#CLIFFHANGERRRRR

[risetherivermoon]

Part 8 - Sock's Fame Au

Part 8: A Violent Encounter (Love You James)

Part 7 <- -> Part 8.5

tag list: @jamofsunshine @okaythisisbecomingaproblem @my-beloved-fandoms @p-prettyboyzz

[fujunfuren]

THE GOOD BAD MOTHER (2023)

[pengillys]

i’m just so proud of taylor <3

[uraharasfavoriteexperiment]

hi, hi!

im not sure if your requests are open, if not, please ignore this.

may i request shinji hirako from bleach? where m!reader gets nipple piercings and surprises shinji with them? preferably NSFW, but if you'd rather not, then it's okay!

thank you!

okokokok im so excited to write this shinji is so daddy tysm anon

~ barbells

- shinji hirako x male reader / bj porn with minimal plot (smut) - content switch!shinji, switch!reader, short!reader cus im short so its a default im sorryyyy-, piercings, dirty talk, cursing, oral sex (reader receiving), pet names (baby, kitty/kitten, doll), authority kink >:D, light hair pulling, blowjob punishment gone wrong specifically for shinji - notes CLIFFHANGERRRRR [ wc ] 1555 please reblog fanfictions when you read one you like! likes do not help writers' algorithms!

you grin, lifting your arms up above your head and turning to both sides in front of the mirror. your [e/c] eyes rake over your naked upper half, and your cheeks turn a light shade of lily pink as your eyes land on your newest additions to your extensive collection of piercings:

nipple piercings.

about two months ago you got a ridiculous promotion, so you decided to indulge in the higher budget of pocket money and gotten your nipples pierced. after the piercings healed up correctly (thank god for no infections), you ordered a set of the cutest little arrow barbells for your new piercings, and moments ago, you had realized that you know someone else who would definitely be obsessed.

right on cue, as if this person knows you're thinking about him, you hear the man in question walk through the front door.

"m/n~" he hollers through the house, "m/n, i'm home!"

he gets no response- you're panicking in the walk-in closet, trying to think of a way to hide the surprise. he tilts his head, confused. his eyes scan the living room and hallway for signs of your presence as he makes his way towards the bedroom he shares with you.

"here kitty kitty kitty, where are you, baby?" he calls, a tiny needle of worry pricking his heart as he, once again, fails to receive an answer.

you grin excitedly (evilly?), hurriedly pulling one of his sweaters over your head and quietly closing the closet door, then you grab your phone and headphones and hop onto the bed, opening tiktok on your phone as an "excuse" as to why you "didn't hear him come into the house."

"shinji!!" you grin, taking off your headphones and dropping them and your phone onto the pillows. you pretty much sprint off the bed, jumping into shinji's open, waiting arms- your boyfriend is home! finally!

shinji chuckles, catching you by your waist. he backs himself up against the bedroom wall and slides his hands down your body to your legs, squeezing your thighs as he wraps your legs around his waist. he then takes hold of your ass with both hands, choosing to hold you up that way.

"hey, kitty~" he purrs, nuzzling his nose against yours with a grin of faux innocence adorning his handsome features. he squeezes your ass with both hands and lets you go, dropping you back onto your feet. his hands slide up underneath your (his) sweater, and he pulls you up against his chest by your waist, leaning in and grazing his lips against yours teasingly.

"how've you been today?" he asks.

your excited (evil.) grin from earlier makes a second appearance, and you hug him tightly, mumbling an answer into his chest.

"good..." you say, resting your chin on his chest and looking up at him, "i've got a surprise for you." you wrap your arms around his waist and hug him tightly, pulling him backward until your legs hit the bed. you let yourself fall, and shinji falls on top of you on his hands and knees. he leans in and presses his lips to yours, but this time the kiss is more heated, and more demanding.

"should i close my eyes?" he says against your lips, breaking the kiss and giving you his trademark idiot-grin.

you nod furiously, your own evil grin plastering your face. you put your hands on his chest and push him off you, shoving a pillow in his face. he giggles, sitting on his knees and hiding his face in the pillow. you back up a little, moving more towards the pillows, and pull his sweater over your head and throw it at him as hard as you can.

"look." you say, your voice dripping with badly contained laughter.

"oh god..." shinji growls, "should i be scared?" he has his hands covering his face, and he slowly separates two fingers and peeks through the gap...

his eyes widen, and all the blood in his brain goes south.

"shinji hirako, your whole body just became devoid of blood, didn't it-" you ask, cutting yourself off a little too late. shinji nods furiously, his face turning bright tomato-red.

"y-you've got- you've got barbells..." he observes, clearly struggling.

you giggle, reaching out and grabbing his shoulders. you let your weight fall into the pillows and pull him down on top of you. his hands rake up and down your body, and every time they pass your nipples, he can't help but play with them.

"shit, m/n..." he says quietly, leaning down and dragging his tongue over one of your nipples while his fingers play with the other. "you're so fucking hot, such a delicious little thing, hm? what'd you do this for?"

you try your best to force out a response in between your cute little moans and whimpers:

"i-ngh, fuck- i haah-w-wanted to g-get them cus i-i knghh-knew you w-were gonna l-like them... aah, fuck, shinji-"

shinji's blood starts to boil, and his heart starts to race, his mind screaming with nasty thoughts.

"you have no idea what i'm gonna do to you, kitten~" he growls into your ear, "you've been a bad boy, you need'a be punished."

your body shakes with shivers of anticipation, and you wrap your legs around his waist and squeeze, trying to egg him on. he chuckles, sneaking his hand under the waist of your sweatpants. you let him tug them off, leaving you in only your boxers. you kick them off the bed onto the floor. your own hands are busy as well, quickly undoing the buttons of his shirt and yanking it down off his muscled shoulders. you grin, smashing your lips onto his as he shrugs his shirt off and tosses it off the bed to join your discarded sweatpants.

you tug impatiently at shinji's belt, looking up at him and pouting furiously when he shakes his head, that big, stupid grin never leaving his face. you growl at him warningly, and he, of course, completely ignores it. you start to protest, but as you open your mouth shinji shoves his tongue into your mouth, his hands sliding underneath the elastic waist of your boxers. you moan into his mouth as his hand wraps around your painfully hard cock.

"nngh, fuck- shinji, please-" you whine, but shinji ignores you again, his other hand yanking your boxers down to your thighs, freeing you from your confines. without any warning, he dives down and drags his tongue over the tip of your dick, then takes you into his mouth in one startlingly smooth motion. he looks up at you and you make eye contact, and your brain trips and falls face-first into the gutter.

"ngh, fuck- sh-shinji, you look so g-good d-down there..." you whimper, moaning and throwing your head back into the pillows. shinji giggles around your dick, making it vibrate and forcing another desperate moan from the back of your throat.

"yeah? strugglin', are ya?" he says in a sadistic tone. you nod vigorously, biting your lip and trying to concentrate on not face-fucking shinji.

"well, then... you shouldn't do things like this~" at this, he reaches up and flicks the arrowhead of one of your barbells, making you groan. shinji growls like an animal around your cock, letting out his tongue and flattening it under the bottom of your shaft. he reaches up and grabs your face roughly, forcing you to look down at him as he hollows out his cheeks, bobbing his head up and down at a pace that your brain was having a lot of trouble handling. the only thought your brain can formulate is that it's so good.. so good. his mouth feels perfect, it's driving you rabid.

you let loose a feral, faintly wolf-like growl and your hand moves to shinji's head. your fingers tangle into his hair and your hips start to move. shinji moans, his eyes rolling up into his head and his face turning making him look like a hentai girl getting her throat fucked- which was exactly what was happening to poor shinji. he didn't mind, though- after all, he had always been on the submissive side in this relationship, and the fact that you were smaller than him was the main reason he liked you so much:

because if small, then why so strong?

shinji shoves his nose into your pelvic bone and shakes his head, growling like a crazed animal. he moans and lets his eyes roll up into his skull, and lets his jaw go slack, enabling a thin line of drool to dribble down his chin. he continues to moan and whine around your dick as your hips start to fuck up into his throat; his hands slide up your thighs to squeeze your hips, then they go up your waist and ribs-

shinji's eyes happen to flick over to the mirror, and his dick twitches in his boxers at the thought of what pretty sounds he could get from you if he fucked you in front of that mirror...

shinji growls again, the drool line thickening as his ears are filled with the beautiful sounds you're making- the perfect high notes, the animalistic growls, the hisses of his name...

shinji's hands find what they're looking for: your nipples. the piercings.

the piercings.

© uraharasfavoriteexperiment.

[misselysia]

Just for you

pairing: clive rosfield x (female) reader word count: 654

Finding yourself in the Valisthean woods, you moved with a purpose – Clive. Your goal: to gather some of the beautiful wyvern tails, the flowers that reminded you of Clive.

The woods were alive with nature's sounds, the birds singing their tune but your mind was fixed on your handsome leader, that you definitely had a crush on, Clive. You pictured his face, stoic most times, maybe softening if he saw the flowers you were collecting. Each wyvern tail you picked felt like a piece of hope and unspoken love. In the midst of the trees, you daydreamed about Clive's sturdy presence. This whole thing felt like a scene from a story, and you were playing the main character.

Lost in your thoughts, time flew away like it always does. The bunch of flowers in your hands meant more than just petals – it was a silent message.

As you clutched the bouquet of wyvern tails, deciding you've had enough collected, you made your way back through the woods from where you came, Obolus already awaited your return at the skiff. You eagerly jumped on board, the ferry man ready to take off. The fading light hinted at the approaching night as you sailed back towards the hideaway.

The blighted sea, a dangerous yet truly beautiful sight, stretched out before you, its eerie waters reflecting the darkening sky. The skiff cut through the tainted waves, and the scent of salt mixed with the ominous air of the Blight. The distant horizon, painted with hues of orange and purple, signaled the approaching end of the day.

As you approached the hideaway, the silhouette of the old ruins of the shipwreck emerged against the dimming sky. Skillfully guiding the skiff, the soft lapping of blighted waves accompanied your journey. You clutched your bouquet, the wyvern tails seeming to glow in the fading light. Little did you know, the night held more than just stars.

The skiff gently docked at the hideaway and Obolus, experienced in these waters, skillfully secured the vessel. Your heart quickened as you stepped onto the creaky, old docks. Behind you, the Blighted Sea stretched, its murky waters reflecting the dimming twilight. You took a steadying breath, mustering the courage to ascend the worn wooden elevator that led to the upper decks.

Approaching the huge doors of Clive's chambers, you felt the weight of unspoken emotions. With a hesitant breath, you raised your hand to knock.

However, a strange impulse stopped you from doing so. Instead, you peered through the gaps in the wooden door, hoping for a glimpse of Clive. What you saw inside shattered your excitement like glass.

Through the dimly lit room, you saw Clive and Jill, in a moment that, in the shadows, appeared more intimate than it probably was. Your heart dropped, and you felt a lump forming in your throat. Without thinking, you let go of the wyvern tails. The flowers tumbled to the floor, their vibrant petals now scattered like fallen dreams.

Embarrassment and hurt gripped you as you turned away. You ran to the bunks, seeking refuge in the darkness. You wanted nothing more than to get some sleep and forget about everything that had happened.

Meanwhile in Clive's chambers, the air carried the weight of unspoken tension. Jill, after sharing old memories with Clive, sensed the unresolved something hanging between them. With a casual goodbye, she left the room, leaving Clive alone in the dim light. Watching her leave, his eyes fell on the fallen wyvern tails. The vibrant petals glowed in the muted room, and suddenly, it hit him. He recognized those flowers, grasped their meaning, and a hint of regret settled in his chest. With a resigned sigh, Clive knelt down to gather the scattered wyvern tails. Each flower held a silent tale, and he could almost feel the weight of your gesture. Feeling the weight of the misunderstanding, he decided to seek clarity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cliffhangerrrrr hehe I thought it would be better to do it in 2 parts, so the anticipation is higher. But don't worry, part 2 is on it's way! Good night/morning my lovelies <3

[doetic]

ADOPTED BY JSLUG????? PART ONE

“Y/n you stupid ugly bitch come downstairs!!” your mom yelled.

you sighed and put your hair into a messy bun but in an effortlessly perfect way. you put on your dreamnotfound converse that was signed by all the dreamsmp members except for schlatt (a/n: cuz hez problematic duhhhh!!) and walked cooly down the stairs to the living room where some guy stood.

“you ugly loser! i’m selling you for more beer!” your mom yelled.

“good! i like him better than you anyways!” you said walking over to your new dad without getting a good look at him!

He took your hand and led you out the door. you kinda wished you had packed your stuff but whatever it smelled like beer anyways.

the car he brought you to was super cool. “woah how you afford this?” you asked.

“youtube” his voice was familiar.

“omg jschlatt?????”

“call me… dad”

A/n: HAHA CLIFFHANGERRRRR wait till april 2025 2 find out moar!!!!!

[pasteldaze]

Yandere Bakugou X Idol Reader - Part 6

A/N: oooooh cliffhangerrrrr

Taglist: @drownedbytears @shadowkitty-me @gettingshiggywithit

[wiz-writes]

I just replayed the demo in it's entirety and I just.... THAT CLIFFHANGERRRRR!!!! I will now be much like the MC and have many sleepless nights ahead of me as I contemplate my life and what to do while I wait for more...

Well, Anon, let's hope the update doesn't take me another half a year! 😅

No, let's not jinx it. *knocks on wood*

I'm really looking forward to writing what happens right after the cliffhanger, the options are going to be fun 🤭

[thegeminisage]

ok, i only have like an hour but i AM doing some story today. it's my fucking birthday tomorrow and i won't get to play so i deserve this. i activated the shrine at the promenade so i can easily go back later without having to walk thru kakariko or those fucking hands lol

man i always liked that place, except for the lizalfos. i'm glad it wasn't actually a big nest of spiders like they were originally considering

ok. i got distracted by a shrine. NOW i'm gonna go do some story...?

oh. i remembered that i hate it here <3 redead scary.................

GIBDO GUTS??? THEY'RE DROPPING GUTS NOW????

i did read that if you walk around naked down here - yeah. theyre mad

oooooh im in jail lol

they only let you out if you put clothes back on sldkfgjh very fair

you can also sneak in! she lets you out bc she's embarrassed lol

god i get SO LOST down here it took me forever to remember which way to go...

omg these falling blocks surprised me lol

COOOOOL A SAND RIVER

oh wow this light behind this statue reminds me so muchof oot's spirit temple...i dont have a mirror shield tho so i can't figure out what to do with it

i wonder if this is the right way?? npc dialogue leads me to believe this will take me to riju via an underground path but maybe i'm suppozed to know how to do the puzzle bc i already did the lightning temple or w/e theyre gonna call it?

OH I DIDNT LIKE THAT..........................

ran into a redead unexpectedly. it's the first time one in this game has seen me and started walking towards me. killed it with fire before it could do anything (such as scream) but man was that ever close. too fucking close. gotta be on my guard

ANOTHER ONE......... i didnt see it til i went to pick up the remains

and a third above me AAAAA

wtf was that there was some loud boom

IT'S RIJU <3

WAAHHHH SHE GOT SO BIG.......babygirl............................

oh my god GIBDO SWARM TIME? i literally have to leave rn or i'll be late what a CLIFFHANGERRRRR

[starlight-starwrites]

BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I AM SO INVESTEDDDDDDDDDD

THE WAY IT ENDS I---- BRUHHHH okay. the dragon got me. ate me up. the cliffhangerrrrr okay okay okay. im cool, im normal. you kinda got me on tenterhooks there mate. i love all the lore im absorbing from this fic, its just like before i watched game of thrones all over again. your's is the first word to me, not grrm. nor the show. okay noting noting, im loving the reader character. im loving the dragon reveal. loving the build. i am so excited for book 2, i already know how long it is and im am PUMPED. you are BACK BABY. okay.

im calm. really excited to see how its gonna play out. give me all the lore, all the drama, please and thank you my love.

As High As Honour

Summary: You never expected to leave Lys. You never expected to learn your mother had a family in Westeros. You definitely weren’t expecting dragons, politics, and heartache. You weren’t expecting Aemond Targaryen. Pairing(s): Eventual Soft Dark!Aemond Targaryen/F!Reader & Ser Harwin Strong/F!Reader (No Y/N) Warnings For This Chapter: Canon typical violence, death of loved ones, childbirth, death of a child (not detailed), canon typical misogyny Word Count: 8.1k A/N: No Civil War AU!! I know I said no more ASOIAF/HOtD…but this wouldn’t leave me alone. This is going to be a slow, slow, slow burn. Aemond isn’t in this chapter and Harwin only shows up for a few sentences but please come along on this adventure with me. It will set up the dynamics for the rest of the story. Reader has no physical attributes aside from silver hair and purple/mauve eyes. She is technically Aemond’s second cousin so…(Targcest?). Anyway. I’m having fun with this story, and I hope you do, too.

Book One: The Shrike

You scarcely remembered your last day in Lys. If you wracked your memories, you could recall washes of green, the smell of salt water and spicy perfumes, and the tinkling of your mother’s laugh as your father threw you into the air with a smile on his face.

But you also remembered your mother bundling you up into her arms, ripping you from sleep, and fleeing to one of the many docks around the city. Your father was nowhere to be seen. You would never see him again.

She taught you about the Seven Pointed Star and the Faith of the Seven on the weeks’ long journey, trying to brace you for the differences that awaited you when you docked in King’s Landing. The only houses you remembered, from her careful drawings on sheets of discarded papyrus in the belly of the ship, were the three headed dragon and the falcon.

“Those are the only two you need anyway,” your mother said with a low, soft laugh.

You just liked that you made her laugh. You hadn’t heard her laugh for almost the entirety of the voyage. But that was quickly wiped away when you moved through the foul-smelling city and into the red fortress that stretched into the sky.

The strange, sharp throne had you frowning as someone in a golden suit of armor announced your mother’s name into the cavernous room. He barely managed to get your name out before a woman who looked so eerily like your mother was sprinting toward you. “Maegelle!” She shouted.

Your mother stretched out her arms and caught the other woman with a strange mix of a cry and a laugh. “Oh, Aemma. It has been far too long.”

The woman—Aemma—pulled back and grasped at your mother’s face with shaking hands. “You haven’t changed at all.” But then her periwinkle eyes moved to you. “Oh!” Tears started to slip down her cheeks.

Your mother reached for you and you readily set your small fingers against her palm. “My little shrike, this is your aunt, Queen Aemma Targaryen.”

You truly did not understand what you and your mother had run from in Lys and the family dynamic you had been thrust into in King’s Landing. But you tried, piecing it together where you could.

Your mother was the twin of Aemma Arryn-Targaryen. The rebellious twin to Aemma’s dutiful and pious counterpart, which was ironic considering your mother was named after your great-aunt Maegelle Targaryen who had become a septa. Your mother had absconded to Lys while their father, Lord Rodrik Arryn, had been distracted by Aemma’s betrothal to Prince Viserys. The Lord of the Eyrie eventually accepted his youngest daughter’s foreign marriage—apparently your birth had softened him to it all.

You were six years younger than your cousin, Princess Rhaenyra, and followed her around the Red Keep endlessly. While you were your mother’s ’little shrike,’ you were Rhaenyra’s ‘little shadow.’ And where Rhaenyra was, Lady Alicent was sure to be.

Your lessons were spent at their sides and you often could be found in one of their chambers, asleep on a small mountain of pillows and blankets at their bedside. They encouraged you to participate in court, visit the city with them, and took you with them whenever they needed adventure away from the shadows of the Red Keep. Alicent took pains to teach you the prayers of the Seven and Rhaenyra, more than once, was half-heartedly scolded by her father for allowing you onto Syrax’s saddle with her as she flew around the city’s limits.

“She is Rhaenyra’s cousin in blood, but her sister by choice,” Aunt Aemma murmured to your mother one day as you broke your fast. You doubted she cared if you heard her, she and your mother were often together, too.

“And little Lady Alicent has gained a sister, too, it seems!” Your mother laughed.

But still, you were not entirely accepted at court. Some of the courtiers called you and your mother the Lysene Dragons. Then came the whispers. You knew your mother was different. Special. You knew it before your lives were upended in Lys. It was something Maegelle wore like armor with her head held high. Her ability to know things, to see things others could not, gave her a power you knew she was trying to pass onto you when you were alone together in her chambers in the quiet of the night. And then there was the fact that you looked more like your father than your mother—still clearly of Valyrian descent (the blood of Old Valyria was thick in Lys) with your silver hair and mauve eyes (a shade you shared with your mother), but just different enough. You were strange in their eyes, too. A little too ready to climb a tree or take your supper plate and eat by yourself in some dark room or to turn around in your horse’s saddle “just to see what it was like.” You preferred silence to idle chatter and had become a terror with a mace in the training grounds as your mother cheered from her perch. Rhaenyra doted on you and delighted in the way you still needed to learn how to hold your tongue with other highborn ladies–calling Lady Reyne a “kitten who assumes she’s a lion” to her face had the princess in stitches for a week. Giggling at inappropriate things had become something else associated with you as your time at court continued (an example of this would be when the King’s Counter was found guilty of stealing from the crown and blubbered for his life in the quiet of the Great Hall—your mother had to drag you out of the hall when your laughter could not cease). Your Lysene background made you an outsider at court, despite being able to prove your Targaryen heritage and the wealth your mother had smuggled out of Lys, but you didn’t particularly care to change anyone’s preconceived beliefs about you.

You delighted in the attentions of your mother, Aemma, Alicent, and Rhaenyra.

The men of court were another matter entirely.

King Viserys and his Hand, Otto Hightower, only served to make you uncomfortable or angry. Or both. You did not particularly care for how Viserys had apparently made Aemma suffer through torturous pregnancies over and over again in his want of a son. Your mother had held Aemma’s hand through her latest miscarriage and explained to you what had happened. Then Lord Otto had sneered at you and your mother when you first arrived but had changed his outward opinion when servants brought trunk after trunk after trunk, filled with gold and jewels, from your ship. He would whisper to the King whenever your mother spoke at dinner, suggesting something or other about the state of the kingdom, and you knew he was undermining her opinions. Prince Daemon was the only one who you marginally liked but he had a horrendous habit of touching your hair even after you and your mother slapped his hands away.

You tried, and you know your mother did as well, to make the Red Keep home. But by the time your first year in its shadows ended, your life was upended again. A blue and white carriage slowed to a stop in front of the fortress as you watched from your chambers a few floors above. You heard whispers whispers whispers of something you didn’t grasp. Something about your mother. Something about you. Something about that other house—House Arryn. But the pieces didn’t fit; you could not solve the puzzle yet.

Then you were alone. Your mother was frequently away behind closed doors and you were shooed away from listening against them whenever you tried.

But soon, both Alicent and Rhaenyra grasped your hands and led you forward as you were called into the Great Hall and you were presented to a frail old man. You curtseyed as Alicent taught you but could not stop the confused frown from pulling at the edges of your mouth as you glanced at your Aunt Aemma and your mother as they stood beside him. What was happening?

His weathered, age-marked hand reached out and the backs of his shaking fingers brushed against your cheek. It could have repulsed you or confused you further. Instead, traitorous tears welled in your eyes.

Your father used to do the same before tucking you into bed at night. Before you left Lys. Before he died. Before you learned your uncle seized control of his late brother’s trade agreements and drove you and your mother from the island. Before.

“My shrike, this is your grandsire, Lord Rodrick Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie.”

You learned that the children Lord Rodrik Arryn had with his first wife all perished, either from sickness, the sea, or the clashes with the Mountain Clans of the Vale. The number of possible heirs dwindled until…there was only you and your mother. As the only known child and grandchild of Rodrik Arryn and Princess Daella Targaryen, Rodrik’s second wife, not in line for the Iron Throne, you were named heir to the Vale of Arryn. You, at the behest of your mother, agreed to be known as an Arryn, instead of your father’s name, to keep the Arryn name alive and settle some of the fears the Valemen had brought before Viserys and Rodrik. Those had been the meetings your mother had weathered behind closed doors, fighting for your place in the line of succession. Instead of the red and black of House Targaryen you had almost become accustomed to wearing, you adopted shades of silver, blue, and white lace. Your obsidian necklaces were locked away and you wore sapphires, pearls, and opals in their place.

And then, with your little heart breaking, you were loaded into that white and blue carriage alongside Lord Arryn and your mother while Aemma, Rhaenyra, and Alicent wiped at their tear stained cheeks from the Keep’s steps.

Your life was out of your control; that was a strange realization for a child to make.

But your grandsire—Rodrik insisted you call him that with a kind smile you could not refuse—was good to you and told you stories of the Vale and the storied history of House Arryn as the road took you further and further from King’s Landing. Your mother also tried to assuage your fears and told you that your chosen sisters and aunt were not leaving your life permanently. “You shall see them again, my shrike. I swear it to you. Your wings have not been clipped.”

When you and your mother were presented to the assembled noble houses of the Vale in the Eyrie’s Crescent Chamber, you could feel their judging eyes moving all over you both. Even after Rodrik gave his personal approval of you and your mother, welcoming his “last daughter, back from her own adventures,” and reading the royal decree King Viserys had drafted, stating you and your mother were the trueborn Arryns you claimed to be, the stares persisted. But their judgment soon turned to awe when your mother presented your grandsire with a Valyrian steel sword, a falchion with ripples of sky blue shining across the blade and a large sapphire embedded in the intricate crossguard. Your mother had taken it from your home in Lys before fleeing to Westeros. It had been your father’s prized possession and Maegelle knew that it would strike at her good-brother’s pride to find it missing. And you surmised that this gift would gain her (and you) the approval of at least some of the lords waiting to discredit your claims to the weirwood throne of the Eyrie. (Several more trunks of gold and jewels adding to the Eyrie’s treasury probably helped, too.)

“A gift for my father,” she announced to the crowd with a knowing smile. “He has long served the Vale faithfully, and has been its greatest defender. He deserves a weapon as unyielding, strong, and just as he is.”

Rodrick took the sword and stood, holding the weapon up for just a moment before setting it aside and hugging your mother with all his strength. The crowd cheered and your mother was quick to tug you into the familial embrace as well. As they broke apart, Rodrick—your grandsire—smiled down at you, his dark eyes clouded with age but kind.

It was only then, as the assembled lords and ladies raised a toast to “Lady Maegelle” and called you “the little Lady Arryn,” did you truly take a breath.

Perhaps this could be home.

The Vale had its charms. The Eyrie had a harsh beauty and your mother was full of smiles as she showed you the fortress’ hidden passages and once helped you retrace the steps she had taken when she had absconded to Lys. While you could still see the sorrow in her eyes whenever she spoke of your father, you could tell that being here, in her childhood home, was some form of comfort for her. And she still took time to teach you all she had learned during her ‘adventures.’ How to cut to prevent death. How to see what the future held with just a drop of blood. How to mix potions to heal, to hurt, to subdue. You knew that most would not understand her. She called herself a healer. She was your hero.

“I’ll not have you defenseless in this world, my shrike.” She said it every night after your private lessons. But after your third year since settling into the chill of the Eyrie, you started to hear a touch of sadness in her voice.

“What ails you, mama?”

Her smile would be sad, too, but she would, without fail, lean down to press a kiss to your forehead as you rested atop your featherbed. “The future is ever shifting. I simply must keep trying.”

However, her smiles grew dimmer when the raven arrived, announcing the tourney King Viserys was hosting to celebrate Aunt Aemma’s pregnancy. “He believes she will give him a son.”

A feeling you were learning to embrace rolled your stomach. “She will,” the words tumbled out of your mouth. You knew them to be true but something else lingered, leaving an unpleasant taste on the back of your tongue, but you could not voice why. You were still learning.

Your mother nodded and set the missive aside before drawing you into her arms. A sigh rattled through her and you felt it shake your hair. “She will.”

Your grandsire could no longer make the journey to King’s Landing but smiled at you and made sure your cloak was tied tightly around your shoulders with a familiar, kind smile. He brushed his fingers against your cheek. “Sweet and safe travels to you, little bird.”

He and your mother spoke in soft tones, too, ending in a tight but gentle hug and your mother pressing a kiss to his cheek. And after the trek down to the carriages, you and the Valemen traveling party departed to the south. The feeling that had rolled your stomach weeks ago only grew stronger as the distance between you and the capital grew smaller. Something was going to happen. Something was in motion. But you did not know what.

Your feeling of ill-ease only subsided marginally when Rhaenyra and Alicent wrapped you in their arms as soon as you stepped out of the carriage. “How you’ve grown!” Alicent said with a smile. “I cannot believe it!”

“The Vale has made a lady of you!” Rhaenyra teased, pulling at the fine lace of your sleeve. “Not a speck of dust on your gown.”

Your mother snorted beside you before stealing a hug from Alicent and Rhaenyra, too. “Give it time; she will find the largest bit of mud and sully it soon enough.”

Your Aunt Aemma was glowing when you saw her in her solar but the feeling came back with a vengeance as she winced, lowering herself onto her settee.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong.

You had to be all but shoved out of your chambers by your mother in the coming days, introducing you to Princess Rhaenys and Lord Corlys Velaryon and their beautiful children, and then telling you to enjoy your time with Alicent and Rhaenyra at the tourney. And you tried your best, you did, and cheered beside them, even if they were cheering for Daemon as he rose through the ranks. Rhaenyra also seemed interested in the common born Dornishman. Cole, you think his name was.

Your eye was drawn to a different figure. Tall, broad, with curling brown hair peeking beneath his helm.

“And who has you looking like a doe?” Rhaenyra mused beside you.

“No one.”

“Has someone caught her attention?” Alicent asked from Rhaenyra’s side.

“No!” You groused, wanting your seat to open up and swallow you whole. This was not attention you liked. Now, you were not new to thinking a person attractive. There was a knight at the Eyrie who often had heat inching its way up your throat whenever he looked at you. But acting on it or your attentions being noticed were beyond your experience. Your companions might have plied you with stories of love and courtship, and your mother used to tell you the long, beautiful story of how your father earned her love and devotion, but this was frightening to you.

Undeterred, Rhaenyra turned and tried to follow your line of sight and you knew she found her mark when her smirk widened. “Ah, I believe I know who has captured our little shadow’s heart.”

“Who? Point him out to me!” Alicent leaned closer to Rhaenyra and you pondered getting up and leaving as Rhaenyra did actually point out the burly man who just removed his helm and your poor heart shot up into your throat as you got a clear look at his handsome face. “Oh, that’s Ser Harwin Strong.” Alicent looked around Rhaenyra to smile at you. “A fine choice.” “Enough,” you said, pouting.

The pair eventually relented and watched the rest of the tourney. You noticed Alicent had not ceased her habit of picking at the edges of her nail bed but the moment Rhaenyra placed her hand over hers, she stopped. The simple moment had you smiling. Their bond was special. Sometimes you felt like you were intruding on them, interrupting something you should not be privy to, gentle and warm. But it was not your place to question it. You simply wanted them to be happy.

“Ah! My nieces!”

You scowled at the sound of Daemon’s voice as he approached your box and the fact that he called you a niece—you were not his niece. His presence was still irksome and annoying. Listening to him was a chore so you found a spot across the tourney grounds—and no it was not Ser Harwin—to focus on so you could not listen to him wax poetic about his own prowess. It was only when both Rhaenyra and Alicent stood and you watched Alicent grant him his favor did you start to pay attention again. You could not stop the roll of your eyes—he was not subtle in his distaste for Otto and you knew that his mostly-harmless flirting with Alicent was a ploy. You also found his strange obsession with Rhaenyra uncomfortable. You hoped her attentions toward him would wane eventually.

“He’s going to lose,” you said as they retook their seats.

Rhaenyra nudged you with her elbow. “You are incorrigible. What has Uncle Daemon done to gain your ire?”

“He exists. But to be true, he is the least vexing of the men here.”

“I am sure you would not find Ser Harwin vexing.”

“Alicent!”

The pair giggled at your embarrassment but it soon ended when, indeed, Prince Daemon lost to Cole. But the smile you let press at your mouth withered as that creeping feeling once again started to bite at the back of your mind.

It would not be until you three arrived back at the Red Keep did you understand why that feeling had come so swiftly.

Your mother sat on her knees in the hall outside Aemma’s chambers. Her hands had been beaten raw, like she’d been beating at the door for hours. “She’s gone,” she whispered. “She’s gone.”

You learned that the Kingsguard had kept your mother from being at Aemma’s side during the birth, no matter how hard she fought. You would never forget how your mother raged at Viserys when you saw him next. In perfect High Valyrian, she cursed him as tears rolled down her cheeks. “You killed her! You did this! You kept me from her and her blood is on your hands—on your soul! You will feel it on you with every breath you take until you breathe your last! I could have saved her and you cut her open like a brute! Did you think I could not hear her calling for me? Did you think I did not hear her begging for you to not cut her? I will never forgive you!”

The funeral for both Aemma and little Baelon was a blurred memory for you. You remembered the warmth of the dragon’s flame as Syrax’s fire lit the pyre. You remembered how Rhaenyra shuddered with sobs in your hold. You remembered how your mother offered her a place at the Eyrie if she ever would want it. And you remembered the cold, calculating look in Otto’s eyes.

The moment the carriage door closed behind you, you wanted to open it again and run to Rhaenyra’s side, to comfort her, to hold her. But the most you could do was hope she would take your mother up on her offer of visiting the Eyrie. Every night on the way back to the Vale, you dreamt of your Aunt Aemma. She was always quiet and she would always press her hand to your face with a sad smile. When you woke, you would you feel the warmth of her touch against your skin. And every morning, your mother would hold your face the exact same way. It almost felt like Aemma was comforting you both.

And by the time you reached the Vale, you understood why.

Your grandsire was dead. He had taken his final breaths the night before you arrived. Your tears from the loss of your aunt turned to rage at the loss of your grandsire. Then the tears came again while the anger waited in the shadows of your heart. The only outlet you had was your mace and you took your rage out on the dark, spindly trees of the Eyrie’s garden, leaving them broken and shattered. Large chunks were missing from the bigger trunks, a testament to your wrath and ruin. But even as your energy waned, you sobbed in the shadows. Most left you alone, only your mother braved your presence while in the garden. She sat in silence upon a stone bench, listening to your destruction as she tilted her head up to feel the sunlight on her skin. It was like she was breathing through your wrath with you. She often cried at night, when she probably thought you could not hear her—or perhaps that was when she could no longer bear to hold her tears back. Either way, you often crept into her chambers and snuggled against her side beneath her warm blankets as you held each other until sleep took you both.

The grip your mother had on you as your grandsire was interred in the Arryn crypts was only mirrored by your grip on her. Tight and unwavering. You had each other. That would have to be enough.

Your mother became the Lady of the Eyrie and you were at her side when the assorted lords and ladies of the Vale swore their allegiance and she took her place atop the weirwood throne, Thorn drawn over her lap. Things had changed. Your rage simmered but never truly dissipated. Your tears still stung but slowly ebbed. Your mother settled into her duties and something settled behind your bones as you watched her hold court—she made sure you were at her side whenever possible, learning everything you could and listening to your admittedly unlearned ideas and slowly turning them toward something more suitable or palatable.

Your mother and her court were once again called to King’s Landing to swear fealty to Rhaenyra when she was named heir to the Iron Throne, and you found a bit of respite in your continued companionship with Alicent and the new Crown Princess. Watching Alicent ready Rhaenyra for her investiture had something stirring in your chest, the gentle touches, the unspoken looks between them. You did not know the words for it, but you knew they found comfort within each other. But soon you were called back to the Vale, your time cut short by your and your mother’s duties.

The moons came and went and your ravens to and from King’s Landing persisted, too. It was a balm to you to have Rhaenyra and Alicent’s friendship in your pocket, but even through their writings, you knew something had become…undone between them. Terrible understanding dawned on you when the raven from the capital arrived, inviting you and your mother to the wedding of Alicent and Viserys.

“This is an outrage!” Yorbert Royce exclaimed, his anger pooling in red splotches across his nose. “Queen Aemma has not yet been in her grave a year!”

Your mother raised a hand from her perch on her weirwood throne to quiet his outburst before tossing the missive away. It flittered down lazily before being scooped up by one of her handmaidens and quickly set alight. “It warms my heart to know that you feel the loss of my sister Aemma as I do, Lord Royce.” She kept her voice even but you could feel the hurt in each syllable. “I, too, view this as a grave strike against House Arryn and the Vale itself. While I will not begrudge any houses that wish to attend the festivities, my daughter and I will not be in attendance.”

And that was that. You would not speak out against your mother. In truth, you did not understand why Alicent, of all people, had been taken to wife by the king.

Your mother came into your chambers that night and explained it to you as your handmaidens readied you for bed. They had come with you from Lys, and you knew you and your mother could speak freely (in the Lysene dialect of Valyrian) in their presence.

“Did she not have care for Rhaenyra’s feelings?” You asked as lavender oil was rubbed into your skin. “Or of ours?”

Your mother hummed and leaned forward in her chair, steepling her fingers in her lap. “Do not blame Alicent, my little shrike. I have no doubt she had little choice in this matter. You know her father, that snake Otto, has high aspirations for himself and his bloodline. I would not be surprised if this was all his doing. Lady Alicent has always been nothing more than a pawn in his game. It is a cruel thing, a fate many girls are relegated to because they were not born boys.” She reached out and traced a finger down your nose. “I would, in my heart of hearts, not believe that Alicent wanted this. But I am sure Rhaenyra feels differently.” When you were finally ready for bed, she lifted the blankets of your featherbed around your shoulders, trying to press into your mind the politics of marriages between the highborn families of Westeros. She finished with, “We mustn’t judge them, either of them. It is better to be allied with them both.” She spoke a little longer of how both Alicent and Rhaenyra were in fragile positions of power but were more than likely more isolated than they ever had been before. She wished you good night, suggesting you write to both of them at first light, and strode toward the door.

“Will I be made to marry someone for advantage?” You asked, half dreading the answer.

Your mother paused, the light behind her making her look like a goddess cloaked in shadow. “We are the ladies of the Vale, my shrike. Our place in this kingdom is powerful but precarious. And I…” Her words trailed off. “Your future is clouded from me.” That simple, strange sentence struck at your marrow. How could she not know? Your mother knew everything, did she not? “But I promise you, I will do all I can to protect you and your heart. I’ll not have you moved about the board without your consent.”

The years slipped by. You kept your correspondence with both Rhaenyra and Alicent, still finding friendship with both of them, despite seeing their own relationship grow more and more strained from leagues away, piecing together its crumbling from anecdotes they slipped into their missives. You wished you could mend it, have them come back together. There was love there. You knew it now. And there could be again.

Your time was filled with learning at your mother’s side. While she had history within the Vale and had shadowed your grandfather when he still ruled, she had also played the great game while in Lys. She knew how to play the part of conciliator and of peacemaker while also not allowing certain concessions of her own power or boundaries. She did send men to aid in Lord Corlys’ war against the triarchy, but only those who volunteered; most came from the islands of the Three Sisters, eager and willing for a naval battle. This allowed her to retain a mostly neutral stance with the Crown while also encouraging close ties with House Velaryon (and Daemon, but that was beside the point).

Your mother’s personal sigil, of a falcon with dragon wings was probably her one acknowledgement of your nicknames: the Dragons of the Vale. At least they were not referring to your Lysene heritage as an insult anymore. You learnt much and more. How to be hard but forgiving. Soft yet unforgetting. “Never forget a slight, my shrike, but forgive those who genuinely ask for it.” But she also knew when to strike when she knew her perceived enemy felt safe and at a point she knew it would hurt the most. On the second anniversary of your aunt’s death, your mother told Viserys that she had set aside Daemon’s marriage to Lady Rhea Royce. My sister would not have her childhood home and allies left wanting with unfulfilled marriages. I’m sure she would help you understand if she were still with us. The raven with the crown’s approval arrived less than a fortnight later. You hoped you would one day be as respected as she was—but would happily wait years for that to come to pass.

Lady Rhea was more than pleased with the arrangement and you knew her and her bannermen were thankful to not have Daemon darken their doorstep again. You attended the wedding between Lady Rhea and a handsome second son from House Redfort as your mother’s envoy as she was preoccupied with dealing with the Mountain Clans attack on the High Road. You did not mind acting as the envoy for House Arryn. It was your duty, after all. But it could be lonely, at times. It was not uncommon for you to hear whispers about your mother’s reputation and ‘what she kept in her shadows’ and the wagers about if you were as so inclined as she. But you smiled prettily, danced with most everyone who asked, and mediated disputes when you thought it appropriate, trying to remember how your mother would speak to her bannermen. These would be your people to lead one day. Your secrets were your own, as were your mother’s.

And you were getting stronger by the day.

“Do you think it is true that they bathe in blood to retain their beauty?” Someone asked, the question only slightly muted to your ears over the wedding festivities. You did not deign it of high enough import to turn and see who was speaking—you’d heard all this before. “Do not be ridiculous!” Another hissed their reply.

“No, tis an honest question. They are more dragon than falcon anyway–at least the little one is.”

There was an answering grumble. “I have seen the little one go to the sept every morning to pray.” Of course someone spotted you going into the sept to pray; you made sure to go when the more pious amongst your group would also be in attendance. It was an easy ploy your mother suggested. “It would be best if you left your tall tales to the fool, no? Our ladies have been kind and fair to those who deserve it. They have been fine successors to Old Lord Rodrick.”

There was a pause before, “House Upcliff is eager for an audience with them.”

“Everyone is eager for an audience!”

Ridiculous.

It was also not surprising that several houses used opportunities like this to present their sons as possible matches to you. It felt more than a little underhanded when it happened without your mother around, but your handmaidens and sworn shield, Ser Oswin Melcolm, did help to make you feel secure enough to politely refuse to make a decision on your own. You would not overstep your mother’s authority.

It was a reprieve when you finally stepped back into the cold shadows of the Eyrie a moon later, home at last. You needed a scalding bath and a hug from your mother. It felt like you could breathe again when you smelt her spiced perfume and she giggled with you as the moon rose high in the sky, both of you recounting your assorted adventures.

The next morn, a raven was waiting for you, stamped with the seal of House Targaryen, just as your mother had one waiting for her, stamped with the seal of House Velaryon–it was probably from Princess Rhaenys, they had kept a correspondence since the tourney. You read yours as you broke your fast.

“Who has written to you, my shrike?” Your mother asked, plucking a plum from the assortment of fruit in front of you.

“Rhaenyra is going on a tour to find a husband, by order of the king,” you said, handing the missive to her with a sigh.

Your mother’s mauve eyes quickly skimmed the princess’ words and she hummed as she handed it back to you. “You should accompany her.”

You choked on the next bite of porridge. “I-what?”

She patted your back with a knowing smile. “Your cousin feels alone, and despite your best efforts at hiding it, I know you miss her. She needs you just as you need her. Perhaps you can help her through this new trial.”

So far, the entire tour had been a farce. A near-permanent scowl was slapped across Rhaenyra’s face since you and your miniscule traveling party met her and her entourage on the King’s Road on the way to the Reach. By the time you had finished (and failed) through the Riverlands, you finally found the courage to speak to Rhaenyra about what your mother had said.

It did not go well and you spent the morning trying to get her to speak to you at all with little success. But you needed to help her see Alicent’s impossible choice and the whole of the situation in how it related to her; both the lucky and the unfortunate. So, you tried again.

The carriage rocked and you slid on the seat with a huff. “I am only trying to say that you are in a unique situation, Rhaenyra. So few women have the opportunity you have been given. To pick your husband—to make your own decision—it is a victory for you. Your father could have chosen the old Lord Fossoway or, Seven forbid, Dalton Greyjoy and marched you into the sept kicking and screaming and said it was for the good of the Realm.”

“Am I still supposed to be happy about this?” She bit out, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away from you. “No one is demanding you marry.”

“But they will. My mother and I know our grasp on the Vale is tenuous. If there was a way for us to solidify it, I would have to accept. I do not have a dragon. I cannot hold my position by myself. I am not a Targaryen-”

“You are!”

“-so I am resigned to whatever Valeman has the best suit.” You sighed and eyed your cousin carefully. “In this world, in this kingdom, women have so few freedoms. My mother gained the ire of King Jaehaerys by marrying for love. I am to be her only child, the maesters confirmed it and that is a solace to me because I know the love and loss of my father cracked at something deep inside her that cannot be healed. If she were able to bear more children, she would undoubtedly be forced to marry and have more children and that would harm her in a way that I…” the words trailed off for a moment and you tried to collect yourself. “I do not wish to think of it. But now you have the freedom of choice, of finding your own love, with your king and father’s blessing. Do not squander it, Rhaenyra. Do you think Alicent truly wanted to marry your father?”

Rhaenyra’s head snapped to the side quickly, eyes narrowed and angry. “She is the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms! I should have seen her ploy-”

You tried to resist the roll of your eyes as you should have seen this argument waiting. “Her ploy? Or her father’s? You know Alicent. Despite the anger you feel now, you know in your heart of hearts that your friend would not betray you like this without some outside machinations forcing her hand. Was it not you both who would read me tales of dashing knights and maidens? Stories about love?”

“We were children.”

“She was barely a woman grown when she married your father. Is that who you would have given her? A man with power, true. But a man old enough to be her father? Who does only wish for more heirs?”

The princess was quiet for a moment before turning to stare out the window again. “That matters little now,” she grumbled. “She has her crown and my father has a son.”

The conversation fizzled out after that and you knew not to press it again today. You were thankful she seemed content to speak with you about anything else and she was happy to hear about your adventures in the Vale.

It was not until you were ripped from sleep later that night did you realize that Rhaenyra was not finished with the conversation as you had thought.

“What if you did have a dragon?” Rhaenyra asked, standing in the doorway of your room at the inn. Ser Oswin caught your eye over her shoulder and winced, apologetic.

Your face scrunched in confusion, still half-asleep. “What?”

“What if you did have a dragon? Would you still think you had to marry someone your Valemen picked for you?” Rhaenyra strode over to your bed and held both of your hands between hers as you sat up atop the featherbed. “I…I don’t want that for you. I want you happy, not trapped. If you feel a dragon will give you that freedom, I will give it to you.”

You searched her face, eyes still blurry with your interrupted sleep. Determination, bordering on desperation, was pinching at the corners of her beautiful face. You had not seen her like this before and it was more than enough to wake you up completely. You sat straighter and moved your hands just enough to lace your fingers with hers, holding her hands as she used to do when you were a child. This felt different. Not like when she comforted you as you longed for Lys and your father years ago. This was something fracturing beneath the surface. Or starting to roar with life. You needed to tread carefully. “Your offer is more than generous, Rhaenyra, and I’ll never be able to thank you for extending it to me. But, I am not a Targaryen.”

The Crown Princess shook her head. “You are. You are the Blood of the Old Valyria and you could forge your own path; be the dragon of the Vale! Do not let the whims of men dictate the rest of your life.”

Her grip tightened until it was near painful but you did not pull away, could not. Her violet eyes said more, pleading and searching. It took you only a moment to realize that she was speaking about herself as much as she was to you. She needed freedom and comfort and power and security. A dichotomy atop dichotomy. This was a turning point for her. For you. Something settled around your shoulders then as you looked into her eyes again. “This will brand me as overly ambitious and you as-”

“I am the heir to the Iron Throne. I shall do as I please. I am to make allies, am I not? You are of my mother’s kin, my blood.” She tilted her chin up, just so, and she was every inch a Valyrian Princess in that moment. You almost giggled. Her mind was made up.

And so was yours. “Then allies you should make. Find eggs for your half-siblings. They are your kin as well.” Rhaenyra nearly pulled away from you but you held her firmly in your grasp. “They will be used against you if you do not welcome them; you and I both know this. The House of the Dragon must remain as one. Be smart, Rhaenyra. Give them reasons to love you. They are children.”

“They-”

“Did not ask to be born. But you have the power now. Be open handed with it. Otto will surely try to have Aegon be named heir but Alicent, despite what you think of her, has advocated for you. Not her son. You.”

“How do you know this?”

“She has told me herself and Ser Harrold has confirmed it,” you said, mentioning the knight of the Kingsguard whom Rhaenyra trusted. You had spoken with him just that morning. “He has heard them speaking of it frequently.”

Her hands shook in yours. The purple of her eyes was clouded with something—almost like relief, almost like heartache. “Oh.”

When she took her seat upon the throne of Storm's End, you held your breath as the first suitor came forward, half expecting Rhaenyra to be as disinterested as she had been before. But something changed when Willem Blackwood stepped forward. Of course, one could make the argument that the princess’ mind changed when Willem drew his sword after being insulted by the Bracken suitor.

“He’s bold,” Rhaenyra said, looking over her shoulder as Ser Criston pulled her away from the clash.

While he was decidedly the smaller of the two, Willem bested the Bracken, leaving him bloody and clutching his nearly severed arm within a few moments. That boldness led to Rhaenyra walking with him through the fortress’ godswood on an unusually sunny day as you and Ser Criston chaperoned them from a few paces back. Rhaenyra was happy. And Willem was smitten.

“What do you think love feels like?” Rhaenyra asked as she slithered under the blankets of your bed that night.

You hummed, fiddling with the end of her braid. “Mother said that her love with Father was quiet. Calm.” She had told you countless times about her long courtship with him, scandalous as it might have been seen by Westerosi highborn or not. She was always happy when she spoke of him. Her smile might have been tinged with bittersweetness, but the love remained. “He felt like a long night’s rest, is what she used to tell me.”

Rhaenyra was quiet for a moment. “I used to think that love had to be loud or fiery.” She paused again. If you were as willfully ignorant as Viserys, you would have no inkling that she was thinking of Daemon at that moment, but her face shuttered and she inched closer to you. “I want to be happy.”

Turning to fully face her, you linked your fingers with hers beneath the blankets. The thrumming you felt beneath your skin had your next breath stalling in your throat. You had not yet learned how to discern people’s future’s clearly, as your mother had. But you still knew that Rhaenyra was at a crossroads. “You deserve to be happy,” you whispered the words to her, hoping she knew what you meant.

This was an incredibly stupid idea. It was probably some of the most fun you had ever had. But that did not mean it was not stupid.

Rhaenyra’s grip on your hand was tight as she led you down into the caverns around the Dragonmont. How you’d convinced Ser Criston and Ser Oswin to accompany you to Dragonstone you’d never know but the princess was convincing despite the continuing conflict with the Crabfeeder in the Stepstones just a few leagues away. Her tentative betrothed, Lord Willem, had been sent back to Raventree Hall to ready for his and his family’s travels to the capital to meet with Viserys. “If you do not feel compelled by any of the eggs here, we shall try again at the pit when we return to the capital.” She said it so breezily that you had to laugh. Claiming a dragon like this felt like treason. It probably was treason but you were not going to tell Rhaenyra no. At least not outwardly.

And what if you did claim a dragon? Could you really be seen as strong enough to evade an unwanted betrothal? Would you become strong enough to truly solidify your and your mother’s place as the Ladies of the Eyrie? A warm rush filled your chest and continued to grow with each step you took. You could not refuse her. Or yourself. But you knew this was an impossibility. You could not have a dragon. You were a falcon, an Arryn.

And, anyway, with each small clutch you looked over, warm and glittering, you did not feel a pull as Rhaenyra said you should. However, you helped Rhaenyra pick four eggs out for her siblings.

“You only have two right now.”

She shrugged and held up a blue egg, flecked with bronze, toward one of the torches bolted to the mountain’s cavernous wall. She turned it one way and then another before handing it to the keeper who had accompanied you down with a pleased nod. “I have come to realize that my father believes he must be as fruitful as Jaehaerys. My mother paid the price for it.”

The casual way she said it felt almost like a slap. But you could not stop the smile from pushing at your mouth anyway. The topic of her father had been carefully avoided by you and your mother, knowing Rhaenyra loved him, but her realizing his faults on her own was an entirely different matter. But still, you said nothing, and held up a yellow and crimson colored egg which she scowled at. You held onto it anyway.

Three more eggs later, you were still without one of your own and that was almost a relief. There was an attempt on your part to go and indulge Rhaenyra’s attempt at helping you. That was all you could do. Your small party turned to leave the cavern and you made it all but three steps before the Keeper thrust out his arm, keeping you and Rhaenyra behind him.

“Princess, my lady, do not move.”

Of course, both you and Rhaenyra did anyway and your heart leapt into your throat the moment you set your gaze on what had frightened the Keeper so. The dragon was massive and the color of a starless sky, aside from the mottled grey of the deep scars stretching across his snout and down its wiry neck. Two large horns curled back from above his brow and a mess of smaller spikes and spines littered their way down his back. Eyes the color of emeralds set above a roaring fire were anchored firmly on your group.

“The Cannibal,” Rhaenyra whispered, awestruck or terrified.

You could not truly hear her anyway. Your blood had turned molten in your veins as your heart thudded a heavy beat against your ribs.

This was your dragon.

A/N: Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

[kitsquared]

What kind of cliffhangerrrrr ??!?!?

If we get that same artistic montage from s3e9 for this season's ep 9 then hit me that lead up was so interesting

[thebibliomancer]

Shadows of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 12

Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee because I got wrapped up in election obsession and now I need to get back to a more soothing world where powerful overlords drain the life out of the world and set people against each other. Something fantastical, y’know?

Last times on book: Naia is on a journey to Ha’rar to clear brother Gurjin’s name and to warn the All-Maudra about all these dark crystals popping up in this Dark Crystal book. She is joined by Song Teller Kylan who is on his way to Stone-in-the-Wood and wants to prove the Hunter is real. A broken bridge leads Naia to decide to go through the Dark Woods at night. A lot of spooky things happen and spookiest of all Gurjin shows up??

Chapter 14

Spooky things just keep happening forever. Why are the Spooky Woods so Spooky?

Naia doesn’t look a gift Gurjin in the mouth and hugs him but the hug is all weird and cold.

If this is a spooky ghost situation I’m going to be so mad.

Naia comes to a different conclusion, seeing that in the moonlight his clothes look tattered and his face is pale and eyes hollow. Obviously he looked on the dark crystals and is darkened! Oh no!

(I don’t remember this part from the show)

Spooky Gurjin keeps insisting that they go to the castle. Naia decides to just tug him along so she can find Kylan.

But, spooky or no, this is a good thing! It’ll be much easier to prove Gurjin’s innocence when she can bring the actual guy in front of the All-Maudra!

“Everyone will be so glad to know I’ve found you,” she said, smiling suddenly. “We can show everyone you aren’t a traitor to the Skeksis-”

“He is a traitor.”

And Naia finds to her alarm that Gurjin has slipped free and disappeared and now Tavra is in the woods.

Tavra is as spookily tattered as Gurjin had been.

And Spooky Tavra just keeps repeating that Gurjin is a traitor.

Then when Naia insists that Gurjin is innocent, Spooky Gurjin appears behind her.

Now Naia is realizing that maybe this isn’t Gurjin, maybe there’s some ghostly creature messing with her.

When she asks who or what Spooky is, Spooky Gurjin grabs her.

Naia’s breath left her when he grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her firmly in place with fingers that constricted around her body like vines. He fixed her with his blackened eyes, and she could smell the earth on his breath, soil and crystal and fire from the deepest reaches of Thra. When he spoke, it was as if he pulled the words from the corners of her heart, from the dark spaces where she’d hidden her secret fears.

Hey, it might not seem like it from me recounting it, synopsis-like, but this stuff is pretty creepy!

Spooky Gurjin taunts Naia that she can’t save him, that she’ll fail in front of the All-Maudra, that the Drenchen will be marked as traitors and the Skeksis will come for retribution.

Naia tries to stab Spooky but he vanishes and she finds that she’s only stabbed the root of a tree. The split in the bark spills out purple light.

Hmmmmm.

Spooky Tavra shows up again and sneers, telling Naia to run.

Which she do.

Dodging vines and roots that try grasping for her.

These Spooky Woods are so spooky.

The forest sends more apparitions at her, taking on the forms of people she knows and shouting and crying after her. But Gurjin’s voice stands out the most, saying treasonous things about slandering the Skeksis.

And she sees something weirder.

Amid all the other faces, she saw one creature she didn’t recognize. It was a hulking spidery thing, looming above the other Gelfling ghosts, with four monstrous arms and long square-tipped fingers. On every surface of its body grew sprouts of trees, weaving in and out of its flesh and bursting into branches and diamond-shaped violet leaves.The being stared into her with piercing otherworldly eyes, and when it tilted back its long-necked head and opened its mouth, it let out a sonorous moan so loud and miserable, it shook every tree in the wood.

I must rejoin the Heart of Thra.

This spooky apparition reminds me of something but whaaaaat?

Spooked by this, Naia take a wrong step and tumbles into a valley and kind of pratfall rolls into a tangle at the bottom.

Thankfully, Real Kylan shows up at this point but Naia is suspicious of him at first until he’s suspicious of her and she sees that he has real emotion on his face.

He was apparently also seeing spooky nonsense and he’s just exhausted by everything.

Poor bby.

In the valley they find themselves in, they find a really weird tree.

It was bulging at the base, in lumps and protrusions that looked like half-formed limbs or faces. Four knobby branches sprouted from it, two on either side, spread wide as if the tree were grasping toward the sky with four arms and hands full of diamond leaves. In the dark of the night, lit only by the moons and stars overhead, it looked as if it were moving, slowly reaching towards them.

Hey wait, that’s similar to the weird thing Naia saw. Naia draws the same comparison.

And also, this would be too much for me if I were in their shoes right now. I’d be like nope, I’m out. Weird tree is the straw that broke me.

Naia figures that the woods herded them here to see this for some reason. Hopefully not to eat them.

“It’s in pain,” she said, her mind clearing with the realization. “The tree - the forest - or something - it’s calling for help. I saw those shadows, the phantoms - but I also saw inside the root of the tree, and it was the same as the crystal I saw in Sog and in the Podling burrow...”

Galaxy brain.

She uses her Sweet Metal Knife to cut the roots at their feet to show Kylan that the wood grain in the root is veined with violet mineral.

ALSO APPARENTLY THE DARK WOOD IS JUST ONE EXTREMELY BIG BUT MORE ACCURATELY EXTREMELY WIDE TREE. Like those mushroom colonies, I guess.

Naia is like well this wood is way too spooky but ALSO ‘imma dreamfast with it’

She just has like so much empathy. She keeps thinking about the Nebrie that dropped dead.

Kylan almost tries to talk her out of it but changes tack and asks how he can help.

Kylan is a good friend.

She tells him to watch her back with a bola in case any danger happens. Although given Kylan’s skill with the bola, she’s really hoping that she senses the danger quickly enough to save them both.

Harsh, but fair.

Still, his determination to do his part was endearing... and maybe a little charming.

Darn straight.

Bracing herself, Naia closed her eyes, opening her heart and mind to the tree. It sensed her contact, and with a hungry, maddened surge of energy, it lunged to swallow her whole.

!!!!!

[lunarlitmuses]

...welp, I finished CS3 and...REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DX

[lokixryss]

NOT THE CLIFFHANGERRRRR 😭😭😭 AND FUCKING SAMANTHA BRO I KNEW SHE WAS NO GOOD

Why is this story so painful yet so good 😭😭

🌹Her Romeo🌹

Pairing: Avenger Loki x insecure! Female reader

Warnings: self deprecating thoughts, yelling, accusations, mentions of cheating (don't worry, he didn't), swearing, crying, harsh language.

Summary: as opening night arrives, things come to a head....

A/n- graphics by @harlequin-hangout

Part Two -- Part Three-

You spent the next week in a haze. Between your work and Loki's constant rehearsals you hadn't hardly seen him. You knew opening night was tomorrow night but you couldn't help the loneliness that was seeping into you as you sat on the couch in your darkened living room. Looking around seeing the pictures of you and Loki hung on the walls, the smiles you both wore holding up the keys to your apartment in one, an impromptu trip to the beach in another. You got up sighing heading to the bedroom when you heard keys in the door making you freeze.

"Yes, I told you I will see you tomorrow." You heard Loki say as he closed the door "no....goodnight Samantha." He continued when you heard him walk into the living room "ah darling, your awake." He said smiling slipping his coat off seeing he was still in costume "yeah, sorry...I'll leave you be." You said continuing to the bedroom "stay...please." He said making you turn back to him "why? Samantha busy tonight?" You snarked wrapping your arms around yourself. "Y/n, can we not do this tonight? I just want to spend time with you" he sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose "oh, now I'm worthy of your time?" You asked putting you hands on your hips "y/n.." he groaned sitting in his chair "no, you have spent every spare minute with her!" You yelled feeling everything hitting you at once. "You go to her house, you bring her into our home!" You continued feeling your hands tremble.

"We were practicing y/n, nothing more!" He yelled back, his eyes shooting to yours "oh I'm sure that's what you were doing." You scoffed "what are you implying y/n?" He asked standing back up "Loki you havent touched me in weeks!" You yelled again feeling your face heat up "so you tell me, what am i supposed to think?" You said looking down. "I have not strayed, and I do recall you turned down my advances the other night." He snarked making you look at him "because you were probably thinking about her!" You snapped "Norns! How many times must i say it....i love you...I want to be with you!" He yelled making you jump "I'm going to bed." You said sternly "of course you are...go pout like a jealous child." He scoffed waking into the kitchen "excuse me?" You asked following him "you always do this y/n, you never talk to me but somehow it is my fault your upset." He said setting the kettle on the stove.

"How would you feel if I was going to another's man's house every day for a month hmm?" You asked crossing your arms "I wouldn't think anything because I trust you, which you obviously do not." He snarked leaning on the counter, "don't...it's not about that." You argued "oh? Then what is it? Because of all the people in my life I believed you would support me." He said crossing his arms "I do support you!" You yelled "but how can you be so oblivious to what she's doing?" You asked watching him shake his head. "She has been nothing but courteous. She is strong and outgoing, and you are just being insecure." He said making you step back.

You stood there staring at him, for the first time seeing anger swirling in his eyes "your right, im sorry I've been such a burden to you." You said nodding "y/n, that's not..." you cut him off feeling your eyes burn "no, I'm needy and self conscious..." you trailed off looking down "she's everything I'm not." You said looking back into his eyes "I knew the day would come when you had had enough I just hoped..." you trailed off closing your eyes. "y/n, that is not what I meant." He said stepping forward "im...I'm gonna head to bed." You said quietly walking into the living room "y/n please, we need to walk about this." He said following "I think we've said enough, I just....I'm tired Loki." You said turning back to him seeing him sigh deeply "we'll talk tomorrow." You said walking to the bedroom closing the door behind you.

You sat on the bed, staring at the wall running everything he said through your mind. You knew you were insecure, hard to deal with, and you had a feeling he felt the same, but hearing him say it outloud was like a dagger was plunged into your chest. You laid down, pulling the blankets up you allowed the tears to fall. You knew he was right, you should have talked to him, told him how you were feeling but the last thing you wanted to do was discourage him from his passion with your issues. You closed your eyes trying to find sleep, deciding you would talk to him in the morning when things calmed down.

You rolled over seeing it was almost noon, stretching feeling Loki's side of the bed cold. Looking over seeing it was unslept in "did he not come to bed?" You thought sitting up. You grabbed your robe opening the door to the bedroom "loki?" You called out seeing the apartment empty. You walked to the kitchen seeing a cup set on the counter, a piece of paper nestled under it. You slipped it out unfolding it leaning on the counter.

Love,

I am truly sorry for the things I said last night. I would never intentionally make you feel less then, i was upset and said things I did not mean, which I know is not an excuse. Tonight is opening night and I would love you to be in the audience. I have laid out a dress with your ticket on the couch. Come to my dressing room after the show, I have a surprise for you. Love you and see you tonight.

Love,

Loki

You set the note down, walking to the couch seeing a dark purple dress with a ticket nestled on top. "My favorite color." You whispered picking it up seeing the flowing material wrapped snugly around the bodice, small crystals spread along the collar, a slit going up the side. You smile laying it back down picking up the ticket seeing it was for five o'clock. "Ok I have time." You said to yourself, grabbing the dress you hurried to the bathroom wanting to make sure you looked perfect for tonight.

You parked your car, gathering the bottom of your dress you stepped out, making sure you had your ticket you walked up to the booth, sliding it under the glass as the lady smiled at you "have a nice evening." She said as you nodded heading inside. You found your seat, seeing you were a few rows from the front, sliding in seeing a red rose draped across the seat with a note attached. You picked it up sitting down with a smile opening it.

The Brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing, and think it were not night.....Until we meet again my love. ~L~

You brought the rose closer, inhaling it's sweet scent as the lights dimmed and the curtain rose. You sat up holding the rose close when the narrator came to the stage. "Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean." You watched in awe as Loki commanded the stage, looking around seeing the audience enthralled by him. You heart swelled with pride watching him give himself over to the role....he truly was Romeo.

It came to the final scene, you didn't care that juliet was dead, but watching Loki brought a tear to your eye as he drank the "poison", collapsing on the stage almost too convincingly hearing everyone gasp when juliet woke, saying something you weren't paying attention to as she plunged a dagger into her chest making you smile. A few more lines were said by the other actors when the curtain slowly fell and the lights came up. You jumped to your feet clapping with everyone else as the actors all came out bowing before heading backstage again. You quickly picked up the bottom of your dress sliding out heading to the backstage entrance "can I help you miss?" A man wearing a security shirt asked "yes, Loki Laufeyson asked me to come back when it was over, I'm his girlfriend." You smiled "oh right, he mentioned that. Whats your name?" He asked. After giving your name he opened the door letting you pass.

You wandered through the tight passageway, bumping into people here and there trying to find the dressing rooms "oh y/n...your here." You heard, looking over seeing Samantha standing to the side, hands on her hips. "Yeah, Loki wanted me to meet him in his dressing room." You said looking around "hmm...I'll tell him your here, go down that hall and go left in five minutes, his name is on his door." She smiled making you uneasy. "Ok, thanks." You said seeing her saunter off down the hall. You stood there awkwardly turning the rose in your hand when you decided it had been long enough. You followed where she had gone, taking a left at the end you came to a row of doors with stars on them, Loki's name written on the last one. You lifted your hand to knock when you heard a woman's voice "mmm Loki." You leaned closer, hearing movement inside followed by a giggle making your heart race.

You grabbed the knob, taking a deep breath you gathered what courage you had flinging the door open, your entire body seizing at the site in front of you. Loki was sat on a couch against the wall, Samantha straddling his lap as she pressed her lips to his, seeing his hands gripping her hips. "L..loki..." you whispered when Samantha pulled back looking at you with a smile "oops, guess we're caught." She said laughing "y/n...wait! It's not..." he started, as you backed out of the room. Loki pushed her off standing up "she was going to find out eventually." She purred grabbing his arm "there is nothing to find out! Y/n, please...i have not done anything with her, I swear!" Loki said wrenching his arm from her.

You closed your eyes, shaking your head feeling like you were going to be sick. "Love, please...listen to me." Loki said, jerking back feeling his fingers brush your arm "i..I can't do this." You said dropping the rose running back the way you came "y/n!" You heard Loki yell behind you, blinking the tears away throwing open the backstage door "are you ok miss?" The man from earlier asked as you stormed past him "just great." You muttered running up the aisle to the doors. You pushed through, pulling your keys from your clutch running to your car "y/n, wait!" You heard Loki yell, turning to see a mob of women circle him you jumped in your car, tires screeching as you took off as fast as you could home.

You ran into the apartment, slamming the door behind you you pulled your phone out dialing your friend "Hey y/n, how are you?" She asked. You put her on speaker setting it down "Hey Val, could I come stay with you for a few days?" You asked pulled the dress over your head "of course you can, is everything ok?" She asked as you pulled a small suitcase from the closet "I'll explain when I get there, I just...I can't be here." You said going to the dresser pulling some clothes out "ok, let me know when your on your way." She said "I will, see you soon." You said going to the closet slipping on a t-shirt and jeans when your phone rang.

Pulling your clothes from the hangers you walked over seeing it was Loki. Leaning over you hit the red button before going to the bathroom grabbing your toiletries. You zipped up the suitcase, grabbing your phone you walked to the living room, setting it by the door you looked around, the pictures hung on the wall making your eyes tear up again when you saw the note from earlier on the coffee table. Picking it up you read it again in your head, tears streaming down your cheeks when a sob passed your lips. You gripped the paper in your hands tearing it apart watching the pieces fall to the floor. You wiped your face, going back to the door slipping your coat on when your phone rang again, pulling it out you hung up seeing it was Loki again before texting Val letting her know you were coming.

You grabbed your suitcase, locking the door you made your down to your car. Unlocking it you threw the suitcase in the trunk, slamming it as you made your way to the door "y/n!" You heard, turning your head seeing Loki running down the sidewalk. You jumped in, pressing your foot on the gas as hard as you could smelling burning rubber as the car took off, looking up seeing Loki standing on the sidewalk holding his head in the mirror. You took a deep breath, trying to clear your thoughts as you drove to the outskirts of for city. The adrenaline wearing off making everything come back when you pulled up to the three story house at end of a winding road.

You got out, grabbing your bag you walked up the sidewalk as the front door opened. "Y/n, are you ok?" Val asked stepping outside. You stood there looking down trying to get your thoughts in order dropping your bag "n..no, no I'm not." You sobbed as everything hit you, tears streaming down your face when val wrapped her arms around you squeezing "sshhh, it's ok." She said rocking you back and forth "no, it's not." You sobbed, gripping the back of her sweater crying into her shoulder "come on, let's get inside." She said, pulling away She grabbed your bag leading you inside. "I'll put on some coffee and you can tell me everything." She said setting your bag by the front door.

She walked to the kitchen starting the machine as you wandered into the living room plopping down into a chair by the fire. Closing your eyes you tilted your head back wishing you could wake up from this nightmare.

@vbecker10 @mochie85 @lokisgoodgirl @springdandelixn @kinky-faerie @xorpsbane @midnights-ramblings @simping-for-marvel @holdmytesseract @kkdvkyya @slpnbty2001 @lokixryss @vane28282 @violethaze @coldnique @aniar4wniak @nate-ate-hate @buttercupcookies-blog @brattymum96 @dukes2581 @your-taste-on-my-lips @mybabyh @blog-the-lilly @irishhappiness @sinsandguilt @filthyhiddles @lovebyloki @kikster606 @javagirl328 @misunderstoodself @highkeysimpingforloki @eleniblue @commanding-officer @athalialaufeyson @stupidthoughtsinwriting @lokiandbuckysdoll @loopsisloops @joyful-enchantress @jaidenhawke @silverfire475 @high-functioning-lokipath @kittiowolf210 @slytherclaw1227 @joyfullymassivewhispers @wolfsmom1 @libbybeaz @lokikissesmyforehead @goblingirlsarah @thomase1

[ppangjae]

Hi! I just finished reading nevermind, lets break up 🥰 its so good! And im wondering if you ever posted part 2 or something?? The ending is a total cliffhangerrrrr hehe

i haven't posted part 2 yet! still working on it <3

[ahundredtimesover]

AAAAAA NOOOO THE CLIFFHANGERRRRR 😭😭😭😭 i cried so hard for jungkook, and for oc 🥺 they've been through so much and it felt nice when jungkook finally told oc about him and jin-ae, i guess that finally opened oc's eyes. HOWEVERRRRRR THE CLIFFHANGER KSNSOSNOSNAKS i really wanna know what happens next seriously 😭 im deeeeep in this fic like so invested, i hope oc will take care of jk like how he did for her and they'll get their happy ever after– thats all im asking for 😭

So glad you’ve been enjoying 🥺 super love reading your thoughts! And same, I cried for him, too because he’s hurting so much and he doesn’t know what to do anymore. But please, you know me and how I write my stories 😉 thank you so much and sending you love 🥰🥰