.

he thought about it a lot— whether it there’d be a difference between the two of you if you hadn’t taken back that condition. because now that he was controlled like a pawn again, he wasn’t going to back down or lose to you. at least for the past few days since then he saw an improvement. you weren’t as violent, not a single word of hate from you nor were they intentional. it was obvious you were helping out. a small smile managed its way to resurface until he saw a reflection of himself looking like an idiot. jaehyun, you’re a fool. you shouldn’t be feeling this.

ignoring his subconscious, he turned a heel at the next grocery aisle when a voice attracted attention, at least to him it sounded like hendery. hearing your name from an unfamiliar man’s lips had him peeking secretly at a distance. “i suppose y/n’s behaving well with jaehyun?”

“better than everyone expected.” hendery followed him with hands deep in pockets. “aside their petty arguments, she gets along with him, mr. y/l/n.”

“that’s good to hear. i knew the jeong’s would never fail my expectations. their son is in vet school, yes?”

the mentioned name chilled him to the bone. he wasn’t to supposed to be feeling in this manner yet the very presence of your father already had gotten his shoes glued to the ground. hendery nodded and continued to walk along with him. “i hope he doesn’t encourage her about it too much. having y/n marry him would keep her quiet about ever continuing vet school.”

jaehyun’s back grazed the products he lightly leaning upon and stood still in his thoughts. he wasn’t the type to eavesdrop on others, let alone your family issues. although he was briefly told about your rocky relationship with your father and couldn’t hear much of the conversation, he shouldn’t care or meddle with it but.. did mr. y/l/n really think that?

and he remembered how you told him you’d pursue veterinary.

he fished for his phone with certainty that he would tell you what he had heard. he nearly dropped his phone when it rang and your name appeared as the caller. staring at it for a while, never in his life had he ever hesitated before— given that he was a straight forward person, he wanted to tell you.

and he didn’t know why he decided to keep his mouth shut and stayed behind, instead of doing the opposite. hendery noticed him beside the hundreds of chocolate chip buckets. “oh jaehyun!” he greeted, making your father turn his head around. “come here!”

jaehyun pressed his lips for being caught, steadily and unwilling to go them. he wished that now would be the appropriate time to be walking on super glue, he really didn’t have the mood to talk to your father. it wasn’t the right time as their conversation about you would probably escalate from there.

“hello mr. y/l/n, i’m-” he greeted, unknowingly staring at him longer because you were his carbon-copy.

“i know you’re jaehyun and i’ve been updated enough that i wouldn’t have to be physically at my residence to know your good qualities.”

“glad to know someone’s giving you the correct information.” jaehyun smiled, subtly gazing straight at hendery with more pressure on the tone of the name. hendery then clamped his lips to a close, regretting he should’ve minded his words carefully.

mr. y/l/n nodded with a chuckle— even hendery rarely saw him doing so, ever. and this only proved that there wouldn’t be a better groom fit for you other than the son of his childhood friends. “i like your personality. mind joining me for tea?”

jaehyun read the situation, and what your father was up to. he had to listen for another half hour even though he felt his phone continually vibrating then stopping. he knew it was you, but how could he answer when the person you grew to hate was with him at this moment? one word from him through a phone call would make you go berserk.

anyone could see that jaehyun was fighting a mental dilemma. for anyone it would be an easy question to answer; free food, you’re in. his future father-in-law asked for company, sure why not. jaehyun felt like he only one answer, and it had to be a correct one. he gulped and though he eyes wavered, he agreed anyway. “i don’t mind, but y/n would probably be moody if i don’t return immediately.”

“mhm, no worries. i won’t keep you long.” mr. y/l/n said, and jaehyun didn’t know why he had a small heart attack on what possibly could follow.

he lead him to a restaurant, hendery nudged the troubled-looking dimpled man. “sorry dude. he likes snacking on things but i’ll try to divert his attention so you can go to y/n asap.”

—

the relieved sigh didn’t last long when looked up from the ground. jaehyun spotted you crossing arms with a slight worrisome look. your fingers then pointed at the kitchen window and it looked like his soul left his body and his footsteps on the ankle-high snow. the curtains indoors brushed to one side with his parents facing back from the windowsill at the upper balcony.

his heart was beating his chest as if it wanted to go out. he planned to tell you what he and your father talked about, but in that previous hour he missed out your text messages and calls— not knowing they were that important. now he knew why they were.

you took his phone and clicked on the lock button, he didn’t check your means to reaching him. they were still in the lockscreen. “i know you’re a seenzoner but you shouldn’t ignore important calls! i was calling you an hour ago because your parents came so suddenly. did you know about their change of plans?”

he gave you other paper bag and made his way inside. “no they were supposed to arrive tomorrow.” to you jaehyun seemed grumpy for doing groceries, but it was obviously not the case when kept looking elsewhere. he bit his inner gums in question as to why he was venting out his irritation at you instead of the revelation that was told to him.

you followed him in and began bring out the items to set the remaining food on the kitchen island. something told you not to go overboard with the planned argument you had in mind, but you couldn’t handle the way he was acting now, as well as giving you the sudden silent treatment. behaving this way was such a wrong timing and you decided to cut the silence before it made you feel worse than you already were. “you good?”

“y-yeah.” he tilted down to take a quick look at you while realising lately how you hadn’t been sleeping well. the puffiness under your eyes was proof. he cleared his throat. “uh, i should be asking you but have you been studying.. lately? or have you been staying up all night?” he asked, changing the subject.

he twitched at your outburst excitement with your palms rested on his arm, shaking it vigorously. now that he reminded you, you gestured him for a whisper. “i found another way to stop this marriage without us hurting each other.”

what? his eyes grew big.

“aren’t you hurting me now?” he cleared his throat, referring to the reddening spot on his skin from your grip. he knew what you meant. he knew you’ve been sitting in your bed the whole day, reading e-books and going over past lectures documents.

“if i tell my dad that i’m pursuing vet school again, i think this time he’d let me. i’m confident because i do have a degree in equestrian sport science. imagine the benefit if have a degree in veterinary?” you opened a carton of milk to drink. “i wonder if my credits’ still applicable?”

“you sure you wanna do that?” jaehyun held the top your head, gripping it as if it were a basketball. “it’s gonna take you years to finish.”

“scared to have a competitor in the field, jaehyun?” your voice challenged him.

he wasn’t scared at all, he loved competitions as well as proving he could do things. but, he was scared for you. he knew the outcome of all this because it was already planned out. he was told by your father during tea break before he arrived here.

chills slowly went down your spine with that one, subtle, short silence from him.

“i’m not scared. it’s just that..” you shot up your head at his remark. he trailed off and shut his lips seeing your parents enter the living room with his beloveds.

“just what?” you stared at him with a long hum.

he had to lie and keep his opinions to himself. “are you able to take on hard words in that tiny brain of yours?” jaehyun scoffed, leaning in closer to provoke an argument with his hands patting your head.

“hey! you’re insulting my height, not my brain!” he heard your innocent whines as if they were precious— too precious that he wanted to protect you than to fight you; just for tonight.

and for the first time he was laughing sincerely at you.

week three had you imagining things, that he would look at you so differently. instead of horns they’d be halos, softer looks than tensed ones, and most of all you wonder what changed him within a day. it was confusing that he would show another side of him, then go back to what he was when you first met him.

but tonight? his possibility of change soon went void.

during dinner, whether or not it was right, that choice you made became one of the two things you regret to do and say. your father said his ultimatum in a low voice by the hallway, isolated from everyone enjoying the celebration.

“dad, please. i’ve done what you want. i think it’s time you’d allow me to do what i want.” you kept your head low in all hope this would be your final time to ask. “i’m successful as an equestrian, i hope to be more so as a veterinarian. please let me continue. i don’t want to get married yet-”

“still holding onto it, y/n?” he scoffed and took quick glances at his surroundings. “i’ve done everything for you to be known, raised you to be the best rider out there-”

and he too, held with the same stupid reason. “no dad! i raised myself to be the best because heavens knows how much damage it’ll cost me if i failed you-”

“this is the last time i saying it, you’re never going to be one.”

“but dad! you know how badly i want to be a vet-” you whined and hoping you wouldn’t cry because you promised yourself you wouldn’t.

“y/n you’re marrying jaehyun solely for that reason!” he whisper-yelled, making your heart squeeze tight because you could see how your complaints have pissed him off. “he seemed to be agreeing with me after i invited him for tea.” he fixed his hair.

w-what did he just say?..

he loosened the top button of his shirt; his gaze still scared you like it did that night. he held his temples to reason out with you. “discipline yourself tonight. i do not want hear anything from you about this matter ever again.” the impact of his tone shattered you. not only your mood but with how you perceived jaehyun as a whole.

you couldn’t remember much afterwards, anger roamed around your head and as much you kept your composure, jaehyun has a sharp eye. you’ve been quiet since coming from the hallway, hours have passed too since your father called you upstairs.

“are you alright?” jaehyun leaned on the refrigerator while you took some fruits from it. figured that you were completely ignoring him, he grabbed your favourite sweater to snap you out of your clouded feelings. “are we doing the pact now?”

it was getting suffocating being next to him. the audacity of what he did disgusted you. “hey tell me-”

you shut the fridge’s door with much force, held your breath and went to the sink to wash them. “i’m not doing it. and what’s there to tell you? just because i opened up to you that doesn’t mean we’re already close.” you coldly answered with a irritated look.

jaehyun was abruptly taken back, his hand let go of your clothes. “why are you’re suddenly like this?”

you began washing the apples as well as peeling their skin. “you’re not born yesterday, jaehyun. this is my usual self.”

“no y/n, i’m not talking about-”

“what the hell is your deal?” jaehyun could hear you mumble even with the loud blasting of holiday playlists.

“i just want to know if we’re starting the argument,. it seems like you’re doing your part-”

“you knew all along, didn’t you?” the sound of peeling almost excruciating to your ears but nothing more than his reaction to your question. ‘that my dad would refuse my plead.”

painful as it was, his expression changed. he was colder than the snow outside, heartless as a predator and unresponsive like a dead man. he just stared at you straight, acknowledging it with soft wavers of his brown orbs.

and that alone was enough to break you to pieces.

[rreyie]

Fight for Us

Chapter i- the reunion

summary- it’s been a long time since you’ve last seen reiner, one of your best friends from your childhood. but he’s changed. a lot.

genre- some fluff, angst, comfort/hurt

warnings- mentions of trauma, alcohol, readers feeling getting hurt, death. major spoilers for those who have not watched aot. eventual smut, not in this chapter- this is mainly just background info.

a/n- i told y’all i would be giving you a reiner fanfic for 500 followers, so i delivered and now it’s probably a series lol

For the past hour, you had been waiting at the train station for the Warriors to arrive once again. You had heard about their recent victory at Fort Slava, which everyone seemed to be giddy about. Another step towards victory.

You hadn’t seen them since you were about fourteen or fifteen, when you used to hang out with them in their free time when they weren’t training. You would all chat about who would be getting each titan and why and what the future would hold for you all.

It was always peaceful except for when Porco and Reiner had their usual clash, a few of which quickly became violent. It would usually end with Reiner having a bloody nose which you would always have to tend to, telling him to tilt his head back as you dabbed a tissue under his nose and on his clothes to wipe off the remaining blood.

Your parents lectured you each and every day about how you shouldn’t be hanging out with Eldian scum like him, that he and the others were spawns of the devil and not to be trusted around their innocent daughter. They scolded you each time you checked on them or decided to bring them bread to eat, and sent you to your room for hanging around them. They claimed it was out of love, but you knew better at this age that it wasn’t out of love- it was out of fear.

But they gave in on the day they were leaving for Paradis, and let you say goodbye one last time. You and Reiner talked for a while about how he will make his parents proud of him and save the world.

———

“So you think you can do it? You can really turn things around?”

“Of course I can!” Reiner chirped. “I’ll be a hero.”

“But you only have thirteen years, Reiner”, you warn him. “Your life is cut short now. I, I just...”

“Just what?” Reiner asks you, hazel eyes looking your way.

“I just... don’t want to lose you that early.”

You felt your cheeks start to warm, and quickly hid your face in your shirt to save yourself from the embarrassment. Reiners gaze was soft now, mouth slightly agape. You could easily see a pale pink form on his light complexion.

“You’re that worried about me?” He questioned, slightly raising his brow.

“Yeah, sure. You’re one of my best friends and I don’t want you dying early like that. It’s not fair to you”, you said, almost muttering those words.

“Y/n...” Reiner said. “I’m not just doing this for my parents. It’s for you too.”

Your eyes stop staring down at the ground and now avert to Reiner, who’s blush was deep now.

You had no clue what to say. It seemed like this comfortable silence was the best option, just sitting there trying to process your emotions.

The sun was starting to set, and Reiner had to leave at sunrise with the others. He slowly got up from the pavement of the sidewalk and brushed off his uniform pants in case any dirt got on them. You got up with him, wanting to spend every moment you possibly could with him before he left.

“I think this is goodbye, y/n. I should get some sleep before I leave in the morning”, he murmured.

“Okay. Guess I should let you sleep then”, you say. “Just...promise me you’ll come back alive. Fight for us, Reiner.”

Reiners expression turned warm, a smile curling on his rosy lips. “I will. I’ll come back, I promise.”

You both knew what was coming next. Reiner put his hands out for you and pulled you in close, your lips landing on his. You put a hand on his cheek, rubbing at his skin as both of your lips clashed against each other. It wasn’t a rough kiss, but not timid either. It was somewhere perfectly in the middle. Something you both were going to need to remind you of each other.

———

Now the time had finally come to meet eyes with him again. This was the last thing you thought about before the train came rolling in, coughing big clouds of black steam as it entered the station. Cheers could be heard from the crowd on the platform as passengers from inside waved to their families, likely for the first time in years.

You jostled through the crowd once the train came to a stop and started to unload its contents. Soldiers ran to embrace their mothers, fathers, siblings and spouses, some reunions making tears fall from their cheeks. This was the most happiness you had seen in a while.

Nearby, a short brunette girl quite literally flung herself out of the train, shouting into the air about how happy she was to be home. A man with slicked back hair had a rosy-cheeked blonde, clearly intoxicated, slung around his shoulder. For a moment you thought it was Reiner, but you thought otherwise when you continued to observe his features.

“Reiner! I’m so glad you’re home!”

You heard what sounded to be an old woman talking in another direction, the mention of his name making your head instantly turn towards where it was coming from. A woman with short blonde-grey hair was hugging a much taller man, with pale skin, hollow cheeks and noticeable dark circles under his eyes.

No fucking way that’s him, you thought to yourself. The solemn expression on his face did not match what you last saw, the old Reiner you used to know. What the hell had happened while he was in Paradis? Did the island devils get to him?

You gulp and decide to go and see for sure if this was really Reiner. Pushing through the dense crowd again, you walk the direction of the familiar voices.

Once you finally get a clearer glimpse of the old woman and who you assumed to be Reiner, you came to the conclusion that this was in fact him- just a tired, potentially malnourished version of him.

“Reiner!” You call. His head spun around, eyes widening when he saw your figure running towards him. You swore you could see a tiny smile form on his face, a contrast to his exhausted features.

You run into his chest, and wrap your arms around his buff figure. But for some reason, you don’t feel his arms hug you back. It felt strange, but you were going to take what you could get.

“Y/n?” Reiner asked, making you tilt your face up to confirm that it was you. “Oh fuck, I missed you, how are you?”

“Language, Reiner”, the old woman scolded. You could recognize her now, it was his mother- Karina Braun.

“Excuse me mother”, he said. “But really, how have you been?”

“I’m okay, but shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” You question him. “You’ve been at war for years.”

“Yeah, sure”, he responds. “Just tired.”

You pull away, and see Karina starting to smile, making her dimples appear on her cheeks. “This must be y/n, the girl you wouldn’t stay quiet about when you were little!” She exclaimed.

Reiner scoffed. “Not the time, mother. And I didn’t talk about her that much.”

The dispute between them made you giggle. Karina sighed, slightly exaggerated.

“If you like, you can come over for dinner tonight”, she offers. “I’m making beef stew and my sister and her family will be over to talk about what happened. Her daughter is a warrior candidate too, so I bet Reiner and her would have some interesting stories to tell.”

“Sounds wonderful!”, you say. “I’ll be over whenever.”

“Is seven alright for you?”

“Yes, that’s alright”, you reply. “In that case, I’ll see you two tonight!”

Karina beamed and nodded. Reiner was clearly starting to get bored of the conversation, observing some of the architecture of the station. It looked like he was in his own world, telling from the foreign look in his eyes. They didn’t seem as bright as they used to.

“I should go. I need to run some errands for my family before tonight, but I’ll be over! See you two later!”

“Goodbye, y/n!” Karina yelled as you waved and began to walk away. For some reason, Reiner did not say anything to you before you left, which you found strange. You chose to not question it out of being polite, he may still be adjusting to being back in Marley.

A couple hours had passed since you left the train station. You went to the market to negotiate the high prices of nectarines and plums, to the bank to cash a few checks, and back to your parents house to drop off groceries and a little bit of spare cash to buy toiletries for the week.

But Reiner didn’t leave your mind while you were doing all of this. You were almost scared to ask what happened to the others who went on the mission, in fear of the truth. Perhaps minding your own business was the best thing to do right now.

You walked into the Braun household at exactly 6:55, a smile on your face. Karina hurriedly walked to the door to greet you, a bubbling sound in the distance along with the scent of meat, garlic and rosemary.

“Welcome, welcome!” Karina chimed. “I’ll take your coat, it’s rather warm in here.”

“Thank you”, you say. “It smells delightful in here!”

“That would be the signature Braun family stew”, she said. “My sister is tending to the stew. Reiner and Gabi are in here waiting for you.”

You walked though the hall that connected to the dining room and small kitchen, where the smell was coming from. Reiner and Gabi sat at the table along with a middle aged man, who was Gabis father.

“Is this her?” The man asked. “Nice to meet you, y/n. This is my daughter Gabi, and I bet you know Reiner. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Gabi gave you a toothy smile, while Reiner just looked down staring at his empty bowl.

“Sit down, Reiner and Gabi are about to tell out about their experiences”, he said and pulled out a chair.

The other woman in the kitchen brought in a steaming pot of a red stew, chunks of meat, carrots and celery floating around in the thick broth. She dished you some, then gave some to the others.

Gabi seemed to talk for hours about how she single-handedly took out the rest of the Allied Forces from a grenade she constructed, Reiner not saying anything and only staring at the stew, occasionally poking the contents.

“It was amazing!” Gabi said. “After this it’s just those island demons!”

“Speaking of”, her father said. “Reiner, how was your stay in Paradis?”

“Dad, you shouldn’t ask that stuff!” Gabi yelled. “Most of it is probably classified anyways!”

“You’re right, Gabi”, he sighed. “Reiner, forgive your uncle.”

“Actually”, he began. “Not all of it is a secret. There was this girl who had the courage to eat a potato at the opening ceremony... what was her name again? Sasha Braus? Yep, that sounds about right...”

“That’s wonderful, but I mean the battle. Did they find out? About you know... the titan thing?”

The slight smile on Reiners face soon disappeared and turned into one of terror, his pupils getting small and eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Gabi elbowed her father. Karina flashed a nervous look to her sister, and you looked back to her for guidance.

“Reiner, are you okay?” She asked.

“Y-yeah, just need to step outside. I think the air is getting to m-me”.” He quickly got up and left his seat and hurried out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

You all sat in silence, growing uncomfortable by the second.

You weren’t hungry now.

———

After failing to make conversation due to the recent events, you get up and excuse yourself, only after putting your bowl in your sink and thanking them for dinner. Gabi promised she would tell you more about her adventures before you headed out the door.

The Braun’s had a small porch on the house, and you assumed that Reiner would be sitting there when you came out. But you were shocked to find him nowhere to be found. You told Karina that you would look around for him, and left the house.

You were out for two hours looking for him. The night was starting to become darker, stars twinkling above you and shining down on this messed up world you were a part of.

But after hours of searching and worrying that you may not see him again, you found him on a bench outside of a pub in Liberio.

“Hey, Reiner!” You yell to him. His reaction wasn’t as sudden as the last time you called his name at the train station. Instead, his head was hanging low and slowly lifted up, his eyes reminding you of a stray dog.

You walked towards him, and stood in front of him once you felt that he noticed your presence.

“Your mom is scared, she doesn’t know where you ran off to”, you lecture him. “You should really come back home-“

“I’m not coming back home tonight, y/n.”

“Huh?” You ask him. “Reiner, it’s almost midnight. I’ll take you home if you need someone to walk you home.”

“Stop worrying about me. I’m staying here for the night, gonna have a few beers. Just... go away.”

These words take you by surprise. You can feel your throat tighten, and you try and swallow the feeling down so you wouldn’t have to deal with it right now. You couldn’t cry, not with him in front of you like this.

“I said fuck off. What do you not get about that?” His gruff voice growled. There was hostility in his expression, like you had never known him, or even worse- he was your enemy.

“O-ok, I’ll be going now”, your say as your voice cracked. You did your best to stifle your tears but you couldn’t stop them from collecting at your lash line. “Um, have a good night, Reiner.”

Swiftly, you get up from the bench and head in the direction of home, where you would probably spend the incoming day crying in embarrassment for making Reiner pissed. This was the exact last thing you wanted to do, make him feel uncomfortable to the point where he was pushing you away.

You stopped at a nearby lamppost to collect your thoughts, slumping against the cold pole and letting a few tears trickle down your cheeks. You grab a tissue from your pocket, and try to soak up your salty tears. You felt like absolute and utter shit.

A few footsteps are heard in the distance, and you are quick to reach in your other pocket and pull out a small pocketknife. After all, Liberio after dark wasn’t a safe place for a woman to be. Especially in this lighting.

“Who’s there?” You ask. “Show yourself or I’m drawing my knife.”

“Calm yourself, y/n.”

The familiar deep voice came closer to where you were standing, and a tall figure showed itself in the shadows. The red armband was crimson in the faded yellow light from the lamp, the man wearing a beige uniform.

“Reiner?” You ask, hoping for an answer. “Is that you?”

“I followed you back. I’m sorry for yelling at you”, he grumbled, and scratched the back of his head. “It’s about time I told you what happened.”

You nod, and sit on the curbside of the dimly lit street. He came and sat with you, just like you two did when you were young.

“So are they like people say?” You ask. “You know, the whole devil thing.”

Reiner shrugs. “They’re not evil. But they’re not good people either. It’s... hard to describe.”

“I understand.”

“You do?”

“Well, that’s a stretch”, you say. “I don’t, but I know how you feel. Um, I know you probably don’t want me asking but... what happened to the rest of the people who went with you? Marcel? Bertholdt? Annie?”

Reiner puts a hand to his face and shakes his head.

“Marcel died first. Bertholdt died a year ago I think. His titan was passed down to some blonde boy with a bowl cut in Paradis. And Annie, god who knows where she is? I’m not sure if she’s alive or dead.”

This information was something you were struggling to process. Marcel was a quick thinker, how could he not survive? And Bertholdt- he had what may have been the strongest titan, and who would want to kill his poor gentle soul? Annie though, you still had a bit of hope for.

“Before he died”, Reiner began. “Marcel told me I wasn’t meant to become the Armored. It was supposed to be Porco, but he interfered to protect him. I’m seeing what he means by I wasn’t meant to do this.”

“Don’t say that”, you order him, but not in a pushy tone. More like a gentle one. “If you’ve made it back alive, that’s enough for me.”

“What would you have done if I died?”

“I wouldn’t know”, you say. “I don’t think I want to even think about that.”

He nods. Death was too familiar to him now, it had almost become his friend now. It wasn’t an uncommon thing to see nowadays.

“And you kept that promise to me”, you utter. “You came back in one piece. I’m proud. This entire country is too.”

Reiner doesn’t look to you. Instead he gives a hum of approval, indicating that he heard you. You could see his chiseled features in the moonlight shining down on him to create a perfect shadow. God he was beautiful, he always was.

[lifeofkaze]

A Summer Night’s Dream

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x Reader (kinda, but not really)

Prompts: A Whole New World - Aladdin

Object: Ornate Mirror

Dialogue: Okay, now I’m impressed.

 Colour: Lilac

Word Count: ~ 1.700

I looked at the girl staring back at me. She sat across from me and was brushing her long silky hair. The curtain behind her billowed in the breeze entering the room from the widely opened windows, carrying on it the melancholic song of a nightingale, the scent of the blooming lilac bushes littering the gardens heavy in the air.

My eyes shifted to the door of my room as my mother appeared in its frame. Nothing more than her silhouette was visible against the bright lights of the hallway behind her.

“Our guests will be arriving soon. Do you have everything you need?”

She saw me nodding in confirmation and walked over to the windows, shutting them tight.

“Mother, can you leave them open? It’s such a beautiful night.”

Her reflection appeared next to the girl I had been looking at in the antique ornate mirror of my vanity. She bent down, her face next to mine, mother and daughter a spitting image of each other. She smiled patiently, while her skilled fingers weaved my hair into a braid.

“You know I don’t like it when they’re open. You could catch a cold.”

She pressed a kiss onto my head and I stifled a sigh. Of course.

I wished her a good night and turned around to observe my reflection once again. Looking back at me was a perfect little girl, ever the obedient daughter. All my life I had followed the rules my parents had set for me, never failing to meet their expectations.

But tonight was different.

My eyes shifted to the little note I had tucked under my music box so my mother wouldn’t notice it. An ancient, tattered looking owl had dropped it off on my windowsill this morning. The parchment was already crinkled and worn from the numerous times I had folded and unfolded it. A nervous excitement was rising in my chest, so I picked it up and read it again.  

Let me show you the world.

The parchment rustled as I carried it over to the window, quietly opening it again. The heavy scent of the lilacs enveloped me once more as I leaned forward to observe the starry summer sky. I wondered what it would be like to just take to the air and fly towards the horizon.

My gaze dropped to the lush green gardens of my family’s estate below me. There wasn’t a single corner I didn’t know by heart; my parents had never allowed me to venture beyond their walls without their company. They were afraid of the monsters lurking out there, waiting to devour their precious little child.

It couldn’t have been more than an hour later when I saw a small figure scaling the outer wall and dropping into the bushes lining the brick work. An excited smile formed on my lips as the person approached my open window and I leaned forward a little bit further.

Even in the darkness that was only illuminated by the scattered stars above, his ginger hair was glowing and my heart jumped in anticipation as my friend raised his hands to his mouth, forming a hollow space between them. A deceptively real calling of an owl echoed up to me moments later, the secret sign we had agreed upon.

The boy��s name was Charlie, Charlie Weasley. He and his family lived close to my family’s manor, but I had only met him last year when we had started our first year at Hogwarts together. Although we had been sorted into different Houses, it hadn’t taken long for us to become friends.

Both of us had wanted to get the same book from the library, a tome full of stories and myths about dragons. We had quarrelled over it for a bit, but then decided to share, reading it to each other in turns.

Charlie lived and breathed for dragons, there was nothing he was as passionate about as these magnificent creatures. As for me, I had always loved stories about dragons, fairies and adventures. It was my only way to experience something different, to get a taste of the world outside my cage.

He had a habit of teasing me because of my frail appearance and my small knowledge of the wizarding world, despite being part of one of the old pureblood families. On the last day of our first year, as we were boarding the Hogwarts Express, he had promised to not forget me; to come and make me see something special.

“Why are you still up there?” he called, careful not to raise his voice too loudly.

“We have guests, I can’t use the door,” I answered apologetically.

“And what now?”

“Wait,” I grinned, and set my foot on the windowsill. My hands and feet quickly found the familiar nooks and ledges in the walls as I climbed down through the green ivy, hopping down the last few feet.

It wasn’t the first time I had snuck into the gardens at night. My parents were very clear about leaving the grounds on my own; they had never mentioned the gardens.

I giggled at Charlie’s incredulous stare. The sound snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Okay, now I’m impressed,” he admitted with a laugh.  

“There is more to me than meets the eye, you know,” I responded with a smile.

His eyes lit up with mischief. “Do you want to prove it?”

I crossed my arms at the challenge. “How?”

Charlie turned around and walked back the way he had come with me following behind. I watched silently as he climbed up the wall again and perched on its top, looking down at me expectantly.

But I was tentative to follow him. I could have scaled it easily, but despite knowing what had been tonight’s plan, I hesitated.

“What’s wrong?”

I gulped. “I’ve never been so far on my own.”

Charlie smiled reassuringly at me. “But you’re not on your own.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

He leaned forward and extended his hand down towards me. His eyes sparkled warmly. “Do you trust me?”

I looked at him surprised. “What?”

“Do you trust me?”

There was something in his voice that melted all my doubts away. It was so confident and carefree and full of trust that nothing bad would happen; all the things I wished I could be.

“Yes.”

Answering his smile, I extended my arm to grab his hand and let him pull me up towards him.

 *

With every step Charlie led me away from my home I felt my concerns dwindle, making place for all the wonders I had only ever known from storybooks.

We wandered through the nightly fields, crickets chirping so loudly I had to shout to make myself heard.

We waded through a nearby brook with bare feet, the icy water making me shriek as my foot slipped on a stone and sent me tumbling into Charlie.

We feasted on blackberries straight from the bush, nothing I had known before having ever tasted as sweet.

We tried to catch the fireflies floating around us with our bare hands, releasing them again into the night after we had finally caught one.

And we lay on the top of a hill, gazing at the sky and watching for shooting stars. I was listening to all the stories Charlie told me of his family. The fun he had with his siblings, the fights they had sometimes and how they returned to a welcoming home after a day filled with love and laughter like only a family can.

I never knew such a kind of magic even existed.

As I lay in the cool grass, listening to the animated stories of my friend, the sky in the east began to lighten, slowly turning from ink blue to the lighter, softer shade of the lilac flowers in our garden.

Charlie pulled me up from where I lay and walked me back towards my home. As I saw the vast building approach, I grew more and more silent; as I hopped down the wall into the garden, I hadn’t said a word for a long time.

“Is everything alright?” Charlie asked softly, worry in his voice.

I nodded with a melancholic smile. “Yes, and I thank you a lot for this night. But every dream has to end sometime.”

I watched as the sun began showing on the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pinks and orange, beautiful to behold. “It is time to wake up now.”

Charlie’s freckled face, usually never devoid of at least the ghost of a smile, showed concern at my saddened tone.

“It needn’t stay a dream, you know?”  

He stepped closer to me, embracing me in an awkward hug and quickly pressed an innocent kiss onto my cheek. He smelled like grass and wood and blackberries.

Both of us blushed deeply; my hand went to my cheek, while he fixed his gaze on the ground. When he looked up eventually, I could see determination set in his eyes.

“No one deserves to be locked up. I’ll come back for you, I promise. Your dream deserves to be real.”

And with that, he spun around, clambered back over the wall and vanished out of sight.

I stared at the spot where he had stood just a moment ago, before I shook my head with a smile and slowly wandered back through the lilac bushes towards the house. I deeply inhaled the sweet scent and reminisced the snippets Charlie had shown me of this other world. His world.

 *

After I had climbed up the ivy and back into my room again, careful not to wake my parents, I sat down in front of the mirror where I had sat hours ago.

Where the perfect little girl sitting on my stool had looked back at me with sad and anxious eyes before, she was now relaxed, smiling softly, her eyes sparkling with all the lovely memories she had made tonight.

I chuckled as I pulled some lilac petals that had tangled in my braid out of my hair and placed them next to my mirror.

Who knew, on summer nights like this, maybe some dreams did become reality.

[zelenacat]

When We Were Young- An Obitine Story- Chapter 23

After a quick comm to Obi-Wan to let him know the girls were on their way. Satine fell into a deep sleep, only to be woken three and a half hours later to prepare for the day.

“Count Dooku’s coming, remember?” Parna whispered gently.

The Duchess groaned.

“We all feel that way,” Khaami sighed, freshly ironed dresses in her arms, “but this is for the good of the system.”

Satine sat up, feeling her bloated stomach, now empty.

“Dear God,” her eyes widened, “the Count!”

“Exactly.”

Satine threw herself out of bed then groaned.

“Go to the fresher,” Khaami advised, “there’s wrappers under the sink.”

After her underwear came a long chemise, today’s corset required a protection layer, and Satine wanted extra covering in case her neckline slipped. She was, afterall, wearing a very heavy dress. Then a girdle, to pull in her stomach extra tight. Only once all these previous layers were tightly secured did Satine see her dress.

“Is it exactly what you were going for?”

“Yes.” tears pricked Satine’s eyes. 

The gown was liquid gold, shimmering with citrine stones that caught the light elegantly. It was high-necked and regal, with boning on the bodice. Lilies were embroidered throughout the dress in a honey-toned thread that brought life to the gown. Satine hadn’t realized she’d been running her fingers along it.

“Shall we get you in it?” Parna grinned.

“We can try.”

Khaami snorted, but unzipped the dress all the same.

“Wow,” Satine breathed as Parna buttoned her up, “this is tight.”

The Duchess looked at herself in the mirror and frowned.

“A gold sash,” Khaami smiled, holding the garment in her hands, “to distract from your stomach.”

As one of her ladies fashioned the sash around her, the other held out a box.

“Your jewelry, Madam.”

Satine gasped as she saw her headpiece. It was a gold tiara with a lily emblazoned in the middle made out of diamonds.

“I will sparkle in the sunlight!” the Duchess twittered.

“That is the goal, Satine.”

Khaami pulled her hair back while Parna extracted more jewelry.

“No earrings,” she observed, “as you requested, but a broach instead of a necklace.”

“Does it match  with my ensemble?” Satine asked.

“Naturally,” Parna held up the jewel, “more diamonds.”

Once she was ready, Satine helped her ladies dress, they would be wearing white gowns in a similar style, only less ornate. A knock came at the door as Satine was helping with Khaami’s hair.

“Lady Mother,” Tyra poked her head in, “we’ve come to show you our outfits!”

“Very well, then,” Satine smiled, “come in.”

As they were maids-in-waiting, Tyra and Hera, who was looking quite tired, were wearing servants' outfits. Although, to distinguish them from the regular peasantry, both were wearing white with gold sashes.

“You look lovely,” the Duchess commented, “if not a little tired.”

“Speaking of which,” Parna piped up, “my brother commed to inform me that Jynn and Lyra were received in one of the Temple’s lower levels.”

“Good,” Satine nodded, “Ben said the same thing this morning.”

The Duchess beckoned Tyra over and kissed her head.

“You know what to do, darling?”

“Yes, Lady Mother.”

“Stay out of the Count’s way.” Satine reiterated.

“We will.” Tristan agreed, Korkie on his arm, entering the room without a care.

Fortunately, no one was it a state of undress, but Satine chastised her sons nonetheless.

“Really, Lady Mother,” Korkie assured, “neither of us are like that.”

 Satine raised an eyebrow, “I should hope my sons weren’t.”

The boys looked at each other.

“You’re very frightening when you do that, Lady Mother.”

“I have to agree,” Tyra nodded, “it’s like we didn’t eat our vegetables or something.”

Satine laughed, a pleasant yet hollow reminder of what could’ve been.

Tyra’s comm beeped and she looked up, “The Count sent cronies to investigate the underworld, that means he’s here!”

After a quick kiss to all of her children present, the Duchess began a brisk walk down to the royal throne room and audience chamber. Korkie had just taken her arm when the doors opened.

“Her Grace Satine Kryze, Duchess of Mandalore, Second of Her Name and Lady Krewella, escorted by His Grace Korkyrach Kryze, Duke of Sundari, accompanied by the Lady Parna Supreis and Lady Khaami Eldar.”

There were many fawning whispers about the Duchess’ glorious dress and how handsome her nephew was. Satine let a smile play on her lips, he was eighteen now. His and Tyra’s birthday had been secretly celebrated with their siblings at Mara’s favorite place. Satine hadn’t been a part of it, and she wanted things to stay that way, seeing as Mara’s tastes were generally brutish.

Korkie gently helped his mother onto the throne, then stepped to the right. With Khaami and Parna on her left, they must’ve looked quite the bejeweled spectacle. 

“His Excellency, Count Dooku, Head of the Seperatist Alliance and Speaker of the Most High Seperatist Senate.”

The Count was dressed in black. Satine was slightly disappointed. Here she was looking like the sun, and he looked like the night sky. Not to say his dress wasn’t stylish though, it was clearly made of the most expensive fabric in the galaxy and embroidered with silver thread.

“Your Serene Highness,” Count Dooku bowed before the dias, “it is my great honor to be invited to Mandalore.”

“I do hope you enjoy your time here, Your Excellency,” Satine said in a critical tone, “Mandalore is eager to make Seperatist friends.”

“Your Grace shall not be disappointed,” Count Dooku grinned, “and in honor of our goodwill, we Separatists wish to give you a gift.”

The crowd mumbled to themselves, Satine raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

Count Dooku clapped his hands and two servants stepped forward from the back of the room, each holding a cage. With a flick of his hands, the Count opened the cages and turtle doves swooped through the room. The crowd gasped. The brave Count took a step forward and produced a flower from his sleeve. One of the birds picked it up and flew it to Satine.

“A flower, for Your Grace, one of many presents to come.”

The Duchess was flattered, she may have even let some color onto her cheeks.

“A lily, what a thoughtful gift, Your Excellency,” Satine grinned, “it’s quite beautiful.”

“Almost as beautiful as the nation you’ve built, Your Grace.”

The crowd collectively held their breath.

“You most certainly have done your research, Your Grace,” Satine nodded, “and it does your talent a great complement.”

Conversations broke out immediately.

“Talent?” the Count’s voice asked in her head.

Satine was shocked.The Count smirked. The Duchess clapped and the chatter settled down.

“Would you do me the pleasure of escorting me to the ballroom,” Satine held out her hand, “Your Excellency?” 

“It would be a joy for a star such as yourself.” replied the Count, climbing the steps.

Korkie eyed the Count warily, meanwhile, the Duchess was smiling, and it was slightly reaching her eyes.

“You make for an interesting visitor, Your Excellency.” Satine commented as they made their way.

“As you said, Your Grace,” the Count replied in a smooth voice, “I do my research.”

“Clearly I should’ve been more diligent in mine.”

Count Dooku turned to face her, “Interested were you?”

“As much as necessity demanded.” Satine replied, without missing a beat.

They didn’t speak again until the first dance, which Count Dooku insisted on having.

“I have many questions.” he began.

“And I may not choose to answer them.”

The Count huffed.

“But you may try, of course,” Satine tilted her head, “I would hate to discourage you at such an early stage.”

The next voice she heard belonged to Tyra, “Good. Play him.”

Satine was unaware of this new force ability, but she much preferred speaking to her daughter rather than her dance partner.

“Well if you insist,” Count Dooku smirked, “I do certainly want to know how you captured my spy.”

Satine made sure to guard her mind, “A lady never reveals her secrets.”

The Count twirled her, letting his hand rest on her hip.

“Perhaps a simpler question then,” Dooku decided, “was this courtship planned by Senator Amidala?”

Satine raised an eyebrow, “The Senator was much opposed to this as you must know.”

“Was she?”

“The Senator feels that one must take sides to protect their country,” Satine hesitated, “currently I feel firmness is dangerous.”

“It is,” Count Dooku agreed, “then again, so is dancing with a Sith Lord.”

The song ended, the Duchess curtsied and the Count bowed.

“Your Grace.”

“Your Excellency,” Satine extended her arm, ”do allow me to introduce you to my ladies.”

The Count offered the Duchess his arm and they glided across the floor. Satine signaled to Khaami.

“Your Excellency, this is my Lady Khaami Eldar and her husband, Lord Eldar, Khaami, may I present the Count Dooku.”

After bows and a curtsey were exchanged, the Count went on the hunt, trying to glean information from Khaami.

“Well, Your Excellency, I think that’s up to Her Grace,” Lady Eldar straightened and turned to the Duchess, “Satine, should we discuss our favorite pastime with the Count?”

Satine grinned, “I think we should, Khaami, why don’t you begin?”

Lady Khaami turned to the Count.

“Did you know our Lady’s favorite pastime is ridding Mandalore of her enemies?”

This certainly shocked the Count.

“I mention this because I’ve heard your just as aggressive in your spare time when committing mass murder.”

Khaami said this all with a smile on her face, Satine glowed.

“Mass murder, you say?”

“Mandalore prefers peaceful ends to conflicts,” the Duchess stated, “we happen to hear that the Separatists can be brutal.”

Count Dooku smirked, “Senator Amidala has certainly spoken with you, but I never thought I’d hear anti-bellicose notions from a Mandalorian.”

“You mistake our strategy if you believe ancient prejudices.” Satine commented.

The Count’s Eyes sparkled, “Strategy?” 

Satine raised an eyebrow, “Do Sith Lords do everything without a plan?”

“On the contrary, Your Grace,” Dooku smiled, “we always have a plan.”

“How unattractively diabolical.”

Without waiting for a reaction, Satine turned and made her way to Parna.

“How goes the evening, Your Grace?” Parna asked politely.

“Well, thank you,” Satine answered, feeling the Count step out alongside her, “may I present his Excellency Count Dooku.”

Parna curtsied and commented dryly, “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The Count tilted his head, “Lady Supreis, is it?”

“If you’re going to ask about my connections, I suggest you hold your tongue.”

The Sith Lord looked like he had never been spoken to before like that, “Oh?”

“You know how siblings are, Your Excellency.”

Count Dooku narrowed his eyes, “I did hear about your sister.” 

“Ah yes,” Satine nodded, “she married your former apprentice.”

“Lovely,” The Count smirked, “we can say we met at the wedding.”

Satine gestured around her, “So this was all for naught, Your Excellency.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Dooku drawled.

“Good,” Satine straightened, “because this dress required extra seamstresses.”

Just as she’d hoped, the Count paused to admire her dress.

“It’s a lovely color on you,” he commented, “regal.”

The Duchess took the Count’s arm, “That is in my job description.”

Dooku huffed, his eyes wandering the crowd.

“Looking for someone, Your Excellency?”

The Count paused and looked down at the Duchess, who was about a head shorter.

“No, but is it too far out of the realm of politeness to ask for a second dance?”

Satine gave a playful sigh, “I suppose it’s not.”

Dooku led Satine onto the dance floor. Suddenly, Tyra’s voice appeared in her head.

“Dooku’s grooms are spies, they tried to plant evidence.”

The Duchess glowered.

“Are you well, Your Grace?”

“You do know, Your Excellency,” Satine smiled, “it is rude to come into someone's home and plant false evidence in hopes to stir up trouble, especially if you have been so kindly invited.”

The Count raised an eyebrow, but his voice betrayed nothing.

“And you would accuse me of such.”

“Proof, Your Excellency,” the Duchess spun, “speaks far louder than an accusation.”

Dooku was silent for a moment.

“And here I thought we’d reached an understanding,” he said finally.

“Oh, and what would that understanding be?”

They had danced by the musicians now, and the Count broke away to whisper into the ear of a string player.

“Your Excellency?”

In a quick second he was back, leading her father onto the dancefloor. Then, the music changed and Satine realized he was about to put on a show.

“An understanding?” the Duchess sneered as she curtsied.

It was a traditional Mandalorian dance known for its riveting, lively tune. They called it the Mandalorra, and Satine was not amused.

“I’m not wearing proper attire.” she spat at the Count.

“I practiced for this, Your Grace,” Dooku twirled her, “and it’s too late to stop me now.”

So they danced the spirited song, and Satine had to wonder if the Count was actually considering their union. It would be powerful and make a statement, plus add soldiers to the Seperatist ranks.

By the end, Satine was panting. She curtsied as the Count bowed, unsteady applause rang out through the ballroom.

“If you would be so kind, Your Grace,” Dooku took Satine’s hand, “I would love to meet your nephew.”

Satine looked for a way out of the situation, “My nephew?”

The Count raised an eyebrow, “After a dance like that, I’d thought you’d be delighted.”

“You mistake me for a schoolgirl, Your Excellency, this game of yours will not be won easily” the Duchess curtsied, “please excuse me.”

Satine signaled for Parna, who followed her lady. In the hallway, much of the guest chatter turned to low rumbles.

“Comm Khaami and tell her to watch Korkie,” she ordered quietly, “I’m worried for Tyra.”

The lady nodded and Satine made her way up towards where the count’s rooms would be. She didn’t have to go far to find evidence of a fight on the guest floor, strangely enough, Satine found no guards in this hallway. 

“We have you cornered,” a voice threatened, “your meddling has been most annoying, but I will ask you again, where are the Duchess’ private quarters?”

“Good evening, gentlemen.” a new voice interrupted.

Satine peaked around the corner wall. Tyra was pinned up against the wall with a knife to her throat, and she couldn’t do anything without giving herself away. In front of her were four cronies dressed in black. Two held Tyra down and two turned to their right, facing a man in Mandalorian armor.

Tyra’s eyes met her mother’s, “Boba Fett, the bounty hunter, he’s close with Mara. I don’t know why he’s here.”

“Who are you?” one of the grooms asked.

“A friend of the lady’s,” Boba Fett answered, “and you should know it is rude to treat them as such.”

One of the men facing Boba Fett scoffed, the other raised his knife. Then a fight broke out. Satine shielded half her face behind the wall, keeping an eye on Tyra. She was perfectly still until her captors doubled over.

“Wait,” Tyra held out her hand, “tie them, we don’t want an incident.”

With a grunt Boba Fett agreed. 

“You’ll regret this.” a groom spat.

“We won’t.” Tyra smiled, looking at her mother.

The bounty hunter pulled a recording device from his pocket and pressed pause.

“Well done, Sir,” Satine stepped out from behind the pillar, “if you would be so kind, I would very much appreciate that recording.”

Boba Fett bowed with a smile, “Of course, Your Grace.”

He handed the Duchess the recording, but she caught his hand.

“Thank you, Mister Fett,” she nodded, “tell Mara I am much appreciative for you and your skills.”

“I will, Your Grace,” the bounty hunter’s eyes twinkled, “you are most kind.”

“Would you be so helpful as to help drag these men into the main hallway?” Satine continued.

“Of course,” Boba nodded, “I assume Tyra is capable of assisting me?”

“She is, make sure these men get thrown in holding.”

Satine watched as the men were dragged into the main guest hallway, where a couple of early deperaters were astonished.

“Do pardon me,” the Duchess smiled politely, “I must speak with the Count.”

Unfortunately, Dooku was not in the ballroom, but Korkie and Khaami walked right up to her.

“He’s a master politician,” Korkie stuttered, “he seems like, like he knows something.” “Where did he go?” Satine asked.

“Into the garden with one off his assistants,” Khaami answered, “we sent Gorg after him.”

“Entertain the guests,” Satine ordered, “I’m going after him.”

The gardens were bright at this hour, yet menacing. Satine swallowed down her fear, no one would dare hurt her.

“Captured, you say?”

The Duchess paused and started a fresh recording.

“Yes, sir,” a mechanical voice beeped, “they were not able to plant the evidence.”

“Failures, we have to-” the Count paused, “another heartbeat.”

Satine hid the recording device up her sleeve just as the Count rounded the corner.

“Your Grace?” he smiled.

Satine stood, eyes narrow, “What a villain you are, Your Excellency.”

“You sound like your senator friend.” Dooku countered.

The Duchess raised an eyebrow, “You have given me no reason to believe otherwise.”

The Count sighed, “Long ago you were referred to as a she-wolf, now I see why.”

“I am very close to asking you to leave my system, Your Excellency,” Satine frowned, “give me one reason why you should stay.”

Dooku considered this for a moment before speaking.

“Because Mandalore hides more Sith secrets than you know.”

Satine tried to hide her surprise, “Oh?”

The count smirked, “I’ll see you in the morning, Your Grace.”

“Wait,” Satine commanded, “my guard?”

Dooku moved his hands and Gorg appeared, floating and grasping at his neck.

“No!” the Duchess ran to her friend.

“Concordia,” Gorg gasped, “Concordia.”

Then he passed out. The Duchess had her lower guards drag him to the medbay. Then she ran to her room, summoning Khaami, Parna, Tyra, Korkie, Tristan, and Hera. They met in her personal parlor and drew the blinds closed.

“What is it?” Korkie asked, his face drenched in worry.

Satine took the recording device out from her sleeve and turned to Parna, “I need copies of this.”

“Proof,” the lady’s eyes went wide, “my brother knows a person.”

“Good luck,” Satine passed over the device, “be careful.”

After Parna left, the Duchess locked the door and continued.

“The Separatists want to frame me for something,” Satine began, “and Gorg mentioned something about Concordia.”

“Death Watch?” Tistan asked.

“Perhaps,” Satine nodded, “they were looking for my personal quarters.”

Tyra’s comm dinged.

“It’s the Council,” she frowned, “they need a report.”

“Go in my room,” Satine ordered, “and keep quiet.”

The Duchess turned to her second son.

“You might have to help Tyra with her espionage endeavors.” 

“Spying?” Tristan questioned.

“Spying.”

Khaami spoke up.

“The Count mentioned that he had friends in the Republic.”

“What?”

“It’s true, Lady Mother,” Korkie added, “it was subservient, but he stated that his sources kept him well informed.”

Satine put a hand to her head, “I must tell Padme.”

“There are also the grooms in the dungeon.” Khaami offered.

Satine sighed, “Thank you, boys, you’ve been helpful, announce that the party is over now

After a little argument, each son kissed Satine’s cheek and went off.

“I want Jaym to interrogate the grooms,” the Duchess ordered, “if need be we can use Tyra.”

Khaami nodded, “I shall go inform him.”

When Tyra returned from her call, she told her mother that her father would comm soon.

“That always makes me smile,” Satine softened, “will you help me change, Tyra, Hera?”

“Of course, Lady Mother.”

“Of Course, Satine.”

Once all her jewelry was placed in a box, Satine had Tyra run it to the jewel room.

“I’d hoped to show it to you myself,” she told her daughter, “but prepare to be astounded.”

Hera helped Satine out of her dress and Satine groaned. The nurse then helped Satine to the fresher.

“I can’t believe you gave birth and then held a diplomatic court visit.” 

Satine sighed, “Royal life, what can you do?”.

When Satine emerged from the fresher some time later, Hera was talking to a blue Senator Amidala through the comm.

“Of course, my lady,” Hera smiled, “here she is now.”

With a groan Satine sat down.

“I must compliment you on your composure,” Padme began, “we met the twins just before the pictures came out, and that dress looked glorious.”

“Thank you, Padme,” Satine blushed, “is Obi-Wan there?”

A snide sound that could only have come from Anakin reached Satine.

“I am.” a familiar voice echoed.

Satine dismissed Hera with a wave, “How are the twins?”

“Oh my God,” Anakin whined, “they’re so cute!”

“Yes, Anakin,” Obi-Wan repeated calmly, “they are very cute.”

“And they’ve settled in quite well.” the Senator added.

The Duchess grinned, thinking of her daughters.

“How was the Count.”

Satine frowned, “Completely untrustworthy.”

Anakin snorted, “I could’ve told you that.”

“He tried to frame me,” Satine continued, still angry, “he’s involved with the criminal underworld, and he has a plot relating to Concordia!”

Obi-Wan sighed.

“Also,” the Duchess frowned sympathetically, “he has spies in the Republic,”

A moment of silence.

“What?” Padme questioned, anger in her tone.

“Korkie mentioned that, in their conversation,” Satine paused, “he alluded to knowing things.”

Obi-Wan sighed, Anakin groaned.

“Was he specific?” the Senator questioned.

Satine shook her head, “No.”

“We have no definite proof,” Padme frowned, “but I will tell my friends to be on guard with what they say, and on the lookout.”

“Also,” Satine swallowed, “Dooku said Mandalore houses Sith secrets, I can’t imagine why.”

Padme tilted her head, “What?” 

“Concordia,” Anakin gasped, “wasn’t it important in one of Mandalore’s wars with the Jedi?”

Obi-Wan gave him a look.

Master Skywalkler sighed, “Once you and Satine got back together I did research to find stuff to tease you about.”

“You,” Satine asked, “did research?”

“He has his priorities.” Padme explained.

“Death Watch inhabited Concordia last I was there.” Obi-Wan reminded.

“I haven’t forgotten.” Satine smiled.

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair.

“Perhaps,” he began, “the library might have some more information on Mandalorian Sith lore.”

“We’ll look into it.” Anakin promised.

“Thank you,” Satine nodded, “tell Ahsoka and Quinlan I say hello.”

“Of course.” Padme grinned.

[adenei]

Finding My Way To You - Ch. 13

AO3 || FFN 

The Road Home

The next day found Ron and Hermione on an adventure with the Grangers. Ron wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting of the day, but it certainly wasn’t anything he could have imagined. They’d packed a lunch, and taken a drive along the Great Ocean Road, making a pit stop in the Great Otway National Park for their picnic, enjoying the scenic nature that southern Australia had to offer. He was incredibly surprised that Hermione had suggested trying the Otway Fly Treetop Walk, given her fear of heights. She gripped his hand tightly for the majority of it as her parents congratulated Ron for helping her overcome one of her fears.

Ron and Hermione had agreed not to bring up anything about the Grangers’ future plans until the end of the day so as not to ruin the mood if things went awry. It was a good thing, too, as it was quite the drive when all was said and done. As they were driving back to Melbourne, Ron was thinking a lot about his future.

That morning he’d taken care to fill out his paperwork that Kingsley had sent, committing his availability for anytime after 20 June. Hermione had agreed on the date, and checked over his paperwork before sealing it up to send out before meeting her parents. They’d also touched base with Graham, letting him know they’d have a firm date for portkey travel within a day or two. Ron was relieved when Graham told them they were more than welcome to stay in the flat until they left. He knew the Grangers would have no doubt welcomed them into their home, but he found he quite liked the time alone he shared with Hermione.

As they were arriving back to the city, Ron felt Hermione’s hand rest on top of his as she gave it a squeeze. He could tell she looked nervous. In all honesty, he was too. They’d only been in Australia for a week, and she was already wanting to discuss returning home. Who knew how her parents would react? He hoped things would go smoothly. Ron was pulled out of his thoughts as Mr. Granger slowed down before turning into a public parking lot.

“Right on time,” Mr. Granger said as he parked the car. 

“Our dinner reservations are at this lovely restaurant just down the street. I think you’ll both really enjoy it,” Mrs. Granger added.

A short while later they were settled at their table. Hermione waited to say anything until after their orders were placed. Ron heard her clear her throat and knew that she was about to broach the subject. “So, Ron found out some big news yesterday,” she said nervously.

“Oh? What’s that?” Mr. Granger asked as Mrs. Granger looked on, giving him her full attention.

Ron gave Hermione a look out of the corner of his eye. This was definitely how he thought this was going to happen, and honestly, he was a bit annoyed that she’d pinned this on him. “Er, I received a letter from Kingsley Shacklebolt. He was in the Order with us, and is now the acting Minister of Magic.” He looked up to see them nodding in understanding. “Anyways, I’ve been invited to join the Auror training program.”

“Wow, that’s wonderful, Ron! Congratulations!” Mrs. Granger said as Mr. Granger nodded. They both seemed sincere.

“Ron’s been hoping for this since fifth year. It really is a great honor!” Hermione gushed. “They’re even shortening the training program to a year, and if he passes the academy he’ll be a junior Auror around this time next year!”

“It certainly does seem like an honorable career,” Mr. Granger said, “though I’m a bit surprised after everything you’ve been through that you’d want to go back into the field.”

Ron didn’t blame him for his hesitation. Hell, he and Hermione had even sort of discussed that last night, which resulted in him promising to be careful and that he’d always come home to her. “Well, yeah, but the work’s not over yet. There are stil de- er, bad guys out there, and I want to help catch them and bring them to justice. Even after they’re all accounted for, I still want to help make our world safer for everyone.”

He watched as Mr. Granger nodded at his words. It looked like he approved of Ron’s answer. “So when does all this start?” he asked.

“Well, I’ll, er, have to go back to England by the end of next week to be ready for a screening test with the Ministry. It needs to be done by the end of the month as training starts in July.” Ron explained.

“He had to follow through with this offer. It’s completely unheard of, but the force was significantly depleted because of the war, and they’re looking for trustworthy individuals. If Ron doesn’t seize this opportunity, then he’d have to apply and join with the following year of recruits and fulfill the three year training process,” Hermione explained.

Ron looked at Hermione. Now he knew exactly what she was doing. She was using his return as the scapegoat to bring up the conversation, and if things went sour, she could blame his need to return. He felt his ears grow hot at the realization. He knew better than to bring it up here, but that didn’t take away his displeasure.

“So you’re not going back to Hogwarts next year?” Mrs. Granger asked him.

“No. Even if I didn’t have this opportunity, I don’t think I could,” Ron admitted in a slightly hollow voice. 

“What about you, Hermione. Will you go back, then?” Her mother asked, picking up on Ron’s reluctance to talk about it and not pushing him further. He was thankful for that.

“Yes. We talked about that last night. My education is important to me, and I’d like to finish my final year now that it will be safe to return. I’m sure it will be challenging, but we’ll find a way to make it work.” Hermione offered an encouraging smile in Ron’s direction.

“So, that means you’ll need to be returning home to England soon,” Mr. Granger observed.

“Yes,” Hermione answered quickly. He was thankful she finally seemed to be taking over, as he was worried he’d be put in the middle of a conversation that was truly meant for them. “And I- well, I’m intending on returning with Ron when he goes back next week.”

Hermione’s mother gave her a sad smile. “We wouldn’t expect any less of you, dear. We figured you’d want to go back together.”

“H-have you thought anymore about whether you’ll return to England?” Hermione chanced. 

Ron watched as her parents shared a look with each other. “We have, actually,” her father said.

“As much as we love Australia, we do want to return to England. We’ll still need some time to get everything in order here, but we anticipate we’ll be able to move home in August,” Mrs. Granger added.

Ron watched as Hermione’s relief washed over her. She was instantly more relaxed, and he knew the toughest part of the conversation was over. At least that’s what he hoped.

“Hermione, I do need to ask,” her father said, “What exactly are we coming back to?” 

Ron looked at Hermione, who seemed thrown off by her father’s question. Mr. Granger must have sensed the same as he elaborated a bit more. “What of our practice? Is the house still in our possession? Sweetheart, I know you were trying to protect us, but please tell me you made arrangements for our lives back home.” 

Ron watched as Hermione took a sip of her water before answering. He remembered asking her the same questions last summer, and the only straight answer she’d given him was about the house. Seeing that she was freezing up, he attempted to jump in and rescue her.

“I think there are protective charms in place so it didn’t look completely vacant this year, so you’ll have your home to return to. Right, Hermione?” Ron looked at her and waited for her to nod before going on. “I’ll talk to my dad and brother about checking the house and completing a sweep to make sure it’s safe for you to return.”

“Why wouldn’t it be safe for us to return,” Mrs. Granger asked. 

Ron was trying to avoid mentioning things like Death Eaters and magic in public, just in case there were nosy people around, but it looked like his efforts weren’t understood. “Er, we need to be careful. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went looking for Hermione, or even you both. They probably left traces behind that we need to check for.”

He looked across the table to see Mr. Granger nod with a look of understanding on his face as he leaned over and whispered something in his wife’s ear. “We’ll write to you straight away once things are safe to return. If anything’s damaged, I’ll make sure it gets fixed up as well,” Ron added.

“Well, that’s very nice of you, Ron,” Mrs. Granger said sweetly. She turned to her daughter. “Hermione, what happened to our practice, dear?”

Hermione hesitated for a moment, no doubt thinking about what to say,  “I- you were to tell them you were going on sabbatical for one year to study the dental hygiene habits of various cultures around the world,” Hermione managed to say.

Her parents both thought over her answer. “That’s actually quite a brilliant idea you thought of,” her father told her.

“Yes, but now you’re going to return with no new knowledge!” Hermione sounded upset. “I- I really didn’t think it’d ever be safe for you to return, or that- that I’d be here right now.” She was trying to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall.

“Honey, it’s okay,” her mother said as she reached over to take her hand in reassurance. “We’ll find a way to sort this out. There’s no need to be worried or be upset.”

“Yes, if our practice is still running and we’ll have jobs to return, then you clearly did enough to ease our return,” Mr. Granger said.

 “Y-yes. They permitted you to take the year, but that was in early July so you’ll need to call them and give them an update I’m sure-”

“Well, that won’t be a problem at all. We’ll call first thing on Monday. It’ll be nice to chat with Wendy and see what’s been happening. There’s no need to worry about anything, Hermione” Mrs. Granger said happily.

“But what will happen when you come back with no research?” Hermione asked nervously.

Ron watched her parents work through that problem. “That shouldn’t be too much of an issue, actually. We aren’t working for a family practice here like we have back in England. There were openings with an emergency dental facility here, and we took up residence there. You’d be surprised how many tourists come in with cracked teeth and other mouth injuries! We’ve seen many patients from all over the world,” Mr. Granger explained.

Mrs. Granger let out a chuckle and added, “It’s almost as if you imparted some of that knowledge on what to pursue in us. I actually began taking notes on what we were seeing a few weeks after being hired, and in our downtime I’ve been researching what could have influenced the injury. It’s been quite fascinating to study.”

Ron leaned over and whispered in Hermione’s ear, “See how brilliant you are? You even managed to guide them with what to do here.”

Hermione finally allowed herself to smile as their meals arrived. Ron listened as her parents began detailing all of the barmy situations they’d witnessed as they tucked into their dinner. Things seemed like they were going to work out easier than Ron had anticipated. 

~o~

When Mr. Granger pulled up to their flat to drop them off, Ron was surprised when Hermione invited her parents inside for tea. They’d accepted, but promised they wouldn’t stay for more than a cup, as everyone was knackered from the day’s. As they let themselves into the apartment, Hermione put the water on as they sat at the table. 

Thankfully, things were picked up so he wasn’t embarrassed by clothes or other belongings lying about, but there was still parchment scattered across the table. Ron took it upon himself to stack the parchment and get it out of the way, when Mrs. Granger stopped him.

“What’s all that paper for?” she asked.

“Just for writing letters. We only sent my application back today along with a letter I wrote thanking Kingsley, but I’ll need to write Harry and my Mum to let them know when we’ll be home. Sorry for the mess,” Ron muttered.

“Oh! Do you think I could borrow one sheet? I’d love to write to your parents and thank them for everything they’ve done for Hermione. They’ve truly been so kind over the last few years,” Mrs. Granger gushed.

“Er, sure,” Ron said as he handed her one of the sheets. “I can send it out tomorrow morning with the others.”

Mrs. Granger smiled sweetly at Ron as she pulled out a pen and began writing. After Hermione passed out the mugs with the tea, she sat down in the vacant seat. They settled into easy conversation as Mr. Granger discussed all the things he missed about England and how he was excited to get back. 

“We should be able to partake in some of the later summer festivals,” he commented. “Hermione, you should take Ron to Chessington. He’d love it!” 

“What’s Chessington?” Ron asked.

“It has nothing to do with chess, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a theme park with rides and activities.”

“Rides?” Ron asked, clearly confused.

“Think of it like riding a broom, but instead you’re in a compartment of sorts and they run on electricity,” Hermione said with a laugh.

Ron wasn’t sure what to think about it, but he supposed he’d be interested in trying it.

“You’ll love it, I’m sure,” Mrs. Granger said as she folded her letter and addressed it to Mrs. Weasley. She handed the letter to Ron and looked at her daughter. “Will you be coming home to stay with us once we’re settled, dear? We wouldn’t want you to be an imposition at the Weasley’s once we’re home.”

“Oh, I- I don’t know. I guess that would make sense,” Hermione admitted. “Especially if you’re in training,” Hermione said with a shrug.

“Ron, you’ll be welcome to visit and stay any time as well. I think it’s about time we returned the favor after all those summers, don’t you think?” Mrs. Granger said.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Ron said with a smile, even though his heart was sinking.

He should have seen this coming. Of course they were worried about Hermione’s parents wanting to come home, but they’d been so focused on that, that neither had thought about the repercussions of their living situation. Well, at least he had until August before he had to think about it.

“Well, I think we should get going,” Mrs. Granger said. “We’re scheduled for a shift, but we’ll be in touch after.”

“Thank you for everything today,” Ron said.

“Yes, it was lovely!” Hermione agreed as the bid goodbye to her parents. 

Once Hermione shut the door, Ron returned to the table to begin writing to Harry as she cleaned up. “I’m going to tell Harry we’re requesting a portkey for Wednesday if that’s alright,” Ron said to Hermione.

“Sure, as long as Graham can arrange that. It’ll give us another few days with my parents, at least,” Hermione agreed.

Ron didn’t answer her as he went back to his letter. He really didn’t want to pick a row, but he was still annoyed over dinner. Ron realized that he’d been gripping the quill a bit too hard when he saw his knuckles were white. He was glad he didn’t press down too hard and cause himself to poke through the parchment. Signing his letter to Harry, he set the quill down and folded it before moving on to a quick letter to his parents. 

He was vaguely aware that Hermione had moved into the bedroom as he finished his writing. Ron set the three letters in a stack on the table before pushing the chair in and checking the lock on the door. When he entered the bedroom, he walked over to grab a fresh set of clothes. 

“I’m going to have a shower,” he told Hermione, who had already gotten into bed and was looking at him with hopeful eyes.

He tried to ignore the fall of her face as he walked into the bathroom. Maybe she doesn’t realize what she did earlier, Ron thought, giving her the benefit of the doubt as he turned on the water. The hot spray of water felt good on his skin as he let the water wash over him. His thoughts continued to wander back to dinner, and how Hermione brought up the Aurors first, trying to weigh both sides of what could have possessed her to start with his job offer.

  The door opened, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Ron?” he heard Hermione call his name. “Did I do something wrong?” she asked. “You’ve been quiet since dinner. Should I not have invited my parents in for tea?” 

Ron could imagine the frown that was on her face as he shut the water off. He reached around the curtain for his towel before answering. The curtain remained closed. 

“No, it wasn’t tea,” he told her as he dried himself off.

“Then what is it?” she asked.

“Why did you bring up the Aurors with your parents?” he asked her as he wrapped the towel around himself and pulled the curtain back.

“I- I wanted to tell them. I thought we agreed to tell them. It’s such an honor, I thought you’d want to share the news and celebrate,” she said, a look of confusion on her face.

“Sure, but the way it sounded was that you were using it as a lead in for discussing our return to England and asking them about their plans,” Ron told her.

She furrowed her brow as she looked at him. “I didn’t-”

“Save it, Hermione. Luckily it went over alright and everything worked out, but if it hadn’t, I would have been the bad guy because I need to return to England for an appointment.”

Hermione was shaking her head. “I- I didn’t think about it that way, honest. I just thought it would be the easiest way to start the conversation.”

“So you did deliberately start it that way,” Ron said. Ron wanted to move around her, or at least get dressed, but she was blocking the door of the small bathroom.

“I-”

“Next time you’re planning that, maybe tell me first next time. I know you’re trying to rebuild your relationship with your parents, but as your boyfriend, I also have a relationship to maintain with them, too, and I don’t appreciate what you did.”

 “I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about that,” she apologized to him.

Ron took a deep breath, “Well, remember we’re a pair now, yeah?”

“I know. I guess I’m just not used to it yet…” she said quietly as she looked up at him through her lashes.

As if a switch was flipped, the animosity he’d been feeling all evening had suddenly vanished. There was no way he could stay mad at her, especially when she was standing there in one of his tees, and looking at him with those sad eyes. It was as if his mind and his body had suddenly remembered that it’d been all day since he’d held her and kissed her. 

He was overcome with need as he reached out and pulled her close to him, his lips crashing into hers. Her hands were cold against his body, but he didn’t care, as his own reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. They made their way clumsily to the bed, shedding her clothes and his towel, before picking up where they left off that morning.

A short time later, they were cuddling in bed, both thoroughly satisfied now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up. “How do you feel about me moving back in with my parents in August?” Hermione asked.

“Not great,” Ron answered honestly, “but I get it.”

“I feel like I’ll need to, but it’ll be rather odd after being away for so long,” she thought out loud.

“What if you split your time? And I could split mine? So we could at least see each other as much as possible,” Ron offered. He had no idea what his training schedule would look like, but he wanted to make it clear that she would still be a priority for him.

“That could work...but do you think they’d actually let us sleep in the same bed?” Hermione mentioned.

“Well, I think maybe Mum’ll come around when we’re back, and your parents are already aware that we’re sharing a bed here, so…”

“That’s true,” Hermione agreed. “And we are adults, technically..”

“Exactly. Who knows, maybe Harry is planning on fixing up Grimmauld Place after all, and if I move in with him, we wouldn’t have to worry about Mum.”

“Do you think he’s going to?”

“He’s mentioned it a couple times. I don’t think he wants to be an imposition to Mum anymore either, even though he’s not,” Ron told her.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind that plan if he does,” Hermione said as she leaned up to kiss him. “Things have a funny way of working themselves out, so maybe we shouldn’t worry so much about it.”

Ron laughed. Truer words had certainly never been spoken. Ron held her close as he let the exhaustion from the day wash over and lull him to sleep. He felt more confident and secure in their relationship with every passing day. Even though there were so many unknowns of what the future would hold, especially with the coming year, Ron knew that somehow they’d make it through. There was one thing he knew for sure: no matter what life would throw at him, he’d be able to overcome anything as long as he had her by his side.

[breathingmotherearth]

Fig Tree

By Mike Shanahan

17 January 2017 BBC Earth

Over 2,000 years ago, an important tree had one of its branches removed on the order of Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. It was under this very tree that the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Ashoka bestowed kingship on the branch, and planted it in a thick-rimmed solid gold vase.

He then took the branch over mountains and down the Ganges River to the Bay of Bengal. There, his daughter carried it aboard a ship and sailed for Sri Lanka to present it to the king. Ashoka loved the plant so much that he shed tears as he watched it leave.

This story, from the epic poem The Mahavamsa, is about a kind of fig tree scientists call Ficus Religiosa. True to its name, an unbroken line of devotion towards it stretches back to thousands of years before Ashoka's time.

But F. Religiosa is not alone. It is just one of more than 750 fig species. No other plants have held such sway over human imagination. They feature in every major religion and have influenced kings and queens, scientists and soldiers. They played roles in human evolution and the dawn of civilization. These trees have not only witnessed history; they have shaped it. If we play it right, they could even enrich our future.

Most flowering plants display their blooms for all to see, but the Ficus species hide them away inside their hollow figs. And while most plants bury their roots underground, the strangler figs and their kin show them off.

They can even smother and kill giant trees, growing into colossal forms.

Take Ashoka the Great's F. religiosa. Buddhists, Hindus and Jains have revered this species for more than two millennia. The same tree featured in battle hymns sung by the Vedic people 3,500 years ago. And, 1,500 years earlier, it appeared in the myths and art of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Elsewhere in Asia — indeed across the tropics and subtropics — cultures have adopted fig trees as symbols of power and places of prayer. These figs feature in creation stories, folklore and fertility rites. The champion is the Indian banyan (Ficus benghalensis), a tree so big it can resemble a small forest from afar.

Banyans grow so large because the roots they drop from their branches can merge into stout pillars as thick as English oak trees. These false trunks support the banyan's huge branches, enabling them to grow longer and send down even more roots.

One banyan in Uttar Pradesh is said to be immortal. Another in Gujarat is said to have grown from a twig used as a toothbrush. A third is believed to have sprung up where a woman threw herself onto her husband's burning funeral pyre and died. That tree, in Andhra Pradesh, can shelter 20,000 people.

The first Europeans to enjoy a banyan's shade were Alexander the Great and his soldiers, who arrived in India in 326 BCE. Their tales of this tree soon reached the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, the founder of modern botany. He had been studying the edible fig, Ficus Carica.

Each Ficus species has its own wasp pollinator.

Theophrastus had noticed tiny insects entering or emerging from figs. Their story would turn out to be one of the most astounding in all of biology. More than 2,000 years would pass before scientists realized that each Ficus species has its own wasp pollinator, while some even have two. Likewise, each fig-wasp species can only lay its eggs in the flowers of its partner figs.

This relationship began more than 80 million years ago and has shaped the world ever since. Ficus species must produce figs year-round to ensure their pollinator wasps survive. This is great news for fruit-eating animals that would otherwise struggle to find food for much of the year. Indeed, figs sustain more species of wildlife than any other kinds of fruit.

More than 1,200 species eat figs, including one-tenth of all the world's birds, nearly all known fruit-bats and dozens of species of primates, dispersing their seeds as they do so. Ecologists therefore call figs "keystone resources". Like the keystone of a bridge, if figs disappeared everything else could come crashing down.

Figs do not only nourish animals. The year-round presence of ripe figs would have helped sustain our early human ancestors.

High-energy figs may have helped our ancestors to develop bigger brains. There is also a theory that suggests our hands evolved as tools for assessing which figs are soft, and therefore sweet and rich in energy. While the first humans benefitted from fig biology, their descendants mastered it. Ficus species are among the first plants people domesticated, several thousand years ago.

Farmers even trained monkeys to climb trees and harvest them

The ancient Egyptians seized upon a species called Ficus Sycomorus, whose pollinator wasp was either locally extinct or had never arrived. By rights, this species should not have yielded a single ripe fig. But through a stroke of luck or genius, farmers worked out that they could trick the tree into ripening its figs by gashing them with a blade. Before long, the figs were a mainstay of Egyptian agriculture. Farmers even trained monkeys to climb trees and harvest them.

Egypt's fig trees fed both bellies and beliefs. The Pharaohs took dried figs to their graves in order to sustain their souls on their journey into the afterlife. They believed the mother goddess Hathor would emerge from a mythic fig tree to welcome them into heaven. 

To the north and east, the Egyptian fig's sweeter cousin, F. Carica, became an important food to several other ancient civilizations. The Sumerian King Urukagina wrote about them nearly 5,000 years ago. King Nebuchadnezzar II had them planted in the hanging gardens of Babylon. King Solomon of Israel praised them in song. The ancient Greeks and Romans said figs were heaven-sent. Their allure can perhaps be explained by another crucial point. Aside from being sweet and tasty, they are also packed with fibre,vitamins and minerals. These nutritional benefits have long been known. "Figs are restorative," wrote 1st-century Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, "and the best food that can be taken by those who are brought low by long sickness."

A famous example of the healing power of figs appears in the Bible. Hezekiah, King of Judah, was "sick even to death" with a plague of boils but recovered after his servants applied a paste of crushed figs to his skin.

These chimps may have been self-medicating

The healing power of fig species is not limited to their fruit. Medicines developed over millennia by people throughout the tropics make use of their bark, leaves, roots and latex.

The use of fig trees as living medicine cabinets may even pre-date the origin of our species. Our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, also appear to turn to these trees for their curative powers, suggesting our common ancestor with them did too.

Researchers working in Uganda occasionally observed chimps eating unusual foods, such as the bark and leaves of wild fig trees. These chimps may have been self-medicating, the researchers concluded. And for good reason, tests show that compounds in the fig leaves and bark are effective against bacteria, parasites and tumours. 

Fig trees have not only helped civilizations and cultures rise. They have also watched them fall, and have even helped to hide their ruins. For instance, the great cities of the Indus Valley Civilization boomed between 3300 and 1500 BCE, but they were lost to history until 1827, when a deserter on the run from the East India Company called Charles Masson arrived there. The fig trees helped forests return and overwhelm the abandoned buildings Giant Strangler trees dominated the landscape. Ruins poked out of mysterious mounds. Local people told Masson they were relics of a society that collapsed after some divine intervention corrected the "lusts and crimes of the sovereign". In fact, it was a prolonged drought that brought down the Indus Valley Civilization Strangler figs also replaced drought-stricken people at the Mayan pyramids at Tikal in Guatemala, and the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. In each case, the fig trees helped forests return and overwhelm the abandoned buildings.

 Their seeds germinated in cracks in the stonework. Their roots ripped masonry apart and crushed walls with their weight. Their figs attracted animals that in turn dispersed seeds of dozens of other tree species. And so, the forest reclaimed these sites. This power has also been observed on volcanoes like Krakatoa, whose 1883 eruption purged the island of all life. Fig trees that recolonized the bare lava were instrumental in encouraging forest to form anew. Across the tropics scientists are now replicating this effect, planting fig trees to accelerate rainforest regeneration in areas where trees have been lost due to logging. All this means fig trees can provide hope for a future with a changing climate.

Fig trees could also help us adapt to extreme conditions.

In north-east India, people encourage fig roots to cross rivers, enlace and thicken to form robust bridges, saving lives in monsoon rains. In Ethiopia, fig trees are helping farmers adapt to drought by providing vital shade to crops and fodder to goats. These two approaches can also be applied elsewhere.

In all, fig trees can help us limit climate change, protect biodiversity and improve livelihoods, as long as we continue to plant and protect these trees, as humankind has done for millennia.

Many cultures around the world developed taboos against felling fig trees. Unfortunately today, these beliefs are fading from memory. We would do well to revive them.

Their long history serves as a reminder that we are the ones who are recent arrivals on an Earth in an 80-million-year-long Age of Ficus. Our future will be more secure if we put these trees in our plans.

Mike Shanahan is a freelance writer with a doctorate in rainforest ecology. His new book about fig trees is out now (published in the UK as Ladders to Heaven and in North America as Gods, Wasps and Stranglers).

[rora-s]

Life Series Book 1  Chapter 1: Broken Peace

“Arbor Eliffe! You get back here young lady!” I ran at top speed as Mrs. Greenwood yelled after me brandishing her woven basket over her head. 

I laughed like a maniac as I happily got away with the pockets of my jacket stuffed with cookies. However I hadn’t quite reached the woods when a hand reached out and pulled me back by the collar of my coat. 

I turned and smiled sheepishly at my father. He didn’t say anything as Mrs. Greenwood caught up to us. “Burian she’s done it again” the woman huffed her breath making little clouds in the cold air with each exhale. “Stole the whole tray the little troublemaker” she prodded me in the stomach with her basket which made me squirm from where my small frame was still being held up by my father gripping my collar. 

“I’m sorry Lavender, I'll have Camella bake you a fresh batch if you would like” my father offered.

I looked up at the adults talking over my head. “Hey I still have ‘em here in my pocket” I explained. Reaching in I pulled out a handful of crushed cookies.

My father sighed and Mrs. Greenwood let off a noise that sounded an awful lot like a growl. “I’ll be waiting for your wife’s delivery,” the woman declared turning on her stubby legs and hobbling back to her little cottage. I stuck my tongue out at her back. 

“Arbor” my father spoke scoldingly. 

“What?!” I exclaimed “she’s a mean old woman!” 

My dad let off a breath “that’s not-” he was cut off by a tearing noise and in the next moment my butt was in the snow. I looked up to see the torn collar of my coat in my father’s hand. “Let’s go home,” he declared defeatedly. “We’ll talk there” 

I followed my father through our small village. Cradled in a little glen it was a peaceful, wintery world all to our own. It was mostly filled with Dryads like my family and Mrs. Greenwood but we had the occasional animal friend who came to say. The Beavers who lived in the nearby dam came over every once and awhile to buy some things and a family of deer had a hollow down the road. 

It was a calm place most of the time. However there were times when we would hear the bells of the queen’s carriage or the pounding feet of the security police pack and would have to go inside. Those times me and mother would wait in the back room until father came and got us. To tell us things were safe. 

When me and father got home the first thing he did was take my coat and dump the pockets into the trash bin. Which I felt was a great waste. Then we headed into the kitchen where my mother was cooking. “Darling is that you?” she called over her shoulder. 

“It’s both of us” my father replied “someone got in trouble with Lavender Greenwood again” 

“Hey she’s the one that hordes all those goodies she bakes” I argued “and I’m not the only one who steals them” 

“Yes you’re just the one who gets caught the most” my mother chuckled turning around. She came over to the pair of us “i’ll make Lavender a new batch of cookies” she looked down at me squinting her eyes “oh look you’ve got dirt on your face” she murmured raising her apron to wipe my cheeks. 

“Mom” I whined. “It’s just a little dirt from Mrs. Greenwood’s garden.” she continued to scrub at my face “why are you making her cookies anyway? She’s the mean one who’s always glaring” 

My mother sighed, apparently giving up on getting my face clean. “How about I double the recipe then and we can keep the extra batch?”

“I quite like that plan” I smiled as she stood. 

“Oh so you’re rewarding our little thief here now are you?” my father inquired of my mother with a smirk. 

“Well Mrs. Greenwood is quite the grouchy old woman” mother pointed out. I gave my father a proud smirk having said something very similar earlier. 

“What am I to do with you two?” the man of the house sighed. 

“Love us” I cheered. 

“I quite like that answer” mother laughed lightly. Then she noticed my father holding my coat. “Oh what happened to your coat?” she inquired coming over. 

“Dad ripped it” I pointed up at the man quickly. 

“Nice” he grumbled down at me. 

I shrugged “it’s the truth” 

“Alright well we’ll get this fixed up then” the woman declared taking up the torn fabric. She sat it off to the side and returned to making dinner. 

“Come here kid” my father picked me up and sat me on the table. “We have to talk about all this stealing you’ve been doing. Mrs. Greenwood’s cookies, yarn from Mr. Orchard.” 

“It’s not stealing” I objected “it’s borrowing” 

“Do you return it?” my father inquired. I didn’t answer because I knew he was right “exactly now you can’t do that alright. Your five years old Arbor you have to understand. People work hard to make or earn the things you just take.” 

“But I work hard to take them,” I explained. “I had to wait for an hour outside Mrs. Greenwood’s window for her to place the cookies out and then even longer for them to cool off.” 

I heard my mother chuckle and my father sighed “listen Arbor things have value beyond just the work you put into them. Things like the value of promises and hope and love” my father sighed and sat down. “Here I’ll tell you a story. There once was a great king of Narnia. A king by the name of Aslan back in a time when our people would dance and bloom. Green grassy hills and fields filled with colorful flowers, petals drifting on the wind. Great celebrations with singing and dancing with the fauns and centaurs and all the other creatures of the wood.” 

“That sounds incredible,” I explained. “You would dance outside in the snow?” 

“There was no snow then” the man objected “Before this eternal winter there was once the four seasons. There was spring where things would grow and bloom and we’d have rainy days to splash in puddles. Summer where it would get so hot in the day we would all relax in the shade and play music, we’d have bonfires and tell stories. Autumn when all the trees would turn beautiful colors and we would harvest the fields preparing great feasts and parties. Then when winter would come it would be a short time where we’d go sledding, build snowmen, snuggle inside with warm drinks, and give gifts to one another” 

“Wow” I exclaimed in awe imagining such a world “what happened?” 

My father’s joyous smile faltered “it was stolen away from us by the White Witch.” my father explained he glanced over at my mother who had been watching us as she cooked. Her face heavy, and rigid in concern and sadness. “She came and she stole and she destroyed, Arbor. She took our joy and our happiness she took all the magic from our beautiful world and filled it with winter and sadness and fear” 

“That’s awful” I murmured looking out the window at the white snow falling outside.  

“She stole Arbor and she destroyed this entire land do you understand now why you must never steal what belongs to another?” he asked. 

I nodded quickly “but there has to be some way to end this winter? I want to see spring, summer, autumn” 

My father smiled warmly. Then looked around as if he expected us to be overheard before scooting closer. “There is a prophecy left to us by Aslan.” he cleared his throat dramatically before continuing “it goes: When Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone sits in Car Paraval in throne the evil time will be over and done.” 

“Wow” I breathed, keeping my voice low in a mirror of his “what does it mean?” 

“It means that one day two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve. In other words two human boys and two human girls will come into this land and vanquish the White Witch restoring all we once had to Narnia” 

I let off an excited giggle “they’ll bring spring back?” I questioned loudly. 

“Shh shh” my father hushed lightly “yes they will.” he sighed and reached a hand out to touch my cheek “oh and my dear Arbor I hope you get to see it” 

There was a moment of silence in the house before mother sighed “alright you two enough story time” she decreed. “Burian I need you to go pick me some more apples for the crumble” 

“I can do it mom” I exclaimed jumping from the table. “I want to go see Malic” 

“Oh alright but your coat is torn” my mother observed. 

“Here she can borrow mine, it's not that far to Malic’s orchard,” my father offered. He picked his jacket from the back of his chair and wrapped it around me. It smelled like him, warm and comforting. Like pine needles and old wood. The jacket was far too large for me made of brown leather, however it didn’t drag on the ground and I could move in it. “There that should suffice for your small journey” 

“Here” Mother handed me a basket. “Alright now it’s getting late so off to Malic’s and then straight back here for dinner” 

“Yes ma’am” I nodded in agreement as I shuffled to the door. “I love you!” 

“Love you too darling” father replied. 

“Love you” my mother also voiced kissing my forehead and then ushering me out the door. 

I ran down the snowy lane. Weaving past ice patches and giving an extra big smile to the glowering Mrs. Greenwood as I passed by her Cottage. Entering the woods I navigated among the trees with practiced ease. I reached my destination with a happy squeal. 

“Malic!” I greeted the aged apple tree. He rustled his branches in greeting. I reached up and placed a hand to his trunk leaning in. I felt the life rushing below and within his bark. I felt a weight hit my arm and looked to see an apple had fallen into my basket. “Oh thank you mother sent me to collect some for a crumble she’s making.” I explained. 

Malic reached down with his branched and I climbed up among them. I loved going high up into the air and looking out at the woods. Sitting in his branches I began to pick offered apples and tell him the grand story my father had told to me. Malic allowed me to jabber at him for a long time before I finally realized the sun was setting behind me and it was getting dark. 

“Oh I have to go, my mother said to be back quickly” I told the tree. “I’ll be back tomorrow though” I promised. Malic let me down from his branches and I began to run back toward the village waving goodbye to my friend. 

I weaved among the growing shadows of the trees, my feet crunching in the snow. I was nearly out of the woods when I was brought to a stop as a scream split the air. Fear suddenly shot through my veins as my breathing picked up. I started forward again slowly as firelight came into view. I entered the glen and dropped my basket with a gasp at the sight. People were running around madly two of the houses of the village burned and another began to catch. 

Statues that looked a lot like people I knew stood along the street in frozen images of terror. Shielding themselves from whatever was about to attack them. Standing there in the middle of it, just as frozen as the statues around her, crystal white with a gleaming scepter in her hand admiring the chaos with a look that could only be described as a chilling evil. The White Witch. 

I stood there staring as screaming was all around me just looking at her. Then someone grabbed my arm. I turned to see the panicked eyes of Mrs. Greenwood. “Arbor, come this way quickly!” she whispered urgently and dragged me off toward her house. We came inside and she pulled me over to a place on the floor. Lifting a hatch she rushed me down into the little crawl space below. “Stay here” she whispered hurriedly looking over her shoulder. 

“Where’s my mom and dad?” I asked desperately. 

“Shhh” she hushed me quickly. “Just stay quiet and stay hidden. Arbor please stay here until everything is quiet please promise me”

“I promise” I agreed, too terrified to do much else. She closed the hatch and I heard what sounded like her slapping the carpet back over it. The small space suddenly became very dark. I curled up into myself and listened.

There were screams and crashing and yelling and the roar of fire and things falling more screaming. I covered my ears and rolled on my side burying my head into my father’s jacket. Praying for peace. 

It was a long time before there was finally peace. I remained hidden in the darkness long after there was silence listening in fear. However, eventually I rose from my place on the floor and pushed on the hatch with my shaking hands. Slowly it creaked open. Climbing out I looked around. The house above was trashed, the table overturned and the door crashed in. Gentle morning light was pouring in from every crack in the walls and through the shattered glass in the window. 

Slowly I walked forward. Every step sounded far too loud in the chilling quiet. I exited the house and looked around in despair. Half the village was burned to the ground. The street was empty. I walked on down the road heading for home. Praying that it was safe hoping my parents were there waiting for me. Hoping they would be there to tell me everything was alright. The more I thought of them the faster I went until I was running around the corner to my house. 

I stopped dead in my tracks. It was gone. The entire home was ruble. Burnt to a chard crisp. I felt tears threatening my eyes as I looked around and didn’t see anyone. “Mom? Dad?” I called into the silence. There was no response “Mom?! Dad?!” I called louder. Still nothing I called again and my voice broke as my knees buckled. They were gone. 

[melyaliz]

Heads

Fandom: Harry Potter 

Summary: Heads or Tails, which would you chose

Pairing: Fred Weasley x OC 

Notes: Chose your Ending! This is one of two possibilities 

Other ending: Coming soon 

Read the rest of the story:  Master List 

All Masterlists @melyalizarchive​

Connect with me! AO3 / Instagram / Pinterest

DONATE or REQUEST

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The electricity jolted through his body and Fred gasped for air like a fish. His eyes wide as he coughing up blood.

“What…. what…”

“There is no way in hell you are dying before me” Rose hissed putting a hand over his face. He took it eyes wide panting still trying to take in what was going on around him. Gently, with the help of Percy she helped Fred up escaping down to the infirmary.  

Helen met them at the door helping Fred onto a chair as Rose explained what happened.

“It worked…” the older girl said more to herself than her cousin.

“What do you mean it worked!” Rose shot, the thought of it not working made her heart freeze over. The possibility. “You said it would!”

“I said it might…” Helen said checking the boy's eyes and pulse, “we’re going to have to check him for brain damage and…”

An unearthly scream cut her off. Everyone turned to see Liam bursting into the room, a bloody Clara in his arms. Behind them, Alfie let out a few more curses at someone who was obviously following them.

“Help her!” Liam yelled, “It was a werewolf.”

Both Helen and Pomfrey rushed to his side helping set the screaming sobbing girl onto a table. Her blonde hair was matted with blood and her hands were gripping Liem so tightly she was going to leave a bruise.

“My legs, I can’t feel my legs!” Clara screamed as Helen pulling her bag with her muttering something to Pomfrey was nodding.

Rose watched as if the world around her was spinning, turning to Alfie, as if in a daze. What was happening? Where was she? When was she going to wake up from this nightmare?

“What… happened?” she choked out, her brother turned to her. His eyes wide and hollow.

“She…” it was all he could get out before he bent over and threw up all over Rose’s feet. Rose knelt down rubbing her brother’s back as he tried to right himself. His body rocking with sick and sobs.

“There… It got a Ravenclaw, Clara was trying to help him get out…” Alfie mumbled, “There was so much blood.”

“Liam,” Helen said, voice was sharp as her brother turned storming toward the door, wand in hand.

“Liam wait!” Rose echoing Helens as she tried to help her brother who was gagging on the floor. Hand reached out as if she could grab the other boy and pull him back to safety.

Her cousin paused for a moment turning to look at her. His look was so fierce it frightened Rose. For the first time in her life Rose felt scared of him and remembered how powerful he had become, “They can’t get away with this” He hissed venom in his voice that made her blood run cold, “I’m going to kill them all.”

From behind her, Rose could hear Clara’s sobs as Helen quickly tried to stop the bleeding on her legs.

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That first year after the Death of Voldemort was one of the worst years in Rose’s life. So many deaths lay in their wake. It was as if every day there was another Oh you remember that one boy? That one mother? That teacher? It was the same conversation over and over with a different name.

Rose tried to block it out, the pain and guilt was something she just couldn’t handle. She knew she was selfish as she focused on helping Fred recop. Coming early every day to the Weasley home leaving late at night. Some days just getting him up to eat and talk was a pure victory while other days just being able to hold his hand and know he was right there was all she needed.

Survivors guilt, that’s what Helen had called it. But Rose would just brush her off as she kept busy after all it wasn’t just Fred that needed help rehabilitating. Clara had lost her legs and some days Abigail's memories were so bad she couldn't even remember her own name.  

And there were others, scars that weren’t as visible. Alfie was never the same after that day. His happy songs turned to tragic ones. Using his music was a way to express himself. He became a famous singer and turned the world. He was never able to look at Clara the same way again. Blaming himself for what happened.

Liam became a Marksman like their Uncle Nolan. He married Carrie a few months after the war. It was a small wedding and an even smaller honeymoon.  Carrie never complained about his long absences, instead keeping herself busy starting her fashion line for witches and wizards.

And a year after Fred kept to his promise and married Rose.

With George as the best man and Clara was Rose’s Maid of Honor sitting in her new wheelchair. Norie caught the bouquet. Rose got cake all over Fred’s face before he shoved her almost head first into his piece.

Almost two years later they had a girl who Fred insisted on calling Georgina.

The day she was born Fred stood there holding his little girl. His eyes so wide and calm. Calmer than Rose had ever seen him before. Turning he looked over at this beautiful wife “I want more” he whispered, “I want a house filled with laughter like yours. I want there to be so many children we can’t move.”

“Wait a few weeks before telling me that,” Rose mumbled, “I just got that one out.”

Like he promised Rose ended up having seven children. Each with large smiles and a great sense of humor. There was never a dull day in the Primmington/Weasley house. Somedays Rose felt like their laughter shook the very rafters.

There was Georgina, the eldest who sometimes seemed to take that responsibility a little too seriously. She would stand up for anyone who was weaker than herself and if anyone even looked sideways at her siblings they would end up with a nasty hex that would take weeks to remove. She was almost always in and out of trouble because of her protective nature, however, her punishment at home was never much more than a wink from her father and fake apologies to the teachers from her mother.

Josh was the second and unlike his namesake took on more of his mother’s temperament. With Fred’s flaming red hair and Mother’s bright green eyes, he looked like trouble a mile away. But with one soft smile, he could disarm anyone. He had a knack for talking his more mischievous siblings out of trouble with some large vocabulary and calm demeanor.

Amelia -called Amy by all her friends and a few enemies-  was Fred’s daughter. A born troublemaker, when she gave her mother that little glint in her brown eyes Rose could only see Fred plotting some crazy scheme. She was the one who caused her parents the most grief yet the most laughs. While she was 2 years younger than Freddie and James the three of them would get into more trouble that would rival her father and his brother in their days.

Jack just wanted to be able to do things. He was always in the middle of the action ready and willing to do anything. Never the one hanging the bucket over the door but the one hoisting his sister up. He worshiped Amy and she was his inspiration for anything he did. He had Rose’s observations people and Fred’s creativity to get in and out of a situation. In many ways, he was a born leader and a born follower. Like Fred, he was stubborn when he didn’t want to do something and did very poorly at school because of it. While it was hard to annoy Jack once you did that was the end. You were dead to him.

Danny was very active like Jack but channeled it in a very different way; Sports, if there was anything that described Danny it was sports. Games, competition. Rose wasn’t quite sure where he got it from but never questioned it. While he was always for a good prank with his siblings but his true love was on the field playing Quidditch. He even ended up playing professional Quidditch soon after he left Hogwarts and his family never missed a game.

Fred wanted twins. He never said it out loud but he did. But Rose knew so when he finally got them Rose declared she was done.

Martha and Mickey. They were inseparable since birth. Or they were until Mickey got his Hogwarts letter and Martha didn’t. It was Mickey who had cried that night stating that he wouldn’t go. He would stay with his sister. Wizarding school be damned, Martha was the most magical person he knew. In the end, his sister coaxed him into going letting him know she was excited about her muggle school and that they would write each other letters each day comparing the school experience. Yes, that little 10 year old used experience in her vocabulary.

So while her siblings were all off learning potions and spells Martha spent her days at the local school and nights with her father who would get her options on any new trick he was working on. While he would never admit it, Martha held a soft place in his heart. Maybe it was because she never left him or maybe it was because she reminded him the most of Rose.

Which is why he went to live with her after Rose’s death.  

A promised Rose died first, Fred wasn’t really the same after her death saying it just wasn’t as fun without her laughter. He moved in with Martha and her young husband and kids. Four months later he died in his sleep. No fuss no bang, just fell asleep and never woke up to the sound of the most beautiful sound in the world.

Rose’s laugh.

That beautiful, deep down in her soul laugh.

“Hey”

------

Story Master List

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[serastarless]

__________________seraphina diana anastasia parkinson.

age & birthday. seventeen, december 3.

sign. sagittarius.

house & year. hufflepuff, seventh year.

blood status. pureblood. muggleborn.

character pronouns. she, her. they. them.

sexuality. bisexual.

siblings. julian parkinson. allegra parkinson.

other relations. archie and merritt parkinson - adoptive parents. david and ella griffiths - biological parents.

clubs. quidditch only.

favorite classes. flying, transfiguration.

least favorite classes. potions, charms, defense against the dark arts.

height. 5′2″

hair color. variable.

eye color. variable.

hair style. sera’s hair is usually the first sign that she is a metamorphmagus. she has very littler control over the changing color with her emotions. however, the style is almost always a clipped, choppy, and short bob. some days she is in the mood for long silky hair, though. it just depends on her mood. she rarely wears it up because the ties pull when she shifts.

fashion style. colors. patterns. textures. sera likes things to be bright and bold and different. she loves mixing feminine and masculine styles. she wears very high heels since she is so short. she likes to wear furs, leathers, sequins, silk, and spandex. sera wears a lot of things that might not mix well together, but seems to make it work for her. she has a very early punk and glam rock style. [ fashion moodboard ]

distinguishing features. her face changes shape. the most distinguishable feature about sera is that she can have any feature at any time. the face that is generally accepted as her normal has high cheekbones and sweet, rounded dimples. sera has a friendly face.

______________________________wand.

13 1/3″ hawthorn wood, phoenix feather, unbending.

The wandmaker Gregorovitch wrote that hawthorn ‘makes a strange, contradictory wand, as full of paradoxes as the tree that gave it birth, whose leaves and blossoms heal, and yet whose cut branches smell of death.’ While I disagree with many of Gregorovitch’s conclusions, we concur about hawthorn wands, which are complex and intriguing in their natures, just like the owners who best suit them. Hawthorn wands may be particularly suited to healing magic, but they are also adept at curses, and I have generally observed that the hawthorn wand seems most at home with a conflicted nature, or with a witch or wizard passing through a period of turmoil. Hawthorn is not easy to master, however, and I would only ever consider placing a hawthorn wand in the hands of a witch or wizard of proven talent, or the consequences might be dangerous. Hawthorn wands have a notable peculiarity: their spells can, when badly handled, backfire.

This is the rarest core type. Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn or dragon cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike.

______________________________pets.

Seraphina has a pet cat named Bubblegum, a pet ferret named Tingle, and a pet owl named Cindy.

______________________________amortentia.

broom polish.

quidditch has been seraphina’s passion for as long as she can recall. there is nothing more peaceful to her than an entire day spent on the quidditch pitch. the smell of broom polish is equivalent to those serene moments when she prepares.

coconut.

it is a warm and inviting scent that sera associates heavily with her favorite desserts, lotions, and places to travel to.

cherry.

cherries are a guilty pleasure for seraphina. they are her favorite and go-to snack on any given day. she loves to add cherries to anything.

______________________________boggart.

her worst fear is the idea that she will be found out. her true parentage will come to light and put not only her, but everyone she loves’ lives in danger.

______________________________patronus.

flamingo.

People with the Flamingo patronus know how to use their hearts to find the right solutions to their problems. They also find comfort in group situations. Therefore, folks with this patronus know how to maintain their individuality within large groups and enjoy being around people. These people are often flirtatious and flamboyant in the way they dress. Moreover, they know how to balance a busy lifestyle and often find themselves in a supportive role when someone is having relationship problems. They also know how to help them heal and move on. Their decisions in life usually come from the heart.

______________________________biography.

It was an early frost. The sun had only just set and each breath exhaled produced a puffy cloud of steam from the nostrils and lips of the hospital patrons as they entered and exited the sleek, upscale building. It was the Griffiths’ third child. The private birthing suite at the hospital had been reserved for a day and a half by the time labor started. 

They were the picture perfection muggle family for a short time. Both mother and father bursting with pride at the three perfect, healthy offspring. It lasted in bliss until the first time that infant Seraphina laughed. Her raven dark locks shifted to a bright, inexplicable pink. It was the same color as a cloud colored by a sunset. No expense was spared as they took her to doctors and experts in various fields to attempt to explain her shifting features. It was when things started floating off of shelves, rattled off the wall, and zipping up from the ground that the Griffiths could take no more. 

A friend of a friend of a friend who was in the know took the babe to a magic adoption agency. The Griffiths paid well to ensure the trail back to them was nearly impossible to discover. They didn’t want an angry witch or wizard coming after them some time down the line. That was how the Parkinson’s discovered the babe. 

Archie and Merritt Parkinson had already given birth to two children when they came to the decision for a third child. The social elite of pureblooded society, they were well known for their philanthropy. The Daily Prophet had done plenty of stories on the couple’s generosity. While some claimed that the very publicized adoption was just another stunt to gain public appeal, the truth was that they couldn’t have another child due to complications that Merritt faced when she’d had her last child. 

Of course, that wasn’t a reason to avoid using the adoption to their advantage. They needed a child and a pureblooded one at that. It was the bundle of swiftly changing hair that caught their heart. An infant metamorphmagus was a rarity, and they were told of her pureblooded parents who passed from dragon pox in another country had been a tragedy. (An insignificant lie if it got the babe adopted, right?) What reason would they have to doubt it? Obviously the infant possessed magical abilities and that was a safer bet than potentially adopted a squib. It was a win all around. Thus, Seraphina Diana Anastasia became the newest and welcomed member of the Parkinson family. 

Childhood for the Parkinsons was not all too different from any other pureblooded family. They were often flaunted in the name of their parents’ many pureblooded charities, but they never wanted for anything. Despite how public her adoption was, Sera never felt unwanted or out of place with her family. She was never made to feel anything less than a Parkinson. Seraphina embraced her role. She was ever the dutiful daughter, although she had a penchant for not thinking things through very well. But why would she need to? Any trouble that she came across, her parents would find a way to fix. 

As they got older, Seraphina grew prone to long periods of boredom as her siblings became old enough to go to school. It was during this time that she first discovered her love of flying. Soon enough it became time for Seraphina to go to Hogwarts. While she’d somewhat expected to get sorted into Slytherin with the rest of her peers, she wasn’t upset when the Sorting Hat decreed her a Hufflepuff. Her marks were always average in everything but flying. Frankly, she didn’t care to practice anything except Quidditch. She joined the team her second year and it has been her passion since. 

Life was normal. Well, as normal as it could be for a young, shapeshifting witch until the summer before her sixth year. An attack decimated an old orphanage not too far outside of Godric’s Hollow. Her mother was fast to say it was tragic that they’d lost the place that Seraphina had been adopted from. It was strange. Her adoption had never been the focal point of her life. More of a mere passing fact in the biography of her story. However, that sentence planted a seed in her. The attacks that were popping up over the nation, her father’s beliefs he became more and more vocal about, the tension of her peers… it all made one point abundantly clear. Blood was becoming more important by the day.

It was time to discover just precisely what bloodline was hers. Seraphina began digging. There wasn’t much to be recovered from the incinerated files of the old orphanage, but galleons greasing the palms of the right people supplied her with the right direction to continue her inquiries. It took time. It took money. It took resources that her mother was not always so willing to arrange. Eventually, Seraphina uncovered the not so pure history of her past. Then she destroyed every evidence of it. No one could ever know lest her own life or the life of her family be forfeit. She wouldn’t let that happen, no matter what. Besides, it didn’t change anything. Not really. Seraphina was what she’d always been raised to be. 

It was less than a week later that she began to ask her father about taking the Dark Mark. While hesitant to allow his youngest daughter into the less savory nature of his organization, Archie Parkinson was proud of her tenacity. However, it was the rest of her that impressed the right people under the dark hoods. Seraphina became notoriously able to take a hit and keep going. Her temper could shift at the drop of a hat, and there no were apparently no lengths to which she would not go. She was an incredibly loyal and malleable follower in more than one way. It was swiftly agreed that her loyalty would be an asset. Sera took the Dark Mark the month before her last year of schooling was to begin, a fact which was easy to hide given her particular abilities. 

Her marks have fallen to below average as Sera struggles to come to terms with the truth of her existence, with what she will do to hide it, with her ambition towards her quidditch career, and with her new found responsibilities. The girl who has always stood out by nature, is desperate to fit in. Survival is now the only thing that matters. 

[lady-daydream]

A little bit more about Zadkiel - FNV OC

-She’s was around 21 when she got shot but is 23 now

-Her name means the angel of forgiveness/mercy/freedom

-Her weapons of choice are:

A sniper rifle- since it’s quick , keeps her a distance away from danger but also she knew she a good shot it’s efficient and give those who deserve it a quick and merciful death.

Old glory- The old Melee weapon gifted by Ulysses was what symbolised her a freedom from her old actions. The bird symbolising freedom also helped with that. She also feels like it fits perfectly in her hand and swings nicely when the enemy gets a little to close.

Rocket launcher/ Shishkebab - when things seem to get to hairy these are her go to’s

-She has dark skin, light brown eyes with out blinded, with a scar alongside her right forehead from the bullet wound. She also has three tattoos , a hollow small heart over where her heart was, a circle with two horizontal lines through the middle of it on the back of her neck, the first one she got on an NCR base when she turned 16, the second she got on one of her leaves and it was both a symbol of forgiveness but also served as an almost target on her neck saying she accepted when death arrived it would arrive. She has also got a crown tattoo on the inside of her left forearm to show her support of the kings.

Her past:

-Her mother was a simple and peaceful settler in a more religious based community similar to The New Canaan. Her father was originally a mercenary working as a caravan guard. After meeting her mum her was happy to leave his old more violent past behind and stay with her mother working as a guard/go to sheriff for the community. He didn’t want kids just due to him believing he wasn’t fit for being a parent however when Zadkiel was born he happy accepted his paternal role. She was named Zadkiel due to its meaning of forgiveness by her mother seeing her birthday as a forgiveness of her fathers violent past and her mother’s nativity.

-When she was 7 however her pregnant mother along with most of the community were killed. While the guards were dealing with a situations the people sitting and preying during ‘Sunday service’ were barred into the building and it was set alight by raiders. Zadkiel and her father were late to the service since he was about to deal with the situation but the other head guard told him he could handle it then Zadkiel started stropping about not wanting to go. The few guards that survived the attack along with her father couldn’t save anyone in the church. He wasn’t religious before but went to the services to make his wife happy and see it as a peaceful break. Afterwards he abandoned religion as a belief altogether. The silver cross he wore seen more as a burden that had his wife name Lydia engraved into it

-After that, her father set off with her. Though unwilling to return to his violent past he knew that it was the best chance if there survival due to his skills. He took on bounty’s and any job where a gun for hire could be found. Though he would normally leave Zadkiel at there camp sometimes she would come along sitting on caravan carts or walking along. Her father taught her to shot once they hit the road her first kill was when she was 10 when she shot a raider when they were attacking her father. They stuck even closer after that, however they both wore face covers or masks to hide there identity due to word that the raiders were still searching for them .

-However when Zadkiel was 12 her father who had been burying his hatred and need for revenge became sick of having raiders and mercenaries hunt the two of them both so he handed his cross with her name engraved into it by him over to Zadkiel before leaving her in the care of a caravan trader he trusted,  then went to as many of the raider groups he could find as either planted explosives or just sniped them off. In a few months he had destroyed 15 raider camps. Some closer towards the Mojave which catch the NCR’s attention. They offered him a place in their ranks. One where he could do what he did with protection and with a purpose as well as fighting a good cause alongside a decent wage due to his skill helping him jump a few ranks. Knowing that his job as a merc wasn’t gonna last forever he agreed. Returning to Zadkiel calmer and with a goal to be a better person for her, with the thought being a soldier was one of the better ways a man like him could do that.

-After that Zadkiel became an NCR base kid, either exploring and observing training on base, talking to the groups of soldiers that seemed happy to talk to her or listening to the slightly watered down stories the soldier had to tell. That or she was in her fathers shadow. The both of them still wore face covers even though they were considerably safer, but after a while people got used it it.

-Zadkiel father had taught her how to shoot and how to use her own size and high in an actual fight. However it was only after multiple comments from other supervisors and trainers alike that mentioned her shooting ability as well as her ability to handle herself in a fight, that he even considered her joining the army. After bringing it up with Zadkiel hesitantly, a bit wearily due to disliking the idea of his daughter becoming a soldier, she was excited to join and started officially training when she was 15.

-It was quickly found that , likewise to her father, she was an extremely skilled sniper in the making. However she had no interest in explosives. However her father didn’t mind as his love of them was replaced by her own love of medicine. And though she wasn’t the best she knew enough to keep herself and those around her safe and alive. She also gain enough physical strength from training that she was a fearful opponent in hand to hand or a simple Melee fight, so much so that with the mask on and her build people mistook her for a guy. She didn’t mind and due to her somewhat quiet nature (another quirk that she had picked up from her father as well as from the many days they would travel in silence or the times they would have to stay quick in order to sneak through dangerous territory) she never corrected them, others did that for her.

-As she was training her father moved slowly up the ranks until he reach a point where he was on base more so than on the battlefield. Mostly he moved from base to base a lot however both Zadkiel and him kept together, her helping the medics or being sent on missions where her sniping skills would always come in handy. Briefly however the both of them did got stationed in the Mojave. Zadkiel was briefly stationed with first recon. She even met a much younger Boone who was a lot more friendly. However they only saw each other briefly not giving each other a passing thought, her mask and skill the only thing being remembered.

-She dated every now and then throughout her NCR life, including a cute nurse who said he was once an new Canaan but they split due to his conflicting views on her skills at violence undoing all the good she did. She also dated a a female caravan trader for a while who looked pretty in a dress and had an amazing aim however the distance wasn’t kind to either of them. While she was in 1st recon she started flirting with one of the snipers there but they passed away before things could get anymore serious than drinks in Freeside.

-She enjoyed her place in the NCR, enjoying the fact she could use her strength, Wit and intelligence to help protect people as well as make her father proud. However as she spent her leaves helping others where she could when she started hearing stories of the NCR not being able to protect the roads , of supplies not reaching soldiers of settlements being forced into joining. However she shook it off - rationalising it as the best option out of a bad lot. However soon after she was moved from 1st recon  the Bitter springs massacre happened. She quickly began losing more and more faith in the NCR. She was only 20 but had served for 5 years. She brought up the war crime to her father but her father dismissed it as an accident that happened or the NCR just doing the best with what they had. Normally she would believe him and a part of her wanted to, But a part of her couldn’t be so forgiving. Over the next month constantly arguing and butt heads with her father she couldn't stand herself being part of the problem. She took nothing but what she carried in her pack and after finishing her mission she walked away. From her old life. And everything that was held in. And she ditched the mask leaving it in the desert.

-She still wore the cross but still never considered herself religious,  But she kept it hidden as if I soldier had been told to keep an eye out for a girl with a cross engraved it would be a give away and life asked she would use her mothers name.

-Her father originally didn’t start looking for her. He thought originally she just needed to cool off. He knew what it was like to need to have a break from your life. However after a month he started to worry, putting word out. Thinking either she had run off or  worse. When they found her mask it put a stop to the NCR search. However he never stopped looking. Guilty he had lost the last thread of his old life, as well as losing the one person he trusted the most. For the rest of his life he hoped she had just run off and found a peaceful life like he had had once, regretful that their last conversation was hateful.

-Once she left, Zadkiel worked any job that would accept her. From bodyguard to farmer, to caravan trader and even as a medic. She tried to avoid mercenary work, knowing her skill might travel via word back to the NCR. However after a year she got bored of staying in the same place and when the option of being a courier opened up she jumped on it with no hesitation. She started working mostly in the Mojave, mostly message from settlements to settlements, enjoying seeing families getting messages from each other or food and supplies. Then came a job for a certain platinum chip.

After Being Shot:

-When she woke up from the bullet wound she couldn't remember anything about her old life. She couldn’t even remember her name. She guessed correctly that the one of name on her cross was her name using Zadkiel as her first name and Lydia as a second name. 

-The shot itself has left some permanent damage. She couldn’t speak more than a sentence without being unable to speak and confused. She was blinded in her right eye which was her previously dominant shooting eye. She also had a permanent pain from the bottom of her ribs to her left hip where benny or one of the khans with him had kicked her into her own grave. She got used to the pain in her leg and though it slowed her down and made her less agility she still had the strength she had before. She also had to reteach herself how to snipe but due to muscle memory she picked it up quickly. She also slowly got her voice back, being able to speak more and more as time went on. She found once she found the right words she was pretty good at charming and talking her way through a situation. However she much preferred the silent intimidating tactic or staying silent altogether.

Her views on different factions:

-Goodsprings: Part of her doesn’t believe she deserves the grace of being saved, thinking there must have been a reason she had been shot and left for dead. However the kindness the community had made her want to help as well as mend any bad deeds she had done before losing her memory. She will regularly go back to Goodsprings with supplies she can spare of offer free service as her way to say thank you as well as reminding them that if they ever need help to always ask.

-Primm: Her first interaction with NCR after she had reawoke. She felt like she was being watched constantly. The doctor had commented that the scars and her build could indicate that she used to be a soldier but with nothing else to go on it didn’t really lead to much. She kept her head down. However when helping Primm find a sheriff she called the NCR for help thinking there values would protect the town the most. She wishes later on that she had found a way to make the town independent. The citizens also were friendly but side eyed her after doing this making her feel more like an outsider.

-The NCR: As mentioned before her relationship with the NCR was born out of good values and principles. However after hearing stories of the greed and lack of empathy towards those she’s knew she had wanted to join to protect she left. However she put more blame on the higher ups than the individual soldiers and still respected them. However after the bullet wound, history seemed to repeat itself. She started to help the NCR again after meeting Boone. However before she committed to much ,stories of the NCR reached back to her. She choose to keep a distance but still helped when possible . Helping get supplies and helping medics when possible as well as taking our bounties. After she quickly and easily took care of the three bounties the base had available she went to the first recon group and told Corporal Betsy that Cook-Cook was dead. Zadkiel was approached by Lieutenant Gorobets offering a place but she refused stating she was glad she could help but didn’t really want to get to involved. Unbeknown to her  Lieutenant Gorobets knew who she really was due to have seen her face briefly while she had worked at first recon when she had got attacked and it had slipped briefly. He was also let on by her sniping skills which made her stand  out . He didn’t push but would always keep an eye out if she was on base since he remembered her father mentioning to look out for her after he had passed a year after her disappearance.

-The Legion: Maybe it was subconsciously hatred from her life before or maybe even her own forgiveness and mercy could only go so far. She believes a society is defined by how it’s most vulnerable are treated. The Legion treat their most vulnerable like objects to kill, fuck or rule over. She has mercy for who were once legionaries but saw the wrong of their ways and found a way to leave however their were few of those that abandoned the Legion were hunted down and killed. When she arrived at Nipton, and after forcibly stopping herself from attacking them all, knowing she was seriously outnumbered she tried to get those on crucifixes off cause even though they were powder gangers no one deserves to be crucified. She couldn’t save any of them. She will always try and heal any victims of Legion and will save as many slaves as possible. Eventually she and Boone killed Caesar letting Boone have the final shot. Finally casting her view that everyone deserves mercy and learning that forgiveness is measured subjectively not objectively.

-The Kings/The Followers - The two groups she stands for more than anything. She uses her medical knowledge to help out were she can, as well as bring supplies. Seeing the followers as just people helping others. However she actually has just as strong of a liking to the Kings - so far as to offer to be the Kings personal bodyguard herself. She is a king herself and will do odd jobs when possible. She didn’t get on with Pacer but she believed in the kings views on independence. She got a crown tattoo on the inside of her left forearm as well to show that she really did believe in the kings as well as the independence of freeside. She will cover it if she knows it would cause a dispute such as when she visits NCR territory however she happily shows it elsewhere.

Those she’s close with: Boone, Arcade, Raul and The King and Julie and Rex

-Boone; Her first companion. At the time she first met him she still could only talk more than a few sentence tops at a time and she had original gone to met Manny however when she saw him it was almost a complete hit of nausea and nostalgia over something she couldn’t remember. She got the same feeling with Manny as well. Originally she was neutral about Boone, respecting him due to recognising he was NCR however there was an hollow emptiness mixed with a overwhelming feeling of resent and anger wherever he went. Battling her own resentment over Benny she could emphasis enough to agree to help him find the person who sold Carla. She still had the images of those at Nipton on her mind when she found the Bill of sale. She couldn’t justify  Jeannie May Crawford's actions, furthermore lying about them. She let Boone have his Justice. However when she got back up she notice that nothing had changed that he was still hollow and angry. So she offered for him to come along, more to keep an eye on him to make sure that his anger didn’t become apathy, but also because she felt like if she could help him find peace that was the least she could do, knowing the only way she was gonna help him was by exposure over time. Over time she found him a good friend, and one of the few people she felt safe around. A part of however enjoyed the presence of someone who wasn't burdened by the expectations of forgiveness and would happily fuliful revenge if she couldn't. She helped him find mercy in himself by returning to Bitter springs and in return he listens, and answers bluntly but honestly what he thinks is the answer to any question she askes. He only kept one lie from her and that was that Lieutenant Gorobets had pulled him aside when they both were at Camp McCarran . At first he thought they were gonna ask him to re-join and was ready to turn him down, however he had enough respect from the Lieutenant to hear him out, and he was told who Zadkiel used to be. He told him not to let on that he knew. Only to keep an eye out for her, as a last wish for her passed away father. Boone remembered the mask and her presence at 1st recon briefly. He agreed to keep it a secret, tailoring his answers in hopes that the small hints he gave would jolt memories. On very rare occasions they do, however time did the most work. However Boone worries that she is going to be struck with the same feeling of guilt he felt when she finds out her father has passed.

-Raul- Raul was the closes thing she had to a father figure after she lost her memory. She knew that a lot of people saw him more as a grandfather figure however, maybe it was his accent the subconsciously reminded her of her father, or his habit of tinkering that she had watched her own father do when he had free time, or maybe it was the sarcastic humour but she always felt comfortable talking to him or just spending time with him. She wasn't the only one that felt the same, Raul blamed it on her looking like an older and more hardened version of Gabriella. However the both of them didn't mind. On very rare occasions they have been heard calling each other mi Padre and Mi hija. If one gets injured, the other one is close by, if one needs something the other ones  already on the way to get it. When Zadkiel started getting nightmares with snippets of memories was found more frequently with Raul telling him what she remembered, him cheering her up by joking or talking her mind off it. He had seen enough ghoul slowly turn feral and lose all memory so he wasn't phased by her own memory loss, knowing at least she could get it back.

Other Random Facts about her:

-She forgave and let Benny go twice. Boone was with her both times and asked both times if it was more the case she couldn't do it and needed him to take the shot. She had come to terms that she was just an unfortunate victim in the incident, and that anyone could have been in her place. Not to say she didn't want to have revenge, to make him pay from taking her past and causing her to go blind. However she showed him the mercy that he never showed her in hopes that he would change, as well as with the thought that with out his actions she never would have met the people she would call friends today. Despite this most of the companions keep an eye out for anyone in a black and white check suit, more than happy to bring justice for there friend if he even thought of causing trouble.

- She is both friends with Ulysses and Joshua Graham. Not friendly enough to take a bullet however they enjoyed each others company. With Ulysses she felt extremely guilty about the harm and damage she had caused to the divide. And when they were fighting she believe she deserved punishment. She didn't blow up any faction however late at night she sometimes thinks would it have been better to blow up both the legion as well as the NCR and let there be independence. With Joshua she always felt a little uncomfortable being in his presence. Maybe it was the fact that she was an old NCR soldier and he was a Ex-Legionary that caused the distance. She slowly over time learnt to forgive his past and will happily sit and talk with him. She feels slightly off about his adoption of Religion to justify his violence. However after Daniel gave her a copy of the bible and a few lines of it brought back memories of the past she asked them both. When Joshua mentioned the community she had been born in she felt the same nostalgia  feeling she had felt with Boone. Learning it had ben destroyed she concluded her family were probably dead. 

-She is a vegetarian. It wasn't due to values it was more that even as a young girl meat would cause her to be violently ill. She also lost most of her taste after being shot, including the ability to feel temperature. She often burns her mouth. 

Hey I'm sorry this took longer than expected, to make up for it I've made it a bit longer and explained on some of the things written down. This one is for  @jayofsunight  I hope you all enjoy and if you have any asks or requests for companion reactions or anything to do with my OC just comment or send a message my way. I hope you have an amazing day, love you all <3 xx

[straightupstrangetimes]

13 Not-So-Scary Movies to Get You in the Halloween Spirit!

Contributed by Kris Rustic, host of Obscure Anomalies podcast

Halloween is around the corner. Everywhere you look a horror movie is playing. For me, I love it. There is just something about being scared while knowing full well you are safe. But not everyone is into that sort of thing. My wife is one, so I tried to find lists of not-so-scary movies but was having trouble coming up with one, so I decided to write my own.

Please keep in mind, I did try to keep the list more kid and family friendly.

13. HOCUS POCUS

300 years have passed since the Sanderson sisters were executed for practicing dark witchcraft. Returning to life, thanks to a combination of a spell spoken before their demise and the accidental actions of Max, the new-kid-in-town, the sisters have but one night to secure their continuing existence. With the help of his younger sister Dani, his high school crush Allison, and a magical cat, it is up to Max to save the children of Salem.

A must see on any Halloween movie list. Full of light-hearted humour, this film is loved by people of all ages.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

12. CASPER (1995)

Furious that her late father only willed her his gloomy-looking mansion rather than his millions, Carrigan Crittenden makes a plan to burn the place to the ground. That is, until she finds a map leading to a treasure hidden under the house. But when she enters the rickety mansion to seek her claim, she is frightened away by the mansions ghostly inhabitants. Determined to get her hands on this hidden fortune, Crittenden hires afterlife therapist Dr. James Harvey to exorcise the ghosts from the mansion. Harvey and his daughter Kat move in and soon Kat befriends Casper, the ghost of a young boy, who is “the friendly ghost.” But not so friendly are Casper’s uncles--Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie--who are determined to drive all “fleshies” away. It is up to Harvey and Kat to help the ghosts cross over to the other side.

I may get some flack putting Casper this high up on the list, but hey, to each their own. Casper is a fun little film filled with the right amount of supernatural scares placed inside a package that every age can enjoy.

Watch it: Starz; Amazon Rent or Buy

11. THE WITCHES

While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga, young Luke inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch reveals a plan to turn all children into mice through a magical formula. When they find that Luke has overheard, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of his grandmother and new friend Bruno Jenkins, Luke the mouse must fight back against the evil witches.

Based on the book of the same name, The Witches is a classic. This may be one of the more frightening films on the list but is still children-friendly. Besides, who doesn’t want to save the world as a mouse.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

10. THE MONSTER SQUAD

The Monster Squad is a club of friends who idolize the classic monster-movies, especially their non-human stars. One day, Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, and other classic horror icons, all of which the club idolize, arrive in town in search of a magic amulet to destroy all the good in the world. It is up to the five friends to save the amulet from destruction and use it to cast the monsters into limbo.

One part The Goonies, one part Ghostbusters, and one part Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, the Monster Squad is a true cult classic that was way ahead of its time.

Watch for yourself and find out if the “Wolfman has nards.”

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

9. BEETLEJUICE

Adam and Barbara are like every other happily married couple -- who just happen to also be dead! Before they died, Adam and Barbara had spent their vacation to decorate and make the house their own, that is, until the fatal car crash. Unfortunately, a new family is moving in, and not quietly as they make plans to redecorate the house with the help of an interior designer. Adam and Barbara try to scare them out, but end up becoming the main attraction to the money making family. They call upon Beetlejuice to help, but Beetlejuice has more in mind than just helping.

While having a special place in my heart for taking place in Connecticut, Beetlejuice is an all around classic starting Michael Keaton and a young Winona Ryder.

Watch it:: Amazon Rent or Buy

8. PARANORMAN

Norman Babcock has the ability to speak with the dead -- and he often prefers their company to that of the living. Norman learns from his estranged uncle that a centuries-old witch’s curse on their town is real and about to come true -- and only Norman can stop it. When zombies rise from their graves, Norman and his ragtag team must summon all their courage and compassion to the limit to save his fellow townspeople. Taking place in the fictional town of Blithe Hollow, this stop-motion film is a beautiful take on the Salem Witch Trials.

I have to admit, I slept on this movie when it first came out. I had no interest in it at all, but then I watched it and became an instant favourite. The humour is a little more blue for a “children’s” movie, but the lesson learned in the end is valuable for all involved. Did I mention it is also well known for being the first mainstream animated film with an openly gay character?

Watch it: Sadly it is not available for streaming on Amazon, Netflix, or Hulu at this time, due to licensing agreements

7. FRANKENWEENIE

Young Victor Frankenstein is a science nerd and an outsider at school, but he does have one friend, his dog Sparky. Sadly, tragedy strikes, taking Sparky away from Victor. Heartbroken, Victor is given an idea of how to bring Sparky back to life. The experiment is a success and everything goes fine, that is, until his fellow students learn of his secret and use it to resurrect their beloved lost pets. Frankenweenie is a heartwarming tale of a boy and his dog, and the lengths we would go to keep our beloved friend.

I consider Frankenweenie to be the sister movie to ParaNorman. Both are stop motion and came out in the same year. The difference is Frankenweenie takes you back to the classic universal horror icons in a brand-new way. Did I mention it is in black and white and has that classic monster movie feel?

watch it: Rent on Youtube

6. NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

What happens to the Pumpkin King when he tires of being just that, the King of Halloween. Jack Skellington is bored of the same annual routine of scaring the people of the real world. One day, he stumbles upon Christmastown, full of bright colours and warm spirits, bringing a new lease to Jack’s life. He plots to bring Christmas under his control, only to find that the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton can go awry.

Originally I intended only one movie per director, but I don’t think you can begin to discuss family friendly Halloween without Tim Burton, especially because you cannot have a Halloween list without Nightmare Before Christmas. In all fairness, this is the perfect movie to finish out the year with.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

5. COCO

Miguel dream of becoming a musician, just like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. The problem, his family has a generations-old ban on music. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel steals Ernesto’s guitar and finds himself in the colourful Land of the Dead. With the help of a charming trickster named Héctor and Miguel’s dog Dante, Miguel must find his way back home, meanwhile learning the truth about his family’s past.

All bite. Coco is a Dia de los Muertos movie. I know some of you will complain that it is not a Halloween movie. Truth is, the spirit of Dia de los Muertos and Halloween are close enough for me to warrant inclusion into the list. The scenery and background is gorgeous, the story will tug at the heartstrings, and you will get to learn a little about the culture behind Dia de los Muertos, even if a bit Disneytized.

Watch it: Netflix

4. HALLOWEENTOWN

On Halloween, while Marnie is arguing with her mother Gwen, the kids’ grandmother Aggie comes to visit. Aggie wants to start Marnie’s witch training before her 13th birthday or Marnie will lose her powers forever. But there is another reason for Aggie’s visit. Something dark and evil is growing in Halloweentown, and Aggie wants help to defeat it. While Aggie and Gwen are arguing, Aggie uses magic, which Marnie observes. After Aggie leaves to return to Halloweentown, Marnie, Dylan and, unknown to Marnie and Dylan, Sophie follow her onto the return bus. Soon afterwards, Gwen follows the children to Halloweentown. While there, Aggie and Gwen are attacked by the dark force. Marnie, Dylan and Sophie have to race to get the ingredients to activate Merlin’s Wand to stop the evil and save Halloweentown.

A classic made for TV Disney movie, this film (and all sequels) are a perfect Halloween movie for all ages, and albeit a little cheesy at times. But who doesn’t love the occasional cheesy movie?

3. SCOOBY DOO AND THE WITCH’S GHOST

When the Master Gang Scooby meet a famous horror writer Ben Ravencroft (who may or may not be based off of Stephen King) during their last mystery, he invites them to his small hometown of Oakhaven, Massachusetts to join in the annual Autumn Fest. Ravencroft tells the Mystery Gang about the history of his ancestor, Sarah Ravencroft, who happened to be an evil witch and is supposedly haunting the town of Oakhaven. The gang decides to help the town and solve the mystery of the Witch’s Ghost.

This was tough to pick. We have Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School, Scooby Doo and Zombie Island, I mean honestly any Scooby Doo movie could fit. But I picked Witch’s Ghost for three simple reasons: takes place during the fall, witches, and the Hex Girls, a fictional all-female Goth Rock Band.

Watch it: Amazon Prime, Boomerang Channel on Amazon

2. MONSTER HOUSE

13-year-old DJ is obsessed with his creepy neighbour, Nebbercracker, and his eerie house. After all, rumours of his past have run rampant in the town. But one day, DJ and his friends witness the house come to life. Unable to find an adult that will believe him, and with Halloween vastly approaching, it is up to DJ and his friends to find a way to destroy the house before innocent trick-or-treaters meet their end.

At times, this film is a little on the frightening side, at least for the younger ones. The characters are well thought out and put together. While the animation is not ground breaking, it looks great and fits the movie perfectly. A perfect film for those looking for a fun, clean movie this Halloween.

Watch it: Amazon Rent or Buy

1. GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN

While collecting junk from an abandoned house, best friends Sonny and Sam come across an unpublished “Goosebumps” book. Opening it, they release Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy. Hoping to start a family, Slappy kidnaps Sonny’s mother and brings fourth all of his ghoulish friends (creatures and monsters from the Goosebumps novels) to life, just in time for Halloween. The sleepy town becomes overrun with monsters, witches, and other mysterious creatures. It is up to Sonny, his sister Sarah, and Sam to save their town, his mother, and foil Slappy’s plans.

Goosebumps (2015) is a pure nostalgia ride with a brand new feel and Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is no different. Trading in some of the humor for a little more horror feel, the movie has a little bit to offer for everyone.

Watch it: Netflix

The truth of the matter is, this list is not perfect and may never be complete, but it is a great starting point to the ever growing list of the Not-So-Scary Halloween movies. I feel in writing this, I have left so many great films off, so I have a list of some runner up films that just barely missed being on my top 13.

RUNNER UPS

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

Dracula and the classic horror monsters are afraid of humans. In an attempt to take a vacation away from humanity, Dracula operates a hotel way off in the woods. One day, a brave human makes his way to the castle, where the human and Dracula’s daughter “Zing”.

ADDAMS FAMILY (1991)

A man claiming to be Uncle Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams shows up at the Addam’s household. The family is thrilled, however Morticia begins to suspect the man is a fraud as he cannot recall details of Fester’s life. With the help of a lawyer, Fester manages to get the Addams evicted from the home. Can the Addam’s family save Uncle Fester? Can they get their home back?

DOUBLE DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE

The Farmer family is in debt and might lose their house. The Farmer Twins discover the somebody mean and shrewd is responsible for all the family problems. The determined twins try to trick at their evil aunt out of her magic moonstone to save their family home.

THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD

Two animated adaptations of classic literature adapted by Disney make up this film, which is the only reason it made the runner up list as Mr. Toad, while good, has nothing to do with Halloween. However, in the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” the gangly schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane, falls for the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. Caught in a love triangle with Katrina and Brom Bones, Ichabod fears the local legend of the Headless Horseman. Is the legend more truth than lore?

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS MEET THE WOLFMAN

Alvin loves monsters and monster movies, though he is terrified of them. Stuck with Werewolves on the mind, he believes his next door neighbour is one. Reluctantly, Simon helps Alvin investigate the neighbour. Meanwhile Theodore is bitten by a strange dog, and finds his inner “inner monster” and starts behaving like a werewolf himself.

Did I miss your favourite Not-So-Scary Halloween movie? Let me know what it is in the comments below.

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[magicandjuliet]

"hello,Cassandra"

Here's a little one shot about Cassandra Devorak's birth! It's reaaal fluff here • Mrs. Isadora Devorak had no idea how long it had been since that same day she had felt a strange pressure in the lower abdomen that had immediately alarmed her husband, Dr. Julian Devorak, who had immediately said it was the beginning of labor. Isadora had tried to downplay it by saying that maybe the baby was just moving, causing some pressure down there. She had therefore told him that it was nothing and that he didn't have to worry. It was only when the pressure had arrived a little later and this time more intense that she evaluated the possibility of the beginning of childbirth and that Julian had completely forgotten that he was a doctor for a few brief moments before he recomposed himself. While he was talking to her he tried to keep his voice in the most stable tone possible, even if sometimes his booming tone ended up rising a few octaves and cracking a little due to emotion. "good, breathe .. breathe" he was saying now, kneeling in front of her while she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head fell back and her hair brushed the untidy and messy sheets, twisted and pushed aside on one side. He kept one hand on her belly, trying to keep it as still as possible. Isadora knew he wasn't controlling anything, he just wanted her to feel safe and that made her smile. She reached out and squeezed her hand in his; both were holding each other's left hands, so their gold rings on their ring fingers touched lightly with a slight 'cling' which only softened Isadora's eyes even more. As soon as they were married she hadn't failed to notice how much that ring on his finger made Julian look more mature, changed. From their first meeting to the beginning of such a special moment, they had come a long way ... the little bundle of joy that would come to the world in the next few hours would have been what would have bound them eternally, the fruit of their love, that child would have been the proof of it. "does it hurt?" asked her husband "oh, if only I still had the mark I would transfer all that pain on me..." but she interrupted him, putting her right hand on his "love, don't worry" she said "we aren't in the phase of active labor yet. Remember? It'll take a while before that. I only feel pressure." Julian's gray eyes seemed like two stormy seas, he nodded unconvincingly "I know ... but maybe I should send Malak to call Mazelinka. For safety..." he said, running a hand through his hair "I don't even think about leaving you alone." Isadora smiled again, placing a hand on his cheek "will this make you feel more at ease?" Malak croaked beside them, as if to say to play along or he would never stop worrying at least until the child had turned 18. Julian nodded "yes." He said. The woman smiled "then I agree." With a quick nod, Julian told Malak to start and the crow flew gliding toward the city to the home of Julian's foster mother. Only then did the tension in her husband's shoulders seem to fade a little as he laid his hands on her belly again, with visible relief. "do you think about it?" he finally asked, in a low voice, "we're about to meet this little bundle of joy." Isadora smiled at him lovingly "i know..." he said "seems that this little one is looking forward to meeting us too." Julian smiled; it wasn't the smile he used when he wanted to provoke her, it was a sweet smile,It was full of emotions that she knew would emerge when he would take his baby in his arms. He placed a kiss on her stomach and then leaned his forehead against it, staying that way for a while as Isadora sank her fingers into the sea of copper-colored curls she hoped the child would inherit. "I love you" was all he whispered "I love you both." ••• It was only around midnight that the contractions began: the first didn't hurt, not even the second ... but the third was so strong that Isadora grabbed Julian's hand so hard that she risked breaking it, gripped by the pain of that terrible spasm that he had moved her belly muscles. Mazelinka was furiously waving a ladle in the air when she arrived "agh, damn crow! Why did you arrive so late?" She had exclaimed in a hoarse voice, that she had immediately softened to see Isadora "oh, my dear! how are you? how are you feeling?" Isadora was kneeling on the bed, one of Julian's hands on her back and the other holding her hand. The woman shrugged "it could be bet- oh, Julian; another contraction." And this time more intense than the others, so strong that a couple of tears came down mixed with the sweat that was beginning to form. "oh my god .. someone tell me how much is missing." She said, her voice clenched between her teeth in a hiss as she caught her breath. Julian didn't know for sure, but he had observed how the contractions were approaching each other "breathe, love" he said "we're almost there now." She nodded discouraged for a moment, preparing herself for more contractions. ••• Finally the long-awaited time as feared had arrived. The moment of birth; Isadora was lying on the pillows and in a hurry her husband had tied her hair while she breathed, so he sat down on her so that her back rested on his wide chest half uncovered by the neckline of his blouse. The urge to push had come, and Mazelinka drove everything with dexterity "courage sweetness, here we are!" he said "give me a strong push, show this child what its mother is made of!" she and her husband looked each other briefly in the eyes, he squeezed her shoulder with one hand, the other holding her trembling one. Isadora obeyed, all her body strained by the enormous effort to push a human being out into the world. She felt Mazelinka's hand on her knee as the old woman nodded and muttered to herself "very well, very well" she said "push for five more seconds ..." those five seconds lasted an eternity, and at the end of them she let herself go on her husband's chest, breathing hard and gasping. Julian kissed her hair "breathe, love ... you're very good ... breathe." encouraged her. Mazelinka nodded again "I see the head." he said, smiling "definitely a Devorak. Red hair." he smiled briefly at the phrase "you didn't expect a blond, did you?" joked Julian, stroking her back gently. Isadora pushed again, leaning forward. His beautiful face twisted into a list expression between concentration, ferocity and strained pain. Julian held his own in pain as he felt his hand almost shatter; he didn't care, she needed it. After a long while, the shoulders popped out together with the arms and the rest. Finally a little body covered in blood came out. Isadora gave a last push, clinging strongly to both Julian's hand and shirt, exposing his chest even more when the pain disappeared, relief and fatigue pervaded her, as if all her limbs had atrophied and she felt only the Julian's lips against her cheek. A sound shouted by very small lungs, but so powerful and to both came goose bumps: the cry of a newborn. Mazelinka lifted the little body in her arms and Isadora felt Julian's heart rumble on her back, fast and strong like a drum "it's a girl!" the new grandmother roared, proud raising it in the air. The little girl screamed incessantly, the narrow fists circulating without having a precise direction and the little legs kicked. Isadora let go of a sob, letting her tears run and releasing her tiredness and tension. Julian, behind her, he let himself go to a cry of pure joy; kissing her head several times and whispering to her how incredible she was while both new parents watched the new-born screaming "she's beautiful ..." Isadora murmured, holding his hand tight. Julian leaned his head on her "oh, she's so tiny, isn't she?" he said, wiping his tears quickly and now smiling. Mazelinka cleaned the baby well, wrapped her in clean bands and finally took her to her parents. "take off your shirt and put her on your chest, so she will get used to your scent." Once done, Mazelinka gave the baby to Isadora and she took her softly "oh ... hello ... hello honey" she murmured softly "we finally we know each other." the child immediately stopped crying, recognizing her mother's voice. She rested her cheek against her chest and slowly opened her eyes, they were silver like those of Julian, he had a small nose but of the same shape as his. Isadora smiled again, kissing her tight little fists before looking at Julian: that man was a valley of tears "hold her, Papa." she said, gently passing their daughter in his arms. His arms trembled, but she didn't even believe for a moment that he would drop her. In fact, the moment the little girl's head rested on the hollow of his arm, the trembling ceased and Julian stabilized, but the tears fell again "hey you ..." he murmured "you're beautiful ... it's me, I'm your dad! " finally being able to call himself a father filled his heart with love and pride for having contributed to creating that wonder that after nine long months he could hold in his arms. He touched her forehead with the tip of his nose "she has my eyes ..." he murmured, without really understanding what he was saying. he kept repeating "I'm a dad ... I'm a father ..." smiling as tears fell copiously. Isadora leaned on his shoulder, looking at their creation with nothing but pure love in her eyes. Mazelinka smiled "do we have a name?" She asked. Isadora and Julian looked at each other "I was thinking of 'Cassandra'" she said "Cassandra Devorak." He gave her a loving look, lightly rubbing the head of his daughter "Cassandra Levane Devorak, you mean"

[jae-writes-fanfiction]

Loki x f!Reader  -  1921 words  -  Part 6 of 10

Warnings: None

Notes:  This is a longer story, new parts every Wednesday and Sunday, let me know what you think!

Summary: Immediately following the previous chapter, the Bastard Queen and Loki confront the feelings and changes in their relationship, and later the princess receives a letter from her Aunt that changes everything.

Tags: @dragonrosegardens @kybaeza​

You woke up slowly, the silk sheets tempting you to keep you eyes closed for just one more minute. You blinked the sleep from your eyes only to see you were alone in the bed, which wasn’t yours. You disentangled the sheet from around you legs, and slowly sat up pulling it over your exposed body.

The room was beautiful, the walls a dark wood carved with ornate spells and symbols, the arches into antechambers hung with gauzy drapes offering the illusion of privacy, books and scrolls littered the tables and shelves as if they might be needed at any moment as dictated by a mind that thought incredibly fast.

Loki lay reclined on a lounge chair in the corner, paging through a worn book. His dark hair was messy and you noticed little love bites over his neck, and scratches down his arms standing in contrast with his pristine pale skin. They made you blush, wondering if your skin was decorated and dotted under the sheet. You let yourself appreciate the loose robe, it’s black and gold threaded fabric sliding down his arms, the cord barely tied around his waist.

“Is the view to your liking pet?”

He spoke without looking up from his book. The brazen words sending a blush over our body, persuading you to pull the sheet under your chin.

“It leaves something to be desired,” you retorted playfully.

Loki closed the book and laughed upon seeing you, “really? Darling, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” For a second you contemplated throwing something at him- but elected instead to drop the sheet from around your neck, and slowly stand to stretch languidly.  Loki audibly inhaled, and you felt his cool gaze tracing every swell and curve of your body- unable to look away. He swore, “woman you’re killing me.”

You laughed deeply, and winked at him, “please, you’d know if I was killing you.”

He stiffened, and nodded slowly, “I don’t doubt that.” Loki’s voice held a twinge of sobriety, one that moved him to toss you an old tunic of his.  

You smiled at the soft scents of lavender and smoke that clung to the olive colored fabric. You tugged the tunic on and crossed to sit with him.

“I meant to thank you for the ritual,” your voice was soft and unsure, “the lavender is sacred to my family...I-“ your voice fades away into a weighted silence, wondering how exactly to thank his kindness when he’d shown you the depth behind it. In what words could you thank his adoration, his foresight and consideration?

“Don’t make a fool of yourself,” he glared at you, “what do I care for your rituals.” The words were hollow, lacking the desired venom. He did not know the words to say he had to- he didn’t know how to perfectly say that to neglect your ritual betrothal would be neglecting the possibility of your affections. The concepts were foreign to him, not one to be so quickly and fully smitten.

You felt the weight of all the things neither of you could conjure into words, and suddenly felt exposed as if your soul was laid bare in front of you for all to judge. But here in his room, it didn’t matter what he saw in your soul. Loki felt for you freely and without pretenses, completely at face value. He saw all your bloody desires, your immense power for what they were, and loved you for it.

Shakily you took his hand in yours, “can  you teach me that spell...”

“Why?”

“Because, I don’t think you’d believe me any other way.”

Before he could ask what was beyond his belief you  gently pressed your lips against his. For a second you both froze, before deepening the kiss. It was slow and thorough, the only way to hint your growing affections without magic.

The kiss caught Loki off guard, unsure of your reasons. He could understand your attraction, he could understand the leverage he would provide to your cause, yet your direct tenderness felt like a dirty trick- one too soon to really consider.

You felt his body freeze with tension and knew he was debating your intentions as you had the night before.

“Please, teach me so you can know how I see you.” You said softly, your mind lingering over how he puzzled you in a thousand different ways, each fascinating and equally as powerful and bloody as yours. You thought Loki was like the stars, thousands of conflicting and competing parts all stitched together in one delightful brocade within the dark night sky. He drew your attention as a magnet, demanding your desires and dreams since your arrival, the errant thoughts of his dark hair, and strong arms plaguing your desires. And yet he felt more like yourself than you did displaced from your heritage.

When he didn’t respond or meet your eyes you teased to try and lighten the mood, “What my lord— now you’ve got me to bed shall you refuse my affections?”

“How could I refuse you?” He said, voice breaking over the syllables. “I didn’t ask for this, I was fine with being hated- I resented my father’s idea that a wife would gain me favor. But I cannot suffer your presence any longer! Not when you shine so brightly it feels like the moon has taken residence behind my eyes.”

You almost berated him for placing his struggles on your shoulders as if you were responsible for his inner turmoil, yet as he met your eyes the thought died.

“Have you cursed me, my love?” He said eyes stormy and forlorn, “Tell me in what manner you’ve bewitched me and I’ll hold you here no more.” Loki was tempted to chew his lip nervously, anticipating some trick of fate. Always believing the world against him, Loki maintained his strength and the mentality he had wronged none, but was wronged by all.

Your heart ached with his implications. You knew the tales of his failed conquests in other realms, for the throne. You knew how he returned changed yet, here he sat so wounded by himself and those around him that nothing ever seemed quite real.

“I’ve cast no spell.”

“Then I haven’t the strength to refuse you any longer.”

In a moment he’d wrapped you back within his arms as if tangled together nothing in either of your worlds could interfere. You tried to think of those words, their implications of such deep and familiar anger and sorrow- but found yourself lost within a kiss. His hands softly roamed your body, ghosting over your skin agonizingly thorough in their reverent exploration. In that kiss you knew whether here or restored to your kingdom there would be lifetimes for you to puzzle through his mind. He pulled you onto his lap, clutching to you desperately as if a gust of wind might blow you away. You melted against him letting your fingers run through his hair, each kiss linking you both closer in body and soul.

Hours later you snuck back into your own chambers set on dressing up before returning to your lover. Your servants were all alight with your return and your disheveled appearance inspired the most irreverent gossip. Impatient with their prattling and constant observance you sent them away, even refusing Halla’s attempts at drawing your bath.

Your head ached divided over how to proceed without disgracing you’re mother’s legacy, surrendering your kingdom, or leaving your newfound companion. Finally alone you slipped into the large tub, the hot waters turning your skin pink while instantly soothing the tension in your shoulders. You ran your hands over your body, remembering every touch, committing every bruise and bite to memory glowing with pride knowing his body was similarly marked. Within the back of your mind you kneel how proudly he’d wear each purple bite, secure enough to project to whom he exactly belonged. You grinned unconsciously knowing you too would dress and relish every snippet of gossip that would be told of your marked skin, and how brazenly you’d been claimed.

As the waters cooled Halla returned to help you into a robe, her mind aghast at the various marks scattered across your body. Knowing the link between you, she grasped your hands in her’s— her mind begging you to cover up. She wisely still feared the power of gossip. She implored you to at least wear a shawl- they were just starting to associate you with your mother's legacy. It would be unconscionable to lose that progress in light of your father's new transgressions.

By the time she’d pulled your dress over your arms, and tied it's laces, your silent conversation stood halted as you asked, “to what new transgressions are you referring?”

Halla’s eyes grew wide, unwilling to divulge anything from her own mind. Hesitantly she withdrew a letter from her apron. It's seal was your Aunt's. She had a daughter your age, and wouldn't risk her life to support your claim while living under your father's roof.

My niece,

I've received word from those still loyal to you- our rightful Queen. Your father quickly works through servants, many of them are fortunate and the guards get to them first...others are worked tirelessly until they collapse and the king no longer has use of them. Dozens of faithful servants to the crown have been executed for less in your absence, Without servants he's started demanding tributes from each family: one child to replace a dozen workers. His army is composed of unskilled men, many who have fallen in battle against their own brothers. Those who refuse to fight each other, or offer up their children are unable to leave. He has men patrolling our borders, and has enforced a heavy tax on all thoroughfares.To survive many stay and obey- but with the rainy season approaching there aren't enough people to harvest the fields. All will be destroyed, many will starve. If action isn't taken you won't have a kingdom to return to.

The blood in your veins boiled with each hastily scrawled word. You didn't have your mother's skill or power. Your only option was a rather simple protection spell, accompanied with prayer. The anger within you snarled and clawed for violence-reminding you of the power within your own blood. you were not a practitioner of blood magick but had read and seen the power that could manifest from it. That magick came with a price, one you might never understand. But what choice was there when your people were starved, beaten, and murdered?

Halla was called into one of the antechambers while you gathered supplies. You arranged three black candles around you for power, nettle to stick, and rue to leach away life. You placed the leaves in a ceramic dish and willed them to spark on fire. You felt your heart skip as you pricked your finger and let the tiny drops fall into the flame. You knelt silently among the now lit candles, resting your palms upwards on your knees. Silently you prayed and cast your spell.

Almost instantly your strength began to wan, and you felt the energy leave your body and into the spell. To finish the spell you slowly turned your palms over and laid them on the floor, extinguishing the candles. You swept the ashes from the dish into a vial and whispered for Halla to help you stand. She hesitated, frightened by your sudden pallor, before shakily helping you into bed.